Boston Celtics Daily Dish: No Fireworks On The 4th of July

Happy holiday weekend to all of you Boston Celtics fans out there!

I sure hope you had an enjoyable 4th of July yesterday – I know I did – and if you’re lucky, you have beautiful, work-free weekend ahead of you.

Me?  I enjoy working . . . at bringing you all the latest news and rumors from the NBA.  The offseason isn’t truly an off season, so let’s see if anything of interest went down yesterday while we were all celebrating.

My Boston Celtics Center Solutions series focused on five players the Celtics should have looked at in order to upgrade their roster at the center position.  Of those five, Omer Asik has already been traded, and Marcin Gortat has agreed to re-sign with Washington, leaving only Spencer Hawes, Greg Monroe, and Larry Sanders.

And then there were two.

Hawes was never my number one choice for the Celtics . . . but dammit, shouldn’t they be trying to land a center this summer, instead of stockpiling guards?

Interesting statistic for Hawes: dude shot 41.6% from behind the arc last season.  A stretch five!   Hope he has fun out in Los Angeles.

So: the Boston Celtics so far have not made good on owner Wyc Grousbeck’s promise that there would be “fireworks” this summer.  Don’t worry – there is plenty of times for fireworks to occur.  Take a look at Boston’s next moves now that we’re a week into free agency.

I can’t even begin to tell you how disgusted I am with the Jason Kidd-Milwaukee Bucks situation.  At least recently-fired coach Larry Drew provided a little grace to what was otherwise a classless act.

The NBA Summer League begins today – try a 24-hour sample of the Summer League Pass, or just do what I did: sign up!  It’s only $15, man!

Despite the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly offered Carmelo Anthony a max contract, it sounds as if ‘Melo is leaning towards returning to the Knicks:

And here’s an interesting rumor: could it be that ‘Melo’s time in LA inspired him to recruit Pau Gasol to join him in New York?

"Carmelo Anthony is interested in talking with fellow free agent Pau Gasol about possibly teaming up on the New York Knicks.Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that Anthony sought to obtain Gasol’s phone number hours before his meeting with the Knicks on Thursday. According to the report, Anthony wanted to speak with Gasol about playing together in Madison Square Garden.The development gave Knicks officials more confidence they’ll be able to retain Anthony despite the plethora of interest on the open market thus far. . ."

Ah, the drama!

Let’s finish this up with a look at what to expect from the Boston Celtics during the Orlando Summer League. It may not be “NBA basketball,” but admit it: you’re excited to watch Marcus Smart regardless.

Enjoy!