Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
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.
“At halftime I said, ‘Nate, just a notice for you: you’re the starting point guard now, and I’m going to give you a lot of instruction. It’s not criticism,’ ” said the C’s coach. “When Nate gets coaching at times, he hangs his head, and in the second quarter I couldn’t even give him a play because he thought I was going to say ‘Nate you suck’ or something. I don’t know what he thought I was going to say.
“But he was great; he even started laughing at halftime,” said Rivers. “That relaxed him and allowed him to play a little bit more. But with Rondo, I’m used to telling him what I need everybody to do. I was doing that with Nate, and Nate was like, ‘Enough; no more.’ But he finally got what I was doing.”
Herald: Nate Robinson must endure Doc's criticism
"[Rivers] was on my ass today," Robinson admitted. "He was yelling a lot. I was trying to make sure I was in the right spots. He would tell me at halftime, he said, 'If I start yelling at you, I'm giving you positive criticism.' So I said, 'It's all good coach. I'm not mad about it. I'm just mad at myself for messing up and not being in the right spots on the court. As time goes on, I'll get better with it.'"
CSNNE: Robinson at point guard will be a learning experience
Nate can be frustrating... no doubt. I'm not gonna lie... the pull up jumper with no rebounders and 20 seconds left on the shot clock kills me every time. I'd like to see a little more ball movement out of Nate... but then he wouldn't be Nate, would he?
And Doc has told him time and time again... you gotta be you. So we will have to endure the quick trigger occasionally because that just allows him to play freely and do a lot of other things well. And he hits a few of those shots... so it's not ALL bad.
That's the thing with Nate... it's a "good with the bad" situation with him as your point guard. He's a scorer. He's always going to have that mentality. He's just 5 foot nothin'... so he's not going to be playing small forward... which is probably the position where his game belongs.
But Doc's a good coach... and Doc and Nate are clearly working together on this. So the C's will be OK until Rondo gets back. That's the best part. There's no need to rush Rondo back because Nate can handle the job. And on a night like last night where he's struggling as a distributor, Doc can adjust and let Paul Pierce handle the ball more and the job can get done that way.
Related Links: WEEI: Doc to Nate: Don't worry, you don't suck | Globe: Robinson time | Robinson gets pointed the right way
On Page 2: Delonte wants to come back next month
"I might be back a lot sooner than people think," he told CSNNE.com following the Celtics-Hawks game. "I'm pushing for mid-January."
West has been sidelined since breaking his right (non-shooting) wrist on November 24 against the New Jersey Nets.
Even though there is no timetable set for his return and there were initial projections that West could miss the majority of the regular season, West believes he will be back sooner than that.
"I feel wonderful, first and foremost," he said. "I use a bone stimulator for 10 hours a day. I get this cast off in two weeks, but I've already started conditioning, shooting jumpers and working out already."
He says there are no medical restrictions to the number of shots he can take. There is, however, a signal of when he should stop . . . and it isn't pain.
"[I can shoot] as much as I want to," he said. "It's just that the more I sweat, the more my hand starts to stink, so I try to keep it at a minimum. But as soon as I get this cast off it's all about rehabilitation from there, seeing how weak the hand actually is."
CSNNE: West pushing for mid-January return
How can you not love Delonte West? Honestly?
Jermaine O'Neal should start practicing again soon... Shaq will be back any time now (I think)... Delonte is coming back sometime in January (I hope) then Perk comes back a month after that.
So by March or April, we'll might FINALLY have a full Celtics team. Just in time for the playoffs.
Amazing how that happens, huh?
Herald: Injuries can't stop C's win streak | Rondo injury adds to growing concern | Erden sweet in win | ESPN Boston: Postgame Notes: C's deny Smith a FG again | First impressions | Rondo leads All Star balloting | WEEI: Ray Allen drops some NBA knowledge | What's next for the C's without Rajon Rondo | Globe: C's win by a healthy margin | Rondo out at least 2 weeks | Walker's on the rebound | CSNNE: Antoine Walker plays in Maine | Wafer (back) latest in a long line of injured Celtics | Celtics find a way to win | MWDN: Green Machine rolls on | Post-deadline thoughts: Semih-precious night at the Garden | Telegram: Too few? C's make do | CSN Washington: Doc does things the right way | Celtics Blog: Who says the 15th spot isn't important? | PerkIsABeast: In the pivot with Clifford Ray: Episode 7 - Robert Parish