* Boston Celtics | Preseason comes to an end.

[Oskar]

Once again .. Well, I would've continued my Bulls one, but as my computer was playing tricks on me, I just didn't have a chance. As much as I love doing dynasties, I'll just start another one, this time I chose the Boston Celtics from 05-06, the C's before KG and Ray. I'll play on PC and the game is Live 06, without any patches, but I edited the rosters a little bit myself. I also simmed the first season to make it as interesting as possible, with new rookies, offseason trades, free agents and so on. The style will be similar to Sit's and Chaser's (the usual style nowadays), call it a copy or whatever you want, I just want to enjoy it as much as I can myself and I hope some of you enjoy it as well.

DYNASTY SETTINGS


Sim quarter length: 12 minutes
Playoff length: 7-7-7-7
Season length: 82 games (real NBA 05-06 season)
Sim injuries: Yes
Sim intervention: Yes
Roster: EA's, with some adjustments.

INGAME SETTINGS


Quarter length: 9 minutes
Sliders: My own
Skill level: All-Star/Superstar

Starters:




C: Steven Hunter
PF: Chris Bosh
SF: Paul Pierce (captain)
SG: Michael Redd
PG: Delonte West

Bench:




SG: Morris Peterson (6th man)
F/C: David Lee
F: Basil Lidstorm (rookie)
SF: James Jones
G: Damien Ludwig (rookie)

Deep bench, inactive list:




C: Pape Sow
G: Dion Glover
PF: Jerome Beasley
F: Brian Scalabrine

Chapter 1: Draft discussion.
Chapter 2: Resigning FA; Draft day.
Chapter 3: Boshton.
Chapter 4: Training camp.
Chapter 5: Welcome back, Tiny !
Chapter 6: Beginning of the stardom.

'05-'06 season overview.
-----
24th July, '06 - Draft results.
26th July, '06 - Celtics sign Michael Redd.
1st August, '06 - Boston welcomes two more free agents.
27th August, '06 - Blockbuster deal, Bosh becomes a Celtic.
9th September, '06 - Preseason schedule announced.
27th September, '06 - Preseason comes to an end.

Coming soon !

[Mandich]

Wish you luck in this one, will be interesting to see what comes out of this Celtics team

[Oskar]

ROSTER CHANGES

BOSTON, November 14th, '05 (AP) -- Danny Ainge announced a trade between Celtics and Knicks to add cap space during the offseason.



With less than one month into the season, the Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge announced a trade that sent Raef LaFrentz and Ricky Davis to the New York Knicks. In return, the Celtics got Anfrenee Hardaway and David Lee. Penny Hardaway has 1 year left in his contract, which will give the Celtics over 15 mil free cap space in the 2006 offseason.

" We're very happy that the Celtics made us such a good offer, " claimed Isiah Thomas. " I think Ricky Davis is the best player in this trade and as long as we get the better, we accept the trade. Davis can put up good numbers, easily 15 points a game and that will only help our team. Raef LaFrentz, at the same time, will help our frontcourt, he's a quality big man with solid mid-range game - will also help us. "

" We offered them Ricky and LaFrentz for Penny and Lee right away, but we didn't really hope that they would accept that. " said Ainge. " But they did, so we're really lucky. Hardaway is quite worn out and his 15 mil salary that comes off the books at the end of the season, can get us a max contract and a star player. If not that, we can sign a solid player and many other pieces that will probably be more valuable than Raef LaFrentz and Ricky Davis were to this organization. "

ALL-STAR WEEKEND

Rookie challenge

Rookies:

C: A. Bogut
PF: I. Diogu
SF: G. Green
SG: R. McCants
PG: C. Paul

Sophmores:

C: N. Krstic
PF: D. Howard
SF: A. Iguodala
SG: J. Smith
PG: S. Telfair

Sophmores win 119-107
MVP: Dwight Howard, 24 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks.

Slam dunk competition

Competitors: Gerald Green, LeBron James, Fred Jones, Vince Carter

Slam dunk champ: LeBron James
1st round: 93
2nd round: 95

3 point shootour

Competitors: Jason Kapono, Richard Hamilton, Michael Redd, Quentin Richardson, Dirk Nowitzki, Gilbert Arenas, Chauncey Billups

3pt shootout champ: Michael Redd
1st round: 19
2nd round: 23

All-Star game

Eastern all-stars:

C: Z. Ilgauskas
PF: C. Bosh
SF: P. Pierce
SG: D. Wade
PG: A. Iverson

Western all-stars:

C: B. Miller
PF: K. Garnett
SF: T. McGrady
SG: K. Bryant
PG: S. Nash

Eastern all-stars win 113-104
MVP - Allen Iverson, 28 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds.

