Celtics Central

Glen Davis is still unsigned…..

And Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

Other than that….I got nothing.

Wait.   How about this…..

Kenny Smith is one of my favorite TV analysts. Seriously.

He seems like a down to earth guy you’d sit in the living room with a beer and watch a game with. His insights are usually good and sometimes interesting. Like when he suggested that Ray Allen just run J.J. Redick through one pick at the top and shoot quickly, instead of a complete back door circle with double picks coming out of the other side, where the ‘other’ player picked picks Ray up, until Redick can recover. Made sense.

My favorite color is green….and brown.

Back to you Jane.

I’m wondering if this is Marcus’ last best chance.

At this point, more infamous than famous, according probasketballnews.com Marcus will sign with the Memphis Grizzlies….

within the next few days. The point guard will get a one-year deal for the NBA minimum of $855,189.

He is going go a situation where he will at least have some chance to play. Memphis’ starting point guard is Mike Conley. The back up is Marko Jaric, who is really more of a combo guard, and has had trouble getting playing time at either guard position. That might mean a real opportunity for Williams.

Denver had also shown interest, but picked up Ty Lawson in a trade on draft night.

Williams was a freshman on the National Champion Huskies team of 2004.  At one time compared in both body build and game to uber guard Deron Williams of Utah, Marcus has yet to come close to fulfilling his potential.

Like another former Husky b-baller, Scott Burrell,  6′ 3″ lefty Marcus Darell Williams could have played baseball. He was a pitcher in high school and was clocked throwing the ball at 85 miles. He’s thrown and been thrown a few curve balls since then.

Strong summer league with the Grizzlies.

probasketballnews.com….

Williams averaged 13.4 points and 8.2 assists in Las Vegas, with one executive calling him the surprise player of the league. In his first game, Williams set a summer-league record with 17 assists in one game against the Thunder.

While his shooting pct. ended up at just 33%, he went to the foul line 20 times in one game, making 16 and finishing with 22 points. He has offensive skills.

And as we know, summer league tells you little about performance against established NBA players. But you must dominate there first, to get a chance at the real thing.

After a stellar UConn career, but one filled with controversy, Williams was drafted #22 by the New Jersey Nets in 2006. He was one of 5 Huskies drafted that year, 4 in the first round.

UConn Career

Not overly athletic, Williams established himself as a leader and a fine offensive player in college. I was in Gampel Pavilion when a very young and much skinnier Williams played his second college game as a freshman. It was against Kirk Snyder’s Nevada team. Kevinn Pinkney (a Celtic for a few games) was on that team.

Marcus came in for Taliek Brown (who tried out for the Celtics)and played a fine floor game for his second college game ever. At one point, Williams energized the team and the crowd. He saw what it meant to UConn fans when you play well, as to his surprise, they started chanting his name. I’ve watched the ups and downs of his career ever since.

He was suspended for part of his freshman season for poor grades and was removed from the team for several months as a junior with 2009 draft pick  A.J. Price (Indiana – second round) for trying to sell stolen computers.

Troubles aside, Williams established himself as a tough, heady player. He recorded UConn’s first ever triple double in a Big East game (6th UConn triple dub overall), and left with the highest assist average in UConn  history at 7.3.  He also had the single game UConn assist record with 16. His output increased when you needed it to, as he averaged 20 points and 8.8 assists in NCAA Tournament play overall.

NBA Travails

After being drafted by New Jersey he was understudy to Jason Kidd for two years.

He turns the ball over too much and is not a very good defender, and is especially exposed against quicker guards. His shooting pct. is a lowly 38.6%, though he was able to make 38% of his three point shots in in his second year.  He played in 79 games in his rookie year but was injured part of his sophomore season and played only 53 games.

He is an excellent transition passer, and has a solid body type for his position. Staying in shape has been an issue in the past.

He shoots 80% from the line for his career and averages 6 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists in 15 plus minutes.

