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 – “That late-January to early-February return that Perkins was talking about recently? He’s sounding – and looking – like a guy who may be given the green light to resume playing sooner than that. ‘I don’t know,’ Perkins said. ‘Since I got on the court, I think my (return) date probably got pushed up a bit.’ When asked if he was still looking to return next month, he said, ‘hopefully.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “But while he was more than a little angry with the officiating, the NBA’s refs may have Shaq to kick around a while longer. He said upon his arrival on the Celtics [team stats] that he’d be done when his two-year deal was up, but yesterday he opened the door to the future beyond that contract. ‘I’m on a team where I don’t have to do it all,’ Shaq said. ‘Everyone, especially around the city of Boston, knows my role. I’m not taking 28 shots anymore. I’ve missed 21⁄2 years’ worth of games, so even though I’ve played 18 years I’ve only played 16 years. My role is different. I’m not taking every shot. I’m playing limited minutes. So if I’m with this team and playing like this, I can probably play two or three more years. I have two years left, but I’ll know. And everybody else will know, too, because I’ll do a hell of a (expletive) press conference.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “And yet if you listen to the Celtics afterward, you would think they just lost to the Los Angeles Clippers and not a team that, when the season began, was on everyone’s short list as a title contender. ‘They can’t beat us,’ said Boston’s Glen Davis after Orlando, well, beat them. Davis clarified his words moments later by adding, ‘they came out and played better than us today, but if you are talking about a seven-game series, I don’t think they can beat us.’ … When you talked to Celtics players afterward, limiting Howard was not a surprise nor was it something they felt was overly impressive. ‘I have been playing Dwight since 2004, when I was playing against him in the AAU circuit,’ Davis said. ‘His game hasn’t really changed. It’s not like has a jump shot, or a new spin move. He has the same moves since high school. He has the same post moves.’ Kevin Garnett, a former league defensive player of the Year, didn’t see the C’s doing anything special against Howard, either. ‘I thought everybody who guarded him did a good job on him,’ Garnett said. ‘It is not like he has a ton of moves. He is either going to jump-hook you, spin-lob … he is very predictable.’”

Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated – “There will be many factors that will influence Howard’s decision but none bigger than this: Winning. Yes, Orlando’s best chance to keep its franchise center in Magic blue is to win and emerge as the class of the Eastern Conference, outgunning Chicago, Miami and most importantly, Boston. The Magic understand this. It’s why GM Otis Smith detonated a pretty good team last week and put the fate of the franchise in Gilbert Arenas’s thrice surgically repaired left knee and Hedo Turkoglu’s slowly fading game. Maybe they were good enough to beat Chicago or Miami with the old group. But not Boston. They knew it after the Celtics wiped the floor with them in last season’s conference finals and became even more convinced of it after watching Boston boost its frontcourt depth with the additions of Shaquille O’Neal, Jermaine O’Neal and Semih Erdin. The Celtics, you see, will be as involved in Howard’s future as any prospective suitor. Not because Boston is a threat to sign Howard; but by beating up on the Magic over the next two postseasons, they could effectively punch his ticket out of town. It’s what makes every game against the Celtics important, every win a reason to exhale. Saturday’s 86-78 win wasn’t artistic but it looks a heck of a lot better than a loss.”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “If you’ve paid any attention to Shaquille O’Neal since he joined the Boston Celtics, you know by now that he’s a pretty generous dude. That generosity will likely extend to writing a hefty check to the league office following comments he made after Boston’s 86-78 loss to Orlando on Christmas Day. O’Neal finished with two points in just under 13 minutes of action. After scoring his lone basket of the game, he fouled out just three seconds later. Needless to say, O’Neal had some choice words for the officiating. ‘I guess they came out to see number 26 today,’ O’Neal said. The only No. 26 on the floor Saturday was official Bob Delaney. ‘He (No. 26) was a great player out there today,’ O’Neal said.”

Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel – “Like I told the guys at the beginning of the season, we’ve got to be tough,’ Howard said. ‘Not just physically tough but mentally tough, especially against teams like Boston, who’s going to come at us from all different angles. They’re going to attack us mentally, they’re going to attack us physically and they’re going to try to punk us.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “The run was so long, Kevin Garnett felt like he had lost track of time at a craps table. ‘When you’ve been throwing the dice for this long, they’re going to bring the cooler over and sit him at your table, and he’s going to cool you off,’ the Celtics forward said, shaking his head. ‘We got the cooler today. Ah, we got the cooler today.’”

Rich Levine, CSNNE – “Even as recently as Wednesday night, Doc lamented how, despite all the wins, the Celtics weren’t improving. And as a result, neither were our expectations. It was the oddest feeling. The Celtics went a month without losing, but you couldn’t feel any better about their chances. There were games when they played great; games when they just played well enough to win; games when they didn’t even play well enough to win, but still managed to get the W. But regardless of how it happened, most of the time, those wins just left us feeling neutral. When we spoke of the streak, it was never, ‘Look out, NBA! The Celtics are on a rampage!’ It was ‘How the hell do they keep winning all these games?’ There was no rhyme or reason to how they were doing it. Sometimes the defense was great, but they also allowed more than 100 points in eight of 14. Sometimes the offense was clicking, but then it would disappear for long stretches. There were plenty of positives along the way. Of course, there were positives. And there certainly weren’t enough negatives to create any level of concern. But still, it was still strangely unsatisfying. You wanted to get feel better about it. But you just couldn’t. I guess that’s just life with the 2010-2011 Celtics.”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “It was one of the Magic’s cornerstones: Jameer Nelson, who scored 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter. Sprinting down the floor and pulling up not far from the Boston bench, he knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:19 left that staggered the Celtics. They’d never recover. ‘Jameer willed that game for them,’ said Rivers. ‘He’s got the biggest heart on the team. He’s just a warrior and he does it all the time. Give him the credit. I thought he was phenomenal. I thought he was on the floor and he just kept pushing that team. You could see it. That’s what he does. A lot of people miss that in him.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “That’s why, when veterans such as Garnett and Paul Pierce [stats] tell the O’Neals to take a long-term view, the newcomers listen. It obviously helps that Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen have been healthy enough to carry the load. ‘Paul said the other day that it’s going to be scary in February,’ Shaq said. ‘We go to the bench and you’re going to see JO, Perk, Delonte (West), oh, my God. That’s the good thing about this organization — Ed (Lacerte, the trainer), B-Doo (Brian Doo, the strength and conditioning coach) have me working out twice a day. It’s a blessing in disguise.’ For this Celtics team, the oldest in the NBA, it’s also vital. ‘I don’t ever feel like I was rushed back any time I’ve been out,’ Allen said. ‘(But) I think Ed Lacerte is a trainer who, as much as we want guys out there, he’s not going to compromise guys’ health. As all trainers should, he has the hearts and the minds of the players in his best interests. The players have to be 100 percent on the floor. He knows what he’s dealing with, and he’s giving us the best opportunity and options to see if we can go through the rigors of a game. I think he truly cares, and in some organizations the trainer might be for the coach, or the trainer might be for the owner. But I’ve been on teams mostly where the trainers are for the players.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “The effects of seven weeks off were evident in Jermaine O’Neal’s return. He went 1 of 4 from the floor, but his biggest issue was timing, either not being ready for passes or bobbling them. ‘It looked and felt like it was my first game back in almost two months,’ O’Neal said. ‘Sometimes your mind is moving a little bit faster than your actual body. I left quite a few passes behind me that were very good passes. But you expect that. I’ve only had three practices, four practices. So I look forward to trying to build from it. It’s all about timing, it’s all about getting into the flow of things.’ O’Neal played just 10 minutes, and Rivers could sense O’Neal’s attitude dipping. ‘You could see he was kind of down,’ Rivers said.”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “Yesterday’s 86-78 loss at the Magic stands as Exhibit A. The Celtics [team stats] are in a struggle to find their offensive flow without Rajon Rondo [stats]. That doesn’t change Doc Rivers’ plan for the point guard, who is recovering from a sprained left ankle. ‘Rondo is still going to be out until he’s 100 percent,’ said the Celtics coach, who a day earlier had said Rondo would probably miss more time than the two-week timeframe that had originally been set. ‘I’m not going to push him back. We’re not going to push anyone back.’ The Celtics’ current trouble, according to Rivers, goes deeper than Rondo’s absence. ‘It’s not just Rajon, and that’s the point you guys miss,’ Rivers said. ‘It’s Delonte (West) and Rajon. It’s more than just Rondo. We always thought we could lose one of those three guards. We knew it was going to be very difficult if we lost two of them.’”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “So if Shaq is going to stay the same, soak up fouls and give the bench a 300-pound cheerleader, then Perkins needs to come back faster than expected or Jermaine O’Neal can’t take several weeks to blend into the system. Yesterday was his eighth game and it’s difficult to determine whether Jermaine O’Neal can make a significant contribution. He wants to be more involved in the offense, but coach Doc Rivers made it clear in training camp that they don’t need O’Neal reliving his glory days. In 10 minutes against the Magic, he missed three shots and committed four fouls. Davis, indeed, is the Celtics’ most productive and reliable center and that’s a discouraging sign for Ainge and Rivers. The O’Neals have to respond with better defense, more rebounding, and savvier play. Shaquille O’Neal can’t stand there with his hands raised and chest bump an opponent driving to the basket and expect to draw a charge. And standing there with that “Who me?’’ look isn’t exactly reminiscent of the acting of Sir Laurence Olivier. Somehow, Shaquille has to swallow his pride and understand his importance to the depth of this team.”

