I know a little bit about Avery Bradley the player, but I hardly know anything about Avery Bradley the person. This piece from ESPN, written before this past season, is a start.

“I told them I wanted to wear zero,” he said. “To me, this is a fresh start. High school doesn’t matter. It’s over. There are no more rankings, any of that. I have to prove myself all over again, so that’s why I wanted to start at zero. Start at the beginning.”

Imagine that. No sense of entitlement or grandiosity, two feet planted firmly in Austin and not halfway in the NBA.

You ask Bradley, who many figure for a one-and-done, if he thinks about his future and he sheepishly says, “People tell me I have potential, but until I go out there and prove it, what people say or think about me doesn’t matter.”

There’s a word for kids like Bradley.

In a sad testimony to the state of the game today, that word is throwback.

“The thing about Avery, he doesn’t come in here thinking he knows everything,” Texas coach Rick Barnes said during the recent Big 12 media day in Kansas City. “He came in here this summer to work out with Kevin [Durant] and Justin Mason and he was like a little puppy, following them around. He’s just got it figured out.”

So Avery Bradley was the number one high school recruit (ahead of John Wall, who — this is absurd — was cut from his high school team as a sophomore), but had no ego about it? I don’t know whether to say that’s a good or bad thing. It would definitely be good if he came in, destroyed all opponents and just didn’t want any credit for it. But he didn’t do that. Instead, he came in as the number one recruit and then failed to live up to expectations, averaged only 11 points and 2 assists, and was generally the biggest disappointment in the entire state of Texas. So maybe he should be more egotistical.

If it was a bigger head he needed, maybe Bradley has gotten it: He said his goal for next season is to win Rookie of the Year. I guess he forgot that Doc Rivers doesn’t play rookies and, even if he does break through Doc’s unwritten rule of benching all first-year players, Bradley will have to battle Rajon Rondo for playing time. Methinks Rookie of the Year is just a little bit out of the question.

I’ve already weighed in on Avery Bradley (in a word, why?) so now it’s time for some expert opinions.

Potential? Yes. Good fit? I don't think so.

Bill Simmons – “By the way, you know this draft sucks because I’m now irrationally excited that the Celtics (picking 19th) might get either Eric Bledsoe (my favorite remaining prospect) or Avery Bradley (ESPNU’s No. 1 college recruit just 12 months ago) as Rondo insurance. I thought we’d have dreck left in this spot. This almost makes up for blowing a double-digit lead in the second half of Game 7 of the 2010 Finals against the NBA team I hate the most. Oh, wait, it doesn’t at all. Not even a little. [...] Come on Celtics … Avery Bradley … Avery Bradley … Avery Bradley. YES! Good value. And by the way, if you’re betting on a No. 1 overall high school prospect whose stock dropped a little after one college year, you want it to be for a reason like, ‘Yeah, he played at Texas for Rick Barnes, OF COURSE his stock dropped!’”

Fox Sports – “Loser: Boston Celtics — Danny Ainge has a terrific track record with drafting, so it’s difficult to question the Celtics boss. However, now he’s added another small guard who can’t shoot the ball. However, unlike Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley can’t run a team, either. He’s a terrific defender, which should get him on the floor, but it’ll be difficult to pair the 6-foot-1 Bradley with the 6-2 Rondo.”

NBADraft.net – “There’s a lot to like about Bradley teaming with Rajon Rondo in the future. Defensively, you couldn’t come up with a much better backcourt. It was important for Bradley to land on a team that didn’t need him to play point full-time but would also give him the opportunity to learn the position. Harangody is a value along the same lines as Glen Davis and Leon Powe of previous drafts – a highly productive college player who should be better than Brian Scalabrine, for what that’s worth. Neither was a “great” pick, but both were solid and earn a solid grade.

Sports Illustrated – Bradley is a speedy backcourt tweener who has the potential to develop into a point guard. He didn’t have a great year at Texas after a celebrated high school career, but this is an upside pick for the Celtics.

