2005 年 1 月 17 日 星期一 【晴】

今日講一講 slovenia 的 sf nachbar.

老實說, 他的優點不多. 不過還有的. 他是一個不錯的 spot shooter, open shoot . 要他站在同一位置一段時間, 準頭就很高了, 包括三分. 他的鏟籃很不錯呢. 他會在有位位時立即鏟籃, 這種進攻都有一定的成效. 他在快攻有很大幫助, 他的速度是快的, 多數做快攻箭頭.不過他不多會有靚的助攻, 進攻時也沒有單對單能力.

防守方面, 沒有什麼可取之處, 移動腳步慢, 所以防守 swingman 的確有點困難. 他不是個好的防守 catch & shoot 球員, 時常不能緊貼對手. 他在防守時, 多數不緊貼對手, 是那些幫助補防, 或搶防守籃板. 防守大前鋒倒是沒有太大問題, 應該是因為他有 6'9" 高吧, 所以不太擔心 mismatch.

這個球員, 沒什麼可取之處, 防補是最適當的位置吧. 可能有一天會在 nba 消失.

最近看過他的比賽，他和很多洲美國球員一樣，單對單的防守一般，但團隊意識不錯。要他防守 swingman 是有點困難，但未算很糟，因為他還有少少高度。防守 ab 位進攻球員，只要他較高，在防守上都不會太大問題。

根著是 slovenia 的 g vujacic.

這個 guard 可說是個高控衛. 進攻方面, 他有好的視野, 好的 passing skill, 還有 no look pass. 他的控球技是不錯的. 他通常會鏟入籃板, 當有球員跑空便轉球. 不過他的鏟籃能力應該是不夠的, 因為他鏟入禁區最後都是轉球, 或繼續控球. 他的 shooting 是有的, 但不夠 nachbar 準.

防守方面, 沒有什麼資料. 不過他的身形單薄, 在防守應是問題.

還年輕, 應還有前途.

>>May 18, 2005 at 1:55:10 PM GMT+8

2005 年 1 月 16 日 星期日 【晴】

今日講下 serb & mon 既 pf drobnjak.

先講下佢最可取之處. 他的進攻力很強. 最令人恐懼的是他的 jump shoot. 他的 jump shoot 像是一個 guard 的準頭. 他可以射中距離, 更可以射三分. 對大前鋒, 中鋒而言, 這是很難防守. 他的 jump shoot 主要還是在右邊. 除了 jump shoot 外, 他的最大進攻就是在禁區附近週圍走, 走到空位, 只要有球員留意到他在空位位置, 他便可以拾得傳球並輕易在籃底取分. 有點像 scola 得分手法, 這些是美國本土球員少見的地方. 在外圍接球用假動作 fick 起對手, 然後慢慢鏟入禁區, 雖然速度不夠, 但是進攻絕對是有效率的.

進攻最大問題在於他單對單能力仍然偏低, 主要是靠別化餵球給他. 不過他的進攻其實足以取得一定分數, 只是數字仍然是起伏不定.

防守的確差了一點. 他的速度不夠, 如果他要防守禁區以外的球員, 他要保持一段距離, 以免被對手盤過, 所以對於對手的 jump shoot 阻嚇能力是不夠的. 他的身體很強壯, 所以他防守低位進攻球員還是有一定的能力的. 他也可以利用他的強壯身體, 令他在搶防守籃板時卡好位. 不過他卡好位卻跳不到, 而他的彈跳力不高, 而且機動力不夠, 所以不論是防守或進攻籃板, 都不會是他的強項.
他的移動力, 彈跳力不佳, 所以;補防阻嚇能力不好.

他的移動力普通, 彈跳力也普通, 不過他的身體夠強, 所以防守總會有點優勢.

一個很好的球員,面對日益差勁的美國禁區, 他可以有一定的生存能力.

