Ronald Martinez - Getty Images
These are all the players we had left.
No Rajon Rondo, no Kevin Garnett, no Brandon Bass, no chance. Lose Jermaine O'Neal, lose Chris Wilcox, lose your lunch. It would have taken an inspired effort to have had a chance to win this game tonight and this team has been short on inspiration lately. The result was ugly.
- At times the Celtics went with the zone defense, which is confusing when we're playing against Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, and Jason Kidd, but what do I know.
- At times it felt like we were also playing zone offense. I'm not even sure what that means but it isn't good.
- In the silver lining department, Avery Bradley might have had his best outside shooting night of his career.
- Just in time for the All Star break, this was a throwback to the Old Timers games. Every other minute someone was passing one of the all time leaders in career stats.
- There's like 3 minutes or so left in this game but I'm personally going to bed. I don't have anything else to say about this.
90-89 Celts win!!!
I wish. BOY do I wish..
KWAPT - February 20, 2012
Pietrus - I really appreciate the heart and effort despite this being a blowout loss
Moore needs to replace Dooling in the rotation.
mc34 - February 20, 2012
Pietrus
So true. Despite his shooting woes tonight, he was diving, sprinting and throwing his body all-over the place. Even when down 20. Love this guy.
KWAPT - February 20, 2012
yeah with Orlando
I remember him as a woosbunny but now he is turning into Posey 2.0
calc - February 20, 2012
So...Lotto?
Hammerhead7 - February 20, 2012
we're in the worst possible position right now
we’re probably going to finish with the 7 or 8 seed, meaning we’ll play Chicago or Miami in the first round. we’re almost guaranteed a playoff spot because the East is terrible (Milwaukee and Cleveland are the next closest teams to the 8 seed), so we’re looking at a likely 1st round exit without a lottery pick.
mc34 - February 20, 2012
Aint over til its Over
As mr Zimmerman once said “better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone”
Tenacious D - February 20, 2012
You just retold me my biggest fear before the season started
I wanted this team to either look like it was elite to where we’d know we’d get a title or close to it, or downright suck and maybe trade some pieces for more draft picks (since it will be a deep draft) or players. The worst case scenario in my mind was the 6th-8th seed early exit because of injuries and no lotto pick. I hope it doesn’t stand.
Hammerhead7 - February 20, 2012
DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS....
Rondo a two game suspension, at a ref he threw the ball,
No KG again— had to answer a family call.
Bradley started well, continued offensive work,
It’s always hard for the Cs to handle Dirk.
Pierce got hot at the end of Q1,
Up by 5, Dallas had too much fun.
Cs are last in rebounding, last on offensive glass,
Just more proof we miss Brandon Bass.
Q2 was the Dirk Nowitzski show,
Cs’ offense was off, the defense was slow.
But JO had some blocks and that was good,
Ray went to the hoop like we hoped he would.
Though Ray and his threes seem to be in a funk,
Nothing more stunning than a Ray Allen dunk!
JO makes the rotation and draws the charge,
With the shortage of Cs’ centers, he has to play large.
Cs light on players who are able to score,
Wilcox early Q3 foul—that’s four.
Just how low can the Cs game go?
Five second inbound violation, sprained wrist, no JO.
Next, Wilcox in the locker room, a pulled groin has he,
Good transition play, then RAY ALLEN FOR THREE.
With all the injuries Doc must make peace,
He is relying on the new guys, and even ’Quis.
Couple of threes in the 4th to get the Cs going,
But the offense and defense of the Mavs not slowing.
How much more embarrassment can this Cs team take?
Can’t come soon enough, that All-Star break.
Asides: Carlisle, a former Celtic, as a coach a Mav,
He wore “34,” the number Pierce does have.
Steve Kerr is annoying, I’m just saying,
I liked him more when he was quietly playing.
mycelts - February 20, 2012
Haha
Steve Kerr comment so trueeee. This guy made me shut the tv off
RotB_MattR - February 20, 2012 via mobile
I'm with you there, Jeff. I stopped watching after the 1st half.
Here lies the 2011-2012 Boston Celtics.
I wonder if DA is still considering major moves before trade deadline OR he could always just ride this one out and start moving pieces in the off season…
But heck, a bit of a bright side is… the Knicks lost, so I guess we’re still seeded… miraculously.
japsuki - February 20, 2012
I just want a good draft pick at this point,
Stand pat mostly this year, get maybe a lottery pick like 15 plus the Clippers pick. Bring back Allen, KG for cheap deals, and sign a solid Center and power forward if Bass wants to leave or maybe have JJJ move up in rotation along with Moore and Bradley. We have a legit ament chance next year, don’t screw up the chemistry though Danny. Leave it be.
