The Boston Celtics have waived guard Oliver Lafayette, according to the Boston Herald. Lafayette played in a whopping one game during his time with the C’s, dropping 7 points in 22 minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks. The waiving comes as a surprise, but only because it happened before training camp even starts.

As soon as the Celtics re-signed Nate Robinson and drafted Avery Bradley, the writing was on Lafayette’s wall. And when the Celtics signed Delonte West, they might as well have waived Lafayette on the spot. It would have taken season-ending injuries to at least one (and probably two) guards ahead of him for Lafayette to make the team.

The best memorable part of Lafayette’s time in Boston is this: he had a front-row seat for one of the most unexpected playoff runs in history. He was a part, albeit a small part, of something special enough that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Here’s what I wrote after Lafayette’s final game, a game he didn’t even get the chance to dress for.

While I was sitting with tears in my eyes and my head in my hands, pondering the excruciating loss, I briefly wondered whether it would have been better if the Celtics had just lost to the Cavs in the second round. It wouldn’t have been so painful, ya know?

But it wouldn’t have been so rewarding, either. No matter how badly it stings right now, the Celtics just pieced together one of the most improbable, incredible postseason runs in NBA history. They have nothing to hang their heads about. They lost, yeah, but even the loss was a validation of everything the Celtics stand for. Teamwork. Grit. Lock-down defense. Overcoming setbacks. The C’s won’t be wearing two rings and they won’t come home to a parade, but this playoff stretch again displayed everything I ever loved about this team.

Now it’s over. There’s nothing left but the crying. And as well as the Celtics played, as much joy as the last two months brought me, I can’t delete the fact that the Celtics lost. Tony Allen summed it up perfectly after the game:

“Definitely a tough one to swallow but what I am going to say is, I love this group of guys.”

So do I. That’s why it hurts so bad. That’s why there are still tears in my eyes.

There were tears in my eyes then, but no tears at the news of Lafayette’s departure. I never got the chance to know him. How could I be upset that he’s leaving?

For the most part, NBA players say the right things. They just want to win. They’re willing to sacrifice playing time. They’re in it for more than the money. For some players, that talk rings hollow. But that’s not the case for Tony Gaffney.

“Honestly, I just wake up every morning saying no one in the world is going to work harder than me,” Gaffney told ESPN Boston, and anyone who has seen Gaffney play should believe him. He’s a lunch pail type of player, an overachiever who succeeds with athleticism and the strength of a certain, blood-pumping organ. His skills are raw, but Gaffney makes up for it with an Energizer Bunny motor. It keeps going and going and going.

“I kinda live by that motto in whatever I do, just be the hardest worker,” he says. And if you’ve ever seen him fiercely chase down a rebound or loose ball, you know it isn’t just lip service. Read more »

After the Delonte West signing, the Boston Celtics now have 17 players under contract. It doesn’t take Will Hunting to realize that two players will have to be released in order to reach the 15-player limit allotted by the NBA.

Oddly enough, Von Wafer’s contract is reportedly fully guaranteed. So is Semih Erden’s. The three players without fully guaranteed contracts (if I’m not mistaken) are Tony Gaffney, Oliver Lafayette and now Delonte West (according to the Boston Herald). Since West figures to make the team, even though he’ll be suspended for the first ten games, one would have to believe both Gaffney and Lafayette will be released.

Danny Ainge told reporters, “They’ll have the chance to compete. We’ll keep the best players.” But Gaffney and Lafayette aren’t just two of the three Celtics with non-guaranteed contracts; they’re also the two least-established players.

For Lafayette, news that he will probably be cut shouldn’t come as a shock. The writing has been on the wall since Avery Bradley was drafted and Nate Robinson re-signed.

But for Gaffney, the life-long Celtics fan who realized his dream when the Celtics offered him a contract, the West signing likely ended some legitimate, if thin, hopes of being the C’s 15th man. Now, Gaffney will almost definitely be cut and his Celtics career, the fulfillment of a long-shot dream, will probably end before he was able to dress for even a single game.

It sucks sometimes that the NBA is a business, huh?

(Is it just me, or is this song the best song ever?)

I can't be the only one who thinks this picture is pure gold.