PLAYOFFS

The Celtics, who finished with the 6th worst record in the league (28-54), didn't reach the playoffs. Orlando Magic was the worst team to get to the playoffs with 38 wins and 44 losses. Timberwolves were the worst in the Western conference, standing at .500 with 41-41.

SEASON AWARDS

Individual awards.

Coach of the year

Mike D'Antoni, Phoenix Suns

Team record: 65-17
W% .793
Home W/L: 32-9
Away W/L: 33-8

MVP:

Kobe Bryant - 31.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 7.7 APG, 2.51 SPG

MIP:

David West - 15.1 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 1.05 SPG, 1.27 BPG

DPOY:

Ben Wallace - 14.4 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 2.51 BPG, 2.15 SPG

ROTY:

Chris Paul - 19.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 7.3 APG, 2.24 SPG

6TH:

Shareef Abdur-Rahim - 13.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.7 APG, 22.0 MPG

Team awards.

All NBA 1st team:

C: Brad Miller
PF: Tim Duncan
SF: Tracy McGrady
SG: Kobe Bryant
PG: Allen Iverson

All NBA 2nd team:

C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas
PF: Kevin Garnett
SF: Richard Jefferson
SG: Dwyane Wade
PG: Steve Nash

All defensive 1st team:

C: Ben Wallace
PF: Kevin Garnett
SF: Andrei Kirilenko
SG: Kobe Bryant
PG: Allen Iverson

All defensive 2nd team:

C: Marcus Camby
PF: Tyson Chandler
SF: Shane Battier
SG: Dwyane Wade
PG: Jason Kidd

All rookie 1st team:
C: Andrew Bogut
PF: Andrew Bynum
SF: Channing Frye
SG: Deron Williams
PG: Chris Paul

All rookie 2nd team:

C: Ike Diogu
PF: David Lee
SF: Danny Granger
SG: Gerald Green
PG: Martell Webster

STATISTIC LEADERS

PPG:
Kobe Bryant, 31.7

RPG:
Kevin Garnett, 12.8

APG:
Steve Nash, 8.8

SPG:
Kobe Bryant, 2.51

BPG:
Ben Wallace, 2.51

FG%:
Dirk Nowitzki, .557%

3PT%:
Michael Redd, .463%

FT%:
Jose Manuel Calderon, .973%

RETIREMENTS

Miami, July 19th, '06 (AP) -- Miami Heat's starting center, Shaquille O'Neal calls its quits. O'Neal played 14 years in the NBA and won 3 rings. There was a big farewell party at the American Airlines Arena to end the career of one of the most dominant NBA players to ever play the game, the best way possible. Shaquille O'Neal will definitely be inducted to the Hall of Fame and will go down as one of the greatest players in the history of basketball.

Other notable players to leave the NBA, are Brent Barry, Clifford Robinson, Allan Houston, Tom Gugliotta, Derrick Coleman and the list goes on.

[Oskar]

DRAFT .. WHO ?

Danny woke up as his phone started to ring loudly. It had been two days since the NBA draft lottery, when the Celtics got their 7th pick. Yesterday, Danny had thought about the rookies, who to draft and just looked through the background's of the players and even watched some tapes.
" Yeah, who is it ? " Danny Ainge asked, while rubbing his eyes.
" Hey, it's me, Doc. "
" Oh, mornin', what's up ? " he asked.
" Could you come down to my office after half an hour, please ? " coach Doc Rivers asked.
" Well, sure. What's it about ? "
" We'll discuss about the draftees, Wyc will be here too, along with some other board members. " Doc mentioned.
" Alright, I'll be there, later. " Ainge said.
_________________________

