Delonte West, one of my favorite Boston Celtics ever despite his one major bout with legality, is being targeted by the Los Angeles Lakers. (ESPN)

The Lakers have interest in Delonte West, who played for coach Mike Brown in Cleveland and last played for Boston, as a potential fill-in at guard and also are keen on Indiana free agent Josh McRoberts, according to a source with knowledge of their thinking. ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reported that Denver free-agent guard Arron Afflalo is also on the Lakers’ radar.

The elephant in the room, of course, was Orlando’s 6-foot-11, 265-pound center Dwight Howard, whose contract with the Magic expires at the end of the season. Unless Howard signs an extension with the Magic, the expectation is Orlando will trade him and Los Angeles is a possible destination. Stein and ESPN Insider Chad Ford reported this week that L.A. is expected to offer “some combination” of Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom for Howard.

Kupchak side-stepped a direction question about L.A.’s interest in Howard.

“Obviously talking about other team’s players would be considered tampering, so I wouldn’t answer that question,” Kupchak said.

Last offseason, if you can recall, the free agent market for West was very limited because of behavioral issues. Definitely not a veteran’s minimum player, West signed a minimum deal with the Celtics, who were one of few suitors willing to overlook his troublesome recent past.

This offseason, things are probably going to be different. NBA teams know West can play. They know he’s a gamer unafraid of the moment. They know he’s a smart player who can create offense on one end and frustrate offense on the other. And now, after a (mostly) incident-free year in Boston, West’s personal problems are less of an issue.

There’s going to be a market for Delonte West. It already includes the Lakers. The question now becomes whether the Celtics can afford to keep him. Losing West would be a major blow to Boston’s bench, especially if the injury issues that plagued him last season become shelved in the past.

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.

Kevin Garnett was married in 2004, but I know nothing else about his relationship. You won’t see him pretending to be a statue in Boston anytime soon and he likewise would never conduct the Boston Pops or sing at the bar Cheers. You see, Garnett is an intensely private individual. But when he gives interviews, we are sometimes allowed to peer through brief windows into his character.

Garnett appeared on the Dan Patrick Show this morning. While he didn’t quite bear his soul like the time he cried in front of John Thompson, Garnett nonetheless revealed himself, this time more subtly. Maybe I’m being overly psychoanalytic. It probably wouldn’t be the first time, nor would it be the last. But Garnett’s interview seemed telling (read the transcript on Green Street).

At one point, Patrick poked fun of Brian Scalabrine.

“You got room for me on a one-year deal on the bench?” Patrick asked. “I could be sort of a Scalabrine type.”

But Garnett is fiercely loyal to those who deserve it.

“You willing to give up that body of yours, man?” KG said. “Scal gave up a lot. He was big for us. I know people like to crack little jokes about Scal. Scal’s in the league for a reason.”

Garnett went on to discuss a host of different topics. He does not trust the owners in the labor battle because they are the opponent and he does not know their entire agenda. He loved playing with Shaq and called this season “probably the most fun I’ve had in a long time in the NBA.” He believes the lockout will not continue throughout the entire season — “this game is too beautiful,” he explained, “with everything that’s going on and all the story lines that surround our game, I can’t see just blowing away the season.” He still wishes he left Minnesota earlier because management did not share his vision for the future, which presumably featured winning rather than rebuilding. And he has not yet discussed a contract extension with the Celtics (his contract ends after the 2011-’12 season), nor does he know how long he wants to continue playing.

The conversation turned to the Lakers’ suiting of Garnett when he was available on the trade market. As Zach Lowe recalls, the Lakers reportedly offered Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum for Garnett. And the deal was close. If Garnett had said yes, he would have been a Laker.

“What’s disturbing about the whole Lakers situation was just Kobe [Bryant] and Phil [Jackson] at the time,” said Garnett. “They were at each other pretty bad, and a new situation full of uncertainty wasn’t something that I wanted to get into.”

Garnett loves to win. Hell, he once famously broke down in tears because his Minnesota Timberwolves were mired in struggles. But he could have played alongside Kobe Bryant, then the game’s best player, and played for Phil Jackson, the game’s most accomplished coach, yet Garnett said no.