I believe that he can run an NBA offense, at least as a back up. He is still learning how to be effective in half court sets. His shooting pct can go up. His defensive short comings, conditioning, and his need to watch his TO rate will make or break his career.

Golden State Disappearance

After being acquired by Golden State from the New Jersey Nets (for a conditional first rounder) on July 22 2008, he immediately landed in coach Don Nelson’s dog house and never got out.  Conditioning and attitude were said to be the reasons. Playing in just 9 games, he was released on March 10, 2009.

Now, we know that Don Nelson is a funny bird, especially with young players. Did Marcus deserve the treatment he got? It seemed harsh to me. But if he wasn’t coming to camp ready to go, it is somewhat understandable.

He signed with the Quebradillas Pirates of the Puerto Rican League shortly after. He averaged 15 points, 9.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds with them in a half a season.

I’m guessing that Marcus is fighting for his NBA life, therefore in pretty good physical shape this time.

Coach Lionel Hollins is the opposite of Don Nelson, is an encourager and a former point guard. This may be Marcus’ best last chance to break through and establish himself as an NBA player. He is still young enough. He will be 24 in December.

Otherwise…hello Quebradillas…or even Europe. If he gets playing time, he will have enough shooters in OJ Mayo, Rudy Gay, and Zach Randolph to pass to.

This looks to be as good an opportunity as he will get.

The record says that you play well under pressure. Well, the pressure is on a career…. that needs something good to happen this season.

Oh yeah, the other 4 UConn players drafted that year?

New team mate Rudy Gay (#8), Hilton Armstrong (#12), Josh Boone (#23) and Denham Brown (#40 Seattle).

And this breaking news just in…

Glen Davis is still unsigned…..

And Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

Call it the Endless Summer. After a quick strike for the most important piece going forward, Rasheed Wallace, the Celtics quest for improving their supporting cast has become bogged down.

If this was war, that  famous word ‘quagmire’ might be appropriate. But it’s really more like Monte Hall and Let’s Make a Deal. “I’ll give you $100 if you have a small forward in your pocket. No?  How about $500 for that small forward?”

But the slowdown will probably end soon. August 1st is when players can be let go. If a team doesn’t make a trade for certain unwanted players, they can release them then. That fact should expedite many deals currently stuck in idle.

Marquis Daniels will be a Celtic. But exactly how that happens is still unsettled. In addition, Glen Davis’ final destination is up in the air at the moment. Then there’s the need for a back up point guard. The behind the scenes talk must be massive. Rules must be followed.  Options to be considered.

Restocking an underperforming bench

After a grueling year and even more grueling playoff series, including the longest series, in terms of overtimes played in NBA history, the Celtics learned that they needed to upgrade the bench. Injuries are a fickle thing. The season is long. The playoffs make it longer. You need depth at each position. Ask Paul Pierce. Ask Ray Allen. Ask Kendrick Perkins.

MPG ?

Forget energy conservation. There was a championship defense at stake. With no usable spare tires, the Celtics’ MPG was high.

In this case, Doc got the most Minutes Per Game out of his starters. But it had a deleterious effect on performance at the end. They simply ran out of gas. The horsepower was down as well. They were missing power from a cylinder named Kevin Garnett.

That he got that much of that unit was incredible. It was a gutsy performance of a very tough squad playing the hand it was dealt. No whining allowed.

Doc Rivers made it known right after his team limped, with all its might, to the ‘finished’ line….and they were completely finished at that point…..that the Celtics hadn’t done anything to improve themselves from the year before. That could not happen again.

In addition, there is the ongoing saga of Glen Davis. There has been a summer long tap dance surrounding Glen that seems to be quickening a bit. And that tap dance has entered the media world.

In addition to having a  difficult time getting Indiana to agree with compensation for Daniels, Davis is a Restricted Free Agent under the Gilbert Arenas Rule. What that means is that the Celtics can match any offers and limits what Davis can be offered by other teams. If all else fails, it may be possible that he takes the one year Qualifying Offer from the Celtics to gain unfettered free agency next year.

