This is by no means a serious knock on Doc Rivers or the veteran core on this beloved Celtics team, but why hasn’t anyone stepped up to Sheed how it really is? Why hasn’t anyone scolded Sheed for his gravitation toward the outside shot and lackadaisical rotations down low on defense? Why hasn’t Sheed been scorned about his constant badgering of referees?
I’m sorry, but someone has to got put the big guy in his place.
Doc has repeatedly said that Sheed is a grown man and Doc won’t get in his face to try to change his ways, but maybe it’s time to actually do that. Or Danny. Or KG. Or Pierce. Or Ray. Or Rondo. Or anyone. How about you? What’s your grandmother doing today at 2:00pm? Maybe she can swing by the Garden for a little pre-game pep talk with a 6-11 role player?
Get out the rulers! Sheed is off the ground!
Sheed continues to be an inconsistent force off the Celtics’ bench. At times I sit back and think about how Danny and company really pursued the right guy this off-season and was glad to have him as a back-up big but also an easy inserter into the startling lineup with an aging and ailing KG. Then at other times, I wonder why we don’t just sell Sheed to the junkward for scraps.
In just over 1,000 minutes so far this season (6th most on the team), Sheed has already launched 212 three-pointers. Ray Allen? He’s taken 235. Eddie House? 159. Pierce is far behind Sheed with 165. Oh, and Pierce has made 14 more threes despite taking 47 less long-range bombs. Sheed has only made 4 more threes than Eddie even though Sheed has taken 52 more threes. Holy cow.
Sheed is only pulling down 4.3 boards per game. That’s the same number as Rondo. For the season, Sheed has 193 rebounds, compared to KG’s 269 (think about how many games KG has missed), Perk’s 294, Rondo’s 204, Ray’s 167, and Pierce’s 194. Now, this wouldn’t be a big deal at all if Sheed was just working his tail off to box out opponents’ bigs to clear the way for guys like Rondo/Ray/Pierce/anyone to rip a rebound down, but… he’s not doing that either. Sheed is barely airborne on defense. He often looks like a middle schooler just watching the ball go up… and then somewhere else.
And finally: 14 technical fouls, with plenty of games when giving the other team an automatic bucket/possession and helping to break your team’s momentum.
But the numbers only tell one side of the story:
On high pick-n-pop that Sheed comes out to set for Rondo, he’ll fire away almost every single time Rondo kicks it to him. I don’t have numbers to support this, except maybe 212 threes that he’s tossed up this season. In the game Friday night against the Nets, Sheed started deferring to Eddie on the wing on these pick-n-pops… And while we’ve seen this occasionally, the key word in this sentence is occasionally. Sheed NEEDS to work that ball around because he is helping to space out the floor and create shots for teammates. For this to happen, of course, Sheed needs to take a couple of threes each game but not 5, not 7, not 9. A few.
The dude is out shape. Badly out of shape. Even if we look at pictures from last year, he wasn’t sporting a friendly pony keg underneath his jersey. Let’s at least put that body to use: he isn’t boxing out or holding players out of the lane to make way for someone who can get off the ground. For heaven’s sake, box out.
There’s little attention to making the appropriate rotations underneath the paint. There has been too many times when Sheed has over-played a big that draws him out of the paint, which then just leaves an undersized baby or a vulnerable Perk to both guard the paint, box out, and rebound. There’s a reason we are all clamoring for TWO bigs down under.
Stop talking. Just shut up. Play the game like you’re being played to play. Shut up. Stop talking to the refs. Not only are you pissing me off, you’re pissing your teammates off. So Sheed: shut up.
Zip it.
What can we see more of:
Post up just off the block and kiss that fadeaway 12-15 footer off the glass TD style.
Box out.
Take a couple threes to keep defenders honest, but keep your head up and eyes open to swing that ball off high screens and pick-n-pop plays.
Lose a few pounds.
Play tough defense on guys down low– body up, don’t overplay too far out the paint.
Congratulations to our .467 sharp shooting Cap’n in his 3-point shooting selection.
We know you’ll make us proud. Kill kill kill, and bring home the trophy.
Here is my makeshift attempt at trying to point out the good that can come from Pierce’s injury.
• It gives Pierce a chance to rest those legs. Since the knee irrigation, he’s been playing heavy minutes and playing pretty well. He’s had a few games that he had stretches of almost dead on lights-out shooting. But perhaps this will give him a break during the toughest stretch of the regular season (between Christmas and the trade deadline). We know what kind of competitor Pierce is, so we know he wants to play. We also know how tough he is, so I think he’ll be able to come back sooner than most think. But regardless of his competitiveness and toughness, the dude’s got something wrong with his foot or ankle and he’ll have to miss at least a couple of weeks. The way I see it, right now, is every minute that he doesn’t play in the regular season is another minute he can play in the post-season.
I repeat: the offense needs to run through Rondo.
• We need to let the offense run through Rondo. With Pierce out, we’ll get to see this more. I’m sorry. The LAL game killed me. Rondo’s minutes were mismanaged in the second half. I didn’t like Doc’s substitution patterns and when he had Rondo on the bench. If Rondo isn’t taking care of the ball, making sloppy mistakes, setting up the offense too slowly or hurrying them through, if his timing is off, if he isn’t finishing at the rim… Yes, by all means, let the ball work through someone else’s hands like Pierce. But for goodness sake, Rondo was playing a damn near perfect game on Sunday. You don’t sit him and you don’t let the offense run through someone else when your all-star point guard is having one of the best games of the season. You just don’t. We looked like a frightened team in the last 5 minutes in the 4th quarter when the Fakers were making their run, and we just didn’t have answers. The ball then found its way into Pierce and Ray’s hands too much. We all of the sudden deferred to what we used to do and chanced that it would work. The ball should have been Rondo’s and for him to decide what to do with it on every single possession in that second half. If #9 is on and playing that kind of game where his floater is falling and his passes are right on, then you’ve got to keep the ball in his hands. Can someone explain to me why Rondo wasn’t in the final play o the game?
• Tony Allen will get more playing time. And with more playing time, is there any assurance out there of seeing more TA Jigs? I mean. Come on. The jig. Whoa the jig. A steal and an acrobatic lay up? Followed with a jig. Just too much, TA. Just too much. I am becoming pretty enamored by the way he is playing, and want to see more of him on the floor. TA is revealing what the Celts desperately need: a guy on the wing that doesn’t threaten to shoot but can thrash to the hoop with scalpel-like sharpness and finish at the rim. TA has been doing this for, GULP, weeks… I want to see more of it. Tony will get the chance to be Tony in the starting line-up if Pierce is out, which can only make him more valuable to this team. Right?
• Quisy might also get more playing time. With his imminent return, Quisy will need plenty of minutes to get back into playing shape and get the timing back. Between he and TA, I expect to see both guys getting the chance to contribute a bit more.
• Bill Walker? Oh Billy. You have so many people rooting for you, but stop playing so nervous whenever you get in. Get that smile off your face, go into terminator mode, and just react. Who knows… maybe we will get to see Billy in action more, but I somehow, I still doubt it.
Maybe this will be the spark Ray Allen needs to um, do something. Break the slump. Get some kind of killer instinct in him, and start helping this team win some freakin’ ball games.
This is just hilarious.
• KG will get more touches on offense. The more shots we can give him right now, the better. I have to be optimistic and I have to believe that he will get back to where he was in the beginning of the year. We are all mistaken if we think we will see KG of yesteryear from 2008 or early on 2009. We won’t, and that is fine. What we need is at least the KG from the November edition of KG. If we have that, we still have a shot at this thing. But, let’s get his timing and rhythm and condition back by giving him the ball and letting him show us all that he’s still got fuel in the tank.
• Last but not least, maybe the team will get back that closeness, that itch to dominate, and dare I say it, the swagger. I don’t think this is really going to happen, but what if this team pulls together for the stretch without Paul? Sort of a “Hey Cap’n, this Bud’s for you” type of deal? Not very likely, but we’ve seen glimpses of how good this team can be when they start trusting each other and then all of the sudden it looks likes they really just love playing basketball together. Together. A good word for this crew right now.
Who knows.
I mean, you don’t have to know the severity of the injury to at least know that we are going to lose more games than we would have if we had Pierce, but those losses are okay if something good can come from it. Like the second unit getting more chances to gel. More playing time for a guy like TA and Quisy to get a feel for what it’s like to play with both starters and reserves. For the offense to give more shots to Rondo and KG.
We are still good enough to get to the playoffs. Nothing is going to change that. Nothing. So, let’s take this as an oportunity to get everything else worked out and we can welcome The Truth back to something that resembles a team ready to contend for the 2010 title.
Loscy would like to congratulate its favorite player, RAJON RONDO, on his first trip as a bonafide NBA all-star.
Earning a reserved spot as an all-star means so much more than being voted in by silly fans.
Each week, I’ll recap the week through pictures obtained through Yahoo’s NBA photos (a great site that you should check out every day if you already don’t). All the images below are copyrighted from the wonderful photographers from Getty Images.
1/18 v. Dallas, Loss
Kidd is watching a faster, craftier, snazzier, better player than he ever was in his prime go right by him now.
How effin' pretty is that shot?
Before Sheed picked up his 4th foul, he was doing a great job on keeping Dirk from doing his thing.
And then this happened... I mean, Dirk can't be pumped about that.
And then that happened... a lot.
1/20 v. Detroit, Loss
Sheed makes his return to Detroit Rock City with a lot of booooooooo's.
Sheed was welcomed back with Maxiel blocking the shiiiite out of him when trying to throw down.
Charlie in Charge (sorry, had to). Does Detroit have the most players wearing stupid face masks? Probably.
Facemask partner #2: Rip should never, ever take it to the hoop without getting rocked. One tough foul and he won't bring it in thereafter.
Was Pierce the only one playing with any type of aggression this evening? Yup, pretty much...
1/22 v. Portland, Win
Our binky. You really gonna give that to him, Lamarcus??
Love this picture. No one in red knows what to do. At all.
Juwan Howard. 16 years in the NBA. While fellow Fab Fivers Jalen Rose and Chris Webber are in the studio, this young buck is still pounding the hardwood. Whoa. Bravo. I must admit, though, he looks like he is having fun just to be playing.
KG offering a high-five to Ray Ray after hitting a go-ahead 3 in OT which would eventually be the clutch winning shot of the game. Despite being ice-cold during regulation, the dude hit it when it counted.
