Antoine Walker has played pickup games with the Charlotte Bobcats recently, in an apparent attempt to score a camp invite. While the absurdity of a potential Antoine return makes me chuckle, Marc Stein writes that Antoine really has lost the rumored 18-25 pounds, and “perhaps he is somehow closer to an NBA comeback than skeptics believe.” (ESPN)

So it certainly made some sense when word reached Stein Line HQ on Sunday night that Toine is expected to arrive in Charlotte this week to stay with Bobcats center Nazr Mohammed, his buddy and fellow Kentucky Wildcat, and join in daily pickup games at the Bobcats’ facility leading up to the start of camp on Sept. 28.

Emphasis on some.

Despite Walker’s Charlotte connections, one source close to the situation says that the three-time former All-Star has no assurances from the Bobcats that he’ll be extended an official opportunity to stay for camp and attempt to make their team, no matter how far he goes back with Bobcats boss Michael Jordan. It is not yet known whether Walker can score that invite with a successful tryout in Charlotte, after a recent Twitter posting from John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal hinting at that possibility.

Antoine’s really getting in good shape? He’s actually getting in good shape? Consider me flabbergasted. When I heard Antoine’s uncle talk about how much weight Antoine had lost, I figured it was just Uncle Hype Man talking nonsense. I don’t even remember what an in-shape Antoine Walker looks like. I can only recall the overweight, lazy bastard who held a Rasheed-like passion for the three-point arc. (Note: Even then, I adored Antoine. There was just something about the Walker Wiggle that made me fall in love.)

In shape or not, I don’t know what would make any team, including the Bobcats, pay Antoine Walker money to play basketball. He’s 34 years old, never proved he could be a role player, and hasn’t contributed anything positive to the sport in four full years. Unless the NBA starts counting four-pointers, Antoine should be forced to take his talents overseas.

Larry would be be a Hughe mistake.

Uh-oh, the Larry Hughes talks have returned. I thought we were past this, no? (Marc Spears)

Celtics still need swingman behind Pierce and Allen. Could it be Larry Hughes? Word is Cs and CHA interested. Hughes looking good in workouts.

How good can Hughes really look in workouts? What stands out in these so-called workouts, his athleticism? Because he lost that a few years ago. His shooting touch? Umm, he never had that. Ahh, it must be his long frame. That’s about the only thing Hughes still has going for him.

Fact of the matter is, Hughes shot 35.5% last season. His game is eroding faster than you can say “HeyLarryHughesPleaseStopTakingBadShots.com.” As my dear friend (we’ll keep his name out of this) learned the day he woke up staring at a 225-pound softball player, sometimes you’ve just gotta say no.

No double-team necessary, thank you.

At least one Orlando Magic writer really, really let his imagination get away from him after Orlando’s clean sweep of the first two rounds.  Josh Cohen has already anointed Orlando as one of the greatest teams of all-time. (OrlandoMagic.com)

I know the Eastern Conference Finals hasn’t even started yet, and I know to be categorized as a “superior” all-time team you must win the grand prize first.

But, after two rounds of the playoffs, it may be reasonable to believe that the Magic have the opportunity to be remembered as one of the best Eastern Conference teams of the past decade and even one of the greatest in NBA history.

Let’s take a step back there, Josh Cohen.  This proclamation of yours is quite a bit premature, to say the least.  Kind of like that dude in American Pie with that Nadia chick.

What have the Magic done so far?  Won eight straight playoff games?  Sweet, Josh Cohen.  That doesn’t automatically make them the greatest thing since Bagel Bites.  Let’s just recap why:

