The Celtics got off to a franchise-best 27-2 start this season, and there was obviously little cause for concern. But then, the team hit the road for four games out West, and dropped three of them ... which apparently now is causing complete panic in the front office. Why would I say this? Because the hot rumor of the day has Boston as the ultimate destination for Stephon Marbury this season. ESPN's Marc Stein explains:
Nearly one year since Stephon Marbury last played in a regular-season game, signals are getting stronger that the New York Knicks' outcast will eventually make his comeback with the Boston Celtics.
When asked specifically about the likelihood of Marbury joining the Celtics this season, the source predicted that "it will happen."
Now of course, before Marbury can go anywhere, there's the little issue of his contract with the Knicks. He and the team were previously a few million dollars apart on the negotiations, and unless Marbury has changed his stance and is willing to take less than he is owed, he's going to stay in his highly-paid purgatory for the rest of the year.
But if Marbury's contract does get bought out and he becomes available ... why would Boston take the chance?
Here's some pretty funny stuff (via TMZ) that appeared to occur before Game 4 of the Finals outside the Celtics' hotel. As the players boarded the team bus, a group of Laker fans had various insults ready to serenade the different players with, the loudest and funniest being saved for Sam Cassell. A couple of the Celtics' players though had some equally funny responses.
P.J. Brown (being 59 years old and all) has only heard this stuff like, a billion times, so his subtle reminder to the fans that his team had two victories at the time was definitely the response of a cagey veteran. But the funniest line came from Scot Pollard, when he told one of the hecklers to "tell your mom to stop calling me." Hilarious, yet clean and in no way over the line.
NBA Endgame will preview Celtics-Lakers from all angles. Right now: Why this title means more to Kobe's legacy than Pierce, Garnett and Allen's combined.
There will be many miles of prose penned about the ghosts of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird over the next few days. Which is wonderful, because reviving an old matchup and rivalry for the NBA is like an extra ladle of gravy on the biscuit that was the 2007-08 season. The only downside is the potential to obscure what is actually at stake here in terms of individual legacies.
And I know basketball is a team game, and this series is very much about either the Boston or Los Angeles united basketball fronts returning to glory. But no NBA Finals may have ever meant as much in determining the the way history sees, not the way they see themselves, four generational stars. Oh, and P.J. Brown.
Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce united in an attempt to finally win a ring between the three of them, for all three of them. Kobe Bryant's roster was already prepared to contend, even if, sadly, he did not know it yet. The midseason acquisition of Pau Gasol only locked up the Lakers ability to storm the Finals.
But to whom does it mean more? Not that I believe the need for an NBA championship will actually outweigh the level of on-court skill and execution. It won't. But I do think there is an interesting argument that the possibility of a championship for Kobe, someone who already has three rings, means more somehow than it does for KG, Allen and Pierce combined.
Notes from a trip to the NBA Playoffs. P.J. Brown, who came out of semi-retirement in the middle of the year to join the Celtics, has waited 16 long years to reach the NBA Finals. So how was he celebrating in the locker room after last night's win?
By sitting in front of his locker wearing an "Eastern Conference Champion" t-shirt and hat while munching on a pita sandwich. Gives a new meaning to being hungry for a win, I suppose. Between bites, he answered a few questions. Is this what you had in mind when you got here midseason?
PJ: "You have it in mind, but until it actually happens, you don't really believe it. It's unbelievable, man, to be here, to be in this moment. I've always wanted to put this cap on and wear this t-shirt, man, so I'm excited, I'm jacked up. ... Three months ago I was at home, tossing and turning, wondering should I do this? And now it's all come true, man, and I'm grateful, I'm appreciative and I'm looking forward to the opportunity coming up next week."
The Rotation is a weekly study on the NBA by one of our All-Star voices. In rotation this week is Brett Edwards.
The NBA has seen an unprecedented amount of player movement this season, including three deals which can only be described as flat out blockbusters. But as the choke-time Mavericks and suddenly atrocious Suns are learning, bringing in new, big name talent doesn't necessarily make your team better. It just makes it different, and different isn't likely to get you to the Finals. Now that the hype has blown over, it's clear that the Lakers have built themselves for a title, while the Suns and Mavericks are worse off than before they started. But why?
The trading-for-a-superstar craze began of course with the Celtics. Boston's off-season acquisitions of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett -- along with the team running out to a fast start and the league's best record -- "proved" a couple of things to general managers everywhere. One, teams that aren't going anywhere are willing to move their superstars, for the price of young unproven talent and/or some players with expiring contracts. This creates immediate flexibility for future moves under the salary cap, and/or buys the GM years of job security while waiting for the young players to come into their own. And two, guess what? When you have a team stocked with All-Stars, there's a good chance that you can compete for a title.