再到 serb & mont 的 sf carkapala.但是球隊總是喜歡把他放在大前鋒的。

又是和非美國球員一樣，團隊意識不錯。又一個 role player

看他的比賽不多. 首先講外間對佢評價. 外間說可打 3-5 號, 但看他比賽, 他應只能打 3 , 打其他只會放棄禁區防守和籃板. 他像一個沒有中距能力的 turkolu.

進攻方面, 他的控球能力很好呢, 像個控球前鋒. 他的帶波然後剃頭或傳入 a b 位切入的球員, 力度剛剛好. 可見他的傳球能力是有一定程度的. 還有他能像 narchbar 一樣, 外圍入禁區鏟籃絕對有一手. 不過只有這些進攻能力是不夠的.還有，他有定點三分能力，主要在兩邊三分區的位置，open shot 有一手

防守能力好像較差, 見他兩次被對手在他面射入 3 分. 他那個 6'11" 的優勢好像沒有了.team defence 倒是不錯，見他多次在禁區補防得手。不過他的籃板到力不夠。

不覺得他有什麼優點令他在 17 位抽中, 那種控球前鋒可能是他最大優勢吧.

到 yug 的 sg pavlovic

因為他被放入雪櫃, 看他的機會不多. 我想講一講防守方面. 好多人話佢 d 防守唔惦. 睇過佢單對單防守, 次數唔多, 但係係防守 ricky davis 時, 當 ricky 鏟入 a b 住時, 總算可以保持係 ricky 前面, 而且都幾貼身, 所以佢單對單防守應該都唔係問題, 起碼唔會係黑洞先. 唯一問題係, 咁貼身好易犯規姐.

進攻方面, 雖然無好多機會, 但佢 d jump shoot 應該都好可靠既, 兩次係底線 jump shoot 都中. 佢仲係果種帶波形既 sg , 所以佢都可以自己帶到一個適合射波既位.

pavlovic 應該都 ok 既, 唔會係好多得分, 但係進攻都幾惦. 不過而家無乜表演機會-_-

>>May 18, 2005 at 2:02:01 PM GMT+8

2005 年 1 月 13 日 星期四 【晴】

最近 celtics 誰會被 trade 簡直是個謎. 似乎最少一個 swingman 會被 trade. 會被 trade 的 swingman 會是誰, 不知道. 但比較肯定的是 ricky 和 tony 應該不會被 trade, jiri 被 trade 機會最大, paul 則有很多暗湧. 至於其他位置, 變與不變其實不會有太大影響. 目前為止, payton 和 paul 比較多 trade 消息.

celtics 太多好 swingman , trade 只是遲早問題. 但是 celtics 要進行大變, 核心人物, 薪資空間是個大問題.如果只是變一變綠葉球員, 對 celtics 的影響不大. 所以要考慮的, 是 trade 走 paul . 不是說他不好, 但是我們不想一個卡死薪資的球員. ainge 不想要的只是 baron davis, 只要有其他球員合適, 絕對是要積極考慮.

>>January 14, 2005 at 12:04:35 AM GMT+8

2005 年 1 月 12 日 星期三 【晴】

終於有公新聞有球隊對 paul pierce 有興趣了, 這隊是 hornets. 他們用的是 baron davis. 可是被 ainge 終止談判了.

有了這個新聞, paul pierce 應該知道, 他要做多一點了. baron davis 是不錯了, 一個強力控衛. 我到現在於知道, 一個控衛重要性比 swingman 大. 不過可惜的是 baron davis 太多傷了, 是個不知何時就要修理的球員, 而且他的合約和 paul pierce 差不多. 再者, paul pierce 的交易價值遠比 baron davis 大吧. 有了這個新聞, 我幾乎可以肯定 paul pierve 會被 trade, 因為雖然 ainge 不要 baron davis , 但是沒有說不要其他球員. 即使來個三交易也可以.

paul pierce 令我有點失望, 他這一兩年好像沒有求勝的決心, 就因這夥心, 我再認為 paul pierce 是我們的答案. celtics 在落後時, paul pierce 好應該比其他人出更多力, 但事實上, 他的表現同樣時不濟, 完全沒有那種可靠的感覺. 不是說 paul pierce 不好, 而是我覺得他還沒有 leader 那種樣子. 再者, 他的薪資卡死了, celtics.

