Deveney's SportingBlog

Tue Mar 6 15:31:19 CST 2007

Deveney's SportingBlog      Weekly rundown: Jefferson picks up the Celtics
March 6, 2007
1. Player of the Week: Al Jefferson, Celtics. Yeah, that's right! A Celtic! I 
am guessing no one is more forlorn right now than Celtics prez Danny Ainge, 
who is watching his team win its way out of the league cellar and into fewer 
lotto-time ping-pong balls. Come on, guys, Ainge's job is riding on Greg Oden 
here! Boston was 4-0 last week thanks, in large part to Big Al, who had four 
sensational games. He averaged 23.5 points and 14.5 rebounds for the week, and 
was unstoppable in the C's upset win over the Nets Saturday, with a career-high 
32 points and 18 boards.  

2. Team of the Week: San Antonio. Hey, it's March, so it must be time for me 
to write the annual "Look-out-for-the-under-the-radar-Spurs" story. It's a 
classic, and the good thing is, I still have last year's around here, which I 
actually copied word-for-word from the previous year's. So, it's less work for 
me. The team is up to nine in a row, and an underrated part of that has been the 
solid D in the middle by Francisco Elson, who gives Gregg Popovich a lot of 
flexibility -- something the Spurs lacked last year. In their last five games, 
the Spurs have yielded a suffocating 76.8 points per game.  
3. Team of the Weak: Golden State. Sure, they beat the Pistons Monday. But 
this was still an awful Eastern junket for the Ws. They struggle on the road 
(second-worst in the league), they've stopped defending altogether, and Al 
Harrington isn't quite the post-up presence the Warriors hoped for -- he likes that 
12-foot baseline jumper too much to be a post guy. They were, indeed, robbed 
in Washington the other day, but that doesn't change lie-down performances 
against the Knicks, Bulls and Bucks on their Eastern road swing. They're 12th in 
the conference and the playoffs are a very, very dim hope.  
4. Stat of the Week: .792. Thanks to the 50-9 record this year, .792 is Avery 
Johnson's career winning percentage, which would put him well ahead of Phil 
Jackson (.705) for tops all-time. Of course, Johnson can't be expected to keep 
up this winning rate his entire career, but it does show just how bulletproof 
he's been so far in his career. Incidentally, the Mavs have bumped their 
on-pace victory total to 69.5 -- a 20-3 mark gets them to 70. Stay tuned!  
5. Ouch of the Week: Shaun Livingston, L.A. Clippers. Joe Theisman's leg was 
bad. Clint Malarchuk's throat being cut open by a skate was tough, too. And 
there have been injuries with worse consequences -- Tony Conigliaro getting 
beaned in the eye, Darryl Stingley being paralyzed by Jack Tatum. But something 
about the Livingston injury last week was especially gruesome. Maybe it's 
because it was basketball and the knee he tore up was there in plain sight. I've 
never watched anything as stomach-wrenching as what happened to Livingston on 
that ill-fated breakaway last week. It could end Livingston's career, though with 
the way docs can patch up knees these days, it probably won't. I know players 
get hurt all the time, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him.  
6. Game of the Week: Chicago 126, Milwaukee 121, Sunday. Whew. Michael Redd 
put up 52, but Ben Gordon countered with 48. Such fun, watching two scorers in 
the zone, just doing what they do. The Bulls won, in overtime, erasing an 
18-point Bucks third-quarter lead.  
7. List of the week: My favorite clutch shooters in the NBA: 1. Kobe Bryant, 
Lakers; 2. Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets; 3. Gilbert Arenas, Wizards; 4. Ben 
Gordon, Bulls; 5. Michael Redd, Bucks.  
8. Rookie watch: Kelenna Azubuike, Golden State. One thing the Warriors have 
consistently done well over the years is pull players off the scrap heap, 
either in the second round, on 10-day contracts or off the undrafted free agent 
list. Gilbert Arenas, Monta Ellis, Earl Boykins, Brian Cardinal … and now, 
Azubuike, an undrafted rookie from Kentucky. Injuries have forced Azubuike in a 
starting role a number of times this season, and he has responded well. In nine 
starts, he averages 15.3 points on 50 percent shooting (55.6 percent from the 
3-point line). With Jason Richardson rounding into form, though, it's back to 
the pine for Azubuike.  
9. Don't miss: Chicago at Miami, Wednesday. Both teams have won three 
straight and have a simmering rivalry. The Bulls have gone 3-0 against Miami this 
year, and the last time they played on the Heat's home floor, Chicago won by 42. 
That was way back on opening night, but the hunch here is that Miami would 
like some revenge.  
10. Quote of the week: "It was tough, for the simple fact of it being my 
shoulder, being this time of the year. It could have been easy for me, especially 
playing all year last year and plus the summer, just to shut it down. But it's 
tough because you don't know if you're going to be able to go back the same 
way and attack the same way with a shoulder injury. … But my body is my body 
and I guess I'll find out after therapy, after rehab, how my body responds to 
things." _Miami Heat_ (http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/teams/heat/index.html)  
guard Dwyane Wade, discussing his decision not to have surgery on his 
dislocated shoulder. Wade will attempt to return to the Heat before the playoffs -- 
provided Miami earns a berth, that is.  
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Comments
Jefferson, yes, BUT ouch!! 
Posted by _whitlock the heretic_ 
(http://members.sportingnews.com/member/index.html?user_id=10395772)  on Tue Mar 06, 2007 12:54 pm 

