When the Goodman League competes against the Indy Pro-Am on Sept. 24,  Celtics draft pick JaJuan Johnson will reportedly suit up for the Indy Pro-Am squad. He will compete against Jeff Green, who could potentially be Johnson’s teammate whenever the NBA returns.

John Wall, Kevin Durant, Michael Beasley and DeMarcus Cousins have all committed to join Green in representation of the Goodman League, according to separate reports by Mike Wells and Michael Lee. Johnson’s Indy Pro-Am team will reportedly also include Zach Randolph, Mike Conley, Eric Gordon, George Hill, Lance Stephenson and Gordon Hayward.

Note: I am about to ramble about Gordon Hayward for a short period of time, just because his name triggered some great NBA League Pass memories. Bear with me.

On April 5, 2011, Hayward put on one of last season’s least-expected shows, metaphorically staring Kobe Bryant straight in the eyes until Kobe blinked.

Two nights before, Hayward had established a career high of 19 points against the Sacramento Kings, but nothing about his bland rookie season signaled that Hayward was ready to build on the career night, especially not against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Jazz had played the Lakers earlier in the week and Hayward was both inefficient and  unproductive. He finished the game with 7 points on 3-9 shooting, playing 29 minutes and barely putting his fingerprints on the game. The Jazz lost after leading by 17 points and Hayward scored only two points in the second half, an alley-oop from Earl Watson after the game was already out of reach.

The Lakers were on a typical tear, winning 17 of their past 19 games, and the Jazz were somewhere between listless and helpless, losers of eight straight, a franchise in shambles after Jerry Sloan’s retirement and Deron Williams’s trade, a franchise watching idly as the memories of two great decades burned slowly to the ground. Al Jefferson was acquired in the offseason, but he and Paul Millsap did not mesh in the front-court. Derrick Favors came to Utah as part of the Williams trade, and he could provide occasional entertainment with a fierce dunk or a high-flying block, but his prime was years away at best. Tyrone Corbin tried to fill Sloan’s enormous shoes, but Utah’s talent was lower than it had been in years and Corbin, well, Corbin was not Sloan. Meanwhile, the Jazz’s lottery draft choice, the league’s next white hope, Gordon Hayward blended into the background, struggling to deal with the strength and quickness of his NBA opponents.

Kobe Bryant is not normally the right prescription for a rookie struggling to find his NBA calling. But the second time Hayward played Kobe that week, he transformed into something different, something better, the player Utah hoped he would be, a player his parents and friends could be proud of, a player who dueled against Kobe Bryant and scored 22 points, including 10 in the final quarter, grabbed 6 rebounds, dished 5 assists, drilled the game-winning free throw, forced Bryant into a turnover on the game’s final possession, and walked off the court with at least one new fan.

“I’m very, very fond of him. He’s a very-skilled, all-around player,” said Kobe Bryant. “I think he’s going to have a very bright future in this league. He reminds me of a more talented Jeff Hornacek. Jeff couldn’t put the ball on the floor as well as (Hayward) can.”

Less than two weeks later, the Jazz ended their season by beating the Denver Nuggers. Hayward pumped in 34 points.

(Shelden Williams, get crammed on.)

I watch preseason NBA games for many reasons, none having to do with the quality of play: I love seeing the Stephane Lasmes of the world earn their headlines; watching preseason is more fun than NOT watching basketball; I’m entirely addicted to the NBA (I have a problem); it’s interesting to see how offseason additions fit; and I love getting a look at the new rookies.

That last point might be the reason I most enjoy the NBA preseason. I dare you to watch this 40-second clip of John Wall and not be enthralled. I dare you. It’s not going to happen. Talents like Wall enter the NBA and make you think, “What’s possible?” With established players, you know what their ceiling is, or you at least have an idea. But with rookies? Until we find out otherwise, the rafters are the limit. Wall could become the NBA’s best point guard within three years, Blake Griffin could become an electric mix of something in between Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer and Dwight Howard, and Derrick Favors or DeMarcus Cousins could be the next great low-post threat. Before those guys play a single game, nothing’s out of play.

