Jermaine O'Neal and Avery Bradley to Play In "Lockout League"

There will be games played by NBA players this month, just not in NBA uniforms.

N.B.A. ‘Lockout League’ Set to Tip Off in Las Vegas - NYTimes.com

The jerseys will be unfamiliar and the games fairly meaningless. But for the first time since June, N.B.A. players will be competing against N.B.A. players in something resembling an N.B.A.-caliber league. The site will be the Impact Basketball gymnasium, about two miles from the Strip. The unofficial commissioner will be Joe Abunassar, a longtime trainer of N.B.A. players. More than 40 players, locked out of N.B.A. facilities because of a labor standoff, have committed to play. Chauncey Billups, John Wall, Zach Randolph and Stephen Jackson will be among the headliners.

In that link Jermaine O'Neal is listed as a participant and this one states that Avery Bradley will participate.

I think it is great that Bradley will play and get some run with NBA level players, but I'm more than a little concerned that our only option at Center is putting his shaky health on the line for exhibition games.  But I guess he has to try to get into shape somehow and eventually these guys will have to play ball to stay sharp.

One thing we don't have to worry about is any current Celtics is the FIBA Americas Championship.

Boston Celtics don't have to sweat international events - ESPN Boston

The Boston Celtics are one of a handful of NBA teams without a player in either the 24-team EuroBasket tournament in Lithuania or the 10-team FIBA Americas Championship in Argentina. Both tournaments, which will produce two qualifiers each for the London Olympics next year, began this week.

If you are wondering where some of our old friends are, see this handy list of who has signed overseas.  I had forgotten that Brian Scalabrine signed with an Italian team.  That's almost poetic.

And here's some news about our 2nd round draft pick E'Twan Moore, playing with Scal in the Italian league.

Layup line: KG at the US Open - Boston Celtics Blog - ESPN Boston

Speaking of Moore, he's already knee-deep in preseason games for Benetton Treviso of Italy's Lega-Serie A. His teammates include local product Jeff Adrien and local favorite Brian Scalabrine. According to a box score in a game story posted on the team's official website Monday, Moore dropped 21 points in an exhibition win over a team from Frankfurt, Germany. The best news for Celtics fans: Moore hit 5-of-5 attempts from beyond the arc in the game, an encouraging sign about the progress of his 3-point shot (one that he undoubtedly has attempted to hone with eyes toward making the Celtics roster when NBA hoop returns).