Novemeber 4, 2012; Orlando FL, USA; Orlando Magic power forward Glen Davis (11) and shooting guard E

Very early into the 2012-2013 NBA season, Glen Davis and E’Twaun Moore have lead the Magic to a 2-0 start with both games decided by double-digits. These wins weren’t against pushovers either. The Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns are expected to be playoff teams this year, and for Davis and Moore to play like they have in these two games is impressive.

Glen Davis spent his time in Boston with extremes of highs and lows. In his first few years with the Celtics he contributed a lot, whether he started or came off the bench. Unfortunately his lack of communication with Doc Rivers, and failure to listen to the coaching staff found Davis on a plane to Orlando before last season in the trade for Brandon Bass. Davis’ first year with the Magic was a bit rough, and being on a team that faced turmoil, not only on the court but off the court, the situation Davis was put in wasn’t a good one.

This season with Dwight Howard gone, and a new coaching staff, Davis now has a defined role. He’s become a leader, but more importantly, a scoring leader. A team without an all-star needs someone who can step up and develop into a great player. In two games, Davis seems to be the one player who is ready to carry the team. In Boston, being in the shadow behind the Big Three, I think he felt just like Tony Allen did, that he could do more. Seeing what he’s done so far, he’s ready to have the spotlight shown on him.

E’Twaun Moore is one guy who I wish all the best to. On the night he was drafted there were a lot of question marks about his game and how it could translate to the NBA. I remember hearing how he’s too small to be a true shooting guard and too good of a shooter to be playing at point guard. In the few games that he played in Boston, it’s obvious that he can do both, and his high IQ makes him fit as a point guard.

Being behind Ray Allen and Avery Bradley, Moore didn’t see many minutes, which is understandable. With his talent decaying on the bench, it was a shame to not see him play. There was one game in particular where Moore lead a comeback against the Magic. His 16 points kept Boston within striking distance, and then Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo took over.

So far in two games Glen Davis has averaged 25 points, scoring 29 on opening night. E’Twaun Moore, whose been getting the start at point guard for Jameer Nelson, is averaging 14 points per game. For both Davis and Moore, I hope they’ve found a home in Orlando. Davis contributed a lot in Boston, especially in 2010, and Moore deserves a shot and the playing time, which I think for the Magic will be very rewarding. Who knows, maybe by April Orlando will be in the playoff picture and prove all of us wrong for writing them off without Dwight Howard.

July 17, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Marquis Teague (25) defends against Boston Celtics guard E

E’Twaun Moore had his best game of the year against the Orlando Magic last year, by far, and it seems they took note of what the second round pick could offer.

The Magic have signed Moore to a two year deal worth the league minimum in both years.  It’s hardly a contract for Moore to hang his hat on, but he’s happy to be in the league and should be a productive player for a Magic team that currently has only four guards and 12 forwards/centers.

Moore will add depth to the Magic backcourt and could end up being a favorite of Magic coach Jacque Vaughn.  Though the Purdue product only played in 38 of the C’s 66 games last year, and averaged only eight minutes per game in those appearances, he’ll have every chance to make a much bigger impact for the Magic this season.

The tutelage of Magic star guard Aaron Afflalo should prove instrumental, as Afflalo himself came into the league as an unheralded rookie, just like Moore, but eventually developed into a strong starter whose defense at one point was far better than his offense, much like Moore.

Jan 31, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Celtics guard E

After a successful first round of summer league, the Celtics will now be traveling to Las Vegas. But before we look ahead, lets look back at some of the standouts and also see how our new rookies did in their first NBA action.

The Celtics went 4-1 this week down in Orlando, and a large part of that was from the contributions of Dionte Christmas, E’Twaun Moore, Jared Sullinger, and Kris Joseph.

To start out, Dionte Christmas was the biggest surprise to me. I didn’t know who he was before the summer league began, but he really impressed me with what he can do.

Yesterday alone, Christmas had 21 points, 19 of them came in the first half. Throughout the whole week he had been consistent scoring 10 points four out of five games. He not only can score, but he can rebound and do all the intangibles. In his first game Christmas grabbed 10 rebounds, all of them were defensive. He plays great defense, brings a lot of energy, and he doesn’t play out of control.

If the Celtics can’t find space on the roster for him, there is no way another team won’t pick him up. Originally, Christmas was only suppose to play for Boston in Orlando, but it seems like they invited him to Las Vegas. This guy definitely has talent, and I hope to see the Celtics reach out and invite him to training camp.

E’Twaun Moore was a pleasant surprise this week. I knew that he had the skills and tools to score in this league, but I didn’t expect him to light up the summer league.

The Celtics played him at point guard, and he did a superb job at that position. Personally I would have liked to see him play at shooting guard, but the change in position didn’t alter his game in any way.

One thing that wasn’t well known about Moore was his defense. He played exceptionally well against Brandon Knight and it was almost becoming personal as both players seemed to play really tight against each other.

I think this will be the year Moore breaks out. If he gains the trust of Doc Rivers, then we will be seeing him in games this season.

Jared Sullinger brought a lot more to Orlando than I had expected. Leading up to the draft all I heard was his back issues and how that could hinder him, but in the summer league at least, his back was no problem at all.

Sullinger scored 20 points in his first game, and most of his production came from within 10 feet of the basket. He backed down his man in the paint, and never got out muscled on either side of court.

What really stood out to me was his rebounding. In 4 games, Sullinger grabbed 33 rebounds, and these games only had 10 minute quarters. That was the most impressive stat line coming from him. I don’t care as much about his scoring, as long as he rebounds. The Celtics have been out rebounded game after game and year after year. If Sullinger can just do small things like grabbing boards especially on the offensive glass, he’ll be an extremely valuable player even if he doesn’t score 10-15 points a night.

Lastly, Kris Joseph proved that he should have been drafted much higher. Joseph played like a veteran, with some polished moves when heading to the basket. He also knocked down outside shots, and when he got to the rim, he took it in strong.

Defensively, he was always active. When he wasn’t getting steals or deflections, he just played great defense that made his man take highly contested shots. He showed me a lot this week, and I’m looking forward to seeing how he does in Las Vegas.

At first I thought Joseph might have to spend a year or two in the D-League, but after this week, I think he could be ready to play in NBA games.

Las Vegas

The Celtics play their first game in Las Vegas on Monday versus the Atlanta Hawks at 4pm on NBATV.

Remaining Schedule

Tuesday versus Chicago @ 10pm

Thursday versus Sacramento @ 6:30pm

Saturday versus Milwaukee @ 10:30pm

Sunday versus LA Clippers @ 6pm