A new Daye on horizon
Darren Daye noticed that his son, Austin, had a passion for basketball when he was just 3 years old, but he didn't count on it lasting. As Austin continued to grow and get better, Daye, the ex-Celtic, went so far as to tell his son that his chances of making the NBA were slim. His father wanted him to concentrate on school.
But now, with his son having garnered the interest of the NBA after two years at Gonzaga, Darren Daye has become a true believer that Austin is ready to leave school early for the pros.
"The most important thing for him is to get in the league so he can start getting better," said Daye. "If he's in the NBA, he'll have 24 hours to work on his strength as opposed to trying to do school and basketball. It's difficult.
"He'd be more advanced by making the leap than he would be going back to school. People have the other argument. I think it's shown over time that the guys that have gone out early haven't been hurt by it."
Daye, 48, was MVP of the 1979
Daye played for the Celtics in the 1987 NBA Finals against the Lakers, starting two games. The Lakers, however, won that series in six games. Austin was born the next year.
"I haven't talked to him too much about my career," Darren Daye said. "I talk to him about what he's doing. I talk to him about certain players he should emulate and what he should be doing.
"He does know it's a tough league - they don't take prisoners and you have to bring it every night."
Daye has compared his son's shooting stroke to that of Larry Bird.
"He likes to compare the way I shoot to Larry," said Austin. "Not the percentages, but the release, which is high. He talks about him all the time. He tells me a lot of old stories. Good insight."
Austin's sophomore statistics at Gonzaga were respectable but didn't exactly scream NBA. The 21-year-old averaged 12.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks, and shot 42.9 percent on 3-pointers. But at 6 feet 10 1/2 inches in shoes, and with a 7-2 1/2 wingspan and a 9-2 standing reach, he has NBA teams intrigued. What they aren't enamored about is that he weighs just 191 pounds.
"He could be the most skilled and talented player in the draft," a Western Conference scout said. "But his lack of strength, bulk, and experience could prevent him from reaching his potential for a while."
In hopes of getting stronger quickly, Austin has been working out with renowned basketball trainer Joe Abunassar, primarily on weightlifting in Las Vegas between NBA workouts. He believes he can be successful despite his lack of size, just like slender NBA players such as Rashard Lewis and Tayshaun Prince.
Austin also said that Bird, now president of the Pacers, made him feel better about his weight during a predraft interview.
"He said he came into the league at 210 and then gradually gained weight," Austin said. "He was a fifth-year senior at that point. If he came into the league the same [year] as I am, he'd probably be the same weight as me or maybe a little bit more.
"The weight thing is obviously there, but it has to do with your mind-set as well. You have to go out and dedicate yourself to lifting and be tough enough to get through screens. I've had to box out some big guys in college.
"The NBA will be more of a task, but I can do it."
The withdrawal deadline for the draft is tomorrow at 5 p.m. As long as he's comfortable that his son is a mid-lottery pick, Darren Daye thinks he should keep his name in. But he is leaving the decision up to his son.
"He's letting me be a man and make a sound decision on what I want to do," said Austin. "He has always been a help for me on what I want to do in basketball."
Looking for something exceptional
If the right free agent comes along, the Celtics won't be shy about using their available mid-level exception this summer. It just so happens that there are a lot of potential candidates.The list of possible mid-level exception candidates, more or less for some, includes: Atlanta's Mike Bibby, Josh Childress, and Marvin Williams, Charlotte's Raymond Felton, Chicago's Ben Gordon, Cleveland's Anderson Varejao, Dallas's Jason Kidd and Brandon Bass, Denver's Linas Kleiza and Chris Andersen, Detroit's Antonio McDyess and Rasheed Wallace, Indiana's Rasho Nesterovic, the Lakers' Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom, Memphis's Hakeem Warrick, New York's Nate Robinson and Chris Wilcox, Oklahoma City's Desmond Mason, Orlando's Marcin Gortat, Phoenix's Grant Hill, and San Antonio's Drew Gooden.
"We'd spend it on certain players," said Celtics president Danny Ainge. "We are not going to spend it for sure, but we would spend it on the right person."
The Celtics have a restricted free agent of their own in Glen Davis, three unrestricted free agents in Stephon Marbury, Mikki Moore, and Leon Powe, a player option for Eddie House, and a team option on Gabe Pruitt. Ainge expects House to wait until June 30 to make his decision, while a decision on Pruitt will come after summer league play.
Ainge believes that youngsters Pruitt, Bill Walker, and J.R. Giddens are just as good as the mid-to-late draft prospects he's been scouting of late. Their play this summer and in training camp (assuming Pruitt is there) will play a big part in deciding their role with the Celtics next season.
"It's going to be a big summer for them, big training camp," Ainge said.
Etc.
Marc J. Spears can be reached at mspears@globe.com 