Even less-heralded rookies inspire the imagination. Can Avery Bradley become the C’s next defensive stopper? Does Luke Harangody have what it takes to be Danny Ainge’s latest diamond in the rough? Could Semih Erden potentially displace one of the O’Neals in the lineup? Even with the picks who have less upside, the preseason is a time for hope. I can remember last preseason, reading about Lester Hudson: He averaged 27.5 pppg in college! He has a 6’9″ wingspan! He’s got 3.4% body fat! This kid could be a keeper! Alas, Hudson was cut midway through the season after hardly making any impact on the Celtics. But before the season, there’s always hope.

With that in mind, I handicap the Rookie of the Year race. Read more »

"Do you guys have this in a smaller size?"

Paul Pierce looked good the other night against the New Jersey Nets. Not just his play — although his and-one made jumping jack Derrick Favors look like Greg Ostertag, and his spin move in the lane was nothing short of vintage Pierce. No, Pierce looked good. Fit, toned, and slimmer than he was by the end of last season.

“You can see he has his legs back for us,” Doc Rivers told ESPN Boston.

The Truth has a bounce in his step that wasn’t evident last season. Whether that’s because he was nicked up last season or because he spent the offseason training like a madman, I couldn’t tell you.

But I can tell you the Celtics need a healthy Pierce to do damage. They need the return of their crunch-time murderer, who averaged 39.1 points per 48 crunch-time minutes in 2008-’09 but only 22.8 points per 48 crunch-time minutes last season. Without Pierce filling his normal go-to role, the Celtics’ fourth-quarter execution fell apart. They lost games they shouldn’t have, and couldn’t lean on the ever-reliable Pierce for a bucket. A lot of times, he didn’t have a bucket to offer.

Pierce also plays the Celtics’ thinnest  (no pun intended) position, small forward. Besides Pierce, Marquis Daniels is the C’s only natural three — and he can’t be trusted to stay on the court. Daniels has only played more than 62 games in a season once, back in 2007-’08. The last two seasons, he played only 54 games and 51 games, respectively. He gets injured more than my cousin Mike, who we used to affectionately call “Hospital.” Even if Daniels can buck his career trend and stay on the court, there’s no guarantee he’ll be productive. At times last season, he offered nada to the Celtics.

The pressure’s on Pierce. He needs to re-establish himself as a dominant 4th-quarter scorer and keep himself off the injured list. He must hold off the effects of age and the regular wear and tear of the long NBA season. And because of the Celtics’ lack of small forward depth, he might have to do all that while playing big minutes.

“Paul (Pierce) and Ray (Allen) look great physically,” Danny Ainge told the Boston Globe.

Amen.

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

1. Delonte West left today’s practice with back spasms. NBD, if you ask me. He has to miss the season’s first 10 games anyway. That should give him plenty of time to get his back right, no? (P.S. Jermaine O’Neal missed the end of the C’s last practice with a sore hamstring. UPDATE: O’Neal could be out for a week, but he says the hamstring injury is “minor.”)
2. On a scale of 1 to vomitacious, ESPN’s new Heat Index is miles off the charts. But the sad thing is, people will still read it every single day. As John Krolik put it, “Some people love this team, most people hate this team, but the important thing is that they care about this team. … I don’t know how this Heat experiment will turn out, but can you imagine anyone not watching?”
3. Von Wafer tweets, “I’m in a dog fight but I’ma fight to the end.” I assume he means for the 15th spot. Too bad Michael Vick didn’t use the same analogy for the quarterback battle in Philly.
4. I got an email today about some new promotion the Celtics have to give away free tickets. Anybody like the sound of that?
5. Red’s Army wonders whether the Brendan Haywood and Joakim Noah contracts are pricing Kendrick Perkins out of Boston. If Jermaine O’Neal plays well, the Celtics might pass on keeping Perkins for next season. Remember, they already have the O’Neal brothers and Semih Erden under contract. Weird to think this could be Perk’s last year as a Celt. I love the Beast.
6. CelticsBlog writes some S.W.A.G.’s (Silly Wild Astute Guesses). My least favorite? That Luke Harangody will start at some point this season… AT SMALL FORWARD! If ‘Gody plays small forward, whoever he’s defending will score at least 40 points and I will have a full-blown conniption.
7. Can someone please get me highlights of Derrick Favors’s first game as a pro? From Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: “His first shot was an alley-oop dunk. His second shot was a dunk. His third shot was a dunk. He attacked the rim with reckless efficiency, providing a spark and energy to an otherwise listless game. His most impressive dunk didn’t count: the 19-year-old jumped OVER a Maccabi Haifa player on the baseline but was called for a charge.”
8. In the theoretical Ryder Cup of basketball, the World team would get smoked like your grassy ass. Man, I butchered that saying.

