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.

John Wall is unlikely to play in tonight’s game. That means one thing:

I’M NOT WATCHING!!!

I kid. While it would have been heavenly to see the Wall-Rondo matchup, I was one who stuck it out during the Marty Conlon days. I don’t care if the Celtics are playing St. Anne’s School for the Deaf and Blind, I’m going to watch.

But they aren’t playing St. Anne’s, they’re playing the Washington Wizards – who happen to have an exciting (if painfully inefficient and poorly put together) team. Even if Wall doesn’t play, this should be fun.

Three things to look for (besides whether Wall suits up):

1. Delonte West’s return – Mr. West is in the building, swagger on a hundred thousand trillion. Or something like that. I don’t know what to expect from West tonight. He has kept in shape, but game shape is a different animal. Once West works himself into top gear, though, the Celtics have themselves a new weapon. No pun intended. But speaking of weapons:

2. Gilbert Arenas – Say what you want about Arenas’s odd-duck behavior, or his complete (and initial) lack of remorse for the whole gun incident, or his shot-happy (basketball-wise) tendencies. Gilbert, on the court, has always been fun to watch. He’s an ultimate showman, whether he’s screaming out “Hibatchi” before shots or simply lighting up the scoreboard at a phenomenal rate.

I’m not even an Arenas fan, but the NBA has been a different place since Gilbert stopped being so quirky. There was something enjoyable about Gilbert’s tell-all blog on NBA.com, something about his personality that just seemed genuine. He was always odd, that’s for damn sure, but he was real. There are a lot of NBA stars that aren’t.

I’m not the only one who misses the old Gilbert, am I?

3. Kevin Garnett vs. Andray Blatche – First Garnett made Blatche cry. Then Blatche just about made Garnett cry, scoring 31 points and 11 rebounds against the Celtics and causing everyone to stand and shout, “The demise of Kevin Garnett!!!!!!!” The only reason Garnett didn’t cry was that he only cries to John Thompson.

Now Blatche won’t let the feud die. When asked what he would do if Garnett talked more trash tonight, Blatche replied:

“Who? I don’t think I know nobody I’m going to talk back to. I ain’t got nothing to say. I’m going to play my game and help my team win.”

… “and help my team win.” Umm, we’ll see about that, Andray.

Nice to see former Celtic Lester Hudson making the best out of his opportunity in Washington. Even though Hudson had two turnovers in the game (to go along with 5 points and 1 rebound, in 8 minutes), a game-winning three-pointer’s not a bad way to start the season. Hudson was one of 11 Wizards to see action in the game, which could mean he has an inside track at making the regular season roster. One player who didn’t see action? Adam Morrison. As a wise man once said, some things don’t never change.

In other news out of Wizards camp, Gilbert Arenas wants out of Washington and seems kind of depressed by John Wall’s arrival in town. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, Arenas said he had no emotions because “”I lost all feeling a long time ago.” Arenas also “spoke of a new role that, in his view, demands him to ‘hit open shots, teach John [Wall] the ins and outs of the game and then eventually go on and move on and I’m on my way.”

“Right now the city is John’s,” Arenas said. “I’m not here to fight anybody. I’m here to just play alongside him. He’s Batman and I’m Robin. When I came in, Larry [Hughes] moved aside for me to become a star and I’m moving aside so [Wall] can become a star. Let him fly and I’ll just fill in the gaps. When I came to Washington, that’s what Larry did for me and that’s what I’m doing for him.”

Sorry, I’d finish the rest of this story but I can’t stop laughing. Larry Hughes moving aside so somebody can become a star. Ha!

Dimemag.com listed the NBA’s 63 richest players in the league, and it got me thinking, Who are the most overpaid players at each position?

