The NBA lockout can be a nightmare for many newly-drafted rookies. While the lockout is in place, these rookies cannot meet with their coaches and, for the most part, will not have official team practices.

They will not have a chance to prove themselves with their new teams in training camp because training camp will likely not occur. And there is also the possibility that there will not be a season next year or, if there is one, it could be shortened. 

While many rookies will go overseas or fall behind without the opportunity to practice with their new team, Boston Celtics first-round draft pick JaJuan Johnson has sought a proactive solution to preparing for his potential rookie campaign with his new team. 

He will be trained by legendary trainer Tim Grover, the owner of Attack Athletics. If you have heard of him, it is most likely because he trained Michael Jordan, and no doubt helped make Michael the greatest.

He has also trained MJ's fellow Hall of Famers Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon. Currently, he trains the first- and second-team All-NBA shooting guards, Kobe Bryantand Dwyane Wade.

It is no coincidence that all of these great players have sought out Grover; he is widely considered the best in the business and has helped each of these players' careers. 

Can he help Johnson have a career close to all of these names? Obviously, we can't say for sure because Grover's track record, like anyone's, isn't perfect, but it is as good as anyone's. And most of the credit goes to these players for their legendary careers.

Nonetheless, Grover can help Johnson significantly in areas that he needs the most help in.

Above all, Johnson needs to put on weight, specifically muscle. His paper-thin 6'10", 220-pound frame isn't ideal for the NBA. That is where Grover comes in. Ever since he first sought out Michael Jordan 20 years ago promising to help Jordan put on muscle and weight to lessen the wear and tear on his body during the season and playoffs, he has specialized in this area.

It's no coincidence that soon after working with Grover, a stronger, bigger Jordan was able to defeat his physical Detroit Pistons "Bad Boy" foes for the first time in the playoffs and win his first NBA championship.

If Grover can do with Johnson what he did with Jordan, which I'm confident he can, the Celtics will be getting a huge upgrade on their draft pick because, at the moment, the biggest knock on Johnson is his skinny frame and lack of muscle.

With more weight and muscle, Johnson will be more equipped to bang bodies with other NBA big men, grab more rebounds and play better defense down low.

He has the talent, the athleticism, the height and the instincts to be a great NBA player. And he may have found the solution to his biggest weakness, which is his lack of weight and muscle, in Tim Grover.

While many rookies are lost during this lockout, Johnson is preparing for the NBA in the best way possible and working to fix his weaknesses. If his training goes as it should with Grover, then the Celtics will be getting a much better player than they bargained for on draft day. 

It was announced yesterday that a Bill Russell statue will be built in the heart of downtown Boston at City Hall Plaza. There, the legacy of the greatest champion ever will live forever.

Russell has more than earned this statue, and in fact, it is quite overdue. Not only do his incredible on-court achievements, including his unparalleled 11 championships, stand out, but so do his off-the-court achievements, such as his fight against racism and the great strides he made in that area as the first African-American NBA coach and the recent Medal Of Freedom he was awarded by President Barack Obama.

He was the ultimate professional and champion, and still remains a model for all players.

But he is not the only Celtic that merits an honor as high as a statue in Boston. In the storied history of the Boston Celtics, with all of the great players that have put on Celtic green, two names stand above the rest.

The first is Bill Russell, for initially making the Celtics the most dominant team in all of sports, and the second is Larry Bird, for extending that dominance nearly two decades later. And, just as much as Russell, Larry deserves a statue.

In terms of tangibles, Bird had them all. For his career, he averaged 24 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two steals per game. He also won three championships, three MVPs, was a 12 time All-Star and the list goes on and on. He won the NBA Coach of the Year award because, like Russell, he was also a successful coach.

But the case for Bird getting a statue is far different from that of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar asking for a statue for himself because Magic Johnson has one. In all of the tangibles, Kareem is superior to Bird, and as much as it pains me to say it, Kareem was a better player than Bird.

But a statue is earned through more than just statistics and trophies. And Bird, unlike Kareem, transcended just stats and trophies.

Like Russell, Bird was an ultimate winner. He was dedicated to winning basketball games, and would do whatever it took to do just that. Whether it was scoring, getting others involved, playing defense or crashing the boards, Larry would do any and all of those things on a nightly basis in order to win.

Not only that, his commitment off the court was unparalleled. He was, without question, the hardest-working NBA player ever, and possibly the hardest-working athlete ever. A friend of mine lived down the street from Bird during his days in Boston and recalled that every time you would drive by his house, he would be out shooting. 

On top of that, he was also the toughest player to ever grace the hardwood. On numerous occasions, he played through pain unimaginable to the average person. He was dedicated to playing and winning, and no injury or pain was going to keep him from doing just that.