How many times have I written the phrase, "KG is back!" in this blog?!?!?
Last night’s overtime win against the Blazers provided a much needed lift to a Celtics team that had just dropped 3 straight and are an enthusiastic 5-5 in the month of January. With the advent of this funny little called the internet, which I am telling you it is still a fad, fans around the horn are given an immediate voice. An instant sounding board. A direct means exercise the demons stemming from overly intense sensations of fandom without any other outlet.
In other words, so many people freak out after a few losses and have an easy place to do it: blogs.
I am going to stay away from any type of armageddon like post. While it’s tempting, it’s just not the time. It may be the place for it, but definitely not the time.
In any long season, there are going to be lulls. In this case, the Celtics currently find themselves in a similar place as last year. The Celts came out firing in the beginning part of the season with so much enthusiasm and hype. Players were amped up because of the high expectations that they and everyone else had, especially with the return of KG and the improved play of Rondo and Perk to an already strong 2-3 combo of Ray Ray and Pierce.
A much needed win last night v. the hot red Blazers
Then the injuries started rolling in. Glen Davis. TA. Quisy. KG. Pierce. Sheed. Too many to think about, and too many injuries to really be able to give us a clear indication of what this team was capable of. We got a small peak last night with the return of KG and footage of a cast-less Quisy.
The middle part of the season is the toughest: the initial spark was worn off, the playoffs still months away. The players and Doc still look hungry, which is all that matters right now. There are a handful of things that I see that keep me very optimistic and make it very enjoyable to watch this team play. Here are some tidbits about why it’s good to be an optimistic Celtics fan in times like these:
From an ESPN highlight clip
KG is back. You can look at the stats to support his importance to this team: opponents team point totals drop seven points, FG% drops 3%, and their record speaks for itself. But as the hardcoreans know, KG’s importance is statistically immeasurable. KG gets in opponents faces. KG fills up the middle. He defends against the pick-n-roll better than any other big man in the league. He spreads the floor with his deadly jumper. He’s among the best big-man passers. KG is just that good. Glad to see him back, and a report from Forsberg says he feels fine today after last night’s game. The timing will return with more games. I’m being patient with this one.
Don't be fooled by the shots he got, he's still KG from the block
Solid and smart
Tony Allen Non-Disappointment Outlook Theory still holding true. Tony Allen is playing really well. Still. Yes he has his small moments, but really, the guy has been just playing solid, smart ball. That may be the first time I have ever said solid and smart in the same sentence when referencing TA… Sticking with TANDOT, I won’t be surprised if he is packaged with Scal to be traded (a combined $5+ million expiring contracts) for something that could really make a difference in that second unit. But then… sticking with the flip-side of TANDOT, I think TA is playing a valuable role in this team’s success. TA is giving that second unit life and versatility. Although we aren’t likely to see complete 5-man substitutions, we could have a solid second unit if all 5 starters were to see rest at the same time: Eddie, TA, Quisy, Glen, and Sheed. Not bad with Shelden as a back-up 4 if he matches up better against the opponents 4 (rebounding, faster than Glen, etc.). I’ll take the opportunity to say it once again: TA is playing solid, smart ball. Feels good to finally say that after so many years.
Sheed on the block. Well, last night wasn’t exactly Sheed on the block, but we’ve seen a fair amount of him posting up this month during KG’s absence. What I’m really digging his is post, turn-around fade-away off the glass 10 footer. That shot is money and needs to be his go-to shot. When Sheed is on the block, we play better. It’s as simple as that.
HotSpots!
Rondo being Rondo. For the most part, January has been a good month for Rondo. While I was getting nervous that the nagging hamstring and overload on minutes was affecting his speed and quickness, Rondo put those fears aside with some blistering moves. Of particular note was the behind the back dribble that split 2 Blazers defenders and made his way to an easy bucket. His numbers in the last 10 games have been strong: he has been 48-77 around the rim, leaving him shooting 62% up close. What is comforting is that he has taken 129 shots in the last 10 games, averaging just a touch under 13 shots per game. Despite KG being back in the line-up, I am hoping that Rondo remains aggressive in his moves to the hoop. The success of the first unit on offense really depends on who well Rondo is penetrating and mixing it up between passing and creating shots of his own.
What's up with the new pads, Rondo? They look like capris...
Pierce 2.0
Pierce is still so much fun to watch. Paul Pierce has just been a beast since returning from his “knee irrigation” from the weird infection. From behind the arc alone, he is 19-30 this month (63%!!!!). We know Pierce as a scorer, people have began to recognize him as a great defender, but he is still one of the most underrated passers in the league. For a swingman, he is a damn good passer. The league got a glimpse of how good his passing is on the ludicrous out of bounds pass he lobbed up for Rondo to bring the game into OT earlier in January. But watching him create off the dribble with great anticipation is truly a thing of beauty. He manipulates the ball so well and can squeeze passes into dark places that you don’t want to know about. The more that Pierce is creating, the better off we all are. But there is also a question: in the last 2 games Pierce has been hot in the first quarter, yet we weren’t deferring to him more. Why not??
Despite the goodness that I just ranted about, there is one thing that I am hoping improves as the season progresses. We need to stop looking at the ref thinking that complaining about calls is going to fix things. The Celtics keep looking at refs to bail them out of situations that they should never have found themselves in in the first place. Look, I am not denying that there have been some really crappy calls made against the Celtics, but still, you need to play through it. With a veteran team like ours, there needs to be some maturation and simple growing up to do. Move on, make a stop, make a bucket, and move on again.
Next 3 games are huge games: Magic, Hawks, Lakers.
Time to play with some more hunger, boys.
Top of the mornin’ to ya.
I’ve got some new t-shirts that I’ve designed rolling out soon. I’l probably use CafePress but I’m still doing my homework. One of these shirts is inspired by Shelden (@sheldenwilliams) and the by Rondo.
Another shirt, which has yet to be unveiled, will be the 2009-2010 Loscy Blog Official T-Shirt inspired by my buddy Pat C. It’ll be greeeeeeeeeat. That one is coming soon.
See what you think.
Rondo’s out-stretched finger roll has been an iconic move this season. His lightening speed and quick cuts have made for plenty of high-light reel acrobatic finishes at the rim. Here’s an ode to the new twist on an old-classic:
It will also be available in a black t-shirt with the Rondo out-stretched finger roll in white.
While this other shirt is more like something you’d find outside the Garden on game night, I still think it’s awesome. As you know, our boy Shelden Williams’ nickname is “The Landlord”. Now we all know which house is The Landlord’s house.
This will also be available in a black t-shirt with the same colorway.
Hey! A new idea! Yay!
Every now and then, I’ll recap the week through pictures obtained through Yahoo’s NBA photos (a great site that you should check out every day if you already don’t). All the images below are copyrighted from the wonderful photographers from Getty Images.
GotTA start with this one. TA's dunk the other night caused my "replay" button my remote to break from overuse. Thanks, TA...
You know you're in trouble when Scal is putting the ball on the floor. Yikes. Sheed, how's that foot doing...? KG, how's that knee doing...?
Oh my god I just vomitted in my mouth. Ugh.
Anyone have a yardstick to measure that verticle?
1) Davis might need some more body-compression-armor to protect against that dunk, 2) ouch, 3) yikes.
Yeah, Devin... you're season just ain't going well if you're forced into a run-off with Perk.
The foul that started it all... Eat it, Salvatore.
Burned. Yeah, just that... burned.
Wait, where's the trampoline? Davis got up, son!
What happens when KG and Sheed aren't there? Yeah, this: Perk left to fend for himself.
Okay. Let’s not get out of hand here: Brian Scalabrine shouldn’t die. He is a perfectly nice human being that helps out local companies like ReMax sell houses. But lately, that is the only reason that Scal is making headlines. He is certainly not making headlines because of his stellar play in basketball… which is what we are paying him to do. And by we, I mean, yes, WE. US. CELTICS FANS THAT BUY TICKETS TO GAMES, MERCHANDISE FROM STORES, AND FEES FOR CABLE TO WATCH THE CELTICS PLAY THAT PAY MANAGEMENT AND PLAYER SALARIES.
It’s not a good sign when the only reason you’re making headlines is when you are doing open house tours in a struggling real estate market.
Sorry Boston, but it’s time to trade Brian Scalabrine. The time is now. Start your separation anxiety now.
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There will be a “hot-line” to call at the end of the post where you can vent, grieve, get angry, and learn to recover.
I know so many of you love him because he’s our little red-headed mascot, but that is no reason to hold onto a $3 million dollar trading chip. In a unique time in our association’s history, a $3 million dollar expiring contract is as good as an invaluable role player that few teams would be willing to give up. Teams around the horn are clamoring for guys that they can dump come the free agency spree of 2010 come this June.
Pull the trigger, Danny. Pull the trigger right now. Pull the mother effin trigger.
Let’s take a look at what Scal has given us this season:
In 28 games, Scal is giving us an average of 10 minutes per game.
He is shooting 30% from the field.
23% from behind the arc.
Less than a rebound per game.
Less than an assist per game.
And a whopping 1.1 points per game.
Those are the basic statistics. Let’s take a deeper look with the geek stats through 82games.com & hoopsstats.com:
According to 82games.com, he’s net points is at -8, which means his +/- rating is a -8 across 48 minutes… yikes.
His PER ratings at the SF position is 8.3 and 1.7 at PF position (in case you’re curious, Rondo has a PER of 22.1).
In his net 48 minute production by position, in other words what would his PER rating be if he played 48 minutes, his PER is even worse: -6.4 at SF, -19.7 at the PF, and -17.7 as a center.
Take a look at his rankings according to positions:
Ouch.
I know that he is a reserve… but even for a reserve, it’s still a big whoops.
The bigger question really is who to package Scal with. Would it be TA? I’m not sure… Tony is proving to be a pretty important 2-man coming off the bench, or even filling in as a temporary starter. I am willing to hold on to TA for as long as possible just before the trade deadline. So then it leaves… Maybe Glen Davis? Someone give me some thoughts about this. What to do with Davis? Keep him? Keep him? Here is my line of reasoning for trading Davis: If we don’t have KG, then we aren’t going to win the title. Let’s all get our heads out of our rears and realize that if KG is not in the lineup, neither Rasheed nor Davis will fill in KG’s enormous shoes and help lead the Celtics to #18. If that’s the case, why not use Davis as trade bait in order to get someone that could be an integral part to our bench? You know… a PF that is excited to come off the bench for the Celtics and a veteran back-up PG to give Rondo some rest? Unless Danny and management see Davis as an integral part to the franchise’s future, then why not take the gamble, roll the dice, trade Baby + Scal for a back-up PF and a veteran PG, and just hope that KG is healthy for the playoffs. If KG is healthy come April-June, then Shelden and Sheed will out work very well for the Celtics as back-ups, and Glen won’t need to be a part of this scheme.
