Bill Walton is returning to announcing, which is good enough. But he’s also — according to the Comcast Sports broadcast of Friday night’s game — going to be announcing Boston Celtics games. I’m pretty sure I just died and went to heaven. My favorite announcer announcing my favorite team? That’s pretty much the best news in the history of western civilization.

I often ask myself why I enjoy Walton so much. He often makes no sense at all. He once said, “When I think of Boris Diaw, I think of Beethoven in the age of the romantics.” (When a normal human being thinks of Boris Diaw, he thinks only of the Pillsbury Doughboy.) Walton has referred to Matt Barnes as “UCLA legend Matt Barnes,” and my eyes roll into the back of my head and I think how disrespectful that is to true UCLA legends… like Cameron Dollar, Toby Bailey and the O’Bannon brothers. Walton never fails to be over the top, and his commentary never fails to reach the land of the outlandish.

And yet he’s still the best NBA announcer in the history of western civilization, and I’m not even exaggerating or lying.

There’s just something about the way Walton expresses his feelings, with equal part truth and hyperbole. And then, even better, when it’s all hyperbole. When Walton says that the true story line in a Lakers game is whether Kobe Bryant actually throws a single pass, Walton is clearly exaggerating like no other. But he’s also getting his point across — when Walton said that, Kobe was one hell of a selfish dude. And then sometimes, Walton’s statements have no basis in truth whatsoever. Like when he called Kenyon Martin the second-best player in the Eastern Conference. Or when he called Steve Nash the most unathletic player in the NBA. Or when he compared Phoenix Suns Shaquille O’Neal to a meteor and the grand canyon, all at the same time. Even then, in times when Walton’s words express nothing but crazy talk, Walton never fails to leave me rolling on the floor, dying laughing.

Since Walton left announcing to deal with health issues (which ultimately led him to suicidal thoughts), the NBA hasn’t been the same. Listening to Hubie Brown spew numbers — after numbers after numbers after numbers — sucks. Hearing Mark Jackson tell his mother where some man went leaves a lot to be desired, and it’s difficult to accept the opinions of a man who once gripped onto Alonzo Mourning’s leg for dear life.

I’m sure there are some of you out there who are easily annoyed by Walton, and I can understand that. But where I stand, the NBA has missed Bill Walton, desperately. His rambling, entertaining commentary often times made zero sense, but that never changed one fact: Whenever I noticed that Bill Walton was announcing a game, I always gave a small fist pump. It will be terrific to have him back, and also wonderful that he’s finally healthy. And the fact that he will be announcing Celtics games? It’s perfect. Never mind that he was once a Celtic or that this story involving Walton, Larry Bird, Bird’s kitchen, Bird’s wife, the NBA championship and a bottle of Wild Turkey is the single greatest story of all time — I just miss Walton’s voice.

Throw it down, big man.

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

Paul Flannery, WEEI – “Into the seat on the bench next to Rivers stepped Frank, and if you’re looking for him to be the new Thibs, you’re missing the larger point. ‘They all bring what they bring to the game,’ Pierce said. ‘Obviously, Thibs is a great coach in his own right, and so is Lawrence Frank. We’re not going to get into comparisons. That’s just like comparing Shaq to Rasheed [Wallace] a year ago. Lawrence’s credibility and respect around here fits great with the guys.’ This is no small thing, because NBA teams in general, and the Celtics in particular, are typically hard to impress. ‘It’s hard to have veterans who have been around the block more than a few times give respect to somebody,’ Pierce said. ‘It’s not like you can get anyone to fill that role.’ … ‘This has been an ideal situation in that you look at the franchise, you look at the team, you look at the head coach and it’s a situation as an assistant, and I speak for all of us, we just do our jobs,’ Frank continued. ‘You don’t have to worry about all of the other stuff that does go on in the league, especially when you have a group that’s so committed to winning a championship. It’s a very, very rare environment.’ Part of that environment is a testament to Thibodeau, whose defense remains in place, as well as the commitment to play it. Frank is here now and he will have his own chance to carve out a place in the Celtics hierarchy. It will be different, a little looser and less severe perhaps, but the Celtics should be in good hands. ‘It’s all about our guys,’ Frank said. ‘There’s a framework in place, both offensively and defensively. The challenge for all of us as a group, is sustaining the intensity on a daily basis.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “‘I think [Doc Rivers] likes me because he always beat me,’ Frank said. ‘He tried to get me on the schedule two more times.’ For Rivers, it was always a no-brainer that Frank would be great to work with. He was on the bench as Byron Scott’s assistant for four seasons, then took over when Scott was fired during the 2003-04 season. Rivers invited Frank to Waltham to watch a practice last season and get a feel for what the team does. When it came time to fill the spot of Tom Thibodeau, who left to become head coach of the Bulls, Frank was the perfect fit. ‘I’ve known him since I’ve been in the NBA,’ Frank said. ‘We’ve always had mutual respect for each other. And I’m thankful for the opportunity to join this franchise.’ … Thibodeau was a noted workaholic — 18-hour days, nonstop game tape. Frank is similarly meticulous, ‘but a little more normal,’ Pierce joked. What goes farther for Frank, though, is his credibility. He spent six years as a head coach.”

