The Celtics

[Michael Joseph Byrnes <mbyrnes@leland.Stanford.EDU>]

Well, I've just returned from my holiday trip to Massachusetts, and I got
to see a lot of Celts games on TV while I was there, so I thought I'd pass
on my impressions of the team and the players.

Defensively, the Celtics are very impressive, both when pressing and in
their halfcourt defense.  The Celtics defense simply does not allow their
opponents to make careless mistakes.  Whenever an opposing player fails to
take care of the ball, or makes a bad pass, the Celtics take it away.  In
addition, the Celtics play with much more intensity than they have in at
least the last five years.  Sometimes this leads to stupid fouls, but it
also leads to blocked shots and solid defensive plays.  The C's seem 
very effective at neutralizing their size disadvantage by using their
quickness, and by fronting the opposing big men and preventing them from
getting the ball down low.  The biggest problem I saw with their defense
was that when teams break the press they torch the Celtics for a lot of
easy baskets, as do teams that pass the ball very well in their halfcourt
offense.  (For example, against the Spurs - a team ideally suited to
exploit the Celtics weaknesses - Duncan and Robinson had field days,
especially against the Celtics press.)  I would still like to see more
size, and now that Pervis is back and DeClerq is playing well, I'd like to
see Pitino try a bigger lineup on occasion with Knight and Pervis in the
game and Walker at the three spot.  

On the whole, I was very impressed with the Celtics defense.  Their
offense was a different story.  In fact, I think it could be argued that
the Celtics don't even have an offense at this point.  Their only
offensive strategy seems to be to find a player with a hot hand and have
him take a lot of jump shots.  That may work fine when they have a player
who is shooting well, but not when the whole team is struggling.  What
they do NOT do is pass the ball well and free players for easy shots.
They don't work the ball inside well, and too many of their shots are
"forced" (i.e., not in the flow of the offense).  They are also terrible
at running the fast break - ironic for a team whose defense forces so many
turnovers.  I can't remember ever seeing a basketball team have so much
trouble scoring on the fast break - if even one opposing player manages to
get back on defense, the Celtic with the ball will, more often than not,
make the wrong decision.  Very seldom do they create easy shots from the
break - even when they do score, it is often on a difficult shot.
Personnel-wise, the C's offense seems to lack a big "go to" guy in the
post, and, more importantly, a floor leader who can generate some easy
looks at the basket, both in transition and in the halfcourt offense.

Defensively, I would give the Celtics a B+ (too many easy buckets
prevents me from giving an A). Offensively, I would give them a D (Sure,
they can still score well enough to win *now*, but, if they make the
playoffs, their current offense will dry up as teams step up their
defensive intensity.

As for Pitino, I think he has to get an A+.  The team has already won more
games than it did all of last year, and his coaching and personnel moves
have been the reason for the turnaround.  However, if he wants to keep his
'A+', by season's end he had best teach his team how to run the fast break
properly.

As for the players:

Antoine Walker:  I have very mixed emotions about Walker.  Clearly, he is
the best talent on the team.  While he does not have the athleticism of
a Ron Mercer (or a Kevin Garnett), he has skills that few other big men
have.  Although he is 6'9" and plays power forward, he handles the ball
like a guard, and also has a guard's shooting range.  In addition to that,
he is an excellent rebounder, and he has certainly put up "All-Star"
numbers, averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds.  On the down side, too much
of his offense is forced, and - despite picking up a decent number of
assists - he does not pass the ball nearly as well as he should, given his
talent.  I think he picks up a lot of assists mainly because he handles
the ball so much.  However, he is a "black hole" when he takes the ball
inside - a player of Walker's talent *should* be able to find the open man
against double and triple teams inside, instead of forcing up a poor shot.
I think he hits just enough of those crazy, inside shots to keep taking
them instead of looking for other options.  He is also the worst Celtic at
running the fast break - which is unfortuante since he often seems to be
leading it.  He almost *never* passes the ball, and very rarely ends up
with an easy shot.  I almost hope that he does not make the
All-Star team, because there is clearly so much room for improvement
in his game.  Based on what I saw of Walker, I think he clearly has
the talent to be a franchise player, but I am not yet convinced that he
has the desire, work-ethic, and willingness to improve his game that is
necessary for a franchise player.  Should the Celtics give him the big
bucks?  I don't know, but I think Rick Pitino is certainly qualified to
make that call.  A while ago, some people on this list were comparing
Walker to Larry Bird.  At this point in his career, Walker doesn't even
deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as Bird (not that there are
more than a handful of players who do).  While his numbers are almost (but
not quite) comparable to the young Bird's, numbers don't tell the whole
story.  Bird was a floor leader who created lots of easy offense for his
teammates, both in the halfcourt offense *and* in transition. (perhaps the
best forward in league history at doing that), while Walker does not
improve the offesnive play of those around him (though I do believe he has
the talent to improve his game in this area, *if* he works at it).
Replace Walker with Bird and this Celtic team would already have 20 wins.

