Age and treachery always overcome youth and skill

[Ryan, Patrick S Maj RES USAFR 439 MSG]

Compare years of NBA service and age of the top 8 players of Philly and
Boston left after their "top 2" are out of the picture - it's not even
close. Philly has veterans at the point, center, and shooting guard some two
positions two deep with vets; lower paid vets, but all, at the least,
consistent journeymen vets whose numbers are the same night in and night
out.
 
The Celtics main 8 players are: West, Jefferson, Perkins, Scalabrine, Gomes,
Telfair, Rondo, and Green right now with Olowakandi as #9 with the guys
getting the bulk of minutes being West, Rondo, Gomes, and Jefferson - who's
the veteran in there? Who's taking the pressure off, providing direction, a
calming influence, the experience?????? A second year player - Ryan Gomes,
who at best is a solid journeyman for his career, that's who.
 
Compare just the PG position - Kevin Ollie and Andre Miller vs. Sebastian
Telfair and Rajon Rondo? What's that a twelve or thirteen year experience
difference right there - at a position that drives the rest of the bus?
 
Experience counts in the NBA - counts for consistency, counts with the refs
for fouls (both giving and receiving), counts for defensive knowledge,
counts for crunch time performance and intensity. 
 
Now this isn't an excuse for Ainge, in fact it's an indictment, because he
didn't sign any veteran depth as Sean G. very eloquently pointed out
earlier. It is an excuse for the Celtics players because they simply don't
have the experience necessary to succeed. They have no one to count on under
pressure at this point in their development. Put one or two of them with
three vets both starting and off the bench and you'd see MARKED improvement
(like maybe the start of the season when we were actually surrounding them
with vets AT LEAST in the starting rotation - the second team has been and
will be woefully deficient vet wise on the Celtics due to Ainge's terrible
free agent record). 
 
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What is wrong with this picture?  Oh yeah, our young guys actually are not
very good.