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

(Devin Harris: “Everyone calls [Dirk] Larry Bird.” Me: “Please don’t insult the Legend, Devin ‘Cedric Maxwell’ Harris.”)

Peter May, ESPN Boston – “The Celtics aren’t quite sure yet what they have in rookie Semih Erden. The early signs, however, are encouraging, which could make the 7-foot Turkish center the first international player of import on the team in the past 15 years. A few international players have passed through Boston since Dino Radja nearly averaged a 20-10 season in 1995-96. (We are not counting internationals who played collegiately in the United States, such as Vitaly Potapenko, Ramon Rivas or Jerome Moiso.) There was Zan Tabak for 18 games in 1997-98. There was the immortal Bruno Sundov for 26 games in 2002-03. Czech Republic star Jiri Welsch, of whom big things were expected, played two unremarkable seasons (2003-2005) and was traded. It seems unthinkable that the Celtics have gone so long without a significant international, especially given that the franchise was at the vanguard of signing such players 20 years ago, when it really was the ‘Wild, Wild, West’ overseas. … The great ‘what if’ international story in Celtics history centers on the 1998 draft. Rick Pitino had gone over to Europe to work out a German teen named Dirk Nowitzki. He came away understandably smitten by the 7-footer and thought he had the inside track on Nowitzki. The Celtics held the 10th pick that year and Nowitzki was still on the board at No. 9. But Dallas engineered a deal with Milwaukee and the Bucks took Nowitzki at No. 9, then traded him to Dallas. The consolation prize: Paul Pierce, who went No. 10. He was a Californian.”

Sekou Smith, NBA.com – “I can’t remember the last time I saw a team use the agony of defeat as well as the Celtics have to reconstitute themselves and spur their quest for 18. This is the sort of knock-me-down-I’m-getting-back-up psychology that was used routinely in the 1980s and even the 1990s, when the Lakers and Celtics battled regularly in the NBA Finals and the Eastern Conference champion always faced a gauntlet to get to the top (Boston ceded the throne to upstarts in Detroit who ultimately were dethroned by Chicago). It probably seems extreme to some people for the Celtics to carry on the way they have about that Game 7 loss. But not here at the hideout. We love it. There’s no motivation as pure or pungent as vengeance. It’s worked for centuries. Empires have risen and fallen on less.”

Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports – “The Players Association plans to contest the NBA’s efforts to curb player complaints about the league’s officiating, union executive director Billy Hunter said Thursday. ‘The new unilateral rule changes are an unnecessary and unwarranted overreaction on the league’s behalf,’ Hunter said in a statement. ‘We have not seen any increase in the level of ‘complaining’ to the officials, and we believe that players as a whole have demonstrated appropriate behavior toward the officials. Worse yet, to the extent the harsher treatment from the referees leads to a stifling of the players’ passion and exuberance for their work, we fear these changes may actually harm our product. The changes were made without proper consultation with the Players Association, and we intend to file an appropriate legal challenge.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “Luke Harangody fit the rookie stereotype: anxious, hectic, head spinning from his first NBA experience. He missed 5 of 6 shots in the Celtics’ preseason opener against the 76ers last week. He missed 3 of 4 the next night against the Nets. He missed all three shots he took against the Raptors last Sunday. He was moving at warp-speed, and Robinson — known to floor it at times himself — pulled him aside. ‘Gody, he’s on that rookie thing where he doesn’t want to make a mistake,’ Robinson said. ‘I told him to just play basketball. You’re going to make mistakes, but it’s how you play through them. The first couple games, he was kind of nervous, kind of shaky. Then he knocked down a couple shots and he started playing relaxed and I told him, ‘Play your game that you were playing at Notre Dame,’ and he’s been doing a hell of a job.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “Without a lot of mystery surrounding these Celtics, much discussion will be spent on who gets to start at center in Kendrick Perkins’ absence. But we’re talking about just one position, and it’s obviously down to Shaquille O’Neal (bigger body to possibly free up Kevin Garnett more) or Jermaine O’Neal (better equipped to get up and down the floor with Rajon Rondo). A more intriguing question regards the makeup of the quintet that will finish games. There are a number of combinations the Celts, in Toronto tonight for their sixth of eight preseason games, can use. And in each case the group will be laden with All-Stars. ‘That’s the beauty of the team,’ said Paul Pierce. ‘We can put five guys not named Paul Pierce out there at the end of the game and win the game. That’s realistic. I’m not just saying that. The guys that we put out there are going to be more than capable of finishing. I just hope I can earn me a spot out there at the end of games.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “Nobody is safe from the comical wrath of this team, not even Ray Allen who was on the short end (pun totally intended) of a Nate Robinson joke about the time Allen dyed his hair blonde. Allen got a chuckle or two out of it, as did his teammates. Seeing Allen in a relaxed state is a rarity. But he’ll be the first to tell you, he totally gets the need to balance being serious with the desire from time to time, being silly. ‘When it’s time to lock in and pay attention to the game plan, then everybody needs to focus on what we’re trying to do,’ Allen told CSNNE.com. ‘But you know those other times when you can relax some.  There’s nothing on the board. No coaches are in here, so you can laugh a little bit. You have to take advantage of it.’ Even as the laugh tracks continue to pile up for this team, Allen doesn’t worry about the team losing sight of what this season is ultimately about — the chase for Banner 18. ‘There’s a line that you draw in the sand when it’s time to play basketball,’ he said. ‘You have to have fun. You have to have down time.’”

