Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 With free-agent centers such as Andre Drummond and Daniel Theis , recently signed by other NBA teams, the Boston Celtics may be content with their present center quintet of Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman and Neemias Queta.  Horford has shown he is not ready for the rocking chair quite yet. Porzingis may be fragile, but he is a positive difference maker when healthy . Simply stated, he does everything out there. Kornet gives the team size, rebounding and rim protection. Ditto for Queta . Tillman adds muscle and defense, particularly against opposing brutes. That all adds up to a ton of versatility at the 5-spot . Brad Stevens was intent on keeping the entire 2023-24 unit intact as much as possible, and he has done that. Add me to the list of fans concerned with Horford's age and Porzingis' fragility. But the three backups at the 5-spot have proven they are up to the task.

Celtics center, Kristaps Porzingis , has recently undergone foot/ankle surgery, and is not expected back on the floor until late November or early December. I have already broached Daniel Theis as a viable free agent option for Boston who might sign on for a vet-minimum deal , and there are a few other possibilities out there ( per Yahoo Sports Morten Stig Jensen ): 4.  Andre Drummond ,  Chicago Bulls Andre Drummond C - CHI - #3 2023 - 2024 SEASON 8.4 Pts 9 Reb 0.9 Stl 0.6 Blk 17:06 Min Status: unrestricted free agent 2023-24 salary: $3,360,000 2023-24 digits: 8.4 points, 9 rebound and 0.5 assists In recent years, Drummond has come off the bench. He's made the pivot that Valančiūnas is on the threshold of. However, Drummond's impact could be viewed as starting caliber-worthy through the proper lens. As his generation's best rebounder and one of the best of all time in that department, Drummond is elite on the offensive glass (3.4 in 17.1 minutes this year), whi...

  C's will be without KP tonight due to his injury. The prognosticators are already picking the Mavs. 1st Quarter ☘️ C's with pinpoint accuracy to start off the scoring. C's are off to a poor start though overall. Joe takes an early timeout and I'm already disgusted by this game. C's should have expected to get hit in the face and they are doing nothing about it early on. Your dream of winning a ring is two games away. Yet you come out like this... I hope Joes timeout gets in their hearts and they play like the Celtics. Settle everything down and play some damn Defense. Out of the timeout Al nails a three. Al also blocks a shot on the other end! That's leadership! This game sucks right now. JT hits a three and the lead is down to ten. They really need to buckle down. Trim this lead down and go on a run. JB gets to the cup and scores. JT gets a basketball bounce on the three and the lead is down to six. Finish this quarter strong! JT is going to have to take this...

  The C's have sat their Super Six tonight. Something tells me the NBA made an edict they play for both games on TNT. Tonight they are finally allowed to sit their guys for the rest they deserve. I do hope they take this time to refresh and mentally get ready for the playoffs.  ☘️ Nice to see the young pup Springer getting the start. Pritchard has quite the knack of finding guys where they can score easily. Great job with the penetration and finding Luke for the deuce! I love seeing him use his body to get space and free up his shot. Despite his smaller stature, he really uses his body well. PP with the three! I think he's gonna go off tonight! To be honest I don't really know anyone on this Hornets team. It's been a long time since they were relevant. Luke is a guy who just loves to play basketball. Off the Pritchard miss he follows up with the JAM! C's are scrappy tonight, playing their hearts out. PP is dominant in a very quiet way so far tonight. Gotta love him!...

  Xavier Tillman logged 15 minutes as the fourth man off the bench in Boston's win over the Dallas Mavericks last night . He produced six points on a perfect 3-of-3 from the field - and also picked up one rebound, two assists and one block in Boston's victory. Tillman may be a blast from the past as a rebounding, rim-protecting, defensive center that doesn't shoot from distance, but he keeps improving out there with limited floor time. So don't cancel out the X-Man for the upcoming playoffs . Count me as one of the Celtics fans that loves his game. Joe Mazzulla may also be on the same mind track.

 With the Boston Celtics season roughly 70%-complete , Joe Mazzulla's team posts the best record in the League (45-12) . Next-best in the East are the Cavs with a 37-19 record . Best-of-the-West are the Timberwolves at 40-17. Be assured Mazzulla wont be resting on that record, but it does give him some leeway to test a few of his backups down the stretch . Among that crew are Xavier Tillman, Jaden Springer, Jordan Walsh and Neemias Queta.  Tillman and Queta (should the latter nail a full-time roster spot) could be important if injuries plague the current center position. Springer and Walsh could bring additional defense in the post-season, but their viability needs to be tested under fire in the regular season. The top-6 in Boston's rotation can no longer be considered upstarts or novices in the playoffs. But the loss last season to the Heat in the Eastern Finals really hurt, and I can't envision anything resembling that happening again. Look for Joe to do some experiment...

 I'm not talking about shooting . Hitting 39% from the field (this season) and 21.6% on 3-pointers would be the first indicator. But Jaden Springer, a 21-year-old combo guard , can defend even some of the top players in the League. That is his strength, and he can pass the ball well enough to get on the court in limited minutes, maybe even in the post-season. At 6'4" and 202 pounds, he is in the same size category as Derrick White and Jrue Holiday , and has the potential, with seasoning, to transform into a reliable - or even proficient - NBA defender. That is why he is in Beantown ( per celticsblog.com's Bobby Manning ): "The Celtics wanted to acquire specialists, who could do one thing at a high level, (Joe) Mazzulla said, while trying to improve the players long-term." It will be interesting for Celtics fans to watch this kid perform and grow. He could end up, with Xavier Tillman , as a long-term answer for the Boston Celtics .

 Not a blockbuster, bur Brad Stevens has made a move prior to today's deadline. The Celtics have traded Lamar Stevens and two second-round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies , bringing Xavier Tillman, Sr, to the fold. The 6'7", 245-pound Tillman is listed as a center/power forward - therefore adding another body to Boston's front court. He has never been threat from beyond the 3-point arc (22.6%) or the foul line (41.9%) this season , but he can do a little bit of everything else in limited minutes (20.6 MPG) - 6.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.2 SPG and 1,.0 BPG. Tillman appears to be a shorter version of the Celtics Neemias Queta , but with three-and-a-half seasons under his belt. Brad Stevens may not be done dealing, with the Trade Deadline ending at 3:00 PM ET today.