First off I don't necessarily buy the whole "strong veteran presence is the cure for everything" type of thinking. For example in the past Paul Pierce alluded to his frustration with trying to bring Gerald Green along and how a guy has to want it to be successful. Of course this is an entirely different team nowadays with a stronger veteran core and young guys - Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe, and Rajon Rondo - known for working hard. Seriously if O'Bryant doesn't bring it in practice Powe will eat his lunch. Overall I like Boston's mix of veterans and youth and I'm on board with the gambles - J.R. Giddens, Bill Walker (knee), and now O'Bryant - Danny Ainge has taken. And since it's been pretty slow around here I've decided to put together 10 reasons O'Bryant in green and white makes sense. Worst case someone on the Celtics (Paul Pierce?) can put some popcorn on his Christmas tree.

JRich pranks teamate Patrick O'Bryant (via hotsizzle869)

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You have to give the folks at Reebok credit. The Rondo'd ad campaign was well done. In fact it inspired me to make verbs out of the rest of the Celtics. Obviously it's forced and given the way the season ended, overwhelmingly positive. Such is life. I'll start with Rondo, provided by Reebok, and go alphabetically from there.

Rondo'd

1. To move smoothly between large objects with dexterity and purpose.
2. To remove an object quickly without being detected.
3. To create a distraction followed by a quick change of direction.

Ray Allen'd

1. To rain 3 pointers down upon a squad with reckless abandon even if said squad has given up.
2. To run a defender off of numerous picks, slowly eroding his desire to defend.
3. To obsessively adhere to rituals, superstitions, and a lifestyle at all costs.

Tony Allen'd

1. To injure one’s self on a dunk after the whistle.*
2. To infuriate opposing fans, players, and broadcasters with off the back board alley oops, self-pass windmill dunks, and reverse alley oop slams, regardless of the situation.
3. To possibly black out briefly following dunks.**
4. To raise the blood pressure of a fan base with numerous ill-advised decisions primarily related to dribbling.

* It killed me to include that. But fair is fair.
** This is one of my favorite Celtics related theories. I'm not sure who came up with it. And though it sounds far fetched, watch this dunk. And this one. You think he has any idea where he is? As always thank you freeTA42.

Brown'd

1. To always let a player know he was fouled when an infraction is whistled.
2. To engage in stare downs, exchange trash talk, and then walk away with a subtle, “I would eat this guy’s lunch” smirk.
3. To play in a physical manner that includes moving screens, hard box outs, and essentially non-stop contact in a way that makes people wish you still had your athleticism.

Cassel'd

1. To talk to fans, teammates, referees, opponents, coaches, really anyone who will listen in such a non-stop fashion that it is simultaneously endearing and maddening.
2. To reveal one’s self to be the ultimate ball stopper who shoots without a conscience or a concerted effort to set up one’s teammates.
3. To provide the opposing team with a tremendous offensive advantage.
4. To establish one’s self as one of the most confident individuals within a 5-mile radius on a basketball court.
5. To create a celebratory dance that is easily more offensive than wearing jeans and a t-shirt to a game and yet never face the wrath of a fine happy, image conscious NBA.

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With the Celtics bringing the NBA season to a close on Tuesday it is time to change gears a bit around here. What can you expect?

1. I'll be following the draft. At some point I'll be involved in at least one mock draft and will look to put the "mock" right where it belongs. And of course next Thursday I'll be watching. In fact I just watched the 1997 draft on NBA TV. It deserves its own post. Remember that was Rick Pitino's first draft.

2. I will follow how next year's team is built. Right now Tony Allen, P.J. Brown, Sam Cassell, Eddie House, Scot Pollard, and James Posey may or may not be back. Let's rank the possibility of them returning.

Not Going to Happen - Pollard
He Recently Said he'd be Back But I Don't See It - Cassell
Probably Going to Retire But maybe They'll Work Out a Special Deal - Brown
I Have No Clue - Allen, House, Posey

In reality it all comes down to that last group. I'd like them all to return. Stay tuned.

3. I'm going to do a summer book review series that runs every Monday in July and August. I've already read several of the books. Expect a look at some classic Celtics and the NBA in general. Should be good.

4. I'd love to do some more interviews. I won't name names but I've got a few in mind. As a side note I won't name names because it would subsequently be embarrassing when they turn me down.