celtics 最應該被換走的應是 mark blount 或 raef lafrentz 的, 但如果有球隊能給一個好控衛或大前鋒, trade paul pierce 絕對是應考慮的. 大家要知道, 只是換走一兩個二打六並沒有意思的. 如果 trade 走 paul pierce , 我們就可留 raef lafrentz 了. mark blount 還有一定的進攻, 相信有球隊會喜歡的.

ainge 的眼光越黎越可信, 所以即使有 trade, 都不會太差的, 最少也差不過現在的 celtics 吧.

>>January 13, 2005 at 1:23:07 AM GMT+8

2005 年 1 月 11 日 星期二 【晴】

頭先睇完 bucks 既比賽, 又講下兩個外藉球員, 分別係 pachulia 同 gadzuric.

pachulia 上場時間唔多, 但係唔代表呢個球員唔惦, 我覺得呢個球員唔錯嫁. 最值得注意係佢既防守, 可以用三樣野黎睇. 對於單對單防守, 佢絕對有能力防守大隻中鋒, 佢都幾大力, 對方中鋒唔易撞入禁區, 另外佢間中都可以將對方個波拍走, 唔錯嫁, 基本上低位守最基本要做果 d 都做齊; 對於補防, 時間性都做得唔錯, 有人撞入禁區, 佢可以係適當時候出迎, 佢好少會做到 block shot , 但係都令對方嚇一嚇; 防守籃板, 絕對做得好, 基本上無乜人可以係佢面對搶到進攻籃板, d 頂位做得好, 個人好實淨, 所以佢可以搶到好位, 就算佢搶唔到籃板, 佢都會 tip 到比隊友.

進攻方面, 值得提既只有搶進攻籃板, 佢好勤力, 每次都好勤力搶籃板, 又識利用靈活既走位, 令到原本攞唔到位, 都可以搶到籃板, 咁搶到籃板, 得既咪順手射埋攞, 佢每次進攻個企位, 都係搶進攻籃板既位置, 係佢進攻最大既功勞.

玫於比較差既係進攻, 係進攻系統入面, 佢無乜點參與, 只係間中入 sip 黎個 layup. 佢 d 中距都麻麻地, 射兩球都炒洒, 什至 layup 都未必入到. 不過佢唔駛參與進攻都唔係太大問題, 因為係好多球隊裡面, 中鋒都好少會主動進攻, 除非你係 yao 或者 oneal 啦. 同埋隊波個個都係進攻能手, 而佢職責係搶籃板, 所以唔參與進攻唔一定係壞事既. 另外, 佢既彈跳力同翼展都唔係咁得, 好多時見佢搶籃板都係靠搶位, 有人壓住佢時佢好少會自己搶到籃板, 多數都 tip 比人, 長遠黎講唔係幾好.

總括而言, 佢係一個每隊球隊都需要既中鋒, 因為每個苦工工作都真係做得唔錯呢. 防守係進攻既開始.

至於 gadzuric 這個球員, 係 bucks 既先發中鋒. 佢反應好好, 當攻守轉換時, 見佢 d 掉頭都既快, 而跑去對面既速度都唔錯. 佢既彈跳力都真係唔錯, 佢同 yao 一齊搶籃板時, 竟然比佢搶到, 雖然係佢有個好位, 同埋 yao 根本 d 籃板唔係咁好, 但係都唔係一個容易既事. 佢係低位進攻能力都唔係好, 但係都有方法射到既.

佢實在太單薄喇, 面對大隻中鋒根本無能力抵擋.

基本上對佢既評價無 pachuloa 咁高, 唔明點解可以有咁多上場時間. 不過話洒都係先發, 應該都有兩度散手既.

講下一個 congo 中鋒 ilunga-mbenga.

