Just got off a conference call with ESPN's Jon Barry and Jalen Rose as they launch the big media blitz to kick off their coverage of the NBA this year. Got to sneak in a couple of Celtics questions and throw together some of their thoughts on the NBA season as a whole. These aren't direct quotes, since I couldn't record the call and could only take shorthand notes... but it's a pretty close paraphrasing of what was said.
On Marquis Daniels:
Barry: Marquis is Posey from two years ago. He's a better player than Posey except for the three point shooting. He's a piece the Celtics lacked last year and he is going to play a pivotal role. He's a hybrid player that can handle three positions adequately.
Jalen: Playing Marquis out of position could be a problem. What happens if Rajon Rondo gets two early fouls? Marquis playing the Chris Pauls and Tony Parkers of the world is an uphill battle.
On the Celtics age:
Barry: Doc will do a great job getting these guys ready. They have a lot more depth, they can get these guys some rest. I'm not too worried about it.
Jalen: Age is always a factor, but I think they have enough to get them through the 82 game season. But I think they're not too concerned about getting that number one seed. Being the veteran team they are, they know they can go on the road and win.
Both guys say they think the Celtics bench is deep enough to help keep the Celtics healthy throughout the year.
Jalen was pretty clear: The first thing the Celtics need to do is sign Rondo.
Other general NBA bullet points:
- Both guys are singing the same tune as everyone else: Boston,
Cleveland, Orlando, Los Angeles and San Antonio are the 5 "elite" teams
in the NBA.
- Portland will unseat Denver in the Northwest division and is poised to head up that next level of teams out West.
- Miami will be hard pressed to duplicate its run from last year, and will struggle to be a playoff team.
- Neither guy would venture a guess as to where LeBron would be next season.
- Barry's biggest concern about the Cleveland Cavaliers is Shaq. Will
he be healthy enough to make an impact and will he be able to be a
force in the post. If those things happen, watch out.
- Jalen things that Gilbert Arenas, if he's playing at his absolute best, can lead Washington into the playoffs and they could make some noise.
These are some great topics for us to talk about in tonight's 2 Man Game. We'll start at 9 PM... which should be right around the meaningless 4th quarter of tonight's meaningless pre-season game with the Cavs. Visit our show page to listen and call in.