Maybe he feared that the duo’s squabbles would keep the team from winning. Or maybe there are some things more important than winning, even to Kevin Garnett, who might run his grandmother over with a tractor if it meant he could win an NBA championship. Garnett paired with Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Doc Rivers instead, two stars and one then-unheralded coach. They had not won any championships alone or together, but hey, they weren’t mired in a public argument either. They were in the right stages of their career to embrace Garnett and everything he stands for.

I have to admit, I’m fascinated by Kevin Garnett. The way he plays with a volcano of emotions. The way he walks into Boston’s locker room before a game and does not say a single word. The way he altogether stops talking to young teammates who won’t listen to his advice. The way he looks down most of the time he talks, but when he looks up it’s as if his eyes could stare a hole into your soul.

Garnett almost always shields his private life from the media. He’s a complex individual, one of the most unique characters in the NBA, and I would never claim to understand everything he is. But sometimes he opens his mouth and a few telling words come out, and I feel just a little bit closer.

As the playoffs come closer, scoreboard watching now makes sense. At the current time, the Boston Celtics (50-19) are in second place in the Eastern Conference, 1/2 game behind the Chicago Bulls (51-19). The Celtics are also third in the NBA, behind only the Bulls and the NBA-leading San Antonio Spurs (57-13), mere percentage points ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers (51-20).

A win over the Bulls in the teams’ final meeting (Thursday, April 7) would give the Celtics a 3-1 series advantage and clinch the tiebreaker should the two teams meet in the playoffs. But the Celtics have already lost the tiebreaker against the Lakers. (OC Register)

Because the Lakers split the regular-season series with both Chicago and Boston, the next tiebreaker for NBA Finals home-court advantage is each team’s record against the opposing conference.

The Lakers are done facing Eastern Conference teams and are 21-9 against them. The Celtics are 17-10 so far against the West, which means they can’t catch the Lakers. But the Bulls are 20-7 with three likely victories still left against West teams: vs. Memphis on Friday, at Minnesota on March 30 and vs. Phoenix on April 5.

If the Lakers and Bulls both finish with 21-9 records against the opposing conference, the next tiebreaker would be … a random drawing! Crazy.

If the Lakers tie with Miami, which is 2 1/2 games behind the Lakers, the Heat would have home-court advantage in that NBA Finals matchup as a result of winning both head-to-head games with the Lakers.

For the East-West tiebreaker to be relevant (and for the Lakers really to lament that three-game pre-All-Star skid in Orlando, Charlotte and Cleveland), the Lakers would obviously have to finish the regular season tied with Chicago or Boston. Both the Bulls and Celtics have relatively balanced remaining schedules with regard to home-road and winning-losing teams. The Lakers have a home-heavy schedule (seven of 11 remaining games) but face mostly winning teams (eight of 11 remaining games).

To earn home-court advantage against the Lakers in a possible Finals rematch, the Celtics will need to beat them by at least one game. How important is that one game? Well, you remember last year, don’t you? And you see the Lakers resembling a bulldozer while surging through the Western Conference, right? And you saw the news of Tim Duncan’s injury, no? The Lakers are the clear-cut favorites to win the Western Conference, at least in “the NBA world according to me.” Which means home-court advantage against them could mean the difference between life and death–err, winning and losing an NBA championship.

Earning home-court advantage against the Bulls is obviously crucial. But let’s not forget, doing the same against the Lakers could prove just as important.

The new, NBA career three-point record holder, Mr. Ray Allen.

Jay is covering a scintillating Springfield Armor game tonight, so I have the honor of writing a quick game recap while at work. Surely, Jay will have much more analysis to come Friday morning

It was too good to be true. Rajon Rondo passed to a trailing Ray Allen on the fast break, and Allen sunk the 2,561st of his NBA career, breaking the record long held by Reggie Miller and putting the Celtics ahead by eight with 1:47 to go in the first quarter.