Danny stepped in the hallway and the secretary called him, sending him to the board room. He stepped in there, noticed that he was the last one and quickly looked at the clock.
" Hello, sorry for being late. " he quickly apologized.
" That's alright, 2 minutes is not a big deal. " Wycliffe Grousbeck, a co-owner of the team said with a smile.
" So .. take a seat and tell us about your ideas. " Doc Rivers told him.
Danny sat down and took out his notebook, where he had his notes and favourites written down.
" Alright, let's see .. We have the seventh pick, we can't expect a franchise player, we're happy if we get a decent roleplayer. I met scouts Ray Cage and Manu Marley yesterday, they told me much needed information about the players and the draft overall. It's not going to be a really special draft, it's far from the LeBron one, but this one is deeper, but there are no players who will be the 1st option at once, maybe one or two, but that's about it. My favourite player is Sadiku Boyes, that applies for practically everyone else too. He'll go 1st without a doubt, so there's no way we'd get him, I'll not even take him as a topic. I'll talk about Quint Hamilton - a raw wing player with terrific all-around game, a freak of nature and has excellent frame. You could actually say he's a very poor man's LBJ. He has an excellent offensive game and I really mean excellent. Then, we have Basil Lidstorm, the second NBA player from Iceland, the first good one though. Lidstorm is quite similar to Hamilton, but he's a much better rebounder and defender. He's far from as athletic though, but still, would be a good pickup. He's also bigger than Quint and a little bit stronger. I compared Quint to a very poor man's James, I'll compare Lidstorm to a really, really poor man's Larry Bird. " he claimed.
" Who do you think is better ? " Kevin Eastman, Celtics' assistant coach asked.
" That's a tough one, but I'd have to go with Quint Hamilton. He's really good, probably a top 3 player in this draft, who I hope would slip. " Danny answered.
" Any others ? " Wyc asked.
" Yeah, " Ainge responded. " Gregor Caffey for example, potential wise, probably the best player. He works so hard and his improvement is clear for everyone. 6 PPG, 3 RPG as freshman, 13 PPG, 7 RPG as sophmore, 17 PPG, 8 RPG as junior and 19 PPG, 10 RPG as senior, that's improvement. He isn't too athletic, though and his basketball IQ is like .. pfft, I can't compare it to anything, it's just too bad. He's got a good size, though. Could add like 20 pounds and bulken up, but if he'd play the 3 instead of 4, he'd have the height advantage, as he stands 6'10". Then, there are more guys. One is Alton Murray, who I can't really compare to anyone. Maybe a mix of Ben Gordon and Tracy McGrady, not as good though. He can dunk really well and his three point shot is real smooth. I'll just say it that way - he is a terrific scorer, who has the physical tools to become a terrific defender. He also puts a lot of work in, just like Caffey, but as usual these days, he's undersized, not too much, though. He's 6'3". "
" Alright. I don't know if anything else is needed, I think that should be enough for us to make our decision. We'll do that at the draft day and pick the best player available. Kevin, make sure all of those guys get called to workouts and if there's time left, Danny will give you more draftees to work out with. " Doc Rivers said.
Kevin Eastman nodded.
" That works for me, if nothing else has anything to add - then we should be all set. " Wyc said.
As none had anything more to add, everyone packed their things and left after the rather short discussion. When Danny was walking towards his car to drive home, Doc shouted.
" Hey, Danny ! Hold on ! "
Danny stopped and looked back, then stood still to see what Doc had to say.
" Hey, you got any plans made already who to trade for and all that ? " Rivers asked without hesitating.
" Sure I do, I've always got plans. We'll sign a max free agent, if it's going to be a forward or center, we'll strengthen our backcourt, if we're going to sign a point or shooting guard, we'll strengthen our backcourt. A rookie alone will not make anything stronger, a trade is needed, if we want to be competitive. " Ainge answered.
" Oh, thank you. It's all I wanted to know. Have a good day ! " Doc told him.
Danny waived back as he moved on to his car.

[Oskar]

Wish you luck in this one, will be interesting to see what comes out of this Celtics team

Thank you. It'll be different, but I doubt it will be as good as the current Celtics team.

Draft and stuff coming soon, comments are welcome !

[Oskar]

