David Stern came down with the flu prior to today’s negotiations, leaving NBA negotiations to deputy commissioner Adam Silver.

There’s no word yet on whether Stern is impersonating Vince Carter (“I just don’t want to negotiate today, Mom. Let me stay home!”) or Michael Jordan (“I don’t care if I’m vomiting, sweating and have a 104 degree fever. We’re getting this deal done, damn it! /tongue wag), but it’s tough to envision the NBA reaching a deal while Stern sits at home.

For some reason, I keep picturing the scene in Wedding Crashers when Rachel McAdams (Claire) asks her puking boyfriend how he’s doing. There’s no way Stern is letting anyone help him today.

“Well, Claire. My head’s buried in a toilet. What do you think? You do the math.”

Oh, no, Stern isn’t letting anyone help him. Stern is ORDERING people to help him. So you can cut that psycho-babble bullshit and go fetch him a Seven-Up. Because he’s about to get vulnerable again.

With Stern gone, the NBA has still reportedly made some progress in its negotiations. After reportedly inching closer to a revenue split Wednesday, the league has already taken at least two more steps toward a deal.

1) The owners reached a revenue sharing agreement, agreeing to nearly triple the annual amount of revenue shared from $50-60 million to $150 million. The players should see that as a good step; since the owners currently making money are willing to help out their less fortunate brethren, the entire onus of lifting struggling franchises will not fall on the player’s shoulder. Unless, and this seems entirely possible if you’ve been paying attention, the owners expect the players to cut their contracts so they effectively pay for the entire difference between the former revenue sharing plan and this one.

2) The league has reportedly come close to settling its mid-level exception dilemma. The two sides are “close to compromising on a $5 million starting salary with a maximum length of three years.” That seems fair for all involved. The players are assured that the mid-level exception still pays a significant amount of money (the $5 million starting number is not much less than last year’s $5.765 million starting figure), and the owners get assurance that they will no longer pay Drew Gooden $32 million over five years.

3) The owners are reportedly offering a “bonus pool” to reward players who are under-compensated by their rookie contracts, such as Derrick Rose, who made just $5.5 million while winning the 2011 MVP. Rookie stars have long been some of the most underpaid players in the league. Something tells me the bonus pool would not effect Luke Harangody, but I have my fingers crossed for the big fella.

These steps seem promising. But Adrian Wojnarowski cautions that luxury tax proposals are still a major hurdle that has yet to be crossed.

The biggest obstacle between the two sides remains the luxury tax proposals to punish big-spending teams and discourage them from overpaying players. The NBA wants to limit players’ “Larry Bird Rights” they enjoy now by forbidding teams to go over the cap to pay their current players. They also want to restrict teams over the cap from using the midlevel and biannual exceptions to sign players on an every-year basis. The players contend the restrictions will act as a de facto hard salary cap.

Lastly, Silver did not rule out the NBA playing an 82-game season despite already canceling the first two weeks of the season. That would mean more back-to-backs than ever, sore legs, lots of ice packs, and very little time to rest. In other words, “Sorry, Celtics.” Hopefully, the NBA does not vote to reinstate the two weeks of lost games, or else Kevin Garnett may become mummified by the end of the 2011-12 season.

In other news, the new Harlan Coben novel, “Shelter,” came out recently. And my mommy just bought it for me. So please excuse me until any major news comes out. I’ll be reading about Mickey Bolitar — Myron’s nephew, people!!! — until I can’t read any more.

It’s reasonably safe to say the Boston Celtics are done dealing, which is okay. Danny Ainge has put together a deep team, one that will (hopefully) be able to withstand whatever injuries occur (and, on this team, injuries will inevitably occur). Even if you disagree with the Jeff Green trade, it’s not hard to see why Ainge made the deal (versatility, roster flexibility, faith in the O’Neals — wait, what?). Likewise, adding Troy Murphy made sense. So did the Marquis Daniels trade. The Celtics only received a 2017 (!) second-round draft pick in return, but Daniels probably won’t play another second this season.

