Yes Indeed!

With training camp due to open on Tuesday, it's time to contemplate, in earnest, another great season. While the off season has never been shorter, it seems like an eternity since we've had any excitement.

Our guest this week is Ian Thomsen, who has  has been covering the NBA for "Sports Illustrated" since 1998.  His previous work history has included "The International Herald Tribune," "The National," and "The Boston Globe."  Being a Boston native with a national  perspective gives him the perfect platform to evaluate the Celtics and their opportunity to claim their 18th championship this season.

Here's a portion of Ian's eloquent accolade from his "Inside the NBA" column for S.I., published on June 18th, after the clinching game six of the Lakers series.

     

BOSTON -- Rajon Rondo was sitting in the laps of the baseline photographers with his feet up like he was in a swimming pool, having careened there amid the long, bottomless run of Celtics drives to the basket. The happiness of his surroundings was deafening. It had been such a long time coming for everybody, and yet the five Celtics on the floor looked oblivious of the work they were finishing and what it would mean.

    Read the scoreboard overhead: Celtics 70, Lakers 44.

    The ghostly family of 16 banners was certain to grow by one. The audience of legends -- Bill Russell and John Havlicek and Tom Heinsohn and Jo Jo White -- was expanding with each sequence of achievement. This was the seminal, culminating moment of one of the most amazing teams the NBA has ever seen.

  With Ian being a national writer, we are expecting some keen insights into the possibility of Darius Miles and Patrick O'Bryant filling the huge voids opened by the free agent departure of James Posey and the retirement of P.J. Brown.

Ian also has done mock drafts for S.I. for several years and should be able to evaluate rookies; J.R. Giddens and  Bill Walker.

We will also look at the crowded roster and today's announcement that Kendrick Perkins' recent shoulder surgery will keep him from the start of training camp and how those situations might impact a potential trade.

Of course, the burning issue is whether the Celtics can repeat last years success. Will they have the same drive and be willing to subjugate their egos for another championship run?

Here's Ian's insight and a Doc Rivers quote from an S.I. article from last March 17th .

    Rivers feels that the Celtics have stolen 10 wins that they deserved to lose, but unlike other contenders, they've yet to develop bad habits or look like they're coasting.

    "That's the teams that have been together -- the Detroits of the world and all of those guys,'' Rivers said. "They've been in this chase so long, you can't blame them at times if they get bored. It gets exciting for our guys because we've been in this chase for four months. San Antonio's been in it for six years. And it's a big difference.''

 We hope you will join us.

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