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

(Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images)

Last night’s 103-92 loss by Boston’s JV team (or worse) wasn’t just a meaningless preseason game. It was also our first extended look at some of the guys who will make up the end of Boston’s bench. With that in mind, my first impressions of every Boston Celtics offseason addition. Read more »

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

Rich Levine, CSNNE – “But the one thing Garnett doesn’t, and never will, tolerate are players who don’t share his drive for self-improvement. The need to get better and be better and do whatever it takes to get there. And if you’re unwilling to take advice from Garnett — regardless of his tone, or the circumstances — then that’s proof you don’t have what it takes. I mean, it’s not like the guy’s advising you on which girl to marry or which car to buy. He’s trying to teach you a specific skill that a) directly affects your life and b) he understands better than just about and anyone in the world, and you can’t swallow your pride? Then KG has no use for you. Especially at this point in his career; especially considering what he has with this Celtics team. Garnett loves basketball, but he still treats it like a job. His job is to win, and he’s more driven to achieve that than maybe anyone who’s ever played. But this is a team game; Garnett knows he can’t do it by himself. So he builds an army of guys who can best help him do that. He instills in them the values, priorities and motivations that he knows will give them the best chance to get there, and prays to God it sticks. When KG’s coaching up Erden, Harangody, Mikki Moore or Patrick O’Bryant, he’s not looking for a new friend, or a new partner in crime or even to mold a future NBA All-Star. He’s looking for pieces to his championship puzzle. He’s looking for the guys who get it; the guys who are smart enough to let him make them better.”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “”It just felt good to be out there again,” Bradley said after icing an ankle that tightened up on him from inactivity in the second half. He’s optimistic it will be OK on Wednesday, but the Celtics have exercised extreme caution in regard to player health. ‘I haven’t been on the court playing in a game in a long time, since my last game at Texas. It felt real good being out there.’ Bradley checked in for his first game action with 1:38 to play in the first quarter. He grabbed a defensive rebound just before the quarter expired, but got more involved in the second period. After missing a couple of jumpers, he hit a mid-range attempt with 8:57 to play in the half for his first NBA bucket. It was the only shot he hit on six attempts, but Bradley proved, true to his predraft reputation, to be most impressive on the defensive side of the ball. ‘Avery played great in the first half, you can see what he can do with ball pressure. It’s amazing,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “But in the second half, I thought he got tired, No. 1. And I thought his ankle stiffened up, that’s why we had to put Nate [Robinson] in. We didn’t want to take [Bradley] out, but he couldn’t have survived. I was happy. He’s going to be a really good player.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “Although Davis and Rivers have had their differences, Rivers will be the first to acknowledge Davis has tremendous value to the Celtics in their quest toward Banner No. 18. ‘He’s headed in the right direction,’ Rivers said. ‘He has a ways to go, but he’s clearly improved each year. He’s more comfortable. He understands what he needs to do on the floor.’ Added Davis: ‘[Rivers] knows me and in big games . . . he knows I’m a seasoned player who has performed in big games coming off the bench.’ But there have been times when Davis has focused on excelling at one facet of his game, like scoring, which took away from his true strength, which is his versatility. Scoring may get the headlines, but players who excel at the game’s intangibles or less glorified aspects of the game, do quite well. ‘I’ve told him several times, Dennis Rodman was one of the best rebounders of all time,’ said C’s guard Ray Allen. ‘And he got paid great money. Ben Wallace, great rebounding, wasn’t a scorer. But he was making a max contract. [Davis] can carve out his own niche; because of his athleticism, his footwork, he can shoot the ball. Just being that guy that can fill in the gap. You don’t have to be a 15-20 points-per-night scorer. You can be nine points a night and grab 8 to 10 rebounds, and then you become the guy that people on other teams are always afraid of when you come to the game.