Wyc Is Supremely Confident

Via Ken Berger of CBS Sports:

"I think we should be the favorites in the conference, hands down," Grousbeck said after emerging from a 3 1-2 hour bargaining session between the NBA owners and the players' union. "And we’re going to start proving that Oct. 27."

How can you not love an owner with balls? It's one thing to believe in your team, it's another to boldly proclaim your feelings to the media.

Wyc also talked about Rasheed Wallace:

"He’s a feisty competitor, obviously," Grousbeck said. "We talked about that in the interview and the recruiting session. He said he means it always to try to help the team. He and his former teammates and coaches that you talk to when you do research on him, they love him as a player. Coaches love him, players love to play with him. The refs have mixed feelings, but that’s what refs are for."

Asked if he was prepared for all things Rasheed, Grousbeck said, "I actually told David (Stern) that I was going to modify my baseline ref assistance program a little bit to make up for the fact that we’ve got Rasheed. So I’m going to be doing a little less helping of the refs from the baseline. Just trying to even things out."

and Glen "Big Baby" Davis:

As for restricted free agent Glen "Big Baby" Davis, Grousbeck said the Celtics have had "a lot of conversations with him" and added, "We expect to see him in green. But things play out and you never know."

In TrueHoop's "Lessons from the Schedule," we learn the Celtics have 18 pairs of back-to-back games this season. While that may sound high, it's actually the third lowest total in the league.

Big news in Portland where Brandon Roy is about to sign an extension for max dollars with the Blazers.

And ESPN is no longer cool with its reporters giving out any scoops or rumors via their Twitter pages. You just knew it was too good to last.

After the jump, the national teams for Italy and Canada mix it up during an exhibition game. How do you say "cheap shot" in Italian?