PG: Gilbert Arenas- Maybe not a point guard, but I’m putting him in this spot because he has played some PG, and there are no more overpaid guards than Arenas. Arenas has played just 42 games in the past three seasons due to injuries and last season’s suspension for bringing guns into the lockerroom. That’s a measly 14 games a season, meaning Arenas made more than $1 million per game played over the past three season. Arenas will be paid $18.3 million this season. Now that’s a cushy job.

SG: Michael Redd- Another player who is overpaid because of the amount of games he has missed. At least all the games Redd missed were because of injury. But when you’re paid $18.3 million this season, and you’ve played just 44 games in the past two seasons, I have no choice but to list you as the league’s most overpaid shooting guard. Sorry, Mr. Redd.

SF: Andrei Kirilenko- At $17.8 million, Kirilenko is the HIGHEST paid small forward in the NBA. Yes, you read that correctly. With career averages of 12. 4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.1 blocks, that’s an absurd contract.

PF: Rashard Lewis- Behind Kobe Bryant, the highest paid player in the league at $19.5 million. In the Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, he shot 17% from three’s and averaged just 8.2 points. ‘Nuff said.

C: Eddy Curry- No list of overpaid players would be complete without Curry. Curry will make $11.3 million next season, yet he has played only 10 games over the past two seasons. In those 10 games, Curry has played less than 75 total minutes. Basically, Curry has played a game and a half over the past two seasons, making more that $20 million. I want to work for James Dolan. Maybe he’ll pay me and my brother $10 million per post.

Once in a while, someone else’s article catches my eye. Sometimes, it’s because the article is so spot-on I wish I’d written it myself. Other times, it’s because the article enlightens me with something I never knew. Still other times, it’s because I disagree with whatever’s written. No matter what the reason, I dish it off to another writer to make his/her point. You know, throwing some dimes.

1. CelticsBlog’s Greg Payne discusses what will happen to Tony Allen with the return of Marquis Daniels.

But now, with Daniels set to return at some point within the next month, Allen’s value to this team once again comes into question. Ironically though, he’s played so well throughout Daniels’ absence, that even though the Celtics might not absolutely need Allen, they might not be able to justifiably deny him. His overall game has been consistent enough, he’s performed to his expected level on defense and he’s kept his “boneheaded” plays to a minimum. You know, those plays where you might ask yourself what’s going through that head of his. Now that the Celtics don’t necessarily need him to perform, he’s having arguably his most consistent and productive season to date. His contributions have been valued and because of that consistency this season, there is next to no reason for the Celtics to think they cannot rely on him.

…except his entire career until this season. Allen has been great, but no matter how long this stretch of solid play continues, I will always fear the wheels will fall off at the exact wrong time.

2. In his mailbag, Chris Forsberg’s takes a look at whether Paul Pierce and Eddie House will earn a spot in the three-point contest.

The guess here is that Pierce will get the nod, particularly if he’s already in Dallas as an All-Star reserve. But it’s not like he hasn’t earned the chance regardless of if he plays in Sunday’s game. Pierce is now second in the NBA in 3-point percentage at 47 percent (he’s 20th overall in 3-pointers made with 71). Pierce has stressed numerous times this season how much work he’s put into developing that 3-point shot and he’s been by far the most consistent threat on the Celtics from beyond the arc.

As for House, he’d earn a spot based on reputation alone because his 3-point shooting has been rather abysmal this season (51-of-139, 36.7 percent). One year after shattering Danny Ainge’s franchise record for 3-point percentage (House shot 44.5 percent last season), House should probably take the extended break to revisit the basics rather than worry about an All-Star competition.

3. Paul Pierce and Rasheed Wallace sometimes look a lot worse than they do in basketball uniforms.

4. Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton have been suspended for the rest of the season. If you don’t know why, I suggest you snap out of your coma.

5. Brian Robb from CelticsHub caught up with Doc Rivers and asked him about the team’s defensive rebounding.

Wanna throw your own dime, and get someone’s article recognized? Email me at jayking@celticstown.com or follow me on Twitter.