Celtics Central

While the details of Glen Davis’ altercation with an LSU teammate and friend are still unknown, his broken thumb is not expected to be season ending.

The question at this point is what kind of surgery, if any, will be required and how long will the recovery time be.

Here is Yahoosports’ Marc Spears’ tweet…

while source says big baby will be out for a while with thumb after defending himself in fight with friend, not season threatening

and followed by this…

possible timeline on big baby’s time off floor could come today. are u ready for shelden!

Shelden is Shelden Williams, the previous Atlanta Hawk lottery pick that the Celtics signed in the off season for the veteran’s minimum. He was a college star center at Duke University. He has played well in limited minutes in preseason and should capably fill in, until Davis and/or Brian Scalabrine return.

While Williams has struggled offensively as a pro, he will be a strong interior defender for the Celtics. His nickname at Duke was ‘The Landlord’, because you had to pay him rent if you tried to enter ‘his’ real estate – the painted area around the basket.

The Celtics open the regular season tonight in Cleveland against the Cavaliers.

I know. Tough time and situation to be making puns but…

It has been reported by a number news outlets that Boston Celtic Glen Davis has a broken thumb from an altercation with a friend who is an old LSU team mate. It has been reported that Davis was defending himself, but all news is sketchy right now.

If surgery is required, it has been said that he could possibly be out for season. That is a tough break for the Celtics and for Davis.

Here are a few links with the latest link last…

Boston Herald had it first, I think:

Glen Davis has suffered a right thumb injury and could be lost to the Celtics for a significant period of time.

He underwent X-rays today and will have to get further tests to determine the full extend of the dame. Surgery could be required.

According to sources, this was a non-basketball injury. It happened Sunday night when he got into an altercation with a friend, a former teammate, who was visiting from Louisiana.

Davis was reportedly defending himself.

WEEI…

Sources say the altercation occurred on Sunday night and that Davis was reportedly defending himself when he was injured.

Davis underwent X-rays on the thumb on Monday and will have further tests this week. He may need surgery.

WEEI latest…

According to Comcast Sportsnet New England, Celtics forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis suffered a broken hand in a non-basketball related right thumb injury and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. The injury reportedly occurred Sunday night when Davis was involved in an altercation with a former teammate.

David Aldridge…

The Celtics were also waiting on Monday for results of a second opinion on the right thumb injury suffered by backup center Glen Davis, who reportedly suffered the injury in an off-court altercation with a former teammate of his Sunday. “It doesn’t look good,” said a league source. The Celtics were hopeful that Davis hasn’t fractured his thumb; if he did, surgery would be required and Davis would likely miss several months, if not the entire season.

That last bit of conjecture sounds rather drastic. I’d wait for solid confirmation before believing that.

Even if it is ‘just’ 6-8 weeks, that sets Davis and the team back a bit. It’s a good thing that Shelden Williams was signed and has been playing. He could fill in capably for a short period. It is also mitigated by the signing of Rasheed Wallace, who will be coming off the bench first anyway.

There have been questions about just how many minutes Davis would actually get with Wallace on the team. The expectation went from 10-12 to as high as 15-18 minutes per game. 12-15 minutes sounded about right to me with occasions where that might be higher.

Shelden Williams is a solid interior defender and rebounder, but not anywhere near as polished or versatile offensively as Davis.

Williams is under the spotlight because Brian Scalabrine, who would be higher on the depth chart, is also out with a sprained ankle right now.

So, entering the season, the Celtics have lost Bill Walker, Tony Allen, Brain Scalabrine, and Glen Davis to injury.

The Magic were a surprise to everyone but themselves last season. Like the Cavaliers before last season, there are still skeptics who don’t think the Magic have what it takes to win it all  – even after a tremendous season. The skeptics were right about the Cavaliers. Will they be right about the Magic? Paul Pierce said they looked like poodles against the Lakers.

Well.. the poodles added a few more dogs to their pack and they will have more bite, thanks to those additions. On Celticsblog, a survey of fans says that the Magic are a bigger threat to the Celtics than the Cavaliers are.

Here is a preview of the preview….

Third Quarter Collapse

What significant moves were made during the offseason?

Gosh, where to start with this question?

The Magic showed the door to Alston, Lee, and Turkoglu–three-fifths of the Magic’s starting lineup in the NBA Finals–in large part to make room for Carter and Bass, the team’s most significant short-term additions. Basketball observers appear to be split on the Magic’s decision to essentially swap Turkoglu–their go-to scorer in the clutch, and their secondary playmaker–for Carter, who has not enjoyed playoff success or media acclaim in recent years. Nevermind the fact that Turkoglu had one borderline All-Star-caliber season before bottoming out in 2009, or that Carter might one day find himself enshrined in the Hall of Fame; who needs logic or statistics when we can rely on a few nationally televised games and abstract notions like “chemistry”?

We should not overlook the other additions, although Carter understandably looms largest. Bass, an undersized, powerful, bowling-ball of a frontcourt player in the Jason Maxiell mold, does everything Tony Battie did, but better; and, at 24, he may not have reached his peak. I think we tend to overstate Barnes’ reputation as a defender just a tad–there’s no way he’s as talented as Mickael Pietrus on that end–but he’s still well above-average, and can handle the ball some offensively…

What are the team’s biggest weaknesses?