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “Here’s a homework assignment from Shaquille O’Neal. (Actually he gave it to us and we’re sharing the workload.) Shaq wants to know if there has ever been an active player in the NBA with a Ph.D. O’Neal is curious, because he says he will be getting his doctorate later this season from Barry University in Miami Shores. Shaq began working on the Ph.D. in human resource development. (It’s a doctorate in leadership and education, with a specialization in HRD.) O’Neal sat out last night’s game to rest his hips, and he may not play tonight in New York either. ‘I feel OK,’ he said. ‘I’m just taking a break. I’ve got a couple of knick-knacks, and the real deal is about to start, so it’s all about that. I want to make sure that starts perfectly for me and the team. What I’ve got now ain’t nothing to worry about, nothing to cry about. I’ve got my man (strength coach Bryan Doo) here, and I’m still doing my exercises, so we’ll be fine.’ . . . Delonte West also sat out. ‘Delonte would have been a starter, but his back is still really giving him problems,’ Rivers said. The coach is not worried about any long-term effects on West, who will get a league-mandated break because of the gun-possession charges.”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “Jermaine O’Neal’s starting to get slightly self-conscious about his offense. … He said this after shooting 1 of 6 from the floor tonight. ‘You’ve got to keep building. You can’t get too frustrated. That’s just what it’s about, trying to do whatever you can do to get a rhythm for Oct. 26. I’m surprised I’ve been struggling with something I do well — that’s score — but I rebounded better tonight. Just kind of putting it together. Just me continuing to do what I’m doing, don’t get frustrated and go from there. Rivers’ response: *Shrug*. ‘It’s funny,’ Rivers said. ‘He was looking at the 1 for 6, and I told him I could care less. It’s the 12 rebounds, the blocked shots, the charges. He’s going to be really good for us defensively.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “Luke Harangody knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and credited his offensive rhythm to simply slowing down. He shot 4 of 5 from the floor and finished with 11 points after going 0 for 3 and looking rushed against Toronto. ‘Just talking to the coaching staff, I’m doing a lot better just slowing myself down,’ he said, ‘and today was another step up, taking my time with my shot and just coming into it now. I feel great out there.’ Rivers said it’s impossible to slow the rookie down entirely, but he’s settling in. ‘I don’t know if we can slow him down right now, but he’s playing,’ Rivers said. ‘It’s good to see him make shots. That’s what he does. The back-to-back threes for him was good. He just goes so fast at times. But he’s getting it.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “The Celtics will take on the Knicks tonight, then meet the Raptors in Toronto Friday and play New York in Hartford Saturday. After that, they have just next Wednesday’s Garden date with New Jersey on their dance card. The goal in these last games is to try some different combinations and get a working rotation together. ‘We haven’t done that much, yet,’ Rivers said. ‘It’s almost been five and five (subbing the reserves as a unit). (Tonight) we’ll try to do a lot of it. The one combination I want to do is play Kevin (Garnett) and Baby (Glen Davis) together. I don’t think they’ve had one second together yet. We were going to do it (last Sunday against Toronto), and then Baby gets hit in the nose. So there goes that plan.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “Standing next to each other on one side of the paint, Boston Celtics teammates Jermaine O’Neal and Glen Davis saw, at precisely the same moment, a Sixers ball-handler ready to drive from the opposite baseline. Like two shoppers racing for a must-have Christmas gift on Black Friday, the two practically pushed each other out of the way trying to scramble over and draw an offensive foul. In a way, it seemed appropriate. These two figure to be pushing each other to take charges all season long. ‘It’s a contest this year: Who can draw the most charges,’ O’Neal said after the game with a big grin. ‘And I believe I’m going to win it.’”