After Celtics and Nets denials of an impending trade of Davis for Yi JianLian, here is the latest from Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald

sources with the C’s and New Jersey shot down a rumor yesterday that both teams were attempting to make such an arrangement work.

Though the Nets have not approached Davis with an offer sheet, they have made their interest known in the young power forward – interest that still could emerge in the form of a sign-and-trade. Other potential suitors, including Detroit, have shied away from Davis with the belief the Celtics will match any offer under $5 million.

You have to parse the words to understand the limitations of the denial. It seems that Yi is out of any deal. They are indeed still talking about a deal for Davis. So that means that other Nets (as discussed here) could be in play.

And this is from Fred Kerber of the New York Post…

If the Nets want to pursue Celtics restricted free agent power forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis, they may have to do so in a sign-and-trade scenario that involves a third team and helps the Nets alleviate their logjam of 15 guaranteed contracts.

Kind of what I said yesterday, but with the addition of looking for a 3rd team. Maybe the Celtics’ Danny Ainge and New Jersey’s Rod Thorn can’t agree on player compensation. Sounds similar to the Daniels hold up. Why?

Murphy again….

The problem is believed to be Indiana’s lack of interest in guard Tony Allen, whom the Celtics offered to the Pacers. The Celtics also reportedly have attempted to include guard Gabe Pruitt and forward Bill Walker in the package.

Though in the market for another wing player, the Pacers want something the Celtics aren’t willing to offer.

Thus the need to find a 3rd team to find a player or two to make it work so that Daniels can get more money than he already said he would accept in the Celtics offer of the Bi-Annual Exception ($1.9).

Fred Kerber thinks there may be a connection…

The Celtics’ proposed sign-and-trade to land free agent Marquis Daniels from the Pacers has run into complications and could lead to the need of a three-team deal. Enter the Nets, with their legitimate interest in Davis, who averaged 15.8 points and 6.0 rebounds during the playoffs last season. The Celtics have indicated they will match any reasonable offer for Davis.

I’m not sure I see the connection between the two deals. But hey, I’m not behind the scenes. The need for a 3rd team complicates Daniels hope for more money. I also think that is it 60/40 that Davis stays a Celtic for this season. Unless another big is obtained, the Celtics need what Davis gives them.

Then there is that point guard search.

Lots of talk. Lots of rumors. It will all pan out soon enough.

The only option not happening is doing nothing. Ask Doc Rivers about that one.

I quoted Fred Kerber of the New York Post’s earlier missive on Davis in the previous article evaluating S&T possibilities.

At any rate, here is what Mr. Kerber has to say about the rumors from today….

There are reports that the Nets New Jersey Nets and Celtics are working on a sign and trade for Glen “Big Baby” Davis and that it could happen real soon with the Nets surrendering Yi Jianlian.

That’s news to both sides.

People in Boston and New Jersey both squashed the notion. Nets insiders confirm that there have been inquiries about Davis “to see what’s up and what they’re looking for,” one source said. Both sides insist they have not been working on a sign and trade.

That is obviously different than what Justin and Alex were hearing. As usual, all rumors must be taken with a grain of salt. Things are fluid and the dynamics changing in many of those situations, I’d imagine.

The official answer given to Mr. Kerber must also be taken with a grain of salt. With 15 contracts taking up roster space, the Nets can’t add Davis without dropping or trading someone else. An S&T would be a logical option….and a possibility.

Justin Poulin just intimated on his CelticStuffLive show that he feels strongly that Glen Davis to New Jersey is ‘close to a done deal’. (paraphrase)   Because it isn’t finished yet and the Celtics’ return player(s) hasn’t been confirmed yet, Justin prefers to wait until it is done.

