SI.com - Burns: Burns seldom shares anything Earth-shattering, and this is no different:
"Gary Payton is expected to announce soon that he will report to Celtics training camp on Oct. 5. Payton was said to be less-than-thrilled with last month's trade that sent him to Boston, along with Rick Fox, for Chucky Atkins, Chris Mihm and Jumaine Jones. But Payton is under contract (for $5.4 million) and he's not likely to turn his back on that kind of scratch. The real question for the Celtics is which Glove will show up in Beantown? Will it be a fiery Payton motivated to show that last year's struggles in L.A. were the result of the triangle offense and not his declining skills at age 36? Or will it be a sulking Payton, bitter at the Lakers for sending him to an East Coast team with little chance of getting him that long-sought NBA ring? Most likely it will be a resigned Payton keeping mum just long enough to get himself shipped elsewhere before the trade deadline."
I can't be the only one sick of hearing this over and over again. Lets just start camp and hear what he has to say for himself. I'm keeping my expectations on hold till I hear it from him.
In other news, there's another scrappy Ainge to watch in the world of sports:
Erik Ainge, the freshman quarterback who led Tennessee to its 30-28 win over Florida last Saturday, is the nephew of Celtics boss Danny Ainge. "I just like his poise and his confidence," Danny told The New York Times. "He's a kid that's unafraid."
One more link for you this morning: Philip Maymin of Hoopsworld compares Banks to Baron Davis. You can only read 1/3 of the article without paying.