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

On a day when Kendrick Perkins walked through some plays in practice (and even dunked a couple times, and might even be back by late January), I finally discuss the Orlando Magic’s trades.

Why didn’t I write about them before? For a couple reasons: 1) Life sometimes interferes even with the most dedicated bloggers, and 2) I needed some time to wrap my head around the thought of Malik Allen being a number one backup center.

Okay, on to the roster overhaul. First, I have no idea whether it will work. My guess would be that it doesn’t — mostly because, for it to work, Gilbert Arenas needs to return to ’06-’07 Agent Zero, and Hedo Turkoglu needs to revert to the walking mismatch who was Orlando’s go-to playmaker in their 2009 Finals run. To expect either of them to return to their former selves requires a leap of faith I’m not ready to make.

More likely, Jason Richardson will end up being Orlando’s most important acquisition from the trades. Which is fine… unless you’re actually trying to win an NBA championship, in which case you need at least one player who can create at the end of games. Richardson isn’t that guy, and neither is the Arenas we’ve seen since his return, and neither is the zombie living in Hedo’s body the past two seasons.

It’s clear Orlando made these moves to win an NBA championship now, and to entice Dwight Howard to stick around when his contract expires. But how much closer are they to a championship? They have SO many question marks in their lineup now.

How do Jameer Nelson and Gilbert Arenas fit in the same backcourt? Who becomes the playmaker come crunch time? Can this team stop anyone? Will Dwight Howard get into more foul trouble than ever before because his perimeter defenders act as a funnel straight to him? Is the trio of Ryan Anderson, Malik Allen and Daniel Orton REALLY Orlando’s only backcourt bench help? Is one ball going to be enough for this psychotic, half-crazy (entirely crazy?), shot-happy (no pun intended for Gilbert) crew? Does Hedo Turkoglu’s heart even still beat?

Okay, so the Magic probably aren’t done trading yet. I don’t see J.J. Redick sticking around (there isn’t really a spot for him anymore), so he’ll probably get swapped for some big man help. Even so, the perimeter questions still stand. All of them. Call me crazy, but I don’t see any of these new Magicians A) fitting in well with Stan Van Gundy’s style, B) stopping a soul, or C) taking over come crunch time. In their primes, yes. But these folks aren’t in their primes anymore. In their Magic opener, Hedo (shocking nobody in Toronto or Phoenix) still sucked, and Arenas came off the bench and shot 2-11 (also shocking nobody). Will they improve with time? I assume. But don’t expect any of these guys to be stars, in Orlando. And the Magic need at least one of them to be capable of star production.