Alex of NES 247 also called in, hearing a similar rumor from his unnamed source, and he thinks it is for Yi Jianlian. If you remember, Danny liked Yi the year he was drafted.

Let’s call this a multiple sourced, unconfirmed rumor at this point.

Justin thinks that Eduardo Najera may be the player coming back, but admits that is a guess. He’s looking at salaries that fit.

Because the Nets have the maximum 15 players on the roster,  a trade would be necessary unless they waived a player. Because Davis is a Base Year Compensation player, only half of his salary counts in a trade. That means the Nets can only trade players worth half of Davis’ new salary, unless another player is included, which means other Net must go, too.

One recent internet rumor put up was by the New York Post’s Fred Kerber about Hakim Warrick and Glen Davis.

The Nets are interested in both, but they have been interested in Davis for while. Fred Kerber….

Two power forward free agent names have resurfaced on the Nets’ landscape, Hakim Warrick and Glen “Big Baby” Davis. The Nets have made strong inquiries about both players.

and this….

“There is a sincere interest,” Davis’ agent, John Hamilton, said of the Nets.

All those teams interested in Davis (and there have been many) have been roadblocked by the Cs announcement that they would match all reasonable offers. Please highlight the word reasonable. I translated that to mean $3.5 to $4.5 million a while ago. I think that’s still right.

While the Nets have not have the best options, they have the most options that I would like, or at least feel the Celtics were getting a good player or two back from. Najera is just one Net player who is low cost enough and good enough to help the Celtics.

Here are eight Net players and salaries that could possibly be in play first from a salary perspective, then eliminations are made after:

PG 6′ 2″ Rafer Alston $5.2 mil. (one year)

SG 6′5″ Trenton Hassell $4.3 mil. (one year)

PG 6′ 3″ Keyin Dooling $3.5 mil.  ( second year $3.8)

Forward 6′ 8″ Eduardo Najera $3.1 mil. (descending next two year)

PF 6′ 11″ Yi Jianlian $3.2 mil (team option next season @$4.0)

Forward 6′ 7″ Jarvis Hayes $2.0 mil. (one year)

F/C 6′ 1o” Josh Boone $2.0 ($3.0 QO next year)

Forward 6′ 10″ Sean Williams $1.6 mil ($2.5 Team Option next year)

Looking at that list,  Yi is more long term, than any of the other players. But the Nets did a decent job of acquiring low priced talent that can play certain roles, IMO.

But to break that down further, these are the least likely, IMO:

Trenton Hassell is a poorer duplicate of the role reserved for Marquis Daniels. Though an attractive expiring contract, he can’t be it. He’s out.

Rafer Alston - though the Cs could use a solid back up PG, and he’s only on a one year deal (which is very attractive) But other players would have to be involved, due to BYC. Also, it’s small for a big, which doesn’t seem to matter as much length of contracts anymore. But still.

Jarvis Hayes- Being that there are other rumors about Bruce Bowen becoming a Celtic from Celticsblog, I’d say that puts Jarvis Hayes out of the picture, too. Nice role player, though.

Josh Boone is eliminated as well.  His salary works. He is the Nets back up center, is cheap, and has developed into a productive, though a terrible foul shooter and limited offensive player. Of Sean Williams and he, the Nets far prefer Boone.

Through recent rumors and Marbury’s own utterings, it seems like Stephon might have the back up point role in hand on the Celtics.

Keyon Dooling – That would mean that Keyon, a player who I think is under rated and I’ve liked for a while, is out as well. That’s too bad. Good defender.  I think he’d fit a nice role with the Celtics. His three point shooting has even improved, though his shot selection is questionable at times. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on May4 (loose particles – right hip) and is expected to be ready for camp.

Who might it be, then?

That leaves Yi Jianlian, Eddie Najera, and Sean Williams.

It could be Yi Jianlian for Baby straight up, as Alex suggests. The Nets have been hot and cold on him since they got him. They know he needs playing time to develop, but even on a rebuilding team, he wasn’t getting consistent minutes. While many will debate who is the better player, it will be swapping a lottery pick for a second rounder.