The Celtics shored up their front line today by signing 38-year-old power forward P.J. Brown out of semi-retirement. Brown played 72 games with the Bulls last season and was pursued by several teams in the offseason, but the big man said all along that he'd most likely sit out the first few months before deciding if he wanted to play again.
It's no big surprise that he settled on the Celtics, owners of the best record in the league and one of the leading favorites for the title. All along it was said that Boston's only weakness was depth, but Brown will be a solid addition to the big man rotation. I'm not sure how much he'll play right away, but he's not a bad insurance policy for rookie Glen Davis and is certainly a better option on both ends of the floor than Scot Pollard.
The Celtics now have 14 players on their roster, one fewer than the limit. Might they be saving a spot for a certain crusty point guard? If so, that'd be a huge coup for them in the "experience" department -- Brown and Sam Cassell have a combined 29 years of service in the NBA.
The Magic learned this week that Tony Battie has a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder. The initial prognosis is that he'll need (likely season-ending) surgery, but he was scheduled to seek a second opinion yesterday. Battie is hardly an elite player, but losing him could have disastrous effects for the Magic.
Why? Because beyond Dwight Howard and Adonal Foyle, the Magic are short on big men capable of banging down low. Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu are both 6-10, but they're perimeter players who rarely venture into the post. Needless to say, when Howard is out of the game, the Magic will get killed on the boards.
The Magic could have avoided this problem had they retained Darko Milicic, but he's in Memphis now. There's not much quality left on the free agent market to replace Battie, especially considering almost every other team in the league could top what the Magic have to offer, which is merely the veteran's minimum of $1.2 million.
Besides, if Chris Webber or P.J. Brown, the top power forwards still unsigned, decide they want to play this year, they could easily get that much money (or more) from a legitimate contender like Dallas or Phoenix, which means the Magic are most likely going to have to fill the hole internally. So dust off those gym shoes, James Augustine, and start working on that English, Marcin Gortat, because you're most likely going to see a lot more action this year than you ever thought possible.
It's almost kind of sad, but the two best big men still on the market aren't even sure if they're going to be playing next year: Chris Webber, 34, and P.J. Brown, 37, have left offers from several teams on the table as they contemplate retirement. And despite the fact that training camp is right around the corner, Brown, for one, doesn't expect to make up his mind soon. From the Dallas Morning News:
Brown's agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Thursday that the 6-10 center-forward is still mulling his future. He is unlikely to make any decisions until well into October and maybe not even until after the season starts.
Brown is going to enjoy his family for a while, which is commendable, and if he gets the itch to play in November or December or January, he will weigh options.
If he returns that late in the year, Brown probably won't get much better than a prorated portion of the veteran's minimum, but it's not like he was going to get a multi-year deal, anyway. And this way, he'll be able to pick which situation best suits him, either going to the team that most needs his services or piggy-backing onto the early front-runner for the title.
It's been said so much that it's almost becoming cliche, but the new-look Celtics need depth. They've made some in-roads by signing the likes of Eddie House and Scot Pollard, but they could still use another experienced big man. Unfortunately, it no longer looks like they have the resources to bag P.J. Brown. From the Boston Herald:
The Celtics, by giving $1.5 million of their $5.36 million mid-level exception to House, probably fell out of range for free agent power forward P.J. Brown, who as of last week was being courted especially hard by Dallas.
The former Bull, whose children attend school in Louisiana, has left the impression with several teams that he is seeking the full mid-level from his next employer.
"There's several things going on regarding P.J.," said Bartlestein, his agent. "The Celtics are a little limited right now in what they can do. But I think he would like to stay close to his kids."
I wasn't a geography major, but I do know that Dallas is much, much closer to Louisiana than Massachusetts. I don't know if the Mavs are eager to commit the full MLE to Brown, either, but if he's going to take less, the distance from his family seems like a legitimate determining factor.
The Celtics got off to a franchise-best 27-2 start this season, and there was obviously little cause for concern. But then, the team hit the road for four games out West, and dropped three of them ... which apparently now is causing complete panic in the front office. Why would I say this? Because the hot rumor of the day has Boston as the ultimate destination for Stephon Marbury this season. ESPN's Marc Stein explains:
NBA Endgame
Notes from a 
The Celtics shored up their front line today by 
Contrary belief, the Magic have yet to seriously pursue any free agent big men, despite being granted a $2.6 million injury exception by the NBA after 
The Magic learned this week that 
It's almost kind of sad, but the two best big men still on the market aren't even sure if they're going to be playing next year: 
It's been said so much that it's almost becoming cliche, but the new-look Celtics need depth. They've made some in-roads by signing the likes of 
