(Did you know Quisy has a tattoo of Chinese characters that is supposed to be his initials but actually means “healthy woman roof?” Seriously.)

A year ago this time, Tony Allen was the single most frustrating player in NBA history and Marquis Daniels was the missing piece to the puzzle. Weird to think about, right?
Read more »

After exercising surprising frugality while trying to sign draft pick Xavier Henry, the Memphis Grizzlies have been fielding trade offers for the 12th pick in this year’s draft. Do the Celtics have enough assets to get in on the bidding? (Memphis Commercial Appeal)

The Grizzlies have fielded several trade offers from teams looking to acquire the rights to unsigned rookie Xavier Henry — interest mostly derived from a contract stalemate between the team and the NBA’s 12th overall draft pick.

But Griz owner Michael Heisley insisted Wednesday that the team is only interested in signing Henry to a deal that will have him play in FedExForum this season.

“I’m not looking to trade him just to trade him,” Heisley said. “I’m not angry with him. I expect him to play. He’s going to have an opportunity to play a lot, and we need him. So my reaction to this is I’m expecting we’ll get something done and he’ll play for us this season.”

Call me crazy, but it makes a whole lot of sense for the Grizzlies to trade Henry away. First of all, he probably hates the organization already for low-balling him like an em-eff-er. Second of all, the Grizzlies already have O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, Tony Allen and Sam Young, who played pretty well last season. They’re pretty stacked at the wing position.

If they do trade him, could the Celtics possibly have enough to trade for him? Because Henry would be just about perfect. I know he’s only a rookie, but he’s got the size and strength to deal with bigger small forwards and on top of that he can shoot the hell out of the ball. He doesn’t scream “SUPERSTAR,” but he’s got “solid role player” written all over him.

Sadly, I just don’t think a package of Semih Erden and a couple picks is enough to get it done, not unless the Celtics are willing to pony up two first rounders as part of that package. Then the Grizzlies MIGHT bite. I don’t know about you, but I’m down for that. Unfortunately, I don’t even know if that trade actually works. ESPN’s damn trade machine has picked a bad time to falter on my computer, but I’m still pretty sure the trade is legal.

What do you Townies think?

Can someone explain to me why the Heat gave Joel Anthony a five-year deal?

Kendrick Perkins has spoken. He has made a prediction. The Celtics are gonna win. Perk didn’t exactly say what they were going to win, but I assume he meant a title and not anything else. (Dime)

Dime: So how does the team look for next season?
KP: We’re gonna come back ready. KG is coming back in the best shape he’s ever been in. We got Jermaine O’Neal. Paul is coming back as a premier player in the League. Ray is gonna be Ray all the time. Rondo is gonna keep it up, keep it going.

Dime: Any predictions?
KP: Nah, I don’t wanna do that.

Dime: OK.
KP: Actually, yeah, I will make a prediction. We’re gonna win.

Dime: The whole thing?
KP: We’re gonna win.

There are a lot of interesting parts of the interview, so I advise you to go read it. My favorite part, besides Perk’s half-assed prediction?

Dime: Tony Allen said there’s always a fight over the music in the weight room.
KP: All the time. It’s always a big misunderstanding. Tony would wanna play Gucci Mane, Nate always has a variety, and KG wants to play the same song 40 times in a row. But KG ends up ruling at the end, because he’s got the most years in the League.

Something tells me it’s not just because KG’s got the most years in the League that he gets to pick the music. I’d have to guess it has something to do with his insane personality. When you look into KG’s eyes and see nothing but psychotic hard work staring right back at you, you’re either going to let him play the same song 40 times in a row or you’re going to face KG’s wrath. And I promise, you don’t want to face KG’s wrath.

P.S. – I love that Perkins said KG is in the best shape of his life. Get ready to pay hell, NBA. I’m ending this post now so I can go do something about these goosebumps I’ve got all over my body.

Tony's Walking in Memphis. Kobe, I hope, is walking in dog feces.

It’s officially the slowest part of the summer. I’m talking Zydrunas Ilgauskas with cement blocks tied to his shoes slow. (Speaking of Z, he’s a classy dude. I’ll find it hard to hate him with venom.) So now I’m reduced to bringing you quotes from a story that I overlooked a few days ago because there was other, more interesting stuff to write about. Oh well, it’s more exciting than any other bit of “news” today. (ESPN)

Against the Celtics in the Finals, Tony Allen got in my face, but I don’t got the time for Tony Allen. Now, if you’re a star and you’re talking trash, I’ll talk back. All series long, Paul Pierce was talking: “You’re a bum, you can’t score, you can’t guard me, I’m busting your ass.” Everything.