Before everyone thinks it’s a complete coup, remember the rumors were Yi would be a Celtic now, if the Celtics didn’t trade the pick as part of getting Ray Allen. But getting him back with a second round pick is savvy on Danny’s part anyway – unless you think that Davis will be the better player over his career.

Davis has better inside numbers, though Yi is a better outside shot. Yi has shown some ability to be a passer, and is athletic, but has zero post game (.465 eFG% inside).

The other option would be hard working, but oft injured energy guy, Eduardo Najera, possibly straight up, or possibly with a second rounder throw in. Even more remote, Sean Williams and Eddie together. Their salaries are $4.7 combined. Eddie’s recovered from sports hernia surgery on March 13, and is playing ball for Mexico in the FIBA Americ’a Cup.

I like Najera. With limited skills, he plays a nice game around the hoop, is a team guy, and will try to do anything you ask of him. A bad jump shooter (.321 eFG%), he’s strong around the hoop (.657 eFG%) and offensive rebounds very well – 17.5% of all possibilities in last year’s injury abbreviated season (27 games).

Sean Williams – If the Cs get Sean and Marbury to go with Rasheed, I hope that Doc Rivers has a blood pressure machine near by. I’d love to be a fly on the wall at those practices. Williams has been considered an attitude problem. A terrific shot blocker, he has to learn to play the game. Kind of a 6′ 10″ Gerald Green, I’d guess. He is reported to not be more than 6′ 9″ either. After some D-league time and tough love with the Nets, maybe he’s going to mature. Maybe.

Saying that, he does bring a nice skill to a second unit. It is one skill that this Big Three version of the Celtics hasn’t had. A shot blocker on the second unit.  But he could be POB all over again, if he doesn’t play team defense and so far…. he doesn’t.

If it’s Williams, there is either another player involved or a first rounder thrown in, I’d say.

There has been no mention of a third team involved. It’s straight Nets/Celtics deal.

In conclusion, I’d take any of the players mentioned in a fair deal. Yi is a project in my opinion. Najera would be a good Celtic right now. Williams – who knows.

Rumors abound about Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis being traded in an S&T to New Jersey.

Justin Poulin, who is the co-founder and and anchor of the show has given the rumor a bit of momentum on  Twitter. Here is his twitter home

http://twitter.com/JustinPoulin

But be sure to listen in. He always has a great show anyway. Tonight his guests are Austin Ainge, Danny’s Ainge’s son and Jessica Camerato of WEEI.

Austin Ainge was recently named as head coach of the Maine Red Claws, the brand Developmental league team that will be associated with the Celtics. Should be a very interesting interview, as the Red Claws owner, Jon Jennings, says that 27 year old Austin really impressed him with his total knowledge of the game from tapes, strategy, and beyond.

Here are Justin’s recent tweets regarding the Davis rumors…

looks like baby to NJ is a done deal…

and….

Yeah, baby is a S&T, and I think the Daniels/Bowen stuff is separate...

listen in to see if there is any up date.

Here is Justin’s intro to the show for tonight from the Comcast site….

Celtics Stuff Live returns to the internet, post Starbury Ustream, from 8-10pm EST on Sunday night featuring newly announced Maine Red Claws head coach Austin Ainge and WEEI’s Jessica Camerato.  Austin is scheduled to arrive in Portland next Tuesday to begin his tenure as the inaugural head coach of the Red Claws and we’ll certainly ask him about his experiences coaching the Orlando Summer League for the Celtics and his goals for the upcoming season.  Justin also attended the Red Claws open tryout for PA announcer and will share his experiences from that event as well.

