An opposing team's scout sizes up the Celtics

[BDodgers at aol.com]

Boston Celtics


An opposing team's scout sizes up the Celtics 
You would say they have some nice young pieces only -- only -- if they would 
commit themselves on the defensive side of the ball. If they go at this season 
from a defensive posture, they're going to surprise some people and contend 
for the number 7 or 8 spot in the East. But do I think that's going to happen? 
No ... 
Doc Rivers' track record is that he's an offensive coach. He's very, very 
good at that end of the court -- they do good fundamental things with their slice 
cut and running that 1-4 set and X'ing off the high post -- and statistically 
the Celtics were top 10 offensively last year. They're already good in that 
area, and the facts are that playing that way got them only 33 wins last year. 
If they think they're going to win by outscoring and outrunning people, then 
that will be the death of them ... 
If they fail to base their team on defense, then structurally their roster 
doesn't make any sense. They've got two young, small point guards in Sebastian 
Telfair and Rajon Rondo who can't shoot a lick, which means that defenses will 
ignore them in the halfcourt. So are they planning to run all night with Wally 
Sczcerbiak and Paul Pierce on the wings? I don't see that combination keeping 
opposing coaches up at night. First of all, I have doubts about their 
rebounding, which may hurt their ability to get out in transition. I would also 
question whether Pierce really wants to run a lot; I would think he wants to 
conserve himself a bit in order to stay on the floor. I also think Pierce is going 
to be frustrated with Telfair because he isn't a pass-first point guard -- 
Telfair's game is to get to the lane and if he can't score, then he dishes it out. 
The problem in the halfcourt is that defenses are going to play Telfair one 
on one until he proves that he's capable of finishing in the lane, so it's not 
like he's going to force the defense to collapse and instantly create open 
shots for Pierce ... 
If they're serious about going uptempo then they'll probably hope to develop 
Gerald Green as the other wing alongside Pierce, which could make Sczcerbiak 
expendable. The word is that his knee has improved since last season, but even 
then he's still going to be the weak link defensively ... 
They're putting way too much faith in young guys like Al Jefferson, Gerald 
Green, Kendrick Perkins and Delonte West. The latter two are career backups if 
you have a good team. Green may turn out to be a starter, but I don't see him 
as a future All-Star. They were too soft on Jefferson after he sprained his 
ankle last year; the danger is that he'll start to believe that he's one of those 
special young projects that the franchise doesn't want to put at risk. He 
needs to overcome his inability to play with some pain, which is a huge detriment 
for a big man. He has a shot at becoming good because his skills in the 
low-post are so lacking throughout the NBA, which makes him potentially rare and 
valuable. In the meantime it's going to take him years to learn to dedicate 
himself to improving his defense and rebounding enough to complement his low-post 
game ... 
Ryan Gomes had a nice rookie year, but as a 'tweener he should be the eighth 
man in your rotation. If you play him more than 20 minutes he'll really 
struggle against the quicker 3 men, and he'll be overpowered by the bigger 4s. But 
he's another guy that's good to have coming off your bench ... 
I will never understand how they could invest a five-year contract in Brian 
Scalabrine ... 
I think nobody will be surprised if they try to trade Tony Allen. Not only is 
he coming off knee surgery but he also had legal troubles a year ago ... 
If they struggle this year, how is Pierce going to react? Over the years he's 
seen the Celtics make a bunch of changes that haven't worked out, so is he 
going to pull a Jason Kidd and talk about being traded to a winner while he's 
still in his prime? Last year Pierce began to show more trust in his teammates, 
though in the fourth quarter he returned to his habit of get out of the way 
and give me the ball -- which was totally understandable considering the youth 
of his teammates. Pierce is one of the top 10 players in the league at creating 
his own opportunities because when he attacks the basket he has tremendous 
body control athletically and his focus on finishing is at the highest level ... 
Their failed attempts to trade for Allen Iverson last summer showed me that 
the Celtics are panicking. As a duo I don't think they would have been a 
disaster because they both want to win so badly. From the management side it was a 
very revealing play: This was a franchise that used to focus on championships, 
but they had to know that Iverson wasn't going to win any banners for them -- 
they obviously wanted him to help sell tickets and create buzz and make them 
relevant again. So it demonstrated that their longterm plan isn't working and 
they were desperate to create some enthusiasm for their organization ... 
I go back to their decision to trade Antoine Walker three years ago. If 
they'd kept Walker and Pierce together, they could have continued to make the 
playoffs while acquiring the same kinds of young players they have now because they 
were all mid-to-late draft picks ... 
I don't know what the vision is. When they weren't trying to get Iverson, the 
Celtics were making moves and draft picks that left them younger than last 
year. If they struggle, it wouldn't surprise me to see a coaching change before 
the end of the season, especially with Doc making it clear throughout last 
year that he misses being with his family in Florida. The question then will be 
whether executive director Danny Ainge takes over the bench, though everyone 
knows he doesn't want to go back to coaching.