Tag Archives: boston celtics

Celts Thoughts

Here are some thoughts on the Celtics as training camps open:

  • It’ll be interesting to see how much KG has left in the tank. His numbers have regressed across the board from just a couple seasons ago. Nonetheless, the intangibles and the desire remain intact and it’s impossible to discount the role they’ll play on a young Celtics squad. Rondo may be the C’s best player, but KG remains the team’s heart and soul.
  • Here’s hoping Garnett can effectively light a fire under rookie Jared Sullinger, the talented but scatter-brained big man from Ohio State. Sullinger impressed during Orlando Summer League action, scoring 20 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in just 24 minutes of action during his first game. Talent, however, has never been the issue. If KG can continually keep Sullinger focused and dedicated, the Celts may have the answer at power forward over the next 10-15 years.
  • I’m interested to see how Avery Bradley handles an increased workload when he returns in January. With Keyon Dooling retired and Ray Allen in Miami, Bradley will get the bulk of the load backing up Rondo and aging (but still effective) combo-guard Jason Terry. Bradley is a shut-down defender, but I’m not sure he can produce enough offensively to warrant the minutes. Relatedly, the Celtics lack of depth at guard scares me. Outside Rondo, Terry, and (possibly?) Courtney Lee, there are a lot of unproven youngsters.
  • Paul Pierce refuses to show his age. As the years go by, he only gets craftier. His array of start-and-stops, head fakes, and up-and-unders would make Kevin McHale proud. I think Pierce should play until he’s 50.
  • Ultimately, I think the Celtics are a mid-tier playoff team in the top-heavy Eastern conference. Their experience and chemistry could push them into the second round but its foolish to think they have the horses to get by Lebron and co. or even a healthy Bulls team. Next summer, expect the rebuilding to begin in earnest.
  • A final, non-Celtic related note: I like the Wizards as a playoff team. Getting rid of Andray Blatche and rebuilding around a veteran, motivated core (Okafor, Nené, Trevor Ariza) with a rejuvenated John Wall smells like success to me.
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NBA Post-Lockout Madness

The NBA is completely bonkers right now. With less than two weeks until season’s tip-off, players are being flipped faster than flapjacks at IHOP. Chris Paul has been perfecting his start-and-stop from the comfort of his living room. Dwight Howard can’t fathom his feelings on the long-term viability of the Magic. Lamar Odom, as collateral from the Paul fall-out, whined his way to the Mavs, who were spurned earlier in the week by Tyson Chandler (Knicks). Chauncey Billups took his frequent flier miles to the Clips (though he could be dealt again by the time I finish this sentence) and Big Baby was swapped for Brandon Bass.

Meanwhile, the Celtics thought they had landed Baby’s replacement in David West (Paul’s former wingman) but the Pacers swooped in and snagged him for a cool $20 mil. Consequently, the Hornets are left trying to fill out a roster with Quincy Pondexter and a collection of ball boys. Vinsanity joined Odom in Dallas, which lost Caron Butler to the Clippers, which matched Golden State’s absurd, $43 million qualifying offer to DeAndre Jordan (he with the career 5.9 ppg). T-Mac, Rip Hamilton, Chris Wilcox, Mike Bibby and Dunleavy are on the move as well, though these names seem like afterthoughts compared to the seismic activity higher up.

And all this happened in slightly over a week. It’s certainly enough to make the casual fan’s head spin. The ramifications of this unforseen, pre-season turbulence on the regular season, though, is what really boggles the mind. With little time to mesh, little time to prepare, and a season packed tighter than Delta coach, teams should be in for a wild ride. We’re staring down the barrel of the most slapdash, unforseen and chemistry-bungled season since, dare I say, 1998! Should be a wild ride.

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C’s Banking on Rondo

downloadEarlier today, the Celtics awarded point guard Rajon Rondo with a 5-year contract extension believed to be in the neighborhood of $55 million. I like Rondo as a player but I’m a bit concerned about banking the future on a mercurial 23-year-old hot shot with a burgeoning prima donna complex and a history of instigating senseless scuffles.

Critics say Rondo lacks a consistent jump shot but I disagree. He’s basically money with that 15-20 foot baseline jumper. He’s not a three-point shooter but the C’s already have Ray, Pierce and Rasheed chucking the long ball on a regular basis. Furthermore, with Rondo’s speed, jump shots should be used as a last option anyway.

What primarily concerns me is Rondo’s attitude and potentially divisive personality. During the course of his three-year career, he has engaged in numerous (and mostly pointless) altercations with other players. In addition, word is he is aloof from teammates and generally unresponsive to coaching or advice. That Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers actively shopped him this past off-season should speak volumes about management’s doubts and concerns. While supremely talented (I would rank him among the top-five point guards in the league), I think the C’s should have waited for the season to play out before making this kind of commitment to such a young and generally unproven player.

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Disappointing Finals

kobeshootsoverpierceLast week’s NBA Finals should go down as one of the biggest disappointments in league history. Lakers-Celtics was supposed to rekindle the drama and mystique of the Finals; a match-up steeped in tradition, the best team from each conference squaring off in a best-of-seven, no-holes-bared, knockout, high-caliber glitz-fest. The glitz was plentiful, but the high-caliber basketball never really materialized.

Instead, fans were treated to maddeningly inconsistent play. Both teams shuffled between periods of tentative and then dominant basketball. Pau Gasol looked like Tim Duncan one night and then Luc Longley the next. I’m not sure Lamar Odom really ever checked into the series to begin with. Kevin Garnet was at once an offensive force and the next a liability.

This frustrating hodgepodge of championship caliber basketball mixed in with junior varsity incompetence was all going to end, according to ESPN’s Michael Wilbon, with a drag-out, put-it-on-record, overtime beauty in Boston for game 6. Both teams would finally put it together for a full 48 minutes and NBA fans would be treated to what they had deserved since game 1. Unfortunately, someone forgot to pass the memo on to the Lakers, who win the award for largest egg laid in Finals history. The Kobe-Bryant-“lead” Lakers never showed up. Period. In the biggest game of many players’ careers, it was a baffling and almost depressing display. Bryant, who from now on shall never, ever again be mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan (can you imagine Jordan choking so royally during his team’s season-deciding game?) brought all the fire and machismo of a garden snail to the proceedings. The Lakers showed no interest in taking the game and, consequently, wilted in the face of the Celtics’ game 6 passion and desire.

In summation, the 2008 Finals fell far, far short of our lofty expectations. As an NBA fan I felt let down and terribly disappointed. But as a life-long Celtics fan, one who has suffered through the careers of Dino Rajda, Pervis Ellison, and Antoine Walker, well, excuse me while I light up this cigar.

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