Too old. Too slow. By now it sounds like a recording for the Boston Celtics, but there’s a new problem beginning to surface that may be the real reason why this team is looking like a fake contender. Forget age and speed — these Celtics aren’t as hungry as they were in ’08 and ’09. During last night’s 20-piecing at home at the hands of the Grizzlies, the Celtics looked a lot like the UConn men’s team when they went through the motions before quitting in the Big East Tournament; maybe it’s something in the New England water … Rudy Gay (28 pts, 8 rebs) is exactly the kind of motivated thoroughbred giving Boston problems. Read More »

Apparently Rodney Stuckey got his holidays mixed up, because he treated New Year’s Eve like it was Halloween, trying his best to fill out an Isiah Thomas costume. In the first quarter of Pistons/Bulls, Stuckey got the ball on a fast break and planted his left foot wrong, dropping to the floor with a sprained ankle. Pulling himself off the floor like Zeke in ’88 Finals, Stuckey toughed it out until a little later in the half, when he was coming around a corner and rolled the ankle again. Stuck left after that one, but soon returned and played the rest of the game in obvious pain while still putting up a team-high 22 points … Read More »

Last year we debuted the “Highs and Lows” system — previewing the NBA season by predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team. Same theme, different season…

Added: Jrue Holiday, Jason Kapono, Rodney Carney

Lost: Andre Miller, Reggie Evans, Donyell Marshall, Theo Ratliff, Kareem Rush Read More »

In a relatively minor deal that actually helps both teams involved, the Toronto Raptors have reportedly traded Jason Kapono to the Sixers for Reggie Evans. The Raptors have plenty of shooters on their roster but zero toughness, especially in the paint, so Evans will come in and do his thing in (presumably) limited minutes. Read More »