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.

Ladies and gentlemen, your new defensive coordinator.

My cousins and I are a bunch of odd ducks. We watch poker on ESPN and implement some of the sayings into our own vocabulary. For example, we were watching a special on the late, great (and also cracked out) Stu Ungar, and he was quoted as saying something like this: “As soon as the antes come out, I become a pitbull. And once I do, everyone should be afraid.” We started saying that phrase all the time. Any time somebody gets aggressive, whether it be in our own poker game, during a night of drinking, or hitting on a girl, we say “Well, I guess the antes are out.”

Almost every time the Celtics play defense, the antes are out. They kill themselves to rotate, sprint halfway across the court to contest shooters, and bust their asses to keep the opposing team from getting any type of easy look. It helped that Tom Thibodeau was a defensive Will Hunting, of course, but the Celtics stop their opponents because they are willing to execute the schemes, because they have the right mentality. Because, like Rocky against Ivan Drago, to beat the Celtics you are going to have to kill them. And to kill them, you must be willing to die yourself.

That’s why I love the changes Larry Drew is making in Atlanta. Last season, the Hawks took advantage of their athleticism and versatility by switching a lot of screens. This year, the Hawks will take advantage of their athleticism by fighting through those same screens. A small switch, to most observers, but one that will should change Atlanta’s entire defensive mentality.

On the surface, switching screens made sense for Atlanta. A lot of Hawks have similar body types and athleticism. Even their two big men, Josh Smith and Al Horford, possess the agility to defend guards on the perimeter. Switching screens, in the eyes of the immaculately facil hair’ed  Mike Woodson, was the right move. His team’s versatility guaranteed that mismatches would be few and far between, even with the switching. But Woodson overlooked one aspect of switching almost every screen; it’s taking the easy way out, and it sets a lackadaisical tone.

Instead of using the switched screens as an advantage, the Hawks used them as a way to catch some rest. As the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Michael Cunningham remarks, “You could see that happen with the Hawks last season. Players became so reliant on the switches that they tended to relax in anticipation of screens. Why fight through picks to stay with your man when he can be always be passed off to a teammate?” And that mentality doesn’t just stop at screens. When players relax on one aspect of defense, they stop being on their toes. They stop working their hardest. They lose their edge. It’s that edge that Drew is looking to re-instill when he forces his players to become accountable, to fight through the damn screen themselves.

What Drew is attempting to accomplish in Atlanta, Lawrence Frank is charged with maintaining in Boston. Filling Tom Thibodeau’s shoes is not what one would call “easy.” We all realize that. But as long as Frank devises a defense that will keep the Celtics’ intensity through the roof, as long as he puts the Celtics in positions where their own extra effort will allow them to force difficult shots, he will have done his job.

The antes will be out.

Lawrence Frank, the pasty-skinned former Indiana University team manager (and, later, the Nets head coach), has been hired to fill Tom Thibodeau’s spot on Doc Rivers’ staff.

Frank was fired after his Nets opened this past season 0-16, but is still a good hire – not even Jesus Christ himself could have coached that bunch of underacheiving misfits. He (Frank, not Jesus) is a no-nonsense, defensive-minded coach who should be able to step right in where Thibodeau left off. He’s got some big shoes to fill, though.

Yesterday, Lawrence Frank made the trip to Orlando to meet with Doc Rivers. But don’t think the C’s assistant coaching position is his… yet, at least. (Boston Herald)

“I’m just talking to guys, Lawrence and about three or four other guys,” Rivers said. “I’m in no rush.”

Frank had a 225-241 record in five full and two partial seasons with New Jersey. He was let go after the Nets began last season with 16 straight losses.

“He’s just a solid coach,” Rivers said. “He’s been a solid coach. He’s good with offense, good with defense. He has good knowledge. He’s somebody we’re definitely looking at.”

I don’t want to overhype this assistant coach race, but it’s possible that whoever becomes the lead assistant this season takes over for Doc next year. Doc’s probably only got one more year left, and it would only make sense to hire his successor now and groom him for a year.