I used to be guided by the lack of dread. Dread told me when Tony Allen was in the game. Lack of dread told me he was on the bench. I don’t know how I’m going to be guided now. So it goes.

By the way, Artest also said all types of crazy things. As one might expect. His advice for talking trash to him? Call him a psychopath. Alrighty then. His favorite movie? Titanic. Pause. One of his addictions? Counseling. As in, parental counseling and marriage counseling. The dude loves getting help.

Artest says he ”stopped worrying about money after the last time [he] made Larry Bird mad.” At 15 years old, Ron started to “get twisted.” By the time the Bulls drafted him, he’d ”drink in the house all day, then go play a game.” As he wonders, “Was I crazy, or was I not sober enough to have a clear mind?” I think the answer is quite obvious: Yes.

Scenario 1: You come off the bench behind two certain Hall of Famers. You have the opportunity to win a championship. You play with the players you have come to love as brothers. You relish in the love of a fanbase that has finally embraced you. You play 20 minutes a game as a defensive stopper and transition finisher.

Scenario 2: You come off the bench behind two guys who have never made an All-Star team. You definitely don’t have an opportunity to win a championship. You play with a bunch of guys you barely know. You have to fight for the love of a new fanbase. You play an undefined amount of minutes in an undefined role.

If it was you choosing between those two options, what would you have picked? Call me crazy, but I’m guessing scenario 1.

Tony Allen thought differently. He went for door number two. He was tired of being overshadowed by stars. (ESPN)

“Ultimately, it was the way [the Grizzlies] embraced me, the way they reached out to me and let it all out,” said Allen. “They let me know I was needed. In Boston, I was kind of overshadowed by those guys — Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Here’s a ball club that’s on the rise and a lot of guys can make names for themselves. It’s a coming out party for a lot of guys on this team.”

“I don’t mind embracing the [defensive] role, but there is more to my game; let’s not get that twisted,” said Allen. “Whatever I can do to win ballgames — if that’s just passing out Gatorades or flashing towels or giving somebody a high-five, I’m willing to do that.”

Yeah, TA, you were overshadowed by Pierce and the better Allen. They’re great players. And now you’ll be overshadowed by O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay — two decent ones — while you fight to make the playoffs, knowing that even if you do miraculously make it to the postseason you’ll be ousted in the first round. Do you realize how dumb your decision was, Tony? Not yet, I’m sure. But at some point it’s going to come back and slap you straight across the face. You’ll be wearing your warmup suit, watching Mayo and Gay get blown out by a true contender in front of a half-full FedEx Center, and you’ll finally realize it: That situation you had in Boston wasn’t so bad after all.

And yes, Tony, we know you can do more than embrace a defensive role. You also pile up turnovers like a madman and shoot one of the brokest jump shots in the history of the universe.

Damn it, Tony. I had learned to love you, my man. I had even learned to almost trust you on the court. And I still wish you well in Memphis. I just think you done fucked up. There’s very little in the world that compares to the bond formed by loving your teammates and succeeding with them. Why you would flush that down the toilet for a similar role in Memphis, I may never understand.

The offseason hasn't been a bad thing.

While we sit here and shake our heads that the Celtics are considering Ime Udoka and Larry Hughes, Rondo remains pleasedwith Danny Ainge’s course of action.

“I’ve been talking to Danny,” Rondo said. “There’s something happening every day up there. You can tell that things are busy. They’ve made some good moves so far, I can tell you that. I know it also takes time for some things, but I like the direction we’re headed in.”

I feel like we’ve forgotten how good this offseason has been. When it started, we thought we might lose Doc Rivers and Ray Allen (Pierce was never leaving). But we’ve got the starting five back, signed Jermaine O’Neal, kept Nate Robinson, drafted a rookie Doc loves (albeit one I am not sold on) and still have Rasheed’s contract to maneuver with. And I’ll tell ya, once teams are staring the luxury tax in the mug, that retiring contract is going to look like gold.

On top of all that Ainge kept all the new contracts (except Pierce’s) to two-year deals, so the Celtics will be big shoppers in the summer of 2012. Things haven’t gone perfectly, sure, and the thought of Udoka, Hughes or Jason Kapono coming off the bench makes me want to hurl, but this offseason certainly could have gone a lot worse. And it still has plenty of room for improvement.

In Danny we trust. I think.

Bonus coverage: Check out Rondo’s interview on Red’s Army. The media is nothing more than a nuisance to Rajon.