RESIGNING FREE AGENTS

Dave King, the newly hired Assistant GM stepped out of his car, took a new look at the house and said to himself, That's got to be Danny's. He walked to the door with a bright smile on his face, despite the fact he had been looking for the house for like three hours already.
* Knock knock
Danny, who was once again still sleeping, woke up and went to the door.
" HE ! FINA- " King started.
" What do you want ? " Ainge quickly asked, while leaving the door open and slowly walking to the kitchen.
" I thought about .. you know, mr. Eastman told me he finished with the draftees. "
Ainge turned around, looked at Dave, rolled his eyes and laughed.
" What's wrong ? I know man, I didn't have coffee in the morning, so yeah, don't worry 'bout my looks alright ? " Dave King said, trying to look blase.
Ainge laughed once again.
" Listen, I already know that. Don't tell me you came all the way here, woke me up and all that stuff, just to tell me something I know ? " Ainge asked.
" No sir, you got me all wrong, " Dave started explaining. " It's time for the free agents ! Who shall we resign, eh ? I thought about giving a 5 million, 2 year contract to Gary Payton .. What do you think ? "
" I think NO ! What do you think about giving Penny a 10 million, 1 year extension ? I mean, we need veterans, eh uh ah ? " Danny joked.
Dave King seemed to have a little bit angry face, but before he said anything ..
" Alright, come on, take a seat, I'm just mocking you, let's talk business now. "
That didn't make King smile, but anyway, he decided to sit down. Danny came after a minute, still wearing his nightshirt and drinking coffee.
" So, Gary Payton to a 2 year extension ? I say no .. Did you see last year, when he practically was chucking those shots ? He had a few 30, even 40 point games if I am right, but he also took 30 shots during some games. He doesn't want his career stats to drop, and we don't want our record to drop. Doc wanted to bench him in the second half of the season, but fortunately it was easier, he dislocated his shoulder. He's not worth a 2 year contract and I believe that he won't be a too good mentor to our young guards, Delonte, Marcus, you know what I'm talking about, Dave. " Ainge quickly explained.
" You raise a point, but if not him, who do we resign ? " King asked.
" What, why ? Why do we even have to resign anyone ? You have a lot of good free agents this summer, either Amare or Joe Johnson, that's for sure, Suns can't sign them both .. then, Tayshaun, Michael Redd, Ben Wallace, Al Harrington and the list goes on. Let's go hunting ! " Ainge said.
" Alright, you're the boss. " Dave claimed.
Dave was already leaving, but while being on the doorway, Danny shouted him.
" Hey, Dave ! You'll be at the draft, right ? " he asked.
" Naah man, family business. I'm sorry, but you'll make the right decision without me. " King told him.
" Alright, but who are your favourites ? " Danny asked before mr. King left.
" Well .. Boyes and Hamilton. " he said.
*laughs " Like everyone else's. Alright, safe trip home, see you around. "

_________________________

DRAFT DAY

A beautiful day in the New York City, security all over the Madison Square Garden, one minute you see rookies chatting with each other, next minute you see them chatting with their family and friends, then you have the celebrities, general managers, coaches, everyone waiting for David Stern, and him to tell the first pick of the 2006 NBA Draft, by the Milwaukee Bucks. Whatever, everybody knows it's going to be Sadiku Boyes anyways. Everyone's waiting for the second pick by the Utah Jazz. Will it be one of the asians, Ishito, Chan, Ibeabuchi or Iwanaka ? All of those four will probably go top 10, but what about picking Hamilton, Jazz ? Or Lindgren ? That's what all of the deathlike silent teams thought. Danny, Doc, Wyc and Kevin Eastman were sitting in a roundtable, Danny biting his nails, Doc looking at the notes, Wyc reading a newspaper and after times reminding Danny to make the best pick he can, infact, Danny had the chance to make the decision all by himself. As Danny was staring a random point and biting his nails, Doc taking a last look at the rookies, Wyc reading the newspaper and Kevin ..
" Hey family, guess who'se coming ! " he said, which turned everything into slow motion, Danny, Doc and Wyc all turning their heads towards the stage, seeing David Stern walking to the booth, " MILWAUKEE BUCKS " flashing everywhere behind him, Sadiku Boyes already being congratuladed by his friends, even other rookies and ofcourse family, all that happened in few seconds, that easily lasted much longer, atleast for them.

" With the first pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks select Sadiku Boyes out of Maryland. " David Stern announced.
" There you have it, I wonder what they'll do with him though. Redd and Williams are already in the backcourt, expect a trade, maybe. " Doc said. None answered, but Doc never expected to get an answer, everyone was looking at Boyes, who looked like he had 'franchise' written on his forehead. It took a few minutes until Stern returned, meanwhile you could hear ESPN, TNT or whatever it was talking about Boyes' strengths and weaknesses.

As David Stern returned on the stage, the room got quiet once again.
" With the second pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz select Liu Ishito from Florida. " Threes will be falling aallll-daaaay long Danny thought to himself, as Liu Ishito, an excellent sharpshooter will be the starting 2 guard in Utah Jazz, most likely.

In the next 10-15 minutes, Stern announced the picks from 3-5, which were (in order) Katashiko Chan by New York Knicks, Ivan Lingren by Atlanta Hawks and Johnny Ibeabuchi by Charlotte Bobcats.

