The Morning Walkthrough is a set of links to Boston Celtics articles throughout the internet, designed to get your day started the right way.

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “First, there was the most anticipated season opener in NBA history, against the Heat, followed by a trip to Cleveland for the biggest trap game. The Celtics got a day of rest yesterday before they host the new-look Knicks tonight. There are back-to-back games Tuesday and Wednesday at Detroit and in Boston against the Bucks. After a home game against the Bulls next Friday, the Celtics go on the road for four straight against Oklahoma City, Dallas, Miami, and Memphis. ‘When you read the list of teams we’re playing our first 10 games, it’s a brutal list,’ Rivers said. Fast starts have been the Celtics’ signature the past three seasons, but this time it may be more difficult. The schedule isn’t on their side, and neither are the circumstances. They’ll have to go through that tough 10-game stretch without Delonte West, the floor general of their second unit, because of his 10-game league suspension stemming from gun charges last year. ‘That’s a big concern, how we’re going to get through that stretch,’ Rivers said.”

Marc Berman, New York Post – “If Stoudemire steers the Knicks to the eighth playoff seed, he expects the Celtics waiting for them as the East’s top dog. ‘Absolutely, for the simple fact they were in the Finals last year,’ said Stoudemire when asked if the Celtics were the team to beat in the East. ‘You can’t undercut that. And they got stonger. They got better.’ … ’Boston is good, man,’ Stoudemire said. ‘They got All-Star-caliber players at every position in their starting lineup. They’re a team to be reckoned with and Coach [Doc] Rivers is a great coach.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “The Celtics are hoping the way they played Wednesday night in Cleveland can be a scared-straight moment. After committing repeated acts of self-abuse during the 2009-10 regular season before getting their shots together in the playoffs, they ran away from running their offense against the Cavaliers, abandoning their defensive principles for long stretches, as well. It was a reminder of last season, when things got testy on and off the court during a run that was uneven at best. The game video from Wednesday is roughly akin to seeing a picture of what you wore to the eighth grade dance. The Celtics simply don’t want to put themselves through that again. This time around, they want to maintain their focus and pay attention to the details that allow their many talents to come through. They want to play by-the-numbers basketball, with 1. being to get the rock to the paint. ‘Last year was tough in the regular season, but I don’t think that’s going to happen with this team,’ captain Paul Pierce said. ‘We’ve got to understand that teams are going to compete hard, and I think on a night-in, night-out basis we’ve got to do a better job of taking advantage of our strengths. I think we should have gotten the ball inside more (vs. the Cavs). When we’ve got (Shaquille O’Neal) and (Kevin Garnett) and I look up and they’re taking four and eight shots (respectively), that’s not enough. That’s where we’re going to have an advantage every night, and I think we have to thrive on that. So that’s something we’ve got to fix. We’ve got to get the ball in to them. But I don’t think this team is going to lose focus like we did last year. Yeah, that was definitely frustrating. But this team is highly motivated. I don’t think that’s going to happen this year.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “The Boston Celtics aren’t in flip-the-switch mode right now. Like most NBA teams this time of year, the Celtics are working towards developing a consistent rhythm. That’s why there’s no increased concern or added urgency following Wednesday’s 95-87 loss at Cleveland, a game in which the C’s led by as many as 11 points in the second half before being outscored 13-3 to close out the game. If anything, the first two games reaffirmed coach Doc Rivers’ belief that, on paper at least, the Celtics are good enough to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end of the season. ‘We’re going to be really good,’ Rivers said following the loss at Cleveland.”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “The mid-range shot (16 to 23 feet) isn’t one of Boston’s biggest weapons as the team averaged only 16.6 attempts per game from that distance last season (third least in the NBA, ahead of only Houston and Orlando). But the Celtics were fifth best in the NBA at that distance, shooting a solid 40.8 percent, meaning its nice to have in the toolbox. Through the first two games of the 2010-11 season, the Celtics haven’t harnessed the full power of their mid-range game, connecting on a mere 9 of 27 attempts (33 percent) from 16 to 23 feet.”

Chris Tomasson, NBA Fanhouse – “Already, Williams said [Al] Jefferson gives the Jazz a type of ‘low-post scorer we’ve never had” who will ‘command double teams.” Of course, even Jefferson admits that, when those double teams come, he sometimes must pass. Jefferson, though, overall is excited about coming to Utah. He shrugs off there being any pressure to replace Boozer since he’s already been through that by taking over for Kevin Garnett when he went from Minnesota to Boston in the July 2007 deal that landed Jefferson. ‘I love it, man,’ Jefferson said of being with the Jazz. ‘It’s the best thing that could have happened to me. I think it’s the beginning of something special, a chance to show the league what I can do on another level.’ It sure beats growing old during Minnesota’s seemingly endless rebuilding process.”