佢唔勁, 比較看上眼的是他的防守. 他的移動能力頗佳, 高位禁區持球鏟入禁區時, 他的移動能有效地防止對方出手, 最神奇是原來他有 7' 高........ 算是最大的驚喜吧. 不過他沒有進攻, 不會參與進攻的過程 (幸好他是中鋒). 他又不會搶籃板, 連防守籃板都搶到到..... 差了一點.

>>January 11, 2005 at 7:20:58 PM GMT+8

2005 年 1 月 10 日 星期一 【晴】

今次講下 sogaila 先.

sogaila 係一個立陶宛前鋒. 對了, 就是 00 年 olympic 差點打敗美國時的成員. 他的進攻值得注意. 進 攻時, 有兩種 weapon, 其一是切入, 不算是 pick and roll, 但是會找空位, 等隊友傳給他, 呢種進攻好有效率, 多數都入, 又令到別隊唔可以忽略; 其二係突如其來的冷箭, 一 d 中距離 jump shot open shot 都有有能力入到. 一個靠餵波進攻的人. 不會是單對單能手, 也不會是有 20-30 分的球員, 但已足夠嚇人一跳.

防守方面, 其實不算差. 在低位移動速度不錯, 即使是防守罰球線鏟入的人, 都算是能保持在對手前面. 面對 garnet 的進攻, 都唔算太差, 起碼食到腳位. 不過因為本能反應, 係對方起手時, 好順手咁將隻手拍落對方. 其實他沒必要這樣做呢, 因為他的防守其實已做足了, 如果對手不是太強都應該炒嫁喇. 以他的體型, 速度, 基本上防守中鋒大前鋒都不是問題, 是個幾好用的球員. 另外, 防守低位進攻球還是可以的. 高度不足以 block 對手, 但是他的身體很強壯, 對防守低位進攻球員有一定的幫助.

他是個很勤力的球員呢, 會為每一球爭奪到最後一刻. 不論防守, 進攻.......... 不個很賣命的球員.

不過他有幾樣較差, 他的體能, 身高不夠, 所以在搶籃板時, 有明顯的不足, 他基本會跳不起抓下籃板. 同埋真係太多無為既犯規, 都係果句, 唔駛球球都打落去既, 迫到對方難出手都好好嫁喇.

唔明點解 celtics 會用兩個 2nd 換走佢, kings 拾到寶了.

又講下 slovenia 中鋒 brezec.

brezec 是今季的驚喜. 他的最大優點是進攻. 他能在牛角位, 底線來個 jump shoot. 他的 jump shoot 像一個 guard, 簡直係可怕, 因為他是 7'2" , 應該很難 block shot 了. 在 jump shot 裡, catch & shoot 比較常見, 這是防守球員疏忽了他所致. 不過他應能在任何位置上 jump shoo. t低位進攻還可以, 令我有印象的是背籃進攻, 然後轉身來個跳投, 好像那裡見過吧, 就是 yao 的轉身跳投, 唯一不同的是不能 turn around jump shoot...... 不過已夠了. 還有是在低位鏟入籃底, 算是不錯呢. 真是個好進攻球員.

不過防守........ 呵呵. 除了站著外, 好像沒有什麼動作. 又不能單對單防守, 最大問題是, 連籃板也搶不到. 原因有三: 其一, 搶不到好位, 身形不夠; 其二, 彈跳力太差了, 就算有好位可以被 yao 搶去籃板, 和 gadzuric 相反; 其三, 手好像不夠長. 他的防守, 唯一用途應是站在籃板嚇人了.

一場對 heats 的比賽, 他防守 shaq, shaq 大概單對單進攻 8 次, 中了 4. 兩球被 brezec 拍走 ball , 兩次 shaq 射失. 算是不錯吧. 拍走 ball 顯示 brezec 還月動作.

已現今的中鋒, 只要有防守或進攻其中一樣, 其實現合格了. 防守不好, 可以用聯防, 不過進攻並不是一朝一夕就學會的, 尤其是那些像 guard 的 jump shot-_- 真係嚇親, 只係佢唔係咁射.

到 slovenia 中鋒 nesterovic.

和 brezec 最大不同, 在他的長處是防守, 而不是進攻. 防守時, 他是個好的單對單防守低位中鋒的球員. 他有身形, 有高度, wing span 又夠, 所以在低位進攻時, 能有效地防守對方. 所以單對單低位防守基本上不用擔心. 防守時要注意的是補防, 他常常在攻對方鏟入禁區時就進行補防, 有時他能做 block shot, 做不到 block shot 亦因高大的身形令對方嚇一嚇. 不過他補防過於積極, 令自己守的中鋒空了. 問題在於他的時間性不好, 不懂判斷對手傳球或鏟籃的能力. 所以有時補防的確是不必的. 防守上最大的問題在於因為去了補防, 所以回不了身搶籃板, 或是不能頂位, 幸好 spurs 有 duncan. 如果不是補防, 基本上以他的身形, 加上 wing span, 以搶下任籃板了.

進攻方面, 他有中距離的, 但是不會常主動投球. 他在進攻主要角色是搶進攻籃板. 他在對方的 ab 位, 準備搶進攻籃板. 以他的身形和 wing span, 對防守球員的確搆成壓力. 他多數會 tip 入 ball , .他很積極籃板呢, 不過我覺得他捕的位置不好, 所以多數 ball 不會去到他那邊.

是個好的防守球員, 和 brezec 相反, 但是兩個的後移腳步都是慢, 由他們組成的前場令人擔心.

>>January 19, 2005 at 4:37:16 PM GMT+8

2005 年 1 月 7 日 星期五 【晴】

January 7, 2005
Happy New Year! I know it’s been a while since my last entry, but December was a crazy month for us. As you all already know, I broke my hand back in the end of November during the Miami game. So the first part of the month was pretty much a blur – I was in a lot of pain. I wasn’t able to make the trip out west with the team, so that was disappointing. I watched all of the games, and even though I haven’t physically been able to be on the court with the guys, I have been with them spiritually and mentally every step of the way. During games I am on the bench, in the locker room and at practice. Sometimes I offer the guys some advice or point out something they may have not seen, things that they may take different from a peer than they do from one of the coaches. So I am staying very involved.

My hand feels great, and I have been working out a lot. They say the bone is healing well, and I am able to use the hand like I normally would. I have been doing a bunch of conditioning and cardio, and I am able to shoot and run drills. They only thing I haven’t been cleared to do yet is practice, and they are making me wait a few more days as a precautionary measure before I go full tilt. Rehab was tough – everyday I worked with some putty, and also used the Chinese Feng Shui balls. In addition, I had my hand in a bone stimulator, which is supposed to help the bone grow in my hand.

Of course, since it’s New Year’s, everyone has to make a resolution. Mine is pretty simple: no jive for ’05. Basically I just want to be honest and real with myself. I believe that if you can do that, you will be an honest person. It is kind hard to do this in the NBA, because you are put on a pedestal, which makes it pretty easy to lose yourself. I am lucky because I have my friends and family, who keep me grounded. My friends are the same guys I grew up with, and we all come from the same background where it was a struggle. Our group was able to stay tight, and I am thankful for that because it is hard at this time in my life to make really close new friends.

The holidays were wonderful – we had a few days off so I was able to spend time with my family. My mom and sister came to Boston for Christmas, which I really enjoyed. Even though we had to leave for San Antonio on Christmas night, it was good to spend a few days with them. My mom cooked a really good meal, and it had been a while since I had a good, home-cooked meal. We exchanged presents – of course I waited until the last minute, December 23, to do my shopping. But I got everyone some really nice gifts, and the guys in my family even got some stuff from Nike.

For New Years Eve, a bunch of my friends came up to celebrate. My boys Ron, Brendan, Rick, Derrick, Bill and Uncle Rudy spent some time up here. It was pretty low key – I showed them around Boston and then we just rang in 2005 back at my place. But it was good to have my friends around. Like I said, they help keep me grounded and know me real well. Good friends like that are very important in life. And while I’m talking about the new year, I think we should all take a minute to remember those we lost in 2004… my friend Smoke passed on this past year, and he continues to be in my thoughts.

