2-on-2: Celtics vs. Clippers (Game 41 of 66) - ESPN (blog)

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2-on-2: Celtics vs. Clippers (Game 41 of 66) - ESPN (blog) Mar 13th 2012, 01:04 LOS ANGELES -- Celtics coach Doc Rivers didn't try to sugarcoat it while addressing his team before Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers. "The Lakers are bigger than us -- they are going to be bigger before the game, in the middle of the game, and after the game," Rivers said to reporters, relaying his message to his team. "So we're not going to grow today, but we have advantages in other places and that's how we are going to have to play." That's a message he'll be telling his team for the foreseeable future unless it can find some big-man talent somewhere (anywhere?!), particularly with Thursday's trade deadline rapidly approaching. The Celtics currently have two big men with questionable futures as Jermaine O'Neal contemplates potential season-ending wrist surgery, while Chris Wilcox is seeking further tests for a cardiac ailment that could likewise end his year. All of which leaves Boston thin on big men and searching for a serviceable 7-footer by any means necessary. "Obviously, we're looking to grab a big from somewhere, hopefully not by giving away a player, but hopefully by going another route," Rivers said. "With Chris' situation, the tough part about it is, we don't know if he's going to come back or not, and the [trade] deadline is coming up. So the quicker, obviously, we find that out, it does help us. We need another [big man] regardless, so we'll be out there. I don't think there's a bunch of teams lining up to help the Celtics." The Celtics' preference seemingly would be to swing a trade for a proven big man, which would prevent them from having to eat a contract by waiving a player from their maxed-out 15-man roster. But Rivers stressed the team wouldn't sacrifice future financial flexibility to navigate that path. Which means the team might have to investigate less optimal ways to free space (releasing rarely used Marquis Daniels or buying out O'Neal if he can't return would be potential avenues). As if the Celtics needed anything else to worry about with their bigs, rookie center Greg Stiemsma, who did not play the final 13 minutes on Sunday, left the Staples Center with a walking boot on his right foot, apparently a precautionary measure as he moved around the locker room without issue immediately after the game. Stiemsma endured right foot ailments while in college at Wisconsin. Stiemsma logged 14 minutes in Sunday's loss to the Lakers, making his only shot while chipping in 2 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks (including one on both Gasol and Bynum). The Celtics leaned heavier on Kevin Garnett (35 minutes) while using Stiemsma as the only reserve big, but Rivers noted that he'll attempt to drive Garnett's minutes back down Monday on the tail end of a back-to-back against the Clippers. (Read full post) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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