I’m okay with Von Wafer.

Doc Rivers said yesterday that, depending on the length of Marquis Daniels’ absence, the team would look into adding another small forward. “We have to get another ‘three’ let’s just be serious,” Rivers told the Boston Globe. But me? I’m okay with Wafer. Not as a star, or even a starter, mind you. But filling Marquis Daniels’ spot, backing up Paul Pierce and playing 19.1 minutes per game? I can dig Wafer in that role.

I’m not going to discuss Wafer’s stats — which, for the most part, aren’t pretty (and get even worse when you look at Wafer’s most commonly-used five-man units, which are all being outscored by their opponent) — because he’s only played 8.1 minutes per game, hardly enough time to develop a rhythm and play up to one’s potential. There’s another reason not to value Wafer’s season-long statistics — he started the season like The Puppy Who Lost His Way (“Whoa, whoa, whoa. The part of the story I don’t like is that the little boy gave up looking for the boy after an hour.”), and has only recently begun to settle into Boston’s system on both ends of the court.

With each passing day, Wafer’s play becomes more solid. He dribbles into the paint now, and I no longer hold my breath for the 30% chance that he’ll do something stupid. I actually trust him with the ball now, and — coming from a guy who once rooted for Stephane Lasme to outlast Wafer for a roster spot — that’s a big step. Wafer takes mostly good shots, and, though his three-point shooting percentage is below The Rajon Rondo Line, actually provides an outside threat that Daniels can’t. Teams need to defend Wafer outside the arc. When Daniels plays, they can sag off him and pray he shoots.

Wafer has even developed his defense to the point where he’s no longer a liability. Nobody’s ever going to compare Wafer to Thabo Sefolosha or Bruce Bowen, but that’s okay. The Celtics don’t expect him to be that type of defender. As long as he can do a decent, energetic job and stay away from any foolish mistakes, Doc Rivers (and I) will be okay with Wafer’s efforts. It’s only if Wafer’s a piece of swiss cheese that his defense becomes a problem, and he hasn’t been swiss cheese since far earlier this season. Of course, Daniels occasionally defends the opposition’s best player, which means Wafer could have to defend those same players. And viewing Wafer trying his hand at stopping Kobe Bryant isn’t exactly my idea of a fun afternoon. But I digress.

I understand Daniels’ value in Boston. He refuses to take bad shots, provides matchup nightmares against smaller opponents (and Kyle Korver), and generally offers a calming presence akin to a nightly glass of wine with dinner. Daniels doesn’t often score in double figures. His stats rarely blow you away. But he’s solid, takes pride in his defense, cuts intelligently to the basket, and — maybe most importantly, his versatility allows him to play three positions. Wafer, on the other hand, could never chip in as a backup point guard. Not in a million years. But with Delonte West poised to make his return shortly, Wafer shouldn’t ever have to.

I’m not saying Wafer as Boston’s only backup small forward represents an ideal situation. Obviously, I’d love it if the Celtics could scoop up a veteran small forward (say, Carmelo Anthony? — just kidding) to spell Pierce. But veteran small forwards aren’t exactly crawling all over the place. The C’s could find a way to trade for Richard Hamilton, sure… but then they’d be saddled by his “$12.65 million in 2012-’13″ contract. They could pick someone up from the D-League, sure… but, well, players are presumably in the D-League for a reason. Also, signing a current free agent (or D-Leaguer) would require waiving someone currently on the roster.

The Celtics don’t have much roster flexibility, and very few assets to use in a trade. But if Von Wafer finds himself in Marquis Daniels’ role for the next month or two, count me in. It’s not perfect, but it works. For the time-being, at least.

Fist pump.

It seems rude to discuss the beneficiary of someone else’s bruised spinal cord, but Von Wafer stands the most to gain from Marquis Daniels’ injury. Daniels had been the one backup Doc Rivers trusted to spell Paul Pierce, and the Celtics will now need someone, likely Wafer, to step into that role.

“I just have to play hard, and just let whatever happens happen,” said Wafer. “I’m not going to put any extra pressure on myself. You can’t do that. I just need to play basketball, and just do the best I can.”

After early season struggles that left him in Rivers’ doghouse — and, even before that, in a war with Stephane Lasme for Boston’s final roster spot — Wafer has gradually become accustomed to his new team. The Celtics do things differently, and Wafer was forced into a role he’d ever filled. Wafer had always been a scorer, first and foremost. But the Celtics need him to contribute in other ways.

“I think it’s just getting in a rhythm,” he said. “I’m just finding my spots. On this team, I’m just learning when to shoot, when to be aggressive, when not to be aggressive. I think I’m just starting to get in a good rhythm.”