One move Ainge made at the trade deadline looks less justifiable: Semih Erden and Luke Harangody for a second-rounder.

At the time, I figured Ainge had a plan for the two roster spots opened by the trade. I envisioned him adding two proven vets, even if the vets’ best days were behind them. Richard Hamilton’s name was tossed around as a buyout candidate, and so was Samuel Dalembert’s. The Celtics could have added Troy Murphy with Daniels’ roster spot, then added two veterans to take Erden and Harangody’s places.

In reality, they added Sasha Pavlovic and “Empty Roster Spot X.” Confusing, I know. (Note: Chris Johnson occupies that spot for now, but I don’t suspect the Celtics will keep him beyond his ten-day contract.)

Erden will not necessarily become a star, or anywhere close to it. He’s already 24 years old, and his PER (10.75) and rebounding rate (12.2) both scream “not terrific.” But still, he’s a rookie seven-footer with potential. Unless you trade him for something of worth, you might as well hold onto him and let him develop. Especially considering how the Celtics have struggled considerably with injuries all season, and Erden provided depth in the frontcourt. If Glen Davis misses any extended time due to his injury, Erden certainly could have helped.

I wrote “unless you trade him for something of worth, you might as well hold onto him and let him develop.” Sasha Pavlovic, by any measure, is not something of worth. The only way Pavlovic ever sees the court (at least, if Doc Rivers understands how bad he has been for the past five years) is if the Celtics experience an onslaught of injuries at the wing. Even then, Von Wafer would seem a far better option than Pavlovic. As would my grandmother.

Even if the Celtics have a different view of Pavlovic than most observers, they could have added him while also holding onto Erden. Cut Harangody, pay the remainder of his $437,604 salary (plus luxury tax), and keep Erden while still adding a roster spot.

Maybe the trade was about money? But, combined, Erden and Harangody made less than $1 million this season, and will make approximately $1.5 million next season. Wyc Grousbeck, Steve Pagliuca and the Celtics owners have normally been more than willing to pay for winners, and Erden and/or Harangody were hardly out of their price range.

Most likely, Ainge thought the Celtics could add two veterans with the deal, but the buyout market did not pan out the way he expected. Now, the Celtics lost a talented seven-footer with potential (and Luke Harangody), using their two deserted roster spots to add only Sasha Pavlovic.

The Perkins trade is defensible, at worst, and some would even say a very good trade (though only time will tell). But the Erden/Harangody trade? Unless Ainge has another signing up his sleeve, the early returns say:

Blah.

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 – “But the reason Jermaine O’Neal sat out had nothing to do with the scoreboard, and everything to do with that still-troublesome left knee. Prior to Friday’s game, Rivers said O’Neal’s left knee was sore and it only got progressively worse in the first half. ‘So I knew in the second half I wasn’t going to go with him,’ Rivers said. ‘And we had a lead, so we just looked at it, and if we could get him through this game and maybe play him tomorrow (against Chicago), it would be great.’”