I’m not completely sold on trading Davis at this point… but if I had to choose between Davis and TA to be packaged with Scal RIGHT NOW, I am choosing Davis.
Whoa. I cannot believe I just chose TA over anything.
As I say all of this, Scal just drained a 3 and made a couple of good defensive stops against Josh Smith. Regardless of whether or not Scal has a big game tonight against Atlanta, I am still saying that Scal needs to go. Maybe after he shows a house for ReMax this weekend he can sell his own house when his Irish-ness gets shipped across the country.
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For the grieving Scal fans that need a hotline, please just send a tweet to @loscy and know that your concerns will be answered in 140 characters or less…
I’ve been out of town for most of the last 2 weeks traveling to Maine and Virginia for the holidays. During that time, I’ve watched the Celtics rally up against the Magicians on Christmas Day, only then to catch glimpses and read about their recent shortcomings against the Clips, Warriors, and the Suns. If the Celtics lose again tonight against the Raps, then the game may be known as “Patrick O’Bryant’s Revenge-ish Nightmare Massacre.”
Here are some (im)possible ways that things can really just get crappier for the Celtics.
Gilbert Arenas shows up unexpectedly in the Celtics’ locker room and shoots KG’s good knee.
Kobe Bryant settles out of court with Lucky after a cruise around the Boston Harbor.
Glen Davis breaks his other thumb when forced to fight Hedo because Davis thought Hedo was the damn near ugliest animal/monster/villain he’s ever seen.
Rondo can’t make the game when his Red Bull car runs out of methamphetamine caffeine.
Scal is mistakenly kidnapped by the Notre Dame football fanbase hoping that #44 can be the new luck of the Irish.
Tony Allen spontaneously combusts into the real Tony Allen that dribbles of his knee, ruptures tendons on silly dunks after whistles, fouls someone attempting a half-court prayer, and takes fadeaway threes.
The Suez Canel that is borrowing in Paul Pierce’s knee after the irrigation procedure has a a beaver issue.
The tennis balls in Ray Allen’s calves finally deflate.
Sheed drops the “People’s Elbow” on 1 ref, then grapples another into the “Stone Cold Stunner”, and finally finishes off the third ref with the “Tombstone”. And for good measure, Sheed “DDT’s” all of the score keepers.
Perk one-ups Lebron eating a fan’s fries the other week during a game: Perk shoves a whole raw potato in his mouth and then eats Jose Calderone’s face thereafter.
Okay. These are getting stupid. Actually, they were pretty stupid to begin with.
I’m just looking for some of the younger guys, mainly Lester, Billy, and JR to get some good minutes. Despite reports of Rondo maybe playing tonight, I am hoping Doc opts to rest him and let Ray Allen and Sheed just light the night up and fill up their box scores like they used to do in their heyday. Whatever happens happens. There is plenty of games left to play, and too much season left to freak out over some poorly timed injuries. It happens to every team. I’d like to see hustle, focus, and a team effort. If those 3 bits show up on the table tonight despite posting a loss, that will be fine. The character of this teams needs to be reshaped a bit instead of sacrificing the future health and stability of the core players. Take one from Greg Popovich’s book, Doc.
Doc: ask yourself WWPD (what would POP do)? He'd sit Rondo until he was 100%.
This is WHEREAMAZING might, could, should, and would be really cool if it, HAPPENS.
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Godspeed, Celtics.
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Hottest shoes so far this season: Nike Cradle Rock Low (worn by ¡rondo! himself).
Merry Christmas to you and yours. From Loscy (and Santa Rondo).
Merry Christmas Eve, ya’ll.
Exactly 364 days ago, the Celtics were on a 19 game winning streak and all was good in Bean Town and for satellite Celtics fans scattered all over. When we rolled into LA on Christmas Day last year, the game was brewing to be a holiday classic, with both teams battling until the last 4 minutes. Then the Lakers embarrassingly shut down the Celtics with a 13-2 run. The Celtics had no answers, while the Lakers held court at home in front of a festive crowed.
Then the post-holiday traumatic skid happened. Bunch of games lost. KG’s mysterious knee injury. Blah blah blah.
But in the midst of their 19 game winning streak, there was plenty of clatter around the league and fan-base that Rajon Rondo was a potential all-star. The remaining PG spot was either going to Rondo, Jameer Nelson, or Mo Williams. But once the Celtics went on their bend when nothing went well on the West Coast road trip following the Lakers game, Rondo was held at fault.
#9 doin work.
Fingers were wrongfully pointed at Rondo. He had a few games with too many turnovers and bad decisions, he was so hesitant to shoot anything outside of 10 feet, and teams started to coin the phrase “The Blueprint for how to beat the Celtics: just lay off Rondo and give him space.” Teams were putting a big on Rondo, giving him space so 1) defenders couldn’t get burned by his blistering speed and 2) to expose his biggest weakness: his jumper.
The Celtics sub par play destroyed any hopes that Rondo had to make the East’s All-Star team as a reserve. Literally: the team’s poor play was pinned on Rondo.
Last year, we heard all too many times (including from me): As Rondo goes, so go the Celtics.
Well guess what? We find ourselves in a similar predicament: As Rondo goes, so go the Celtics. I am unabashedly in love with Rondo’s style of play. Being a fan of basketball and a basketball player since 4th grade, watching Rondo play is intoxicating. He does all of the things that I wish I could do on a court and better yet, he is the kind of point guard that I’ve been waiting for to adorn the historic Celtic green jersey.
As Rondo goes, so go the Celtics.
There’s also an eerie similarity between last season and this one about Rondo being in the thick of All-Star consideration talk. We know fans are too stupid to vote Rondo in as a starter, which is fine. I actually think being voted in as an All-Star reserve by coaches is much more prestigious and meaningful. Let’s just face the facts: your run of the mill fans that are voting 8,000 times per day are morons. Rondo has a great chance of being a 2010 All-Star, which should hopefully be the first of many.
Here is the difference between last year and this year, though: Rondo is infinitely better than last year. I’ve already chronicled all of the reasons that Rondo is a monster point guard this year and all of the ways he has added another dimension and level to his game, so I won’t bother doing it here. But know that in a conference where no other PG has performed like Rondo (Deven Harris = injuries, Jameer = lower numbers and injuries, Mo Williams = punk ass free-loader, Derrick Rose = not noticeably better than last year and inconsistent and on a dysfunctional team, Mike Bibby = same as last year but his much improved supporting cast is making him look better, Gilbert Arenas = inconsistent as Tiger’s alibis, Brandon Jennings = not yet, Lou Williams = injuries), #9 really has to be the clear choice for a reserve role on the bench.
¡RONDO!
For the next 2+ weeks, Rondo will again face his All-Star test: is he ready, worthy, and capable? Like the post-Christmas Day game last year, the Celtics take a grueling road trip over the next few weeks and will be tested on numerous occasions. Much like last year as well, the battle ground for whether or not he makes the All-Star team will hinge upon how he carries this team without Paul Pierce and an injured KG.
With too many vague comments from management, who knows how long Pierce will be out. With too many vague comments from management, who knows what KG’s status will be for each game. The simple and strategic move is to obviously rest these guys as much as possible and let the team scrap together its wins.
We are playing for June, not January.
One Rajon.™
With that said, however, it’s time for Rondo to step up and prove his critics wrong once again. The schedule is tough, but nothing near impossible. If Rondo can stay focused, be aggressive for every minute he’s on the floor, then he should carry this team to win 75% of their games. For the guys that claim Rondo has the easiest PG job in the East because of his supporting cast, here’s the opportunity for Rondo to show what it’s like to not have 3 aging veterans on the court at the same time. Without KG and Pierce (or a 6th man like Quisy), the Celtics turn into a team that’s a shade above .500. So if Rondo is able to carry this team to a successful road trip over the next couple of weeks, what will the haters say then?
Oh, that’s right, they’ll say this: Rondo is as good as we think he is AND he is in fact, without any hesitation, a 2010 All Star.
Rondo has freakishly large hands and an abnormally long wingspan, but did you also know he’s got some boulders for shoulders? It’s the kind of shoulders where a young, cocky, uber-talented PG can carry an entire team on for a couple of weeks while its veteran leaders heal up.
This is my holiday gift to you. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanuka, or nothing, you are getting a stress-relieving gift about how to handle the next 56 games with Tony Allen at the quasi-helm.
I’ve heard a lot of good anecdotes from various nooks and crannies on the internet in the last few days about Tony Allen’s recent performances. When Tony Allen made his ***triumphant*** return on December 8th against Milwaukee, many of us held out breath… watched TA make a great pass or drive through the lane… then watched TA exercise his patented dribble-off-the-knee move (if you’ve done this, keep it on the DL, otherwise you’ll owe TA crazy royalties)… then make a good pass… then carry the ball… on and on again. The same routine. We are impressed, then flustered, then hopeful, then woefully disappointed.
The next three games against Washington, Chicago, and Memphis gave us the same riveting roller coaster feelings: ups and downs ups and downs ups and downs and downs and downs. It had only been 3 games and the “TA One Man Act” had already grew tiresome.
Then Philadelphia happened. I was fortunate enough to get a ticket with friend @KWAPT (yes, the ingenious creator of voteforperk.blogspot.com) and we were about 7 rows back from the hoop on the Celts’ bench end. Basically, we were in primo position during the first half to see TA work on the offensive end. And yes, he worked. Then the second half came along, and TA continued to work. TA was doing so much work, in fact, that @KWAPT and I started filming on our phones to get some raw footage to pitch to some Boston-based producers: “TA Doin’ Work”.
But seriously.
TA was playing defense. TA was moving without the ball. TA was refraining from proving his galls via long range jumpers. TA was making the extra pass. TA didn’t turn over the ball (at all: he finished with 0 TOs). TA ran the floor. TA was playing defense. TA was playing defense. TA was playing defense.
