2:30 P.M. – Update, via Jason Lloyd: “With roughly 30 mins left, #Cavs and Bos still far apart on Anthony Parker. Anything can change at last minute, but Cavs look to be done.”

2:25 P.M. – Update, via Ken Berger: “With the Celtics and Bulls still in the hunt for Anthony Parker, source says two Western Conf. dark horses have emerged.”

2:15 P.M. – Update, via Adrian Wojnarowski: “Cavaliers are down to wire taking bids on Anthony Parker, with Boston still in the mix.”

2:00 P.M. – Update, via Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio: “Lots of chatter that Cavs guard Anthony Parker could be on way to Celtics. Not sure just yet how authentic it is.”

11:50 A.M. – Update, via Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal: “One offer on table: AP to Celts for Marquis Daniels. Cavs would buy him out, send him back to Bos. But Cavs want Bos #1 [draft pick] next yr for helping.”

The Boston Celtics could be looking to send Marquis Daniels to Cleveland in exchange for Anthony Parker. (Ken Berger, CBS Sports)

Not having much luck dangling Nate Robinson and pick for wing upgrade, Celtics now trying to use Marquis Daniels’ contract, sources say.

Daniels, out with a neck injury, could be bought out by Cavs with cash from Celtcs in a deal for Anthony Parker, sources say.

Do you know how I know I’m not sold on Anthony Parker? When I think about the Celtics trading for him, I inevitably find myself back at, “Maybe the C’s are better off just sticking with Von Wafer.”

Parker’s okay, though. And he’s got more size than Wafer. And he’s a good three-point shooter. And he’s smart. And he knows his role. And I’m trying to talk myself into Parker — I mean, I’m REALLY trying here — but it’s just not working. Anthony Parker does nothing to whet my interest, even if he’s really not bad, pretty intelligent and might even provide (probably even provides?) an upgrade.

I’m still praying for Battier or Dudley, or a similar difference-maker, but when your best trade pieces are A) a mostly-awful, 5’9″ point guard who isn’t really a point guard, B) an injured player with a $2.5 million expiring contract and a pre-existing spinal cord condition, C) a terrible first-round pick in an awfully thin draft, and D) a 24-year old Turkish rookie with an 11.19 PER, finding a truly quality piece takes a miracle.

Say your prayers with me, folks. Danny Ainge could use them.

If the Boston Celtics want to scoop Anthony Parker from the Cleveland Cavaliers, they will most likely need to part ways with Semih Erden. (Akron Beacon Journal)

With the NBA’s trade deadline two days away, Parker remains the Cavs’ top target of interest from teams around the league. Both the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics have expressed interest in him, one league source said, but the Cavs want a player in return and not a low draft pick.

They have targeted Omer Asik from the Bulls and Semih Erden from the Celtics, but both teams have been reluctant to part with either player. Asik is 7 feet tall, and Erden is listed at 6-11. Both were second-round picks in 2008.

I’ve asked this question before, when Marc Stein reported the Cavs were looking for a promising big man in return for Parker, but: Would you trade Semih Erden for Anthony Parker? It couldn’t be done straight up, but would you trade Marquis Daniels and Semih Erden for Anthony Parker?

I’m leaning toward no. I’m not completely against moving Erden, if the right deal presents itself. But Parker’s not even a definite upgrade over Von Wafer, who — might I add — has been playing quite well recently. Parker’s also not the type of player on whom the Celtics should spend a promising seven-footer.

You know who is, though? Shane Battier. But the Celtics are reportedly against sending Erden to Houston, even for the man with built-in cornrows. (Houston Chronicle)

ESPN reported that the Celtics had interest in Battier, but quickly shot that down, pointing out that the Celtics would not be willing to move the players the Rockets would want. Actually, I think the Rockets would be tempted to make the deal if the Celtics would include center Semih Erden, though we’ll probably never know since Boston apparently wants to keep and develop him.

If Shane Battier is available and Semih Erden’s the only thing holding the deal back, I assume Danny Ainge will pull the trigger. If not, well, he’ll have to answer to my wrath.

P.S. – Kendrick Perkins said his knee is “real sore” after bumping it last night, and his status for Thursday’s game is in the air. Perk didn’t undergo any additional testing, meaning the injury shouldn’t be too serious. (*Furiously knocking on wood*)

P.P.S. – Leon Powe’s looking for a buyout. I assume that piques some of your interest, but remember: Powe has done approximately squaw-doosh for Cleveland, and the C’s don’t exactly need another undersized power forward.

