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Video casts doubt on Rajon Rondo assault

MyFoxBoston has obtained surveillance video of the nightclub altercation involving Rajon Rondo, Josh Smith and Eric Valarezo of Haverhill.

In fact, it appears Valarezo was minding his own business when he was grabbed and pushed by Smith, a six foot ten NBA power forward.

The new video shows the NBA players leaving the club early Saturday when Smith, as identified by witnesses, walks by Valarezo and grabs him from behind nearly pushing him to the floor.

The claim that Valarezo took a swing at Rondo never happens on this tape.

Rondo and his entourage are able to make a quick exit, but Valarezo is the one who gets left behind.

What can I see in this grainy video? A very tall guy, presumably Josh Smith, pushing another man. That's about it.

As far as Valarezo throwing a punch at Rajon Rondo, I don't see it.

Boston Charity Classic Full Game Video

For one night at the Lavietes Pavilion on Harvard Univeristy, there was basketball.  It was foolishness that was viewed by a tiny gym filled to capacity with hoop-starved fans.  It was out of control at times and it was just a bunch of NBA players having fun.  But it was beautiful.  For one night at least, Boston fans got to see a lot of current and former favorite Celtics entertain them with dunks, threes, and showing off.

Leon Powe shot threes while Kendrick Perkins played a lot of point guard.  Paul Pierce showed up fashionably late and got plenty of cheers.  Perk got the loudest ovation and looks like he is in the best shape I've ever seen him in.  Rondo's elbow and back are fine, as he did things only Rondo could do... including dominating a game of corn hole at halftime.

Check out the videos below.  I got as much video as I could, which includes the starting lineup introductions, the entire first half of play (which in my opinion had the most highlights), the ends of the 3rd and 4th quarters, and Rondo's parting speech.  Truthfully I loathe these types of games, but if you were there in attendance, it just was a painful reminder of how much NBA basketball is missed.  It hurts so good... end the lockout, please NBA.

Player Introductions:

  

 Entire First Quarter

 

Your Morning Dump... Celtics not interested in Josh Smith?

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

A league source told CSNNE.com on Monday night that the Celtics have had "no discussions whatsoever" with the Atlanta Hawks about acquiring Smith. The same source added there were no plans to open up such dialogue any time in the near future.

"You can never say never," the source said, "but there's nothing going on there."

...

As for the Celtics, adding Smith would provide a major boost in terms of athleticism and shot-blocking. However, adding him in many ways would be replicating the skillset of Jeff Green, who the Celtics acquired at the Feb. 24 trading deadline from Oklahoma City. Green is set to become a restricted free agent this summer after the Celtics make him a qualifying offer, something the Celtics have maintained will happen before the June 30 deadline.
 
When you throw in the fact that losing Allen would strip the Celtics of not only one of their leaders but also a key in their ability to space the floor offensively, it makes sense that the Celtics haven't had discussions about making a deal for Smith - and apparently have no interest in changing that stance anytime soon.

CSNNE - C's have had no discussions about Atlanta's Smith

Leave it to Sherrod Blakely to rain on our rumor parade. I don't agree with the idea that Jeff Green and Josh Smith have the same skill set. While both are athletic, Smith is a legit shot-blocking power forward. Green is not.

I'm going on record the Celtics should consider a Smith for Ray Allen deal. His talent intrigues me, especially if KG is around to set his head straight. And it's not like Smith's contract (2 years, $25 million) is a major burden that will limit future moves.

Amid all the trade speculation, I'm hearing a lot of chatter about Paul Pierce playing shooting guard should Ray Allen be shipped out. I'm not sure this is an 82-game option for the Celtics. While he can stick with the Kobe Bryant sized guards, Pierce's lack of quickness would be a defensive liability against most 2s.

