Quotes On Giddens

Danny had some nice things to say about rookie JR Giddens (via MarcSpears ):

"He has some great physical skills that allow him to be special at defense," Ainge said. "He just has to learn our schemes. He's kept himself in good shape.

"He can play in an NBA game right now. Whether he gets an opportunity is [based] on how well he plays. It depends on how he transitions as a rookie. He's definitely talented enough to step in and contribute."

You have to wonder how much Danny is banking on JR and Bill Walker to contribute.  Clearly they are just rookies, but rookies have been known to give valuable minutes off the bench on contending teams in the past.  Even late first and early 2nd rounders.

I suppose it isn't certain that Walker will sign, but barring some multi-player trade or an unforseen free agent signing, I think it is just a matter of time.  I suppose Walker could cash in with an overseas contract, and I could see the Celtics being fine with him developing on someone else's payroll, but at the end of the day it would seem that the best situation is for him to get used to the NBA game and have the Celtics trainers on hand to help him with any physical monitoring needed to ensure his body is set up to have a nice, long career playing basketball.

Also, Ainge is confident that the coaches are all sticking around:

Ainge said contract extensions for coach Doc Rivers and his staff are expected to be wrapped up by the time training camp begins in October in Newport, R.I.