So other than that I have just been chillin’… I like going out downtown – some of my favorite places are the Loews movie theater, P.F. Chang’s and of course shopping at the Prudential Center and on Newberry Street. When I’m hanging out at home I like to play NBA Live – no one on the team has been able to beat me yet. I’ve beaten Tony Allen and Justin Reed, and I’m taking on all challengers. It’s kind of neat to see myself in the game – in the NCAA game your name is there, but the player doesn’t look anything like you. Now I have a guy who not only looks like me, he also has all my moves. I usually don’t play as the C’s, but every once in a while at home on my computer I play our team so I can go out and let myself score 50 points.

Before I give you all my movie reviews for this entry, I want to take a minute to thank Ms. Lieberman’s third grade class at South Lawrence East School. They made me some great get well and holiday cards that really helped lift my spirits. My mom really liked them too – she spread them out on the table by the Christmas tree so everyone could enjoy them. I know the students had some questions for me in their journals, so I thought I’d answer a few:

Q: Did it hurt when you broke your hand?
A: I didn’t really notice it at first. I hurt it late in the second quarter, and then continued to play the rest of the game. But when the game was over and my adrenaline came down, I noticed the lump on my hand and that my fingers were numb. I knew it was broken.

Q: Who is your best friend on the team?
A: All of us guys are pretty close, so I don’t have one “best friend.” We all like to hang out and go out together, especially on the road. We have a really good group of guys in here.

Q: What is your favorite holiday?
A: My favorite holiday is Christmas. When I was younger we didn’t have a lot, but somehow my mom always managed to get us what we wanted. She always made sure we got a few things off our lists (which were usually a couple of pages long), and every year I got a monopoly game, a bike and the game Twister.

Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Definitely home made fried chicken

Q: What was your favorite subject in school?
A: Probably gym. I guess it makes sense since I now spend time in the gym for a living.

Q: Who was your favorite teacher?
A: Mrs. Dunbar was my favorite teacher. She was my English teacher in high school. And even though I only had her for one year, she always helped me out. If I was struggling and needed help with my homework, she was always there. She is one of those really special teachers – I still keep in touch with her today.

Q: How old will you be when you retire?
A: Hopefully in my 30s… I am still pretty young so that will give me a nice, long career.

Q: What is your favorite color other than green?
A: Actually, green is my favorite color. I really like earth tones – browns, tan, green. I also like red.

Q: What other sports do you like?
A: I am a big sports fan. I like everything – and with ESPN, there is a new sport on every day. I even watch poker, although I am not a good player. Spades is my game.

I really want to thank the kids for the cards and well wishes – I really enjoyed them. And I want to thank all of the fans that continue to support me and the Celtics – the team is really coming together and you can look forward to exciting basketball in 2005.

Finally, here are some movie reviews. I didn’t think Meet The Fockers was that funny; I thought they tried too hard. I rented Collateral on DVD, and really liked that. I also saw Ocean’s 12 and thought that was good, and enjoyed Blade Trinity.

That’s all for now… thanks again for your continued support, and I hope to see you at the Fleet sometime soon.

Talk to you soon,
Delonte

>>April 6, 2005 at 12:27:33 AM GMT+8

2004 年 12 月 2 日 星期四 【晴】

December 2, 2004
Hey everyone… sorry it’s been a while, but there has been a lot going on lately. Last time I wrote I mentioned that I had hoped to be activated for the Washington or Philly game. Obviously that didn’t happen, but I still have a lot to tell you all about, including some stuff that happened when I went back to both cities.

