celtics could always trade up for a higher spot with their 2 first rounders but this draft is packed- there are tons of sleepers that go unnoticed. melo would be safe bet- hes similar to perkins. in college ball he doesnt contribute much but he makes a huge impact, but he has talent. i still like draymond green hes slick and versatile but at the same time plays big and grabs those boards.

i dont think celtics would need another point guard- although kabongo is definitely interesting te celtics have rondo and the emergence of bradley, not to mention prospect etwaun moore and we know what he can do. however, wroten jr is GOOD- he can actually shoot pretty well his shots just dont fall for some reason. i would want to see boston take wroten jr if they could also- he has ray allen size but classic pg quickness and vision

http://www.nba.com/news/features/david_aldridge/big-board-shooting-guards/index.html

sorry for the late reply. boston has been on a roll lately, yet i cant help but see the negatives...i still do not think boston is capable of winning a 7 game series against miami...as to your former choice of ross and melo, boston and clippers are both rolling. it looks like they wont even get a chance to draft them because htey are in the 20s now.

http://www.shopbenchmark.com/sportiqe/nba.html

Casey,

I will get some time to look at your article in detail and can give you some pointers.

I was wondering could you pass on your e-mail address to me? I can give you my number and I can try to walk you through the steps to publish.

Please do let me know.

Casey,

This is some good stuff that would do well on Bleacher Report!

Some spelling and grammar cleanup is needed (this is quite common for every person that wants to publish on B/R).

I was wondering if you could send me your write-up via e-mail as an attachment?

I will send you my e-mail ID as well.

Just finished watching last night's game.
When they execute well, their play is kinda old-school and fun (for me, anyway, I enjoy women's hoop for similar reasons) to watch.
Correct me if I'm mistaken, but the athleticism of Pierce and KG noticeably wanes with fatigue. In the 3rd quarter last night, balls Garnett seemed to be snatching in the 1st half, he was barely touching. And if that's a consequence of playing back-to-back, we may see a lot of it for nine more games.

About Ainge (and perhaps by extension about Doc), I feel you've been inclined to give then too much credit. While the Bass acquisition was a steal Red himself would have been proud of, and Bradley blossoming into a viable NBA player, little was done to address a self-inflicted hole at a key spot. 10 or 15 minutes of heady bench play a night from O'Neal would be wonderful, but the starting center on a contender? Big Greg's energy off the bench and sound play are pros, but the kid's a fouling machine. And now the UCLA kid plays while your #1 pick rots on the bench? I don't understand all the logistics of it all like you do, casey, and I realize he didn't compromise the future for a quick fix, but that core group has needed one piece (David West? I'm not sure) to make a title run.

I just hope their "big plan" doesn't involve Dwight Howard -- he's been showing a lot of true colors these days, and none of 'em look Celtic green to me.

Thanks for the thoughts.
This two-week stretch (starting with the SA loss) has been staring them in the face all season.
Fortunately, their recent improved play should keep them from having to fight simply to hold on to a playoff spot -- but to come through this "whole" and still in good playoff position?

Against good teams especially, they just don't seem to get enough easy shots.

So, the ultimate question is: Can they out-execute four good playoff teams?
Your litany of teams they have and have not beaten might be giving us the ultimate answer.

I hope I don't "crash" (I'm close) and I can see some of tonight's game. How 'bout 15 points and 7 boards for the Johnson kid!!

I see where you are coming from with Austin Rivers, him and Rondo wouldn't be the best compliments, but from a strict talent perspective, Rivers is as good as there is in the draft. That being said, he does need the ball in his hands and often demands it. The memory that will forever stick in my mind from when I got to see Austin play live is, at a somewhat big time in the game, he stood near mid-court while Duke was running their offense yelling and clapping his hands wanting the ball. When he got the ball he continued yelling, and waving his hands furiously as to tell his teammates to get out of the way. Then, he pulled up from beyond NBA three-point range, drained the shot, and turned to the crowd, around where I was sitting, and just stared with his arms outstretched. To me, that moment showed me a few things. First, that he had incredible confidence and played with an edge which definitely helps in the NBA. But it also showed that he is a bit selfish and, as you said, that probably would not go well with Rondo.

If one coach can change Austin though, it would probably be his dad. And if he and Rondo could work together, under Doc, they could form a very talented back-court. Because there is no question in my mind that Austin will be a good NBA player sooner or later.

I have been waiting since the day the Celtics drafted Bradley to write that article. I have always been a huge fan of Bradley because of the potential I know he has. And the best part is that I think that this is just the beginning for Bradley. I really like him at the two and I agree with you that he will probably never be a point guard, at least in the half court (which is probably better because he and Rondo can form the perfect back-court with him at the two, a back-court that we will hopefully see for the next decade).

As for trading the Clippers pick, I think that that is a good idea, but I think the Celtics could easily nab Kabongo without having to move up in the draft. Personally, I would love to see them get Austin Rivers. I got to see him play in person and I can honestly say he has some of the best NBA potential I have ever seen. I'm not sure how that would work out with Doc coaching him, but based solely on talent, I think that he could be the best possible steal for the Celtics. Other than that, the Celtics could potentially move up to try to get an elite big man.