(Side note: Malik Allen played 13 minutes in his first post-trade action, registering 0 points and 1 rebound. That next trade can’t come soon enough.)

In conclusion, I like the motives behind the trades, but not the trades themselves. Otis Smith knew his Magic, as they were constructed, weren’t going to win a championship. So he pulled the trigger, drastically changing a team that was only a step shy of a championship in the first place. More GMs should be built like that. The NBA should be about winning championships, and anything else should be uncivilized.

Just take a look at the Atlanta Hawks. As presently constructed, they have zero shot of winning a championship or even coming close. But they just signed Joe Johnson for $120 million, apparently so they can continue their string of first- and second-round playoff runs for the foreseeable future. It’s like when the Celtics traded away Joe Johnson so they could rent Tony Delk and Rodney Rodgers. Sure, the trade helped them reach the Eastern Conference Finals, but I promise: no matter what happened, a lineup of Kenny Anderson, Paul Pierce, Tony Delk, Antoine Walker and Tony Battie was never taking down the Shaq-Kobe Los Angeles Lakers. What’s better — reaching the Eastern Conference Finals or keeping your most promising rookie since Paul Pierce? What’s more important — reaching a low ceiling, or trying to make that ceiling a little higher?

Back to the Magic, I admire the stones Otis Smith displayed while trying to shake things up. But the overhaul seems a lot more like Steve Kerr’s failed Shaq experiment in Phoenix, rather than the Rasheed Wallace trade that spurred Detroit to the 2004 title. Trading for big names doesn’t always equate to success, and I have a feeling Otis Smith will soon kick himself that he didn’t spend more time trying to acquire Carmelo Anthony.

Basically, the Magic traded two old, over-the-hill big names (and Marcin Gortat) for two old, over-the-hill big names (and Jason Richardson). They changed, indeed.

But are they any closer to the elusive NBA championship? I think not.

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

1. Glen Davis’s latest nickname – Glen Davis doesn’t want to be called Big Baby anymore. No, he’s Big Swoll Baby. WEEI’s Ben Rohrbach did a little research to find the definition of swoll: “I’m not gonna lie, I actually had to consult UrbanDictionary.com on this one. They define ‘swoll’ as ‘to be muscular, jacked, strong, etc.’ (I also love their use of it in a sentence: ‘Man, I’m mo swoll than AC Slater‘).”

Two thoughts: 1) I’m proud to say I actually knew what swoll meant. My roommate at school used to love “getting swoll” while I sat on my couch watching TV. And 2) The person on Urban Dictionary may be “mo swoll than AC Slater,” but he cannot possibly be as cool as Slater while sitting on a backwards chair.

2. Big Swoll Baby gets some deserved love – After being the best player on the court last night, Big Swoll Baby got very little love from the media today. Only one piece really focused on his impressive performances in the first two preseason games: A. Sherrod Blakely’s piece for CSNNE. “He’s really working on trusting offensively,” Rivers said of Big Swoll Baby. “Defensively, he’s been even better. I think he’s been terrific.”

We all know what Big Daddy Swoll (yes, I changed it a little) is capable of. His problem has always been consistency. If he can bring the same energy every night, the C’s will have a dangerous weapon at their disposal.

3. John Strickland passes away. Who is John Strickland, you ask? I wondered the same thing, but he’s a streetball legend who made quite a name for himself among celebrities. From the New York Post: “The 6-foot-8 forward, who was currently in the Halifax Rainmen’s front office as their Director of Basketball Development, was considered one of the best players ever in streetball. As a low-post wizard and a superb passer, he once averaged more than 40 points per game at Nike Pro City, considered the circuit’s primer league. Strickland became the first person to win a title there as a player and a coach when he led Gold’s Gym to the championship this summer.”