Chris Sheridan, ESPN New York – “And what coach Mike D’Antoni made clear Tuesday on the eve of that opener was this: That main centerpiece, Amare Stoudemire, will not be forced to play out of position at center when the ball goes up at Madison Square Garden for the first time this fall. Instead, rookie Russian center Timofey Mozgov will be manning the middle for the restructured Knicks in the home preseason opener against the Boston Celtics after D’Antoni gave every indication Tuesday that Mozgov has earned a semi-permanent spot in the starting lineup. ‘He’s playing well, and he picks things up extremely fast. I know there’s going to be rough spots ahead, but I just like his attitude and his effort, and then we’ll see what happens,’ D’Antoni said. ‘He might have more rough spots than what I hoped, but we’ll work through it. He does a lot of good things, and we’ll see over the next six, seven, eight games how it goes with him, and then we’ll see what happens.’ Mozgov’s debut could come against none other than Shaquille O’Neal if circumstances permit, but O’Neal’s availability for Wednesday night game at MSG was in question after Boston coach Doc Rivers said O’Neal would be held out of Tuesday night’s exhibition game against Philadelphia because of a hamstring issue.”

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

Semih Erden took poor angles last night when showing on pick-and-rolls, Kevin Garnett thought. Erden and Luke Harangody still need to improve their defensive technique, Garnett knows. So Garnett, being Kevin Garnett, took matters into his own hands. He morphed into Coach KG. (ESPN Boston)

“He helps the ones he likes,” said Rivers. “That’s true. Kevin’s great and, I won’t use names, but Kevin tries to help every big that comes in here. If that big doesn’t listen to him one time, he’ll never speak to him again. Literally, not speak to them. That’s happened a couple of times and it’s been good for that guy. Now, the two guys that he did get to, are no longer here and that may be one of the reasons. If you’re not going to listen to Kevin when he’s trying to help you, you’re probably messed up.

“That’s Kevin. When you talk about the ‘Celtics Way,’ you might as well just say Kevin Garnett. And then you’re pretty much there. Everything he does and says is for the team.”

Garnett is a win-driven psychotic, in the best way possible. When someone doesn’t listen to him, even if it’s just once, Garnett will never speak to him again. Ever. That’s just the way it is. If you aren’t willing to take KG’s advice, you aren’t completely committed to winning. And if you aren’t completely committed to winning, you’re dead to Garnett. That’s all there is to it. Have fun at your next job.

By the way, I’d be willing to bet my life that one of the teammates Garnett stopped speaking to was Patrick O’Bryant.

Stephane Lasme defends Damion James. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Despite having 14 players with guaranteed roster spots (I include Delonte West — he’s going nowhere) and another with a partial guarantee (Von Wafer, $150,000), the Boston Celtics and Danny Ainge have repeatedly maintained that they would keep the roster’s best 15 players. Money be damned, they say they are going to field the best team their training camp roster could possibly yield.

Which brings me to my point: why have I, and everyone else, assumed that only the team’s 15th spot remains open for debate? If Ainge speaks the truth with his public decry of roster openmindedness, couldn’t at least one more spot be open?

I point you immediately in the direction of Luke Harangody. After a standout summer league showing, Harangody inked a deal guaranteed for two years. The signing was fine at the time; Harangody showed a little potential. He had learned to shoot three-pointers out of the blue, and his utter lack of athleticism and length haunted him little against the Patrick O’Bryants and Connor Atchleys of the NBA summer league universe. Just like he had been in college, summer league Harangody was his team’s most productive player on the court, just about every single night. He looked like a draft steal.

The problem was, in the words of someone else (I forget who it was), summer league play is good for one thing: pointing out scrubs. Summer league production doesn’t necessarily translate to NBA stardom, or even anywhere close to it. When Patrick O’Bryant and Connor Atchley become Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal, things become a little tougher. Now that we’re in preseason, Harangody’s flaws stand out. His newly minted jumper won’t fall. He can’t seem to create his own shot inside the arc, or really anywhere. He can’t score like he used to, and defense was never his forte. I find myself watching Harangody and wondering, “What on earth will he ever contribute to an NBA roster?”

