This past weekend, I sent this question to a Boston Celtics beatwriter who has been at Celtics practices...

Any update on your thoughts about him getting that last roster spot after the first week?  Less than 50/50 I would assume?  Is it fair to say it's between him and Cassell?  And, if so, that doesn't bode particularly well for him, does it?

Today, I received this response...

Ben, I think you're right about that last roster spot.  Cassell and Gabe Pruitt have guaranteed contracts.  But Miles looked very smooth in the intrasquad scrimmage Saturday night;  no other Celtic reserve can do what he can do.  The exhibition games this week might reveal more.

If you're wondering why all the Miles talk or if you're just sick of him, I hear you.  But the way I see it, the 5 biggest storylines this October are...

• 5.  Sergio vs. Bayless: Alien vs. Predator.
• 4.  Will we enter the season with all 5 starters healthy?
• 3.  How well does Rudy assimilate?
• 2.   Do we get that Miles money?
• 1.  The development of Greg Oden.

I base that list off of the long-term implications for the entirety of this season. 

(LaMarcus turning into an All-Star is a story, but not really a storyline in the sense that, yeah he's awesome, in the future he's going to be awesome, and in the long-term future he's going to still be awesome. His awesomeness has increased, but that's not exactly a storyline.) 

So, sit tight with the Darius anxiety, I'll be tracking it until we know what's good....

It appears that the standard for Darius isn't just to beat those guys out.  It's to beat them out so badly that the team is willing to swallow that guaranteed money, and to do it in a way that puts any concerns about the knee to bed. That's a tall order.

-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)