I consider both Washington and Philadelphia to be my hometowns. I grew up in DC and have strong roots there, and went to college in Philly, so when I saw those dates on the schedule after my injury, I had circled those as potential games I was aiming for with my comeback from my broken thumb. The other date I circled was Orlando, but more about that later. So even though I didn’t play in Washington, I still enjoyed going down there for a quick visit. It was great to see my family – I was able to go out to the house on Tuesday night for a bit and have some of mom’s cooking. My mom was real excited to see me, but I think she was even more excited to see me at the game because I was wearing a suit. I hardly ever wear a suit, so that was a big deal to her. It is nice to know I have made her so proud. It’s a good feeling.

Philadelphia is just as much of a home to me, so I was excited when I was cleared by the doctors to play the day before the game. But Coach Rivers was worried that playing in front of the same fans that watched me come up in college might be too much pressure, so I sat that one out. And I know he was right, but I was still a little disappointed. It was still cool – I saw some of my coaches from St. Joe’s and some of my friend’s came by the hotel the night before to hang out and talk about old times. Unfortunately the team was away getting beat up on pretty bad by Kansas, so I had to deal with Raef and Paul on that one.

Thanksgiving was great. We had the day off, and my dad, step-mom and little brother came up to Boston. It was their first time here, so we had a nice dinner and went around to see the city a bit. My little brother Cliffton is four, and he is my biggest fan. So I really enjoy hanging out with him and getting to spend time together. It was a nice couple of days. What made it even better was that the next day I was activated to play against the Cavs. I can’t think of a better way to start off my NBA career than to have my dad here to see me play. It started off right, too. I scored, had a dunk and played a pretty decent game. But here’s a funny story about my first NBA game - coach told me I was going to be in the lineup that morning at shoot-around. I wanted to make sure I was ready, so afterwards I went home to get some rest and took a nap. Now, that game was a 7:30 pm tip-off, so we had to be at the arena at 5:15 pm. I woke up on my couch at 4:59 pm! Somehow I made it to the building in 14 minutes, but I thought I was going to die about six times! I don’t recommend driving like I did that day… but there was no way I was going to be late for my first game. I was nervous about getting to the gym on time, but once I got there I was more excited than nervous. It was great to get the first one under my belt.

So that brings us to Miami. I had never been down there, so it was cool to check it out. We grabbed some dinner on South Beach, but that was about it. I was really focused on seeing Shaq in person – as a guard, all you hear about is how big he is and that you don’t want to go down in the paint against him. And let me tell you – he’s a big guy. But I know you really want to hear about the injury. I think it was in the first half… I split a screen and just tripped up and fell. When I went down, I was baby-sitting my thumb because I didn’t want to hurt it again, so I came down on the side of my hand. At first, I thought I just sprained my finger. But during the next timeout I noticed part of my arm was numb. And that’s never a good sign. I knew something was wrong, but I wanted to play - it was only my second game. The trainer wanted to x-ray my hand at halftime, but I wouldn’t let him. Instead he just taped two of my fingers together that were acting funny, and I went out and played. I just didn’t want to have that x-ray done. The last thing I wanted to hear was that I was going to be out with another injury. So after the game, they finally did the x-ray. I took one look at that thing when it came out of the machine and didn’t even wait around to talk to anyone. The doctor’s wanted to put a splint on it, but I just left and got on the bus. The coaches were asking me what happened, and I told them I was fine, it was just a sprain. Well, Coach Rivers must have known something because he took me off the bus and we went back to see the doctor to get a splint and some treatment. I was really disappointed. I’ve only had two broken bones in my life, and they have been in the same hand and both happened this season.

I mentioned before that besides Washington and Philly, the other date I had targeted for a possible return from my thumb injury was Orlando. The Magic drafted my St. Joe’s teammate and good friend Jameer Nelson. Jameer and I spent almost every waking minute together in school, so we are real good friends. I called him the night before the game and told him about my hand, and that I probably wouldn’t even sit out on the bench to watch the game. But we talked again after the game, and I saw a bunch of his cousins that used to come and stay with us back in Philly. That was nice because it was like a little reunion, and it made me feel better. Even though I was disappointed we didn’t get to play each other, I know that we will meet up plenty in the future. We both have long careers ahead of us.

