Growing up in Maine I never really had the opportunity to watch a very high level of athletics. Every so often I would head down to Boston for a Celtics or Red Soxs game, but outside of that all I had was high school sports and a few Sea Dogs (Double A Baseball) or Pirates (American Hockey League) games.

When the Maine Red Claws first announced they would be starting up a NBA D-League franchise within an hour of my hometown I was excited, to say the least. For the first time in my eighteen years of living on this green earth, I wouldn't have to travel over three hours to watch the sport I love.

The way the Red Claws have established themselves in just over one year is remarkable. Aside from the fact that they sold out every game last season, they have also been very active in the community this offseason by hosting basketball clinics, sponsoring community events, and much more.

After finishing last season at an even .500 mark, the Red Claws will look to improve on their on the court success this season. With a year under their belt, GM Jon Jennings and Head Coach Austin Ainge are sure to provide a winning team for the fans.

As they currently stand, the Red Claws are unsure of what their roster will look like when the season starts. That's the chance they take being a D-League franchise. At any moment, players can come... and go.

Many players from last year's squad have already ventured away from the Red Claws this offseason. Kurt Looby is headed for Greece, Russell Robinson has headed to Spain, Alexis Ajinca was traded to Dallas, and there are reports that Maruice Ager is headed to the New York Knicks.

Who will the Claws find to fill these roster spot? Nobody really knows. With a mixture of tryouts and unsigned players, GM Jon Jennings will have plenty of time to figure that out.

There is also a strong possibility that us folks in Maine will get to see a few Celtics players playing at the Portland Expo this season. All three rookies (Bradley, Harangody, and Erden) are eligible to spend time in Maine, with Erden likely being the first one to head up to the Pine Tree State.

Last season the Maine fans were treated to plenty of NBA talent. Lester Hudson, Bill Walker, J.R Giddens, and Marcus Landry all saw time playing for Austin Ainge.

With the great success they accomplished during their inaugural season, the Red Claws have set the bar high for the 2010-2011 season. Will they be able to improve on what they already have accomplished? Only time will tell, but if I'm a betting man I wouldn't put my money against this team.

ESPN Boston's Celtics Summer Forecast rolls on today by asking the panel of eighteen the ninth question on the list. Who is the first player cut or traded from the Celtics? Last season it was Lester Hudson, who got cut after a few brief stints in the D-League with the Maine Red Claws.

This season it's going to be...

Brandon Paul, Gino's Jungle (Semih Erden)

 

I don't know a whole heck of a lot about Erden and I guess that's why I put his name down. He's spent a few years overseas trying to prepare for the league and his numbers weren't astonishing. If he can't do it over there, there's likely no way he can do it over here. I think he'll see some time with the Maine Red Claws but eventually will be cut or included in a trade.

Brain Robb from Celtics Hub and Lee Herman from North Station Sports agreed with me, while three of the guys went with Oliver Lafayette, two with Von Wafer, and one with Nate Robinson.

I would have gone with Oliver Lafayette, had I known that we were including non-guranteed contracts in this whole deal. In my opinion Lafayette and Gaffney will both be gone after training camp, and Erden will soon follow as the first guranteed contract to disappear from the team.

The fun part of this series is getting a bunch of unique perspectives from other Celtics bloggers, and that is exactly what we received today. When thinking about this question, not once did Nate Robinson or Von Wafer cross my mind. But, in all reality, if a trade happens those two guys will most likely be the one's to go.

Jay Ouellette, Red's Army (Nate Robinson)

 

This is a tough one. But I have a feeling that Robinson won't last the season. He has a friendly contract for a trade and I doubt he'll be here long term. He may be the player the C's ultimately trade for Rudy Fernandez once his trade restriction expires. Robinson is a Seattle native and I'm sure he wouldn't mind running with his boy Brandon Roy.

Although I don't agree with Jay here, this is a very unique perspective. Should Nate play well to begin the season, he will have a high trade value, and could be used as trade bait. I, however, believe that he will prove himself as a key member of this squad early in the season and will be a player Danny will not want to trade away.

Either way, this will be something to keep an eye on during the season. With Danny Ainge as the king of the castle, anything is possible.

Last night I joined one of my Twitter pals, Alex aka AEM, on his podcast Talking Tar. Alex and I share a common interest in being diehard fans of our favorite sports team. Alex is a huge University of North Carolina fan, while I am a huge Celtics fan (and a bit of a Duke fan).

Alex was kind enough to invite me over to his podcast to get my take on the NBA. I come in around the 10 minute mark of the podcast and get right down to business. We talked about the NBA's expansion overseas, the rich Celtics tradition, surprises of the upcoming NBA season, and much much more.

About halfway through my segment I was also joined by my good friend KWAPT, who disected all of Alex's interesting questions with me. If you're a sports fan, college sports fan, or UNC fan, be sure to check out Alex's podcast weekly.

For now enjoy your man BPaul dropping knowledge bombs by clicking play on the media player below.

This past Sunday, with one roster spot still up for grabs, Travis and I took a step onto fantasy island for a friendly debate on whether or not Delonte West would be a good thing for the hometown Celtics. Both of us, in addition to a few readers who stopped by, made very strong points supporting both sides of the argument.

What we didn't know at that time was that our little fantasy situation was about to come true. Yesterday, the Celtics announced that they have signed free agent guard Delonte West to a non-guranteed contract, terms remaining disclosed.

After being drafted by the Celtics in 2004, Delonte spent three years with the Celtics prior to the "Big Three Era". Delonte started in 125 games over those three years for the Celtics, and started over current Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo.

Since departing from the Celtics in a blockbuster deal on draft night in exchange for Ray Allen, West's career has taken a turn in the wrong direction. On September 18th, 2009 West was arrested by a police officer in Maryland for speeding and the possesion of handguns. The NBA recently handed down a 10-game suspension to West for that incident.

Aside from that incident, West was also the main character in a rumor started at the end of the Cleveland Cavaliers 2009-2010 season. The rumor, which is still yet to have any backbone, stated that Delonte "slept" with LeBron James' mom, Gloria, which caused trouble in the Cavaliers locker room. Thus the reason for the Cavs post season collapse.

Believe that rumor or not, West has a lot of extra baggage on his resume regardless. I know this, you know this, Doc Rivers knows this, and Danny Ainge knows this. What I also know, however, is that this dude can play. He was the best option out there, talent wise, for the Celtics to fill their final roster spot.

Not only do I think this, Danny Ainge apparently does as well. If he didn't, he wouldn't have brought him in. The addition of Delonte to the Celtics roster room will create one of the craziest locker rooms in NBA history, but at the same time it also creates the deepest roster in the NBA.

I know some of you are probably worried about Delonte's baggage affecting the rest of the team. I'm not. Delonte spent three years with this organization and had zero problems with his team, and zero problems criminally. The support for him here in Boston will be at a whole different level compared to Cleveland.

Aside from "the rumor" that surfaced during the 2010 playoffs Delonte's problems have never affected anybody but himself. His team's have still been successful, and for the most part he has dealth with his off court issues on his own.

Now that we have addressed the "baggage" problem, let's look at how Delonte fits in on the depth chart. The good news is that Delonte can be a three position player, if injuries occur. He is a bit undersized at the three spot, and really isn't a true point guard, but if need be he can play these positions effectively.

His true position, however, is at the shooting guard spot.  Delonte is a shooter, and a very good one at that. He may not be Ray Allen, but he can provide his sharp shooting skills off the bench. If Delonte can come in and do what I think he can do, he will be the second man on the depth chart at the shooting guard position.

Given the fact that his contract is non-guranteed, you can guarantee Delonte will be playing his "you-know-what" off for a spot on this roster. His talent level, when focused and at the top of his game, is superior to that of his biggest competition, Von Wafer.

Another positive to the addition of West is that he has played for Doc Rivers and has played with a few of these guys before. He has had court time with Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Kendrick Perkins. It should not take long for Delonte to fit right back in with this squad and learn the system.

Due to his ten-game suspension, West will not be able to suit up for the Celtics until November 27th against the Washington Wizards. That is a game I will be marking on my calender. I can not wait to see this guy play. When he does get the chance, and succeeds, don't be afraid to come back here and tell me that I was right.

Via the Boston Herald:

A league source confirmed moments ago that the former Celts guard is prepared to sign a free-agent deal with the team.

According to a source, West will sign a non-guaranteed contract and will be on hand when the team begins camp this fall.

Non-guaranteed? Good.. Check him out, see how he meshes with the team and make him earn it.

More thoughts and opinions to come later..