Daily Links 7/17

The Etan Thomas article is worth reading if only to see how intelligent this man is. Just from his clear thinking and articulate writing I would vote for him to be President. But he seems to be too intelligent for that. Note: As I re-read what I just wrote it may seem like I’m being sarcastic, but I’m not. This guy is really smart.

The Richardson article (“[RA] and the wrong kind of green”) really got my dander up. The Eric Weiss piece in another thread puts everything into perspective. This piece is bashing DA and, I guess, management for failing to stay the course with continually bringing in young players and that bringing in Ray Allen, is selling us fans down the river. Are we just supposed to keep drafting guys or should we bring some balance to the team. DA is heading toward balance. I agree with DA and if you read or have read the Weiss piece you’ll see it’s not that easy.

I like the article about “undersized” big men, but you can’t compare Perk and Davis to Barkley and Rodman. It wasn’t just heart and determination that made those guys such great rebounders. They were great athletes, and were also very smart. Now I don’t know how good Perk and Davis are intellectually when it comes to rebounding, and I think they can be very good rebounders in the league, but they can never be amongst the greats without having that athleticism. The big guys in this league are getting stronger, faster and jumping higher. It’s tough to compete with that.

I too liked the ‘undersized" article. I don’t think of Perkins as undersized though. He doesn’t have a normal sized neck and if he did he would be measuring 6’11’ or 7’0". For example…look at Chris Bosh and Kendrick Perkins. Both measure 6’10". They’re both extreme examples of neck size. If Perkins had Bosh’s neck he’d be 7’2" and if Bosh had Perkins neck he’d be 6’6". Just sayin’. I’m also curious to know Big Baby’s actual height(with sneakers). He’s listed on Celtics.com as 6’9". If that’s accurate then I’m happy with that height. Still a good size for a PF.

Rebounding doesn’t require height. It requires boxing out skills and desire. I think Bill Russell said that most rebounds are gotten BELOW the rim. It should be gotten in front of your face. Larry Bird and many others like him (Wes Unseld) were good rebounders and we know how high Bird could jump. He can probably jump as high today as in his playing days.

Now, when I read that, I thought maybe you were alluding to the audacity of a country to wrongfully and unjustly invade another country. The utter nerve of a country to start a war that has not only failed to bring peace, but has had an overall aftermath that has proven to be more detrimental, disadvantageous and overall unfavorable. I thought about the impudence of a country to feel that their way of democracy is the best and only way a country should be governed, and therefore decided to force their belief system on an entire nation at the hand of a gun. But, I don’t think that’s where you were going
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Is Etan Thomas writing on behalf of SlamOnline or al-Quada?

Playing defense against bigger guys is where players like Davis will struggle, not to mention getting his shot off. Leon Powe probably gets more shots blocked per 48 minutes (the NBA’s silliest stat) than any Celtic since Antoine Walker. The Celtics could use someone with some length in the box. Hello, Theo?

Ray Allen would have been a fine addition to the team two years ago. They shouldn’t have made that move, however, this year when players like Jeff Green and Corey Brewer could have been picked. Both looked very good for rookies in Vegas, especially Brewer who is the do-it-all type of player the Celtics sorely lack. He’s like a 9-inch taller version of Rajon Rondo with better skills.