Chris Tomasson, NBA Fanhouse – “‘I felt early last year that he played better than I had seen him play (previously in his career),” Nuggets coach George Karl of [Shelden] Williams, who eventually had trouble getting minutes as the Celtics made it to the NBA Finals with Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, Rasheed Wallace and Davis as their primary post players. “That’s the kind of thing that stuck in my head. He didn’t play much the second half of the season. ‘But you’re searching for those guys who want playing time as much as they want a contract. I think Shelden realized our circumstance (with Martin and Andersen out). He was going to have an opportunity to play, and he used it very well. And he’s been on of our top players in training camp.’ Williams said he also got minimum contract offers from Chicago and Utah before signing with Denver. He impressed the Nuggets with averages of 12.6 points and 7.9 rebounds in the preseason before erupting in the opener. ‘I just tried to be aggressive on the glass and tried to take as much as I can,” Williams said. ‘Fortunately, it worked out well.’ It sure did. ‘It told him he played like Moses Malone as far as his rebounding,’ said Nuggets guard Anthony Carter.”

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

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

1. Chris Johnson and Jamar Smith have been waived. I still have no idea what either of them looks like, but Chris Forsberg reports they’ll both have a shot to make the Red Claws.
2. Doc Rivers thinks Shaq’s screens could help free Ray Allen: “They’ll be great. The great thing about setting screens for Shaq alone is every team in the NBA that has played against Shaq: You’re taught never to get off his side. Everybody tries to trap Ray off the screen. If you come off Shaq’s body, you’re releasing Shaq to the rim.” Doc might have a point. Shaq’s bigger than Perk and also more of a threat rolling to the rim.
3. Sign #15,473 that Shaq’s getting old: he falls asleep in the movies, before the movie even starts. And then he gets popcorn thrown at his face.
4. J.A. Adande, you could not have done a better job on your piece about Lebron. Well done, sir.
5. Two words that will forever haunt Antoine Walker’s basketball career: what if?
6. It’s official: the Celtics are far more important than politics. And my high school teammate did the reporting.
7. Al Jefferson bulked up to 277 pounds this year to play the center position. “Hopefully all muscle,” he said.

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

Jefferson was traded away for an apple, an orange and some cap space.

In separate deals today, David Kahn traded Al Jefferson away for pretty much nothing and then offered Luke Ridnour a contract for four years, $16 million. (Yahoo!) Read more »

Yes, a million times over. It was worth it.

NBA.com’s Shaun Powell raises a question that will continue to be thrown out there if the C’s continue their slide:

Was their one title worth mortgaging the future?

A few years ago, the Celtics revamped their team for a championship run by assembling three pricey players. Now that it appears their “run” will amount to a single title, was their $175 million-plus investment worth it?

Meaning: How much would you (and should you) pay for a championship? No question, the 2008 title restored faith in the franchise, raised a 17th title banner in Boston, sold plenty of season tickets, rekindled memories of Red Auerbach’s cigar and the Larry Bird era and added another chapter to the Celtics’ rich history. The Celtics “brand” received a boost, and that’s something you really can’t put a price on.

Still, the Celtics paid dearly for that small taste of the good life. The championship did not spawn a lengthy stretch of prosperity. They’re aging faster than a father with teenaged daughters.

So was it worth it, even if the Celtics are falling apart like they’ve appeared to be for large portions of the season?

In a word, yes.

In another word, abso – f**king – lutely.

The Celtics won a title, ladies and gentlemen. In the NBA, those are usually few and far between. Just ask Knicks fans or Timberwolves fans. To us Celtics fans, the title run wasn’t about rekindling memories, it was about making them. And it damn sure wasn’t about selling tickets. No matter what the cost to Steve Pagliuca and Wyc Grousbeck, winning the title was worth it.

Plus, look at the alternative:

The Celtics keep Al Jefferson and their #5 draft pick, select Yi Jianlian (who was reportedly Ainge’s choice if he kept the pick), and hold onto the young “building blocks” for the future (Gerald Green and Bassy Telfair, I’m looking at you). They roll out a lineup of a Paul Pierce (disgruntled), Ryan Gomes (solid, nowhere near as good as most Celtics fans would have you think), Al Jefferson (who would soon get an injury and pick up a DWI), and Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins (who wouldn’t have matured nearly as quickly without both the tutelage of KG and Ray-Ray and the intensity of playoff basketball). Tony Allen, Telfair, Delonte West and Yi are the first four men off the bench. The C’s fight for a playoff berth, finish just out of the playoffs, and draft someone like Brandon Rush with their late-lottery pick.

The next year, they again flounder but remain close to the playoffs, and pick up someone like Earl Clark in the draft. They don’t have a lot of salary, and Paul Pierce gets traded away to clear even more salary space. But with an inconsistent Rajon Rondo (remember, he wouldn’t have advanced nearly as quickly) and an injury-prone Al Jefferson as the team’s top draws for free agents, plus the city of Boston still not a prime target for anyone, the Celtics lose out on the top stars of the 2010 Free Agent Class. They settle for overpaying Joe Johnson or Rudy Gay, players who will never win titles as the main guy, and begin another run of mediocrity.

Granted, that’s just one hypothetical. But doesn’t the present sound a whole lot better than that? Winning a title, then clinging to hopes of another, is far better than hoping all the cards fall into place for the future.

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn’t mean we have to. Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day.