" Unbelievable, Quint Hamilton is still available. We have a chance of actually getting him .. " Danny said while leaning on the roundtable, but looking at the stage over his shoulder.
" I'd not be surprised if the Bulls pick him now, though .. " Wyc said, rolling his eyes.
" Hey, look, there's your commissioner ! " Eastman said.
C'moon Bulls, don't pick Hamilton, DON'T ! Danny said to himself nervously, biting the last of his nails and forcing himself not to explode when they do pick him.

" With the sixth pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select Quint Hamilton out of Georgetown University. " he announced.
" Pffft .. Time for business, let's go to the back room and make the decision, Doc. " Danny said.
As Danny and Doc were walking to the backroom, they saw Scott Skiles and John Paxson just coming from there.
" Nice pick. " Doc Rivers said to Paxson.
" Thanks Doc, good luck with yours. " he answered.
*cough asshole *cough Doc said silently when Paxson and Skiles had gotten a bit more far.
" Alright, we've got like, what, 3 minutes ? " Doc asked.
" Yeah, whatever .. Alright, what are our options ? Gregor Caffey, the most hardworking man in the draft, in the long run, he might be a top 5 player, right now he's like a top 15 one. Then, Alton Murray, a 6'3" T-Mac, or Ben Gordon, whoever you want to call him, he's a scorer who might be a top 5 player of this draft aswell, in the long run. Then, Basil Lidstorm, the 6'9" Iceland youngster with great all-around game, plays perfectly in the post and overall, has a really good basketball IQ on the offensive end. He's nice, by the way, despite being the best player in Iceland's history, he's not like LeBron or any of those guys, he's not some selfish and bossy guy, he's just alright." Ainge told him.
" Alright, so it's down to those three guys, Gregor Caffey, Alton Murray and Basil Lidstorm ? " Doc asked.
" That's right. I think I know who we're going to pick, don't even worry about that. You'll see, it'll all pan out. " Ainge promised.
" Alright, I believe in you. Good luck, make the right pick ! " the coach said.
Danny nodded and had a soft smile on his face, as he was walking out of the room to the hallway, he noticed David Stern's assistant.
" Time's up mr. Ainge. Here's the paper, write down your draft decision. " the assistant said as he handed Ainge a paper and a pen.
Danny wrote the pick on the paper and gave it back to the assistant.
" Good choice, sir. Good luck. " the assistant said, as he turned around to go to Stern.

Right when Danny sat down, the commissioner, David Stern got back on the stage.
" With the seventh pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics select ... "

____________________________________

To be continued.

[Oskar]

2006 NBA Draft

BOSTON, July 24th, '06 (AP) -- A day full of surprises, laughter, excitement and a lot of good, overall. The draft took place in the Madison Square Garden, NY, with the Milwaukee Bucks having the first pick of the draft.

Basil Lidstorm, Damien Ludwig

The Boston Celtics welcome their two new rookies, Basil Lidstorm and Damien Ludwig.

Lidstorm (7th pick, 1st round) is a 6'9", 247 lbs forward from Iceland. Despite being 21, Lidstorm has achieved a lot in his young career, as he also easily tops the list of the greatest Iceland players ever. He averaged 18.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the local league, leading it in both, points and rebounds and leading his team with assists. Born in the capital of Iceland, which is Reykjavik, where the other Icelandic NBA player, who is now retired, Petur Gudmundsson. Infact, Gudmundsson was Lidstorm's private coach and boosted Lidstorm's abilities and potential to the top. Lidstorm joined the Icelandic national team at the age of 17. His best skill is probably his post game, he's a really good back to the basket player with excellent basketball IQ on the offensive end. He's also a really good passer for his position, understands the inside-outside game very well. Despite not having too many sides that stand out too much, he's got a really good all-around game, he can shoot the ball well, pass it, play some defense, but barely, and so on. His main weakness is probably the fact, that he could only challenge a sloth in 100m sprint.

Ludwig (36th pick, 2nd round), another international player from Hungary, stands 6'6" tall and weighs 189 lbs. He plays the point guard position and can also play the 2 guard if it's needed, but he's more effective at the point. He's rather old for a rookie, aged 24. His best skill is scoring, which he can do at will, mostly because of his tremendous speed and quickness, combine it with the size, plus vertical leap, he's one extremely gifted player. He averaged 16 points, 5 assists and 2 boards for the 05-06 Euroleague champions, CSKA Moscow as the starting PG.

"We're really happy to have Lidstorm," Celtics' coach Doc Rivers said in a post-draft interview. "He's got a great feel for the game, he's really effective in the post, has a good all-around game and on the top of that, he's young, but experienced. We're also happy with Damien Ludwig, big point guards are valuable and he has a chance to be succesful if he'll use his potential right."