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

The season is approaching (but not quickly enough), so that means it’s NBA preview time. Starting with the league’s worst team and working our way to the top, we’ll preview one team per day.

This picture must have been from two seasons ago. Last year, there was nothing for Harris to celebrate.

New Jersey Nets

Last year’s record: 12-70
Head Coach: Avery Johnson
Projected Starters: Devin Harris, Anthony Morrow, Travis Outlaw, Troy Murphy, Brook Lopez

Outlook:

It’s impossible to discuss next year’s New Jersey Nets without talking about last year’s New Jersey Nets. Because the Nets were supposed to be decent, last year, but were instead bad. Hideously bad. Almost historically bad. After their 12-win season, pardon me if I’m no longer sold on the star potential of a Devin Harris-Brook Lopez combo. Still, shouldn’t there be improvement there? Shouldn’t the Nets be a lot better, just by default? Who knows. I’m just happy I no longer have to listen to Avery Johnson’s voice on TV.

X-Factor:

Heart. Remember Vince Carter from his final days in Toronto? Mailing games in, milking injuries and generally acting like he didn’t enjoy playing basketball? Multiply that effort by twelve players and you get the ’08-’09 Nets. In my 20+ years of watching professional basketball, I’ve never seen a team play with less energy. Avery Johnson’s got a big job ahead of him.

Biggest Question Mark:

What the hell happened to Devin Harris last year? Talk about falling off the face of the earth. I know he was injury riddled, but damn. Look at the statistical drop:

’08-’09: 21.3 ppg, 6.9 apg, 43.8% field goals, 8.8 free throw attempts
’09-’10: 16.9 ppg, 6.6 apg, 40.3% field goals, 6.0 free throws attempts

Nagging injuries or not, 27-year olds NBA All-Stars aren’t supposed to jump off a statistical cliff. Harris’s return to form would go a long way toward repairing the Nets’ respectability.

Most important newcomer:

For this year, Troy Murphy. Any time you can add a 6’11″ player with three-point range who gets a double-double every night, that’s a nice addition. Even if it’s just Murphy. Another thing about Murphy? He plays hard and should be a breath of fresh air. Don’t sleep on Travis Outlaw, either. That man can play.

Key loss:

Can you possibly have a key loss from a team that won only 12 games? Almost any loss is addition by subtraction, right? If I had to choose somebody, I’d pick Courtney Lee. But only because I had to.

Most compelling storyline:

The Nets aren’t going to win 60 games. They aren’t going to be contenders. They aren’t going to pick the world up and drop it on its head. We all know that. Hell, they’re already talking about 2012 free agency. But I’m interested to see whether Avery Johnson can turn the attitude around. If he does, he’s a miracle man. I’ve always suspected that his work in Dallas was underappreciated.

Player to watch:

I could say Brook Lopez, but that’d be too easy. (And yes, I just went through an entire Nets preview without discussing Lopez once. Sue me.) Watch Derrick Favors, folks. The first post move he learns will be his first, but Favors can jump into the stratosphere. If I were a betting man, I’d wager on Favors becoming an All-Star before long. Then again, if I were a betting man I would have written the same thing about Kwame Brown.

Descriptive movie quote:

“I play for the Indians.”
“Here in Cleveland? I didn’t know they still had a team.”
“Yup, we’ve got uniforms and everything, it’s really great!”

- Jake Taylor and some other lady, Major League

Yup, the Nets still have a team. They’ve got uniforms and everything. And if you squint your eyes hard enough, they even have some talent. Squint a little harder and you’ll see a bright future. You know, as long as you use your imagination.

Projected Record: 25-57. But more wins wouldn’t surprise me. Jersey’s got a little talent. And I stress a little.

Sorry to do it to you, Slava. But when you get someone’s nuts in your face like that, it’s only a matter of time before you get victimized in Highlight Reel of the Day form. I don’t care if you’re a Celtic. By the way, Favors took off from like ten feet out. He’s a freak.

If you care about whether the Celtics won or not, they didn’t. They lost 86-68. I haven’t seen the game yet, but Luke Harangody had 18 and 8. Check out the box score here.