At the other end of the spectrum lies Stephane Lasme. The UMass product entered preseason with nothing more than a training camp invite and a chance to make the C’s roster that was slimmer than Calista Flockhart’s pinky finger. A couple weeks later, Doc Rivers said Lasme has a great chance to make the regular season roster. How has Lasme progressed so quickly, so fast? With pogo stick athleticism and a knack for making positive things happen each time he steps onto a basketball court. Think Chris “Birdman” Anderson, except with black skin and without spiked hair, a “Free Bird” tattoo or a former coke habit.

There are a couple problems in Lasme’s bid for a roster spot, though. 1) He’s naturally a power forward. The Celtics need help on the wing, where Lasme has yet to show he can contribute. And 2) without a guaranteed contract (or, in Lasme’s case, any contract) cutting Lasme would be easy. The Celtics wouldn’t have to pay him a guaranteed dime if they let him go.

Which brings me to my plan. The Celtics need a wing more than anything else, but Lasme has been the fringe player who has been most impressive, most worthy of a roster spot. So here’s what Ainge should do, and if he’s serious about taking the best 15 players, here’s what he will do:

Keep one of the wings, either Mario West or Von Wafer. Neither has been at all impressive, but they fill a need. With Delonte West due to miss the season’s first ten games with a suspension, the Celtics need a player who can fill in as backup shooting guard. Marquis Daniels, the C’s only reserve small forward, is injury prone, so Boston could use a 15th man who could play spot minutes at small forward throughout the season, too. Both Wafer and West fit that description. Ainge should give Wafer the spot, earned by default. With the Rockets a couple years ago, he was a double-digit scoring threat every night. We at least know Wafer can contribute, even though he looks like the last bobsled run in Cool Runnings so far this preseason. Very shaky.

Next, cut Harangody. Throw his guaranteed money straight into the nearest garbage can. Granted, that’s a move that won’t be very popular with Wyc Grousbeck and the Celtics’ owners. Burning more than $1.26 million never is. But let’s think about things rationally and without money on the mind. Harangody has shown, oh, approximately nothing. Lasme looks like a keeper. So keep Wafer, keep Lasme, cut Harangody. Bing. Bang. Boom. The best team the Celtics can field, money be damned.

Of course, if I’m Wyc Grousbeck I keep Harangody around, cut Lasme and play Eeny Meeny Miney Mo between Wafer and Mario West. There’s no way I’d eat $1.26 million just to keep Stephane Lasme around. Sorry, Steph.

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

1. Delonte West left today’s practice with back spasms. NBD, if you ask me. He has to miss the season’s first 10 games anyway. That should give him plenty of time to get his back right, no? (P.S. Jermaine O’Neal missed the end of the C’s last practice with a sore hamstring. UPDATE: O’Neal could be out for a week, but he says the hamstring injury is “minor.”)
2. On a scale of 1 to vomitacious, ESPN’s new Heat Index is miles off the charts. But the sad thing is, people will still read it every single day. As John Krolik put it, “Some people love this team, most people hate this team, but the important thing is that they care about this team. … I don’t know how this Heat experiment will turn out, but can you imagine anyone not watching?”
3. Von Wafer tweets, “I’m in a dog fight but I’ma fight to the end.” I assume he means for the 15th spot. Too bad Michael Vick didn’t use the same analogy for the quarterback battle in Philly.
4. I got an email today about some new promotion the Celtics have to give away free tickets. Anybody like the sound of that?
5. Red’s Army wonders whether the Brendan Haywood and Joakim Noah contracts are pricing Kendrick Perkins out of Boston. If Jermaine O’Neal plays well, the Celtics might pass on keeping Perkins for next season. Remember, they already have the O’Neal brothers and Semih Erden under contract. Weird to think this could be Perk’s last year as a Celt. I love the Beast.
6. CelticsBlog writes some S.W.A.G.’s (Silly Wild Astute Guesses). My least favorite? That Luke Harangody will start at some point this season… AT SMALL FORWARD! If ‘Gody plays small forward, whoever he’s defending will score at least 40 points and I will have a full-blown conniption.
7. Can someone please get me highlights of Derrick Favors’s first game as a pro? From Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: “His first shot was an alley-oop dunk. His second shot was a dunk. His third shot was a dunk. He attacked the rim with reckless efficiency, providing a spark and energy to an otherwise listless game. His most impressive dunk didn’t count: the 19-year-old jumped OVER a Maccabi Haifa player on the baseline but was called for a charge.”
8. In the theoretical Ryder Cup of basketball, the World team would get smoked like your grassy ass. Man, I butchered that saying.

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