Friday was not a good day for the Boston Celtics.
First came David West’s assertion that his supposed free agent snubbing of the C’s was nothing of the kind. Then there was the news that the Celtics withdrew their qualifying offer to Jeff Green in December when they learned he had a heart ailment, making him an unrestricted free agent.
And to cap things off, the Celtics had their worst offensive showing of the season in an 87-74 home loss to the Pacers. Some of the statistical gems were 11 points in the second quarter, 25 points in the first half, a 3-of-17 clangfest by Paul Pierce and 14 total points from eight reserves.
Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald summed it up nicely: “The exams that matter won’t take place until May. There was nothing critical at stake here last night. But with Indiana posing the questions, this was the kind of pop quiz that could let the Celtics know where they stand and what they need to study. For this night anyway, they deserved no better than a D-plus — or a C-minus if you’re grading on the curve for the season’s early light. Just as they deserved the scattered boos of the fans who chose to remain to the bitter end while at least half the Garden crowd got out of Dodge well before the ball stopped bouncing. The 87-74 outcome spoke an inconvenient truth. “I mean, listen, we’re a 4-4 basketball team,” Doc Rivers said. “That’s what we are. You are what your record is. Don’t make no mistake about that. One of the guys said, ‘Hey, that’s all right. We’re better than that.’ And I said, ‘No, we’re not. You’re what your record says you are. And you always have the ability to do something about that, but right now Indiana’s a 5-2 team and we’re a 4-4 team.’”
It was the best win of the season for the Pacers, who bullied their way to a 4-1 start before being blasted by 35 points in Miami on Wednesday, their first true test. And Indiana beat Boston despite just two points from West, one of the more coveted free agents in this compressed offseason.
The Celtics were trying to work a sign-and-trade with the New Orleans Hornets and had a three-year, $27 million deal for West on the table. Several media reports said the deal was close, but West wound up signing for $20 million over two years with the Pacers. Some of the reaction bordered on, “How dare you snub the Celtics!”
West explained to reporters what actually happened, among them Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe: “I just felt like it was the best opportunity for me right now,” West said of the Pacers. “They’re a team and where I was in terms of my career, the fact they were the main team that came after me in terms of my free agency played a big part of it.” West said the Boston deal was overblown. “I think a lot of that was a lot more media than actual substance,” he said this morning. “I found out like everybody else did on TV that I was close to signing. There were in discussions but I just don’t think in terms of the seriousness of what was going on, people really know what was out there for me.”
After West signed with the Pacers, the normally reticent Ray Allen accused him of putting money ahead of the chance to win a championship. Au contraire, West noted.
“In Boston, everybody is kinda realistic about the window that the Celtics have,” he told reporters. “Me looking at where I’m at. I think my window is a little bit wider. This young team here (the Pacers), the next few seasons have the pieces to be able to compete.”
Ouch!
West might be right. At 34, Pierce is the youngest of the “Big Three.” When Green was acquired for Kendrick Perkins last season, he was envisioned as someone who could spell both Pierce and Kevin Garnett and perhaps extend their careers. The Celtics made him a qualifying offer – allowing them to match any deal he got from another team – then signed him to a one-year, $9 million deal.
But Green was unable to join his teammates in training camp due to a mysterious ailment later disclosed as an aortic aneurysm that requires surgery scheduled for next week. Initially, it was thought that the Celts simply voided Green’s contract while retaining his rights.
However, former SheridanHoops staffer Peter May, writing for ESPNBoston.com, revealed that is not the case: “The Boston Celtics, in a move that was not made public, withdrew Green’s qualifying offer in mid-December, right around the time he failed his physical and had his one-year, $9 million contract voided. The move means Green is now an unrestricted free agent. Had the offer not been withdrawn, and the Celtics were under no obligation whatsoever to do so, Green would have been a restricted free agent, with the Celtics able to match any offer he might get from another team. Asked about the decision on Friday, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge, citing Green’s impending surgery, said he preferred not to discuss the matter. He did confirm it, however.”
Green could be signed by another team right now, but that would incur a tremendous risk. He already is out for the season, although doctors are optimistic that his surgery Monday will allow him to resume his career. But where? Until Friday, that almost certainly seemed to be in Boston. Now, Green becomes part of a free agency class many teams have planned for by clearing cap room.
The Celtics are still ahead of the New York Knicks, who were able to quell the utter panic in the Big Apple – and perhaps save coach Mike D’Antoni’s job – by escaping with a 99-96 road win over the winless Wizards.
The Knicks trailed by 16 in the second quarter, then wasted an eight-point lead in the final 3 1/2 minutes before catching a huge break. They trailed 96-95 when Carmelo Anthony missed a jumper, but the rebound somehow squirted back out to Anthony. D’Antoni called timeout and drew up a play that freed Anthony for a go-ahead 3-pointer.
