It's only preseason, but the Celtics have given their Atlantic Division rivals reason to be discouraged in their last two outings. Boston recorded a 30-point win over the Nets on Thursday and rallied from down 20 points last night to beat the Knicks. They're doing so with one of the league's most overhauled rosters. Even though they still have mainstays Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo, only six players return from last year, fewer than all but three other teams. We've got news on a few of Boston's offseason acquisitions right here.
- The Celtics aren't too concerned as first-round draft pick Fab Melo struggles in the preseason, but president of basketball operations Danny Ainge envisions sending him down to the D-League for some work this season, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald writes.
- Believing his team is deeper and more versatile than last year's Celtics, coach Doc Rivers agrees with point guard Rajon Rondo that this year's Boston team is better than the one that came away with the title in 2008, Bulpett reports.
- Kris Joseph, whom the team drafted 51st overall in June, is in camp on a non-guaranteed deal, but drew praise from Rivers, who touts his "unbelievable" rebounding for a 6'7" small forward, as CSNNE.com documents.
- Rivers believes Jeff Green struggled after arriving in a trade from the Thunder in 2011 because he deferred too much to the team's stars. Green promised a more aggressive approach when he re-signed this summer, and so far, he's delivered, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com examines.