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “‘We’re a great team on paper if you look (and) see what we have,’ he said. ‘But we have to go out there and prove it. We have to go out there and put fear in our opponent’s heart.’ And if the Celtics don’t, if they continue to come up small as the tests become even larger, Sheed knows the No. 30 on his chest and back will take on the appearance of a target. ‘Aw, that ain’t nothing new,’ said Wallace. ‘Expletive), I’ve been facing it since Day 1 when I came into the NBA. People get upset with me because I speak my mind. I don’t hold my tongue. I don’t care who it is or who it’s about. In this league and this game and this business, they don’t like that. They want you to kiss (butt). I ain’t no kiss-(butt) dude.’ His game is alternately endearing and infuriating to fans. His makes beget some of the Garden’s loudest cheers; his clanged treys set of a chorus of groans. That Wallace is bold and unapologetic simply highlights the latter. Like my mom said, 50 percent of the people are going to love you and 50 percent are going to hate you,’ he said. ‘You can’t please everybody. That’s pretty much how I play. I don’t sit out there and worry about what the next person is thinking at all. ‘Oh, he’s got too many techs (technical fouls) and he shoots too many 3’s.’ I don’t worry about that.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “One by one, the goals this team set for itself are disappearing quicker than a Tiger Woods endorsement. The dreams of a 72-win season were squashed some time ago. Finishing with the best record in the NBA was kicked to the curb as well. Home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs is no longer something to take for granted. And now, it appears not even the scheduling gods can save the C’s, something the five-win — no, make that six-win — New Jersey Nets proved when they beat the Celtics on Saturday. Up next for the C’s is Detroit, another lottery-bound club that has already beaten Boston this season.”

Jessica Camerato, WEEI – “On Friday, Yahoo! Sports reported Tony Battie is a candidate to be bought out by the Nets before Monday’s deadline. WEEI.com has learned the Celtics are one of the teams Battie would be interested in signing with if he is bought out. [...]He has not, however, had any conversations with the Celtics organization.”

Frank Dell’Apa, Boston Globe – “Meanwhile, the Celtics seemed to have lost the script once again. Pierce’s return could solve many problems. ‘We miss him a lot,’ Perkins said. ‘ ‘P’ is our go-to guy. Still, when Kobe [Bryant] was out, the Lakers found ways to win without him, so that’s no excuse. We’ve got a lot of confident guys on this team, lot of confidence within our coaches. We just need that one game to get on track and we’ll take off from there. See how we bounce back against Detroit. We’ve got a few days to think about these last two losses, guys get some rest, get in the gym and do their workouts, do what they’ve got to do, have a good practice. Remember, we lost our last one in Detroit, so we need to go get that one.’”

Zach Lowe, Celtics Hub – “Save for a couple of games against New Jersey (ahem), the C’s schedule since late January has been brutal. Seven of the team’s last 15 games have come against Atlanta, Denver, the Lakers (twice), Orlando (twice) and Cleveland, and that 15-game span also included five straight road games against Western Conference teams. The C’s went 7-8 over that stretch, with only two of those wins coming against teams that currently stand at .500 or better (@ Portland and @ the Lakers, with both teams battling injuries). The next seven games represent something of a reprieve. Only two come against teams with .500 or better records (as of Sunday morning), and none are more than two games over .500:”

Jeff Clark, CelticsBlog – “I can’t pinpoint any one player that could possibly be to blame for the issues, but they all must share in the blame here. I’m getting a little tired of hearing about how the team is leading the league in points against. There is such a thing as timely defense. If you hold a team to 85 points but can’t stop them on the last 3 possessions and end up losing 84 to 85, then what good is your league leading defense?”

Dennis J. McGrath/Phil Miller, Minnesota Star Tribune – “The Timberwolves accepted center Al Jefferson’s apology on Sunday for alleged drunken driving after Saturday night’s loss to Portland, but they suspended their leading scorer for the next two games as punishment.
Jefferson was arrested on Interstate 394 just outside downtown Minneapolis at 1:08 a.m. Sunday, a little more than three hours after he scored 19 points in the Wolves’ 110-91 loss, and booked into jail on a charge of fourth-degree driving while impaired, said State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske. ‘I made a very poor decision and I am truly sorry for that,’ Jefferson said in a written apology to Wolves owner Glen Taylor, his teammates, coaches and ‘Wolves fans everywhere.’”

Have a link I might want to look at? Send it my way by email (jayking@celticstown.com) or Twitter.

Al Jefferson has been charged with fourth degree driving while impaired, after being arrested early Sunday morning in Minnesota. (ESPN)

Minnesota center Al Jefferson was arrested early Sunday morning for allegedly driving drunk, according to multiple media reports.

Jefferson was charged with fourth degree driving while impaired, a misdemeanor.

Jefferson was pulled over for driving 56 mph in a 40 mph zone, after having changed lines without using his blinker and then driving outside the lane line.

Lt. Eric Roeske said he could not reveal Jefferson’s blood alcohol level, but that it was higher than the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

Big Al still holds a place in many Celtics fans hearts.