Asked whether increased playing time would help that rhythm, Wafer was adamant.

“Oh, definitely. I’ll get my legs under me,” he said.

“Hopefully, I can contribute for my guys, for my team.”

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.

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

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “The teams with the best records in their respective conferences will meet tonight and, in a stunning blow to those who manufacture bright lights and hype, neither LeBron James nor Kobe Bryant will be in the building. You’ll just have to settle for good basketball. Please accept the apologies of the prime-time gods. The Celtics still aren’t near full capacity because of injury (two of their starters and a key reserve remain out), but their group approach to problem solving has landed them at 26-7. The Spurs rolled into New York last night with a best-in-league 29-4 record. ‘Four or five years ago, Danny (Ainge) and I sat down and said we wanted to be them as much as we can,’ Rivers said. ‘I think (Spurs general manager) R.C. Buford and Danny — I don’t know if anybody does a better job than those two guys. They do it every year. They find the right guys for their team.’”

Bob Ryan, Boston Globe – “Are the Celtics the Spurs North? Or are the Spurs the Celtics South? Each should be flattered by the comparison. Root for a Lakers-Heat NBA Finals if you must. That would put you firmly in the majority of NBA fans worldwide. And it would be appealing, no doubt. That’s not the Finals I want. I want the Finals featuring the Big Fundamental vs. the Big Ticket. I want the Finals with a point guard battle between the elegant Frenchman vs. the Next Great Thing. I want the Finals spiced by a confrontation between the two cagiest combination games of the ’50s and the 21st century, one belonging to an Argentine and the other to a guy from Inglewood who now plays with an Old Celtics soul.”

Peter May, ESPN Boston – “The teams have a combined 12 losses — and it’s the first week of January. (Twenty-three teams already have 12 losses apiece.) San Antonio has blown away the competition in the Western Conference in the first 30-plus games to the point where Gregg Popovich has been the only winner of the conference’s coach of the month honors this season. The Spurs are on a ridiculous pace that even Popovich doesn’t expect to last, but he’s enjoying it while it does. ‘You know us. We never talk about what our record is,” Popovich said before the Spurs lost to the Knicks 128-115 on Tuesday night in New York. “It is whatever it is. But we know full well that this won’t continue for 82 games. We’re not the Chicago Bulls [who won 72 games in 1995-96]. That’s not us. We’ll come back to the center eventually, but our hope is that we’re still a good team when it matters most.’”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “West has been around the team during home games and has remained optimistic throughout the recovery. With the Celtics battered by injuries in the backcourt — Rajon Rondo’s ankle, Nate Robinson’s sore feet — West’s versatility will be sorely needed for the stretch run. ‘It feels great [to have the cast off],’ said West. ‘Also, I got a chance to wash it today, so the smell of Cheetos is gone. It’s big for my morale, to look down and not see that cast. Actually, I almost put my jersey on today. I had my shorts on and everything and got a workout in. The day will be here before you know it and I will be back out there on the floor.’ If Von Wafer is on the Celtics roster tonight, his contract will be guaranteed for the rest of the season. That doesn’t mean they can’t waive him after today, but if they do, he will be paid for the entire season. Players such as Rodney Carney (Golden State), John Lucas III (Chicago), and Sundiata Gaines (Minnesota) were waived yesterday before the deadline. Celtics president Danny Ainge indicated that a decision would not be made until today, but Wafer’s season-best 10-point, 6-rebound effort in Monday’s win over the Timberwolves may have helped his cause. West also has a nonguaranteed deal, but all indications are the Celtics plan to keep him for the rest of the season.”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “Prior to suffering a broken right wrist injury in November, guard Delonte West showed up at the Celtics practice facility with the goal of getting in some quality gym time with no one around. The Celtics had just returned from a long road trip, and had the day off. ‘I was in here, 9:30, 10 o’clock,’ West recalled. ‘Shaquille O’Neal was on the table getting treatment. Jermaine O’Neal was in here, Paul Pierce was out here getting shots up. Ray Allen in the weight room, KG in the weight room. No more needs to be said about that. That speaks volumes, and that’s not just one day; that’s consistent.’”

Jessica Camerato, CSNNE – [Nate Robinson, on the Spurs:] “They’re rolling. They’re playing well. I’ve watched a couple of their games and they’ve got everybody clicking on all cylinders. They’re just a team that’s been together for a long time, and then they’ve got a couple new pieces – [Gary] Neal knocking down the shot – you’ve got the Red Rocket [Matt Bonner] over there, he’s knocking down shots, playing the way they’ve been playing. The team chemistry is awesome. So a team like that coming in, we’ve just got to match their intensity and just play our game and we’ll be fine.”