From Howard Beck of the New York Times: “The desperation was spelled out on the scoreboard, across the Knicks’ bench and finally in their lineup. They were teetering on the edge of disaster before finding momentary salvation from sources both obvious and unexpected. They trailed the Washington Wizards, a team with no victories and even less chemistry, by double digits. Their starting backcourt was in disarray. A bad week was about to get profoundly worse. But Carmelo Anthony seized the moment, Amar’e Stoudemire asserted himself and Iman Shumpert forced his way into prominence as the Knicks rallied for a 99-96 win to avert humiliation.”
The Knicks are 1-2 during a five-game stretch against Toronto, Charlotte, Washington, Detroit and Charlotte. To put it in terms New Yorkers will fully understand, a win over the Wizards and a Metrocard will get you on the subway.
The Celtics and Knicks are looking up in the Atlantic Division standings at the first-place Philadelphia 76ers, who finally played a home game and blasted the Detroit Pistons, 96-73. The home opener featured a pregame ceremony that introduced members of the 1983 championship team, including Julius Erving, Moses Malone and Andrew Toney, who was known as “The Boston Strangler.”
From the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Bob Ford: “Erving and Toney were in the house Friday night, along with Bobby Jones, Moses Malone, and some others from the glory days. It’s nice to be remembered and, despite the smoke and music and drumbeats for the incumbent heroes, the old guys got the loudest introductory ovations of the night. No surprise there. … Things were better in the old days, or it sometimes can seem that way. The world was younger, the electricity crackled in the Spectrum, and the teams occasionally won something. Very occasionally, if you happen to have an accurate memory, but nevertheless. This new Sixers team is building something, and it has a lot of the pieces necessary to fashion an era of its own worth remembering. “I watched all five of their games so far,” Malone said at halftime. “The main thing with them is they play hard every night.”
While the Sixers have looked energetic and sharp, don’t read too much into their 4-2 start. They played Golden State without Monta Ellis, New Orleans without Trevor Ariza and Detroit without Rodney Stuckey and Ben Gordon.
Out west, the Lakers had to work harder than usual for a 97-90 home win over the Warriors, who are without Stephen Curry.
Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times noticed a moment that may have indicated what the Lakers are in for the rest of the season: “Kobe Bryant added to his burgeoning file of “games played hurt,” scoring a season-high 39 points on 13-for-28 shooting, making 12 of 14 free-throw attempts and handing out seven assists. He was not thrilled with what happened. After his buzzer-beating three-pointer ended the third quarter, he stalked to the bench, cursing, barely acknowledging teammates and Coach Mike Brown’s congratulatory gesture. He knew this game should have been a walk-through. “The important things for us was to try and pick up our energy … play with a little bit more life,” said Bryant, who scored 26 points in the second half. Bryant is trying to push his way through the hurried four-month schedule and keeps receiving pregame shots that numb the torn ligament in his right wrist. There’s no talk of him resting in the near future. He would have to sit out three weeks for the wrist to feel somewhat better, according to a person familiar with the situation. Surgery would cost him months, perhaps the rest of an already truncated season.”
And 24 hours after claiming the West’s best record with a spirited win over the Lakers, the Trail Blazers were given a national showcase – and laid an egg with a 102-77 loss at Phoenix that allowed everyone to hit the hay early.
From Joe Freeman of the Oregonian: “The Blazers’s offense looked inept and out of sync, settling for jump shots early, committing an alarming amount of turnovers — again — and generally looking sloppy and confused. All the while, it was turn-back-the-clock night for the Suns. With Steve Nash meep-meeping his way around the court like The Road Runner and a variety of different Suns punishing the Blazers in a variety of ways, the Suns looked every bit like their thrill-a-minute former selves. From the opening jump, Nash and the Suns were faster, more precise and better than the Blazers, who shot 32.5 percent from the field and finished with their lowest-scoring output of the season.”
Elsewhere …
- The Thunder began a stretch of five games in six nights with a home rout of the Rockets that ended a two-game skid. Here’s the rest of the Bataan Death March: Saturday at Houston, Sunday vs. San Antonio, Monday off (hey, we can watch the BCS title game!), Tuesday at Memphis, Wednesday at New Orleans.
- The Bulls handled the Magic in a road win, their sixth in a row. Orlando is 5-3 but has beaten no one of consequence while being easily dispatched by contenders Oklahoma City and Chicago. “Quite simply we’re not at that level. Not close,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.
- The Nuggets won their fourth straight game and dealt the Hornets their fifth straight loss. Denver is 24-9 since trading Carmelo Anthony. The next three games for New Orleans are at Dallas, at Denver and vs. Oklahoma City. Yeah, Dave, that sounds like a team I want to buy.
- In a game that featured seven top-five draft picks in the last four years – Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams, Tristan Thompson, Wesley Johnson, Ricky Rubio, Michael Beasley and Kevin Love – the Cavaliers beat the host Timberwolves, who appear to be back to being the Timberwolves.
- One night after their triple-overtime loss to the Heat, the Hawks needed a mere one extra period to defeat the Bobcats. Joe Johnson has played 92 minutes the last two nights, and Atlanta hosts Chicago tonight.