Just incase you were wondering... Marquis Daniels wasn't interested in the Royal Wedding.

So me and my friend were coolin out at work yesterday... It was homework time at after school, so we were holding down fort in the computer lab, making sure the kids were doing what they needed to do. My friend is obsessed with the Royal Wedding. She couldn't wait to watch, say things like "pish posh, bloody hell and sodding cow," and she was dying to know what Kate's dress would look like. She was on the computer reading about the then pending nuptials, and I was on twitter. The idea was then born that we should ask Marquis Daniels his thoughts on the wedding. And we did: 

To which he replied: 

What a nice guy. No word on whether or not he thinks Kate Middleton is a banger... But I'm sure he does, seeing as she looked absolutely gorgeous and her dress was stunning. 

Marquis Daniels released a mixtape

For the 500000000th time, I love Marquis Daniels. You can support him by downloading / listening to his mixtape by clicking here!

Nenad Kristic has a bone bruise

And this is good news, believe it or not! When he left the game in San Antonio hurt, I feared for the worst, thinking he may have torn something. Instead, the MRI came back negative and it's "just" a bone bruise. According to the Globe,  the injury will shelve him for a few games, but it is not season ending. Phew!

In other news, the spirit of Ubuntu lives on. Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Avery Bradley and Tyronn Lue all visited Marquis Daniels in the hospital in Atlanta:

So nice! There's that brotherhood that I love. Again, I'm a huge Marquis Daniels fan, and I wish him nothing but the best. 

Marquis Daniels' surgery was successful

Great to hear that Marquis had a safe and successful surgery. I wish him a safe and speedy recovery and hope that nothing but the very best comes his way in the future.

The trade deadline is 6 days away. Will the Celtics make a move? Is Richard Hamilton a possibility?

The rumors that the Celtics are looking to make a move have been swirling for weeks now. The team has been linked to many names, from Richard Hamilton, to Troy Murphy, to Anthony Parker. 

It seems that Murphy might have to be taken out of the equation.Talks between New Jersey and Denver have started again andMurphy would be included in any deal that sent Carmelo to New Jersey. it's okay with me if the Celtics don't get him, he's not my number one choice. 

My number one choice is already in a Celtics uniform, and that's Marquis Daniels. I'm holding out hope that Marquis is able to make a comeback. There has been no work from the Celtics on the status of Marquis, other than that he won't be coming back any time soon. I'd say it's safe to assume that whether he's able to make any comeback at all is still very much up in the air. With that in mind, Peter May compiled a list of potential trade candidates. This list includes Josh Childress, old friend James Posey, Richard Hamilton, Troy Murphy and Ramon Sessions. 

We've already discussed how Murphy won't be available, and I'd also cross Sessions off that list. I'm assuming that the Celtics are looking for a 3 man and some size in any deal that they make, and Sessions is a 6'3 guard. He's a sturdy basketball player, and can put up points, but it's just not what the Celtics are looking for at this point in time. I'd also take Childress off the list- May explains that while the Celtics could send Robinson and Daniels to Phoenix in exchange for Childress, Childress has 4 years left on his deal after this one. The Celtics will need to re-sign Glen Davis and Kendrick Perkins, and I don't think they'd want to jeopordize those signings but tying up money investing in Childress for anything after this year. So.... Next! The most enticing name on this list to me is Richard Hamilton. It's highly unlikely that Rip will end up in a Celtics uniform, but May lays it out: 

If Hamilton goes anywhere, it probably won't be for a while, but his name is out there because he basically has been euthanized by the Pistons. He has appeared in one game since Jan. 12. Hamilton earns $12.5 million this season, the same in 2011-12 and has a $9 million buyout in 2012-13. No one with that kind of contract gets bought out now. Additionally, there is going to be an ownership change in Detroit, so everything can be viewed to be on hold. Plus, why would the Pistons cut Hamilton a $20 million check when he still has some value around the league? Sure, he would be an ideal backup in Boston. And, remember, Joe Dumars owes Ainge. Seven years ago, when Dumars was desperately trying to get Rasheed Wallace from Atlanta, he needed a third team to make it work. Ainge stepped in and made it happen, getting a No. 1 pick out of the deal along with some flotsam and jetsam (Chucky Atkins, Lindsey Hunter). Dumars has always said that if that deal had not gotten done, the Pistons would not have won a title.

That's right Joe, so pay up and send Rip over. I just have to say that the way the Pistons are treating Rip is WACK and way beyond disrespectful. The man still has some basketball left in him and could be a contributer. Free Rip!!!

After the cut, May makes a case for James Posey.

Some good news on the injury front!

ESPN Boston finally has some good news to report:

- The MRI on Paul's foot came back clean, and the injuries to his foot and his hand have been deemed minor. He will play Wednesday against New Jersey. As a precautionary measure, he did not practice today, and will also sit out practice tomorrow.