RotB_MattR - February 20, 2012 via mobile
No, please, I can't take another year of this
Don’t bring back Allen and Garnett. They should honestly retire or move on. I want to see rookies and young guys starting. Players we can get excited about and say, “he’s got a bright future!” that’s not happening with another year with the Big 3. It’s time to move on. It was lots of fun, but this era is over.
Celticsdude - February 20, 2012
I would not mind seeing ...
Ray and KG resigned next year for real cheap contracts, coming off the bench and playing very limited bench style minutes next year.
But I fear if they are on the roster Docs bad habit of playing them will take over again and he will play them in lieu of the younger players like Bass, JJ, Moore etc. which will interfere with their growth and development, which will then retard and delay the C’s rebuilding plans.
fordescort - February 20, 2012
I am in favor of re-signing 'em on cheap deals too but...
…only if we get a young, max-type player ’cos only then would the starting line up change. And as far as I know, we will have lotsa money to spend after this season… soooooo. Cross everything… fingers, toes, legs, eyes…
japsuki - February 20, 2012
No no no
The locker room needs to change completely. Start over in off season. Bring in new guys
vgarcia890 - February 21, 2012
+1
Clean break.
Big_Easy - February 21, 2012 via mobile
kg said this maybe last season i think it will
EXER123 - February 21, 2012
Right now, we are looking at having 9, maybe 10 players on the roster age 27 or younger next year
and 6 will be under 23. Out of 15 (only 12 dressing), that’s a lot of babies.
So you will have all the youngsters you could possibly want to get excited about.
If you don’t provide a veteran complement to them, you are going to be lucky to win 30 games.
Re-signing KG and Ray to minimum deals would be a big help, if they would do so.
mmmmm - February 20, 2012
They will be lucky to win 30 this year, unfortunately
vinnie - February 20, 2012
+1
Celticsdude - February 20, 2012
I don’t want to see what we have this year again. I don’t get why anyone would want to go through this again. This sucks. We’re too old. I want my youngsters to get playing time and not rot on the bench. We need to move on. I hope Danny tries to get at least one great young player before the deadline.
Celticsdude - February 20, 2012
Young players need to play in order to learn
You can nly lesrn so much from seeing other guys do it. At some point you’ve got to get enough playing time to learn and develop your potential. With the Big 3getting 30mins a game and still losing games, it’s not happening. Plus, hasn’t everyone said that we need to get younger if we want Rondo to be better? (and this comes from a guy who wants to trade Rondo. Just saying).
Celticsdude - February 20, 2012
Agree 100%
with your comment:
“Young players need to play in order to learn”
and
“You can only learn so much from seeing other guys do it. At some point you’ve got to get enough playing time to learn and develop your potential”
Until the big 3 retire or come off the bench and play bench minutes it will be tough for the young players to get the minutes they need to have the chance to learn and develop their game properly.
fordescort - February 20, 2012
Next year will be a different team entirely, whether Ray & KG return or not.
Up until now, playing the youngsters has never been about ‘making them rot’. They just haven’t been good enough to earn playing time over our vets.
That’s changing both because our youngsters are getting more experience and because of injuries. But that doesn’t make our rooks suddenly into all stars and our vets suddenly worthless.
mmmmm - February 20, 2012
Yes
I’m not saying Moore will be a superstar. I’m saying I want to blow it up and get young players with lots of potential in return. Depending on who we can get either this summer or in the draft, I don’t want KG and Ray to be in the way. What if we resign Jeff Green? Wll he or KG start at PF? What if we draft Jeremy Lamb or Austin Rivers? Are they getting the start or is Ray? Who’s getting more minutes either way? This is over, man. If anything, they should be traded to contenders and not make them stay in a rebuilding situation. We’ve got to learn from the Pistons.
Celticsdude - February 20, 2012
I would really hate to see...
KG and Ray get in the way of any of the development of the younger players we have now on the roster or draft picks we acquire this summer so that we can get on with the rebuilding of the team next year as soon as possible and not delay it.
If KG and Ray are traded away this year or are not resigned this summer that problem is alleviated next year, but if they resign with the C’s next year on the cheap it could be a issue.
I hope if they are resigned they will be coming off the bench next year and playing limited minutes to allow the younger players to get the time and minutes they need to learn the game.
But I really fear Doc may play them if they are on the roster which will just retard the growth and development of the young players.
So it should be interesting what happens to KG and Ray in the upcoming months, if Ainge and Doc plan to resign them on the cheap next year and if they are resigned how they will plan to utilize them next year compared to the younger players that will be on the roster .
fordescort - February 20, 2012
Part of the problem is the mind set of Doc Rivers.
I would love to see Ray Allen and K.Garnett return in a limited, off the bench teaching role, or mixed and matched with the younger players to give them guidance.
To a large extent, that will depend on Doc Rivers- if he can make the mental adjustment needed to mix and match lineups and not just throw in and wear down the veterans.