When we got back to Boston, I saw some other doctors, and then had surgery on Wednesday. Let me tell you, it’s pretty painful right now. It’s only been a day since the surgery and four days since the injury, and the pain is keeping me up at night. But I want everyone to know I’m not down, I’m not depressed. It was important for me to come out to practice today to support the guys and let them know I am here with them in spirit – unfortunately my spirit has been here more this season than I have physically. But hopefully that will change in the future. I just ask you guys, the fans, to keep supporting the team, and to keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

I mentioned in my first diary that I love movies and was going to give you guys my recommendations each week. Now, you all know I love SpongeBob, but I haven’t seen that one yet. So the movie of the week is Old School. It’s a good movie, a classic.

Thanks again for checking in, and I will talk to you soon.

Take care,

Delonte

>>April 6, 2005 at 10:08:29 AM GMT+8

2004 年 11 月 11 日 星期四 【晴】

November 11, 2004
Hey everyone… Thanks for taking the time to read my diary. I am looking forward to keeping you updated throughout the season on what’s going on with the team, life in the NBA and anything else you might want to know about me. So far, I am just getting used to living in a new town – I moved up to Boston in August, and the transition hasn’t been too hard. When I was in college in Philly I lived in my own apartment, so I’m used to being on my own. Now I have my brother and his family up here living with me, so it is nice to have them to go home to.

I miss college sometimes… we had some fun times at St. Joe’s. The biggest difference I’ve noticed so far is between the fans. Don’t get me wrong – you all are great – but in college the same fans that cheered for me at the games were in my classes the next day and in the dorms with us. I’m the kind of guy who likes to have fun and be around people, so I’ve noticed that the professional lifestyle can be kind of secluded. That’s why I’m glad to have my brother and his family around. But I’m definitely going to have to get the college package so I can keep track of the Hawks and see how they are doing. That team was amazing – a lot of times you hear about teams being like a “family,” but we really were. Coach Martelli was like that – he treated everyone from the stars on down to the walk-ons like family. There was just a great player-coach relationship, and that was a hard environment to walk away from.

But things are cool up here with the Celtics. My teammates are great – we have a bunch of really good guys who want to win as much as I do. I really wanted to come to Boston – when I was looking at my options before the draft with my agent and high school coach, we all agreed that coming to the Celtics would be great. Boston was definitely one of my top five choices, so I was excited to hear that they selected me on draft night.

The hardest thing so far has been the injury to my thumb. In college I had a stress fracture in my right leg, but for some reason this is more frustrating. I just really want to get out there and play… it was hard to have Philly come into town – when I was at St. Joe’s, they were like our bigger brother. I would go to the games all the time, and I really wanted a chance to get out there and go up against those guys. But I think God has a bigger plan for us all sometimes, and right now I think maybe he is trying to show me something. Sometimes we need to take a step back in order to take two steps forward.

The injury was especially hard because I was starting to get more and more comfortable as the preseason wore down. The first game I was pretty nervous – I don’t know why, but I was. Then my confidence started to come back, and I started to work on the little things I needed to tighten up. In the beginning I was thinking way too much out there – how does coach want me to run the offense, what does he want me to do now… I just needed to go out and play my game, and that’s what I started doing. But it’s a long season, and I think it’s going to be a good one for us. We have a good team, a good coach, and we are going to be exciting and a lot of fun to watch.

So other than that, I just want to let you know that I am excited to be here… looking forward to the season. Some people wonder, as professional basketball players, who we are and what our lives are like… I just want you all to know I am a regular guy who happens to play ball. I like to sit at home and watch cartoons (SpongeBob is one of my favorites) and eat cereal. I also like going to the movies, so I thought as part of this diary I would give you guys some movie recommendations every once in a while. My all-time favorite is “Coming to America,” but if you want to check out something a little more current, I really liked “The Incredibles.” “Shark Tales” is a great movie for the kids, and “Ray” is great for adults.

Thanks for checking in, and I’ll talk to you soon.

Delonte

>>April 6, 2005 at 10:09:44 AM GMT+8