The fans at the TD Garden gave Allen two standing ovations–one when he made the three, and another at the end of the quarter. Allen shared a hug with Reggie Miller, his mother, and his wife during a prolonged celebration.

Boston rode the emotion of the moment to a 15-point lead with 3:31 left in the first half. Los Angeles closed the gap to eight points by halftime, but the Celtics played a good first half and Kobe Bryant had scored just three points.

Naturally, the Celtics came out flat to start the second half, Bryant busted out for  12 third-quarter points, and the Lakers outscored the Celtics 27-15 in the third quarter.

The Lakers sagged off Rondo like they always do, and the Celtics struggled to find offense once again. The game was eerily similar to Game 7: Boston jumped out to an early lead before stagnant offense, poor rebounding, and fatigue caught up with them.

Los Angeles exposed Boston’s thin frontcourt, outrebounding the Celtics 47-36. Lamar Odom was especially annoying on the offensive boards, pulling down 6 by himself. Pao Gasol played well also, scoring 20 points and snagging 10 rebounds. Andrew Bynum enjoyed the absence of Shaquille O’Neal and Semih Erden as well, posting 16 points and nine rebounds.

All five Celtics startes scored in double-figures, but Kendrick Perkins (4-6) was the only one to shoot above 50%.  Allen led the team with 20 points, while Rondo netted another double-double (12 points, 10 assists). 

Nate Robinson injured his knee in the second quarter and did not return to the game. With Robinson out, along with all the other injuries,  Boston relied on a seven-man rotation in the second half and the Celtics wore down late in the game.

Much more to come tomorrow, so be sure to check back!

The Morning Walkthrough is a set of links to Boston Celtics articles throughout the internet, designed to get your day started the right way.

Brotherly love. The Celtics watch as Marquis Daniels lays motionless on the floor.

Paul Flannery, WEEI – “He was released from New England Baptist Hospital on Monday and has full use of his motor skills. ‘He’s in good spirits, all things considered,’ Daniels’ agent Mark Bartelstein said. ‘He’s frustrated because he wants to play, but he’s a lot better off than he was on Sunday.’ There are so many variables when it comes to Daniels, who suffered a bruised spinal cord on a play that featured limited contact with Orlando’s Gilbert Arenas. After the game, the Celtics revealed that Daniels has had spine issues in the past and it was those issues that caused him to leave Game 5 of last year’s conference finals. There’s no current timetable for Daniels’ return — he could be out a month or two, or he could be out longer. As team doctor Brian McKeon noted Sunday, the treatment for spinal issues primarily involves, ‘observation and time.’ ‘It’s going to be a process,’ Bartelstein said. ‘We’re going to gather as much medical information as we can.’ While Daniels recuperates, the Celtics are in a bit of a bind. Their depth at the wing was already thin, and now it’s basically down to Von Wafer.”

Kirk Minihane, WEEI – “Last summer, I asked an NBA coach who — among other coaches and players– was the most disliked player in the NBA. ‘Kevin Garnett,’ he said without blinking. Who, I wondered, was second on the list? ‘Everyone else is tied,’ he deadpanned before walking away. … Here’s the thing, though: Garnett — to his eternal credit — has no interest trying to rehabilitate his public image. None. … You know why? Because he doesn’t care what you think, what I think, what players and coaches from other teams think and he sure doesn’t care what Spike Lee — who has directed exactly one passable movie since Garnett entered the NBA in 1996 — thinks. … Is Kevin Garnett a punk? No. He doesn’t try to seriously injure anyone, he doesn’t bitch if the Celtics win but he scored six points, he plays hurt, he cares only about winning, all that stuff. Is Kevin Garnett a dirty player? I think that’s getting closer to the truth. One thing is for sure: He doesn’t care either way. And neither should you.”