I kept finding myself looking at KWAPT and saying, “I mean, really? Am I jinxing this?”
On my way home, despite the fact that the Celtics lost the game (and their streak), the TA performance really was a bright spot in the game. I mean, Tony Allen actually played well.
Then I realized, don’t fall into this trap again. Don’t do it.
Then I came to another realization: TA was usually wishy-washy during the game. Again, in any given 5 consecutive possession, TA could have exploded down the middle to throw down a vicious dunk, then foul a guy shooting a long range tre, dribble of his knee (royalties!), not switch off his man when needing to switch, and then breaking his thumb while being 10 feet away from where the play is developing. But this Philly game was different: TA actually had a near flawless game. Again: no turnovers, no remarkably visible defensive lagging, and doing what he was supposed on to on the offensive end.
I allowed myself to be pulled out of the depths of TA hellish disappointment with a ray of hope. Could this be the year? Could Tony Allen being Tony Allen today?
Then Minnesota came rolling in. And TA had another monster game: 24 minutes, 5/8 FG, 5/7 from the stripe, 6 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 0 turnovers (is this the first time in TA’s career where he played 2 games with substantial minutes and did not turnover the ball in either game… ?).
Everyone’s been asking who has been adorning the #42 jersey in the last two games and curious when the real TA will stand up? But everyone’s been thinking the same thing: when will TA disappoint us again?
Jokes aside, I give to you my gift for the holidays: The “Tony Allen Non-Disappointment Outlook Theory (TANDOT)”. It’s simple to learn, yet complex to master.
The 4 principles of TANDOT state the following:
Take it one game at a time. For you crazy micro-managers, take it one offensive and defensive possession at a time if you want. There will be turnovers. There will be moments where TA falls asleep on defense or makes a silly foul. But then there will be monster dunks. There will be crisp passes leading to an electrifying finish. There will flashes of brilliant athleticism. But, do take it one game at a time.
Don’t pin an entire season’s worth of hope on this one role player. If you do, you’ll be disappointed regardless of how well he plays. There is a reason TA is not a starter: he’s got a limited skill set that cannot translate to starter minutes for this Celtics team. But what can he do? Help sustain a lead and not make things worse. TA looks like he is playing with a chip on his shoulder, and I’d like that chip to remain there as long as possible.
Don’t start thinking TA can fill a role that he cannot. TA is not a point guard, TA is not a versatile wing man that can play bigger forwards upwards of 6-8/6-9. TA might be able to bring up the ball a few times when on the floor, but Quisy (or someone else other than Eddie) has to be the ball handler. What TA is: an explosively quick and fast off-guard that can play good stuck-on perimeter defense, a pure slasher to the hoop, a crafty guy that can create on the move and off the dribble, and he can run the floor with ease. TA doesn’t all of the sudden magically have a high basketball IQ. He just doesn’t. TA won’t be able to make the difficult rotations. He just won’t. He can’t be the full-time ball handler. He just can’t. Don’t jam the TA circular peg into the Celtics’ much needed strong wing / point guard squared hole.
Take anything he gives you. Just take it for face value. Don’t get over-excited, and just be relieved when our starting five is back on the floor.
If you/we adhere to these principles, it will make watching TA from here on out much more satisfying and a lot less stressful.
As we watch and tweet during games, be sure to use TANDOT when you’re on the verge of frustration! So Tony Allen dribbles off his knees (royalties!)? TANDOT! Tony Allen takes 6 steps without dribbling? TANDOT! Tony scores on our own basket as he gets turned around? TANDOT!
I’ve seen two things in recent weeks that have really made my heart flutter. Yes. I said it… flutter. My heart is freakin’ fluttering!
Boom! Sheed dropping a D bomb!
I’ve seen Sheed tackle the monster task of playing inside more than out… GASP! And I’ve seen Perk finally closing quarters in meaningful and/or close games. Both of these changes have undoubtedly been a contributing factor the the recent win streak (¡11!), and I hope will continue to make beating our beloved team increasingly difficult.
While the nit-pickers out in the world can argue about how to fill the wing role left open with Quisy’s absence and our severe lack of a reserve point guard to handle and distribute the ball within the second unit, let’s dwell on that at a later point and time, shall we? For now, let’s really focus on the positives: the increase of Sheed inside and Perk closing out the final 6 minutes when it matters.
Since Quisy’s been out recovering from surgery, a robot by the name of Tony Allen -3.0 has stepped into fill the minutes. When Quisy was playing efficiently, it was partly due to the spacing the second unit could give him to slice through the lane: it was too risky to leave Sheed and Eddie wide open on the wings, meaning teams couldn’t collapse on Quisy when he got into the paint. The catch-22 of it all was Sheed was back behind the 3-point line in order to give Quisy the room, but when Quisy kicked out, we were left with Sheed’s rendition of Bombs Over Baghdad. Sheed has been a streaky shooter this season; whether it be due to the murmurs of him being out of shape or him taking the inch Doc gave him to shoot 18 miles away, the simple fact of the matter is that Sheed was launching a lot of threes without much success. With Quisy out, Sheed has fallen back into the post more and more. For the first time this season (I am guessing on this based on previous numbers, so of course there is room for me to be wrong on this), Sheed has had a batch of 5 games where he has taken more shots in the post than from deep range (excluding longer mid range jumpers). Hallelujah. Halle-freakin-lujah. Check out the hotness that is NBA Hot Spots:
Love the HotSpot...
Sheed has taken a total of 18 shots from downtown in the last 5 games, and made 7 of those shots leaving him at 39% (rounding up…). That is a great percentage for him, and a good amount of threes for a big man to keep his defenders both honest and on their toes. On the inside, Sheed has taken a total of 21 shots in the last 5 games, and made 11 buckets resulting in a fantastic 52% FG. This, my dear friends, is what you call efficiency! Sheed has been in a wonderful groove in the last 7 games (all of the games in December). Sheed is having his best and most efficient month out of the previous three: he averaging the least amount of minutes (19) out of the 3 months but having stronger and better numbers across the board… Sheed has his highest ppg out of all 3 months (11.0), his highest FG% (42%), highest FT % (90%), most blocks per game (1.6), least amount of fouls (2.1), and least amount of turnovers per game (.1).
Sheed! Inside!
This is what we all signed on for: a 20 minute big man that can play smart interior defense and provide help on the offensive post from the bench. Yes he could be a starter, but those are not where our needs are. We know he loves to pull the massive trigger on that long ball, but that needs to be fired on selective plays instead of it being a go-to default move. I really like the way Sheed is playing on both ends of the floor and he is proving to be our best bench player during our 11-game win streak. If we keep this algorithm simple, then it basically comes down to this:
1/3(Sheed’s long ball) x 3/1(Sheed’s inside play) = W
W = wins.
And Perk. Perk Perk Perk Perk Perk. There is a grass roots movement to vote for Perk onto the All Star team. Okay. We all know that we are not going to garner the kind of numbers it will take to get Perk the sheer volume of votes to get in the game… So we will have to just rely on the coaches to get Perk in. But that doesn’t mean we give up: visit @kwapt site (http://voteforperk.blogspot.com) and vote anyways.
This really shouldn’t have been an argument at all this season. Perk has worked to earn the closing spot with fellow starters Rondo, Ray Ray, Pierce, and KG. This is our opening squad, and this is our closing squad. At the very least, anyone could have made the argument that Perk is a co-anchor of our defense: Perk holds down the paint so that KG can make those quicker switches. But the surprise to many of us this season is that Perk has all of the sudden turned into an offensive threat with the addition of so many of his post moves and ability to front defenders with the ball. Now, Perk is not only our defensive stalwart, but turning into a light (dieted version of an) offensive weapon as well. It only makes sense for Perk to be on the floor when it matters. We hired Sheed to be a bench guy that could fill in the front court in case of an injury; we did not bring Sheed on to close out our games. This is Perk’s job… to perform with Rondo, Ray Ray, Pierce, and KG.
Perk! Perk! Perk!
Credit goes to Doc on both of these fantastic changes. Doc saw the symptoms, diagnosed the problem, and found the ideal remedy.
Let’s keep the gravy train rolling through Christmas.
Orlando: we’re coming for you.
If you’re familiar with these parts (yes, you!), then you’re familiar with Loscy’s fondness of one Rajon Rondo. And by fondness, you know I mean a (un)healthy obsession with the point guard’s abilities and style of play. I’m a bit of a gym rat, and I’ve incorporated too many of Rondo’s plays/moves into my game: using my speed and quickness to navigate underneath the hoop and circle out if no play develops, the behind the back fake, senseless gambles on defense… Now, am I really trying to compare my game to Rondo? Well, yes, I am… trying to.
Trying to.
Back to what matters. With 22 games underneath the Celtics’ belt, it’s a wonderful time to give a full evaluation of our fearless floor general, Rajon Rondo. Be fair warned: this is the Rondoness of all Rondo articles: the real mother-load. Prepare yourself. I’m going to tackle 3 major points: (1) in what ways was my pre-season prediction of Rondo right on, (2) the statistical importance of Rondo’s play this season, and (3) the empirical evidence of Rondo’s play that has helped fuel the current 9-game win streak.
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(1)
Back in September, I explained in excruciating detail about WHY Rondo mattered the most. It was a changing of the guard, of sorts: the team’s success hinged upon KG’s knee, Pierce’s and Ray’s ability to stay effective throughout a long season, a deeper front-court bench, the continued development of Perk, and of course, what Rondo was going to bring to the table. In my post, I came up with 9 areas of Rondo’s game that needed to improve in order to make him a top 5 point guard.
To read the original article, peep it here. Below, you’ll see the areas that I originally noted as an area Rondo needed to improve, a quote from the original article, and then a reflective tidbit.
#9. Improve that outside shooting. “He needs to develop that knock-down 17-footer from both elbows. If Rondo can even become a 35% shooter from these places, then teams really won’t know how/where to guard him.”
Well, Rondo hasn’t turned into Ray Allen Jr. overnight, but he’s knocking down his shot with more frequency. According to 82games.com, funny enough, Rondo is shooting .349 from what would be actually considered a jump shot selection. Rondo is choosing to take his jump shots from straight up near the top of the key and just off the elbows. While he isn’t catching and shooting, Rondo is able to shoot off the dribble when defenders play off of him. He’s making people pay 35% of the time.
#8. Stop bitching if he’s bitching.