Mike Petraglia, WEEI – “Using a flare for the dramatic, Doc Rivers explained why Jermaine O’Neal didn’t play in the second half of Friday’s 20-point blowout win over Toronto. Rivers pointed to Boston’s 67-45 halftime lead and O’Neal’s stiff left knee as reasons O’Neal played just nine minutes, allowing Luke Harangody to have his rookie breakout game. Rivers said the hope is that he’ll be ready for the Bulls in Chicago on Saturday night. ‘His knee was sore, so I knew in the second half I wasn’t going to go with him,’ Rivers said of O’Neal’s chronic left knee. ‘And we had a lead, so we just looked at it and if we could get him through this game and maybe play him [Saturday] it would be great. It was a little sore before the game, but it got – at halftime he came to me and said, ‘Man, my knee’s sore.’  So I think his knee’s sore for the rest of his life.  But there’s going to be different degrees of pain.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “He didn’t plan on being able to play for another three weeks, but before last night’s game against the Raptors, Kendrick Perkins was in a rush to get out of the locker room and get some shots up. ‘I’m already late,’ he said. That said, his recovery process from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee is ahead of schedule. After undergoing surgery in July and rehabbing vigorously, Perkins said he will be able to practice in a week and expects to return to the lineup by the end of the month. He hasn’t had to deal with any setbacks or swelling, and after sitting out the first three months of the season, he’s eager to put his rehab in warp speed. ‘It feels like these three weeks are not going by fast enough, but I guess the six months or whatever went by pretty fast,’ said Perkins. ‘Just trying to wait it out, see how it goes.’ In three-on-three workouts, Perkins has gone full tilt, finishing with dunks. … Pressed about whether he expected to start once he returned, Perkins said, ‘Yeah.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “While Rivers didn’t have any formal update on Garnett, he did suggest the Big Ticket could be back on the court as early as Monday’s visit from the Houston Rockets. ‘He’s shooting, doing everything,’ said Rivers. ‘I think he’ll be back early next week. What’s the date again?’ Informed by reporters that two weeks would have him back on Wednesday, Rivers smiled and added, ‘Thank you very much. I think he’ll be back Monday or Wednesday. I think he could play by then.’ Asked if Garnett might need a practice to shake any rust, Rivers smiled again and said: ‘We’re just going to throw him in. If he can’t remember the stuff, we’re in trouble.’”

Dan Duggan, Boston Herald – “West initially hoped to be back by mid-January, but he said that date is overly optimistic. He’s currently undergoing treatment to relieve stiffness in his wrist. He has yet to be cleared for weight-lifting or full basketball activities. Reluctantly, West acknowledged that the All-Star break in mid-February is a more realistic target.”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “West works out four times a day, soaking the wrist, going through different movements and stretches, and working out the scar tissue. ‘That’s all I can do is do the treatments that they gave me,’ he said. ‘My conditioning is there. My body is there. It’s just you can’t force it. You can try as much as you want to work out the stiffness, but it’s only time. It’s just a waiting game for me. Each day it’s loosening up more and more. But I’m still a few weeks away.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “Going through most of his rehab with Perkins, a longtime teammate and good friend, has made some of the more mundane aspects of rehabilitation easier to cope with. ‘It’s tough when a team goes on a road trip and you are the only one left behind,’ West said. ‘You have to go in the gym everyday. It’s fun when you have company, someone else you can talk to. It’s not fun riding that treadmill by yourself.’ But West, as optimistic as ever, knows those days will be behind him soon. ‘Only time will tell,’ West said when asked about when he was returning to practice. ‘I’m in the right mainframe; doing as much as I can with the left hand and the basketball. But I can’t force the stiffness out there, the movement. I’m working out four times a day. Each day, it’s loosening up more and more.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “‘It probably does [give Boston a boost],’ Rivers said of Perkins’ impending return. ‘Right now, it gives us energy when anyone comes back on the floor. It’ll help him out, it’ll help our team. It’ll allow me to manage minutes better Shaq and Jermaine, so it’ll do a lot of things.’ But Rivers thinks West’s return might be the key moving forward. ‘It’ll mean a lot more for Nate and the second unit,’ said Rivers. ‘The tough part with Delonte is he was just starting to get our stuff again then — bam — he’s out. Now we have to re-do that. Even though he’s been here, there are different things and it’ll take some time. The sooner we can get him back, he may be even more important than Perk in some ways.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “‘The one thing he is not is shy; I think he was [shy] in all of a half a second and [then] he took a shot,’ joked Celtics coach Doc Rivers. ‘The whole bench started laughing because that’s who he is. And we want him to stay that way.’ Indeed, 10 seconds after checking in for Glen Davis, Harangody drilled a 20-foot jumper. He later added a pair of layups and a 14-foot baseline jumper before the end of the first quarter, doubling his previous career high for points (four) in a mere four minutes. Riding that momentum, Harangody canned his first NBA 3-pointer 30 seconds into the second half, the Garden faithful swooning over their new bench crush. They would serenade him with chants of ‘Ha-ran-go-dy!’ later in the night. … Even as he spent the better part of November and early December glued to the bench, Harangody never got discouraged. ‘On this team, you gotta look around this locker room and realize who’s around,’ Harangody said. ‘I just took it as an honor to be in this locker room with all the Hall of Famers in here.’ … So he’s making the most of his chances, and that means being his shot-happy self. ‘I think we should blame — or thank — [Notre Dame coach] Mike Brey for that,’ Rivers said. ‘I watched him a couple of times against Georgetown when my son was there and he shot it basically every time he touched it. He’s just keeping that tradition going.’ And if he keeps putting up these type of numbers, the Celtics won’t try to change him. ‘He’ll make mistakes because he’s young and he’ll make mistakes because he’s going fast, but he’ll never make a mistake because he’s not going hard,’ Rivers said. ‘To me, as a coach, as long as he doesn’t hurt the team too much with mistakes, you love him.’”