Mike Bresnahan, LA Times – “Before the Lakers even think about their rematch with Boston, they have a two-hour surprise awaiting them. They’ll watch edited video of their fruitless loss to the Celtics just a handful of days ago, a painful, yet, they hope, productive investment toward their game Thursday in Boston. There wasn’t much to like about Jan. 30 from their perspective. Kobe Bryant gave them an ‘F’ for team defense. Ron Artest got kneed in the thigh and then was run ragged by Paul Pierce (32 points). The Celtics shot 60.3 percent, their third-best accuracy ever against the Lakers.”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “In his attempt to become an NBA point guard, Bradley is starting from scratch. He played only one year at Texas, not exactly a stretch of time that prepares a point guard for NBA conditions. In that respect, the D-League is slightly better for Bradley’s education. ‘I’m definitely, definitely starting from scratch, but the D-League for me is a step above college, and then going to the NBA is the next step,’ he said. ‘That’s how they have it set up and you can see why. In the D-League, I felt like I was in college again, and now the players are better up here (in the NBA). But when my name is called I’m going to come in with that swagger to my game.’ … ‘A lot of (the D-League) was getting playing time, getting the rust off my game, and being put into situations that I can be fit in,’ he said. ‘This point guard situation is important — bringing the ball up the court, being pressured. I have to take chances and try different things out. I could do that, and work on my game. It makes me feel more comfortable now being up here, because I’ve been working on those things.’”

Greg Payne, ESPN Boston – “Kendrick Perkins played a season-high 35 minutes, 25 seconds in the Celtics’ 94-89 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday night — little more than 24 hours after logging nearly 33 minutes in an ultra-physical victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday afternoon. Don’t expect to hear any complaints out of Perkins though, who’s publicly lobbied for more minutes ever since he made his season debut two weeks ago after rehabbing the torn ACL he suffered in his right knee in Game 6 of last year’s NBA Finals. After playing a then season-high 28 minutes in the Celtics’ 109-96 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers last Sunday, Perkins said in a postgame sideline interview: ‘I wanted to go 30 [minutes].’ … The Celtics’ continuous struggles on the second half of back-to-backs will be well chronicled after Monday’s loss, particularly after so many of Boston’s players put forth such sluggish play. Perkins, though — with such little support behind him — played above all of that chatter. On a night when possible fatigue and a lack of focus served as obvious culprits in Boston’s loss, it was Perkins who played as if neither should ever serve as a passable excuse for an uninspiring defeat.”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “‘Everybody’s dealing with injuries on this team and we’re no different from it,’ said Kevin Garnett after the Celtics went with just 10 healthy players in a loss to Charlotte Monday night. ‘Quis is probably a lot more hard on us right now, just because it was so sudden . . . We’re just hoping he’s all right, and everybody has to carry a load . . . and go forward.’ Coach Doc Rivers has used eight starting lineups this season, but he said the injuries haven’t brought him to a boiling point yet. ‘I never think that way, I never have,’ Rivers said. ‘You’ve got to keep rolling. I really try not to live in the past or in the what-ifs. I tell our guys that all the time. We’ve just got to keep playing and finding a way.’”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “Boston entered Monday night’s loss to Charlotte Bobcats with injuries to swingman Marquis Daniels, centers Shaquille O’Neal, Jermaine O’Neal and Semih Erden and reserve guard Delonte West. With the returns of Jermaine O’Neal and Daniels uncertain, there has been speculation about the Celtics adding another player. [Kevin] McHale said he believes the Celtics have enough depth. ‘I’m a big Marquis Daniels fan, I like him, it was tough injury and scary seeing that whole thing but I think the Celtics what they have going for them is a ton of depth,’ he said. ‘All of a sudden Delonte West is going to come back and I really like West’s game. He plays with other great players so well. With the Celtics as they lose one guy they gain another guy. And I don’t think they have to make a big trade.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “Ray Allen sees the problem being much broader than simply placing the blame on the scheduling gods. He sees a Celtics team that, at times, relies more on its name than its game to be successful. ‘In our locker room, we always have to remember that we’re not superior to any team because we’re the Celtics or because we think we’re good or we have All-Stars on our team or whatever the case may be,’ Allen said. ‘What makes us better is because . . . we’ve proven what we have done. Anything going forward, we have to prove that.’”

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