“In a contract year, this is a big decision for Danny/Wyc/Doc to make: is Rondo worth big money? Is he worth the 5 years/$55 million?”
Yeah, the front office thought he was worth more. Since his re-signing, he’s been butter. And yes, the kind of butter that causes clogged arteries and congenital heart failure. Oh yeah… we haven’t heard a freakin’ lick of a bad attitude from Rondo this season. Was all of it blown up this past summer by the media? You betcha.
#7. Be picky/choosy when you gamble. “For a guy with one of the quickest first steps in the league, he shouldn’t be getting burned by anyone.”
While we are seeing Rondo leave his man less, we are still seeing it. But, his ability to just man up and fight through picks is improving. Oddly enough, Rondo’s leading the league in steals with 2.5 per game.
#6. Toughen up.
“Cassell advised him to always pick himself up, shake it off, and cry about it later. Don’t sit on the ground and let the other team know that you’re hurt.”
Yup. This has been huge. Rondo has been knocked around, but he’s not lingering on the floor like an English football diva.
#5. Get rid of the floater.
“Because of the quickness that he can get into the paint and the fact that his jumper is not pretty or even effective, he often puts up one-handed floaters while on the move.”
I’ll admit defeat here: his floater is falling. But the floater is different this year: last year he spotted up that floater front on. This year, he is falling away, fading, and drifting. Rondo’s floater this year isn’t straight up and the fading away is almost giving him more time to get himself squared up and set. I like the way the floater is developing this year.
#4. Get faster.
“The quickness in movement of hands and feet can only get better in small increments that may not even be noticeable… but Rondo still has the track legs in him. Rondo can get faster.”
Rondo is faster this year. He’s also quicker. Chris Johnson might find out how fast Rondo actually is soon enough…
#3. Continue to mix up the half-court ball with up-tempo ball. “This is something Rondo needs to keep learning: when is a good time to push, and when is a good time to back-off and set up?”
If you have listened to what Doc has been saying, this is one of the biggest areas of improvement from Rondo: when to push, when to set. As opposed to adjusting to an opponent’s tempo, Rondo is setting the tempo and forcing others to react. Because of his ability to change gears so quickly, it can be difficult for defenders to tell what Rondo will do; this of course plays into our favor.
#2. Be smarter.
“A big area of improvement since his rookie days is the ball-handling. Rondo’s getting better at protecting the ball… but not as well as he could be.”
With a respectable 4:1 assist/turnover ratio, this has been huge. Knock… on… wood…
#1. Consistency. “One game he looks to be a premier point guard, and then another he looks to be enjoying the best seat in the house. One game he is dominant, and another he is happy to be giving high-fives to players that he admired while in his teens (KG, Pierce, Ray).”
I’m not even going to make a comment: in the last few close games during the 9-game winning streak, Rondo has been consistent and ferociously focused. We are seeing more consistency out of him this season than ever before. It’s not a coincidence that the Celts are playing well when Rondo is out to compete every night.
Take a breath. 1/3 of the way through.
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(2)
Statistically, Rondo is on pace to have have an overall career year. Rondo’s PER is at a stellar 20.08, which is good enough for 29th in the league and just behind D-Will. Not too shabby. But a closer look at HOW his stats have translated into wins for the Celtics, we have to hop on over to hoopsstats.com.
Check out a glimpse of how important Rondo has been to the Celtics’ wins:
From hoopsstats.com
The notables:
When Rondo is playing 36+ minutes, the Celtics are 7-1
When Rondo is shooting over 50%, the Celtics are 9-1
When Rondo has 4 or more steals, the Celtics are 6-0
When Rondo has an efficiency recap of 22+, the Celtics are 8-0 [ NBA Efficiency recap = ((Points + Rebounds + Assists + Steals + Blocks) - ((Field goals attempts - Field goals made) + (Free throws attempts - Free throws made) + Turnovers)) ]
So the basic moral of the story: Rondo plays well translates into wins for the Celtics.
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(3)
The freakin' terminator in #9.
There have been 3 bits of interconnected empirical evidence that have me beyond excited for what we may see from Rondo as the season progresses.
First, it’s in Rondo’s aggressive play. While Rondo has been hesitant at times to shoot and choose in favor of distributing, we are seeing Rondo constantly on the move with and without the ball. When Rondo has the handle, he is pushing that ball into places to free up guys on the wing and the bigs underneath. When Rondo is eating up the clock, the team’s offense isn’t effective. Take a look at the chart below:
Rondo is most effective when he is aggressive from the time he touches that ball (0-10 seconds) and is least effective when he is running down the shot clock (16-24 seconds). The point production for shots under 10 seconds is egregiously different than the point production when Rondo is just dribbling or holding. The numbers don’t lie.
From 82games.com
Second, Rondo is confident. It’s a subtle expression in his eye and a huge swagger in his step. Rondo is growing up, and he’s taking control of games.
Third, Rondo is closing quarters. This is huge. Rondo has the confidence and aggression and determination and grit to close out quarters. The 2 best recent examples: the Bucks and Wiz. Rondo came alive and played nearly the entire quarter in both games in order to shut down Brenden Jennings and Gilbert Arenas. On the offensive side of each game, he was silky smooth and used his speed, quickness, handle, and court vision to scalpel his way to a clean victory. We are witnessing a point guard that can close a quarter and showed that he could do it in the playoffs… and also for a run of the mill regular season game.
If you’re reading this blog, you might be one of the following:
A) a die hard Celtics fan
B) a casual basketball fan that likes to laugh at what a homer might say
C) my mother
D) a realist basketball lover that likes to read mind-boggling, cut-throat analysis of a game we all love
E) a very nice friend
CSL!
If you are either A, B, or D, then you probably know about one of the best basketball podcasts out on the net: Celtics Stuff Live. Jon (@csl_duke), Justin (@csl_justin), and Kevin (@henkink) do a fabulous job of bringing together wonderful Celtics analysis that has plenty of humor organically woven into the show. You can catch their podcast every Sunday night when Jon, Justin, and Kevin have a special guest (such as Mike Gorman, Jess Camerato, Austin Ainge…), chat with live callers on air, and address email/twitter questions from fans. Additionally, once a week you can catch their weekly podcap after a Celtics game. Be sure to check their schedule each week at http://www.celticsstufflive.net.
I trust Jon and and Justin and Kevin’s take on the Celtics more than most. They have a wonderful eye for the game, and an even better appreciation of what it means to be a Celtic fan.
Jon was nice enough to answer some questions from Loscy.
Enjoy.
2008 Boston Celtics: World Champs.
1. What’s the biggest difference between the way the 2008 team was built and the way the current 2010 team is built?
The biggest difference between construction of the 2008 and 2010 teams is arrival of Rasheed Wallace. Let’s not forget that until PJ Brown rolled into town in late February, the C’s relied on Leon Powe and rooke Glen Davis for their front court depth. It’s even more remarkable looking back that the team did as well as it did relying on young players in important reserve roles.
2. How many more good years does Pierce have in him?
Though it depends on what a “good year” is, I’d say Pierce is good for another 3 years at an All Star level and 5 as a starter. The problem Paul faces is that the most athletic and diverse players on a court are the guys he has to guard. This may shrink his window of influence.
3. What’s the ceiling for Rondo?
Rajon Rondo does not have a ceiling. He has innate abilities and intuition about the game of basketball that will be with him until he’s 40. He has athleticism that can match anyone in the league. The only thing holding him back is not his unreasonably criticized jumpshot, but his inability to be a consistent force on the court. If Rondo can learn to be more consistent with his effort and aggression level, he can be the best point guard in the league.
Heeeeeeeeeeere's ¡Rondo!
4. Did you ever play basketball growing up? If so, what was your go-to move?
I “played” basketball, but I won’t snow you and tell you I was good. I was not. I was slow, unathletic, and until I turned 16, short. I loved the game as much as anyone, but that only goes so far and entering high school as one of the shortest kids in your class isn’t a great way to become a varsity player. Of course now I’m 6-2 and I bloomed a bit late, but the athleticism never really came around. As for a go-to move? It became a lot more effective for me when I grew, but I watched a lot of McHale growing up and his up and under was a frequent friend out of my bag of tricks. 5. What awards/accolades could you see any member of the Celtics winning this year (realistically or what you hope)?
Though it is a big man award, I think the only individual honor I see a Celtics player winning is the Defensive Player of the Year and Rajon Rondo being the recipient of that. Rondo racks up a ton of steals and he is becoming highly regarded as an on the ball defender. Of course he has a ways to go in not gambling for steals, but DPOY is, not unlike baseball’s Gold Glove, an award that doesn’t always go to the person most deserving.
6. Will the Celtics will another serious rebuilding era of 3-5 years after the window for this team closes, or can you see the Celts staying contenders (ECF Semi contenders) annually?
What the Celtics look like after The Big Three era ends will be answered in the next 18 months. Rondo is locked in and if he can become a more consistent threat then they should be competitive. The question is how the team makes over the wing positions. I would suspect Pierce is here for life, so a lot of this depends on whether Ray Allen re-signs this summer and how much he costs. Even if Pierce, Allen, and KG are not replaced with All Star players, you have to feel confident in Danny Ainge that he can get the guys he needs to fill in around Rondo (and possibly Perk if he re-signs after next year). 7. Do we need a real back-up point guard?
We need Marquise Daniels to get healthy and give him the keys to handle the ball full time. I don’t think anyone on the second unit knows who the “point guard” is and thus the group seems disorganized. I think a wing defender is a bigger priority right now because I think Eddie and Quisy will figure it out. 8. Could Tony Allen and Scal combined rent us a decent PG with an expiring contract?
Even in this era of a Swine Flu Pandemic, I would accept a bag of used kleenex for Tony Allen. As for Scal, until Glen Davis returns I wouldn’t want to pull the trigger on anything, but I’m not sure how much the Celtics get for these guys unless it is to assure the C’s of a chance to acquire a guy who might get bought out or take someone off of another team’s books. I think with the Summer of 2010 looming, it will be a weird trade market this February. 9. Do you see Perk getting re-signed for a long term deal once his contract is up?
I’d like to think Perk re-signs here and I see no reason why the Celtics wouldn’t want that. They will have plenty of cap space after next season, so they can back the Brinks truck up for him. I think the only issue for a Perk re-signing is how much will need to be devoted to adding a wing player will cost. Might it cost sending Perk in trade? Maybe, and writing that might make my CSL partner Justin Poulin’s head explode. 10. What are your thoughts on how the time share of minutes will work between Glen Davis (refusing to call him Baby) and Shelden?