Dan Duggan, Boston Herald – “But the Celts had friended Harangody long before the fans got into the act. ‘He’s going to fight,’ said Rivers. ‘He’s going to do whatever he needs to do for you. And the guys appreciate that honestly. They love effort. When you get guys that come off the bench and play with the effort and the intensity that he plays with, I really think the starters love that. That’s what gets them up and cheering, and that’s why they like him so much, because they see his effort every day.’”

Dan Duggan, Boston Herald – “‘The good thing about us is we’re very unselfish and we move the ball well,’ [Shaq] O’Neal said. ‘Ray and Paul and those guys have been shooting the ball well and (Rajon) Rondo is the type that he knows who to get the ball to and he knows when to get it to them. With him back in there, everything is starting to click again.’”

Jessica Camerato, CSNNE – “When Ray Allen missed two free throw late in Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, he proclaimed that he would take 100 free throws at practice. Well, he didn’t go to that extreme. But he got back into the zone with physical and mental preparation. ‘I was trying to fatigue myself and go back-and-forth to the free throw line and just get that rhythm because free throws are all rhythm too,’ he said. ‘You get to the free throw line, getting your comfort, knowing when you need to go mentally, how your body should feel when you’re at the free throw line, so I was trying to put myself in that situation of feeling fatigue being at the free throw line and still shooting the free throw.’”

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

Every day, a star is born. That’s what Jay-Z says, at least.

Today was Luke Harangody’s turn to morph into a blazing ball of fire, in the process making Jay-Z look like a prophet. Okay, so I’m entirely hyperbolizing by saying Harangody’s star was born tonight. He’s far more of a fan favorite than a star, and he may head straight back to his spot on the bench immediately upon KG’s return.

But Harangody’s contributions raised a few eyebrows in Celtics nation, including my own. The same reasons he was successful in college allowed him to murder an admittedly porous Toronto Raptors defense this evening. He’s got a motor that never stops, and a nose focused solely on sniffing out the basketball. Most likely, we’ll look back at this as the best game Harangody plays all season. But let’s still enjoy his breakout game and marvel how quickly he’s improved from second-round afterthought to “hmm, his future’s mighty intriguing.”

Need another reason to cherish today, besides Harangody’s unexpected double-double? How ’bout this: Kevin Garnett could return either Monday or Wednesday, and Kendrick Perkins — who has participated in three-on-three games the past two days — should return to practice next week. The Celtics are now 28-7 and still lead the Eastern Conference, and Luke Harangody is only a few months away from surpassing Blake Griffin as the top Rookie of the Year candidate.

I kid, I kid. But Harangody seized tonight as his own, and — though he’s not really a star like I jokingly claimed — the prospects for his NBA future have never shone brighter.

