It was a twitter rumor that Sean Grande had mentioned, but so far no reports of LAC letting him go :( Sent from my iPad

No major surprise. As a veteran it was expected he'd go with a bonafide title contender. Let's keep in mind Garnett or Bass will be on the floor when a big comes off the bench, so Danny may be looking for a more defensive minded PF/Center who can body their man, protect the rim and fill the lane in transition. Murphy didn't work out for us, partly because he came in out of shape, and I don't think Turiaf will matter much to the Heat ... if he does they've got problems.

Unless we're talking about signing Kaman off a buyout none of these names are going to jump off the page and excite us. Diaw may be the most talented, but IMHO if Evans is bought out over the next 48 hours you push hard because he addresses rebounding, toughness ... and he's in game shape. Can't say that about Turiaf or Sheed; no one has seen any gains made by Fesenko since he's been out of league since last year, and Hollins is nothing more than a journeyman.

The run started right after Teague taunted Ray. Good job by Bass boxing out tonight ... team high 10 boards ... Rumor is LAC may buyout Evans ... Ryan Hollins + Fesensko on the short list.

Ivan Johnson is another worker bee who always seems to win the 50/50 game for Atl. That's exactly the type of player we're in dire need of. While its true Turiaf is not the most efficient rebounder, he does bring that kind of hustle, which tends to be contagious. But he'll be forced to play his way into shape given he hasn't seen floor time in 2 1/2 months. In Chris Johnson's case, he just wasn't able to get any burn. But if JO is bought out they'll have to wave either Quis or Sasha to sign both. It'll be up to Doc to mix and match once Garnett is given a blow because all three (Stiemer/Turiaf/CJ) will not be consistent on a night in, night out basis. JO's health withstanding, it shows how little trade value we had on bench and how hand cuffed Danny really was at the trade deadline. As for this week's slate of games. The most brutal part of the schedule features a pair of 4 games in 5 nights in April with home/home vs. Miami, on road in Chic-town and Indy, and home against the Spurs, Sixers and Hawks. They could win the division and nab the 4th seed or completely fall apart and not make the playoffs.

That's the 1,000,000.00 question. Can he pass a physical ??? I guess we'll know soon enough :) Sent from my iPad

Looks like Turiaf will be waived ... http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=NBA&id=1167&line=175135&spln=1 He would be an excellent pickup ... A good energy worker bee who can defend and rebound

I was thinking long the same lines because it looks like a steal for LA. But the key element was LA's #1. It's lottery protected this year, which means if they don't make the playoffs they keep it. But the Cav's have the right to swap spots in 2013 if LA's pick ends up higher than than the Miami pick, which the Cavs own. So if the Heat finish 30 and LA 15, they can move up to 15 ... plus they have their own #1 in 2013.

I'd like to remind everyone it was that dope Tanguay who insisted Pierce would be traded by the deadline. Has it ever occurred to those seeking to turn back the hands of time that there's reason why Sheed, House, Posey, and Arenas are no longer in the league? True, Kaman would be the best option, but even if he is bought out why would he choose Boston over Miami or SA ? More likely candidates are Gadzuric, Fesenko or Johnson ... although I wouldn't mind seeing Leon back in a Celtic uniform.

Even after a 4-8 start I've been of the opinion Danny would not trade any of the brand names unless it was for a top 10-20 rated player or #1's or both. It's probably why Ray is not an out going Celtic tonight. The same holds true for potential incoming targets like Kamen and Wallace. NJ was able to offer Portland a likely top ten #1 + cap space where we could not, and as it turns out the contracts of JO, Dooling, Wilcox and the rest of our bench were not of any value rendering a trade for Kamen or even Hickson moot. So I disagree on the value of cap space. Under the new CBA teams are mandated to spend 85% or more next season, which translates to about 52m. Now that Howard has decided to stay put for another season, and D. Will is likely opting out, heading to Dallas, cap space is not such an enviable position to be in considering the free agent pool this off season is soft, and teams like NJ, Portland and NO have oodles of room to spend as well. In Portland's case they now have the ability to sign Batum to 10m+/yr deal, ample cap room and a potential top ten pick. We may have cap space, but we don't have a pair of players like Batum and Alridge playing into their prime ... and, I'm not sure Rondo alone will be enough to lure top tier FA's in years to come.