Peter May, ESPN Boston – “Then, in 1985, Bill Walton came to Boston. To this day, he remains the only player in NBA history to win both the MVP and Sixth Man awards. Could Shaquille O’Neal be the second? Like Walton, Shaq is coming to Boston at the end of his career. Like Walton, Shaq has an MVP award; his is from the 1999-2000 season. Like Walton, Shaq was named to the NBA’s top 50 all-time players list more than a decade ago. Like Walton, Shaq wants to win another championship (Walton had won one with the Blazers in 1977) and, like Walton, Shaq professes to be a student of the game. And Shaq wants nothing to do with the Sixth Man Award. … ‘No,’ he said rather emphatically after practice Monday. ‘About four years ago, I gave up on the concept of winning individual awards. I’m focusing on the big one at the end of the year.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “‘[Doc Rivers] missed yesterday’s practice but could be back today. ‘Doc had minor throat surgery,’ assistant coach Lawrence Frank said. ‘He feels good, but right now the doctor just doesn’t want him using his voice, so it’ll kind of be day-to-day. But everything looks good, and we look forward to getting him back.’ As for whether Rivers will be on the bench for tomorrow night’s preseason finale at the Garden against the Nets, Frank said, ‘We’ll see. Let’s just take it day by day. Basically they just want him to rest his voice box. Obviously he’ll be using it quite a bunch.’”

Peter May, ESPN Boston – “Delonte West (back injury) did not practice. Frank said the team is taking it slowly with West, who has to miss the first 10 games of the season anyway due to a league suspension. Marquis Daniels (shoulder soreness) participated in non-contact drills only. No update on rookie Avery Bradley, who is having trouble with his left ankle. Bradley appeared in three exhibition games, but was noticeably slowed by the ankle. Frank said the team will re-assess the situation.”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “It was a sight you rarely see – Glen Davis and Kevin Garnett on the floor at the same time. There’s a very good chance that as the Celtics make their march toward Banner 18, we’ll see the Big Ticket and the Ticket Stub paired up on the floor this season. Boston’s first glimpse at the two over extended minutes came in the third quarter of Saturday’s win over New York in Hartford. In the third quarter, they played an instrumental role in Boston going on a 16-5 run to take the lead, and with that, control of the game. Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who did not attend practice following throat surgery on Sunday, said earlier there are several advantages to playing the two together. ‘They both can shoot,’ Rivers said. ‘They know our coverage better than anybody. Both can post. You can create a matchup for Baby [Davis] in that lineup that maybe we can post him. When we have those two on the floor, we have an extremely skilled lineup with Rondo, Paul [Pierce], Ray [Allen] and Baby. That makes us pretty good.’”

Frank Dell’Apa, Boston Globe – “Frank, formerly head coach of the Nets, said the Celtics are preparing for the Oct. 26 season opener against the Heat but pacing themselves for the long run. ‘We have a long ways to go and this is a process,’ Frank said. ‘I don’t think you’re a complete product by the first game of the season. I think it’s a process that happens over the course of time. If any group proved that, it was what this group did last year — obviously getting off to a great start, then having injuries, and then being able to play through Game 7 [of the Finals].’”

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

Larry Bird set Roy Hibbert up with one hell of an opportunity. (Indiana Star)

Roy Hibbert’s eyes lit up like a 5-year-old on Christmas morning when Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird approached him last spring with an idea for the offseason.

Bird asked the Pacers center if he wanted some help, and tossed out the names of three potential teachers: Bill Russell, Bill Walton or Kevin McHale. All three are Hall of Fame big men.

