Another loss to a bad team

[Kim Malo]

At 06:27 PM 12/7/2006, Berry, Mark  S wrote:
>I'm talking about the fact that he FINALLY played 26 minutes. He'd
>managed as many as 20 only once before this season and has been nothing
>more than a spot player. I'm saying a guy that good has to be more than
>a spot player.
>
>Mark

Sorry, not a mind reader. You said it in a thread about last night's 
game, which Tony rather than Gerald started, specifically citing Tony 
as the alternative. And I'm supposed to assume you're talking about 
20 other things?

Tony, who you cite, has averaged a whopping 3 min more per game.  So 
no, it's not like Gerald is being buried in his favor. You could 
argue that he's being "buried" at least as much in Delonte's favor, 
since both are the "other scorers" we often need out there and 
Delonte gets twice as many minutes despite Gerald shooting much 
better from both 2 pt and 3 pt range. Yes, I know Delonte does other 
things, but I'll tell you what, they aren't all positive. I'd just as 
soon see Gerald get some of Delonte's minutes on nights when Delonte 
is in one of his frustrating, keep taking and missing quick outside 
shots without looking at anyone else, while also regularly pounding 
the ball into the floor as the shot clock runs down modes. Would you 
be equally in favor of that minutes swap? Yeah, I thought not.

Anyway, Gerald has been getting more minutes as he's shown himself a 
much more complete player than last year's shoot it wind up doll. I'd 
have hesitated to slot him for 20 at the beginning of the season, 
since I know nobody wants to hear it, but the holes in one player's 
game affect everyone else out on the court with him and we have most 
of our team in a state of development too. Enough more minutes? 
probably not, but he was 26 last night and 19 the game before, 
despite an 11 minute average. So it's coming.

And I also agree about giving Tony even fewer, since he's no longer 
even particularly effective on defense (Miller was eating him alive 
last night running him off picks and cripes, Tony should have been 
able to at least keep up with him on quickness alone, picks or no 
picks), which is the primary reason to have him out there.  Dunno as 
Gerald is necessarily my first alternative for those minutes though. 
Lot of times it's Rondo to get the same sort of pesky defense out 
there Tony is supposed to bring.

I definitely agree about Doc being maddening on this sort of thing - 
ask Ryan Gomes about last year or Perk getting buried when we needed 
rebounding to close out games all last year.

But it's hardly the either/or you had set it up to be and that I had 
responded to, whatever you meant instead.

Kim

>-----Original Message-----
>From: celtics-bounces at igtc.com [mailto:celtics-bounces at igtc.com] On
>Behalf Of Kim Malo
>Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2006 6:08 PM
>To: The Boston Celtics Mailing List
>Subject: RE: Another loss to a bad team
>
>At 09:07 AM 12/7/2006, Berry, Mark  S wrote:
> >Gerald Green can play. He's still a clueless kid, but are we really
> >going to keep down this path as a 5-12 team while that kid rots on the
> >bench? Really? We're going to play Tony Allen instead?
>
>Rots on the bench? Green played 25 min and Tony 19. While Doc
>admitted after the game that that last play was supposed to go to him
>(as it should have). What am I missing here that you're seeing?
>I agree I'd have played Tony less because he wasn't even being
>effective on defense but Green hardly rotted on the bench.
>Kim