I love how Rondo is responding to the trade talk innuendo. He wasn't as offensive minded last night as the day before (IMHO, his best game of the year), but instead of leading CP3 into the second line of defense he stayed in front of him forcing low percentage shots. Paul was not a factor penerating last night, and kudos to Stiemer for not backing down to Blake. Back to RR ... lately he looks more comfortable shooting, and he's making the right pass without the mustard. You couldn't have asked for anything better when he screamed at KG to set a pick for Ray, and although the Clips recovered KG was smart enough to slip the screen for any easy jam. Nice work!

Philly is 10-16 without Hawes in the line up, and they have difficultly scoring in crunch time. This would be one of those galvanizing road wins ... back to back on the road, first place on the line ... fingers crossed:)

Hope everyone took a mental snapshot of the Rockets since it's plausible we may join them in NBA no mans land. They are a competitive team but not a contender. Once upon a time they had Yao and TMAC before succumbing to injuries. Morey couldn't rebuild on lottery picks, so he front loaded good players in the hopes of one day trading them for a superstar. BTW ... Houston has 5 team options going into the off season yet none played last night. They would love to use a combination of any of those five plus Scola, Dalembet, Lowry or Martin in the hopes of trading for Gasol or Howard next week. Unless Howard punches his ticket to Boston this might be the only option left for Danny because the next superstar wearing green is likely not even the league yet. I've always said trading one or all of our future HOF's is unlikely unless it returns a lottery pick worthy of many ping pong balls. Its hard to envision team like Houston with trade assets pulling off a KG type deal or in our case charting a course of getting worse to get better. So we may be looking at Rondo, maybe Pierce and four players in the vernacular of Bass with strengths, but discernible weaknesses. Tonight's game will be interesting, but what shakes out over the next week may set the tone for the next five years.

The great Zach Lowe lays out a framework for how this debate should be discussed. http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2012/03/06/quantifying-rajon-rondos-trade-value/#more-15913

Read this piece yesterday and while I understand Finn's conjecture I'm not sure about drawing a parallel. I tried to think of a trade over the past 30 years that compelled a GM to make a deal for a player that would specifically address their arch rival's scorer. At the time the DJ trade wasn't about value or his demeanor. He was coveted because no guard could lock down Andrew Toney. Hypothetically if Rondo was traded to the Lakers would it be about stiffing Westbrook in a 7 game series? More importantly Phoenix was not in the position the Celtics find themselves in today. At the time the Suns had Adams, Davis, and Lucas playing at their prime with rookies Nance and Macy waiting in the wings. Hence, they could afford to let Johnson go and not require an elite player in return in lieu of their depth. Obviously we're in totally different situation, and the Rondo trade talk is all about whether they can build the next generation around him. So it is legitimate to debate his leadership or lack thereof. This is a tough franchise to play for, and unless Howard is bought in to share the spotlight the entire burden of being the face of the franchise falls on Rondo's back. So far he hasn't handled adversity very well playing in the shadows of 3 future HOF's. Maybe if shipped to another team, in a less demanding environment, he could grow into a true leader. Or maybe it's just a case of the veterans retiring, Rondo assuming the mantle and embracing the role. Bottom line is Danny will not trade him for a bunch of good players. He makes a deal if it's for elite talent. That's how much Rondo is valued by management.

Spencer Hawes' injury problems have become a huge factor . Philly is12-2 with Hawes in the lineup and 10-15 without him. They've also played a soft schedule, front loaded with home games. They play17 of their last 28 games on the road, including 6 of its final 7 games. After the next 11 games the Celtics road trip will be over and they will have played 9 of those games on the road. In that same time span Philly plays 10 games split evenly 5 on the road and 5 at home. The two teams go head to head in 2 games in this stretch. Here are the schedules: Boston Houston @ Philadelphia Portland @ Lakers @ Clippers @ Golden State @ Sacramento @ Denver @ Atlanta @ Milwaukee @ Philadelphia Philly @ Milwaukee Boston Utah @ New York @ Indiana Miami @ Chicago @ Charlotte New York Boston I think the key for us is win our next three games, grab a small lead and hope our core stays healthy. The division is certainly on the table, but what really matters is they finish no lower than 6th.

I think the Knicks may now have too much talent, and as defenses figure out Lin the pressure falls right back on D'Antoni. I don't see him figuring out a rotation other than to score the rock. They simply have too many selfish players who won't play defense.