The rest of the links:

ESPN Boston - Should Cs consider Smith? | Draft Profile: Trey Thompkins | Taunton Gazette - Celtics not expecting much help in draft | Herald - Filling void a tall order | Ainge on treasure hunt | Globe - NBA offers players an NHL style flex-cap | MWDN - Big Baby wants bigger role | Yahoo! - Spurs shopping Parker |

Trade Ray for Josh Smith? Celtics Fans React

Piggybacking off of the morning dump post earlier (wait, that just sounds wrong on so many levels) I posed a simple, yet loaded question to Celtics fans on Twitter: Would you include Ray Allen in a trade for Josh Smith?  The answers flew in as fast and furious as a Josh Smith fast break dunk, but unlike the results of his dunks, these were hardly definitive.

The genesis of this debate came from Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowskiwho is one of the best in the NBA reporting business.  So if he says Smith has interest in being a Celtic, well the green radar starts getting a few more blips on the screen.  There are a few things at play here but none bigger than the uncertainty of the new collective bargaining agreement.  So while we all argue and speculate, this trade scenario is based on the assumption that most of the trading rules will remain unchanged when the new CBA is agreed upon.

So would you do it?  Would you drop that bomb on the core of the New Big Three Era that brought about a green Reniessance to Boston?  Remember, Danny Ainge has always said how he told Red Auerbach that he should have traded away one or more members of the original Big Three during the late 80's.  Now it appears he has his chance to make history... or simply replicate it.

Your Morning Dump... Where Josh Smith wants to come to Boston

Getty Images Photo

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

The Atlanta Hawks have started to gauge trade interest on forward Josh Smith(notes), and Smith isn’t adverse to ending his seven-year stay with his hometown team, league sources told Yahoo! Sports on Monday.

Smith hasn’t requested a trade, but has privately told league friends that the Boston Celtics, New Jersey Nets,Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic are his preferred destinations should the Hawks decide to move him.

“The relationship has run its course,” said a league source with knowledge of the dynamic.

Yahoo!: Hawks assess trade interest in Smith

Well, now you've got a decision to make.  

Do you break up the Celtics core to bring in a 25 year old athletic power forward who, despite some flaws in his game, has the potential to be a game-changer as he grows?  

I say, painfully... yes.  And the tradeable piece is Ray Allen, who is mentioned in the piece: 

Hawks GM Rick Sund has long coveted Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen – two aging Celtics entering the final years of contracts – but Celtics GM Danny Ainge has yet to show an inclination to break up his core for next season.

This is one of those tough decisions that Danny Ainge keeps talking about.  When he's brought up the past where the Celtics were afraid to break up the Big 3 at the end of their run... this is the kind of deal he's talking about having passed on. 

I'm not going to pump Josh Smith up in to some kind of superstar.  Not yet anyway.  But he's got that kind of potential.  He's a good, mobile defender who can get out and run.  Yes, he settles for a few too many jumpers, but he's also shown the ability to get aggressive.  And again, he's only 25. 

How many times have we mentioned the need for an athletic big to run with Rondo?  Put Josh Smith in there with him and maybe they can re-live their Oak Hill days:

Your Morning Dump... Blatant speculation about Josh Smith

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

For seven seasons, Josh Smith has shown us that he can be the best player on the floor. For seven seasons, he has shown us that he can be the worst player on the floor. The fact these opposites often appear in the same game is what makes him so maddening.

This is why after seven seasons, it’s time to say goodbye.

...

Here’s the problem: Smith clearly is getting fed up as the Hawks’ player who’s constantly being duct-taped to a post in the middle of the town square.

I spoke to him the day following one bad shooting performance in the playoffs and he said, “I know sometimes I take shots I shouldn’t. But I’m not the only one in here who takes bad shots. I just get talked about more than anybody else.”

AJC.com

If the Hawks decide to test the trade market on the enigmatic Josh Smith, there will be a bunch of teams willing to take a gamble. He's only 25 years old (I would have bet he was closer to 30). His contract has two remaining years and is worth $25 million. His potential is worth the risk.

