Hooped Up

According to a NBA players poll, new acquired McGrady of the New York Knicks was ranked as the most overrated player in the league receiving 9% of the 173 votes cast, beating Indian Pacers swingman Danny Granger by 4%.

New teammate Al Harrington of also received one vote. Shaquille O’Neal, David West and suspended Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas received 3% of the dubious distinction and 2010 All-Stars LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Dwyane Wade and Gerald Wallace all received more than one vote each.

It’s a good thing that overrated list are usually overrated. See who made the top 5 of this list sponsored by Haterade, quenching the thirst of mediocre talent since the inception of free agency.

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Paul Pierce of the Celtics wins the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest with 20 points in the last round. Every shot he missed was better than the dunk competition.

Yes, I’m still kinda bitter about how that whole “contest” went down.

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers took captain Paul Pierce out of practice Monday to rest his sprained left foot, and the guard is listed as questionable for the team’s game vs. the New Orleans Hornets Wednesday.

“Paul didn’t do a lot today,” said Rivers after practice. “We actually pulled him out early. He practiced, but he wasn’t moving well and we just took him out. He’s questionable. I think he’s going to play, but right now we’ll wait and see.”

Pierce was injured during the first quarter of Boston’s 99-88 win over the Washington Wizards Feb 1.

Wizards’ forward Caron Butler toppled down on the all-star forward’s foot when both players dove for a loose ball. Pierce remained in the game until the third quarter.

Boston (32-17) leads the Atlantic Division, holding a five-game lead over the Toronto Raptors.

With the team point leader injured, Rivers is concerned. Pierce has a Celts-best 18.6 points in 42 games this season.

Press Release

The early bad news is that Paul Pierce could have a broken foot and will miss significant time. The early good news if you snowboard, is that both Wiarton Willie and Punxsutawney Phil saw their respective shadows meaning no early spring. Yes, all Ray Allen trade rumors did just grinding to a caliper busting stop.

The injury appears more serious than a sprain — NBA.com’s David Aldridge wrote that a source told him it “looks that way” when asked if Pierce has a broken foot, and Channel 7 is reporting that Pierce will miss significant time. He is expected to have the foot re-examined before any information is released. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told Comcast SportsNet’s Gary Tanguay  this afternoon that the team is still determining the diagnosis and Pierce’s status.

“We just don’t know,” he said. “We basically don’t know the extent of the injury. The doctors don’t have all the information to make the decision. We expect to make an announcement tomorrow.”

Cheer up Celtics fans, at least you can still schedule that late snowboarding trip to Vermont.

H/N Boston Globe

Paul Pierce and Caron Butler could not keep themselves from crashing into each other early on, and not wanting to risk losing his captain for a second time this season, coach Doc Rivers chose to sit him the final 13 minutes 32 seconds of the Celtics’ 99-88 win over the Wizards last night.

Calling it a mid-mild left ankle sprain, Pierce will have X-rays today.

He initially came out of the game after colliding with Butler with 2:01 left in the first quarter, bruising his left foot. They banged into each other again as time was about to expire in the first half, with Pierce stepping on Butler’s foot and the players knocking knees.

Boston Globe

Much like every single album that has come out in the last 10 years, the 2010 all-star reserves list has been leaked and Yahoo! Sports has obtained the list to be reveled Thursday night in their NBA logo sports mug.

The Eastern Conference reserves include Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo from the Boston Celtics, Toronto’s Chris Bosh, Charlotte’s Gerald Wallace, Chicago’s Derrick Rose and Atlanta’s Joe Johnson and Al Horford.

The Western Conference reserves include Utah’s Deron Williams, New Orleans’ Chris Paul, Los Angeles Pau Gasol, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki , Zach Randolph from Memphis and Brandon Roy from the Portland Trail Blazers.

David Lee, Carlos Boozer, Marc Gasol, Josh Smith, Chris Kaman, Monta Ellis and Chauncey Bilups will all have to wait for next season.

H/N Yahoo! Sports

The Celtics will almost be at full strength tonight against the Miami Heat when Celtics coach Doc Rivers announced that Rajon Rondo (left hamstring) and Paul Pierce (right knee) will return to the Celtics lineup.

Rondo missed one game with a strained hamstring but said he is at “91 percent” but he hasn’t practiced full speed since the Dec. 30 loss to Phoenix. Pierce said he is not 100 percent but “I feel comfortable getting out there. I have been working hard the last few days and I am ready.”

Kevin Garnett (right knee) was with the team but Rivers said he could be out “another week or two weeks.

Boston Globe

Merry Christmas blah, blah, blah your captain is out two weeks. That’s probably all the Celtics front office heard when doctors told them that Paul Pierce will miss the next two weeks after undergoing minor right knee surgery yesterday.

The month of November has given us plenty-o-sweet facial jams even a geeky kid wearing a retainer would dig. So why not watch them all in a montage over a hip-hop beat.

Hell yeah is right!

The Raptors got kicked in the nuts 116-103 by the Celtics and Paul Pierce was the lead nut kicker finishing with 18 points for the C’s. Sure, Kendrick Perkins also had 18 points and Ray Allen had 20 points to lead all Celtic players in the win, but like I said Paul Pierce was the lead nut kicker.

Just ask soprano Chris Bosh, OUCH!