4. Highlights from last night’s game – Wait, that two and a half hour waste of time actually created highlights?

5. Rajon Rondo named 17th-best NBA player – Slam ranked Rondo the NBA’s 17th-best player and wrote this: “When you considered the fact that Rondo’s assists have been increasing at a rate of almost two assists per season (1.93 to be exact), a double-double season average for this upcoming season is inevitable.”

6. Triple double or bust for Lebron? – CBS Sports’ Gregg Doyel: “Nobody has done what LeBron has to do this season, at least nobody in the NBA’s modern era: He has to average a triple-double.”

Has to average a triple double? C’mon, Gregg. Take a few plays off. Averaging a triple double has been done once in history, when the pace of play was faster and assists and rebounds far easier to come by. And Lebron will be a disappointment if he doesn’t equal the feat this season? Relax. Take a few deep breaths. Then come back to reality.

7. Bench video - After last night, the Boston Bench Mob is worthy of at least a Semih-erection. Get it? I salivated about the second unit’s prospects, and Celtics Hub breaks it down with some video.

8. Dwight Howard’s mid-range shooting display – Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back it up a second. What? From the Orlando Sentinel: “During Thursday’s session, Patrick Ewing threw Howard entry passes and Daniel Orton rebounded. Howard shot jumpers from both elbows, bank shots from the wings and turn-around jumpers while fading away. He made more shots than he missed, at one time making seven jumpers in a row.”

Said Howard, “”Look, if you work on stuff, it’s going to happen for you sooner or later.” I guess if you can’t learn a post move, you teach yourself how to hit jumpers.

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

Kendrick Perkins's happy face. And sad face. And everything in between face.

1. Kendrick Perkins targets early February for his return. “To me, I feel like I need about a month-and-a-half [to be playoff-ready],” he said.
2. Paul Pierce was rated #19 in Slam Online’s player rankings. This sentence from the column had me dying laughing: “It’s also entirely possible Chris Bosh still has to fit the hotel room bed with rubber sheets the night before playing against Kevin Garnett.”
3. GMs give Boston a 100% chance to win the Atlantic, an 18.5% chance to win the East, and a 3.7% chance to win a championship. They say Ray Allen is the league’s purest shooter and Rajon Rondo the best on-the-ball perimeter defender and best defender in the passing lanes. Actually, the entire Celtics team dominated the defensive rankings. Also, more votes.
4. John from Red’s Army strongly believes Shaq should come off the bench. I happen to agree, for this reason: Shaq, against second string defenses, can still get buckets.
5. Brian Scalabrine on why Tom Thibodeau wanted him in Chicago: “He knows that he can count on me.”
6. Kobe Bryant’s the reason we had a recession.
7. If Andrew Bynum has one more major knee surgery, his minutes will likely be limited for the rest of his career.
8. Jersey advertising has the potential to save the NBA from a lockout. Seriously. English Premier League soccer teams made $155 million off jersey advertising last season. My thoughts? Why the hell not? The basketball will be the same, even if the Boston Celtics become the Armani Jeans Celtics. On second thought… the Armani Jeans Celtics?
9. Adrian Wojnarowski on the passing of the torch in Miami: “Opening night of the preseason, Wade was pushed to the side and everyone saw they could leave him the captain, the spokesman, the last man introduced to the laser light show. They could leave everything in place for Dwyane Wade except for the fact that the Miami Heat no longer belong to him. A force of nature showed on the shores of Biscayne Bay, grabbed the ball and never looked back. Maybe this is still D-Wade’s city and franchise, but this is LeBron James’ team now. King James doesn’t do deferential.”
10. I’m pretty sure I could score 10 points per game in the NBA if I had low-post lessons from Hakeem Olajuwon. Hakeem’s forgotten more post moves than most players ever learn. Which makes the thought of him teaching Dwight Howard positively frightening.