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

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “Clog the paint. Block shots. Take charges. Help on pick-and-rolls. Roll to the basket. Switching from star duties to clean-up duties was even harder when O’Neal started the season in a shooting slump, since he wouldn’t be able to simply shoot his way out of it. Not with so many other offensive options sharing the floor. If O’Neal was going to be effective, he’d have to do it by going down that checklist. But when knee issues sidelined him for six weeks, it seemed as if O’Neal would have a way to go to live up to the mid-level exception deal the Celtics signed him to last summer. Since his return to the lineup on Christmas Day in Orlando, Fla., though, he’s embraced all the mop-and-bucket assignments. ‘It comes through time,’ O’Neal said. ‘I’m learning on the go, and I think you guys know it, and they’re trying to put me in a position to be successful.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “In the last seven games, O’Neal has scored just 46 points and pulled a mere 14 rebounds from the NBA sky. He hasn’t had an offensive rebound since Dec. 22 when Santa was carbo loading with the reindeer. It’s fair to say that 6.6 points and 2.0 rebounds is shadowy for a guy with career averages of 23.9 and 10.9, respectively. But this isn’t your father’s Shaq Daddy. … “I think he’s playing fine,” said general manager Danny Ainge. “We’re producing when he’s playing. That’s the big thing. It’s hard to look at an individual’s numbers. You have to look at the bigger picture. When a guy’s on the court, what is a team doing. And the team’s playing really well when he’s out there.’ With Tim Duncan and Matt Bonner running around, the Celts weren’t expecting Wednesday to be O’Neal’s night. ‘He’s always effective,’ said Doc Rivers. ‘It’s just that some games — like San Antonio — are going to be tough nights for him because they have two shooting bigs. The problem there is you want to keep him low, but both bigs are popping. It makes it tough for him, but he’s been great.’ … ‘No, he has a far greater impact,’ [Ray Allen] said. ‘It’s just like if I don’t score, I know I have an impact on the game because people don’t want to leave me. So there’s space. And between he and I, we both create space for Paul (Pierce) and (Rajon) Rondo to operate and Kevin (Garnett) to get open shots. You can’t measure that.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “‘We like our guys,’ Ainge said. ‘It’s tough. Guys like Von Wafer, Luke Harangody, Avery Bradley, we believe given an opportunity, those guys are going to be really good players.’ All have shown promise when given minutes this season. But those opportunities have been few and far between, which isn’t all that surprising when you consider the players ahead of them on the depth chart. ‘If I were with a different team, maybe I would be playing more,’ Harangody, a second-round pick in last June’s NBA draft, told CSNNE.com. ‘But every day, I get to play against guys like Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal, some of the best players to ever play the game. That can only help me down the road, to be a better NBA player.’ Bradley echoed similar sentiments to CSNNE.com. ‘These guys have been great for me,’ Bradley said. ‘The thing I love about all of my teammates, is how hard they work, everyday. My whole life, I was always better than everybody; faster, stronger. What Doc [Rivers] stresses with me, is that people at this level are going to be strong and fast, just like me. The veterans on this team do a great job of challenging me, encouraging me to just keep working, to just keep trying to get better.’”

Jessica Camerato, CSNNE – “Erden began his professional basketball in Europe when he was a teenager. This summer he played for the Turkish National Team in the 2010 FIBA Tournament, including 18 minutes in the championship game against the United States. After starting four games this season in place of Shaquille O’Neal, Erden has not played since December 22. That isn’t stopping him, though, from enjoying his rookie season in the NBA. ‘I just keep working, that’s it,’ Erden said. ‘I have to work. I have to be ready. I’m patient and wait my turn. I take my time so I can show my best. That’s it. Just work, work, work . . . [I don’t get frustrated.] I’m good because we have a lot of experienced guys. I learn everything right now and I know everything because it’s [been] like four months. I’m watching and enjoying because we won the game and everybody played good and we are teammates . . . I have a good attitude because this is a chance but I’m happy. I’m happy to be here.’”

