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I am so ready to see Doc putting the pieces together! I’m absolutely anxious to find out what kind of shape the rookies, the rehabs, and the antiquities are in. I can’t wait for the five centers to settle in to a pecking order. Still, I haven’t let my meh feelings about Media Day keep me from devouring every tidbit coming across the blogosphere.

I would swap the whole pomp and circumstance of sating the media for three minutes of Rondo’s new boy toys sweeping down the court like an avenging horde. I would forgo all the canned responses to repetitive questions for five minutes of Darko and Collins banging in the pivot. All those glam shots can’t hold a candle to two possessions with the ball zinging around like a pinball machine as the bevy of facilitators flex the defense to create passing angles. Yeah, let’s skip Friday posing and get on with Sweat City in Saturday’s two-a-days.

Speaking of working hard, Doc has lamented that they are delayed in leaving for Europe but I think there is a hidden value in the tardy departure. By the time the Celtics gingerly embark on Monday, they will be four hard workouts into training camp; and regardless how diligently they have been conditioning, their bodies are going to be feeling rather leaden. Hopefully their 10-hour flight will be in accommodations that allow them to sleep comfortably and for the trainers to work out some of the knots accrued on Saturday and Sunday.

Then a few days of practice on foreign soil before facing a Turkish team on Friday. My guess is that the Green/White wars will be every bit if not more competitive than their Turkish opponents. However, my guess is also that after the 10-round fight against their Celtics’ counterpart, all concerned will be ready for some new meat.

In less than a week of practice, the sets put in will be pretty limited. The competition may be a shade below NBA level. The fans may need a Severely-Unabridged Dictionary to translate Kevin Garnett’s tirades. But I’ll also bet that most of us Celtics’ fans will re-watch that first “meaningless” pre-season game every day until the second one in Italy; and that one every day until the first broadcast stateside. Yes the excitement is soaring toward a fever pitch!

I’ve had a few odd trains of thought (more like derailing’s actually) that don’t seem to have fit any of the Summer Quandaries. So I offer these tidbits, some in the form of questions to ponder—which I’ll answer at the end of today’s column.

Who are the three youngest members of the troop going overseas?

Darko Milicic will make $8.223M this year. He will play for the Celtics but be paid $7M by Minnesota, $369K by the league, and only $854K by Boston.

One blogger noted: Filling Ray Allen’s shoes will be difficult, but for the Celtics to succeed, I believe they will utilize Lee in ways they simply could not with Ray.
To which I say, hey, Lee already has a leg up on filling Allen’s shoes, in the playoff series against Orlando (when Courtney was a rookie and Ray was still in his prime) he played in Allen’s jersey, on defense anyway.

Not only will the Red Claws be running the Boston stuff, but players can go up and down between the parent club and Maine without the three call-up maximum of years past.

Guess whose former AAU and assistant high school coach made these comments:
He had all the physical tools, and was willing to learn to use them the right way.
He was a sponge.
He wanted to get better. He wasn’t like a kid who had everything and expected it. He was always asking questions.
The thought of him playing for the Celtics made me like a kid at Christmas.

The only player of the Likely Fifteen about whom I am not giddy with enthusiasm is Jason Collins—and he may turn out to be the closest thing to a Perkins clone since the Big Scowl left.

The youngest:
Sully (3/4/92)
Melo (6/20/90)
Bradley (11/26/90)

The comments were made by Mike Clouse about Jared Sullinger.