1. The Magic weren’t even the #1 seed – Lest you forget, Josh Cohen, the Cleveland Cavaliers had the NBA’s best record and the East’s #1 seed.  Hell, Orlando didn’t even make it to 60 wins.  They finished the season stuck on 59, 13 wins less than Chicago’s record.  By my count, 42 teams have won at least 62 games.  20 of those teams won titles.  What, exactly, makes Orlando better than those 20 teams?  Even if Orlando wins a title, why should they be considered greater than those teams?
2. Who have they beaten? – Not to belittle their “epic” eight-game win streak to start the postseason, but who have the Magic beaten?  A mediocre-at-best Charlotte Bobcats squad and an Atlanta Hawks team that was a perfectly bad matchup for Orlando.  Atlanta’s best attribute is its athletic frontcourt, but playing against Dwight Howard completely mitigated that characteristic and makes it a disadvantage.  Sure, sweeping both those teams was still impressive — I’ll admit that.  It just wasn’t anything to bow down and kiss Orlando’s feet about.  The Magic were supposed to smoke those teams.
3. Who’s their go-to guy? – Do the Magic even have a go-to guy?  Does anybody trust Vince Carter when the lights are brightest?  I know Dwight Howard isn’t going to get Orlando any crunch-time buckets and — if Vince’s career is anything to judge by — he’s not very reliable come crunch-time either.  I know it doesn’t seem like Orlando has missed Hedo Turkoglu too much yet, but there will come a time when they will.  He was their best play-maker and always seemed to make big plays in the fourth quarter.  Who does that now?
4. Can’t they win a title first? – I know Josh Cohen mentioned that you can’t be mentioned as a “superior all-time team” until you “win the grand prize,” but this needs reiterating.  Orlando hasn’t done anything of note yet.  They came in second in the Eastern Conference in the regular season.  So they swept two overmatched teams in the first two rounds.  Big whoop.  Does anybody think last year’s Cleveland Cavaliers are a “superior all-time team?”  They had more regular season wins than this year’s Orlando squad, finished the regular season in first place, and swept the first two rounds of the playoffs.  Want to know why they aren’t considered one of the best teams ever?  They lost in the third round.  Let’s make Orlando win something first.

Cohen then continues his ridiculously absurd column, posting all the Eastern Conference champions from this past decade that this season’s Orlando team would beat.

If you look at the past decade alone, I am already close to conclude that this Magic team is one of the most complete, most dynamic Eastern Conference teams in the last 10 years. Let’s take a look at the last 10 East teams to reach the NBA Finals:

I am confident the Magic would beat the 2000 Pacers, 2001 76ers, 2002 Nets, 2003 Nets, 2004 Pistons, 2005 Pistons, 2006 Heat, 2007 Cavaliers and last year’s Magic team in a seven-game series.

First of all, let me say that — of all these teams — only the 2004 Pistons and 2006 Heat won titles.  Secondly, I’m not so sure the Magic beat either of those teams.  Think about the 2006 Heat: Shaq in his almost-prime cancels out Dwight Howard, and Dwyane Wade that postseason was one of the best players in history.  If you don’t remember, Wade was on an absolute mission that year.  Do you think he was going to let Vince Carter or Matt Barnes was going to stand in the way of his title?  Yeah the Magic are a more balanced team, but Dwyane Wade was an absolute serial killer that year.  Throw Miami’s regular season record out the window that year — they didn’t care during the regular season, not even a little — and all of a sudden the Heat might have been better than Orlando.

As for the 2004 Pistons, I’m not sure they lose to this Magic team either.  Ben Wallace was the world’s best defender at that point, and Rasheed Wallace was no slouch at either side of the floor.  He wasn’t the Sheed we know and “love” today.  On top of that, that Pistons team was balanced offensively and terrific defensively.  They had weapons at all five positions and played incredibly well together.  Are we SURE that Pistons team doesn’t beat this year’s Orlando squad, even though they took down Kobe and Shaq when both players were in their primes?  No, we aren’t.  Not in the least.

If the Magic wouldn’t definitively beat two of the weaker NBA champions in history, how can we say their one of the league’s best teams ever?  Especially when they haven’t even won a damn title or even a regular season conference championship?  WE CAN’T!, Josh Cohen, you damn fool.

Cohen then goes on to question whether the Magic might have been able to beat the 2008 Boston Celtics.

The only big question mark I would have is the 2008 Celtics. But remember, Boston that season was tested in every round. Atlanta and Cleveland forced the Celtics to seven games in the first two rounds and then Detroit and the L.A. Lakers took them to six each before they won the title.