DRAFT DAY TRADES

ORLANDO, July 24th, '06 (AP) -- The only trade on the draft day includes the 1st pick, Sadiku Boyes, who just signed a 50 million deal with Nike. Surprisingly, the Milwaukee Bucks have accepted the offer from the Orlando Magic, that will send Keyon Dooling to Milwaukee for the rookie. What's even more surprising, is the fact that Boyes will be the 6th man, not a starter as many people would want him to be. He'll be the primary backup for both guard spots in Orlando, but mainly the 2 guard, which is handled by Steve Francis.

[Fresh8]

Nice work man. Really enjoying the read.

[The X]

The style will be similar to Sit's and Chaser's (the usual style nowadays)

Nice work man. Really enjoying the read.

Why am I not surprised?

[Mandich]

Nice work so far, better than ur Bulls one. Like the picks, hopefully the viking can do something for you

[Oskar]

Sit, thankyou.

The X, copy eh ? ;D

mandich, Vikings are from Norway, not Iceland. Thanks, anyways.

[Oskar]

CELTICS SIGN A STAR GUARD

BOSTON, July 26th, '06 (AP) -- Time for the free agents, and with many star, even superstar players on the board, teams quickly start bombing them with offers. On the July 26th, 4 big deals were signed, one of them including the local Boston Celtics.

Michael Redd

The Boston Celtics announced today the signing of a free agent guard Michael Redd, who chose not to resign with the Milwaukee Bucks this summer. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

"We're very happy to add Mike's abilitiy to our team. He's a terrific player and was easily the best player for the Bucks last year," said Celtics President of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge. "He was obviously not happy with his role in Milwaukee, despite being the first option. He's a winner and his skills and dedication will complement our team very well. With the addition of Redd, Lidstorm and Ludwig, we've added some core to the team, which will improve even more."

Redd, 26, will join the Celtics after spending his all pro-career, the past 6 years with the Bucks. Last year, he averaged 21 points and 4 rebounds. He shot .432 percent from the field and made 122 three pointers on .366 shooting percentage. He didn't lead his team to the playoffs and the Bucks finished with the worst record in the league, which also gave them the 1st draft pick, Sadiku Boyes, who was traded to Orlando on the draft day.

"I'm happy to join the Celtics. To be honest, it sure is cold up there, but I'm used to it, the feather wasn't better in Milwaukee either. My family will be happy to move, we talked about it and they're all set up." said Redd. "I love the fact I'll get to play in a slightly better team with the likes of Pierce, Jefferson and others. I'm proud to be a Celtic."

OTHER SIGNINGS


Eddie Griffin, Ben Wallace, Joe Johnson, Donyell Marshall

July 26, 2006 - Ben Wallace signs a deal with the Miami Heat.
July 26, 2006 - Eddie Griffin joins the Charlotte Bobcats.
July 26, 2006 - The Atlanta Hawks sign Joe Johnson.
July 28, 2006 - The Milwaukee Bucks sign Donyell Marshall.

[kibaxx7]

Nice, Big Ben at Miami, and great signing in Redd Really enjoying the read man!

[Oskar]

thierryhenry50, Yeah, quite nice signing of Ben by Heat, even more so, as Shaq had just retired. I'm also surprised that Joe Johnson went the path he actually did in real life, as he signed a deal with the Hawks. I feel Redd's going to be similar to Ray Ray and I tell you, I might get someone similar to KG as well, so you can always guess who it is. Thanks a lot, btw.

[Martti.]

Great signing in Redd! Love that Heat got Wallace, also.

You sure got a follower!

[Oskar]

Martti., thank you !

[The X]

The X, copy eh ? ;D

nah, I was just making fun of Sit

[Oskar]

The X, mkay, but it's still quite unoriginal and all, but that's how I like it myself so I'll just do so.

[Oskar]

BOSTON WELCOMES TWO FREE AGENTS

BOSTON, 1st August, '06 (AP) -- In order to add even more youth to the team, the Celtics have announced two new free agent signing, as they signed Steven Hunter on the 30th July and James Jones on the 1st August.

Steven Hunter, James Jones

Steven Hunter, 24, is a defensive minded center, who'se best skill is easily blocking shots. He spent his last year with the Phoenix Suns, averaging around 1 block per game. Despite the fact he's an average all-around player, he can score as much as he's asked from, around 5 points per competition on around .550% shooting.

