Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Coach Doc Rivers said he didn’t know whether O’Neal would ultimately require surgery.
“I’m concerned,’’ Rivers said. “I think he’s gone two weeks and a practice and his knee swells up. First of all, it has to be extremely frustrating for him. He worked his butt off to get back and he was playing well.
“Secondly, we all have common sense. That’s a concern, ‘Why is this happening?’ And so we have to figure that out.’’
Having shut down O’Neal once already, Rivers didn’t seem as though he wanted to do it again.
“We’ve done that and we thought we were good, and it happened again,’’ Rivers said. “I don’t know. I don’t have any answers. I just know this has to be frustrating.’’
Globe – Jermaine must take a seat
There's something going on in Jermaine O'Neal's knee that isn't right. And it doesn't appear as though anyone on the Celtics medical/training staff has a clear cut answer.
Let's play the hypothetical game. What if Jermaine can't go the rest of the season? Do the Celtics have enough bigs? Perk and Shaq should be able to manage the center position despite their combined durability issues. KG and Glen Davis are relatively solid at the power forward.
Semih Erden is a capable backup… in the regular season. He played well last night, but would you trust him in a big game? The answer is no.
If I was Danny Ainge, I would pursue another big body if the expiration date is up on Jermaine's knee. And I'm refusing to mention you-know-who in this post. There's got to be another option.
Related links: CSNNE – Wallace's return unlikely | Semih steps up on short notice | KG still out, joined by JO | WEEI – The problem with JO's knee
On Page 2, Paul Pierce… the stand up guy.
Back in the Rick Pitino era, the coach had taken a particularly long time getting to the interview room after a bad loss, of which there were many. Most of the Celtics had taken the cue to dress quickly and get out of Dodge, so when the media finally made it to the locker room, things were fairly barren.
A young Paul Pierce [stats] was at the threshold of the inner room heading out when he turned and saw what was happening.
“Somebody’s got to answer for this,” he said.
So the man who would one day be captain reversed course and stood in front of the cameras, microphones and pens.
The Celtics didn’t skip the room after Monday’s ugly loss to Houston, but there was Pierce for the early postgame rush, standing grim-faced and taking the inquisitive heat.
There are many brilliant numbers that will accompany Pierce into the Hall of Fame one day, but there is, perhaps unfairly, no corresponding statistic for the fact he is a stand-up guy.
Herald – Pierce lets game do talking
Great story from Steve Bulpett. Pierce was a bit of a wildcard early in his career, but this shows he had the makings of a true leader, a role he's embraced the last several years.
The rest of the links:
Herald – Doc moves up wins list | Cs bench lowly Kings | ESPN Boston – Semih-charmed life | Exclusive club for Doc | Globe – Cs storm way past weary Sac | Robinson a reserve who deserves credit | WEEI – Energy savings paying off for Nate, Celtics | Doc thanks Danny for coaching milestone |
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