I’ll save Cohen the time thinking about whether this year’s Magic are better than those Celtics: No, not a chance.  It took the Celtics some time to get their playoff sea legs but they still won every necessary game.  When the stakes were biggest, that Celtics team was at its best.  They had one of the best defenses in NBA history and three superstars on offense.  No way Orlando is better than that team.  The 2008 C’s won 66 games and a championship, beating Kobe Bryant in the finals.  So you can shove all your “tight series” talk up your ass, Josh Cohen, because Orlando isn’t better.  It’s not even close.  Again, all the Magic have done is finish second in the East and sweep two perfect matchups.  Nothing to rewrite history over, I assure you.

Cohen then finishes up the piece with his biggest faux pas yet.

I am someone that loves to discuss what it would be like if all-time great teams from different years or different generations competed in a series. For instance, what would happen if the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (72 wins) faced off against the 2000-01 Los Angeles (15-1 in playoffs)? Who would have a better series, Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant? Would the Bulls have any answer for Shaquille O’Neal? Which Ron Harper would show up (he played for both teams)?

I hope we can ultimately have this discussion about the 2009-10 Orlando Magic. It would be pretty awesome if in two months we start projecting what would happen if the 1995-86 Boston Celtics, for example, took on our Magic. Pretty cool, right?

No, Josh Cohen, it wouldn’t be cool if you projected what would happen if the 1985-1986 Boston Celtics took on your Magic.  You wanna know why?  Because your troops would get waxed. Stomped. Pulverized.

Does Vince Carter guard Larry Bird?  Does Rashard Lewis guard Kevin McHale? I’m literally laughing out loud as I write this, thinking about the absurdity of even wondering whether the 1985-1986 Celtics would beat the 2009-2010 Orlando Magic.  Yes, they would beat them.  In fact, they would pound them.  They would probably beat them almost as badly as the Magic just beat the Hawks.

As well as the Magic played in the first two rounds of the playoffs, they haven’t won a single thing yet besides the right to play the Boston Celtics.  If they end up winning a championship, we can start talking about their place among the NBA’s best teams.  Even then, they won’t be anywhere close to where Cohen is saying they are.  This Magic team is a good team, very good even.  But great, historically great?

Hell no.  Josh Cohen must be thinking about the wrong 2010 Orlando Magic.

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.

Cousy makes a fair point.

