OK, I can't take it anymore ...

[Berry, Mark S]

I keep reading about how badly the Celtics needed a "true" point guard
last season ... a "pass-first" point guard. It's driving me crazy. So I
looked up the stats. Here we go:

 

Player A

17 field goal attempts per 48 minutes

7.2 assists per 48 

3.4 turnovers per 48 

3.5 rebounds per 48

39 percent shooting

4.7 3-point field goal attempts per 48

 

Player B

13.6 field goal attempts per 48

6.5 assists per 48

2.5 turnovers per 48

5.7 rebounds per 48

49 percent shooting

4.3 3-point attempts per 48

 

 

Of course, Player A is Telfair and Player B is Delonte. 

 

Delonte is not Jason Kidd. News flash: Neither is Telfair. You want my
definition of a "true" point guard? It's one who thinks team and
teammates first, last and always. That's why Delonte fit the bill for me
last year - and that was just his first full season playing the position
since high school. Delonte had to be goaded to shoot more last season to
take advantage of that ridiculous 49 percent shooting percentage. You
think they were pushing Telfair to shoot more in Portland last season?
With that 39 percent shooting percentage? 

 

So Telfair, the "pass-first" point guard, shoots more than Delonte, but
he doesn't shoot as well. Let's look at assists. Yep, Telfair has the
advantage there - by .7 assists per 48. But what about turnovers? He
averages .9 more per 48 than Delonte. That .7 doesn't look so good
anymore. .7 assists to .9 turnovers is a bad ratio.

 

And then you have the rebounding. It's not a requirement for a point
guard - more of a luxury. But it's quite a luxury with Delonte. On a
team that apparently is starting Theo Ratliff and Ryan Gomes up front,
the fact that Delonte averages 2 more rebounds per 48 than Telfair
should mean something. And defensively? Delonte is in another league
(although Telfair probably is better suited to defend the small, quick
guards that gave Delonte problems - think Brevin Knight).

 

OK ... but surely Telfair ran the team better than Delonte, right? Well,
Portland shot 44.5 percent as a team to Boston's 46.7 percent. The
Blazers averaged 89 points per game, the Celtics averaged 98. And the
Celtics won more games, too.

 

What happened over the summer to make Telfair the starting point guard?
Are the Celtics really a better team with Telfair starting and seeing
big minutes over Delonte? I'm sure they're better with Telfair replacing
Orien Greene's minutes, but they'd be better with Rajon Rondo replacing
Greene's minutes. Hell, they'd be better with me replacing Orien Green's
minutes. 

 

Really ... what am I missing? I watched every game last season. I can't
remember ever thinking "we'd be fine if we only had a point guard." I
thought that about power forward. I thought it about center. I thought
it about the bench. And I definitely thought it about the coach. But I
never thought Delonte was the problem. Yet we've sacrificed defense,
rebounding, shooting, ball security and leadership at that position for
... what? Flashy passing? Better fast breaks? That's it? 

 

Had to get that off my chest. Telfair probably will go out and have a
triple double tonight.

 

Mark