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The Brad Stevens era of Boston Celtics basketball isn't exactly off to a glowing start. Opponents aren't dominating the C's -- unless it's the fourth quarter -- but at 0-4, I think it's a little healthy for all of us fans to take a look around the league at some former Celtics players. From Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, to Gerald Green and Sebastian Telfair, here's a quick overview of what some of former Celtics are up to this season:
Gerald blows out the dunk contest candle for good
Gerald Green says that he is done with the dunk contest after his performance this past year. Green, now with the surprising 3-1 Phoenix Suns, says, "I'm just so sick of the dunk contest. I'm done with that. That point of my life I'm over with." How come? Green continued, "Last year I tried to do a dunk no one has ever seen before. I wasn't successful in it. That was the end of that book. I close the book, threw it in the treasure (chest), locked the key, threw it in the ocean and will never see it again."
Ouch, but maybe that's not such a bad mindset for Gerald Green to have, considering he is now off to the best start of his career, averaging 12.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game. I wish Gerald and the Suns luck this year, the less ping-pong balls they have the better, right?
TA gives back to the fans
Tony Allen purchased 500 tickets for the Memphis Grizzlies' first home game and gave them away to fans for free on a first-come, first-serve basis. How awesome is that? I always thought he was a great with the community in his time with Boston, so it's nice to see him carry it over to Memphis.
TA also has some advice for the current Celtics team (and fans), which you can read here. He says, "With me and Paul (Pierce), we always had the attitude that, ‘Hey, it's just temporary, nothing bad is going to last forever.' Sure enough, it didn't last too long because the next year, we won the championship." Remember that, Celtics fans.
Perk still struggling with OKC
I knew it was bad news for Kendrick Perkins when the Oklahoma City Thunder drafted center Steven Adams this year. I figured Perk would be amnestied or traded, but instead he's getting his playing time cut drastically. In only three games the former Celtic has received 19.7 minutes per game, and has accumulated a measly 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds. With less than one block per game, Perk is off to one of the worst starts of his career, and Thunder fans are calling for the rookie Adams to start. At this point, can you still blame Danny Ainge for trading him for Jeff Green? I don't think so.
Ray Ray is still magic
Check out the clip below of Ray Allen drilling a shot from half court. On the year he's averaging 12 points per game on 50 percent shooting. Let's just hope he doesn't get another ring.
Big Al debuts with Bobcats, but reinjures ankle
Power forward Al Jefferson signed a three-year deal with the Charlotte Bobcats this offseason and was able to make his debut on opening night. Jefferson had 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks in his debut, but there was one problem: he reinjured his ankle. Big Al first turned his right ankle on October 11th and hasn't been able to shake it off. The Boston Celtics visit the Bobcats on November 13th, so hopefully Jefferson is healthy by then.
DWest, Shavlik, and Telfair all sign with Chinese teams
Three former Celtics signed with teams in China for this upcoming season, including guards Delonte West and Sebastian Telfair, and forward Shavlik Randolph. I was a bit surprised when Boston declined Randolph's option this year, but good for him signing a nice $1.5 million dollar deal with the Foshan Long Lions. DWest will play with Fujian Xunxing and Telfair signed with Tianjin Steel. I think it's pretty cool that a lot of former NBA players are able to live overseas, play the game they love, and make good money in the process. If that isn't "the life" then I don't know what is.
Oh, about Pierce and KG...
Remember when The Big 3 made their debut in 2007? They pounded the Wizards into the ground, 103-83. Pierce scored 28, Garnett had 22 points and 20 rebounds, and Allen tossed in another 17 points. Click here to watch some highlights of that night. Ah, good times.
Unfortunately, things haven't been so easy for the new-look Brooklyn Nets. They are off to a 2-2 start and KG is struggling to find consistency, averaging only 6.5 points in 22 minutes per game. Garnett has been "unselfish to a fault," according to first year head coach Jason Kidd, but KG says he will look to be more aggressive.
The transition to Brooklyn has gone a little more smoothly for Paul Pierce, as he is averaging 15.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in only 28 minutes per game. Pierce was part of an uplifting video, which I embedded below. At the end of the video Paul says, "The more I embrace Brooklyn, the more Brooklyn embraces me. It feels good being here. It feels like...I'm home."
I know it still hurts to see these two legends in Brooklyn, but I can't help but feel happy that they are being embraced by the city. Sometimes I read the comment section on NetsDaily.com just to see what Nets fans are saying about "our players" and they love them dearly, so I believe they are in good hands. But that doesn't change the fact that I miss them, you know?