Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 Celtics Head-Honcho, Danny Ainge had the 15th, 24th and 25th picks in the 2004 NBA draft - and initially appeared to have done quite well.  He took C/PF Al Jefferson at #15, and that worked out fairly well. Jefferson had the foot-work and inside moves to make a statement in the NBA - and eventually became the major trade piece that brought Kevin Garnett to Boston. In the latter portion of the first round, Danny went with toughness , taking Delonte West and Tony Allen. West showed promise but mental instability intervened, and the point guard moved around the NBA and (then-called) D-League - finally ending up as a homeless man on the streets. Tony had a decent career as a Celtic but became disenchanted with his role behind Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett - finally deciding to move on to Memphis in free agency - where he became known as the "Grindfather" for his dedicated defensive ability. Now recently, "The Grindfather" was sentenced to community service and su...

 Picked early in the second round of the 2023 NBA draft, Jordan Walsh is bigger (6'7", 205 lbs.) than former-Celtic, Tony Allen (6'4", 213 lbs.), but their games appear to be similar. Expect the newly-acquired Arkansas product to be compared somewhat with "The Grindfather" . Danny Ainge openly admitted regretting letting Tony get away in free agency - and for good reason. Allen never averaged more than 11.5 points per game in his career, but he was a lock-down defensive ace. He was a 6-time All-Defensive player. And despite his height, he often shifted from the SG slot to small forward. Walsh averaged a mere 7.1 points per game in college, but his defense was stifling. That should translate well to the Big League, and I think the rookie will see at least small minutes during the regular season in 2023-24. Both T ony and Jordan possess that fierce focus on covering their man , and both have more-than ample wingspans . We look forward to seeing Tony Allen...

  We are talking Grant Williams here . You remember him - the Boston Celtics first-round pick (#22 overall) from the 2019 NBA draft. The 6'6" do-everything center/forward has made an appearance in five-of-Boston's eight playoff games thus far, averaging 13.8 minutes per game . Known for his 3-point accuracy, Grant has connected on 56.3% of his treys over that post-season span - but for some rerason, Joe Mazzulla has chosen to not call his name on a number of occasions. He has been called on to take those long-range shots, and he has become very adept - particularly from the corner. Williams has the weight and strength to guard the big men such as Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo , and surprisingly, appears capable of handling the smaller, quicker oppnents on the perimeter. Williams will be a Restricted Free Agent this summer , and the question remains whether he will end up in Boston. In the past, the Celtics lost two quality players to free agency , in part becaus...

 The Marcus Smart trade rumors are rampant. This proposal has Marcus, Tristan Thompson, Romeo Langford and a first-round pick going to the Pelicans for former-Celtic, Terry Rozier . The theory behind the idea is that the Celtics need a pass-first point guard. One of Danny Ainge's biggest regrets was allowing defensive ace, Tony Allen , to walk away in free agency. In my estimation, Smart has more value to the Celtics than Allen had at the time, and Brad Stevens should not trade The Wolverine away. Marcus will be in the final year of his contract this coming season, earning a bargain-level $13.8 million . This past season, he had career-highs in minutes (32.9 MPG), points (13.1 PPG), blocks (0.5 BPG) and guess what - assists (5.7 APG). The downside was his shooting. He only hit 40% of his field goals and 33% of his three-pointers. He will never be the second-coming of Ray Allen in the accuracy category, but he supplies energy, fire, ferocious defense and the willingness to do ...

 I wrote on this subject in the middle of the 2019-20 season. Celtics boss, Danny Ainge , voiced his concern about his team having "equal depth" and no ":clear hierarchy"  That issue was partially solved through the disappearance of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward from the Celtics landscape. The two stars clashed, with each wanting a top role in the team's fate.  Some analysts argue that Jaylen Brown should be traded since he and Jayson Tatum on the same is redundant, that is, they have similar skills and size . I disagree . The only real issue here is the question of who leads this team. Brown is a year older than Tatum and has an extra year under his belt in the League and with the Celtics. But thus far, it seems quite certain that Jaylen is the Alpha-best-player. That is the only dilemma. Ainge saw no drastic signs of any power struggle among his comrades in the 80's, with Larry Bird the top dog. Not so with the 2008 Championship crew. Paul Pierce h...

  Marcus Smart will go into the final year of his 4-year deal next season, earning a team-friendly $13.8 million . Both Allens from the 2008 Championship team left the Celtics of their own accord, and there may be lessons there from the departures of Tony and Ray Allen that Danny Ainge may take into account in dealing with any new contract for Marcus. Ainge openly lamented that he let Tony Allen walk away in the summer of 2010 to join the Memphis Grizzlies. The "Grindfather" , as he was later known, admitted that he left, in part, because he felt overshadowed by Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.   Ray Allen left the team in 2012, rejecting a 2-year, $12 million deal from the Celtics to accept a 3-year contract for $9 million with the Miami Heat. He, like Tony Allen, may have felt less-than-appreciated in Boston ( per Sporting News' Sean Deveney ): Perhaps that’s where the problem started, then. In the book, Allen seems genuinely unsure of why Rondo turned on him so complet...

