FanHouse RayAllen

There were two lingering questions for the Celtics coming into this, a season where they are widely expected to contend for a championship. The first was the status of Kevin Garnett's knee which appears to be just fine. You can notice a very slight hobble by Garnett after an ill-advised dunk, but that could just be reverberations from the accompanying unnecessary screaming.

The other was the contract status of Rajon Rondo, who was working on an extension to avoid entering restricted free agency by remaining with the Celtics. Talks had slowed, and Rondo was making comments to the effect that it was possible he wouldn't end up in Boston.

Bad news for the rest of the league: he will end up in Boston. Early Monday after a fortunate extension from the league for all teams in negotiations, the Celtics and Rondo reached an agreement on a 5-year, $55 million extension, according to ESPN.

FanHouse previews all 30 NBA teams in advance of the 2009-10 season.

The Celtics are a good team. This is, by most accounts, an understatement.

Boston finished with a record of 62-20 last season, despite the fact that the heart and soul of its defense, Kevin Garnett, missed 22 of the team's final 26 games with a knee injury.

Garnett missed the playoffs as well, but that didn't stop the Celtics from taking the eventual Eastern Conference champions to seven games in the second round, before their title defense ended two rounds earlier than they had expected for most of the season.

My first thought after glancing at that photo to the right? Chad Ochocinco is really excited about the start of the regular season. At this point, between the fake tats and three-in-the-morning Ustreams, it seemed perfectly reasonable.

As it turns out, it's much more mundane: that's Ray Allen getting Thundercat-ed out at his kid's birthday party.

And that's the thing: act like an escaped mental patient and people generally assume you're insane. Win a championship during your first year with the Celtics and you're free to do whatever you like.

After the jump, more twitpics of Jesus Shuttlesworth.

When Bruce Bowen officially announces his retirement in a San Antonio beauty salon Thursday, the nation will not be overcome with nostalgia. Spurs fans will send Bowen away with a hearty thanks and fond memories. But for any NBA player who has played against him and any fan who has watched Bowen hassle their own's teams star, this is a day of celebration.

The Rash is gone.

On Friday here on FanHouse, Tim Povtak reported that the Celtics were hot on the trail for free-agent swingman Marquis Daniels to bolster their team as they reload in the OK Corral the Eastern Conference has become this summer.

Looks like the C's have their man.

Daniels' agent confirmed to Yahoo! Sports that the Celtics are in the final stages of working out a sign-and-trade for Daniels with his former club, the Pacers. If that fails, the biannual exception is in the Celtics' back pocket, with Daniels ready to accept.

There's a little NBA trading spice coming out of Woj's internet-making machine recently, in the form of (another?) rumor involving Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo. This time, they were reportedly offered to Detroit in a deal that would have sent Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rodney Stuckey to Beantown.

(Quick aside: Is it just me or is the NBA offseason easily the most fun of any sport?) Anyway, it appears, based on Woj's sources, that this rumor is likely to gain very little steam, primarily because Danny Ainge is dealing with "Bring in Rasheed Wallace to win a championship" Joe Dumars, as opposed to "Draft Darko, Trade Chauncey for Iverson" Joe Dumars.

Cherry Picking recaps yesterday's NBA playoff action.

My colleague Matt Steinmetz made a compelling case over the weekend that the Lakers are at a crossroads. If this team falls short of reaching the NBA Finals, should Mitch Kupchak do everything in his power to bring back the current core? Will retaining free agents like Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza and Shannon Brown result in a roster with a championship ceiling? It's too early to say, especially after the Lakers averted disaster with a Game 7 win over the Rockets.

But after watching the Celtics fall to the Magic in Game 7 at home, I can't help but think Boston's GM Danny Ainge now faces the same dilemma. Did the Celtics lose because they were unlucky victims of the injury bug, or did they lose because the roster is inherently flawed?

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This will go down as a defining moment in the still-budding career of Dwight Howard, the series in which he went from another well-hyped NBA star without a resume, to a legitimate leader who proved he could take a team deep into the playoffs.

It should be the beginning of a long run for the Orlando Magic, who will meet LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference final for the first of what might be many times in the next several years.

The guard has changed in the East. The Pistons are history, and the Celtics aren't far behind.

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Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley can't avoid the playful jabs of Saturday Night Live any longer. Actually, it's ubiquitous house ads that earn most of the scorn here, along with ... Ray Allen? The sketch has Allen getting injured in today's Game 7. Methinks some SNL writer doesn't care for the Celtics. (Sully would have never let this happen.) Video hat tip to Awful Announcing. (Anyone else excited about Mark?)

What started this season as a chest-thumping NBA title defense is turning into an even more impressive testament to seat-of-the-pants resiliency and steely resolve.

The Big Three is long gone. The Gang of Unwanted has kept this one alive.