Chris Mannix – Danny Ainge has had a bit of a man-crush on Avery Bradley for weeks, hoping the explosive combo guard would get to the Celtics at No. 19. While most believed Ainge was targeting a big man to fill in for the injured Kendrick Perkins or the just-retired Rasheed Wallace, Ainge was always after the best player available. Bradley was it. Bradley can back up Rajon Rondo and his slashing ability gives Boston a much-needed punch on what will likely be a revamped bench. Luke Harangody was an overachiever in college, but if he turns out to be a good practice player, Boston will keep him around.

Greg Payne, CelticsBlog – “I’m also curious about what the Celtics’ plans for Bradley’s future are. Clearly he’s not your point guard of the future, because Rondo and his $55 million contract already hold that title. So, is he your backup point guard of the future? Or, are we waiting to see how well his offensive game translates to the NBA, with the possibility existing that he could be our shooting guard of the future? But then, say that last scenario does unfold, the Celtics could be looking at a backcourt that’s fairly undersized. Do the Celtics hope Bradley develops and then use him as a trade chip down the road? Clearly all of these questions will not be answered for some time, but I couldn’t help thinking about them last night. Finally – and this is no fault of Bradley’s – the Celtics, for the most part, failed to address their lack of front court depth in the draft last night. Luke Harangody stands at 6-8, but it remains to be seen how he’ll fair going up against the larger, stronger bodies of the NBA, and he could channel his game towards the perimeter. If he does do that, then he won’t be much help at all to the Celtics along the frontline, with the lone possible exception being he’ll draw opposing big men out of the paint.”

Kurt Helin, NBC – “Avery Bradley could be the regular backup point guard that the Celtics need. It was nice somebody drafted Luke Harangody, though I’m not sure why. Grade: A-”

Draft Express – “Seeing Bradley run so many pick-and-rolls and play in an environment with much more spacing than he saw at Texas, it’s not hard to see many reasons why he has the potential to be a better NBA player than he was in college, especially if he can go to a system that emphasizes those two concepts. Bradley’s 6’7 wingspan also bodes well for his chances of defending shooting guards at the next level, at least reserves, many of which are 6’5 and under. While there are questions about his position, Bradley certainly brings quite a few NBA skills to the table, and could be capable of contributing immediately in the right situation, though situation should be critical to his early chances at success.”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “The Celtics couldn’t have asked for the draft to play out much better and, with their choice of players among the second tier of shooting guards, the Green selected the best available player in Bradley. It’s a safe selection. If Bradley pans out as many believe he will, he’ll be the explosive scorer the team covets off the bench. Even if he takes time to develop, Bradley can play the point guard spot and provide a much-needed backup behind Rajon Rondo. What’s more, he’s a lockdown defender who will immediately ingratiate himself in Boston’s defense-first system. Bradley projected as a lottery pick, but an ankle injury might have scared some teams off. The Celtics, who worked him out prior to the draft, scooped him up when he stayed on the board until No. 19. Keep in mind that Bradley was ranked as the top high school prospect in the country in the class of 2009. He’s still very young at 19, but he was regarded as the best perimeter defender in college basketball last season. He’s going to make an immediate impact on that end of the court and anything he provides early on in the offensive end will be a nice bonus.”

Stern might not announce any picks for the C's tonight.

Though there were reports earlier in the day that Kendrick Perkins was involved in a package that would move the Celtics into the lottery, Danny Ainge said the Celtics are not trying to move up in the draft. (Boston Herald)

“We’re not trying to move up,” said the Celtics president of basketball operations, seemingly putting to rest a prevalent rumor that the team was attempting to package the 19th pick and Kendrick Perkins in an attempt to move into lottery range.

Instead, Ainge said, he is open to either moving down in the draft or out altogether – the latter option a move that could save them a scintilla of money for a veteran free agent.

The rumor seemed silly in the first place. Who wants a center that just tore two ligaments? A rebuilding team in the lottery? Please.

In other news, Perkins is waiting to have surgery until his swelling goes down, but the surgery could be tomorrow. And the recovery time will not be known until after Perkins has the surgery.

It's weird to think of Perk on another team.

Kendrick Perkins is the latest Celtic on the trading block, according to Fanhouse’s Sam Amick.