Imagine if Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers had the chance to mold Smith's young mind. He'd be a great bridge as the Cs transition out of the Garnett era. I can picture Smith blocking shots and filling the lane for Rajon Rondo.

Could the Celtics swing a deal for Smith? I don't know. Ray Allen, Jeff Green and Glen Davis (sign-and-trade) could be of interest to Atlanta, although the AJC article stats they'd be looking for a true center in return.

Am I crazy for wanting Josh Smith in a Celtics uniform?

The rest of the links:

Globe - Sunday basketball notes | Herald - Shaq once involved in Mavs intrigue | ESPN Boston - Eyes on potential preseason dates |

Enemy Chatter: Josh Smith whines about injuries

I often wonder what opposing teams, their beat reporters and bloggers are saying about the Celtics after playing the Celtics. Here's a dose of 'enemy chatter' from Atlanta.

Josh Smith:

"What you have got to understand is we don’t have all our weapons. I don’t think you can really measure where we are at as a team like those teams that you are naming unless we have all our horses running."

Choose your preferred retort here:

A) Among the missing weapons last night: Josh Smith.
B) Ladies and gentlemen, the Atlanta Hawks' version of "Commitment to Excellence."

Compare and contrast Smith with Paul Pierce:

"We feel we should win the game. On most nights we're playing three or four All-Stars."

Doc Rivers on his team's injuries:

"What are you going to do? Quit. Put your clothes on and go home? That's not what we do here."

Hoopinion

On a night where Josh Smith is held to 1 point, he has the balls to blame injuries? How about playing with some heart and fire? The dude looked like a freakin' corpse last night. Props to the Hoopinion blogger for calling him out.

On Page 2, PeachTreeHoops takes a shot at me.

Delonte West posterizes Josh Smith

Delonte always did show off some ups from time to time.  Nice to see him out there playing like that again.  Too bad it helps Cleveland.

Old school Rondo video

Rajon just posted this old video on his blog of him feeding Josh Smith for a dunk.  Even with the shaky video, you can see it's one of Rondo's classic passes that comes out of nowhere.

Josh Smith on the block?

The Atlanta Hawks are a young, athletic, exciting team.  But they don't seem to be on a championship path.  So now they're apparently starting to think of pieces they can trade... in an effort to bring in some more stable players that might be able to help them move forward.  One of those players:  Josh Smith

The Hawks have a few other key players whose contracts are about to expire (starters Mike Bibby and Marvin Williams, and reserves Flip Murray and Zaza Pachulia), and they feel that Smith will bring something of real value in return (they're right about that).

ESPN reported "the Hawks have been working hard the past few weeks to see whether they can find a taker for Smith," but that trading Smith won't be easy because he has a "$6 million trade kicker attached to his contract." In other words, if you trade for Smith, you're giving him a cool $6 mil right off the bat

That means the Celtics are going to have a hard time dealing for him.  He's got $50 million left on his deal... which runs through 2012/2013... so you're making a big commitment.  And where do you play him?  Do you somehow work a deal involving Ray's contract and slide Pierce to the 2?  I just don't see it.

But I do see potential for some of our competitors. It depends on whether the Hawks are trying to acquire a star player now... or whether they're also looking for expiring deals so they can hop into the 2010 sweepstakes.  Cleveland's got Ben Wallace's deal that they can work with.  Or, of they'd prefer, maybe some kind of sign and trade with Orlando for Turkoglu.  Atlanta would get the playoff experience... and Orlando would get a slasher to compliment their shooters.

So while I doubt the Celtics could swing a deal that makes sense financially and for the team, I'm wondering if someone who stands in our way next year can.  A young, athletic guy like Smith could be a big matchup problem for Paul Pierce.

Wanna play GM? Go ahead and use the Real GM trade checker or ESPN trade machine and give it a whirl.  But I warn you - if you try a trade and post it in the comments... you open yourself up to ridicule if the trade makes no sense.