If he won’t be able to make that adjustment, once the Big Three are no longer legit full time starters, then it may be necessary to make a coaching adjusment in the future.
Lygafe.
Lionel Gaffen / Fotomix.
lygafe - February 21, 2012
adjustment
lygafe - February 21, 2012
"blow it up and get young players with lots of potential in return"
But that statement means nothing unless you define what ‘blowing it up’ means. Trade? What trade? Let their contracts expire? They are going to expire.
We are going to get young players without ‘blowing it up’ because we (a) already have young players with lots of potential and (b) we are going to draft 3 more.
On some of your specific questions – if we convince KG to come back it will likely be to play no more than 18 minutes a game, max. Even if he started that means you are looking for 30 minutes from someone else at PF. Jeff Green is more likely to begin taking minutes from Pierce, though. He is a SF, not a PF. Depending on what happens in the draft, trades and free agency, I would expect most of those PF minutes to start going to JJ.
mmmmm - February 21, 2012
Blowing it up means, blowing it up! If we can get a Derrick Favors or a Derrick Williams or an Enes Kanter, you make the trade at this point
I’m not going to get into specifics because I don’t know what’s available out there and it would likely take 3 teams to land us a young player like the ones I named but that’s what I’d like to see happen. I don’t care where Green plays as long as he feels comfortable out there. If he plays SF, then I don’t want to see Ray getting minutes from him. I don’t want Green to come off the bench. I don’t want anyone who can actually start to come off the bench. I’m not necessarily talking about rookies but about young players like Green who can are ready to play and should not rot on the bench.
Celticsdude - February 21, 2012
Of course you do.
But nobody is trading guys like that for the Celtics assets.
So again, blowing it up is nice in theory and all, but it just aint going to happen.
The best your going to see in a trade is getting a weak 1st round pick and an expiring contract for Pierce or Ray, that’s about it. KG is untradeable with his contract, and you don’t trade Rondo, who’s you’re only viable piece for the future right now and on a bargain deal unless your bringing in a superstar.
C'sFan - February 21, 2012
You're right
That’s why I said it would take three teams. The Howard/Gasol dominoes could end up affecting us and, even if we don’t get one Howard or Gasol, we could be involved in what happens afterwards. Remember how close we were to getting David West when we could get Chris Paul? That’s what I’m referring to,but with young players.
Celticsdude - February 21, 2012
As hard as it is to make a 3 team deal like that in the off-season
it is almost 10 times harder during the season.
I would never say it is impossible. But the probability is so small that I wouldn’t count on it happening.
It still comes back to assets that you have and the things that you want. The assets that we have (Rondo, Pierce and expirings) all continue to have more value to us than they do to others. So we aren’t likely to get decent value back for any of them.
mmmmm - February 21, 2012
Tell me the Clippers and Bulls are not interested in Ray Allen, for example. Tell me there aren’t teams interested in Paul Pierce. Contending teams, obviously. And if those teams don’t have anything of interest in return, then you work out a three- team trade. To say it can’t happen is just not true. Gasol is on the market, do you know how many players the Rockets were willing to give up for Gasol? Who says we couldn’t get in those conversations and get a few young players? It’s possible, and even if it doesn’t happen, I don’t want to see the same starting lineup we’ve seen this year. It doesn’t make any sense and that was the nature of this conversation anyway. If Rondo needs young layers who can run with him, then we can’t give him 30mins of old players again.
Celticsdude - February 21, 2012
All that, again, means nothing unless you detail it
saying we want younger, better players is not saying anything.
Saying that Ray or any of our players have value isn’t saying anything.
Describe a deal that exchanges some of our assets for these new, younger, better players. I don’t care if it takes 5 teams.
The problem is that such a deal is simply not likely. Not impossible, but not likely. One of the reasons is that the return on such a deal has to exceed the value that Danny gets from just holding. He already is slated to get a ton of cap room. Any trade that eats into that has to return player value in excess of that which he could get by using that cap space.
Without details, screaming, “Blow it up!” is just screaming.
mmmmm - February 21, 2012
Blow the team is the only thing he wants to say
To my understanding, he only wants to blow up the team. So what next?
In a perfect world, trade will comes up from contending teams out of no where, so trade with them. clippers and bulls will get very interested with pp and ray, they will trade cp3, rose and 2-3 more starters for them.
If not, just trade them with the “contending team” for their training staff.
I want to be detail with “trade machine” but they don’t have the options.
Celtics5 - February 21, 2012
Agreed - Signing young players with potential is the ideal situation
It’s much easier said than done given what the Celtics have to offer in a trade. I also think as far as trading Rondo, the Celtics are unlikely to do this unless they can get a superstar or a better young point guard and there are less than a handful of those in the league so the chances are slim.
