I go way back with J.A. Sherman of the Thunder blog Welcome to Loud City, so it only made sense for us to do a Q&A prior to tonight's game. You can find my answers to his questions on WTLC. Here are my questions to him.
1) So, if you had to do it over and had the first pick in the draft, would you pick Durant or Oden? Seriously though, how different would your team look if Portland had picked Jordan, errr, Durant and you got Bowie, errr, Oden? (I've been struck by how important luck is, even to great teams/GMs)
You and I have both been following this NBA game for a long, long time, so we know that luck can be unmercifully cruel (Hi, Tim Duncan). Even worse, sometimes it seems like some franchises receive an inordinate amount of luck over time, such as when Shaq and Penny Hardaway were drafted in consecutive years by the Magic. The Thunder too fall into that category. Despite being relocated from Seattle to OKC under the most dubious ways, the Thunder were still able to draft four of their five current starters within the span of three years (Durant in '07, Westbrook in '08, and Harden & Ibaka in '09).
On the other side of the coin, you have teams like the Trail Blazers. Whether it was Jordan vs Bowie, Durant vs Oden, or the rash of injuries that have befallen that organization like with Brandon Roy, it just seems like bad luck seems to find that team. So if they had taken Durant over Oden, perhaps things might have turned out differently for both franchises, with Durant, Roy, and Aldridge forming a nucleus for the future in Portland and OKC ending up lost in the morass with a new fanbase wondering why their centerpiece in Oden never actually plays. Or...we might be discussing today the unbelievable bad luck of finding out that Portland star-to-be Kevin Durant is missing two toes and a knee and that Thunder big man Greg Oden is an actual Benjamin Button.
Already down Rajon Rondo due to suspension and with Jermaine O'Neal (sprained left wrist) and Chris Wilcox (right adductor strain) nursing day-to-day injuries, the Celtics might be forced to use a 13th variation of their starting lineup Wednesday night during the pre-All-Star finale against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
A glance at the 12 other lineups used this season, with their record (with help from numbers maintained by Celtics' media relations):
| Games | Forward | Forward | Center | Guard | Guard | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Pavlovic | Garnett | O’Neal | Allen | Rondo | 0-3 |
| 12 | Pierce | Garnett | O’Neal | Allen | Rondo | 6-6 |
| 1 | Pierce | Garnett | Stiemsma | Allen | Rondo | 1-0 |
| 1 | Pierce | Garnett | O’Neal | Dooling | Rondo | 1-0 |
| 2 | Pierce | Garnett | Bass | Allen | Rondo | 0-2 |
| 4 | Pierce | Garnett | O’Neal | Allen | Bradley | 3-1 |
| 2 | Pierce | Bass | Garnett | Pietrus | Bradley | 2-0 |
| 1 | Pierce | Garnet | O’Neal | Pavlovic | Bradley | 1-0 |
| 1 | Pierce | Bass | Garnett | Allen | Bradley | 0-1 |
| 1 | Pierce | Wilcox | Garnett | Allen | Rondo | 1-0 |
| 1 | Pierce | Wilcox | O’Neal | Allen | Rondo | 0-2 |
| 1 | Pierce | Wilcox | O’Neal | Allen | Bradley | 0-1 |
What's startling to me is that we are only 31 games in and we've seen this many lineups for a team with four definite starters. The only spot in question may be the center spot, but it has remained clear that Jermaine O'Neal is Doc's starter when healthy. From my standpoint for a completely healthy roster, I'd like to see Chris Wilcox start games with the Big-4. Having someone to run with Rondo is a necessity and this lineup would also give the second unit a bonafide defending big man in O'Neal. They haven't lost with this starting lineup yet (1-0 baby!) although it was against the D-Roseless Bulls. Wilcox needs a playmaker on the floor with him to maximize his efficiency getting to the rim and Rondo fits this bill perfectly. Why not give it a shot Doc? What do you guys think?
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I've been beating this drum for a while, but it is nice to hear someone else say it so I know I'm not (overly) crazy. Paul Flannery makes the following points.
