Fiddlin' and Diddlin' on 6/2

The Herald discusses trade proposals for the 5th pick. One that was mentioned is Zach Randolph to the Celts for #5 and a contract. Sure, they fleece us once and think they can do it every year. Don't do it Danny! Randolph has been nothing but trouble off the court and Al does what he does anyway. The other rumor floated is a trade with Seattle. There is a stronger possibility the C’s will talk to Seattle about one of its big men in exchange for No. 5, a contract and a younger player, but the SuperSonics are said to be sitting tight until they hire a new general manager. The Sonics’ Rashard Lewis would make the most sense for the Celtics, but he opted out of his contract and would have to be obtained in a sign-and-trade deal. All I say is if we give up the pick, we better get something better than Robert Swift back. Other tidbits in this article include the fact that Chris Wallace is the front runner for the Grizzlies GM position. Tony Brown may end up with the Bucks. Doc is interviewing replacements for Tony Brown and Dwayne Casey is mentioned. We want Blatt! Get it done Danny!

Also in the Herald is an article that discusses an honor for Cedric Maxwell. Max was at the heart of the Celtics glory days. The opening sentence is an interesting comment on the state of the NBA today: Young NBA fans may find it hard to believe, but pro basketball was once a team game - not the showcase for flashy individual talent it has become.
NBADraft.net has a report from day 4 of the predraft camp and some quotes from media day. My favorite quote of the day comes from Corey Brewer: "I'd rather play defense than offense to be honest." He just became my favorite for the Celtics. They had an interesting note on Brandon Wright also: Brandan Wright proved what one GM had told me during the camp, "show me a tape where Brandon Wright hits 15 foot jumpshots". Wright struggled on shots outside of 8 feet during the drills. You have to like his touch within 5-8 feet from the basket, but as the GM pointed out, "Its very difficult to score with in 8 feet in the NBA, especially for a thin player such as Wright". The team that takes Wright will be betting on the come as he needs to improve both his body and his shooting range. Both elements seem correctable, but you are dealing with unknowns. Teams drafting in the top 5, such as Atlanta and Boston have GMs who may not have the time to wait for a player such as Wright.
Wright's 57% free throw shooting is cause for concern as is his mechanics from outside 8 feet. However, the touch he shows close to the basket gives hope that he will be able to extend his range over time and improve upon his free throw percentage. Other news on the draft include an article in the Globe on Jared Dudley, a profile of Yi Jianlian on Celtics 24/7, more discussion on Oden and Conley staying together in the NBA and some notes on the predraft camp from Yahoo Sports, Conley answers the number one need in Atlanta, and a ranking of the draft prospects along with video from Yahoo Sports.

The Berkshire Eagle reminds us that the Celtics have never landed the number one pick and has done well over the years. Of course, things were different in the past and we had Red running the show. But I believe that things are on the verge of turning around for this franchise if Danny makes the right decisions in this off season. That includes keeping players who are about to break out and who are going to be all stars, making the right decision on the pick, and being very careful in who he trades for.

Speaking of trades, CelticsStuff Live now has its own niche over on CelticsBlog and today JB has a piece on the merits of trading the pick or keeping it. CelticsStuff Live has been a pioneer with their live call in show and provide us Celtics fan-atics with some great info and excellent guests each week. With the move to Celtics Blog, we can expect even better stuff from them. Be sure to check out their new digs.

Draft countdown: 26 more days.

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