As far as enticing players to sign here as free agents, having Doc Rivers and Rondo is a lot more attractive than having Doc and a handful of mediocre-to-good players you could get for Rondo in a trade. The fact that the Celtics will be able to throw a big contract at someone and possibly steal away a restricted free agent from another team does give some reason to be hopeful for the future.
BlackMass - February 21, 2012
I think Ainge is keeping all options open...
if he can make a deal that will help the team I am sure he will pull the trigger.
I said earlier in the season if the team looks like it does not have a shot at a title come the trade deadline Ainge may seek to trade some of the core players and there valuable expiring contracts for younger talented players or picks in return.
If the C’s continue to struggle as we near the trade deadline it will be interesting indeed if trys to make a deal to improve the team for the long run.
fordescort - February 20, 2012
I predict he won't. There really isn't anything to be done via trade that would help
unless somehow Orlando could be convinced to take a Rondo package for DH12.
But they aren’t likely to do that unless Hedo’s contract goes along with it. Ugh.
There is no trade scenario I can see that helps us long run. No bad team is in need of our expirings except to unload bad contracts – and we don’t – DON’T – want to take those on. And good teams that might want Ray or KG will only have expirings (that we don’t need) and late draft picks (which we also don’t need).
I predict we just play it out. And if we continue to execute this badly, i personally would not be opposed to tanking it. Turn our own 1st round pick into a lottery pick. Do nothing else and end up with that plus our two other picks and a ton of cap room. That is the best ‘rebuilding plan’ at this point.
mmmmm - February 20, 2012
It wont be easy ...
for Ainge to make a trade but considering his aggressive nature I think he will find a way to get one done if he is inclined to get one done in hopes of improving the team.
I think Ainge may try to look for trades like Rondo in exchange for a quality star player in return, maybe something like JO’s expiring, a draft pick and misc player for a player like Varego etc.
I think moving Ray and KG will be tough due to the size of there contracts and the reasons you mention and the best bet i to let there big contracts just come off the books this summer .
I just hope if Ainge makes any moves he can try to hold on to JJ, Greg , Bradley and Moore if possible as I think they all can have bright futures for the C’s and would hate to give up on them so soon.
fordescort - February 20, 2012
Siemsma's future is going to be the NBDL or some other team
vinnie - February 20, 2012
Gee hope not
I think the kid has talent.
fordescort - February 20, 2012
That prediction seems unlikely to bear out
given that our other 7 footers are even less likely to be retained.
JO is done after this year. KG may also be done. Wilcox is not young. All three are FAs. If we don’t retain Stiemsma, that would mean Danny has to track down and acquire at least 4 big men again.
Stiemsma makes a lot of sense to retain. He’s not your starter. But you need depth in the big man rotation. Hasn’t that been painfully obvious? Hell just look at the last few games without KG & Bass.
Stiemsma is no all-star, but he’s got legit size and is young and so far seems competent. And he’s cheap.
mmmmm - February 20, 2012
Third or 4th center is his ceiling
vinnie - February 20, 2012
Every team needs a 3rd or 4th center. Even this one.
I love how you have such amazing powers of prognosis, though.
mmmmm - February 20, 2012
And I love how you are a talent expert
And how you defend everything and everyone related to the Celtics. One question, has Danny,the organization or any Celtic player ever done anything wrong? Stiemsma, like Semih Erden, won’t be on this team next year. And if he is, it will be a 30-win max squad. I do stink at predictions, though. I said 1-3 in these 4 games and it will likely be 0-4
vinnie - February 21, 2012
Honestly, I respect your basketball knowledge, which is very good
But I often think you must work in PR for the Celtics :)
vinnie - February 21, 2012
Is that what you consider a rebuttal? To accuse me of being a shill for the Celtics?
For the record, you are wrong if you think I always defend everything and everyone related to the Celtics.
I have posted numerous criticisms and questions over their actions over the years. But the difference is I also try to approach that rationally and with the humility to realize that Danny and Doc and their staffs have a zillion times more basketball and NBA know-how than you or I do. It makes sense to first try to think through their reasoning before spouting off with some stupid knee-jerk criticism from an ignorant fan-perspective. And if you take that time to think it through, they are usually right.
There is a big difference between Stiemsma and Erden. Stiemsma is healthy.
Your record on making predictions on this blog over the last few years is … entertaining. You at least are consistent in your strategy. Predict the negative. Eventually, if you keep it up, you will be right. This year is your reward for perseverance.
mmmmm - February 21, 2012
+1 more.
lygafe - February 21, 2012
My predictions have been right more than your blind defense of the Celtics has been right
just saying. I think you were one of those at the beginning of the year saying this team was a contender, right? Still feel that way?
vinnie - February 21, 2012
I said very clearly
“If healthy” that they would have as good a chance as any.
They are not healthy. So no, they are not.