James Jones, 25, a sharpshooter, who'll be another add to the young core, will be one of the roleplayers on the Celtics' bench. Ability to knock down the 3pt and score quite well, he'll be a nice addition for the Celtics team. Per team policy, terms of the contracts were not disclosed.

"They'll both help us. They're young, they can play their roles well and that's what our team needs from them," said head coach Doc Rivers. "Ainge had the thought, and we discussed it and it was all positive from the board, credits go to him. We're hoping that Steve Hunter will continue his defensive stopping and will be effective on the boards and in the low block and what we need from James Jones, is the ability to shoot the outside J."

[Oskar]

BOSHTON

"Garnett ? Well, yes, we could get him .. I doubt he's happy in Minnesota, he'd be a really good piece next to Pierce and Redd. What do you think ?" asked Ainge without looking at Doc.
"I don't know, Danny. KG would do it for us, but I'd like someone young instead. I don't believe in Perkins and Big Al that much, something more would be needed in order to be competitive, and I'm talking about being competitive for long time. Someone like Bosh, Dwight, Yao, I don't know really. Someone who's willing to learn, but a really good player, who we don't need to push to the second level anymore. Bosh and Dwight are both up there already, so there are no too big holes in their games. You make the decision, Danny." said Doc.
______________________________

Danny Ainge, sitting on his small yacht, enjoying the silence and browsing through the articles. Sheed, you dirty pothead, once again fined !? ; Hughes, c'mon, be happy you can even see Bron.. and so on, typical NBA and it's players. Right when Danny was about close his laptop - "Bosh wants out of Toronto." Jawdropping news, they had just thought about Bosh with Doc a few hours back, what a luck ! Danny quickly opened the salary informations of both teams, trying to match a trade.

"Alright .. they obviously want to get a lot of young and promising players, no doubt about it, but Bosh is worth it. We'll need to ship them a lot of talent for Bosh and a lot of scrubs, maybe one alright player to go with him, but that's it." he talked to himself, trying to find a good salary fit which would benefit both teams. Anyway, he decided to give the Raptors a call.

"Raptors front office, how can I help you?" a bright woman's voice asked.
"Hello, I'm Danny Ainge from the Boston Celtics and I'd like to talk with Bryan Colangelo." said Danny.
"One second,"
"Hey Danny, what's up?"said Colangelo.
"Hi Bryan. Business, just business."
"Oh, I see.. you're talking about Bosh, right ?" Colangelo guessed.
"That's right. I heard that he's available and he'd be a nice fit for us. What are you interested in, we've got some nice pieces to offer." said Ainge.
"Let me see. If we lose Bosh, which will happen anyway, we'd like to get a new frontcourt, he's hard to replace, but you have got someone in Al Jefferson. We definitely will have to get him, otherways, there's no deal." Colangelo offered.
"Sure, you get Jefferson.. who else.. Let me see." Danny said before a half-minute silence.
"See, you get Bosh, Mo-Pete, Pope Saw, Jerome Beasley and Dion Glover, we get Al Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins, Marcus Banks, Gerald Green, Tony Allen and Mark Blount." Colangelo said with a thoughtful voice.
Danny was dazzled, taking the phone a little away from his mouth. "Holy smoke, this dude's a genious."
"If that's how you want it, I think I'll have to accept it. We lose quite much of our young core, but Bosh is our future." Danny said.
"So we call it a deal. I'll send you the papers, sign down and send it to the league." said Colangelo.
______________________________

As the conversation was over, Ainge quickly called coach Rivers.
"Doc, I got us Bosh." he said before anything.
"Hoooow on earth did you manage to do that!?" Doc asked with a surprised, yet happy voice.
"Well, I gave up a couple of good players in Al, Perk, Banks, Gerald, TA and Blount, but besides Bosh we also got Mo-Pete, Pope Saw, Jerome Beasley and Dion Glover. Not too good players, but Bosh alone makes the deal fair. Trust me, he's a baller !" said Ainge.
"I know, Danny, I know ! I'll tell about Wyc and others about it, you do anything else you need, paperwork or anything needed, but limit it, you deserve rest. Thank you, you just got us on our feet." said Doc.
"Alright."

[Cartar]

Great deal, I like it, Chris is one of the best young big men in the league, plus Mo-Pete will be a great role player as well, he's more than a scrub. It'll be interesting how this pans out.

[Oskar]

ratrac, Thanks mate. I agree, CB5 (He's got to wear 5 now) and Mo-Pete are nice. Saw and Beasley are both young and alright players too, scrubs, but doesn't matter, I can use them a little.