Danny Ainge shot down rumors that the Boston Celtics are interested in acquiring Richard Hamilton or Anthony Parker. (Boston Globe)

Riddled with injuries and particularly low on manpower after Marquis Daniels went down with a bruised spinal cord, the Celtics may be in the market for a backup small forward.

Celtics president Danny Ainge quickly shot down rumors of a deal for Detroit’s Richard Hamilton, or interest in Cavaliers swingman Anthony Parker.

“Nothing’s happening,’’ Ainge said in a text message. “Talk is all.’’

As they say, talk is cheap. And Ainge, even if he says nothing’s happening, is working the phones feverishly. If he’s not looking into acquiring Hamilton or Parker, he should be. He should be looking into acquiring any halfway-decent backup small forward with a pulse, because the Celtics (as long as Marquis Daniels isn’t returning any time soon) need someone to spell Paul Pierce and move Von Wafer to his natural shooting guard spot.

UPDATE: Immediately after I posted this, I read Marc Spears’ After the Buzzer column. He reports, as others have, that Boston would be interested in Hamilton if his contract is bought out. Which makes a whole lot of sense.

It’s no secret that Hamilton wants out and the Pistons want to grant his wish. The problem: He’s due $12.5 million next season and at least $9 million the season after.

If the Pistons somehow reached a buyout agreement with Hamilton and waived him, the Boston Celtics would have interest in signing him.

During trade rumor season, I often feel like I just went eight rounds with a dizzy bat.

The Celtics, again, have been mentioned in Anthony Parker rumors. (ESPN)

The Celts, according to sources briefed on Boston’s thinking, have joined their conference rivals from Chicago in pursuit of Cavaliers swingman Anthony Parker.

The Celts covet an extra playoff-tested shooter/defender as much as the Bulls, with Marquis Daniels out indefinitely and Delonte West missing much of the season so far. Yet it remains to be seen whether either of the two teams is willing to meet Cleveland’s asking price.

The Cavs are seeking a quality draft pick or a young big man with promise in exchange for Parker, who’s averaging 11.5 points and shooting 47 percent on 3-pointers in February.

Which begs the question: Would you offer Semih Erden in a package for Parker, or another backup small forward? My answer to that all depends (and, really, my thinking about the whole trade deadline action depends) on Marquis Daniels’ health. If the Celtics are sure he’ll be ready for the playoffs, there’s no need to trade for Parker. Even though, as a veteran shooter who also plays some defense, he certainly has more value in Boston than he does in Cleveland.

I’d rather keep Erden around, if possible. Young, promising centers don’t grow on trees, and I’m actually quite enthused about Erden’s future prospects. But if Daniels can’t return this season, the Celtics need to make a move to add some size behind Paul Pierce. And Parker wouldn’t be an awful fit.

But aren’t the Cavs asking a little much? Parker’s a 35-year old backup currently shooting an even 40.0% from the field. The Cavs shouldn’t expect “a quality draft pick” or “a young big man with promise” in return for Parker, right? Wouldn’t they just be lucky if some team takes his contract off their hands (which the Celtics can do by offering Daniels and cash)?

Trade rumor season (non-Melo Division) has officially begun, folks. Enjoy.

The Boston Celtics are expected to make a deal before the trade deadline, which occurs February 24th.

Sources say the Bulls and Celtics are widely expected to make a move before the deadline, and each is seeking wing help. The Cavs’ Anthony Parker would be an ideal fit in both places. Wizards guard Kirk Hinrich would be a good fit, too, but his $8 million salary next season would make such a transaction troublesome.

Anthony Parker would be a perfect fit… if this were three years ago, and he hadn’t lost a couple steps because he’s damn near 36 (and not immortal like Ray Allen). He can still shoot, indeed (from the arc, at least — his 39.5% field goals sounds off alarms). But this isn’t the same Parker who used to guard an opponent’s top player (and pretty well) every night. Still, listen to John Krolik from Cavs: The Blog:

“I hope the Cavs trade him, because he deserves better than this,” Krolik wrote, and has repeatedly echoed. “He deserves to be on a team that can use his shooting, length, and decision-making.”

As for Hinrich? I’ve been a big fan of Hinrich’s game for years. He’s just a bad ass mother, who won’t take no crap from nobody. But the C’s need size to play small forward, so Hinrich’s far from perfect. Especially when he comes with a contract three sizes too large.