Other than that I don’t do predictions.
Your predictions in 2010 were so spot-on.Please quit accusing me of ‘blind defense of the Celtics’. My post history is littered with criticisms of their offensive woes going back 4 years. I to this day don’t agree with the trade that gave away ‘Gody and Erden for nothing and I also have disagreed frequently with Doc’s minute rotations.
Try posting a rational counter-argument instead of accusing me of something that isn’t supported by facts.
Stiemsma may indeed be gone next year – as I said, I don’t do predictions.
But right now, he has a pretty high chance of being retained for depth at the 5 due to his size, health, age and low cost and the advantage of having been in the system for a season. Throw in the fact that we have no other big besides Jajuan under contract for next year and that two of the 4 seven footers currently on the roster are high-probability of being retired – all that adds up to make it probable that Stiemsma is brought back for depth at the 5.
mmmmm - February 21, 2012
Can't wait until next year to see if Stiemsma is here
vinnie - February 21, 2012
+1
fordescort - February 21, 2012
Sup guys. I have returned!
SparzWizard - February 20, 2012
what's up?
nothing much… another C’s loss… another injury… ugly game… the usual :D
japsuki - February 20, 2012
+1
We are out of veteran big men it seems!!!
SparzWizard - February 20, 2012
73 points in 48 minutes
Predictable loss for the shorthanded, fatigued and defeated Celtics.
In any case it’s hard to believe a team with NBA players can only score 73 points in an entire game. That is just pathetic no matter who is on the floor. To watch this team morph into maybe the worst offensive team in the entire NBA is painful…
warnerjohn - February 20, 2012
C's had ...
no chance tonight considering all the man power that was lost.
But someone needs to call the FBI because the C’s offense was missing in action tonight.
Putting this game behind them is all the C’s can do.
fordescort - February 20, 2012
Moore instead of Dooling. Could it really hurt?
jurrasicearl - February 20, 2012 via mobile
Moore has tons of confidence and a great shot
Dooling is a bit of a “pounder” – stands at the top of the key, does a bunch of hesitation dribbles that don’t lead to anything. his value is shooting spot up 3s, which Moore is better at anyways
mc34 - February 20, 2012
Can't hurt. Won't probably help.
We need bigs.
mmmmm - February 20, 2012
wish we had Delonte
http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2012/2/20/2812878/a-2011-12-dallas-maverick-gamechanger-delonte-west
calc - February 20, 2012
i honestly thought we will lose by a much bigger margin.
APC - February 20, 2012
we could really use Jeff Green
hell, we could use Krstic right now
mc34 - February 20, 2012
Given that by the end of this game we were without KG, JO & Wilcox - i.e. all our veteran big men
I’d gladly take Krstic right now.
mmmmm - February 20, 2012
I think Paul was playing the 5 for a pretty long stretch in the 4th
mc34 - February 20, 2012
Yeah - we also had JJ at the 5 as well for a stretch.
Hell, I am pretty sure we had Pietrus at the 4 at one point.
Gawd did we look tiny out there.
mmmmm - February 20, 2012
These loses on national tv suck. My have things changed.
forever_green - February 20, 2012 via mobile
Too bad you turned it off, Jeff. I think the last 3 minutes may have been the best part of the game.
At that point, (actually from far earlier after the news that both JO & Wilcox were done) I really could care less about the scoreboard.
It was just kinda fun to forget about the scoreboard and watch JJ, Bradley, Stiemsma & Smooge get some floor time.
mmmmm - February 20, 2012
Mickael Pietrus.....
had twelve rebounds!!!! Shows his hustle 2nite and lack of big men
Hamoozeh - February 20, 2012 via mobile
two bad his shooting has gone stone cold lately.
He at least was hustling. But MP needs to make shots before it’s garbage time.
mmmmm - February 20, 2012
Time for Danny to pick up a few more injury prone players
vinnie - February 20, 2012
Too old for the 8th seed and a first round exit
I hope Danny knowsit. The time has come. Blow it up. Get Derrick Williams from Minnesota or something.
Celticsdude - February 20, 2012
Go read about every post Jeff has written on the subject.
There’s a ton of reasons why blowing it up just doesn’t make sense.
Like it or not, we’re likely stuck with what we got. And yes, that is probably a 7/8 seed and a first round exit. But hey, ya never know. Magic can happen again.
C'sFan - February 21, 2012
undermanned-yes. outrebounded-way yes, outplayed- probably. the red sox fans are still sore at beckett for gaining weight last year and eating chicken and being out of shape. well paul came in out of shape and has lost his pop in his legs and we forgive him because of the strike and his long time service, but look at his salary and look at what we’re getting for it and it is a sad and sorry sight. danny has to have a plan a, b, or c, and i don’t envy him. whether he blows it up now or waits till the offseason. our only hope is " in danny we trust." or have to trust.
nazzbo - February 20, 2012
Jermaine O'Neal --- the made of glass "training camp MVP"
Really was a great move for Danny to sign JO and give him the full MLE. Also impressed at how well Doc’s proclaimed “Training Camp MVP” has played and managed to stay healthy.
