Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
While Doc Rivers reserves the right to call for a double session or two if needed, right now there are none on the official schedule and the coach said at today’s Shamrock Foundation Golf Tournament he is hoping not to use them often.
“We will have a couple two-a-days, but it will be a walkthrough,” he said before the charity round. “It will be very similar to our walkthroughs during the regular season. So it won’t be an actual practice.
“We have two scheduled (in gym reservations) for every day, but every day we’re going to try to do just a single. I am going to decide after practice. It will be a reward.”
Souza/Courtside View: Rivers hopes to take it easier at training camp
And so it begins...
If there's any wonder what the Celtics plan of attack is going to be this season... wonder no more. We're not going to wait until the regular season to have the "limiting minutes" discussion. We're having it now.
The Celtics will have a lot of work to do in the preseason getting guys acclimated. For the first time in the new Big 3 era, they're going into a season with someone other than Kendrick Perkins as their starting center. That means a crash course for Jermaine O'Neal in how to run this offense and, more importantly, the defense.
And speaking of which... this team has to learn, at the very least, a modified defensive scheme. Tom Thibodeau is out in Chicago... leaving Lawrence Frank to put his own touch on the C's defense. And Frank is going to have to learn from Kevin Garnett... because KG will definitely give him a "This is how we do things" kind of talk before Lawrence gives him the "this is what I'd like to do."
And THEN, the second unit... however the second unit shakes out... will have to figure out how to play with one another. Nate, Delonte, Wafer, Baby, Shaq... aside from Shrek and Donkey, this would be an entirely new "B" team.
AND THEN... where does that leave guys like Luke Harangody, Avery Bradley, Oliver Lafayette and Tony Gaffney? There are a lot of guys fighting for spots. If Doc is taking it easy and going through sets for a session, that's one less session these guys have to make an impression. Which means these guys are all going to have to find other ways to make this team.
I'll tell you what... if I'm one of those guys, the only bits of Newport I see will be whatever exists between my hotel room and the practice facility. If I'm not staying late to shoot or ask questions or lift... I'm in my room studying that playbook and knowing where every player should be on every play.
Doc is trying to win one more title. We'll deal with the "maybe two titles" next year. So the guys who are definitely on this team will work hard, but not TOO hard. The minutes are already being limited. The rest of the guys who are fighting... well... you'll have to figure out a way to win that fight.
On Page 2... Proof that any time you vote on something with Michael Jordan, fans will be idiots.
With ESPN.com running an offseason feature aimed at crowning the greatest NBA team of all-time, we did our best to point out that the Celtics were matched up against the upset-minded Bulls Tuesday in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Clearly, it's never easy tangling with Michael Jordan.
Ranked fifth in the East, the Bulls' all-time team of Artis Gilmore, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Norman Van Lier, and Jordan edged Boston's top-seeded squad that included Bill Russell, Kevin McHale, Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, and John Havlicek. In the closest voting of the tournament, Chicago escaped by accruing 50.8 percent of the total ballots cast.
ESPN Boston: Down go the C's... and layups
People see Jordan and the Bulls and they just vote for him.
But that Bulls team has TWO Hall of Famers on it. Jordan and Pippen. Gilmore deserves to be in... so I'll give you 3 if you want to make that argument.
The Celtics, meanwhile, not only feature 5 HOF'ers. They feature 5 of the ALL TIME GREATEST PLAYERS AT THEIR POSITIONS!! Sure, Norm Van Lier was OK... but Cousy is one of the best point guards ever. Bird... McHale... Havlicek... RUSSELL!!!
You're talking about guys who live in the Hall of Fame's Hall of Fame. There's no way in hell this thing should be anything besides All-Time Celtics vs. All-Time Lakers.
But once again... you throw Michael Jordan on any of these "All Time" lists and he's going to get an absurd number of votes. I get it... I get it... I know damn well what Michael Jordan was. But he's the equivalent of a low-cut dress. It can blind guys into thinking the entire package is attractive when you're really only focusing on one thing. And we all know a good woman is more than good cleavage. There's an entire person there with a mind and a personality. When you've got a great mind and personality to go with the looks... that's the winner right there.
How about that.... I just played the superficial male pig and sensitive new-age man all in one shot. Not bad for first thing in the morning.
The rest of the links:
ESPN Boston: Notebook: Doc ready for chemistry class | Ainge: Bradley sidelined to start camp | Multimedia: C's at Shamrock Classic | WEEI: Celtics: Morning Irish coffee | Nate Robinson on Twitter, his role, and Kazaam | Ainge: We like our talent | Herald: Shaq can't wait to C's moment | Bradley to be absent at beginning of camp | Don Nelson out as Warriors coach | 76'ers trade Willie Green, Jason Smith to Hornets | Measuring Shaq's star power | Globe: Shaq makes an entrance | Krypto-Nate and Superman | Picking (and rolling) on Shaq