Sports Central

NBA Draft 2012 - What do Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo bring to the Boston Celtics?

Boston Celtics NBA Draft 2012 select Fab Melo with the 22nd Pick in the First Round

The Boston Celtics, after taking Jared Sullinger with the 21st pick in the draft, added Fab Melo from Syracuse to their roster with the 22nd overall pick.

Melo is a 7'0 center who will provide the Celtics with a bigger presence in the paint on the defensive side of the ball. He needs to improve on the offensive side of the ball but fills an important need for the Celtics this off-season. Melo weighs roughly 255 lbs and is 22 years of age.

Boston Celtics NBA Draft 2012 Select Jared Sullinger 21st Overall

 The Boston Celtics selected Jared Sullinger in the first round of the NBA draft.

Sullinger is a former Ohio State player who will likely be an undersized power forward for the Celtics. He was expected to be drafted in the top 10 prior to suffering some medical red flags during the evaluation process.

Sullinger has back issues and the Celtics are taking a risk by drafting him. Sullinger is 6'9, 20 years old and rougly 270 lbs.

Who are the Boston Celtics trading up for in the 2012 NBA Draft?

Adrian Wojnarowski, only hours before the beginning of the 2012 NBA Draft, reported that the Boston Celtics are actively looking to move up in the first round.

The Celtics own the 21st and 22nd picks in the draft, which in years gone by would have carried little value, but this year's class of college stars is deep. With Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers never fearing to be aggressive, it should come as no surprise that they are trying to move up as high as possible into the lottery.

Despite earlier reports suggesting Royce White was the Celtics primary target, nobody is certain exactly who the Celtics are attempting to acquire. Here are a few options who the Celtics could be considering:

NBA Draft 2012 - Boston Celtics Biggest Needs

Boston Celtics NBA Draft 2012 - Trading Paul Pierce for Andre Iguodala Makes Sense

With the reports emanating that the Celtics have promised Royce White, a college small forward, that he will be their first pick in the 2012 NBA draft on Thursday night, once again we must revisit the prospect of the team trading Paul Pierce.

The Celtics nearly traded both Pierce and Ray Allen just before the trade deadline this year, however both trades fell through according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo. Allen is no longer under contract, and not expected to return, but Pierce is on tap for two more seasons with double digit salary cap hits.

After not trading Pierce, and keeping him during the team's run to the Conference Finals, there is a certain element of having your cake and eating it for the Celtics if they trade Pierce now. Pierce is 34 years of age and didn't exactly help raise his trade value with some ineffective performances in the playoffs.

Boston Celtics Draft - Royce White is Leading Candidate for First Pick

Euro 2012 - What approach should Giovanni Trapattoni take with Ireland now?

Statistically, and in every other possible way on the pitch, Ireland matched the worst performance ever at the European Championships when they finished last in a group comprised of Croatia, Spain and Italy.

Not since Yugoslavia in 1984 have a team finished with zero points and a -9 goal difference. To worsen that fact, Yugoslavia scored twice the number of goals Ireland did, two.

Yes Ireland had a tough group, but the 28 years between 1984 and 2012 teams have faced tougher. Spain are historically good, but Italy and Croatia are not world class teams. Ireland made them look world class however with their less than average play.

Ireland's Mindset - Looking Objectively at Roy Keane's Comments at Euro 2012

Since the Republic of Ireland were outclassed by Spain at Euro 2012, comprehensively beaten by four goals, the always contentious Roy Keane has been openly speaking his mind about the Irish attitude.

Keane, as part of ITV's coverage of the tournament, initially said "I think the players, and even the supporters, they all need to change their mentality. It's just nonsense from players speaking after the games about how great the supporters are. The supporters want to see the team doing a lot better and not giving daft goals away like that...I'm not too happy with all that nonsense. Let's change that attitude towards Irish support as well...They want to see the team winning as well, let's not kid ourselves. I know we're a small country and we're up against it, but let's not just go along for the sing-song every now and again."

Since then, he has followed up his initial sentiments in typical Keane fashion by not backing down.

Tom Brady Working to Improve - Two Things that need to Get Better

In February this year, Tom Brady lost much more than a Super Bowl to the New York Giants. In February this year, Brady lost his long-time mentor, and friend, Tom Martinez.

Martinez died in February after suffering a heart attack during dialysis after being diagnosed with diabetes and cancer. Martinez had worked with Brady for over 20 years and would spend each off-season refining his mechanics.

During minicamp this week, Brady has had to work without Martinez and use another method to constantly remind him of where he needs to improve. Each year Brady wears a wristband during practices. Normally that wristband is full of offensive plays for him to refer to. This year that band is full of phrases reminding him of certain aspects of his mechanics that need refining.

New England Patriots - Ranking the Importance of Each New Addition for the 2012 NFL Regular Season

Despite their constant success in the NFL, the New England Patriots are generally one of the more active teams in the off-season. The common belief is that teams who must make so many changes in the off-season are forced into doing so because they are bottom-feeders. The Patriots however see their off-season activity as vital to maintaining their success.