Not the most costly mistake by Danny but definitely one of his worst movesJer
warnerjohn - February 20, 2012
Can't wait till he's gone!
I hope JO is out for a while with his infinite injure.
forever_green - February 20, 2012 via mobile
Ya, at the full MLE, that signing is obviously a bust.
I still don’t blame him though, Jermaine was solid in Miami the year before, but up very respectable numbers and played 70+ games.
It was worth the risk.
C'sFan - February 21, 2012
I support standing pat and tanking and hope for the best lottery pick
What makes the Celts situation even worse is sitting here watching the Lakers, on the second night of a back to back, leading Portland erly by double ignites.
vinnie - February 20, 2012
Digits. I hate autocorrect
vinnie - February 20, 2012
well
despite their flaws, the Lakers still have 3 top-20 players. we have Rondo, and sometimes Paul, Ray, and KG
mc34 - February 20, 2012
Bynum not a top 20 player. And their bah is putrid
Still, better than the Celts, which is sad.
vinnie - February 20, 2012
Their bench
vinnie - February 20, 2012
how is Bynum not a top 20 player?
2nd best center in the league. size matters
mc34 - February 20, 2012
This^
Seriously – other than Howard, what other 5 in the league is as dominant and physical as Bynum?
mmmmm - February 20, 2012
Tyson Chandler
JR99 - February 20, 2012
hahahaha tyson chandler
StarzNBarz - February 20, 2012
Not.
When healthy, Bynum is a distinct level above Chandler.
mmmmm - February 20, 2012
I hear hat you guys are saying. He is top 20 cos of his size
Lakers have a chance to come out of the west. Celts have a chance to be in the lottery
vinnie - February 20, 2012
Lakers have a chance partially because the West is anyone's ball game.
OKC is the closest thing to a “dominant” team in the west. Unless your buying on the Spurs again, but we’ve seen that show before. Great regular season, disappointing post season.
The East you have Chicago and Miami who care clearly a step above probably every other team in the NBA.
C'sFan - February 21, 2012
+1
fordescort - February 20, 2012
Celtics have by far the better bench.
Problem is, when your missing 3 starters, your bench becomes starters, and your scrubs become your bench.
This is rarely going to work out well.
C'sFan - February 21, 2012
True - Boston's bench is much better than the Lakers'
Compared to having Bass, Pietrus even Avery Bradley off the bench they don’t have much. Matt Barnes, and it’s quickly downhill from there. The Celtics problems are with our starters.
BlackMass - February 21, 2012
Rondo and the Old Three are not top 20 players.
clover - February 21, 2012
Ugh. Lakers up 26-7 in the first
vinnie - February 20, 2012
Er. 27-7
vinnie - February 20, 2012
Make it 29-7 End of 1st
GG Portland!
SparzWizard - February 20, 2012
After Kobe's comments on the management,
… the team came out firing on all cylinders. 37-9 now at the official time out.
And the C’s just got manhandled in Texas. Man! What a tough night.
getthat18now - February 20, 2012
Maybe PP should step it up
Not only on the court, but off the court!
SparzWizard - February 20, 2012
Anybody think...
Pierces body language looks wrong?
He does not look focused, happy or inspired on the court?
I hope its just the losing streak and not some type of chemistry issue.
fordescort - February 20, 2012
i've been rooting against the Clippers pretty openly, despite CP3 being my favorite player to watch
this season is slowly being reduced to hoping for the highest possible draft picks
mc34 - February 20, 2012
And the prayer of a D-Will and/or D12 in the off-season haha
Hammerhead7 - February 20, 2012
I'm convinced that a championship contender can be built around, or at least with, Rondo
mc34 - February 20, 2012
I do like Rondo
But it doesn’t hurt to see what we could get out of him, I guess Danny has obviously thought of that before the year started.
Hammerhead7 - February 20, 2012
I think so too
Building ‘with’ vs. building ‘around’ Rondo confuses the issue for some people. He can definitely be part of a championship team. This doesn’t mean he has to be the best player on the roster for this to be true.
BlackMass - February 20, 2012
luckily for us
Rondo isn’t being paid like the best player on a championship team. so we’re in a pretty decent position.
mc34 - February 20, 2012
Yea, that pretty much sums it up.
forever_green - February 20, 2012 via mobile
Unfortunately, this could be the break-out season for the Clippers.