Jessica joins us following her trip to the Vegas summer league where she caught up with many former Celtics.  We’ll get her thoughts on Glen Davis and what might be holding up the Daniels Sign and Trade (the team is hoping to preserve their Bi-Annual exception for this season and possibly another move).  All that and more as Kevin Henkin sits in for Jon Duke who is away on vacation for the week (twits take notice).

In the meantime you can send us an e-mail, leave us a voicemail, or take your chances in “The Pit” during the show.  See you all Sunday Night!

A semi surreal event is about to end as I write this.

Aernout Mik would be giving it a standing ovation, asking for an encore.

Salvador Dali would have dripped with loved over it.

Jackson Pollack would have splattered applause.

Picasso would have pirouetted with glee.

Rembrandt? Not so much. He might have laughed and shook his head, saying, ‘They call that art now?’

One of the NBA’s current immigrant population, the free agents, Stephon Marbury is finishing a 24 hour all live video stream in his home, courtesy of a company called ustream. All Stephon…all the time….24 straight hours.

Massive ego-ism? Possibly. Candid Stephon? In a way. Uncut and  straight at you? Yes.

Understand, this is a modern form of artistic expression.

The NBA’s version of Mik?

Aernout Mik’s work is appearing right now at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, that strange and wonderful place affectionately referred to as MoMA. It’s a multiple video experience weaved into various locations throughout the building.

You walk in seeing life and art one way. You walk out with a slightly different understanding of life…and art.

Inside Hoops explains the Marbury 24 hour event and has the deal here.

It’s early Saturday morning. The screen says there are 789 viewers of the Marbury show. I feel very…special. I’m part of an elite group of…. ….spectators voyeurs.  Pass the popcorn. Turn off your cell phones, please. I don’t want to be interrupted. Get me the big box of Goobers. And an extra large coffee. I’ll dump the Goobers in and drink it all together.

Some early Saturday morning  pronouncements from a shirtless Marbury? (note: some paraphrasing)

After a song played with Stephon dancing up a storm, he sits down sweating and panting. After recovering from the Soul Train work out and calming down, the Marbury bursts of wisdom and emotional outpourings start to flow…..

I’m going to Boston and back up Rondo. I’ll play for nothing!

I’ll be the 6th, 7th or 8th man off the bench! I don’t care. I want to get a championship!

My mother told me to forgive everyone! Start fresh! My mother knows what’s best for me in life and basketball. I’ll listen to her. I’m doing just that. I’m going to forgive everyone! (He alludes to the New York media somewhere around this point.)

You have to forgive every single person to the last one. My mother and the Spirit tells me to do that. That’s the only way you can be free. I’m starting fresh.

Apparently you can send Stephon live messages as he appears to be reading and responding to comments sent to him. He asks viewers multiple times to ’show me your hood’. He explains that wants viewers to send him their area codes so he can know their neighbor -’hoods’.

Apparently someone asks him about New York

Marbury: I love New York!

Then there is a message to the Knicks….

They need a point guard? Well, I’m right here. I’m available.

It’s 9 o’clock now. It has ended. After a long time of Marbury just staring into the camera without saying anything and a period of him deeply sobbing, and more staring without comment, Marbury says a word of thanks. The end.

In Aernout Mik’s video art experience, you move about the museum and according to the NYTimes review….

you watch “documented chaotic, emotionally charged, newsworthy situations involving scores of people. As you watch, you keep hoping to discover the cause of the commotion, but no clarification arrives. They are, by turns, mesmerizing, tantalizing, and frustrating. ”

Stephon’s art experience was from the west coast. But it seems like he will be playing ball in Boston. Welcome back.

I’d make a joke about Marbury: Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man. But Marbs is 32. Young for life, but middle aged for NBA basketball.

NBA players are performers, as are all athletes.

Marbury looked to be in excellent physical shape and he mentioned that as well. But he never did get into ‘NBA shape’ in his short time with the Celtics last season. If he returns, and it seems he will, he’ll have a full training camp to get ready.

