Category Archives: paul pierce

2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Washington Wizards

Washington has built a fun team to watch. They have one of the best backcourts in the league with John Wall and Bradley Beal. Washington can do things around the perimeter while also having two huge men in the paint.

The East is a top-heavy conference. Cleveland and Chicago are the two teams many put on top, but shouldn’t Washington also be mentioned?

Could John Wall be a sleeper MVP candidate?

We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.

Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Washington Wizards.

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Danny Granger Out Three Weeks with Calf Strain

Indiana Pacers small forward Danny Granger will miss three week after straining his left calf.

The former All-Star is coming back from knee surgery, so Pacers fans can breathe a sigh of relief that it’s not another knee injury.

Granger’s injury will open up more playing time for Lance Stephenson, who filled in admirably in Granger’s absence last season. New roster additions Chris Copeland and rookie Solomon Hill will also see a bump in minutes.

The Indiana Pacers are one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference to dethrone defending NBA Champions, the Miami Heat.

They have plenty of competition this season. Miami signed key bench players, the Chicago Bulls have former MVP Derrick Rose back this season and the Brooklyn Nets added Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

Could Boston’s ‘Big Three’ Be Back Next Season?

The Boston Celtics had a nice five-year run with Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce leading the team. They won a championship and had three other deep runs in the NBA playoffs.

Boston lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals and fans heard the team’s death rattle. Garnett and Allen are free agents this summer and even Pierce’s future in Boston is questionable.

Rumors are swirling about what GM Danny Ainge will do this off-season. Could he blow the team up and rebuild around Rajon Rondo or sign Allen and Garnett for one last run? The duo will have plenty of suitors, but would they give Boston a hometown discount?

Gary Washburn of Boston.com had an interesting article about the moves Boston could make this off-season. He seemed pretty optimistic about the ‘Big Three’ staying together for the next season or two, if they took a pay cut. The Celtics could offer Garnett a two-year deal with the incentive being an extra guaranteed year. Allen would have to sign a much smaller contract with a lesser role, most likely being a 3-point specialist. Boston would have enough money to re-sign Jeff Green, who is coming back from heart surgery.

Washburn’s scenario is plausible, but could Garnett and Allen ignore the temptation of signing with a team who has a better chance at winning a title?

Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News reported on Sunday that the San Antonio Spurs will take a long look at Kevin Garnett this summer. The Spurs were only two wins away from making it to the NBA Finals and an extra piece. Garnett alongside of Tim Duncan is a scary thought for Western Conference teams.

Ray Allen will also have his share of suitors. A 3-point specialist is in high demand, but he wouldn’t be getting a lot of money. He would be signing with a new team strictly for the opportunity to raise another banner. The Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat, and Chicago Bulls all need a player with Allen’s skill-set. The Bulls would be an interesting fit with Richard Hamilton and Allen both coming off screens. It would be a defensive nightmare for teams, but both players have lost a step.

My money would be on Ainge orchestrating a maneuver that keeps the ‘Big Three’ in Boston for at least one more season. Boston has three of the first 51 picks in this year’s NBA Draft, but could use the D-League system and to keep a player or two down there to keep roster spots open.

Boston already has a young core of players waiting on the bench. Avery Bradley, JaJuan Johnson, and E’Twaun Moore could be productive players in the league. Bradley has already shown his worth as a spark plug who can play both sides of the ball. A full season of a Bradley/Rondo backcourt could lead to another deep playoff run, even without Garnett and Allen.

If Ainge decided to blow up the team, he wouldn’t have to do a lot. If he chose to move some pieces for elite talent, Boston has assets…especially with the amount of draft picks they own in this very deep draft.

Let’s hope that Ainge makes a decision without flipping a coin…even if it would be much easier.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

2009-10 NBA Preview: Boston Celtics

The Celtics went 62-20 last year and somehow it seemed like a disappointing year. The Celtics lost to the Orlando Magic in seven games in the 2nd round last season. The Magic just matched up very well against Boston last year, but the Celtics signed Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels. Are the veterans on the Celtics a year wiser or just another year older? They are getting up there in age, can they win another title before the window closes? Here is the 2009-10 NBA Preview for the Boston Celtics.

Additions/Subtractions – Can I add Kevin Garnett in this section, because without him, the Celtics were just a good team, not great. If he isn’t 100% from the knee injury, they have insurance in the form of Rasheed Wallace. He didn’t have a good season last year, but with Sheed, he needs to be motivated and on a contending team for a team to get 100% effort. He will help this team immensely with or without a healthy Garnett. Another nice acquistion was the addition of Marquis Daniels. He had a very good season for the Pacers last year and he can score points when needed. Stephon Marbury and Leon Powe are the two main subtractions from last year’s team, but only Powe will be missed, but Wallace is an upgrade at that position.

2009-10 Expectations – It’s a championship or bust for Boston this year. This team doesn’t have many more seasons with this current squad and really has to go all-in or this season. Kevin Garnett is hungry again and he has a chip on his shoulder. He has to prove that he is still dominant and he is 100% healthy, so expect maximum effort from KG this year. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen fell apart toward the end of last season. Age could be creeping up on them, but Rajon Rondo picked up the slack and had the best stretch of his career during the playoffs last season. This team is loaded with veterans wanting to win a ring, if they can keep Wallace in check and keep the technicals down, Boston could be the team to beat in the East or the entire NBA.

2009-10 Prediction – Kevin Garnett may not have a great 1st half this season, but by the 2nd half, he should be 100% and putting up ridiculous numbers. I worry about Pierce and Allen, but with the addition of Wallace and Daniels, they can spell them so the minutes don’t creep up on them by the end of the year. This team is going to go far this year, they have more length at the SF and SG positions to compete with Orlando and they seem to have Cleveland’s number.

2009-10 Win Total – 64-18

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

NBA Remembers That Atlanta Has A Franchise

I can’t remember the last time that I watched an Atlanta Hawks game before these playoffs. I guarantee that Dominique Wilkens and/or Spud Webb were still sporting Hawks jerseys. When did TBS stop airing Atlanta’s games? Almost every game was on TBS, usually right after Atlanta Braves games. I think the point when they stopped airing the games on TBS, I stopped watching the Hawks. To be honest, the only time I remembered that they existed was when they picked the ping-pong balls out for the NBA Lottery.

The Atlanta Hawks are such a young team, but filled with solid college players, except Josh Smith, who went pro from high school. Al Horford, Josh Childress, and Mike Bibby seem to play very well together. No one expected that Atlanta would win one game, let alone force a seventh game. I am liking what I am seeing in this series, the boys are becoming men.I know the NBA are foaming at the mouth for a possible Celtics/Lakers NBA Final, but at the same time, a young, talented, underdog story can be good for the league as well. If Atlanta shocks the world and beats Boston, they may not beat Cleveland, but they are setting themselves up to build on their success this year. Al Horford looks like the real deal and was shafted by not getting Rookie Of The Year. Kevin Durant may have had the point totals, but Horford has had a better well-rounded year and made his team competitive.Somebody wake these guys up! I know they are making some crazy money, but isn’t the post-season the reason these guys wanted to play together? In Game 6, Ray Allen looked nervous, Paul Pierce was hot-headed, and Kevin Garnett was the only one that showed up to win this series. You cannot win an NBA playoff game if the opposing team reaches the free-throw line 20 more times than you. These three guys may be showing people the real reason why neither of them have won an NBA championship, they disappear when it matters.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.