So far they don’t play like the NBA doormats like they used to be.
getthat18now - February 20, 2012
need d12
we have to do any thing in our power to get howard and another max guy im not against bringing garnett or allen back next year but i want to see them on the bench ride it out this year without a legit center we are doomed every team kills us on the boards if we have to trade rondo and take back turkoglu contract then do it we need to build this team with a big man not a PG
lohaus#54 - February 20, 2012
gut feeling - KG will retire after this year
mc34 - February 20, 2012
I have that same bad feeling.
forever_green - February 20, 2012 via mobile
not sure that's a bad thing
KG’s had a great career. he should hang it up on his terms, not when his body forces him to.
mc34 - February 20, 2012
Maybe...
Im just selfish and enjoy watching him, I think he still has some basketball left in him. But I wouldn’t blame him if he did retire.
forever_green - February 20, 2012 via mobile
I agree, I think he'd be an excellent role player...we're just demanding too much from him right now.
redbridge13 - February 20, 2012
Um .. have you noticed just how bad we have played with him out of the lineup?
KG may no longer be a super elite all-star, but he’s still extremely valuable.
Yes, I’d love for us to replace him with someone younger as our starter. But I could still see him giving 18-20 minutes of high-impact basketball next year. Imagine him off your bench!
mmmmm - February 21, 2012
Jackie Macmullan predicts that KG will retire at the end of this season too
Not sure if she’s basing this on conversations she’s had with him but it sounds like it could very well be true.
If it is, It would be better to see him go out as a Celtic and while he’s still able to be a meaningful contributor anyway. Seeing KG finish his career coming off the bench for the Wizards or some other crappy team would just be painful to watch.
BlackMass - February 20, 2012
Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen
Will retire AS Celtics.
Not in Charlotte. Not in Washington. Not in Lakers. Not in Atlanta. Not in Miami. Not in Chicago.
But Boston.
As for the rest of the roster, do whatever you want to them…I don’t really care about Rondo now that Perkins is gone. Those two are better off being west-coast team.
SparzWizard - February 21, 2012
+1
Not sure if Ainge can get Howard but I agree and would prefer also to see the C’s build the team around a quality big man if possible as they seek to rebuild.
fordescort - February 20, 2012
Portland not going to hit 30 by half time
Lakers up 52-25
vinnie - February 20, 2012
Mercy. Spurs won their 11th straight tonight
vinnie - February 20, 2012
Relax. Things can be changed for the better quickly in the NBA. Look at the Knicks and Orlando
The C’s now is just like the Knicks and Magic two weeks ago; guys were down, morale was down, loses kept piling up. But a lucky break here and there can turn things around in a hurry. Maybe the C’s can find that ‘switch’ comes March ….. although I am not holding my breath this time.
getthat18now - February 20, 2012
You are so optimistic :D
Too bad, it won’t change my view.
SparzWizard - February 21, 2012
Okay, so this team is old and everyone knows it. That’s not a reason for a mediocre W-L record. I mean, just take a look at the Spurs.
Army_of_One_Nation(Celtic's Nation) - February 21, 2012
More than just age. Also a lot of guys prone to minor injuries
Spurs are amazing, however. Top 3 team in the west
vinnie - February 21, 2012
They were last year too, then got upset by the grizzlies.
We’ve see that movie already, we know the ending.
C'sFan - February 21, 2012
Agree. The problem isn't age.
Rondo has missed a lot of time and he’s young. Pietrus missed a bunch of time to start the season. Wilcox (not young but not old either) missed a bunch of time. Bass is definitely not old.
Other than Ray, KG, JO & Pierce, the rest of the roster is actually very young.
Biggest problem to me has been inability to generate high percentage looks on offense though. We keep settling for low-percentage outside shots. And while some of that is lack of size, more often it seems like just plain poor execution of basics. Where the hell has our pick & roll gone? Why can’t we set a simple baseline screen anymore? Why do we miss wide-open shots from 6 feet away?
Our defense continues to be elite. But our basic, fundamental execution on offense is ridiculously bad.
mmmmm - February 21, 2012
Tony Parker is carrying them
Superb PG and he’s actually not that old. Kawhi Leonard has also been great for them (defensively, intangibles). Tiago Splitter off the bench scoring easy points in the paint… It’s amazing what they’ve been able to do. We just don’t have a Parker kind of player who will carry us consistently this year… Oh, and we also suck at rebounding :(
Celticsdude - February 21, 2012
Sadly
The only switch thats getting flipped is the one on my tV set if this keeps up. Agree on the Spurs… Old Center— PF- and unathletic (Bonner) plus a bunch of young guys mixed in (who get to actually play). Two things they do… (1)— leave their pG to drive and attack (2) throw in to the post and create from there. Here’s hoping for that….