A league front-office source told FanHouse that the Celtics have been dangling center Kendrick Perkins and their No. 19 pick to teams with high lottery picks in attempt to add a dynamic young talent to their aging core. It’s a tough sell, considering Perkins is facing surgery as early as Friday after tearing his medial collateral ligament and partially tearing his posterior cruciate ligament in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

If the Celtics could trade Perk and the #19 for DeMarcus Cousins or Derrick Favors, count me in. But it’s not happening. That package isn’t nearly enough. These talks are interesting and it’s weird to think Perk might be on the way out, but no team with a high lottery pick is biting on that. Perkins is the type of player every contending team needs, but rebuilding teams need the guys with higher ceilings. Plus, the guy’s got torn ligaments. This trade isn’t happening, unless the Celtics offer more.

Ainge is trying to spin a move.

Andy Katz reports that the Celtics are shopping their 19th pick in tomorrow night’s NBA draft. (ESPN)

According to a source close to Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge, the Celtics have put their first-round pick in the NBA draft — No. 19 overall — on the market Wednesday, looking for a suitor.

Ainge hasn’t been enamored with anyone at the spot, according to the source, and is willing to get a return of a future pick.

This doesn’t mean the Celtics will definitely trade the pick. All it means is that Danny Ainge is exhausting all measures to see how he can best improve his ballclub.

Here’s Chris Forsberg’s view:

Boston’s desire to flip the pick will likely depend on the activity in the 18 spaces before them. The team might not be enamored with the bodies they currently project to be remaining by the time their selection comes around, but there’s always the potential a lottery-type player slips within the Celtics’ reach.

President of basketball operations Danny Ainge is likely examining the market that exists for that No. 19 pick and considering whether the talent available in that range is outweighed by the value in moving the selection. If Boston thinks it can get the same style of player at No. 19 at the latter stages of the first round, or into the second, it makes complete sense to trade down the board.

I want the Celtics to keep the pick, if only because it will make draft night a whole lot more interesting.

As part of our draft coverage, we are profiling wings and big men the Celtics might be interested in with the 19th pick. Next up is Damion James, a forward from Texas. We made these profiles using our own personal knowledge of the prospects combined with research from numerous sites, including NBADraft.net and Draft Express.

Draft Express projection: 20th pick NBADraft.net: 27th pick

Should the Celtics draft for ready players, or those with upside?

The Celtics had James in for a workout yesterday, and reportedly really like his versatility. And versatile he is. James is long, athletic, and has a nose for the ball. Despite playing on the perimeter, James averaged 9.3 rpg for his four year college career at Texas (he DID play more power forward as a freshman). As a senior, he averaged 18 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.  At 6’7 3/4″, he’s average height for an NBA small forward, but he has a wingspan of 7’3/4″. James uses his wingspan to his advantage: he has a very high release point on his almost unblockable  jump shot, and he is very active defensively.

Offensively, James is a jack of all trades, master of none type player. He can shoot with consistency and accuracy… but isn’t a deadeye shooter. He can slash to the hoop with authority… but his somewhat suspect ball-handling keeps him from being an elite penetrator. He isn’t selfish… but doesn’t get very many assists. James’ game is well-rounded, but its hard to point to any part of his game and say “AH! He’ll definitely excel doing that in the NBA!”

Defensively, Draft Express notes, James has been knocked as a bad defender. His lateral quickness isn’t great, making him a sort of ‘tweener on defense. He’s seen as too slow to defend perimeter players and too small to defend post men. That view of James’ defensive game is wrong, says Draft Express’ Jonathan Givony. In Givony’s expert opinion, James is a far better defender than given credit for. Though his lateral quickness isn’t great, he makes up for it with his terrific length, outstanding hustle, and high level of awareness.

There’s little to dislike about James, besides that he played four years of college ball and probably doesn’t have as high a ceiling as a younger player. If that is true, is that such a problem? James is ready to contribute right away, tough as nails, and has a game that’s tailor-made to make him a solid role player in the league. You can doubt his ceiling, but I find it difficult to imagine James being unable to contribute in some fashion when he gets to the NBA. He’s not destined to be a star, but James could settle into a Wilson Chandler-type role in the big league. And back to the reasoning that James doesn’t have a lot of room to grow? His ppg the past four years: 7.6, 13.2, 15.4, 18.0. Still think he isn’t improving?