Red Auerbach was right. He said you can't turn a bad shooter into a good one. And he never tried to do that. Red never forced long-range shooting into the repertoires of players like Bill Russell and Don Chaney . Don't tell me about their field goal percentages . They rarely shot anything past 10 feet. Merely a reminder to Brad Stevens NOT to try turning Rob Williams into a 3-point marksman. "Off the Expressway, over the river, off the billboard, through the window, nothing but net". MJ and Larry Bird Play HORSE | McDonald Commercial | 1993 https://t.co/Vmzcbv8MJ1 via @YouTube — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) April 3, 2021 The same can be said for Tony Allen and Kendrick Perkins . And frankly, for present Celtic, Marcus Smart . Marcus is hitting 40.1% from the field and 32.7% on 3-pointers this season, and that is sufficient for a guy that does so many other things for Boston - so long as his long-range attempts are kept under control. Jacking up too many shots from lo...

Celtics have sputtered with late-first-round picks. Until now? Rookie Payton Pritchard was taken with the 26th pick.   The Boston Celtics, the greatest basketball organization of all time, has been masters at drafting talent, from Cousy, Heinsohn, Jones & Russell, to White, Hondo, Cowens, Bird & McHale, then Pierce, Rondo, and now Tatum, Smart & Brown.  What all of these players have in common besides being all-time (or potential all-time) Celtics greats is that they were all high draft picks.  Once we get to number 26 or later the Celtics have never (and I mean never) drafted a player who made an immediate impact.  Let’s look at some of those guys: The closest we get to the present is 2004 with Delonte West & Tony Allen. (24th & 25th overall). Neither was an immediate contributor, although Tony Allen did have his moments in 2008 helping us win our 17th World Championship   In 1991 we drafted Rick Fox 21st. He had a decent rookie season, play...

Most of you can recall what happened during the 2004 NBA draft. The Boston Celtics had the 15th, 24th and 25th picks and used them effectively. High-schooler and big man, Al Jefferson was snagged at number-15, and tough-nosed guards Tony Allen and Delonte West were taken with the 25th and 24th picks, respectively. Jefferson acquired most his fame as the major piece in Ainge acquiring Kevin Garnett from Minnesota, but he also had a solid 14-year career with his superior post moves and rebounding prowess. Allen also had a long NBA career, earning a Title ring with Boston in 2008. But it was in Memphis that he truly starred, earning the moniker of "Grindfather" with his relentless defensive efforts, while also being named to the All-Defensive First Team three times and All-Defensive Second Team three times. Despite his recent battles with mental illness and addictions, West became Doc Rivers' starting point guard in the 2005-06 season, averaging 11.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 4.6 APG...

We have seen and heard the cries from Celtics fans this season for Danny Ainge to get off his butt and work a mid-season trade - and for Brad Stevens to become more animated on the sidelines. The pleas to "do something" are dying down - as they should. Danny has done a fabulous job of giving Brad the talent, and Stevens has responded by bringing that talent along at the right pace. Screaming on the sidelines may work initially to get the most our of a coaches players, but after a while your troops tune you out. Red Auerbach was a handler of men, not players, and Brad has followed that example. For those not around at the time, don't think that Red had an easy task when he took Bill Russell into his fold. Russ was supremely talented, but also very intelligent, and he had a mind of his own. Brad knows that his guys are not robots that he sends out On the floor, programmed to do his bidding. Yelling at them and demeaning them in public is not something he chooses to do. ...

With dead-eye, 3-point shooter, Max Strus, being waived by the Celtics yesterday, all indications are that Javonte Green will be the guy to fill that 15th roster spot . It had to be a close call for Danny Ainge. With Boston's depth, they couldn't keep both. So why did Danny let Strus go while retaining Green? Javonte Green or Tony Allen? pic.twitter.com/GdkSYN3XYZ — Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) October 13, 2019 The above video may reveal the reason. My thinking is that Ainge allowed defensive ace, Tony Allen, to leave the Celtics in free agency prior to the 2010-11 season, and openly regretted the decision. With the Memphis Grizzlies, Tony earned his very-first NBA All-Defensive Second Team award in his first season in Memphis - and went on to be a 3-Time All-Defense First Teamer and 3-time All-Defense Second Teamer - all with Memphis ( per NBC Sports' A. Sherrod Blakely ): When Danny Ainge makes a personnel decision, it's rare that even with hindsight, he looks b...