Media Day Part II

Just wrapping things up from an unusually quiet time here at Media Day:

* Newly-acquired Gerald Wallace has finally arrived in Boston. He spoke to reporters today for the first time since being shipped over from the Brooklyn Nets back in June. Wallace said he was "caught off guard" by the trade, but he said he is happy to be in Boston. And this ought to give Wallace brownie points with Celtics fans: he said today he is a big Red Sox and Patriots fan.

* Rajon Rondo addressed the media today. Like Sullinger, Rondo is unsure of when he'll return.

"When I'm mentally ready, I'll play," Rondo said. "When I feel confident, and I don't think about it, just go out there and play. Even when my knee is going to get hit, or I have to go through a screen, when I don't think about that part of the game with my knee, I'll be ready to go."

When pressed on the issue, Rondo responded, "The 2013-2014 season. Sometime in the winter, maybe the fall. You never know." Oh Rajon.

* When asked about his new head coach, Rondo raved about him.

"Me and Brad have become best friends. We talk every day, we laugh and joke...I'm going to help him, he's going to help me."

* New head coach Brad Stevens has impressed many thus far, including president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. Ainge has been so impressed that he joked with the media that he would like to give him a four-year extension.

* When addressing the media, Stevens made one interesting point. He continuously told reporters that the team's focus this season will be on being versatile and playing "positionless basketball." Of the 18 players in camp, 9 of them are forwards, 6 are guards and 3 are centers. It's safe to say the Celtics have that option to be versatile.


More to come in a bit...

Media Day

The 2013-2014 Boston Celtics' journey may not begin until tomorrow, but today fans, media and other spectators will get to see the team together in one place for the first time. That's because today is the their obligatory media day, a day in which players, coaches and front office staff are available to the press throughout the course of the day.

There are many questions to be answered today, but for now, let's get everyone caught up on what's happened so far...

* The team finalized its training camp roster last night, signing guards Chris Babb and Kammron Taylor, and forwards DeShawn Sims and Damen Bell-Holter. The Celtics currently have 14 players on their roster along with their four camp invites.

* Forward Jared Sullinger spoke with reporters, but not about his domestic abuse incident. Sullinger cannot comment because it's an ongoing case. With regards to his surgically-repaired back, Sullinger said that he is "not close" to being in game shape, although he said he has no physical limitations. He is unsure of when he will play. President of basketball operations Danny Ainge said that he too is unsure of when Sullinger will be back.

Check back later on for some more tidbits from media day.

News and notes

Just a couple of tidbits as we head into training camp...

* Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told reporters on Tuesday that he would be shocked if point guard Rajon Rondo was ready to start the regular season. Ainge hinted that Rondo should return sometime around December. Rondo will join the Celtics in Newport, R.I. for training camp, but he will not participate.

"We'll just take it week by week and he'll continue to get evaluated," Ainge said. "He's working extremely hard and he wants to play. He's excited for the new team. I think there was a time when all of [Boston's offseason moves were] happening that he was sort of wondering, 'Where do I fit in here? What's our team?' But I think Rajon is in a very good place right now."

* Ainge also said that he expects to have Jared Sullinger in training camp. Sullinger was charged with assault and battery after a confrontation with his girlfriend on August 3.

"I think Jared is a good kid. And he’s a good Celtic. And he’s a guy that we have big hopes for. We don’t think he’s done anything so wrong that he shouldn’t be part of our team today."

* With regards to a contract extension for Avery Bradley, Ainge said that the two sides are likely to wait until after the season to revisit those talks.

Will they be O.K.?

As Doc Rivers (left) and Kevin Garnett (right) head for greener pastures,
will the grass be greener on the other side for the Celtics?

It's easy for Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers to sit here now and say that the Celtics will be fine.

It's easy for Garnett to say that when after he was shipped to a team that many feel will challenge the reigning champion Miami Heat.

It's easy for Rivers to say that because many are picking his Los Angeles Clippers to win the Western Conference title. 

From the outside looking in, it's easy to make rash assumptions. Sure, everything will be fine. Don't worry.

But will it?