So is Marbury the artist……. or the art? In this case, he was both. Like Mik, the Dutch artist, he can be,

by turns, mesmerizing, tantalizing, and frustrating.

I read in a book somewhere that “the measure you give, is the measure you will receive.”

If Marbury is forgiving everyone, and he says he is, he is deserving of the same from us. Boston can do much worse than Stephon Marbury coming off their bench this season.

Life imitates art…or is it the other way around? I get that confused sometimes.

He can be abstract. He’s made some bad impressionisms in the past. It’s time for a new canvas. I hope Marbury will paint a beautiful picture in Boston.

Now…… tell us your ‘hood’.

I’m going to go play an old fashion video game. They still make Atari, right?

ESPN’s Chris Sheriden just reported that Hakim Warrick is now a free agent. The Memphis Griz rescinded their qualifying offer to him. Sheriden….

Suddenly, another power forward has become available on the unrestricted free-agent landscape — and it could impact Allen Iverson’s chances of possibly playing for the Memphis Grizzlies next season.

That power forward is Hakim Warrick, who was taken by surprise Thursday night when the Grizzlies rescinded their $3 million qualifying offer to him to give themselves more flexibility on the free-agent market.

This will no doubt stoke the fires for rumors where this valuable journeyman power forward might end up. I’ve already seen my long suffering CelticsStuffLive cohorts Justin Poulin and Jon Duke tweeting about the possibility of a sign and trade of Glen Davis for him.  As if.

The biggest misnomer is that some people think he mostly plays small forward. According to 82games, he played zero minutes at the three. Over 90%  of his minutes were at power forward last season. The rest were at center. He’s a four. Apparently, he’s never a three.

I definitely like Warrick and was hoping that he would have been a possibility for the Cs somewhere along the line this summer. He’s an energy guy, blocks shots and plays inside and adds length. Could that now be possible?

Warrick has apparently been shopping for a better deal. Otherwise he would have taken the qualifying offer of $3 million. Sheriden reports 5 teams have already contacted Bill Duffy, Hakim’s agent (Rondo’s, too). Warrick is in play now that they know that Memphis won’t match and they can deal with a clean slate and no 7 day waiting period for a response from Memphis.

Would he sign for less with the Celtics? Doubtful. Or would a sign & trade with Memphis be possible? That might depend on who for. Memphis was rumored to like Davis early on, but it could be that Boston scared them away with public pronouncements of matching all reasonable offers. Would Danny prefer Warrick to Davis?

Here is why Memphis may have released him according to Sheriden…

Warrick will remain on Memphis’ cap for the time being at $6.2 million — 300 percent of his salary last season — but the Grizzlies could move about $9 million below the cap if they formally renounce their rights to him or move him in a sign-and-trade deal.

It remained to be seen whether the move meant the Grizzlies were ready to resume discussions with Iverson, who was offered a one-year contract by Memphis earlier this summer and whose box-office appeal is said to be a selling point with owner Michael Heisley.

And this…

Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace told ESPN.com. “We like Hakim and felt he contributed, but we wanted a little more flexibility going forward in free agency.”

They left the door open to Warrick possibly returning, but it appears that Micheal Heisley is going to try to sign someone for bigger money….like Allen Iverson? That assumes that Iverson would start, as AI said he would rather retire than come off the bench. Like Don Sterling, the Clippers owner, he’s looking for star power to put fannies in the seats.

I haven’t seen the ruling come down from the league office that allows three basketballs on the court (Mayo, Gay, and Iverson) at the same time. But I’ll check twitter as often as I can.

Warrick’s definitely a better scorer, shot blocker, and rebounder than Davis, right?

Let’s look the numbers first:

Basketball Reference says…

Warrick has been a better scorer over his career, averaging  16.9 over 36 minutes

Davis averages just 11.8 over 36 minutes.