Has anyone noticed we're only 2 games back in the Atlantic? A Philly hangover loss in Milwaukee tonight and Celtic victory tomorrow sets up a first place tilt Wednesday night. Amazing! We know what Rondo can do when he's engaged. It doesn't matter when he shoots 7-20 and misses six lay ups because his energy and skills can turn a game. We've seen this over and over again Sundays on ABC where he saves his greatest games for that network. He simply must be more consistent instead of mentally checking out of games that aren't televised in prime time. I think that's a fair comment coming from Jackie Mac. Quite frankly there are better PG's, but none of them can do what RR does, which is why we love him.

If that's D'Antoni's reasoning the same would hold true for Melo who's considered a great clutch shooter right? Only Melo missed what would have been the game clinching shot. Guess Melo is neither good or lucky? Sour grapes = bad coaching. In the first place D'Antoni sat Melo for way too long (8min) between the 3rd/4th quarter. It would also help if his team showed any inclination to defend. Oh, and he could have instructed Melo to foul Pierce, which Doc would have done if the roles were reversed. What can you expect from a head coach who gave Rondo a back handed compliment last year saying he'd like to see how well RR would do playing Minnesota?

It's hard to see Ray being traded to the west coast in light of his wife giving birth a short time ago and I agree LAC doesn't have the moving parts. If he is dealt it will likely be for an expiring contract unlike Gomes (2 years remaining) and a first rounder, which the Clips vanquished this year. I don't see Atlanta trading J. Smoove for Ray/JO/#1. Chicago could use him, but they won't move Gibson or Aisk. Indy might work because they have a #1 and Psycho T. Would OKC be interested in swapping Perk for Ray/JO? They have to commit dollars for Harden and Ibka, and have enough depth up front. Ray's marksmanship could make them impossible to double in crunch time.

Here's the full context of Danny's quote ... "I do not make comments on trade rumors because it never ends," he told the Globe this afternoon. "Rondo's been our best player." There is no GM who would publicly renounce one of his best players for the sheer purpose of diminishing his trade value.

No coach or GM would publicly admit to shopping a key component of the franchise. Actually Doc's submission helps his trade value. Then again if they were sniffing a 3 or 4th seed these trade talks would have never cycled. Based on the breakout of PG talent around the league RR's value is plummeting by the day. That doesn't constitute a boarding pass out of town. The safe bet is they will continue the current plan of tweaking the roster and build around Rondo with the cap space. However, to deny that Danny isn't discussing moving him for a deal that makes the team better now and in the future is simply naive.

Well the defensive efficiency is as consistent as it was with Perk or Shaq, and with him in the starting line up it boasts the best deferential of any combination. But no question it was a bad signing from the beginning. At least it appears we'll get more in return for him than Sheed. Sent from my iPad

The Celtics now rank 25th in offensive efficiency, so Beasley would be a welcomed addition. There's also credence to Garnett occupying the paint more frequently when he starts at the 5. The results were palpable last night (6-9 FGM). Let's recognize the overall effort of JO. Sure he's well on the back nine, but he took those nasty charges and was stout defensively. But he can longer be counted on to score like Garnett or rebound like Cox (double digit numbers over the last two games). Hence, losing his size to acquire Beasley will not spring a leak in the middle. JO+3m cash, or less cash + a #2 cements the deal. The Wolves are without a #1 this year and are looking to unload Darko's contract in light of Pekovic. So from their perspective the trade could yield a #2 and more than 10m in cap space. I don't see Bass/Beasley being redundant because Beasley is the more mobile of the two. Could also be an insurance policy if Bass is dealt in conjunction with RR for Gasol or when he opts out after the season. At any rate we would have the ability to sign Bass, Beasley and Green or deal one of them in a S/T. Good flexibility regarding cap space and management of the roster.

This is not a misprint; the celts outscored their opponent 46-44 in the paint. A large part of it was due to RR's terrific bounce back game, staying aggressive at the rim (7-11). Twelve more of those points, on 6 of 9 shooting, came from the center position. Garnett also converted 7 of 9 FTA. Translation ... when he plays the 5 he becomes forced to set up more on the blocks and that bodes well for a team that relies too much on its jump shooting. Although their best deferential +/- line up includes JO, they're more efficient offensively with Bass as a starter and O'Neal cannot put together back to back double digit rebounding nights ala Wilcox. Hence, losing his size to acquire Beasley will not spring a leak in the middle as previously thought. Beasley is playing well and would provide the same scoring jolt off the bench as Bass did. Not sure about Beasley long term, but his game allows Doc to play the kind of inside-out offense David West would had given them. The ides of March are upon us. So the Beasley acquisition may go down anytime as management is being awful quiet, nestling O'Neal away from the team. We are a better offensive team with Garnett at the 5, but the question is will the extra burden wear him down?