The Celtics don't fool me! Paul Pierce is the most stubborn man alive. I wish he wasn't going to play Wednesday, and call me a party pooper, but I also wish he'd sit out the All Star festivities. The Captain dealt with nagging injuries last year, and they especially plagued him in the second half of the season. I'd like to avoid that at all costs. In any case, I'm glad these current injuries are nothing serious, and I'm sure that even though he'll be playing in the game and participating in the 3 point contest, the break will serve him well.

-Delonte West participated in practice today, and barring any soreness popping up over night, he will play tomorrow against New Jersey. Wooohooo!!! It will be GREAT to see Delonte back out there, and even though he doesn't have the size to play back up to Paul, the Celtics can work with it in the mean time, while the Marquis situation gets figured out.

-Semih will be ready to return after All Star break, and will resume action with the team on their West Coast road trip. Any big body in a Celtics uniform who's ready to play is a welcome sight right now.

I'm not sure whether or not this counts as good news, but...

-Shaq is also expected to play during the West Coast road trip. Greg Payne of ESPN Boston reports that Doc was quoted to have said, "When he first injured it we all thought it was a one- or two-game thing, and now it's been longer, and now it's getting to the point where we're not sure if he'll play on the west coast trip or not. We're hoping he will. Right now we think he will, maybe not every game, maybe we play him every other game, but if we had to play today, I don't know if Shaq could play today." Well hey. It will be great to have Semih back, and if Shaq can come back, even in a limited capacity, that would be great as well. I'd rather be REALLY safe than sorry with Shaq-tus.

The Marquis Daniels conundrum

To say that the Celtics were shorthanded going in to Thursdays showdown with the Lakers would be an understatement. For bigs, only Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis were available, as Shaq, JO and Semih were unavailable to go. They were down a swingman, with no Marquis Daniels, and thin at the 2, with no Delonte West. As if injuries weren't already plaguing the Celtics enough, Nate Robinson limped off the court in the first half with a bruised knee not to return, and Paul Pierce played through a nice case of the flu. The Celtics will face Miami tomorrow with a similarly depleted roster...

But here's the upside to all of this: Shaq and Semih are projected to return soon, JO is on the mend rehabbing his knee (I'm keeping the faith and being optimistic), Delonte West could come back as early as tomorrow (but more likely, Wednesday), Nate Robinson's injury doesn't appear to be too serious, and Paul Pierce will be okay. The question mark here is Marquis Daniels. How long will he be out? Even if he is able to return, how effective will he be? There has been no word from the Celtics on any of this, probably partly because they don't know and partly because they're an organization that plays their hand close to their chest. 

The best case scenario is that Marquis is able to return within one to two months, in time to get back in to the swing of things for the play offs. While not ideal, the Celtics could make due with a lack of depth at the three by divvying those minutes out between Von Wafer and Delonte West.

But what if he can't come back? The Celtics might consider buying his contract out and letting him go. Pardon me for being such a girl here, but that would be SO sad. The Globe compiled a list of potential replacements should worst come to worst. Notables on this list include Anthony Parker, Carl Landry and Josh Howard.

No offense to Mr. Howard, but I'd rather wait for Marquis to come back, if it's at all a possibility.

In solidarity!

Laaaaaaa laaa laaaaa happy news!

Finding inspiration from the Packers

Food for thought: The Packers won the Super Bowl with 15 people on the injured reserve list, and endured three additional injuries to key players during the game last night to come out on top. Great teams win the battle of attrition. 

In other news: 

With no Marquis Daniels and no Delonte West, the Celtics are calling Avery back up to the big leagues. I don't know how much time he'll see... But I do know that yesterday I was sitting directly across from the Celtics bench and it was mighty empty. More than likely, Avery will see limited time, and it will be Von Wafer who will see a more dramatic boost in his minutes. I also want to add that I like to give Von Wafer a hard time, because he talks to lots of naked women on Twitter and I think that's nasty... But I was impressed by him yesterday. He played 13 minutes and he didn't do anything spectacular, but he played hard, and displayed lots of hustle on the defense end. And when he was on the bench, he was constantly cheering his teammates on and remained involved in the game from the sidelines. Always good to see.

The Celtics are also going to be without Shaq for a little while. That's okay. What's most important is that he's good to go when it matters most. We'll being seeing more Semih for sure... But we could also be seeing some Harangody action! Ayyy! 

Recap: The Celtics are better than the Magic.

I was at the game today. Rondo had a monster game, and I was also really impressed by Perk. The Celtics started out slow, and had a rough first quarter. They recovered and thoroughly outplayed the Magic for the remaining three quarters, even though the refs sucked. Dwight Howard is annoying and whines a lot.