Also, like Russell, he was a dominant force during his time, and they both had great rivalries that transcended just themselves. Russell was constantly competing with Wilt Chamberlain. While Wilt was constantly putting up gaudy stats, Russell was constantly beating him.

But Bird's rivalry with Magic Johnson was perhaps more compelling because they both wanted the same thing. More than anything else, they wanted to win. This created some of the greatest games and series between the two of them and saved the NBA. It truly was the greatest rivalry in sports, and we will never see anything quite like it again.
He was also similar to Russell in the racial barriers he broke down. He is the greatest white player to ever play basketball, and made people forget about race when watching the game. He transcended color on the court.

Bill Murray said it best in Space Jam, when he informed Michael Jordan that, "Larry is not white. Larry is clear."

And unlike Kareem, who was one of the least fan-friendly players of all time, Bird was enamored with the fans, and gave back to them whenever he could with autographs and public appearances.

My father always tells the story of meeting Larry Bird and then witnessing him pitch wiffle ball to every little kid on the beach. To this day, he still talks about how nice and down-to-earth Larry was.

Larry deserves a statue, and I hope it doesn't take as long for him to get one as it did for Russell, because in that case, we would have to wait until the year 2034 to see one of Larry get built. If you ask me, his statue should have been built the day he retired.

The bottom line is this. Larry has made his case for a statue in the same way that Russell made his. Larry gave everything he had to the fans, and the city of Boston, both on the court and off it.

It is now our turn as fans, and as a city, to repay him by giving him everything that we have right back, and the highest honor we can give him is a statue in Boston.

"Col. Harry Burwell: This is not a war for the independence of one or two colonies, but for the independence of one nation.
Capt. Wilkins: Tell me, Colonel, what nation is that?
Mr. Howard: An American nation!
Capt. Wilkins: There is no such nation, and to speak of one is treason.
Mr. Howard: We ARE citizens of an American nation! And our rights are being threatened by a tyrant three thousand miles away!"
-The Patriot

Let's face it, the Big Three's reign is coming to an end. Sure, they have a year or two, maybe even three left, but it is time to start looking into the future. Gone are the days when these three could win a title without other star studded help. In the immediate future, they will need more help to contend for the Larry O'Brien trophy.

But the Celtics not only need to prepare for that, but also for the inevitable retiring of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen then Paul Pierce soon after. It is not far away, and rebuilding a team is not a quick process. So, this raises the ever important question: are the Celtics ready to rebuild in the near future?

Some people are comparing this upcoming rebuilding process to the rebuilding efforts of the post-Bird Celtics. To say that they are similar is correct to a degree, but also very inaccurate.

Like the post-Bird Celtics the Celtics now will need to replace a Big Three. But the fallacy of the post-Bird Celtics that it is drawing the large inaccuracy and some of the comparisons is that the Celtics were not ready to rebuild after Bird left and that is why the team took a tailspin for the next decade and a half.

In fact, the Celtics were ready to rebuild, and even contend for championships after the retirement of the original Big Three. Their rebuilding process started early. Years before the retirement of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish the Celtics had worked their way to the second spot in the draft and drafted a player destined for NBA stardom. Then in the next draft, the Celtics drafted another future star who would go on to lead the Celtics and become an all-star.

Unfortunately, those two draft picks destined to lead the Celtics in the future after the Big Three are now synonymous with tragedy and what-ifs. Len Bias and Reggie Lewis were the planned future of the Celtics, and would no doubt have contended for championships together instead, tragedy hit.

Looking at it that way, the Celtics now are similar to then because the Celtics are ready to rebuild after Garnett, Allen and Pierce retire.

They have a young superstar in Rajon Rondo who is more than capable of leading a team and has the ability to make everyone better. They have two promising young draft picks in JaJuan Johnson and E'twaun Moore.

Assuming they are re-signed (and the lockout ends), the Celtics will have a young core of Jeff Green, Glen Davis and Delonte West to go with Rondo. And I will be the first to tell you that Avery Bradley will develop into a solid NBA player, possibly as soon as next year (if there is a season).

A starting five of Rondo at the point, West at the 2, Green at the 3, Davis at the 4 and JaJuan Johnson or someone else the Celtics could acquire (cough, cough, Dwight Howard) at center with Moore and Bradley coming off the bench is a pretty good team and possibly a playoff team. Not to mention that Doc Rivers is signed on to coach for at least the next five years.

And with at least year before the Big Three hang them up, the Celtics still have time to make more moves and acquire more young talent.

But for now, I am confident of the Celtics in the future. It will not be long before the Big Three are gone and the Celtics are relying on new players to win games. Assuming everything goes smoothly until then, it looks to be a seamless transition of power with minimal wins lost.