As Celtics falter, Danny Ainge's test begins - WEEI | Paul Flannery
It’s been said before, but it’s worth repeating again because the calls are getting louder for Ainge to do something – anything – after the depleted Celtics were blown out by the Mavericks, 89-73 on Monday night. They have lost four straight and six of seven to fall below .500, scuttling what had been a modest revival. But here it is again: Ainge doesn’t have to blow up the Celtics because he already did. He’s dragged as much as he can out of this run while timing almost everything to end when the extension Garnett signed upon his arrival is completed. He will have ample cap space, two All-Stars including a 25-year-old point guard, a respected coach locked up on a long-term contract and at least two picks in what will be a loaded draft. There are teams who spend years wandering in the NBA abyss trying to get themselves into this position with half the assets that Ainge will possess if he simply lets the season play out and does nothing at the trade deadline.
He follows up with a detailed look at what the Celtics would look like next year if they make no trades this season (and don't land Dwight Howard in the offseason). They won't be contenders out of the gate, but they'll have a very solid start to the rebuilding process.
One interesting note: If the season ended today, the Celtics would have the 15th and 23rd picks in the draft. Guess who's being ranked right around the 15 spot... Duke guard (and a certain coach's son) Austin Rivers.
Defense may win Championships, but if your offense is pitiful, there's only so much you can do. Take these stats that Ben Rohrbach put together.
Irish Coffee: 5 awful Celtics statistics, 1 good one
Dropping to 26th among 30 NBA teams in points scored, the Celtics haven’t scored more than 95 points in eight straight games. In the shot clock era (since the 1954-55 season), the Celtics have had only three other streaks of such woeful offense: From Dec. 30, 2000 to Jan. 12, 2001 (8 games), from Jan. 21 to Feb. 4, 2006 (9 games) and from Oct. 31 to Nov. 26, 2003 (13 games). Two of those teams failed to make the playoffs, and the other got swept in the first round of the 2003 NBA playoffs.
Ouch. Can this team turn things around and become at least more respectable on offense? Sure. But it would help a lot if they could rebound.
The good news? The 2003-04 Pistons owned the league's best defense, ranked 24th in points scored and won the NBA championship. Of course, that team ranked in the top half of the league in rebounding.
Did I mention that the Celtics are dead last in rebounding? (Facepalm)
The idea isn't a new one, but I think it is worth talking about. If the Nets knew they couldn't get Howard and didn't have a chance of keeping Williams, then the Celtics would be a very logical team to contact I think.
Here's an idea: Deron Williams for Rajon Rondo
One person in the Nets organization who is not directly connected to negotiations with Williams offered his opinion on the star's intentions, saying he doesn't think there's any chance the guard stays with New Jersey. He also thought the team would be wise to come to grips with that and trade him before the March 15 deadline. If Williams is available, and you're the Celtics, don't you dust off the Chris Paul trade folder and go hard for him? You'd have to part with Rajon Rondo and someone else (Jermaine O'Neal fits neatly from a cap standpoint) to get the deal done. But it's worth it if you're the Celtics.
Of course you'd need to get some assurance from Williams that he'd stick around, but given Howard's preference to play with Williams, he might be enough to entice Dwight to Beantown. I think it would at least be worth a shot.
Herald Rondo suspended, but not before some ironic words
Well before Rajon Rondo threw the ball at referee Sean Wright Sunday night, triggering the two-game suspension that starts with tonight's game in Dallas, he had actually been the voice of caution in the Celtics locker room.
"You could tell he lost his composure, because at halftime he was the one saying hey guys, let Doc work on the refs," Doc Rivers said before tonight's game against the Mavs. "You leave them alone. So clearly that (ball toss) was not intentional."
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Gerry Callahan, never shy, has declared that it is time to trade Rajon Rondo. To his credit, he does list the reasons to hang onto him (he's young, healthy, and reasonably priced for a top 10 point guard) but gives the following pitch to pitch the point guard.
Tempered enthusiasm - BostonHerald.com
Trade him? Seems wiser to trade everyone else and build anew around him. But then you wonder: How long will that take? Three years, maybe more? Rondo has three years (and $36 million) left on his contract after this season, and even when things are going OK, he appears impatient, annoyed, petulant. You think that guy will provide veteran leadership and a steady hand in the post-Kevin Garnett era? Or is the Rondo we saw Sunday night the player we will see on a nightly basis after Garnett and Ray Allen have left the building?
Predictably he offers up no possible trade scenarios. Just advocates trading him away. Personally I would like to see what the return is before I sign up for this plan. I was ok with offering him up for Chris Paul. There are probably other deals out there that could make sense, but not many in my opinion.
For Ainge's part, he's not going to admit to anything and if anything he has to make sure that the vultures aren't circling.
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