Paul Flannery, WEEI – “Pierce, ever so subtly, has taken it up a notch this season. On first glance, his numbers aren’t all that different from the levels he’s established with Garnett and Allen as teammates – 19 points, five rebounds and about four assists per game. But dig a little deeper and you’ll begin to see some of the improvements this season. He’s shooting over 50 percent from the field and 87 percent at the free throw-line, both career highs. He’s also making 3-pointers at a 39 percent clip, which have raised his True Shooting percentage (combining 2’s, 3’s and free throws) to .616, the highest mark of his career. In a sign of good health, Pierce is taking the ball to the basket and finishing at a rate (72 percent) comparable with Kevin Durant and LeBron James. (See how Pierce’s numbers break down at Hoop Data). Pierce has also hit the defensive glass, where his rebounding percentage is at its highest-level since the 2006-07 season, part of the team-wide commitment to defensive rebounding that they feel lost them the championship last season. Additionally, Pierce’s net plus-minus is +15 according to Basketball Value, which ranks fifth in the NBA and underscores his importance. This isn’t an overnight transformation. Pierce’s numbers since Allen and Garnett arrived have remained remarkably consistent over the last three and a half seasons, which is an achievement in its own right. Pierce made the adjustments in his game in 2007-08 and has gradually improved them to this point.”

Ronald Tillery, Memphis Commercial Appeal – “Tony Allen and O.J. Mayo were involved in a physical altercation Monday afternoon over a gambling debt during the Grizzlies’ flight home from Los Angeles. Team officials insisted that Mayo’s absence Tuesday night for the Grizzlies’ 110-105 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder was due to bronchitis and not the fight. But the incident was described as a one-sided scrap in which Allen clearly got the best of Mayo. Neither player was disciplined after meeting with coach Lionel Hollins once the team arrived in Memphis. According to a source, Mayo and Allen were involved in a card game that left Mayo owing Allen between $1,000 and $1,500. Mayo refused to pay and repeatedly insulted Allen. Allen then went to the restroom and returned to Mayo, who was acting more belligerent about losing. Allen then struck Mayo and the two had to be separated by teammates. Allen later apologized to the team and general manager Chris Wallace. A team insider contends the situation will not linger and cited Mayo’s encouraging text messages to Allen during and after the Grizzlies’ win over the Thunder.”

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

January 10. That’s the day Von Wafer officially survives.

For now, he’s stuck in non-guaranteed contract limbo, stuck somewhere between job security and “I could be unemployed in six days.” In six days, in case you didn’t know, Wafer’s contract becomes fully guaranteed. Danny Ainge, according to the Boston Globe, “wouldn’t confirm last night that the team would retain the swingman.”

Wafer’s recent play suggests the Celtics will keep him. After failing to stand out most of the year (except for his well-chronicled spats with Delonte West), Wafer now seems firmly etched in Doc Rivers’ rotation. Injuries are partially to credit for Wafer’s playing time increase, but remember: he only began receiving real minutes recently, even though the C’s have been devastated by injuries for quite some time. His increased minutes are more an indication of Doc Rivers’ trust than they are of the Celtics’ growing injury ward.

Recently, Rivers has spent a lot of time praising Wafer’s defense. Which is weird, because Wafer used to be to defense what J.J. Redick is to dunks. Yet Wafer has bought into the C’s system, and now provides energy in addition to his offensive talents. He even offers great quotes nowadays.

“Everybody else [plays defense],” Wafer told ESPN Boston. “I don’t want to be the only guy who doesn’t.”

Wafer’s adjustment from swiss cheese to defensive spark brings to mind the New England Patriots. Whoever the Pats sign, it seems, the signee ends up fulfilling his role, shutting his mouth in the media, and becoming a key cog to the engine. Same with Wafer. In a locker room filled with veterans who know what it takes, Wafer would have been ousted months ago had he maintained his “score first, score only” mentality. (ESPN Boston)

“Well, we give him a lot of [grief] about it because — and we still give him [grief] — I think on media day he said, ‘You know, I’m an offensive player,’” Rivers said with a smile, knowing full well that being an offensive player doesn’t mean a thing on his squads.

“That was his quote. But he’s proven to us that he’s more than that. I think a lot of players have that in them, they just don’t know it sometimes. We’re getting it out of him, and he’s actually enjoying it. It’s funny to watch him — he gets excited about defensive stops now. And that’s great, because I get excited about that as well.”

Wafer’s defense is the bigger story, because that’s what is building Doc’s faith. But let’s not overlook his offensive improvements. Earlier this season, Wafer played like a hurricane. He was a wild, out-of-control force that could be destructive to anything in his path — whether it was his own team or the other.

