Over the past few games, Golden St. has been starting Anthony Randolph at center and Corey Maggette at power forward. Now, if you’re playing a pickup game against a team with little structure and no viable big men, that’s okay. But against an NBA team with big, talented, physical interior players? Then, it could be a recipe for disaster. Read more »

With Glen “Big Baby” Davis having returned to the Boston Celtics lineup, it’s a good time to ask the question: Where does Big Baby fit in the rotation? Read more »

Once in a while, someone else’s article catches my eye. Sometimes, it’s because the article is so spot-on I wish I’d written it myself. Other times, it’s because the article enlightens me with something I never knew. Still other times, it’s because I disagree with whatever’s written. No matter what the reason, I dish it off to another writer to make his/her point. You know, throwing some dimes.

• Steve Bulpett has a great article about Rajon Rondo developing from a starter into a leader and possibly the best point guard in the Eastern Conference.  Here are some quotes from the story:

Doc Rivers: “He’s a leader.  He’s obtained that this year, and that’s all off-the-court stuff. His on-the-court (performance) alone has made him an All-Star in my opinion, but we’ll see.”

Ray Allen: “What’s different is that what he’s doing now is in the confines of the offense. It’s all part of what we’re doing as a team. He’s making the plays that are there. He’s getting guys the ball, but he’s also making his move when the other team gives him that opportunity. He’s taking it.”

Eddie House: “He has a lot more confidence in himself. You know, when he steps on the court he feels like that guy. When you have that confidence in yourself and you go out and prove it night in and night out, people have to take notice. That’s what he’s doing. He’s proving it.

That comes with his confidence. He’s been given the reins. For a time you’re not sure, but now it’s like, OK, go. He has that green light. He’s playing freely. He’s getting guys the ball and he’s making the plays. He does what he wants. He’s just playing basketball at an extremely high level.”

You should read the rest of the story. It’s a nice look at Rondo’s progression, mostly through the eyes of his teammates.

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Celtics defense?
• Sam Young’s blind younger brother plays the piano… and so does Mike Conley.
• Glen Davis has provided the Celtics with a spark.

Wanna throw your own dime, and get someone’s article recognized? Email me at jayking@celticstown.com or follow me on Twitter.

If you’re like me, Baron Davis’ jumper last night made your heart sink.  It made your lungs inhale sharply with pain. It made you contemplate taking Baron Davis’ beard right off his face and strangling him with it.

So I’m probably not the one to put that loss into perspective for you. But here’s Kevin Arnovitz, a contributor to TrueHoop, to show you that things are going to be okay, even if Baron Davis ruined last night for you:

So far as the Celtics go, chalk up last night’s loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles as an outlier. Make a mental note that the vicious strong-side pressure defense that works brilliantly on 95 percent of possessions might need to be tabled in tight late-game situations — something the Celtics don’t encounter all that often. Offensively, understand your strengths and exploit them. Your offense works most efficiently with rotating pick-and-rolls that confound defenses and run big men ragged. Yes, there will be mismatches at times that invite exploitation, but understand that whatever you gain by working against inferior post defenders in isolation might be offset by upsetting your offensive rhythm. The truth, though, is that the no team in the NBA can touch the Celtics’ offensive-defensive differential. The Celtics are simply killing opponents on a nightly basis. To make wholesale adjustments after fluke losses would be the equivalent of sending Rajon Rondo to the line for technical free throws because he’s drained his last three from the stripe. Play the odds, C’s, they’re in your favor.

And if that doesn’t make you feel better about the loss, I don’t know what will.

What happens when “strategic rest” goes wrong?

A supremely hot-shooting power forward goes ice cold.

Remember how hot Kevin Garnett was shooting before his mysterious thigh bruise forced him to sit out a game? It seemed like he would never miss, like he couldn’t miss, like the basket was five feet wide and he was throwing Skittles through it.

For the 11 games prior to his injury, KG took 113 shots and hit 78 of them. He was a smoking hot 69% from the floor and, during that stretch, he only had one game (!) during which he shot less than 50%.

Here’s a table of his makes and misses in those games:

He was unconscious. He couldn’t miss. And then came the “strategic rest”, or injury, or whatever it was, and all of a sudden Garnett can’t hit the broad side of a barn.

Granted, it’s only been two games, but Garnett had only shot under 50% once in his previous eleven games and has now done so twice in a row since returning from his ailments.

Maybe Garnett’s hurting and it’s affecting his shot. Maybe he feels fine, but sitting a game was enough to get him off his roll. Hell, maybe I’m just completely over-reacting to two poor shooting games.

Whatever the reason for it, he’s no longer shooting at an ubelievable clip.

Maybe a trip to Golden St. and a visit with their meek frontcourt can heal him.

Just look at Stephen Curry’s opponents for this three-game stretch:

Wednesday night, Chris Paul. Saturday, Steve Nash. Monday, Rajon Rondo.

It may not yet be time to insert Rondo into a group with those other two guys, but nonetheless that is a murderer’s row of point guards.

At this point, all Curry wants for New Year’s is a game against Chris Duhon and the New York Knicks. And, after battling three of the top point guards in the NBA, Curry deserves a night off against the likes of Duhon. (He’ll have to settle, though, for tomorrow night’s game against Derek Fisher. Fisher will seem like an old washed-up bum after playing Paul, Nash and Rondo in successive games. What’s that, you say? Fisher IS an old, washed-up bum? Sorry, I’d forgotten.)

If facing Rondo provides a far different challenge than playing against Nash, it still provides a tough matchup for Curry. Curry, one of the less athletic PG’s in the NBA, will have his hands full defending the uber-quick Rondo. Defending Rondo is no easy task, even for the best defensive point guards. But when you get a middling defensive guard in his rookie season, that task looks even more daunting.

“He’s doing a lot better than he was at the beginning of the season,” Don Nelson told the Contra Costa Times about Curry’s defense. “I know Coach (Keith) Smart has been working with him a lot, talking about his stance and not backing up so much in transition.”

Curry better hope that stance is looking good tonight, or he may look like he’s stuck in quicksand as Rondo blows by him play after play.

From Rondo’s side, Curry brings a (probably welcome) change of opponent. After Baron Davis used his brute strength and above-average athleticism to score 24 points and distribute 13 assists, Curry will rely more on his basketball savvy and perimeter shooting. Unlike Davis, Curry won’t put his shoulder into Rondo and try to bully his way to the hoop. He’ll be looking to pull-up for jumpers rather than to physically pound Rondo towards the basket. Rondo will likely be happy to see he’s matched up against a slower, less physical player than Baron Davis was last night.

So what’s Curry’s best hope for guarding Rondo tonight, despite his speed disadvantage?

He’s just got to hope Coach Keith Smart is better at teaching defense than Mark Price is at teaching free throws.