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “Rajon Rondo already has Bob Cousy’s Celtics record for most assists in a season, but he also has something more valuable. Cousy’s respect and admiration. ‘I’ve been saying since probably the first year that it seems to me he touches all the bases for a point guard,’ said the Cooz. ‘If there is a negative – and I don’t know how much of a negative it is – he seems to be insecure about his shooting. But, hell, the guy’s shooting almost 52 percent. How much better could he be if he looked for his shot all the time? But that’s not the function of a point guard. Everything else is there. He rebounds much taller than he is. He’s a tough, tough defender. And he creates well. He adds a little something, so he’s obviously getting more confident with the moves and the imagination that he shows. As far as I’m concerned, he’s their most valuable player this year.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “While there’s no guarantee the two sides will see each other again, it is looking more likely with two games to play and both sides talked as if it were a guarantee. ‘It’s going to be fun and I can’t wait, just from the two games we’ve played them it’s going to be a fist fight,’ said Jennings. The Celtics wouldn’t call Saturday’s clash a statement game, but clearly they certainly delivered a message. ‘When you have a chance to play a team that you could possibly see in the playoffs, you don’t want to give them confidence or swagger,” said Pierce. “If you let them beat you consistently, then when you play that matchup, they think they have the advantage — it gives them confidence. Those type of things can win a series, I’ve seen that happen. We wanted to put an end to that. They really played us good last time we were here, but we got the win [Saturday]. Hopefully we do the same when we see them at our place and win the season series.’”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “‘We set the tone defensively and that is most important,’ Pierce said. ‘We prefer to keep the game in the half court and let our defense do the talking and try to grind it out because we feel like we can win those type of games.’ Kurt Thomas, the 15-year veteran who has been starting in place of injured center Andrew Bogut, was assessed a flagrant-1 for throwing down Davis as he attempted a layup and Davis received a technical for getting in Thomas’s face. Moments later, veterans Jerry Stackhouse and Pierce each received technicals for wrestling on the floor after they collided on an inbounds play with 2:22 left. Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles was ejected for arguing the foul called on Stackhouse and Ray Allen’s free throws gave the Celtics a commanding 92-82 lead. ‘With about four minutes to go in the second quarter, they started getting really physical with us,’ Skiles said. ‘And we didn’t respond really well to that. Just because there might be some technicals and I get tossed out of a game doesn’t necessarily mean there was a lot of intensity. Having said that, there was [intensity] in pockets of the game, for sure.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “It was the Boston Celtics’ defense that sparked the team’s 105-90 win at Milwaukee. But in the second half, the C’s saw the return of something just as important – Paul Pierce. The Captain bounced back from a poor, nine-point performance in a loss to Washington, to lead all scorers on Saturday with 24 points. It wasn’t so much that Pierce was scoring, but how the points were coming. Most of his points came on short to medium-range jumpers – the shot that when he gets it going, is almost impossible to shut down. ‘[Pierce] was doing what he does,’ said Bucks coach Scott Skiles. ‘He takes a couple dribbles, uses his body a little bit, rises up and shoots. We didn’t have a whole lot of answers for that.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “Pierce missed five of the first eight shots he took Saturday, but made his first seven attempts of the second half in helping Boston motor away from the Bucks. Pierce found a soft spot in the Milwaukee defense and torched them with his 18-foot jumper. ‘In the third quarter, we decided to spread the court a bit and I was able to find space,’ said Pierce. ‘Once I figured out in the first half that each time I drove, the defense would collapse on me. I started to stop short for my little pull-up jumper and I was able to knock it down. It’s one of those things you read. I missed four or five shots at the rim [in the first half] because I was going up against two or three defenders. I had to find some open space.’ Pierce scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the second half with his biggest contribution coming over a 90-second span late in the fourth quarter. Pierce made three straight jumpers, including the final with 3:31 to play that kept Boston out front, 88-81, as Milwaukee tried desperately to make a charge.”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “While Garnett rested, Rivers is hoping Pierce will regain his rhythm – which looked positively Motown-worthy last night. Pierce grooved to 24 points, making 10-of-17 from the floor. It’s likely he’ll light a candle in church this morning and pray he sees these guys next weekend. ‘That was big for us,’ said Rivers of Pierce’s performance. ‘He’s not done that really. That’s why you’re still playing him. We talked about just trying to get Paul some rhythm, because if he can get his offensive rhythm, that makes us really good.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “With only two games remaining, the Celtics (50-30) are a game behind Atlanta (51-29) for the No. 3 seed in the East. Meanwhile, the Bucks have the inside track on the No. 5 seed over Miami and Charlotte. Although both teams know that it’s not a given they’ll meet up in the playoffs, you wouldn’t have known it by the way they went at each other down the stretch of a game that was much closer than the final score might indicate. ‘We’re going to see these guys (in the playoffs),’ predicted C’s forward Glen Davis, who picked up a technical foul in the fourth quarter following an incident between him and Milwaukee’s Kurt Thomas. ‘And if we see them, they’ll be ready to play and the intensity level is going to be high and just knowing that we got a win in here, it’s good for us.’”

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

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.

A telling photo. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “‘We had no focus, so I thought we deserved to lose,’ Rivers said. ‘The bank shot that Gallinari hit was the basketball gods punishing us for not having great focus.’ Here was Garnett’s take: ‘It was the basketball gods hurting us.’ Glen Davis chose to tell a parable. ‘I was surprised with our play today,’ he said. ‘But that’s the way it is. If you mess with the game – if you plant bad seed – then you’re going to reap a bad harvest. We took them lightly. We have to play. Pure and simple, we have to play.’”