Yes, Al Jefferson is doing very well for the Celtics, and was a fine draft 
pick by Danny Ainge. The fact is that Ainge has made some good draft picks, 
including Ryan Gomes and Leon Powe in round two. 

BUT, what really HURTS, is the Sebastian Telfair deal. Brandon Roy is a 
superb first year swingman, and should have a long, productive career, averaging 15 
to 18 ppg, 4 to 6 rpg and 4 to 6 apg. Telfair, clearly, is a BUST!! 

Picture this starting line-up for Boston: 
PG - West SG - Roy SF - Pierce PF - Gomes C - Jefferson 
Admittedly, Gomes is not a PF and functions better as a valuable 6th man and 
Jefferson is better-suited to the 4 spot. [However, at present, a consistent 
center has not emerged: in time, Perkins may fulfil that role.] 
Backups would include Powe, Perkins, Rondo, Ray and Allen. 

Notice, my list does not include the "human garbage can" Scalabrine. Ainge 
vastly overpaid this stiff {who is a 9th or 10th man at best}, and will never be 
rid of him, unless he makes another stupid Telfair-type deal (apparently a 
major factor in the Telfair deal was to jettison Raef LaFrentz)!!!! 

Of course, throw Oden or Durrant into the mix... 

Approval Rating: 50% (out of 2 reviews). 

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Ainge & The Celtics Line Up 2007-08 
Posted by _Martini8383_ 
(http://members.sportingnews.com/member/index.html?user_id=9641830)  on Tue Mar 06, 2007 03:10 pm 

While I agree that the Telfair/Roy situation was a mistake from a talent 
standpoint(you point out later the $$ implications), overall I think Ainge has 
been solid. Not only the Jefferson pick, but Gerald Green, Delonte, Rondo etc.. 
very nice for where he was picking. 

In my opinion Gerald Green will turn out to be more productive than say Roy 
at our #2 spot. He clearly has more upside and is more athletic and figures 
into my projected lineup 07-08 - 
PG - Rondo/FA pickup - Delonte is not really a 1, but has developed into a 
good all around player and I can see him as 6th man of the year someday. 
SG - G. Green 
SF -Truth 
PF Big Al 
C- Perkins(when healthy is a solid defensive 5)+ Draft Pick(Keep our fingers 
crossed for Oden) 

Imagine a frontline of The Truth , Big Al, & Oden. Would be the best 
frontcourt in the East. Add a fast athletic backcourt -Green, Rondo, Delonte, maybe 
Wally if he's still around and I like our chances in the East.  

I will dis agree with the Scalabrine hating. Maybe I just dont get it, but he 
seems to play hard, has size, and can spread the floor by hitting some 3's. 
Were you expecting Bird? 
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