Paul Flannery, WEEI – “Ainge called Rajon Rondo’s performance, ‘one of the best games Rondo’s ever played,’ but Ainge was more impressed by his defense against Tony Parker, than his triple-double stat line. ‘Not only did he control the game offensively — he had a lot of assists last night because Ray [Allen] was shooting the ball so well. His numbers can be deceiving. His defense against Tony Parker, he was fighting through the screens. I think the two games he played prior to that he was just out there. I don’t think he was playing 100 percent. I don’t think he could. He was just out there just to get us in our offense. It was helpful but he wasn’t playing the defense like he did.’ Ainge also noted Allen’s night, in which the veteran sharpshooter made 13-of-16 shots with many coming off the same play. ‘I don’t know who else in the league can do what Ray did last night. Just catching and shooting going away from the basket off down screens, other than guys like Reggie Miller and Dale Ellis, there really aren’t that many guys that are proficient at it.’”

Brandon Lawrence, WEEI – “Through the 22 assists and the triple-double, I think you can make a case that the most amazing thing was his block last night. [Doc Rivers replied,] ‘To me, not only the most amazing, but the most important thing was that he took shots down the stretch. I’ve said this before, as good as he’s playing and we’re playing right now at times, it’s a different game in the playoffs. The one area that Rondo has to improve in, and he’s really worked on, and you saw that improvement last night, is the elbow jump shot. We know, during the playoffs, that’s what everyone’s going to force him to do, and everyone’s going to help on Ray [Allen] to take those shots off of Rondo, and if Rondo can make those shots, then we’re really good.”

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

I’m thinking about showing up at the TD Garden tomorrow with my Nike Hyperfuse’s laced up, wearing an authentic Boston Celtics jersey. The Celtics might need me.

Due to injuries, illness and family issues, the Celtics couldn’t even field a 5-on-5 scrimmage at today’s practice. The newest C’s to miss practice, according to Chris Forsberg’s injury report, were Nate Robinson (personal matter), Shaq (calf), Glen Davis (illness, likely the flu, 102-103 degree fever). That trio joined Rajon Rondo (hamstring, feet), Kendrick Perkins (knee), Delonte West (wrist) and Jermaine O’Neal (knee), who had already been sidelined with injuries.

Robinson, Shaq, Davis and Rondo are all considered questionable for tomorrow’s game. Doc Rivers seemed most optimistic about Robinson’s chances of playing tomorrow — “I think Nate will be back,” said Rivers. Shaq, despite missing practice, claimed he felt “great.” Odd, no?

At one point during the practice, the Celtics were forced to play Luke Harangody (6’7″, without a speck of athletic ability) at the center position. Luke thought he could just goof around, but Kevin Garnett put him back in his place. Said Doc Rivers, “You could see Kevin getting on him saying, ‘Get ready, this could happen.’” Yup, sounds like the Kevin Garnett I know.

Can the Celtics (16-4 and on top of the Eastern Conference) continue to succeed through all the injuries? They think so. (ESPN Boston)

“Well, as a young team, you make excuses — we’re injured, that’s why we didn’t win the game -– but with this group, it doesn’t matter who we put on the court with injuries, we feel like we’re going to win,” said Paul Pierce. “We feel like we can win. And, so, no matter who we put out on that court, we feel like we’ve got a great chance of winning and we don’t use it as an excuse. We lost some games [last year] because of some injuries, but that was no excuse for us. This year we feel like those are games we should win.”

Rajon Rondo’s hamstring

Rondo unexpectedly missed the Celtics’ last game, against New Jersey, due to his sore hamstring. He is “iffy” for Wednesday’s game against Denver. If he does play, the pulled hamstring could get worse. (ESPN Boston)

“I just leave it up to Eddie,” said Rivers. “[An extended break] may come at some point. I don’t think it’s a bad suggestion. It’s been suggested already, I can tell you that. Eddie knows when it’s close enough to play.

“The injury scares me. Both the foot and the hamstring. The foot is not the problem right now, but the hamstring can go from a pull to a tear. When you get the tear, you are talking two months so it’s a tough little situation.”

In other news, if you wanted to see Jermaine O’Neal shooting around, your wish is my command: