Links of the Day (October 25, 2010)

• This is really pretty nasty, but it's also something of a good sign for Celtics fans: Pierce wasn't at full strength last year, which leads me to a point I wanted to make before the season started. There are a lot of "predictions" posts from experts and bloggers this time of year, and while the Celtics are getting plenty of respect in terms of the postseason, a lot of people seem to think that last year's sleepwalk through the regular season is the aging Celtics' new strategy. I disagree, and not only because Doc has come out and said as much. Maybe it's just the optimism inherent in any preseason, but the team just seems to have an attitude similar to the 2007-08 squad, which came out with guns blazing and never really let up. They have a deeper chance, healthier starters (except for Perk), and no Rasheed Wallace. I really believe they could challenge for the top record in the East.
• Yesterday, I linked to a breakdown of the flex offense. Here's one of the triangle.
• I grew up in the state of Vermont, and the university thereof hasn't produced many NBA products. Er, any NBA products. Taylor Coppenrath got a cursory look after UVM shocked Syracuse in the first round of the 2005 tournament, and Kevin Roberson went to training camp in 1992 with the Charlotte Hornets. (I don't care what this article says, by the way; Roberson was the best Catamount ever.) Anyway, I mention all this because Marqus Blakely just missed becoming the first player in school history to make an NBA roster. Blakely's a terrific athlete, who, at 6-5, played power forward in college. Obviously, his future in the NBA, if he has one, is on the wing. I'm keeping an eye on him; hopefully some NBA team is, too.