Being there when Marquis got injured was harrowing and really hard. It happened so fast, and all of the sudden he was just lying on the floor motionless, and 18,000 people were silent. I felt absolutely helpless, and shocked, and even a little bit nauseous. I also felt like I shouldn't even be there, and like I had no business to be sitting there watching him in his time of great pain and panic. Words can not describe my relief in learning that he's going to be okay. The Celtics played more inspired basketball after it happened... but after he was taken off of the court, it was hard for me to transition back in to watching the game. It felt wrong for me to get in to the game and cheer and be happy when he was in the hospital. Don't get me wrong, it's admirable that the Celtics kept their composure and won that game. I'm sure they thought of him while doing so. I don't personally know Marquis Daniels, but everyone who's a big fan of any team knows that it's an emotional thing. As an NBA fan, you watch your team 82 nights a year, and it's inevitable that you develop a connection to your team and it's players. I am thankful for all that Marquis has brought to this team in the past 2 years, and I wish him a speedy, safe recovery.

Updates from Celtics practice

I hope you like Semih Erden and Von Wafer

Shaq is likely to miss the next two games (Portland and Phoenix). Doc had this to say regarding Shaq's grumpy hip: "It's his hip. It's locked. I don't know what the hell that means. I don't know if there's  a key you go get or something." Chris Forsberg is a genius and he hypothesizes that the Big Shamrock will join the team in Phoenix, and make the trip to LA for the big showdown on January 30.

Marquis might not play against Cleveland tomorrow. He's not hurt, but he has a family issue, so he may not be available to go. With no Shaq/JO and no Marquis, Semih will probably get the start and Von will make his way off the bench sooner than usual.

Good news about Perk and Delonte after the jump

The latest news on the dinged up Celtics front...

Marquis is a 50/50 go for the showdown with the Jazz Friday night. Feel better, boo!

And

Rondo got whacked in the face during practice today and left early. Ow! Luckily he didn't need stitches, so he'll probably be all set come game time. I'm thinking it would take a lot more than that to keep him out of a game against D. Williams.

Recap: Celtics-Kings

The Celtics pretty much dominated this one from start to finish, even without the help of KG (calf) and JO (knee). The Kings got in to Boston at 3:30 AM this morning, after losing an OT game in Washington- and their exhaustion showed. They were once again without Tyreke Evans. Demarcus Cousins looked better than I thought he would. He seems comfortable playing away from the basket, and once he diversifies his moves in the paint a little bit he'll be a very solid offensive player. Whatever defensive prowess he has in his reportoire was not on display tonight... But that goes for everyone else on his team, too. I was surprised that the Kings waited so long to put Samuel Dalembert in the game. He's had some good outings vs. the Celtics in the past.  For the Celtics, Paul Pierce set the tone in the first quarter, dropping 15 points. Rondo had 10 points and 13 assists, and kept everyone on track over the course of his 29 minutes of play. Speaking of Rondo's minutes tonight- even though the roster is shorthanded right now, nobody except for Semih Erden played more than 30 minutes.

Paul Pierce would be the obvious choice for player of the game, but I'm going to go with Marquis Daniels. My friend and I decided to go to this game at the last moment, and I have to say- Marquis' game is even more impressive in real life. He's just so smooth and confident. His line (26 minutes, 12 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal) does his performance tonight no justice. He does a good job of running the show when he's playing with the 2nd unit, but can also mesh just as well with the starters. He's also very stylish. Check out his outfit post game:

I'm diggin' the hat, boo. Weather appropriate and stylish at the same time, always a good combo. 

P.S.: Tonight marked Doc Rivers' 309th career win as the head coach of the Celtics. With the win he became the 3rd most winning coach in Celtics history, passing KC Jones. Congratulations to him. 

Looking back: Game 37. Another clunker.

The bottom line: It was evident from the opening minutes of the game that Celtics fans were in for a long night. It was pretty much a continuation of the same dismal-ness that we saw in Chicago: no energy, no defense, and lots of jump shots. Barf!!! I'm pretty sure KG was in the locker room beside himself. Hopefully he changed the channel. I know I did :) The Celtics didn't take advantage of their size. They were smothered by the Houston defense all night and looked clueless when the Rockets played a zone.

On a night where everyone else looked like they'd rather be at home watching Auburn v Oregon battle for the BCS National Championship (congrats, Cam Newton), Marquis Daniels showed up ready to go... Too bad nobody else in Green joined him. Over the course of 24 minutes of play, he put up an impressive line of 19 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals in 24 minutes of play. So, shout out to him for being the only guy in Green who looked like he actually cared about winning. Jermaine O'Neal also showed some signs of life last night, which is always welcome.

The Celtics have now lost 4 out of their last 9 games. Let's hope we're not in for another long winter, like last season. Doc Rivers is pissed off, and I'm sure that the players share in his same sentiment. I hold out faith that this is a mental hurdle that this team can pass, and that they will return to playing inspired, team basketball (hopefully soon). It's so boring to say at this point, since it's been said over and over again- but they will undoubtedly be energized by the return of KG. Let's hope he's well enough to be on the floor tomorrow against Sacramento. We also have no idea how this team will play with a full roster, once Perk and Delonte West are back on the floor, but it's exciting to think about. All of the injuries undoubtedly make it harder for this team to win games, but it's not a valid excuse to lose games that they should clearly win. This team is way too good for that. Let's hope for a strong rebound against the Kings tomorrow.