Every once in a while, I link to a few articles from other writers around the internet. You know, I throw some dimes.

1. Antoine, oh Antoine. No NBA teams are interested in Antoine yet, reports David Aldridge. But Antoine’s keeping a good frame of mind through his bankruptcy battle. “The obvious, one, I’m living, so I’m not broke,” he said. “That’s not the case of being broke. Do I have $100 million? No, of course not. I’m going to lose a lot throughout this bankruptcy, so that’s not the case. But I think anybody that knows me personally knows I love the game, knows I love to play. If that’s not enough, me loving the game, and my dedication to the game is not enough, then I’m sorry for people who believe that. You can’t make everybody happy. All I can go is go out there and do that. It’s just like if I go work a 9-to-5 job. I still gotta provide for my family, myself. I’m going to have to do something. So why not do the thing I love to do, and that’s play basketball — which I feel like I’m very skilled at and I still have the ability to do at a high level.” After all the bad shots, immaturity and everything else, I still have a soft spot in my heart for Antoine Walker. He played the game with a passion that touched my heart.
2. Slam Online’s Adam Sweeney describes Kevin Garnett’s game without once discussing a single basketball skill: “To be on the side of Kevin Garnett means you ride into battle with a fearless partner. He fears no opponent and your doubts only fuel his fire. That intensity flows through his defensive mentality, which changed the entire attitude of the Boston Celtics when he came to the organization. His trash talk is the stuff of legends, allowing him to get into his opponent’s head. Ask Dwight Howard about that. When KG steps onto the court, as soon as he ceremoniously presses his head against the goalpost, he is a man possessed. We dare you to get in his path.” But my favorite part of Sweeney’s story was this line, a line I agree with completely. “He was a winner long before he got his ring in Beantown.”
3. Avery Bradley’s coach thinks he’s going to be a good one, and that working with Rajon Rondo will help. “I think it’s going to be great, and here’s why,” Peck explained. “One, he’s going to work. He’s going to do whatever he’s asked and told to get to where he wants to be. Two, he’s going to be willing and not reluctant to set aside his ego. … He’s very tuned in, learning, wanting to know, wanting to be taught, and get better. He’s a humble guy and he’s going to listen and he’s going to do what he’s told and expected. He’s going to work hard and his time will come.”
4. Jermaine O’Neal discusses why the C’s ginormous frontcourt will work: “I think we’re all going to make each other better,’’ he said. “We all do something different than the other. We all respect what we bring to the court as players.’’
5. In the same Aldridge article from above, he makes his power rankings. The Celtics finish 4th, behind the Lakers, Magic (?) and Heat.
6. Shaq has never been surrounded by so many stars as he is in Boston. ”For once in my career, I won’t have to hold anybody’s hand and they won’t have to hold mine,” he said. “I’m surrounded by veterans. We had a great battle [last Thursday] at HealthPoint. It was something I never had before — three, four, really great players all in one pickup game. It was me, Kevin [Garnett], Marquis [Daniels] and the Turkish guy [Semih Erden] against Ray [Allen], Paul [Pierce], Jermaine [O'Neal] and Big Baby. Amazing. Really high intensity.” I wish we had tapes of the pickup games.
7. Jeff Van Gundy thinks Delonte West could be an x-factor: “And I think the Celtics have made some really good moves — Jermaine O’Neal, Shaquille O’Neal, and Delonte West to me is a wildcard depending on his mindset, because he’s a very good player.”
8. If the new rules had been used in the NBA Finals, there would have been ten times as many technical fouls.

Got a tip? An article you think should be included? Send an email to jayking@celticstown.com or hit me up on Twitter @CelticsTown.

Doc: "Lawrence, you're a bit of a midget."

Can you smell that? Ahhh, it’s the sweet smell of basketball. Training camp has finally arrived, and the regular season? That’s less than a month away. I’m not going to lie, I woke up this morning with the strength of three men. (Or, at least three Shaun Livingstons.) It’s finally basketball season, folks, and I couldn’t be happier.

Looking forward to training camp, a few questions stand out.

1. How healthy is Kevin Garnett? – No other question holds as much importance. Garnett is the Celtics’ engine. Their defensive anchor. Their William Wallace. I’ve got a test to see whether he’s healthy: have him defend Luke Harangody. If ‘Gody so much as scores one single bucket, Garnett’s still not 100%.
2. Who will start at center? – The only training camp competition for a starter’s position exists between Jermaine and Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq might be conceding the starting position (“We’re the BBM – the Boston Bench Mob,” he told Marquis Daniels), so it’s probably Jermaine’s to lose. Which makes more sense. The thought of Shaq’s low-post scoring on the second unit makes me giddy, and Jermaine’s defensive mindset can keep the starters more similar to last year.
3. ‘Quisy’s confidence - It’s a new year for Marquis. Last year is gone, wiped away, erased from memory. And thank God. ‘Quisy needs a clean slate and a second beginning. No pressure, Marquis, but the Celtics expect — and need – a lot from you.
4. The rooks – Want to hear my hopes that any of the rookies make an impact? 0.43%. Which is weird, because I’m high on all of them. I drool at Avery Bradley’s defensive potential, admire Semih Erden’s ability to play a role on a contender, and believe ‘Gody was drafted way too low. But where are the openings for minutes? The rookies will have to exceed my expectations just to step foot on the floor.
5. The final roster spot – Danny Ainge just about starts salivating every time he talks about Delonte West, so I’m pretty sure West’s spot on the team is secure. That likely leaves only one spot for takes. The leading candidate is Von Wafer, but there are a couple white flags: 1) Ainge has twice spoken to media in the past few weeks; neither time did the words “Von” or “Wafer” escape his lips. And 2) Daniels has reportedly agreed to sign in China if he doesn’t make the Celtics. That doesn’t exactly exude confidence. Look for Tony Gaffney to provide Wafer’s toughest competition. We know Gaffney, all arms and legs and motor, can play defense. But is his offensive game as polished as it needs to be?
6. How’s Delonte West doing? – Unfortunately, this question won’t ever go away. No matter how well he’s behaving, West will always be considered one incident from the edge. Fair or not, that’s the reality. West has a lot to deal with right now. A ten-game suspension. A new (but old) fanbase worried about his behavior. The persistent rumors that he shares a lot in common with Finch from American Pie.  Let’s hope West handles it all gracefully. Not for the Celtics. For him.
7. Glen Davis’s new role – Because of Sheed’s love affair with the three-point arc, Davis played around the basket a lot last year. But it’s a new year and a new role. With the O’Neal brothers on board, Davis’s game will migrate more to the perimeter, like it did in ’08-’09 when he filled in for Kevin Garnett. It worked well for Davis then. How about now?
8. Sir Lawrence - Maybe the most important change of the summer, Lawrence Frank replaced the departed Tom Thibodeau. We won’t know Frank’s impact during training camp, but he’s got a new defense to install and some monstrous shoes to fill. Work some magic, Lawrence.
9. Can the bench develop chemistry? – The C’s bench is very talented, deep at every position (except maybe the three). But it’s also an insane and potentially devastating psychological experiment. Will the idiots band together, like the ’04 Red Sox? Or will they self-combust?