Brian Scalabrine (the man, the myth, the legend) is weighing offers from overseas but waiting on an offer from an NBA squad. (Boston Globe)

“I don’t know what my plans are,” he said outside of Holland Community Center in Dorchester. “I’m just keeping it wide open. I’ve got good offers overseas, but my goal is to play in the States for one more year and see what comes from it.”

“Based on this year, I knew I would have to be patient. If I had to go to Europe and play I will go do Europe and play. My kids are going to go to great schools in Europe and they are going to learn the culture over there and take it as a learning experience and 10 years from now, I am going to call back and say, ‘remember when we lived in Barcelona for three years?’”

But he wants to remain in Boston.

“Is (playing in Europe) what I want to do? No. I want to play for the Celtics,” he said. “I want to keep grinding out. I want to win another championship. I really want to see what Shaq’s like.”

I love Scal. He had a great attitude, loved the team, and always brought a self-depricating sense of humor to a sport that so often lacks any type of humility. And say what you want about how Scal’s attitude had to be great with the contract he had, but there are a whole lot of NBA players who have similarly generous contracts and become problem children. 

Still, and it’s weird that I’m sorry to say this, there is no place on the Celtics for Scal. Not unless some miracle happens or the C’s decide to keep Scal on board rather than signing Harangody. Boston already has 14 players on the roster and Harangody still doesn’t have a contract. If he signs, that’s 15. And that number doesn’t even include Tony Gaffney and Oliver Lafayette. The Celtics are probably going to trade Sheed’s contract, but they’ll be getting a player in return. Which leaves approximately zero room for Scal.

I say let him take a coaching position a la Tyronn Lue. Scal was an easy target for jokes and never exactly a threat to make the All-Star team, but through it all he somehow managed to become my dude. If he does end up leaving, which seems inevitable, I will miss him. Seriously.

(“Oh Rudy when you dunk like that.”)

The Spanish Heart Throb.

Rudy Fernandez is pretty pumped the Blazers are willing to trade him. (By the way, don’t bother clicking the link unless you speak Spanish. Here is HoopsHype’s translation.)

“Portland is willing to make a trade and the truth is I’m pleased they want to do it. Now we have to find a team where I can have an important role or where I can find the dynamics I enjoyed in Portland the first year.”

“My agents are in the United States, they are speaking with them and if something comes up they will travel to Portland.”

What would it take to get Rudy in New England next season?

One trade that has been thrown around in the comments is Rudy and Pryzbilla (also on the market) for Sheed, Lafayette, and maybe a pick. Which sounds great, but… the Blazers are semi-contenders with an owner that has huge pockets. They probably wouldn’t be willing to dump Pryzbilla just as a salary dump.

So a trade would probably have to be Lafayette/Gaffney and a pick or two. Is that enough to fetch Rudy? Let’s hope so. There are some huge concerns about Rudy defending bigger wings, but with Marquis back in the fold Rudy would be freed to defend the smaller option every night. Which would free Rudy up to do what he does best: Get buckets.

'Gody.

Not that it’s a surprise or anything, but Luke Harangody is likely to make the Boston Celtics. (Boston Globe)

After torching the summer league, second-round pick Luke Harangody will likely end up on the roster. Ainge constantly compared the Notre Dame product to some of the other second-round diamonds he mined over the years — Davis, Leon Powe, and Ryan Gomes. In Orlando, Harangody showed not just an ability to score, but a surprising ability to shoot from the outside.

A couple days ago, A. Sherrod Blakely tweeted, “Celtics aren’t done adding players. 2nd round pick Luke Harangody’s agent hopes to have a multi-year deal for his client completed soon.”

So Harangody’s going to get a contract. That will bring the roster to 15 players under contract, which coincidentally is the league’s limit. But Tony Gaffney and Oliver Lafayette have non-guaranteed contracts (and I couldn’t see Lafayette possibly making the team, since Rondo, Nate and Avery Bradley all play his position), and Sheed is likely to retire. That leaves the Celtics at 12 players, with three roster spots open for the taking.

Who should occupy them? I know it won’t be one player I would have loved — Rasual Butler. Butler re-signed with the Clippers yesterday.