SCRIBES DISCUSS CELTICS BIND

Celtics in bind as Marquis Daniels recovers

Paul Flannery, WEEI – “He was released from New England Baptist Hospital on Monday and has full use of his motor skills. ‘He’s in good spirits, all things considered,’ Daniels’ agent Mark Bartelstein said. ‘He’s frustrated because he wants to play, but he’s a lot better off than he was on Sunday.’ There are so many variables when it comes to Daniels, who suffered a bruised spinal cord on a play that featured limited contact with Orlando’s Gilbert Arenas. After the game, the Celtics revealed that Daniels has had spine issues in the past and it was those issues that caused him to leave Game 5 of last year’s conference finals. There’s no current timetable for Daniels’ return — he could be out a month or two, or he could be out longer. As team doctor Brian McKeon noted Sunday, the treatment for spinal issues primarily involves, ‘observation and time.’ ‘It’s going to be a process,’ Bartelstein said. ‘We’re going to gather as much medical information as we can.’ While Daniels recuperates, the Celtics are in a bit of a bind. Their depth at the wing was already thin, and now it’s basically down to Von Wafer.”

Kirk Minihane, WEEI – “Last summer, I asked an NBA coach who — among other coaches and players– was the most disliked player in the NBA. ‘Kevin Garnett,’ he said without blinking. Who, I wondered, was second on the list? ‘Everyone else is tied,’ he deadpanned before walking away. … Here’s the thing, though: Garnett — to his eternal credit — has no interest trying to rehabilitate his public image. None. … You know why? Because he doesn’t care what you think, what I think, what players and coaches from other teams think and he sure doesn’t care what Spike Lee — who has directed exactly one passable movie since Garnett entered the NBA in 1996 — thinks. … Is Kevin Garnett a punk? No. He doesn’t try to seriously injure anyone, he doesn’t bitch if the Celtics win but he scored six points, he plays hurt, he cares only about winning, all that stuff. Is Kevin Garnett a dirty player? I think that’s getting closer to the truth. One thing is for sure: He doesn’t care either way. And neither should you.”

Mike Bresnahan, LA Times – “Before the Lakers even think about their rematch with Boston, they have a two-hour surprise awaiting them. They’ll watch edited video of their fruitless loss to the Celtics just a handful of days ago, a painful, yet, they hope, productive investment toward their game Thursday in Boston. There wasn’t much to like about Jan. 30 from their perspective. Kobe Bryant gave them an ‘F’ for team defense. Ron Artest got kneed in the thigh and then was run ragged by Paul Pierce (32 points). The Celtics shot 60.3 percent, their third-best accuracy ever against the Lakers.”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “In his attempt to become an NBA point guard, Bradley is starting from scratch. He played only one year at Texas, not exactly a stretch of time that prepares a point guard for NBA conditions. In that respect, the D-League is slightly better for Bradley’s education. ‘I’m definitely, definitely starting from scratch, but the D-League for me is a step above college, and then going to the NBA is the next step,’ he said. ‘That’s how they have it set up and you can see why. In the D-League, I felt like I was in college again, and now the players are better up here (in the NBA). But when my name is called I’m going to come in with that swagger to my game.’ … ‘A lot of (the D-League) was getting playing time, getting the rust off my game, and being put into situations that I can be fit in,’ he said. ‘This point guard situation is important — bringing the ball up the court, being pressured. I have to take chances and try different things out. I could do that, and work on my game. It makes me feel more comfortable now being up here, because I’ve been working on those things.’”

Greg Payne, ESPN Boston – “Kendrick Perkins played a season-high 35 minutes, 25 seconds in the Celtics’ 94-89 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday night — little more than 24 hours after logging nearly 33 minutes in an ultra-physical victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday afternoon. Don’t expect to hear any complaints out of Perkins though, who’s publicly lobbied for more minutes ever since he made his season debut two weeks ago after rehabbing the torn ACL he suffered in his right knee in Game 6 of last year’s NBA Finals. After playing a then season-high 28 minutes in the Celtics’ 109-96 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers last Sunday, Perkins said in a postgame sideline interview: ‘I wanted to go 30 [minutes].’ … The Celtics’ continuous struggles on the second half of back-to-backs will be well chronicled after Monday’s loss, particularly after so many of Boston’s players put forth such sluggish play. Perkins, though — with such little support behind him — played above all of that chatter. On a night when possible fatigue and a lack of focus served as obvious culprits in Boston’s loss, it was Perkins who played as if neither should ever serve as a passable excuse for an uninspiring defeat.”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “‘Everybody’s dealing with injuries on this team and we’re no different from it,’ said Kevin Garnett after the Celtics went with just 10 healthy players in a loss to Charlotte Monday night. ‘Quis is probably a lot more hard on us right now, just because it was so sudden . . . We’re just hoping he’s all right, and everybody has to carry a load . . . and go forward.’ Coach Doc Rivers has used eight starting lineups this season, but he said the injuries haven’t brought him to a boiling point yet. ‘I never think that way, I never have,’ Rivers said. ‘You’ve got to keep rolling. I really try not to live in the past or in the what-ifs. I tell our guys that all the time. We’ve just got to keep playing and finding a way.’”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “Boston entered Monday night’s loss to Charlotte Bobcats with injuries to swingman Marquis Daniels, centers Shaquille O’Neal, Jermaine O’Neal and Semih Erden and reserve guard Delonte West. With the returns of Jermaine O’Neal and Daniels uncertain, there has been speculation about the Celtics adding another player. [Kevin] McHale said he believes the Celtics have enough depth. ‘I’m a big Marquis Daniels fan, I like him, it was tough injury and scary seeing that whole thing but I think the Celtics what they have going for them is a ton of depth,’ he said. ‘All of a sudden Delonte West is going to come back and I really like West’s game. He plays with other great players so well. With the Celtics as they lose one guy they gain another guy. And I don’t think they have to make a big trade.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “Ray Allen sees the problem being much broader than simply placing the blame on the scheduling gods. He sees a Celtics team that, at times, relies more on its name than its game to be successful. ‘In our locker room, we always have to remember that we’re not superior to any team because we’re the Celtics or because we think we’re good or we have All-Stars on our team or whatever the case may be,’ Allen said. ‘What makes us better is because . . . we’ve proven what we have done. Anything going forward, we have to prove that.’”

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