“He said it would probably be one of those three guys. I just had to give him my summer schedule so he could set it up with one of them,” Hibbert said. “Who wouldn’t want to work with those guys?”

Bird lined up Walton, a former teammate with the Boston Celtics, and he has spent part of the summer working with Hibbert at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Danny Ainge, you’ve gotta hop on your Blackberry ASAP. I know Clifford Ray is seen as one hell of a big man coach, but I’m willing to bet that Bill Walton has a few tricks he could teach the Celtics big men. There’s no reason he should be wasting his tips on stiffs like Roy Hibbert.

Bill Walton dropped 44 points, in the 1973 NCAA championship game, on 21-22 shooting (wait, he missed one???), and added 13 boards as the cherry on top. As the kids say nowadays, God dayum.

I think it’s safe to say Walton would have called his game “The greatest basketball performance in the history of western civilization.”

(h/t Basketball Reference)

Bynum needs to remember who he is: Mr. Softy.

We’ve heard it for years: Man, that Bynum dude is soft. Jello. Marshmallows. Silk sheets.

But has it become false? Is Andrew Bynum (damn it) growing into a man in front of our very eyes? Is he becoming (this is way too weird to say) tough?

If there was one unwavering truth about the Lakers this season, it’d be that Bynum was going to be injured. We all knew it was coming. For whatever reason, it has never seemed like the monster’s body can handle the pounding of an NBA season. Some dudes are just like that, ya know? It’s not their fault, they’re just injury-prone. Bill Walton is probably the greatest example. One of the best players ever, he just couldn’t stay off the damn injured list.

Bynum was (is, really) the same way. Somewhere around midseason, you can count on him to be hurt. By the postseason, he’s more likely to be sitting in a suit watching the game than doing his thing out on the court. He’s a serious talent when he’s on the court, he just tends to be off it enough to make us wonder whether he’ll ever truly be a stud in this league. As Celtics fans, we had no doubt we’d be playing a Bynum-less Lakers squad if we made the Finals. He was going to get hurt, there wasn’t a doubt in our minds.

And get hurt he did, but then something very mind-boggling happened — Bynum decided to (it’s still odd to say it) tough out the pain. A torn meniscus wasn’t going to keep him from competing in his first full postseason, Bynum decided. He’s had to drain his knee, can barely practice, and claims to be in a whole lot of pain. But he keeps on chugging.

By “chugging” I mean “dominating,” as he did in Game 2. Given that it was an NBA Finals game, it was the best performance of Bynum’s career. Considering that he was somehow playing through pain, swelling and the stigma of being soft, it was more than just Bynum’s best game: It was a goddamn miracle.

Except not for us Celtics fans, and not for me. I want Lamar Odom back as the Lakers starting power forward and I want Pau Gasol to be switched to center. I want soft Bynum back, watching the game from the bench with a brace on his goddamn knee. I’ve had enough of this Laker down-low domination, and I’ve had enough of Andrew Bynum the biggest, baddest guy in the NBA Finals. 7 blocks? Are you kidding me? He’s not even supposed to be playing right now.

I keep hoping I’m going to wake up one morning and Bynum’s going to remember who he is. You’re soft, Andrew, you’re soft. But with every heroic game he plays, I lose a little hope.

Something tells me the new Andrew Bynum (damn it) is here to stay.

Has there ever been a greater man in basketball?

They called Coach John Wooden the Wizard of Westwood, but there was no magical method to what he accomplished. In and of themselves, were some of the feats he achieved magical? Of course, but the process by which he succeeded was all about a blueprint that any man, woman or child can follow: All it took was hard work and a set of core values that never, ever wavered.

It’s because of the way he led the UCLA Bruins to 1o titles that Coach John Wooden’s memory will forever live on in basketball lore, not because he did win all those titles. You know you’re one hell of a man when you’ve won 10 national championships, yet those rings are nowhere close to your claim to fame.

Coach John Wooden passed away last night, 99 years young, and I will remember him for everything but those 10 championships. To Coach Wooden, coaching wasn’t a venue through which to garner victories and earn a living, it was a platform to help mold the lives of young men. Basketball wasn’t about winning NCAA titles, it was about instilling values in his players and helping them become something greater by the time they left his program than they were when they got there. And I’m not talking about improving their basketball skills, either: I’m talking about Coach Wooden encouraging and demanding that his players be better people.