Shelden started very strongly and I think saying that he’s been bad or knocked out of the rotation is unfair. However he does seem lost at times and still needs time to acclimate to his teammates. Still, Baby missed a lot of time and will be very rusty coming back. I would suspect that it will be a true competition for Shelden and Glen with perhaps each sharing the minutes Shelden has been occupying with one getting the minutes in the first half, and the other getting the second half minutes. May the best man win… so long as no one is getting punched in a moving vehicle.
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Be sure to check out Celtics Stuff Live for more information.
Thank you to Jon for your time and answers.
Perk is a freakin' all-star: and you know this, man!
There are things in life that we hold as pure truths. Life is better when we keep things simple. Honesty truly is the best policy. Random acts of kindness do actually make this world a better place. Kendrick Perkins is a freakin all-star.
Before the season started, I submitted a question to @csl_justin and @csl_duke from Celtics Stuff Live. The question was pretty straight forward: will Kendrick Perkins have a breakout year? I thought the answer was yes. Justin and Duke also thought yes. Perk was going to keep adding to his game, stepping up, and being as solid as ever. We were going to see a few more dimensions to his offensive game while steadily making his defensive prowess louder and more consistent.
Many of us thought yes. But did we think we’d see THIS KIND of breakout year?
Vote for Perk '10.
We’ve known that Perk has been a stalwart defender for the last couple of seasons. Much of what made Perk so effective never shows up in the box score. You can’t quite quantify his importance to a team or its ability to win. But when KG went down shortly after the all-star break in February 2009, Perk matured in an instant. Perk filled in quite beautifully as the quarterback of our defense and to anchor the crew that was charged to make stops. The Celtics fan base observed this, soaked it in, and smiled because of it. This little known factoid became a national headline when the Celtics took on the Magicians during the Eastern Conference Semis. Dwight Howard was shut down, and it wasn’t the first time that season (read this article that was written during the series).
When Dwight Howard ate Cleveland alive during the ECF, everyone knew why: there was no defender strong, fast, or smart enough to shutdown Dwight. Perk has continued that kind of hidden but excruciatingly important defense this season.
But there is a difference. Yes we know that Perk does the dirty work. Perk muscles his way to clog up the paint against opponents attempting to slash to the hoop. Perk boxes out opponents’ bigs so that someone in green can get the boards. Perk plays help defense to force bad shots. This is the type of dirty work that just doesn’t show up in the stat sheet. Yeah, Perk’s still doing those things. But his slimmer physique has given him a considerably quicker first step. Perk can slide from one spot to another so much faster this year than in the past. In other words, Perk has the strength to body up a big one on one but now the quickness to cover more ground in less time.
So back to that difference: Perk’s play is starting to translate into noticeable stats:
Perk has 38 blocks this season, which is good for 5th best in the association.
Perk’s blocks are almost an equal balance between jump blocks and close blocks.
More impressive than that, Perk has a 1.88 ratio of blocks/fouls.
Perk is shooting 64% from the field. Whoa.
Perk is averaging a career high 12 ppg.
But the kicker in all of this? Perk’s game is continuing to develop in ways that still don’t show up in the stat sheet:
Perk’s improvement in setting legal screens (hip hip, hooray!).
Perk’s vision to see the passing lane.
Perk’s ability to execute a pass when a player is on the move and cutting to the hoop (very new).
Perk’s ability to not only back down a player on the post, but to also front him.
Perk’s evolving post moves: spins, hesitations, ball fakes.
Simply put, this man is a beast. Perk is truly contributing to making a great team greater.
Kendrick Perkins is a freakin all-star, so go get your vote on at http://voteforperk.blogspot.com (created by none other than @kwapt).
Vote this beast onto the all-star team: http://www.voteforperk.blogspot.com/
We’ve all been lost before. As a kid, I would get separated from my parents when I wandered off to explore something shiny. As a teenager, I would get separated from my friends when I wandered off to explore something shiny. As a husband, I still get separated from my wife when I wander off to explore something shiny.
There is a moment when we look around, can’t find our familiar faces, and we are overcome with emotion. That very instant of realization that we are lost is followed by either extreme panic or detective mode. We either become frozen from fear or look to find our way. The cool, calm, and collected approach is always the way to go.
In the last couple of weeks, some fans have been lost because they felt the Celtics were lost. We looked old. We looked slow. We looked out of sync. We looked old. So many of you that are reading this are shaking your head saying, “No, I didn’t think that! I knew it would be okay!” But don’t fool yourself. Lots of people were panicking. Lots of people were convinced the Celtics had lost their way.
But you know who wasn’t panicking? The Celtics. You know who knew the Celtics weren’t lost? The Celtics.
In the last 5 games, the Celtics have been playing pretty well. The Celtics didn’t go into extreme panic when dropping a few games in a short week and a half span; they went into detective mode. There were comments from Danny. There were comments from Doc. Both gentlemen made it publicly clear that the players needed to clean up their act. They were the only ones that could fix the inconsistencies in their play. The players figured out what they were missing: they returned to playing within their means and rediscovered their identity.
Dare I say it... is he back?
The current Celtics team is built on team defense. We win by playing defense. We have weak-side helpers that force opponents into tough shots. We have weak-side helpers to help the helpers force opponents into difficult situations. We rotate. We share the defensive load. Our perimeter defenders are just as important as the interior ones. Two years ago, the team talked about the “no lay-up” philosophy. If a team kills us because they are making tough, long-range, low-percentage shots, then so be it. The Celts weren’t going to give up any bunnies.
But this year, in games that we have lost and in close games that we have won, our defensive rotations were egregiously slow. Recently, though, we have been rotating. From my couch and section 322, we are playing with a fiery intensity. We aren’t giving up when players get by. Instead, we are fouling them, sending them a message, and forcing them to earn their points. We aren’t taking defensive possessions off. We are playing hard on defense to get the ball back to the other side of court. We are sliding. We are talking. We are rotating. We look alive. Thank goodness, we look alive.
Collpase! Collapse! Collapse!
When we played Phoenix (and lost), Indiana (and lost), and Orlando (and lost), we played to their game. We accommodated and adapted to their style. We are not a flat-out uptempo team. We are a team that can have up-tempo possessions, but all fast pace / max out on shot attempts doesn’t play into our strength. Quality, not quantity. Our strength is in our half-court sets. It’s not always the traditional half-court set: we can push and set up quickly because our PG is the damn near fastest thing on earth besides U-Bolt. We have bigs that can run. We have swingmen that know where to set up on the wing and when to move. When Rondo is aggressive and getting to the hoop, shots open up. When players are making cuts, shots open up. When we are mixing up the tempo by pushing the ball up the court and settling into our offense, shots open up. When it comes down to it, though, when we move the ball, we get good looks. Our starting 5 are all competent passers. The unselfish mentality makes passing even easier. We have a pure point guard that looks to create and has incredible court vision. We have one of the best passing power forwards in the history of the game. We have a small forward that can do anything he wants whenever he wants.
All day. Every day.
If we make our defensive stops first and just move the ball on offense, this team will be unstoppable. We are too deep, to cohesive, and too good to lose if we play the way we play.
It’s actually pretty simple: our defense breaks down other teams’ offense and our offense breaks down other teams’ defense. In the last few games, we’ve been doin it and doin it and doin it well.
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I am in a new joint venture with NBAmate.com, which is probably Australia’s best NBA blog. You can read more about the Doubting Thomas Award here.
If you’re really too lazy to read, just know that a bunch of really talented/witty/smart/fun/good-looking/totally awesome NBA bloggers have been asked to write a piece for NBAmate.com in an effort to follow a player of the blogger’s choice. To put it simply,
An award to recognise the achievements of those who have achieved so little. An award to celebrate those players who have frustrated us beyond belief, yet leave us with a tinge of hope that maybe, just maybe, they’ll turn it around soon. Because let’s face it, no matter how many chances you’ve blown, there’s always the chance you won’t fuck up the next one.
#7
Patrick O’Bryant
Games played: 3 Games started: 0 Minutes per game: 5.0 DNP’s: 11 Best game: 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal vs DEN (17/11) Averages: 2.7ppg, 1.0rpg, 0.0apg, 0.33spg, 0.00bpg, 66% FG Dare you Doubt?:Still waiting for him to block a shot this season, so yeah, I doubt.
Here is my excerpt on Patrick O’Bryant for the month of November:
What if I told you that the 9th pick from the 2006 draft was averaging 20 points and 7 rebounds? What if I told you this big man provided you with some length and youth? You’d be psyched, right? Right? Well, shoot. Project O’Bryant is averaging 20 and 7 this season… Per 36 minuntes. POB has really only played a total of 15 minutes this season. Against the Hornets on 11/6, he nailed an egg in the points category and added 1 rebound and 2 fouls. Get up, Toronto! Against Dallas on 11/7, POB was a blistering 2-2 from the field (100%, suckas!) and tossed in a turnover. Most Improved, anyone? Against the Nuggs on 11/17, POB added another valiant effort with 4 points (2-3 from the field) and 2 rebounds. A friggin steal at 1.6 million!!!!
Well, not really. I figured the poor fellow was injured with those minutes. Nope. The most exciting things about POB in the last few days? His tweets (@13pob13). From yesterday: “on that note just landed in char and I am tired!!! Can’t wait to get in the bed.” Think his teammates will even notice if he sleeps in and misses his game? A tweet from yesterday as well: “simply joking w a follower. I am in no way a racist. Just think that show is hilarious.” POB was quoting the Chapelle Show to a follower. That can’t be good for his or his team’s PR. Good thing no one cares about him.
Read the rest of the picks here on NBAmate.com’s entry. Be sure to not have a warm beverage on hand near the computer when you’re reading: you might laugh so hard you could ruin the beautiful machine in front of you that enables you to read such hilarious matter.
The Captain gets the game ball: solid D, great offensive punch, final play call.
Let’s face the facts: the Celtics are playing mediocre ball and have been for the last week and a half. Despite their 10-4 record, it’s mediocre ball at best. This most recent game against New York raised more questions than answers.
