Fabio Anderle's Euro Report: Tuesday Notes

by Jughead on Oct 2, 2007 1:26 PM EDT in Boston Celtics Articles

Fabio Anderle, our overseas correspondent, arrived in Rome this morning and settled in quickly thanks to the help of good friend Mike Gorman. He sent us this e-mail with his first day observations and he will be reporting from Celtics training camp through the first pre-season game this Saturday before he joins us on Celtics Stuff Live this Sunday Night. He has also captured some audio that I will try to clean up and post on the blog later in the day (the gym they are in is not conducive to good audio capture). Here is Fabio's report...

We all heard people say this summer that Paul Pierce was like a kid in a candy store. Well, as your man in Italy I was even more excited today when I had a chance to be part of the Celtics’ Circus for the first time in my life. Paired with my partner, the incredible Michele Pulcini, we reached the Palafonte and suddenly were drawn into the Celtics World. Michele said that soccer players are not as gentle as these tall big men, but I found that the whole Celtics staff was helpful even after a workout which was described as grueling.

Hearsay (the media only got to see the last 10 minutes of the session) is that Estéban Batista is gaining more and more ground, and from what I saw he was going really hard to the basket. He scored on a couple of drives and two free throws as the White Team nipped the Green Team (which sported Kevin Garnett, James Posey, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce). Leon Powe found it somewhat difficult to handle the Uruguayan big man and with a swift move to the paint Batista was able to avoid Garnett’s block and score from the other side of the basket.

Paul Pierce and Eddie House went at each other pretty hard, with a great deal of trash talking and a couple of contested calls. They seemed to enjoy that a lot. Ray Allen is still having some troubles at finding his shooting touch, but he is as smooth as ever, and lean like a greyhound. KG was his usual self and you could hear him being vocal from outside the gym. After the session was over he continued shooting treys and sinking them at a 66% clip. I counted them and he was 8 out of 12 when I stopped watching him shoot as I tried to hear what Ray was telling the press. Rajon Rondo, shirtless and exposing the "RR" tattooed on his back, kept shooting from outside after the scrimmage, sinking most of his shots and displaying an unexpected touch.

I skipped to James Posey and then to Glen Davis. Mike Gorman, a class act, made sure everybody in the Celtics organization got to know us and we even had a "close encounter of the third kind" with Paul Pierce who was sporting an ice pack on his left knee after the workout. Scot Pollard and Gabe Pruitt didn’t train with the team as Doo and Norton took care of them in the lower gym working with them on rehab. Pollard said he is feeling better and better, though, and made the media aware of his funky demeanor when he let out a scary yell letting everyone know that it was time for the team to board the bus.

Additional Notes:

- Rivers said that Rajon is going to be the main man at point guard even though Eddie House and Tony Allen are both coming up strong. - Big Baby said that he is very excited to play with all these future Hall of Famers.

- I asked Doc if he thinks that being far from home would help the team develop the right chemistry and he answered that that will definitely help.

- Esteban Batista said all the right things: he is glad to be with the Celtics and he’ll fight as hard as he can to stay with the team.

- James Posey, when asked if he has the same feeling as in his Miami days, pointed out that while he was in Florida he had the big inside presence of Shaquille O’Neal and a great guard in Dwyane Wade; but that in Boston the stars are capable of doing a lot of different things which can make things easier for each other.

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Comments

Great stuff – thanks

For my money Batista and PO(we)are two men at the 4 spot that could really bring rebounds, pooints and good minutes on a second unit.

I thought Ray Allen on the last report couldn’t miss and now he has shooting troubles?

Pollard may be an after-thought and drop to maybe the 10th roster spot on the bench?

Will anybody be showing the Rome or London game on TV in the states (recorded or live)? Sorry if I missed that answer prior to now.

Again, thanks for the report – appreciated

by Master Po on Oct 2, 2007 1:34 PM EDT reply actions

Nice Job Fabio.

;)

by Trinità on Oct 2, 2007 2:00 PM EDT reply actions

The Rome game is on NBA TV, live, as is the London game, on ESPN2, both at 2:30PM EST.