I never met the Coach Rick Reilly once called the best man he knows, but I’ve read about him enough to understand just how special Coach John Wooden was. According to Reilly, Coach Wooden knew the whereabouts of 172 of the 180 men he coached even decades after he had retired from coaching basketball. Do you know how difficult it is to keep tabs on all those players? I have had far too many coaches in my basketball career — from my freshman year in high school to my sophomore year of college I had a new coach every single season — but I doubt a single one of them knows my whereabouts now… and I’m only 22 years old, just a few years removed from playing for all those coaches. But Coach Wooden knew where 172 of the 180 players he coached were, decades after his retirement and probably half a century or longer since he coached some of those players? That’s special.

But it wasn’t just that he kept in touch with his players, it was the lessons he taught them. Coach Wooden preached respect and loyalty above all else, and he lived his life just as he taught the youngsters who came through his program. Coach Wooden taught his players to acknowledge teammates after making a basket. He would kick someone out of practice, or even a game, for saying one cuss word. He never allowed a single player’s number to be retired while he was coaching at UCLA, telling Reilly, “What about the fellows who wore that number before? Didn’t they contribute to the team?”

In a heartfelt thank-you note to Coach Wooden written ten years ago, Bill Walton wrote,

Coach Wooden is a humble, private man who has selflessly given up his life to make other people’s lives better. …

With John Wooden, there was never an end to anything. His ability to always be about what’s next, always about the future, enables him to lead an incredibly active, constructive, positive, and contributing life to this very day.

Now 89 years young, John Wooden is still our coach in so many ways. And just as if it were 30 years ago and we were leaving Dykstra hall early in the morning on yet another of life’s journeys, he is there with us to this very day. Pushing, shaping, molding, challenging, driving us to be better. To be faster. Now, as then, this is not done in an overbearing fashion, but always in the lowest key imaginable. John Wooden teaches by example. He never asks or expects anyone to do anything that he hasn’t already done himself. He teaches by creating an environment that people want to be a part of, where we want what he has to give.

My favorite thing I’ve ever read about Coach John Wooden can be found in that same piece by Walton. It reads, “The joy and happiness in John Wooden’s life comes today, as it always has, from the success of others. He regularly tells us that what he learned from his two favorite teachers, Abraham Lincoln and Mother Theresa, is that a life not lived for others is not a life.”

Wouldn’t the world be a better place if every coach, every person, were like that? I look around the coaching landscape and I see weasels like John Calipari, weasels who leave programs behind to deal with NCAA violations brought on by nobody but themselves; weasels who stoop to embarrassing lows to sneak wins and ensure better contracts; weasels who care little about their players except when it comes time to win a basketball game. When Calipari and other coaches like him pass away, they will be remembered. People will remember the wins and they’ll remember some of the losses, but nobody will mourn those men like we now mourn Coach Wooden. Nobody will think to themselves, “Man, I wish I were a lot more like Cal.” Hardly anybody will believe the world is a worse place without John Calipari. But it undoubtedly will be without Coach John Wooden.

To compare Coach Wooden to any other coach is unfair to both men. His life illustrated the drastic impact sports can have on an entire life, not just the win and loss columns. Sports, when taught the right way, can instill values and cultivate unselfishness. Teammates can be brothers and sisters, coaches can be parents. Sports can be used to teach so many things that have nothing to do with athletics — teamwork, camaraderie, reliability, attention to detail, accountability. To Wooden, wins weren’t the be-all, end-all, but merely a sign that his team was doing things the right way. As Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told the Boston Globe, “He just used sports as a means to teach us how to apply ourselves to any situation.”

Some might think that Coach Wooden’s death means he won’t be around college basketball anymore. Whoever thinks that is dead wrong. Next year, when you see Duke’s players pointing to each other after an assist, there’s Coach John Wooden. When you hear that Bob Hurley Sr. remains at St. Anthony High School to coach basketball for a meager salary despite numerous offers to escape the impoverished high scool and coach a Division One school, there’s Coach John Wooden. When the next Butler reaches the Final Four, an undersized but attentive team outworking and out-preparing every opponent standing in its path, there’s Coach John Wooden.

Coach Wooden said he didn’t fear death, because when he did he would finally get another chance to be with his beloved wife, Nell. Now he gets to be with her for the rest of eternity.

Just don’t think he won’t still be here with us.