I’m a teacher. I teach world history and economics. I ask a lot of questions. My students ask a lot of questions. We all ask a lot of questions. It can more often than not show a deeper understanding of a topic. Other times, it’s just the perfect thing to do when we are absolutely bewildered by a topic.
I’m bewildered.
I’m going to stop diagnosing.
Hey ¡RONDO! why aren't we seeing more of this?
Here are 34 questions for the Celtics because I just don’t know what else to say. Why 34 questions? Because #34 is Paul Pierce. Paul Pierce is the Truth. So by the power of transitive property, 34 = The Truth. I am hoping these 34 questions lead to some level of enlightenment and higher understanding.
Why is overall energy level so inconsistent and why aren’t we
Why is our offense settling for so many low percentage jumpers with the shot clock expiring?
Why are we not attacking the hoop more?
Why is Rondo playing like a $3 million PG on some nights and an $11 million PG on other nights?
Why is our help defense scheme look so slow?
Why is Ray Allen getting so many more minutes than he needs?
Why isn’t Quisy getting more playing time?
Why is Sheed shooting 3s like I shoot 3s?
What’s going to happen in a few weeks when Glen Davis returns (remember: no more Big Baby)?
When will KG finally be in game shape?
Actually: will KG ever be back to being in good game shape (even if he can’t jump)?
When will everyone realize how unbelievably good Pierce is playing right now?
Will Danny many any trades before the new year?
If Danny were to make trades, what do we really need right now?
Is our PG by committee / PG by convenience working?
Will the Real Eddie House please stand up? Please stand up?
Has Doc ripped into his team yet about what the heck is wrong with them?
Is this the kind of play we can expect for the rest of the season?
Is it a good sign that Rondo can’t hit his FTs because it means he is finally changing his shooting style for the firs time in his career?
Will Doc force Sheed down on the block more?
Why isn’t Perk closing out quarters more often?
Aren’t we a defense-minded team?
So why aren’t we a) playing defense better and b) letting one of our team’s best defenders (Perk) get more minutes on the floor?
Why haven’t we seen more dynamic lineups on the floor (like Rondo, Pierce, KG, Perk, Sheed; or Ray, Pierce, Quisy, KG, Sheed; or Rondo, Piece, Quisy, Perk, Sheed)?
Will TA’s first game in the 2010 season be in Celtic green?
Will Scal continue to be 100% efficient on the floor for as little minutes as he is getting?
Should we trade Scal (with TA) and if so should we get him more minutes?
Is JR Giddens the epitome of practice hero and game zero?
Will Shelden William’s interior game improve with more touches?
Why can’t our team get offensive rebounds (is it not built into our defensive scheme?)?
Why have we started so slow offensively in almost every game this season (what happened to those 30+ points from 2008-2009?)?
Why are we giving up so many points in the first half?
Why are we turning into a team that either wins/loses a game in the 3rd quarter?
Is the whole “sleep experts” advice of bypassing pre-game shoot arounds in favor of naps really working?
I want to see an absolute spanking tomorrow night against the 76ers on Wednesday night. I want Philly to waddle off the court.
Most people would say that wins are wins. At the end of the day, as long as the number in the win column increases by one then that is all that matters.
Well. We know that really isn’t true. Objectively speaking, yes. A win is a win. But emotionally, physically, mentally, wins can carry significantly different meanings. This win is a bit too fresh in my mind for me to really know what this win means, but I know it means something. Or at least, I hope it means something… The start of a streak, mainly.
I was at the game on Friday when the Celtics crawled their way back to not getting outclassed by Vince Carter and the Magical Magicians. The game slipped out of their hands in the final 2 minutes, and it was a bit gut wrenching to watch the loss unfold in person. This afternoon, I was fearful of a repeat performance.
After building a solid 14 point lead in the 3rd quarter, the Knicks found life while we found complacency. I was imagining blog post titles after a 3rd quarter collapse by the Celts that would lead to a loss:
“Celtics blow.”
“Celtics defense takes a graceful exit.”
“Celtics make Nate Robinson and Al Harrington look like shoo-in Hall of Famers.”
“Celtics add Sunday to their list of days to take off (along with Fridays).”
“Celtics get Knicked in the butt on Sunday.”
I’m glad the Celts didn’t lose. But let’s be honest: those 5 titles could still show up in the next few hours on the interwebs. The only difference is that the Celts didn’t lose.
Two things that really need to be addressed:
OUR HELP DEFENSE. As I tweeted today during the game, our help defense looks like welfare defense all cracked out and pending for renewal. As KG noted the other day, we play help defense with proper rotations/switches. But when a team forces us to play man-to-man and they hit their outside shots, we are in trouble. If help isn’t coming to our helpers then we are screwed. Phoenix hit their shots. Indiana hit their shots. Orlando hit their shots. (Atlanta just flat out out-played us). New York almost stole one from the Cs… but not with anything special, just from us being a bit lazy on defense. We made too many gambles, and we paid the price. How many times were there pick-n-rolls AND cuts to the hoop where one of the Knicks bigs had an easy layup to finish off the play? Too many to count. Our rotations look sloppy and we look to be asleep on so many defensive possessions. The Celts bit on everything the Knicks threw out there. Yikes. Coach T: go to work.
OFFENSIVE FLUIDITY. We just look terrible on some possessions. Our ball movement seems robotic on too many possessions. There are times when we move so well without the ball and our passes are so crisp that the points go down easily. Then at other times, everything looks terribly out of sync. What’s the deal? It’s not fatigue. It’s not a lack of familiarity in the system. Are we second guessing ourselves? We might be. The Celts seem to be hanging their heads and sulking at times instead of carrying themselves with unwavering swagger on both ends of the court. Let’s get that back. An emotional win today against the Knicks could be what we need to get some confidence and attitude back.
Other noteworthy observations: Quisy is still the most efficient player on the floor. Sheed needs to do something… anything. Glad to see 3ddi3 Hous3’s stroke return.
Yeah. Those are two pretty big things. Paul Pierce better put some ice on his back tonight: carrying the team for the 4th quarter and OT must have made it sore.
Simply put, NBAmate.com is one of the funniest and creative blogs out there. It is probably Australia’s best NBA blog. Here is the explanation of the Doubting Thomas Award:
Here at NBAMate, we love the underdog, the little “Aussie battler” (to use a colloquial term). So we thought, instead of turning our backs on the players who have tried so hard to fulfill our expectations and failed, why not celebrate them instead? In the spirit of Thomas the Apostle and Isiah Thomas, the most doubted NBA figure of the modern era, we proudly present the inaugural Doubting Thomas Award. An award to recognise the achievements of those who have achieved so little. An award to celebrate those players who have frustrated us beyond belief, yet leave us with a tinge of hope that maybe, just maybe, they’ll turn it around soon. Because let’s face it, no matter how many chances you’ve blown, there’s always the chance you won’t fuck up the next one.
You got to love “recognise” spelled with an S instead of Z.
Patrick O’Bryant, Toronto Raptors by Loscy – Loscy Celtics Blog Yes yes, I am an absolute sucker for players that used to dress in Celtic green. Patrick O’Bryant made a cameo for the Celtics in the 2008-2009 season and was seen as a possible asset coming off the bench with length, defense, and youth: three things the Celtics bench desperately needed to defend their title from 2008. So what if he POB had absolutely nothing in his offensive repertoire and couldn’t even keep in front of a glass door on defense? So what if POB was constantly hurt? So what if he was the first lottery pick to be sent into the D-League in his inaugural season? So what if his then coach/GM at Golden State (Donnie boy!) told POB that he wasn’t getting any better at all and that he was a long-term project and a disappointment? So what if Golden State could have had Rajon Rondo or Kyle Lowry or Paul Milsap or Sergio Rodriguez or even Shannon Brown? So what if he was picked up by the Celtics and then shipped to Toronto for a measly future second round draft pick? I’m pulling for you big guy. Why? Mainly because Don Nelson is a meathead of a coach/GM/person and since he hated you, I therefore have to atomically root for you. Let’s dedicate ourselves to good solid defense in the paint, crashing the boards, and finishing on second chances. This Bud’s for you, #13.
I mean seriously… what a freakin’ list of players. Maybe Chris Wallace will sign all of them for a mega-bust team?!?!?
Final words from RobD over at NBAmate.com:
What an exclusive list of players that is. If after reading that you feel the urge to ram your head through your PC monitor, then don’t stress – that is the typical reaction of having to visualize these guys on a basketball court. It’s also quite a broad mix of talent. Some of these players find themselves within the regular rotation – or *gasp* even the starting line ups – for their respective teams. Others seem destined to be warming the bench, praying that a teammate of theirs will be severely injured so they can finally get some decent minutes. Whatever their situation, one thing is clear: the only way is up. So tune in for the first Doubting Thomas Rankings, near the end of the month, to see how they’re faring on their road to redemption.
It’s a great idea, and I’m flattered/honored/excited for the chance to join these other folks in a little underdog jostling. I’ll be sure to update you each month when we have our rundowns, but for now, peep at what others are writing– it’s good stuff.
12% of the season finished, 88% left. Plenty. Of. Time.
I want to stress very early on in this post that I am not freaking out. You are not freaking out. Well, you might be freaking out, but there is no need for you to be freaking out. It’s far too early to be freaking out. We are just a tad over 1/8 of the way through the season. A measly 12% through. Calm down, folks.
Yes we have dropped 2 games, but it really isn’t a big deal. Our loss column is filled with the number 3, but there is also the number 8 in the wins column. Only 1 team in the entire NBA has played more games than us (Portland), while some teams like Milwaukee and Indiana have played 8 and 7 games, respectively. We still have the 3rd best win % in the East.
Let’s also face this fact: out of the 3 teams that are responsible for handing the Celtics a loss, Atlanta is the only one that could push us in a 7 game series. Neither Phoenix nor Indiana could take us in 7 games: both teams were on fire and couldn’t miss– you can’t repeat those shooting nights over and over again. There is a difference between taking a team down during any given game and taking a team down 4 times out of a possible 7 chances. 7 game series are designed to allow the better team to prevail. The Celtics are better than the Suns and the Pacers. Case closed.
Why you should feel good:
Boston is the only team with a double-digit positive point differential in the entire league at +10.2.
The Celtics are 2nd in points allowed by opposing teams with 88.3 per game.