Any other questions you’ve got? Leave them in the comments section.

The Green Mile.

He’s never been a bench player before, but Shaquille O’Neal — 38 years old and well into the autumn of his basketball career – finally seems willing to embrace a lesser role.

Speaking with Jackie MacMullan about Marquis Daniels’s niche, Shaq  (who MacMullan describes as “trim, focused, and hungry to begin”) explained why Daniels would be improved this season. The massive beast then uttered a two-sentence statement that excited me more than any of the other politically correct mumbo-jumbo he’s said so far.

“Here we come,” Shaq said he told Daniels. “We’re the BBM — the Boston Bench Mob.” Read more »

Cool pic, dude. Seriously.

Last year, the regular season and the Boston Celtics simply didn’t mesh. The season can easily be described. Boredom. Frustration. Overzealous bloggers (read: me) considering gouging out our eyes. Fans in fits. Optimistic fans dismissing brutal losses. Optimistic fans later being proven correct in their unconditional faith. It was a tough time to be a Boston Celtic fan, last regular season. We expected another gear, we wanted another gear, but we weren’t sure if the Celtics could still get there.

The Celtics have now earned our faith. A poor regular season, we now know, doesn’t necessarily mean a goddamn thing about postseason chances. We understand now.

But please, for the love of Red Auerbach, can the Celtics actually try this year? For all 82 games, or at least most of them? I don’t want any doubt this year. I don’t want any complacency. Just a smooth ride straight to the NBA Finals. Dreams are great, right?

At the very least, the Celtics are saying the right things. They know this season could be their last real chance. Aging a little every year (don’t we all?), the Celtics now approach the twilights of their playing days with an enthusiasm marked by the knowledge that NBA careers don’t last forever. At least, so they say.

“There is a sense of urgency for me, and I’m sure there’s a sense of urgency for all the other guys,’’ Shaq told the Boston Globe. “You only get one shot. You have to put it all on the line, and we all are going to put all our egos on the side, and we’ll see what happens.

The Boston Celtics have waived guard Oliver Lafayette, according to the Boston Herald. Lafayette played in a whopping one game during his time with the C’s, dropping 7 points in 22 minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks. The waiving comes as a surprise, but only because it happened before training camp even starts.

As soon as the Celtics re-signed Nate Robinson and drafted Avery Bradley, the writing was on Lafayette’s wall. And when the Celtics signed Delonte West, they might as well have waived Lafayette on the spot. It would have taken season-ending injuries to at least one (and probably two) guards ahead of him for Lafayette to make the team.

The best memorable part of Lafayette’s time in Boston is this: he had a front-row seat for one of the most unexpected playoff runs in history. He was a part, albeit a small part, of something special enough that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Here’s what I wrote after Lafayette’s final game, a game he didn’t even get the chance to dress for.

While I was sitting with tears in my eyes and my head in my hands, pondering the excruciating loss, I briefly wondered whether it would have been better if the Celtics had just lost to the Cavs in the second round. It wouldn’t have been so painful, ya know?

But it wouldn’t have been so rewarding, either. No matter how badly it stings right now, the Celtics just pieced together one of the most improbable, incredible postseason runs in NBA history. They have nothing to hang their heads about. They lost, yeah, but even the loss was a validation of everything the Celtics stand for. Teamwork. Grit. Lock-down defense. Overcoming setbacks. The C’s won’t be wearing two rings and they won’t come home to a parade, but this playoff stretch again displayed everything I ever loved about this team.

Now it’s over. There’s nothing left but the crying. And as well as the Celtics played, as much joy as the last two months brought me, I can’t delete the fact that the Celtics lost. Tony Allen summed it up perfectly after the game:

“Definitely a tough one to swallow but what I am going to say is, I love this group of guys.”

So do I. That’s why it hurts so bad. That’s why there are still tears in my eyes.

There were tears in my eyes then, but no tears at the news of Lafayette’s departure. I never got the chance to know him. How could I be upset that he’s leaving?

I’ll leave you with this: for the veteran’s minimum, the Diesel sure beats Shelden Williams. At the very least, Shaq won’t puke all over himself when Doc subs him into a Finals game.