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

Tue Oct 10 10:13:50 CDT 2006

Very well documented, and I saw all the games too.  Still I think
Telfair and Rondo will step up the overall pace of the team and thus
improve it.  Delonte won't miss a step either and may shoot more, which
is his specialty.  PP, Zerb, Raef and West had a nice niche, well
organized mix which relied on intelligent movement and great shooting,
but power and athleticism was definitely lacking.

Just as the Ricky trade was to clean up the atmosphere, Raef for Rae and
the infusion of Telfair and Rondo should take this team a notch higher.

I know it made you feel better, but stats (are crap) can be very
deceiving. They skip over the team chemistry and don't reflect
competitiveness truly. Maybe after a year with the same team, you'll be
able to get out these same stats and they will be more valid.  Hopefully
by then you'll (we) feel better about it too.

Jorge

-----Original Message-----
From: celtics-bounces at igtc.com [mailto:celtics-bounces at igtc.com] On
Behalf Of Berry, Mark S
Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2006 9:31 AM
To: The Boston Celtics Mailing List
Subject: OK, I can't take it anymore ...

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

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