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

1. Avery Bradley, who sprained his ankle in a pre-draft workout for the Oklahoma City Thunder and underwent surgery on July 2, won’t be ready for the start of training camp. “”I don’t think Avery will be ready for training camp,” Ainge told ESPN Boston. “He’s a couple weeks away, at least.” That’s one hell of a sprained ankle, huh?
2. Paul Flannery chimed in from the C’s charity golf tournament with a bunch of interesting tidbits. Danny Ainge said that… 1) Kevin Garnett is “in much better shape than he was last year starting training camp.” 2) “I think this is the most talented team we’ve had in quite a while. Now it’s just a matter of it all coming together.” 3) “We feel like in our defensive schemes we’ve really improved our defense.” 4) Perk is “ahead of schedule according to him and the doctors.” And 5) “Marquis outplayed all of our bench players throughout October, November and December until he had the [thumb] injury. We know what Marquis is capable of doing.”
3. Flannery also sang Doc Rivers’ praises. “Talent wins in pro sports, but within the coaching profession there are a handful of certified experts at getting their players to band together for the cause: Phil Jackson, Gregg Poppovich, Larry Brown (on his best days). And after last spring, Doc Rivers has joined their company. Ask yourself this question: How many coaches could have shepherded a team like the Celtics through the season they had, and then get them to play at such a high level in the playoffs? … There are a lot of people in the NBA that would like the opportunity to coach this team, but there are few, if any, who can do it as well as Rivers.”
4. Shaq “strongly considered doing his swan song on Broadway before signing with Boston,” according to the New York Daily news. He reportedly wanted another chance to play with Amare Stoudemire. I’m sure Shaq will be okay playing alongside Garnett, Pierce, Allen and Rondo instead.
5. Chinese people love the Celtics more than they love Yao.
6. Nate Robinson needs to work on his putting stroke… and his golf wardrobe.
7. Kelly Dwyer calls the Lakers “basketball at its best.” Hold on, do you hear that? Yup, that’s the sound of me puking.
8. Dwight Howard says Kevin Durant is better than Lebron James. Slow down, Dwight. Relax. Take a few deep breaths.

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

(Gotta love the foreign commentary.)

Dwight Howard points to the Boston Celtics series as the moment when he stopped being Mr. Nice Guy. (CBS Sports)

“Losing the way we did to Boston, I think it kind of pissed me off to the point that I didn’t want our team to be looked at as the team that lost to Boston the way we did,” Howard said. “[It was] the way we were viewed by the media, the way I was viewed.

“I went from this nice guy to this goon or something like that. And I’m like, ‘Hey, I’m playing basketball. If they’re going to be physical, we’re going to be physical.’ People were saying our team wasn’t physical and I didn’t like that. I’m a physical player and I want my teammates to be the same way. If people are calling us a team that doesn’t like to be physical, I don’t like that.”

Howard said the turning point was after Orlando fell behind 3-0 to Boston in the conference finals, having been eviscerated at every turn by the Celtics’ smothering defense and the dominant play of Rajon Rondo. It took that kind of embarrassment, that kind of wakeup call for something to click.

“I wasn’t about to lie down in front of my teammates,” Howard said. “I just had to figure out a way to do whatever I can to try to get our team back in the series.”

It was too late to come back and win the series, but Howard believes he planted the seeds for the season that is upon him now. In the consecutive games Orlando won when facing elimination, Howard was unstoppable with 53 points, 26 rebounds and nine blocks. (“I found out I had another gear in me,” he said.)

“I really learned how to talk to my teammates, be a better leader, be more vocal,” Howard said. “But also in the locker room, show my teammates a different side of me. The side that most people always see is me smiling and having fun, which is great. But I showed my teammates that when it’s time to get serious, then it’s time to get serious. And I’m going to expect them to do the same.”

My question is this: why’d it take being down 3-0 to trigger something in Howard? Why wasn’t it “time to get serious” after losing two straight at home to fall into a 2-0 deficit? Here’s what ”Superman” did in Game 3, which (oh by the way) happened to be a must-win game — seven points, seven rebounds, one 94-71 loss. Nicely done, Dwight! You really showed your teammates that when it’s time to get serious, then it’s time to get serious!

Sure, Dwight played well the final three games of that series. You could even call his play in those games dominant. But next year, he should probably understand that “it’s time to get serious” as soon as the playoffs start. Getting serious when you’re down 3-0 never seems to work out.