This year's off-season has been no different in Boston with a raft of new faces arriving. Not all of the new players will be asked to play out a role this year, but some will play a role in determining the success of the 2012 New England Patriots.

Here is a ranking of the importance of each player for the coming season alone.

Boston Celtics - Miami Heat end Big Three Era, Where do Celtics go from here?

The never-ending run finally came to an end last night as Lebron James and company finally sealed the envelope on the era of the Big Three in Boston.

Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce came together in Boston five years ago. They won one championship and appeared in another NBA Finals with multiple appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals.

While Allen, Garnett and Pierce could all continue to play together in Boston, they will no longer be the prominent figures of the team. Of the three, only Pierce actually remains under contract but after his playoff performances, it is possible that the Celtics may move him in favor of using the cap space that his $16 million contract is engaging.

NBA Eastern Conference Finals - Boston Celtics will make the Miami Heat Earn Place in Finals

Let's go Celtics. Let's go Celtics.

The chant rang out in TD Garden as the Boston Celtics fell to a 19-point loss in Game 6 against the Miami Heat. Lebron James' dominant display ensured that the Boston crowd knew their side had lost the close-out game minutes before the final moments.

While the Celtics couldn't close out the series in front of their home crowd, and in turn guarantee a place in the NBA Finals, they still have a chance to overcome the Heat in Miami tonight.

New England Patriots: Rob Gronkowski signed to Record New Contract

Rob Gronkowski has been given a new deal by the New England Patriots.

Gronkowski has signed a deal for $54 million over the next six seasons. Despite still having two years left on his rookie deal, a deal which wasn't paying him very much, the Patriots showed the kind of loyalty and commitment to Gronkowski that teammate Wes Welker has been desperate for.

It should come as no surprise that Gronkowski got this deal as he is crucial to the Patriots' success. Despite being a tight end, Gronkowski is Tom Brady's favorite target and the first player opposing defenses try to take out of the game.

New England Patriots release Chad Ochocinco: Where will the WR go?

The New England Patriots today released Chad Ochocinco after unsuccessfully trying to trade the veteran wide receiver. Ochocinco was acquired by the Patriots last year after falling out with the Cincinnati Bengals in the hopes of finding a path to the Super Bowl.

He never made an impression with the team despite their trip to the championship game and the Patriots ultimately revamped their receiving corps this off-season.

Ochocinco still has a lot left in the tank however. He showed glimpses last year that he could make plays but struggled to get on the field because he didn't fully understand the playbook. The Patriots' complex offense was too much for Ochocinco, but that doesn't mean he won't find a new home elsewhere.

New England Patriots: Bo Scaife is a Perfect Fit in the Patriots' Offense

The New England Patriots brought in former Tennessee Titans Tight End Bo Scaife today. Scaife joins an already crowded depth chart.

With Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez firmly established as the team's starters, Daniel Fells was signed earlier in the off-season to be the team's third option. Fells signed a three-year-deal for $5.25 million with $2 million guaranteed.

Just because Fells was guaranteed money, that doesn't guarantee him the third spot on the Patriots' roster. Bill Belichick will choose the better player regardless of his salary. Bringing in Bo Scaife creates good competition for the third spot on the tight end depth chart.

Boston Celtics v. Miami Heat: Celtics must treat Game 6 as Series Decider

The Boston Celtics defied all the odds in Florida two nights ago to take a 3-2 lead in their series with the Miami Heat.

After a 94-90 victory, the Celtics lie one victory away from being crowned the Eastern Conference Champions. If the Celtics can beat the Heat tonight, they will go on to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals to determine the 2012 NBA Champions.

The Celtics definitely cannot make the mistake of looking past the Heat just because they have swung home-court advantage in their favor. There is some sense that the Celtics are only in this position now because the Heat somewhat overlooked them.

Miami Heat v. Boston Celtics: What does Chris Bosh's Return Mean?

The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat return to South Beach tonight for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. As of right now, a matter of hours before the first tip, there is no clear indication as to whether Chris Bosh will be in the lineup for the Heat or not.

Bosh hasn't played a game in this series so far but many expect him to as he continues to recover from an abdominal injury suffered against the Indiana Pacers in Round 2.

Without him in the lineup, the Heat and Celtics have battled each other to a 2-2 tie heading into Game 5. Each team has won their home games relatively comfortably, despite going to overtime in Boston in Game 4.

Boston Celtics v. Miami Heat: Last Stand Would be Fitting End to Big Three Era

"The Big Three."

At different times of the past few years that term has meant something different. When the Boston Celtics originally brought together their three stars, they were dubbed "The Big Three" with Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce leading the team to a championship in 2008.

Since before last season however, "The Big Three" has referred to the trio of Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Lebron James in Miami. Pat Riley brought together the three superstars in the hope of winning multiple championships, they failed in their first attempt but did ease past the 'old' big three in the playoffs.