Fabio got a lot out of ten minutes. I can’t wait for the next edition after a full practice.

by JB_Celticsstuff on Oct 2, 2007 2:04 PM EDT reply actions

Interesting that Posey was in with the green team. Instead of Perk? Just because it was the end of the scrimmage maybe?

by clover on Oct 2, 2007 2:06 PM EDT reply actions

What a happy report. I found myself wondering what ‘the incredible Michele Pulcini’ looks like. Fabio could’ve posted a phony photo of any Italian super-model, and I would’ve bought it. And why not? I’m already buying Batista as a sensational surprise. (Hey, it’s preseason.)

by no kidding on Oct 2, 2007 2:17 PM EDT reply actions

Fabio rules!

by Mon on Oct 2, 2007 2:19 PM EDT reply actions

Nice, Thanks for the report

by Who on Oct 2, 2007 2:23 PM EDT reply actions

Thanks Fabio. It is so nice to get a glimpse at what is going on at this time of the season. Keep up the great work.

by GreenBalls on Oct 2, 2007 2:25 PM EDT reply actions

We need a third report as a tiebreaker to see if Ray Allen can shoot or not. Also, Signor Anderle, stay away from too much pasta, wouldn’t want your name changed to Flabio.

by halfman/halfoyster on Oct 2, 2007 2:51 PM EDT reply actions

awesome awesome awesome, thanks for the reporting!

by Cman on Oct 2, 2007 2:55 PM EDT reply actions

This is what’s known as Real Time Reporting.

A great peek at our Celts.

Thanks Fabio!!! :D

by BigT1942 on Oct 2, 2007 3:49 PM EDT reply actions

fantastic stuff

by celtpride34pp20ra5kg on Oct 2, 2007 3:54 PM EDT reply actions

THANKS jb

by Master Po on Oct 2, 2007 4:00 PM EDT reply actions

eddie house comin on strong at point, im very comfortable with him at point in this lineup. He would be great for the role Damon Jones played for the 59 win Miami Heat that was 1 win (and more a wade injury) away from the finals, and that was damon as their fulltime pg. House reminds me of damon and he did a great job as the backup point for PHX in 06 in their 55 win conference finals run. Im liking that alot, good stuff.

by celtpride34pp20ra5kg on Oct 2, 2007 4:02 PM EDT reply actions

Fabio, could you clarify this:

He (Batista) scored on a couple of drives and two free throws as the White Team nipped the Green Team (which sported Kevin Garnett, James Posey, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce). Leon Powe found it somewhat difficult to handle the Uruguayan big man and with a swift move to the paint Batista was able to avoid Garnettâ€™s block and score from the other side of the basket.

I’m confused about who was on which team. From the above, it sounds like Batista was on the White Team, and PP, KG, RA, Posey and … Powe? … were on the Green Team? If so, who was playing point? Were Rajon and Perk on the White Team? Or was Batista facing off against Powe at a different time the Green-White scrimmage you mentioned?

by Cousin It on Oct 2, 2007 4:07 PM EDT reply actions

Greetings Fabio and friends. I’ll be in Rome on Saturday and tried to get tickets to the game, but a) the ticket site was in Italian, and b) when I thought I had it figured out, it seems they might be sold out!. There’s no number to call. Anyone know if it is sold out? What should I do?

by mschultz50 on Oct 2, 2007 4:08 PM EDT reply actions

BTW, just want to throw this out there: I’m not counting on ANYTHING from Pollard this year. I chalk up his signing as the Red Herring of the summer. Completely meaningless. In 10 seasons, he’s only managed to play 50 games or more 4 times. If it walks like an injury-prone, skills-challenged bench warmer and talks like an injury-prone, skills-challenged bench warmer …

by Cousin It on Oct 2, 2007 4:09 PM EDT reply actions

Love the comments on Batista. I think he will end up in the rotation by ASB.

by footey on Oct 2, 2007 4:23 PM EDT reply actions

Cousin It – agree on Pollard. Old KU player who I enjoyed watching in college, but has shown little since. He is funny but he ain’t being paid to be funny or funny looking.

by Master Po on Oct 2, 2007 4:23 PM EDT reply actions

Hard to tell sometimes if those class-clown bench warmer types are the class clown because they’re bench warmers—or if they’re bench warmers because they’re class clowns. (Various preemptively defensive strategies can be self-fulfilling, I think.)

by clover on Oct 2, 2007 4:36 PM EDT reply actions

tell Fabio to stalk Rondo for me. lol. I must hear more about the shot.

by ManUp on Oct 2, 2007 5:01 PM EDT reply actions

I know there are trying to bond over there…but I’d rather they be in a sweat box gym….working out like rug rats….

To me…its a vacation for them over in Italy…. not a work out… sorry it reminds me of an old ROCKY BALBOA MOVIE…when he is about to fight Mr. T and the same with these Celtics…

They need to back to the gym….. Danny should have told them there vacation would start at

Hellenic College!!!

But then again we are in the 21st Century..

by Ancient Red on Oct 2, 2007 5:35 PM EDT reply actions