I didn’t just worry when Wafer had the ball; I felt like he was the second coming of Tony Allen. I feared a turnover at all times, and Wafer always seemed on the verge of throwing one. Even his nice plays often seemed on the brink of failure. He’d jump in the air, seemingly with nowhere to throw the ball, and then narrowly thread a pass to a barely-open teammate. Wafer walked a tightrope every time he possessed the ball. Sometimes, he’d maintain his balance and stay on the rope, and a crisis would be averted. Other times, he’d tumble off the rope to impending doom.

Not anymore. I can now breathe when the ball’s in Von Wafer’s hands. He knows his role in the offense more clearly, and has learned to pick his spots. Now, when Wafer attacks the basket, you sense he actually has a plan. At the season’s beginning, I never got that sense. That Wafer is turning heads while shooting so poorly (his 18.2% three-point accuracy is well below his career average) only speaks to his maturation as a player.

He’s spent the past three-plus months learning the Celtic way, and the lessons finally seem to be paying off. Now, Wafer has six more days to prove his worth. With Delonte West still down for the time-being and Marquis Daniels’ health never promised, it would seem Wafer will survive his contract deadline. Even if he doesn’t, I imagine Wafer wouldn’t stay unemployed long. He’s learned the Celtic way, and people are noticing.

This picture perfectly sums up the entire night.

It must get pretty windy in the Time Warner Cable Arena.

That’s the only explanation for tonight’s first half, which — rumor has it — made Michael Jordan, sitting courtside, puke. The weather conditions improved slightly in the second half, but only on the Celtics’ side of the court. The Bobcats kept trying to shoot into the tooth of an invisible hurricane, and it didn’t work out well. As it ended, the Celtics had their worst shooting night of the season… and still won by 31 points, 93-62.

In the fourth quarter, Glen Davis took a three-pointer with plenty of time left on the shot clock. That’s really all you need to know about the game, but of course I’m ready to tell you more.

I can’t properly describe how excited I was while watching the fourth quarter. The Celtics had no reason to really try. They were already ahead by 20 or so points, and the garbage-time crew was in the game. They could have turned off the jets and coasted in with an easy victory. But rather than rest on their laurels, the C’s kept right on working.

It all started with Avery Bradley, who added Shaun Livinsgton to the list of players he’s put in a phone booth, but it continued with everybody else. Marquis Daniels was flying around the court deflecting passes. Semih Erden was flying high for alley oops. Von Wafer was dishing passes that would make Rajon Rondo envious. The effort had me standing up in my basement and cheering until the final buzzer, even in a 31-point blowout.

Defense was what won tonight’s game, but I’m still not sure if the C’s played terrific defense. The Bobcats were just THAT bad. I see a lot of basketball minds (including Stephen Jackson) opining that D.J. Augustin is the problem, and he certainly didn’t help matters tonight (0 points, 0-8 shooting). But the Bobcats have a four-person big man rotation that includes SuperFat Boris Diaw, Kwame Brown, Nazr Mohammed, and Eduardo Najera. How a team is supposed to win with a frontcourt like that, I could never tell you. Red Auerbach could come back to life, coach the Bobcats, and piece together his best coaching job ever… and I STILL doubt that team would win 35 games.

Back to the Celtics, you guys probably thought Paul Pierce was awful tonight. He shot 1-9! He only scored 8 points! He hasn’t made a three-pointer since December 1st! (He’s 0-16 in that span.) But Pierce didn’t play badly tonight; he showed just how much he has matured. If he ever played that poorly offensively in his youth, Pierce would have packed it in and played zero defense. His whole game would have been affected. But not tonight. Instead, he made his presence felt in other ways. He blocked three shots. He broke up two-on-one fast breaks like it was the easiest thing in the world. He harassed Gerald Wallace into 2-15 shooting. So you say Paul Pierce played poorly tonight. I’ll just say those shots will fall soon, and I’m happy he’s on my side.

Kevin Garnett had another ho-hum double double (and unretired his “talk shit and clap in a perimeter player’s face” routine while D’ing up Stephen Jackson); Rajon Rondo finally got some rest; Kwame Brown’s still as hopeless as ever; Glen Davis continues to do his part every single night; Nate Robinson has no conscience (as if we didn’t already know that),Luke Harangody actually played in the first half (two unexciting minutes); Nazr Mohammed is quite obviously in a contract year; and Semih Erden had the most promising night of his rookie season to date (as well as a monster alley-oop dunk).

The Celtics have now won ten straight games. Recently, they’re doing it without their top three centers, and their best off-the-bench guard. That’s probably part of the reason Michael Jordan could be seen sitting courtside, shaking his head.

His Airness: if you ever wanted to suit up, the Bobcats could use you. I KNOW you’d still be better than Matt Carroll.