Speaking of assistant coaches, Thibs is likely going to miss out on all the superstars. A week ago, it looked like he might be coaching Lebron, Bosh, D-Rose and Noah next season. Now he’ll be lucky if he gets to coach Carlos Boozer. Sorry, Thibs.

Could Lawrence Frank be the answer to Tom Thibodeau's departure?

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers and GM Danny Ainge met with former New Jersey Nets coach Lawrence Frank today at the Orlando summer league. Frank is a possible replacement of Tom Thibodeaux as the Celtics top assistant coach, according to Dave D’Allessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger.

There were some rumbles down in Orlando the last few days that Lawrence Frank was on his way down to speak with Doc Rivers, who is looking for a No. 1 guy.

Broken record alert: There’s no better choice.

D’Allessandro’s sources were spot-on because as I type this post, Lawrence Frank is sitting with both Rivers and Ainge at the Celtics summer league game in Orlando.

Frank would be a very suitable replacement of Thibodeau. He took the Nets to the playoffs four times in his six seasons with the Nets and has a respectable 225-241 record as a head coach.

After Nets coach Byron Scott was fired because of his deteriorating relationship with star guard Jason Kidd, Frank took over as head coach on January 27, 2004 and immediately reeled off 13 straight victories, the most consecutive wins by an NBA head coach to start his career. Frank has a reputation–like Thibodeau–as a defensive-minded coach. Thibodeau left the Celtics this summer to become the head coach of the Chicago Bulls.

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.

So many uncertain futures.

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “But as the disappointment settled in from Thursday night’s Game 7 loss to the Lakers, most of these players weren’t thinking about themselves. Almost to a man, they have quaffed Doc Rivers’ Ubuntu Kool-Aid for the last three years, and the possibility that their great motivator may now be stepping down with a year left on his contract is a painful thought. Though Rivers said he wasn’t ready to deal with the issue following the game – the loss to the Lakers was still far too fresh and numbing – he can count on a lot of calls over the next month while he retreats to Orlando. ‘Doc’s everything – everything,’ Kevin Garnett said. ‘It’s going to be a rough one.’ ‘I think everyone wants him back – that’s not even an issue,” said Garnett. “It’s just a matter of whether Doc wants to come back and whatever decision he sees fit to make for him and his family.’ ‘It’s tough. I can’t reflect on it right now,” said Rivers. “Probably in a week or so I’ll go hide somewhere for a while. But it was the craziest, most emotional group I’ve ever coached in my life. I told them that they made me reach places I never thought I needed to go – had to go. But through it all, we were the tightest, most emotional, crazy group that I’ve ever been with in my life. So that’s what makes it tough. I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I’m going to wait. I’m going to go and watch my kids play AAU basketball. Just wait a little bit.’”

Chris Mannix, SI – “Things don’t have to change. Rivers could be back. Top assistant Tom Thibodeau, who will be on the Bulls’ sideline next season, will need to be replaced, but there is growing support within the organization for the candidacy of ex-Nets coach Lawrence Frank, a Thibodeau-like workaholic who is respected by both Rivers and Celtics general manager Danny Ainge, to fill his seat on the bench. After the game, Rivers made his opening pitch for the players to return, reminding them that the ’08 championship team — the one with a healthy Perkins — had still yet to have a true chance to defend its title.”

Ian Thomsen, SI – “They’ve known all season that coach Doc Rivers may not return — my hunch is he won’t be back — but now comes a potential curveball from Phoenix. Doesn’t it make sense for the Suns to make a run at Celtics general manager Danny Ainge? His family was living happily in Phoenix before his 2003 move to Boston, and Ainge has done everything the Celtics could ask while winning a 17th championship and reaching the Finals twice in three years. With GM Steve Kerr and his lead assistant, David Griffin, announcing this week their decision to leave Phoenix, owner Robert Sarver will be looking for a new administration. People in the league expect Ainge to be at the top of his list now that the Celtics’ season is done. Ainge played for the Suns and then coached them for three seasons through 1999, and he would provide the franchise with a successful link to its traditions of winning with up-tempo play. Ainge is one of the top GMs in the league, with a longstanding record of finding talent in the draft, as well as showing no fear in making big trades. He remains under contract with Boston, so if Sarver is interested, he will have to go through the Celtics’ ownership group led by Wyc Grousbeck.”

