Red on Danny

[Chicago JK]

"We made a mistake letting [Danny] Fortson go," Auerbach said. He has said that before, something that caused Fortson's eyes to light up when told of the remark. "It all boils down to one thing: You can't always be the retaliator. You've got to be the instigator once in a while. Sometimes, you have to beat the [bad word] out of the other guy before they beat the [bad word] out of you."

So let's address a few of Red's points and, in the holiday spirit of giving, see if there's something we can do, trying to be realistic about what the Celtics have and what they might get.

Fortson: He would be great in Boston. Alas, the Mavericks like him, too, and would be disinclined to do a Fortson-Eric Williams deal or even one that included Tony Battie and a salary to balance things out. "We really like Danny's toughness and the way he clears space for our other rebounders," Mavs owner Mark Cuban said via email. "Plus, he sets the tone and example for our guys on how to rebound." Fortson would like to play more than he's playing in Dallas (11-plus minutes a game.) Danny Ainge should see whether he can pry him away.