5. There's a decent chance that I'll take another shot at some movies. Although this time around they will be much shorter and easier to take than the over the top Rondo movie.

6. Finally I'm going to write some over at ROOMOFZEN. I've wanted to expand beyond the Celtics for some time now and that's a good forum for all sorts of ludicrous stuff I tend to think about. My first post is up now. Look for more in the future.

Ray Allen turns 33 this summer. Kevin Garnett blew out 32 candles a month ago. Paul Pierce will be 31 in the fall. We’ve already seen stretches of inconsistent play from Allen, even if he has been awesome in the Finals. And everyone is still waiting to see how the guys who jumped straight to the NBA from high school will hold up as they get up there in years. For the record KG is finishing up year 13. Throw in the beating the Truth has taken over the course of his career and injury concerns will hang over the squad. Meanwhile, the Celtics have a lot of money committed to their current roster and simultaneously hold the 30th pick in the draft. Even with Danny Ainge’s recent success in and around the draft there is a good chance the C’s will pick up a guy that will need time to develop. At the same time Boston will need another player that can handle the ball against pressure, unless Gabe Pruitt is that guy, and a back up center once P.J. Brown and to a much lesser extent Scot Pollard ride into the sunset. Factor in the possibility of losing both James Posey and Eddie House and Boston’s future is complicated. Maybe that last one is unlikely but it’s possible.

And I haven’t even touched upon the possible improvement of other teams throughout the league. After all of that I wonder if this Celtics team had that lightning in a bottle season. They got off to a blistering 26-3 pace, enjoyed game winning shots on the road in Toronto and Charlotte, and absolutely beat down Washington, Denver, Golden State, Chicago, and New York, which probably deserves its own category. It was the kind of beating that makes the cops say, “What kind of animal could to this to other human beings?” The Knicks took so many rights they were begging for lefts. And all that happened in the first two months. Don’t forget the back-to-back-to-back losses to Denver, Golden State, and Phoenix, which was one of the most enjoyable three game losing streaks ever. Think about it – Rondo’s put back dunk in Denver, the classic in the Bay, and a still rusty KG mixing it up with Amare Stoudemire. Then there was the Texas Triangle sweep and the vengeance victories over Phoenix and New Orleans. Meanwhile, Eddie House hit shots, James Posey did whatever it took to win, Rajon Rondo rode the sophomore campaign roller coaster, Glen Davis had his moments (huge 4th quarter on the road in Detroit and admirable defense on Tim Duncan one time), Leon Powe morphed into a legitimate rotation guy (whether Doc Rivers wanted to realize it or not), P.J. Brown worked his way into game shape, and everybody, outside of maybe Sam Cassell, was dedicated to sacrificing some to win.

After coming this far, working through the adversity of the Atlanta and Cleveland series, and going up 3-1 could this Celtics team bounce back from losing the Finals? At this point it can’t even be a Pistons in 88’, failing at the peak but learning what it takes type scenario. Boston is officially beyond the point of no return. Obviously this is a fantastic opportunity. But Boston can’t bet there will be another shot in the near future.

One more point: Does Tom Thibodeau coach in Boston next season?

It is still too early to tell whether or not Kendrick Perkins will play on Sunday. But even if he does how much should the Celtics expect from him? Basketball, particularly the way Perk plays it, is a physical game. The degree of difficulty rises significantly with an ailing shoulder. And since Scot Pollard is out for the year and Gabe Pruitt is a guard, could Brian Scalabrine get the call?

via upload.wikimedia.org

What is Boston's ideal crunch time lineup? That sounds like the type of question that needs categories. Let's do it.

Guys Who Don’t Dress
Gabe Pruitt
Scot Pollard
Brian Scalabrine

Guy Who Won’t Be Out There
P.J. Brown

Guys Who Could be Out There in Certain Situations
Tony Allen – I see the Allen for defense argument but think it is flawed for a number of reasons. He needs a lot of time to be effective, never seemed entirely comfortable with his knee, makes too many mistakes and currently lacks confidence.

Glen Davis – He could easily be in the previous category based upon the last month or so. But he has been effective against Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Eddie House – In some shooting scenarios.

Leon Powe – Foul Trouble for guys ahead of him on the depth chart.

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