Shooting/Scoring

They are identical in fg% at 49% last season. But in 3 minutes more per game, Warrick got to the line twice as much with 4.6 attempts vs. 2.3 attempts. They make foul shots at about the same clip (slightly over 70%). That would make some sense as Warrick plays inside more and Davis plays outside more. There in lies the biggest difference in their games. Some say that’s what a power forward should be doing. I don’t disagree.

Warrick is the better inside scorer with a very healthy adjusted inside FG% rate of .638. Davis is at .559 inside. Warrick’s athleticism definitely works for him here. (By comparison, Kevin Garnett’s at a ridiculous .745%) Warrick takes 46% of his shots inside with 16% as dunks. Davis takes 40% inside with just 3% as dunks.

So, at this point, it’s safe to say that Warrick’s a somewhat better scorer, even though their FG pcts. are exactly the same for the season. Part of Warrick’s problem is that he is a poor jump shooter, and probably takes too many jumpers for his own good. 54% of his shots are jump shots, but Hakim hits them at just .372%. That probably would be stopped on the Celtics. Warrick’s numbers should rise, IMO.

Davis hit jumpers at just .369% but got much better as the year went on, so his season number is deceiving.

Rebounding

Here is a surprise. Over their careers, they both rebound at almost exactly the same rate. Glen is at 7.1 per 36 minutes. Hakim is at 7.2 over 36 minutes. Who would have thought? Glen did take a slight dip (6.6) this past season. But I would expect that he improves this season and that it was partially due to his responsibility to create outside ’spacing’.

Glen is a slightly better offensive rebounder (8.2 % vs 6.8%). Hakim is a slightly better defensive rebounder (15.2% vs. 12.2%).

Maybe Warrick isn’t as good of a rebounder as I thought he was.

Shot Blocking

Here Hakim has it all over earthbound Davis, right? Hmmm…another minor surprise. Davis blocks .3 over 21 minutes. Warrick blocks .6 over 24.4 minutes. That’s better than Davis, but hardly what you would consider a ’shot blocker.’ Warrick blocks 1.2% of all shots and Davis blocks  .8%. Davis did block 2 dunks, while Warrick blocked none. Warrick averages .6 blocks over 36 minutes over his career. Meh.

Warrick is 6′ 9″ and listed at 219 lbs. Davis is 6′ 9″ and listed at 289, but we now know that he played at about 310-320. They have opposite challenges.

That might be why a better leaper like Warrick doesn’t rebound that well. He mght be getting pushed around. There is something to be said for holding your position.

Defensively, Warrick hasn’t been known to be that good either. In his ‘defense’, Memphis hasn’t exactly been defensive minded over recent years (giving up 99 points LY – in the middle of the pack). Forgetting Mikki Moore, he would probably improve with the Cs.

So there you have it. You decide.

Me? Anyone who reads my stuff regularly probably knows who I would choose, if I had to choose between the two. I’d keep Davis. He is 3.5 years younger. I’m a believer that Davis has upside and will get better. Hakim will get marginally better playing with the Celtics.

Not that that’s a bad thing. He’s a solid role player for sure. But I’d like to have him and Davis, not instead of.

The Sheed as ‘A Long Distance Shooter’ Myth

Many say that with Rasheed Wallace on board, we don’t need outside shooting like last season, rendering Davis useless. My take is exactly the opposite. Do you really want Sheed standing at the three point line for half the game? What did we get him for then? That is useless. Three point shooters are a dime a dozen.

Ther was nothing I liked better than seeing Wallace heading to the arc, when the Cs played Detroit in the playoffs two years ago. It took him out of the play.

Sheed needs to mostly be around the hoop at both ends of the court. Occasionally, he can drift out to keep defenses honest. He’s better and more effective around the hoop. My point is that Davis has a role here.

Not that Warrick couldn’t be a solid addition here. He absolutely could. We need an inside player off the bench, too. Unless everyone’s forgotten how important Leon Powe was.

So, would Memphis take someone other Davis? I’d try that strategy. Scal? Walker?