Big Al Movin’ On Up!

Celtics.com has a piece on Parquet Magazine’s feature article on Big Al. My favorite part is this:

Clifford Ray’s voice is echoing through he gym as he hollers at Al Jefferson. He’s demanding that Jefferson pick up the basketball off the floor, bring it up to the basket and put it in off the glass in one fluid motion. When it drops through the net, Ray slams it back on the floor in front of Jefferson and delivers the same instruction.

“Again!”

Within minutes, Jefferson’s sleeveless t-shirt is soaking with sweat, practically begging to be rung out over a tub. Big Al’s got a lather going, and he’s trying to catch his breath. It’s late May, the Celtics’ season is over, but Jefferson is working out with Ray on his footwork and post-up moves. As Jefferson puts it, he wants to be a “beast in the paint”.

“That’s the message,” Ray said. “If you want to be nice guy, get off the floor.”

I love Clifford Ray and the attitude he brings to our bigs. I wish both Perk and Al would have had the whole summer to work with him. As it is, he has done a lot with them in limited time between injuries.

The article is a good read. Nice to see Al getting some press. He has to be a candidate for Most Improves Player this season. I don’t know how he could not be. You can find the article here.

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