P stoff - February 21, 2012
I want this team to pull it together
I used to get emotional and fired up about losses but now I just hope they find a way to pull it together. I’ve watched many bad teams and I can deal with a bad team but the thing is this team isn’t bad. I hope they figure it out.
p-peazy - February 21, 2012
I wish the C's had a Matt Bonner-type of player...
looks silly but a 20 point guy at times.
jess m - February 21, 2012
I have to wonder
how different this season would be going if Jeff Green was healthy and playing.
apmojoint34 - February 21, 2012
Right now, I would rather have Rasheed Wallace taking ill-advised 3's for the Celtics
Than seeing this team tremble inside-out with their no presence!
SparzWizard - February 21, 2012
No Players No wins
It seems everybody on the Celtic roster is hurt. And the sad part is our younger legs seem to get hurt a lot more than our vets. This has been the problem that we have had the last 2 seasons already. You would think Danny would have caught on to injury prone players. And the other thing Dallas just was too big. We dont have a frontline. All we have are guards. At this point I believe we have the need for Sheed. There arent any trades out there that would help this team in the long run. I say just let this season play out see who we can fish from the money we open up in the free agent waters in rebuild from there. But seriously we gotta sign a legit center at least for the remainder of this season. Hell id even take Dennis Rodman at this point.
The green mamba - February 21, 2012 via mobile
+1
I don’t care what age players we get. This is worse than losing KG in 08-09…or Shaq last season.
Honestly, we aren’t gonna win one this year just by looking at this team!! We are now the no. 8 seed in the East, and Cleveland Cavaliers are just 2 games behind us. We can expect another loss on Wednesday since OKC rarely loses at home, and no one to defend the high-speed Westbrook or being overpowered in the paint by Serge Ibaka or Kendrick Perkins.
Rasheed Wallace, Nenad Krstic, heck Shelden Williams…I wouldn’t mind signing them at this point.
SparzWizard - February 21, 2012
Hate to keep beating a dead horse but
other than the injuries does anyone think Doc’s lack of creativeness to come up with a gameplan to utilize his entire roster has inhibited the W/L ratio this season?We’re 31 games in still trying to run the same offesne, 31 games in still trying to get our players to execute. I see The spurs gettin it done, Lakers, Dallas. All teams with modifeid and aged rosters like ours, and they appear to have been able to figure it out. Why do we still look like its the first 3 games of the season, even when we are healthy. To re-emphasize, I love Doc as a players coach, I just dont think he’s the right coach for THIS years team. This years team needs to rely more on strategiess implemented by the coaches then on their athleticism. It’s not happening, and we’re not winning.
cltc5 - February 21, 2012
I think there is something to this.
I can understand that Doc has an offensive system that is designed with certain personnel in mind and that when you get in a situation where those personnel are missing it may not fit best with the players you have as replacements.
But it shouldn’t be THIS inefficient. I don’t understand why we are having such trouble running basic pick-roll or setting/using basic screens.
Doc seems able to do miracles in getting them to play overall good defense, despite the changes in personnel. Yes, at times our perimeter looks like a turnstile, letting attackers penetrate to our post. And rebounding is still not where it should be. But overall the defensive numbers are still among the best in the league, despite all the turnover. Especially in the most important stat – points. Our DRtg of 98.4 pts per 100 possessions is 4th in the NBA. That’s testament to Doc’s ability to change the way he wants them playing defense to fit our personnel, switching between man, help & zone schemes as needed.
But why can’t we get the same athletes to successfully play offense at even a league average level? Our ORtg is a miserable 100.0 even. That’s 24th.
Ugh.
mmmmm - February 21, 2012
why
see my post P stoff Observations— I think it explains part of our issue.
P stoff - February 21, 2012
unfortunately, your post just echos the same question
It illustrates in detail our failure to do execute basics on offense, but it is doesn’t explain ‘why’.
Good details, though.
mmmmm - February 21, 2012
Actually it says over and over why
you can execute a double screen perfectly— but if the defense knows its coming, they can stop it from being a scoring play (like i described). When you pick and roll, for example, the roll man should be rolling to a place where there is no defender or teammate. Not so last night on numerous occasions. If another defender sagged to cover a roll, his man (our guy) was not in a place where we could use his sagging to our advantage. Again, we EXECUTED the play—- we just got nothing from it because of poor spacing and poor design IMO. We don’t even attempt slip screens anymore— went completely away from our best play (baseline pick and roll), andREPEATEDLY went to our LEAST SUCCESSFUL set. Finally, explaining why we don’t execute is a much larger question—- like why Rondo dribbles the ball off his foot on occasion… it just happens sometimes.
P stoff - February 21, 2012
You shouldn't have gone to bed, you missed the best part of the game...
…where Doc calls a timeout and takes his frustrations out on Moore after he missed a defensive assignment. Kid hasn’t played in weeks and he’s suppose to be perfect while the vets get a pass even though they don’t box out or set screens correctly.
yakyakyak - February 21, 2012
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