Jonathan Abrams, New York Times – “For two seasons, the Knicks have slashed, purged and repeated in order to trim payroll in an attempt to attract star players through free agency. How does a center who can haul in 18 rebounds and score 17 points against the playoff-bound Boston Celtics resonate? The Knicks had him for a night. His name is Earl Barron. If he is not familiar, it is because he is the latest in a line of unfamiliar names to join the Knicks. He signed last week, fresh from the Development League, as the Knicks’ forgettable season quietly winds down. He may be with them next season. He may not. But he was everywhere for a noteworthy evening Tuesday, spreading his wiry 7-foot frame to grab rebound after rebound and helping the Knicks defeat the Celtics, 104-101, and spoil Nate Robinson’s return to Madison Square Garden.”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “‘We made up our mind we thought we were going to win at any point and we could score whenever we wanted to and all of a sudden you get outhustled,’ Rivers said. Garnett offered no excuses. ‘I didn’t think we played good basketball at all,’ he said. ‘I don’t know what you call it, but we can’t come out and play like that. We just played like . . . we played like crap tonight.’ A letdown after the win over the Cavaliers? ‘That’s over,’ Garnett said. ‘You’ve got to respect each team in this league. You’ve got to come to play every night. You can’t pick and choose when you want to play. You can’t pick and choose when you want to execute. You can’t pick and choose when you want to play defense. You’ve got to prepare and play defense. You’ve got to prepare and play each team as if you’re playing Cleveland.’ Said Perkins, ‘We’re just two different teams from what I saw Sunday. It was just two different basketball teams.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “As was the case in Friday’s meltdown against Houston, Boston’s starters couldn’t put a young and feisty opponent away Tuesday. Unlike other recent games, Boston simply seemed disinterested at times against New York. ‘The other games we didn’t play well, but [Tuesday night] I was disappointed,’ admitted Rivers. ‘It was a tough game to watch throughout. You could just see it not being there, in our defensive lapses, which, to me, is a result of focus.’ What made Tuesday’s loss sting even more was that the Hawks lost to the Bobcats, so the Celtics blew a chance to gain ground in the race for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta remains a game ahead of Boston with five to play.”

Jessica Camerato, WEEI – “It didn’t take long for [Nate] Robinson, who sat out the entire game against the Cavaliers, to get back in. He got the nod late in the first quarter in front of his former home crowd. ‘I don’t know about inspirational or sentimental,’ Rivers told reporters before the game. ‘But I’m going to play him because the other guys want to see him play tonight. So I’m going to give him some run and hopefully he plays well.’ Robinson looked comfortable in New York, where he spent over five years. He scored five points and dished an assist during a comeback stretch by the Celtics in the fourth quarter. Robinson also finished the game with three rebounds and five assists in 14 minutes.”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “[Ray] Allen played more than 14 minutes in the second half – only Rondo played more during that time – and managed to score just three points on 1-for-3 shooting. In the pivotal fourth quarter, Allen didn’t get a single shot attempt. The only real attempt it seemed the C’s made in getting him a shot came on that desperation attempt near the end of the game. ‘I didn’t think Ray was open,’ Rondo said. Said Allen: ‘I don’t know when I came off, if Rondo didn’t see I was open. I don’t know what he had. Right when I came off the corner, I was ready for it. But I don’t know if he thought I wasn’t open, or what.’ Regardless of whether he was open or not, it should not have come down to that shot.”

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

Doc Rivers says he has been looking at the standings to see how the 5,6,7 and 8 seeds in the Eastern Conference work themselves out. The Celtics could play any of those teams (Bucks, Bobcats, Heat, and Raptors), so it makes sense that Rivers has been keeping tabs on them.

But he claims he hasn’t looked at the top three teams in the standings (Cavs, Magic, Hawks), or how far ahead of the Celtics they are. I guess he uses his hand to cover up the top three teams while he checks the bottom of the standings. Yeah, that sounds right.

No matter how often he checks — or doesn’t check — the standings, Rivers has a team he’d like the Celtics to play. (Boston Globe)

Where the Celtics end up and whom they’ll play isn’t completely in their control. But if Rivers had his way, he absolutely has a preference for a first-round opponent.

“But,’’ he said with a grin, “they’re not going to make it.’’

Perhaps he wants to play the Washington Generals?