Saying “none” would be hubris of the highest order. But with a potential to rate in the upper echelon of the league on both sides of the ball, well, it’s hard to point to anything really specific with this team. Magic detractors say that Carter will sink the Magic’s chemistry, or that the new additions Boston and Cleveland made trump the Magic’s. Is other teams having equally good summers a weakness? If so, that might be the Magic’s.

Another perceived weakness, one into which I do not put much stock, is that the Magic’s best player (Howard) is not a proven leader

I’m a little behind in getting these previews up. Bear with me. I just got back into town and will catch up this week.

The Miami Heat are next with Dwyane Wade, oft-injured Jermaine O’Neal, Quentin Richardson, and Michael Beasley leading the way. Wade will wait to see what moves the Heat make to upgrade before committing to a return beyond this season.

peninsula is mightier

5. Will Jermaine O’Neal remember that he is, in fact, a center?

We sure hope so…because never before has such a big guy created such a big hole at the position.  He would consistently grab 2-3-4 rebounds a game and made look silly in the defensive paint.  He worked with legendary trainer Tim Grover over the summer and looked good in the final two games of the preseason, but we’ll see how that translates into the regular season.  Jermaine is definitely a wild card for the Heat this season.

sports agent blog

2. What are the team’s biggest strengths?

The Miami Heat’s biggest strength is…Dwyane Wade, surprised?  After a strong comeback season where he finished top 3 in MVP votes, “Flash” is back and better than ever. If second year forward Michael Beasley can get past his offseason woes, Pat Riley’s dream of a great tag-team can come full circle. The development of Mario Chalmers allows the Heat to run a fast paced offense, and by this season’s end, Chalmers will most likely be a top tier guard in the league.

The NBA previews moves on to the gentile city of Charlotte.

Time for some ‘Cat Scratch Fever.

Under Larry Brown, this team achieved at its talent level for the first time in its history. Kudos to Coach B. for that. Where they go from here is less certain at the moment.

Here are the previews from the Queen City pundits:

rufusonfire.com

The Bobcats traded away their first draft pick, and arguably their best player, Emeka Okafor, receiving Tyson Chandler in return. The front office described the trade as a basketball decision, but Chandler’s recent injury history and lesser offensive skills cast doubt on that claim. More likely, the trade was prompted by owner Robert Johnson’s attempts to sell the team combined with Larry Brown‘s notorious fickleness.

queencityhoops.com

2. What are the team’s biggest strengths?

Backcourt depth – The Bobcats expected to have their backcourt depth be a strength as the season began, but with Raja Bell potentially done for the season before it begins, that could change. Should Raja be available, the Bobcats have a solid platoon of little guys, with Raymond Felton, D.J. Augustin, Raja Bell, Ronald Murray, and Gerald Henderson to fill the 1 and 2 spots. The Cats can go dynamic offense with D.J. and Flip or for lockdown defense with Raymond and Gerald Henderson. Raja provides a good deep threat who can still defend but not to his reputation anymore. If Henderson pans out, the Bobcats may still have the backcourt they hoped for, with an athletic defender to pair with the Ray/D.J. duo.

Jeff Clark’s Celticsblog NBA previews keep rolling along.

Keep ‘em moving. The season is fast approaching. The Hawks are a below the radar team that could cause big trouble with better focus, a little more backbone, and an understanding that they belong. If discipline ratchets up two notches, they become a team you don’t want to face. In fact, it was injuries that took their toll in the playoffs. This year… playoffs talk, excuses walk.

Peachtreehoops.com

Zaza is what he is and that is awesome. And by awesome, I mean an unathletic, hustling, rebounding, traveling, get under your skin defense, barely can dunk Eastern European machine. Bibby can still stroke it from outside, provide leadership from inside the locker room, and mentor Jeff Teague on his way out. Marvin just improves every year. He may be past that “big jump” year, but he is entering the prime of his career and the Hawks have front row seats at a very reasonable price.

In that, Joe Johnson is the personification of this team’s identity, and also its must likely villain. Joe is a borderline all-star who hangs more on the border of being included. He is a guy that is consistent on both ends of the court, and for an organization that desperately needed anything in the same ballpark as consistent, fans and media give him rightful praise and recognition for leading them out of the dredges of the league. Joe will beat you. He can drop a quiet 35 with the best in the league. But he is not a super star. He needs teammates. A Joe Johnson team will not make the eastern conference finals. A Joe Johnson led team could.

Click in and read the rest for the complete rundown

Northwest Previews Recap

Next up are the Utah Jazz on the NBA carousel of previews. Jerry Sloan will keep them competitive. Will they be a contender?

slcdunk.com

The Jazz still have one of the best offenses in the league.  Three seasons ago when they went to the WCF, they had the third-best offensive rating.  The year after that they were first in that same category.  And last season, with injuries littering the Salt Lake valley, they were still a respectable 8th.

While it comes at a very, very high cost (almost $50 M), the Jazz have one of the best front-courts in the league in Okur, Boozer, Millsap, and Andrei Kirilenko.  That gives you three former All-stars and at least half of them play respectable D.

truebluejazz.com

3- What are the team’s biggest weaknesses?

Defense. I don’t even wanna get into this again, but I guess I’ll give it a shot. The starting bigs don’t play any. The wings gamble a bit too often, though they do end up with a couple of steals here and there. What that gives you is a combo where opponents don’t face much opposition when they try to drive in, and then face a couple of bigs who’s concept of defense seems to have been cultivated by watching Jarron Collins defend Shaq (aka… hack away). And there still isn’t a tall guy who seems like he’ll be able to get minutes behind Okur.