[Oskar]

BLOCKBUSTER DEAL, BOSH BECOMES A CELTIC

BOSTON, 27th August, '06 (AP) -- Chris Bosh, who asked for a trade when not being in a winning situation, finally got out of Toronto as the Boston Celtics agreed a multiplayer team for Chris Bosh, Morris Peterson and fillers, a Celtics official told The Associated Press on Friday.

The Celtics will get Chris Bosh, Morris Peterson, Pape Sow, Jerome Beasley and Dion Glover in exchange for Al Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins, Gerald Green, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks and Tony Allen.

Chris Bosh, Morris Peterson, Pape Sow, Dion Glover, Jerome Beasley


Al Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins, Gerald Green, Mark Blount, Tony Allen, Marcus Banks

Chris Bosh, 22, was drafted the 4th overall in the 2003 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors, a draft that included the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and so on. During the 05-06 season with the Raptors, Bosh averaged 20.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, over 1 block and 2 steals, doing so while shooting over .500 percent from the field and 88 percent from the FT line. Bosh started in all of his 72 games last season. Bosh will, from now on wear a number #5 on his jersey, as the Celtics have his previous number, #4, already retired.

Morris Peterson, another major piece the Celtics are landing, another starter in Toronto, played 76 games last season, without coming off the bench for a single time. He finished the season, averaging 14.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.64 steals, shooting 40 percent from the field and 37 from downtown.

Chris Boshes and Morris Petersons contracts will end by this season, just like Bostons Paul Pierces, so Bosh will probably look for a long term, huge extension, which he will most likely get, but resigning Peterson is a question, depending on how well will he play off the bench, under Michael Redd.

"No doubt, we're extremely happy to have Bosh with us. His skillset is something we need, he's rather experienced, he's got a perfect mentality and that's all we need," said Doc Rivers, the head coach of the Boston Celtics. "I believe with him, Pierce and Redd along with the company, we'll have a shot to go deep into the playoffs and with Bosh being so young and Redd having years left in his deal, we'll probably be one of the eastern conference giants for years to come. We're also happy to have Mo-Pete as our sixth man, he's capable of coming off the bench and score at will, I'm sure he can lead the second unit and really tear it down when it's needed. "

"I love it here.. I've even heard my new nickname, Boshton, being shouted on the streets. I love the city and fans, my family likes it here and that's what matters the most." said Chris Bosh. "I think with such a deep team, we have a chance to go straight to the top, which I hope we'll do. We need to gel nicely and we'll be one of the elite teams. So far, we've gelled nicely, PP and Delonte showed me the city and took me in nicely, but I haven't met anyone else yet, been quite busy. So yeah, I'm really happy to be here in Boston and I hope I deserve to be a Celtic."

Al Jefferson will be Toronto's new go-to guy, atleast in a few years, probably. Jefferson averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds last season with the Celtics and will probably do even better as a Raptor, where he's the second option behind the old and worn out Jalen Rose, who'se 20.0 points were second in Toronto scoring top last year. Perkins will also be a good factor, starting at the center, while Tony Allen will most likely start for Toronto at the 2 guard.

"We wouldn't have done the trade, but Bosh asked out .. We're sad to see him go, but we got some nice young talent in return. Al Jefferson, obviously, he'll be a beast for years, Kendrick Perkins, too strong for majority of the NBA centers. Gerald Green, he's got the athletic ability of Vince Carter and the shot aswell. You know, the list goes on, with Tony Allen, Marcus Banks, and so on. We were sad to announce the trade, but happy aswell." said Bryan Colangelo, the general manager of the Toronto Raptors.

[boshalladay]

I am glad you picked Lindstrom, it makes me very proud to be Icelandic. (Even though it's in a video game, it's the thought that counts.) You mentioned how Icelanders are not Vikings, but that is very much to the contrary. For some reason, patriotic Icelanders are very proud of their Viking heritage. Also, I'm a Raptors fan, and there's no way I would accept that Bosh deal. Good for you to pull it off though.

[Oskar]

boshalladay, well, I know I might be wrong about the Icelandic and viking topic, I'm not too smart about that, just said so as the vikings are originally from Scandinavia, if I'm right. Well, the Raptors are worse than Timberwolves right now, so that pretty much says it, add in Perk, Banks, etc, I don't know, maybe it's not too bad. Still, I have to agree, I quite robbed the Raptors, just wanted Bosh a lot. Thank you, though.