Ron Mercer:  He is the most athletic Celtic, and, as he matures, he will
probably have the best jump shot on the team.  At this point, his jumper
is still streaky (he had a 7-22 game).  He seems to be able to create shot
opportunities for himself off of the dribble, but he doesn't seem to be
able to drive to the hoop.  

Walter McCarty:  I like McCarty for his hustle and energy, but he is hard
to figure out as a player.  He seems to have 3 point shooting range, but
his shot is very inconsistent.  His scoring is even streaky within games -
he can score 15 in the first half and not get to 20 on the night.  I'm not
sure he'll ever be a primary offensive option, but I like him for his
streak offense and everything else he brings to the game.  Ideally, I
think he is most suited to being a role player/energizer who backs up the
3 and 4 positions, but for now he is just fine as a starter on this Celtic
team.

Chauncey Billups:  I like the various pieces of his game, but, at least
for now, he is no point guard.  His defense is usually very good, he has
good shooting range (as he matures he should become a more dangerous
shooter), and he has some ability to drive.  However, at least for now, he
is not the floor leader that the Celtics so desparately need.  Perhaps in
time he will develop into a point guard.  If not, his future might be as a
third guard.  If he were a couple of inches taller, I would be in favor of
shifting him to the 2 spot, but he is probably too short to log major
minutes there.  I think the best thing to do with Billups is give him time
and see if he matures at the point.

Travis Knight:  Knight looks like the least muscular player on the team,
though he looks like he is big enough to put on some muscle in the
offseason.  He is the "niftiest" player in the Celtics 3-headed center
monster.  His outside shot and passing skills are better than you would
expect for a big man, and he runs the floor well and comes up with steals
and blocks.  However, he cannot match up well with the true centers in the
league (fortunately there aren't many).  He aslo seems very streaky, as he
had an excellent game against the Lakers, but didn't play all that well in
many of the other games I saw.  I think he will earn the money he is
getting paid, and that he will opt out of his deal after three years and
get even more.  The comparisons to McIlvane are laughable.  He is no bust.

Dana Barros:  Doesn't seem to shoot as well as I would have expected, but
he hustles on defense and, in the games I saw, drove to the hoop more
often than Chauncey does.  He is a good role player, though I doubt that
Pitino will be able to trade him, as his contract is still too big.

Bruce Bowen:  I like this guy!  Though he is not always the best offensive
player, he works very hard on defense and on the boards, and is always
coming up with steals and blocks.  Bowen alone justifies the Celtics
decision to swap second round picks with Miami to obtain Chris Wallace.

Tyus Edney:  I wasn't all that impressed with Edney.  He seems to be third
on Pitino's point guard depth chart, and, though he may be the best "true"
point guard on the team, his size seems to limit him from being a key part
of Pitino's rotation.  While he can penetrate, for some reason he doesn't
score off of the penetration as well as a player like Sherman Douglas.

Dee Brown:  I was thouroughly unimpressed with Dee Brown.  Although he may
be the best Celtic at running the fast break, he does little else.  He
never drives to the hoop, and his outside shot is not good or consistent.
I think the Celtics will be stuck with Dee and his contract, and he won't
contribute much.  Maybe the C's can send him to Europe a la Dino Radja.

Greg Minor:  He seems kind of like Brice Bowen, though with better offense
and lesser defense.  He played very well at times, and wasn't noticeable
in others.

Andrew DeClerq:  Man, does this guy play hard!  His hustle creates plenty
of opportunities; unfortunately he doesn't seem to be good enough to take
much advantage of them.  If he could get just a little better at finishing
plays (and shooting free throws), there would be a big improvement in his
overall production.

Pervis Ellison:  Of the Celtics' three captains, Pervis is the one guy who
actually deserves the honor.  If he had a pair of knees, the Celtics would 
easily make the playoffs this season.  Even without knees, he somehow
manages to come through with key rebounds, blocks, and steals.

Dontae Jones:  Didn't see him play.

John Thomas:  Didn't see him play.

Roy Rogers:  Did not impress me, though he didn't really have much
opportunity to do so.  Seems clueless on offense, and I never saw his
defense become much of a factor (though he had a couple of key blocks in a
game I didn't see).

Michael Byrnes
mbyrnes@stanford.edu