On BasketballReference.com, the Celtics are ranked 1st in Pythagorean W-L (Pythagorean Wins; the formula is G * (Tm PTS14 / (Tm PTS14 + Opp PTS14))); ranked 2nd in SRS with a score of 7.95 (read the explanation here: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=37); and ranked 1st in BR’s team defense rating with a score of 97.8 (Defensive Rating (available since the 1977-78 season in the NBA; for players and teams it is points allowed per 100 possessions.)
We are a good team. We are designed to win a series, not every game. We are designed to win a series, not every game.
We have smart players and great coaches that have high basketball IQs: whatever is going wrong in a series, as long as we are healthy, we will rectify and fix.
But… of course, we did just drop 2 games to younger, more athletic teams.
Let’s see these 5 things as we move forward against the next 5 games: Golden State (Wed), Orlando (Fri), New York (Sun), Philly (Wed), and Tor (Fri) in the following week and a half.
Perk is a beast. The beast needs to close out the 4th.
Keep rebounding. It’s pretty simple: the more boards a team gets, the less the opposing team gets. More rebounds = more possessions and more chances to score while at the same time taking away chances for the opposing team to score. We need to box out. We need to send 2 guys into crash the boards while sending the other 3 into transition.
More Quisy. More Shelden. I want to see these 2 get a few more minutes: with Pierce banged up, I’m hoping we see more Quisy. His title, thus far in the young season, should be Mr. Efficiency. Everything he does is efficient, modest, controlled, and important. Quisy matters to this team as much as Posey mattered to the 2008 team. Quisy is the swingman we need to go deep in the spring. As for Shelden, he’s been Mr. Pleasant Surprise (self-explanatory).
Perk closing the game. Perk is a Beast. Right? Right. Sheed is in a bit of a funk and I’d like to see him get a few more minutes in the middle of the game instead of the end; I want to see Perk close out the 4th. I’m choosing defense over offensive possibility. I’ll always choose defense over offensive possibility. If you have Perk in, he is guaranteed to play solid interior defense on every defensive possession. Not to say Sheed is a slouch on defense, because he has been great, but Perk can still jump. Perk can still box out stronger guys and do the dirty work underneath that he is genetically and athletically designed to do. Let him close out the quarter because it makes sense.
Rondo needs to take 12 shots a game. While it was great to see him pushing to create for his teammates against Atlanta this past Friday, but we need to see him aggressively taking it to the hoop. We need floaters. We need lay ups. But more importantly, we need the opposing team’s defense to collapse on Rondo when he enters the paint. If he is going to get players better, clearer looks, the defense needs to bite on the possibility of him shooting/scoring so the other guys are free/open. Rondo will usually be pass-first, so it’s not like we are changing his game. We just need to see him take some more shots.
Mix up the line-ups. I will have to stop saying this eventually, but for now, I’m still begging for it. I want some dynamic diversity in our line-ups: a speedy lineup, a big lineup, a mix of starters and reserves. Doc has a deep bench that can cause opposing teams major headaches if he is able to mix-in different lineups together. The Celtics are in the position to set the tone with lineups and make other teams match-up against us, as opposed to us having to match up against other teams like we had to do for much of last year.
So if there are 4 blue jerseys around Rondo... Hmm...
My hands are steady. There are 71 more games to play.
Settle in for the ride.
Before I get into the story, let me first share with you that Daryl Morey (HOU), Sam Presti (OKC), an Danny are my 3 favorite GMs. They’re crafty in their own ways, but all three have an UNCANNY ability to recognize talent in different ways. Morey has been known to find players that are fighters, play with an abnormally large chip on their shoulders, grit out every possession, and understand how to play in a system. Presti just finds the right complimentary players. In time, if he can hold onto his core young guys of Harden, Westbrook, Green, and especially K-Durant, my gosh they are going to be a force. Presti has found some great defensive-minded players and as they mature, they will be great in the middle of the pack team in the West. We know about Danny’s track record with draft picks and trades.
So on Thursday, November 12th, I get an update from Twitter about a new follower. I have trouble trusting my young eyes: Daryl Morey? Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.
I immediately investigate, and as it turns out, the freakin’ GM of the Houston Rockets is indeed a new follower. Aside from the fact that he would be my most famous follower, Morey only followed 84 other people at that point. I was part of an elite group.
Yup. For real.
I immediately send Morey a direct message asking if a measly blogger like myself can attend the statistical conference later on next year, and he writes back immediately:
Yup. This is also for real.
Of course, I flatter him a bunch and tell him that he wins the award for being Loscy’s most famous follower. I didn’t ask him how he found me, and I wish I had… because 9 hours later he un-followed me. I was irked by the whole ordeal.
Daryl: what did I do to make you leave?!?!
Then… I started to read my tweets the same day. First, there were probably 65+ tweets in that small window of flattery to depression. Hmmm. Maybe Morey was getting sick of the sheer volume of tweets? Probably not. The dude can remember the NYC skyline and draw it from memory after 1 fly-over in a helicopter (seriously: he did it). His ability to push out the crap and keep the goods kind of dismisses that theory. Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen I started reading my tweets a little bit closer and realized that I sounded like a child. Some foul language. Some bad jokes.
Ugh.
Daryl: did you leave me (ie, unfollow me on Twitter) because of the content of my tweets, volume of tweets, or both? Most of them were re-tweets. It wasn’t even my material! I was re-gifting!
AGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
I was consoled by my wife: “It’s better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all”.
She was so right. So right.
But it still hurts.
Daryl: I promise to be a better Twitter member if you come back.
Now I’m begging.
How pathetic is this?
Would I be this way if the Celtics had won the last 2 nights?
What’s become of me?!?!?!?!?!?!?
DARYL!!!!!!
–
Torched by Granger.
We didn’t play sloucher teams. We played a young team that we’ve had many close games with and that was simply hungrier than us. On Friday night, Atlanta out-hustled, out-rebounded, out-swaggered, and flatly out-played us. We got killed on second chance points (20-4) and b*tch-slapped off the glass. The very next night, a young team that is playing pretty well torched us in the second half when our defense fell asleep, everything they threw up found its way to the bottom of the net, and our shots were getting stuck between the rim and backboard.
The common denominator in both losses? Young… teams. We have looked slow, old, and a bit out of rhythm. We forced passes. We weren’t playing good transition defense. We had a tough, tough schedule early on (8 in 12) and our current skid, no doubt, is a byproduct of the early going. It is a funk. It will pass.
What about some radical lineups to start the game in Indy? Why not rest Pierce if he was a game-time decision? Why not start Rondo, Ray, Quisy, Shelden, and Perk? Eh.
It is a funk. It will pass.
I’m not going to hinge the entire season on the last two nights. There is plenty to learn from the games, and the coaching staff will figure it out with the players. But at the same time, should we be worried… at least a little bit? We’ve gone from looking invincible to very vulnerable (sort of like last year after the Lakers game on X-Mas day?)
Yup. It took some serious wheelin & dealin, but we were able to sign on Kevin Garnett to multi-year deal to sport some official LOSCY.com gear. Some of the details of the negotiation are still pending…
Whoa. In my preseason breakdown of why I am beginning to hate Lebron just as much as Kobe, this whole ordeal about Lebron wanting the league to retire the #23 out of respect for Michael Jordan surfaces. Lebron wants to start a petition for the league to not allow any player to wear #23 and get everyone in the league to sign it. Lebron plans on changing his jersey to #6 after this year out of respect for what MJ did to the game.
I’m not judging, Lebron, but maybe skipping college turned out to be a bad idea.
Maybe you missed the lesson on WHY Jackie Robinson’s number 42 is retired in all of baseball?
Maybe you missed the lesson on WHICH players in the NBA really made it possible for current players like you, Kobe, and D-Wade to play?
Maybe you’re… just an idiot?
“I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized some way soon,” James said. “There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwyane Wade if there wasn’t Michael Jordan first.
He can’t get the logo, and if he can’t, something has to be done. I feel like no NBA player should wear 23. I’m starting a petition, and I’ve got to get everyone in the NBA to sign it. Now, if I’m not going to wear No. 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it.”
Stan Van Gundy made a thoughtful and sensible comment on the matter (maybe the only time he’s ever uttered anything that I’ve actually listened to and agreed with):
“It’s a nice gesture, but he (Jordan) is not Jackie Robinson. Baseball did it because it had historical significance,” Van Gundy said. “There actually were guys before Michael who could play the game. Then you should retire numbers that (Bill) Russell, Wilt (Chamberlain), and certainly Oscar (Robertson) wore. I understand LeBron didn’t grow up watching those guys, but still. ”
Let’s get some things, straight, Lebron:
Bill Russell: The Truest Winner of All Sports (11x champion).
Bill Russell was an African-American player that was drafted by a white coach to play for an all-white team and that was seen as taboo enough.
Bill Russell has 11 championship rings and plenty of MVP awards to boot to establish himself as one of the all-time great athletes– regardless of race, religion, creed, etc.
Bill Russell was also the first African-American coach in the NBA.
Bill Russell was chosen for a reason to be the name of the NBA Finals MVP award: 11 rings.
Bill Russell’s number should be retired throughout the league if anyone will have their number restricted, NOT Michael Jordan’s.
And yes, Lebron, Bill Russell wore #6.
Like Ice Cube said, “So come on and chickity check yourself before you wreck yourself”.
Also keep in mind, Kobe already changed his number so Lebron is yet again just stealing everyone else’s move and calling them his own (like the KG rosin bit). There were plenty of reasons why Kobe did this (post-rape, up 1 on MJ) but I’m sure a driving force was a business move– he could sell twice as many jerseys now and get twice as much from royalties. This is coming from the guy that wanted to charge people membership fees to his damn website. So Lebron: what’s next?
Yup. KG started doing this when you were in diapers, son.
You can do some additional reading on the nonsense below (and word to SI and ESPN: stop reporting about the 2010 off-season free agency spree: there’s an entire season to play before then!):
Loscy is a columnist's approach to gritty blogging about the Boston Celtics, with all heart and hustle and minimal muscle. Contact at green.eighteen@gmail.com
"Loscy" was a hard-nosed standout for the Celtics, playing all nine NBA seasons with the Green and White...Helped lead the Celtics to seven NBA world championship titles, including six straight from 1958 through 1963-64...Had, perhaps, his best season in 1956-57 in helping lead the Celtics to their first title, by averaging 10.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game...He asked that his jersey number (#18) not be retired so that a future Celtic could wear it - the number 18 was later retired in honor of Dave Cowens. (from celtics.com history)