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

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “‘I know at times we make it look easy; it’s not,’ said Kevin Garnett, who had 9 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. ‘[The Cavs'] true strength is playing together. They don’t have that one or two, go-to guys. They do play well together. They do play hard.’ And it is that latter point about playing hard that the Celtics have to be on guard about this season. The C’s have just two games under their belt, so there’s no need to panic or be overly concerned. But Wednesday’s loss was the second game in as many nights that the C’s had a commanding lead that was significantly cut into in the fourth quarter. Blaming the fact that it was a back-to-back for the Celtics and the season opener for Cleveland is too easy of an excuse. The Celtics believe they are a championship-caliber team that can beat any team, anywhere, regardless of the circumstances. Losses like the one they suffered on Wednesday, at the very least, gives reason to pause. ‘It’s more the mental-toughness part,’ Rivers said. ‘We got a lead, and you could see us relax.’”

Pat McManamon, NBA FanHouse – “‘I think we’re the most popular team in Cleveland right now,’ Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ‘Beating Miami and losing to the Cavs.’ … Rivers was having none of the back-to-back-following-an-emotional win excuse. He merely said the Cavs were up to the challenge and his team was not. O’Neal and the rest of his teammates admitted they did not match the effort given by the Cavs. ’That’s got to be our signature,’ said Gibson, who saw an 0 for 8 shooting start turn into a 16-point finish. ‘You have to understand,’ said Boston’s Paul Pierce, ‘this team is hungry. Everybody is against them and everybody is writing them off.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “For failing to bring the requisite energy and focus against a team that will struggle to be mediocre this season, the Celtics are now a .500 team. The Celts turned the ball over 19 times and gave up 16 second-chance points in absorbing a 95-87 loss to the Cavaliers. ‘I didn’t like the way we played a lot of the game, honestly,’ Rivers said. ‘I thought we were very loose on defense, very loose on offense. You know, the turnovers again. Nineteen turnovers (after 20 in the season opener). They’re killing us. They’re absolutely killing us. And we got away from the post game. I thought we established the post early on, and I thought we got away from it. Just too much one-on-one dribbling. We’re a better team than that. It was a mental-toughness game for us to try to match their energy.’”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “In a play that capped the Celtics’ collapse, Anthony Parker caught an inbounds pass, pivoted, dribbled, and released a shot, all in one second according to the clock operator. He drained a 3-pointer for an 89-84 lead. ’That was the longest second in NBA history,’ said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. ‘Somebody didn’t push that button quick enough.’ Said Ray Allen: ‘I just assumed the horn was going to go off.’ The Celtics were done after that. They missed open shots. They couldn’t make an entry pass. Their frustration mounted. Afterward, the Celtics realized they had been burned by their own delusions of grandeur. They took a team minus its franchise player lightly, and the same exaggerated self-opinion that plagued them last season against lesser teams returned. ‘You have to play four quarters,’ Allen said. ‘It’s opening night for them. I just think we took them too lightly. We didn’t continue to execute and do the things we’re capable of doing for the entirety of the game. A call doesn’t go our way and then the game was tight and ended up going in their favor.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “The shooting numbers for Jermaine O’Neal, in a word, suck. The shooting woes he experienced with the Miami Heat in the playoffs last season have apparently followed him to Boston. O’Neal has missed four of his five shots from the field with the Celtics this season. Yes, it’s a small sample of shot attempts to work from, obviously. But it’s a sample size that reflects to a large degree how O’Neal shot the ball prior to signing with the Celtics. The six-time All-Star is coming off a season in which he shot a career-best 52.9 percent from the field. However, O’Neal’s hot-hand cooled off considerably in the playoffs when he shot just 20.5 percent from the field.”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “Referee Bob Delaney whistled Nate Robinson for a technical when he kneed Ryan Hollins in the groin area on a drive to the basket with the Celtics leading, 77-76, with 8:32 left. O’Neal was then whistled for an additional technical for arguing the call. Television replays showed that Robinson, who is 5 feet 9 inches, tried to clear space to convert a layup against the 7-foot Hollins. After the game, Robinson claimed the contact was accidental. ‘Bob said I made an overt act,’ O’Neal said. ‘But I was just trying to explain why Nate kicked [Hollins]. I’ve gotta go and get my Bob Delaney jersey when I get home. I am going to go and order that.’ Daniel Gibson hit both technical free throws for a 78-77 lead, Antawn Jamison followed with a runner, and Cleveland would never relinquish the momentum. ‘I don’t really know what the rule is. I didn’t have an angry voice, I didn’t have an angry face or a loud voice,’ O’Neal said. ‘I was just explaining, but who knows?’”

Paul Flannery, WEEI – “The lift seems back in his legs and his defense is returning to previous levels. Where Garnett still needs to make his mark is on offense. There were opportunities for him to go to work on the block against the Cavs, just as there were throughout the playoffs, but he remained mostly on the perimeter. Still, that part of his game will come in time. If the Celtics can continue to get double-digit rebounding games from Garnett consistently, they will be more than happy with the 2010-11 version.”

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