Bob Ryan, Boston Globe – “Now let it be said that some among us — OK, me — were less enthusiastic about instant championship possibilities than others. I looked at the remainder of the roster and declared it to be the worst 4-12 in the league, a judgment that proved to be about as prescient as Dan Duquette’s proclamation that the 1996 Roger Clemens was in the twilight of his career. Please. At times you’ve got to man up and admit you’re wrong. I did like Rajon Rondo, but could never have projected his quick ascent to stardom in his second year in the league. I was totally wrong about Perkins, who looked like a career backup to me. But I will say I made that judgment before Danny Ainge signed Eddie House, James Posey, or, for the stretch drive, P.J. Brown. Absent any of them, the team would not have won. But the Celtics did win. They provided fans with one of the great start-to-finish experiences of their lives, going 66-16 in the regular season and then concluding the season with a 131-92 conquest of the hated Lakers. I can tell you for sure that no other Celtics team in my experience ever put the pedal to the metal on Day 1 without ever taking it off until the final buzzer of the final game. In that regard, the 2007-08 Celtics stand apart. Really. Need we say any more? They delivered. They ended a 22-year championship drought, and they did so by giving their fans the closest thing to a perfect season imaginable. A fandom cannot ask more than to see a team give them a nightly home show in the regular season before doing whatever it takes to get through the two-month grind of the playoffs. That’s the complete package.”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “‘I’ll deal with that when the time comes,’ Allen said when asked about his pending free agency. ‘But it’s obvious I don’t want to be nowhere else.’ Asked whether the Celtics could push for another title, he said, “I believe Kevin [Garnett] will be healthier next year. We go a lot around what he does and Paul [Pierce] is going to be better and just more experienced. As guys get older the efficiency goes up. I don’t see why [we can’t be back].’ ‘If Pierce does not exercise his early termination option and returns at $21 million next season, the Celtics will remain over the salary cap, meaning Ainge will have to use creative financing to replenish the roster. He still has a mid-level exception and both Allens’ Bird Rights. The free agency pool will be full of capable players. There was a reason Ainge had a wry smile on his face Thursday night, because he realizes the run is not over.”

Chad Finn, Boston Globe – “Trades or no trades, it’s going to be different around here next year. Ray Allen may not be back, and maybe that’s just as well. His defensive effort on Kobe was noble. But his beautiful, deadly jump shot, the main reason he will be feted in Springfield someday, suddenly had the look and effect of Tony Allen’s last night. If just two more had dropped . . . Paul Pierce can opt out of his deal, and with the uncertain labor situation, it might be the prudent thing to do, at least in his agent’s mind. Rasheed Wallace, who played his best when it mattered the most, just as he told his would in the midst of his 82-game paid holiday, might retire, and I sincerely hope he does not, something I could not have imagined writing six weeks ago. The man knows how to play intelligent, efficient basketball. And when he chooses to, he is a marvel to watch, with his high-arcing bank shots and sack of sneaky defensive tricks, including the old Rick Mahorn deception of pulling away when an offensive player tries to lean on him, sometimes leading to an embarrassing fall to the floor, a turnover, and a good laugh. And there’s the coach, Doc Rivers. I’ve written this before, but it bears repeating given that last night’s postgame press conference, during which he spoke of his team emotionally and in the past tense, certainly felt like an exit interview. He is the perfect coach for this proud bunch, shrewd enough with the Xs and Os, always on point when delivering a message (‘keep being aggressive’ and ‘trust each other, don’t be a hero’ were two of his spot-on go-to pleas last night), and an absolutely gifted and genuine people person.”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN – “Pierce clearly didn’t want any reminders of what had just occurred. But he wasn’t particularly keen on looking toward the future quite yet, either. Asked about next season and the early contract termination option he holds, Pierce remained noncommittal about whether he’d definitely be back. ‘Man, stuff’s going so fast, truthfully, I don’t really know what to think right now,’ said Pierce. ‘I’m just reeling from this loss. I’m going to sit down with my family, wind down a little bit, then figure it out.’ It’s hard to imagine Pierce not finishing his career in a Celtics uniform, but it’s clear that he’s going to take a wait-and-see approach to the process, watching how the first dominos fall before making a decision. Pierce’s uncertainty highlights an offseason of questions for the entire Celtics organization. At the onset, it appears that everyone is waiting for the first shoe to drop, then things will trickle down from there.”