Rivers was in Boston this past Wednesday Action for the Boston Community Development's Hoops Dreams charity event at TD Garden, and he spoke highly of newly-hired Brad Stevens. Rivers believes Stevens will be a "very, very good NBA coach." He feels the Celtics will be alright. 

While promoting his new ANTA shoe in China this past week, Garnett answered a few questions about the Celtics. When asked about the current state of the team, Garnett responded, "I think Boston's going to be fine. That team has always been proven, they always succeed, always push the envelope when it comes to winning, and they have good pieces up there, Jeff Green, Rajon (Rondo), Brandon Bass, guys up there that's really hard-working guys, that will come in and compete every night, are going to put forth a valid effort. So they're not going to be shabby, not at all." 

Not too shabby, eh? We'll see.

What am I saying here? Well, I think that we should take these comments from both Garnett and Rivers with a grain of salt. To a point, they actually might mean what they say. But do you think they really care? 

Rivers, despite disputing this notion for months now, wanted out. Once he saw the writing on the wall, he wanted to leave. And why blame him? He was about to embark on his third rebuilding project in what is going to be his fourteenth season as an NBA head coach. That's too much to ask for a guy who is a former Coach of the Year award winner, an NBA champion and a guy who is regarded as the best coach in the league.

Now, Rivers is on cloud nine. He's coaching a team that should challenge for an NBA title, and he's doing so in the beautiful city of L.A.,  a place where he can play golf 365 days a year. He's in his happy place, so he doesn't have to worry about how his former team is going to perform. He has to get acclimated with his new surroundings, so why waste time stirring the pot about the past?

The same applies for Garnett. He has to get to know his new teammates, and he's about to chase after another ring. Why does he have to worry about his old team will do? 

The recipe for these guys (Garnett, Rivers and for Paul Pierce when he does speak) is as follows: just say they'll be fine and move on. They're all in different places now, and why is that? It's because Danny Ainge felt the time was now to build the next great Celtics team, and that team was not going to include Garnett, Pierce and even Rivers. 

Let's face the facts: the Celtics will not be a very good team in the foreseeable future. Things may be interesting, but they will not be a true championship contender for quite some time. So why kid ourselves? Why should we believe these guys who will not be here to experience this "low" period?

Just because these comments are coming from two men who will forever live in Celtics' lore doesn't mean fans should read their words like biblical passages.

And so it begins

The school year has begun, which means The Green Team is back in action!

Since my last post on July 3, the Celtics have been anything but inactive.

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are gone. So aren't Chris Wilcox, Shavlik Randolph, Terrence Williams and Fab Melo.

In comes Brad Stevens, a man with no NBA experience and two NCAA national championship appearances, to lead a team that doesn't have the highest of expectations.

Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, Keith Bogans, Kelly Olynyk, Marshon Brooks, Colton Iverson, Phil Pressey, Donte Greene and Vitor Faverani are all, as the newest member of the basketball Hall of Fame Rick Pitino once famously said, walking through that door.

Jared Sullinger was arrested on assault and battery charges, and his status for the upcoming season is up in the air.

Rajon Rondo is "not near 100%" in the words of Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. Rondo tore his right ACL back on January 28, and it is unclear when he will return. 

Training camp starts October 1, and while many feel the Celtics will rank in the lower third in the Eastern Conference, in reality, the 2013-2014 Celtics remain utterly unpredictable. There are many question marks, health concerns and "if's". Such as...

Is Jeff Green ready to be that go-to guy we all expect him to be? 

When will Rondo be back? 

Can Avery Bradley rebound from a poor second half of last season? 

How will Stevens handle his first NBA head coaching gig?

If he remains with the team, how will Sullinger bounce back from back surgery?

The "if's" are quite intriguing. Being the optimist that I am, I believe that if everything goes their way, the Celtics can contend for a playoff spot. This would put them in roughly the same spot they were last season: a sub-.500 team for the first part of the season, and finishing the season hovering around .500. 

Boston can contend...

...if Rondo proves he can return to form.

...if Olynyk shines like many in the basketball world expect him to.

...if the shipment of ex-Brooklyn Nets (Bogans, Brooks, Wallace and Humphries) do their job.

Look, this team could look totally different in a few weeks. They could very well end up being bad. Very bad. But it's all part of the plan. So just sit back and enjoy the ride.