Ron Borges, Boston Herald – “A lot of people who don’t know as much as they profess to know about basketball owe Doc Rivers an apology. There have been few better coaching jobs than the one Rivers did this season with his too old, too young, too often injured Celtics [team stats], marshaling their energy through a 27-27 finish so as to pose them for a remarkable run through the playoffs. While they came up short of a second NBA title in three years, he showed an acute understanding of his team and how to match it up against four of the best players and three of the best teams in the NBA. Rivers did much the same the previous two years when he led the Celtics to an NBA title and Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, respectively. To put it simplest, when Rivers had enough players to be competitive, he made his team the most competitive one in basketball. Thursday night, with his center in street clothes because of a knee injury, Rivers mixed and matched what he had left brilliantly and, along with “defensive coordinator” Tom Thibodeau, put together an inspired effort that left the Lakers shooting 32.5 percent from the field and 20 percent from beyond the arc.”

K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune – “Eighteen days after accepting the Bulls’ three-year, $6.5 million offer to become the 18th coach in franchise history, Tom Thibodeau will be introduced to the media Wednesday morning at the Berto Center. Roughly 33 hours later, the Bulls could be announcing the 17th pick in Thursday’s NBA draft. And in less than two weeks, LeBron James headlines the greatest free-agent class in league history on July 1. Ready for a busy Bulls summer?”

Steve Buckley, Boston Herald – “Don’t take the bait, Boston sports fans. Don’t look for silver linings because silver linings are for suckers. And do not, under any circumstance, rationalize the Celtics’ loss to the Lakers by accepting the lovely consolation prize of how these have been grand times for a sports fan here. Once you accept yesterday’s success as a cure-all for today’s failure, that’s when complacency sets in. If the Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics decide to go the Bruin Way – not knowing or not caring about how to win a championship – that’s when the Duck Boats never again will be used for anything other than to haul tourists from the Back Bay to the Old North Church. A little more than two years ago, when the Patriots’ bid for an undefeated season crash-landed against the Giants in Super Bowl XLII, it mattered not one bit that three Super Bowl banners already were on display at Gillette Stadium. See, in a big league sports city that’s the way it’s supposed to be. It explains why Yankees fans were boiling over from 2001-08, and why Steelers fans don’t fluff off a postseason defeat by telling stories about the Terry Bradshaw years. In a true big league sports city, there is, or should be, an annual mandate to win. It was a good sign, then, when Celtics general manager Danny Ainge made it known minutes after the Game 7 loss that he was livid about what he had just seen.”

Dan Duggan, Boston Herald – “But the fact is the Celtics and Lakers were tied at 64 with 6:13 remaining in Game 7. If the C’s were a little better in those final six minutes, they’d be raising Banner 18 to the Garden rafters next opening night. Of course, the Lakers managed to make the necessary plays down the stretch in Game 7 to claim the title and revenge for their loss in the 2008 Finals. In a series decided by such a slim margin there were a lot of little reasons the Celtics weren’t able to prevail. Here is a look at five main reasons the Celtics came up short:”

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