Today's 12/14/11 Practice

Rivers Experiments with Marathon Practice
By Marc D'Amico
Celtics.com
December 14, 2011

WALTHAM, Mass. – Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo still aren’t 100 percent healthy, but that doesn’t mean the Boston Celtics aren’t holding practices at full throttle.

The Celtics convened for a practice session that began around 12 p.m. today at the practice facility in Waltham, Mass. That was typical, but the end time wasn’t. Doc Rivers didn’t blow the final whistle until about 4:15 p.m., meaning the team was gathered for approximately double the time it would be on an ordinary day.

The roster has been in flux since camp began on Friday, due to injuries and contractual issues, so Rivers has had to try new things. Today was his experiment with a four-hour practice session, and his players were his guinea pigs.

As most experiments go, the scientist, or doc in this case, doesn’t exactly know what the outcome will be. After the lengthy session wrapped up, Rivers was indecisive as to whether the team would ever use a similar practice schedule again.

“We went for about two hours, took a break for about 45 minutes and stretched them and watched film, and then we came back out and finished with a scrimmage instead of breaking it up into, ‘Go back home and then come back,’ and doing a two-a-day,” said Rivers. “Not sure if I actually liked it. I’ll get the input from the coaches and the players.“

Part of the reason Rivers didn’t love today’s practice might be that he was missing two of his All-Stars. Rondo, who’s nursing a sprained ankle, lightly participated in practice but did not do any running. Pierce did not practice at all as he continues to rest a sore right heel. Rivers expects his captain to return within a couple of days.

The absence of those two players is preventing the team from operating with a rotation mirroring that of an actual game. Other players need to fill those spots in the starting lineup, and that has a trickle down effect on what will eventually be Boston’s bench.

“Two of your starters [out] really hurts, more than the Jeff (Green) thing,” said Rivers, alluding to the fact that Green still hasn’t practice due to issues with his physical. “Now the bench can’t actually get together because two of the bench players are starting now. Keyon (Dooling) has yet to play with the second unit, except for the first day, and Marquis (Daniels) or Sasha (Pavloviv) are there with the first unit instead of playing with the second unit. It affects everybody.”

The Celtics’ first and second teams may not be whole just yet, but that isn’t preventing one of the team’s starters from standing out. Rivers was particularly happy with what he’s seeing out of his starting center, Jermaine O’Neal.

“The other guy that’s been phenomenal is J.O. He just looks great,” Rivers happily reported. “It’s amazing the difference watching him at this time last year in camp, just the fact that he knows stuff and he’s comfortable.”

Interestingly enough, O’Neal, who dealt with season-long knee injuries last season, is the player who stood out to Rivers during a four-hour practice session. Although he handled the practice well today, he might not need to do so again. According to Rivers, the jury is still out on his first-ever marathon practice.


ME

nice to se the JO is looking good................... hope the same thing can be said in June!

beat

Per Gary Washburn, here's what Doc had to say about JJJ yesterday:

“Up and down, he’s getting beat up,’’ Rivers said when asked about Johnson’s progress in practice. “He’s excited when he actually gets the [scrimmage] refs to come on the floor, I’ll tell you that. But he did a couple of good things today. He’s starting to learn who he is. He knows he’s a jump shooter and he’s starting to become comfortable enough to take that shot.’’

“Today was the first day when he picked-and-popped, he caught it and shot it,’’ Rivers said. “The other two days he tried to make another play and got bumped off the spot, so I think he’s starting to simplify his game.’’

When asked if he expected Johnson to generate an interior game, Rivers said, “Nah. I mean, he’ll dunk because he’s athletic as heck, so we’re going to run stuff to get him rolling to the basket and throw it up in the air and he’ll go get it. But as far as post presence? Not really, but that’s fine. We don’t need that. We’ll try to get that somewhere else.’’

My comments:
"We don't need that?" We don't need interior presence? Oh, brother...

bob


.

Bob,

I'm wondering whether Doc was suggesting the interior presence could come from elsewhere. Jermaine? Bass? Wilcox? Stiemsma?

Sam

Rondo?

sam wrote:Bob,

I'm wondering whether Doc was suggesting the interior presence could come from elsewhere. Jermaine? Bass? Wilcox? Stiemsma?

Sam

sam,

I presume he was referring to one of those guys, I would think it would have to happen by drawing the opposing center away from the basket. With the current roster, we're not going to just power it in from inside. If KG is playing center and he draws the other team's center out, a quick rotation of the ball might get it inside to a Wilcox but I wouldn't call that "interior presence". I'd call it "using ball movement to take away the other team's interior presence". Semantics? Perhaps, but not having strong post-up players is not where I'd like to be.

Of course, I am fully cognizant of what Danny has had to work with in order to even get who we have. If I have one complaint it's that he used the $3M mini-exemption on Wilcox and not on a legit 5. Of course, with Kwame Brown getting a $7M contract from GSW (gag) there probably was no realistic hope of getting anybody for $3M. By that standard, Stiemsma is steal.

bob

.

I would like to make a (few) comments about this.

A very candid statement about jjj. For anyone who envisioned him playing some 5 it appears Doc wants him to face the basket. He can shoot on the pick and pop and he runs the floor well. But the NBA demands strength in the trenches. He may not make the 12 man active squad resulting in a few trips to the D-League.

But doc will still have offense in the post with Bass ( probably a better finisher in the circle than baby because he has more hops (harder to block his shot). Wilcox has always been a physical player. Add Jemaine into the mix (read report indicating that he looks good) and I think it will provide more post offense than last year.

The 5 spot however does remain the biggest question mark. Jermaine is really the key because if he can play and stay healthy we will have a strong stating 5.

The 2nd qusetion mark will look at how Daniels plays and the recent issue surrounded Green, The Green issue is perplexing. If the team was not willing to tell us what was wrong (what exactly did they find) they should have blamed it on a hamstring pull.

The recent revelation regarding Rondo's antics adds even another element of intrigue. And provides a different perspective on the proposed CP3 swap. Well I like the humility Rondo displays when talking about it and I think his is going to have one hellava year.

The Dooling acquisition frees Bradley to concentrate on being a scoring guard. That makes great sense....He'll improve PG skills but he will primarily be fighting for time behind Ray Allen. Let's see how he does with a year under his belt. I thought he really played well at the end of last year. He showed me that he can score the basketball.

Wonder who will be the surprise player among the newbies. How about GS? Any down time by JON will lead to court time for Stiemsma.

One of the biggest problems last year, as I am sure you will remember was chemistry or the lack thereof because so many new players were added. Danny has basically done that again accept the group of (Wilcox, Bass and Dooling) are all solid NBA players. I have a felling the learning curve will come quicker.

Last comment...Renewed my NBA league pass yesterday...let the games begin.

dboss

Dboss,

There certainly should be enough surprises and intrigue to keep a Celtics message board going this season. In no particular order, my own keys to the success of these Celtics (including some mentioned by you) include:

• Resilience of the Three Amigos

• The tenuous health of Jermaine, Marquis, and perhaps Jeff Green

• The ability of Rondo to sustain a role as a positive leadership catalyst while continuing to deal with the fact that this team is not constituted so as to take advantage of his premier skill (the open-floor transition game)

• The big league emergence of at least one (and hopefully more) from the group of Bradley, Stiemsma, Moore and Johnson

• The ability of Wilcox, Bass, Sasha and Dooling to acclimate quickly to the chemistry of this team and to adapt their roles to plug holes in the team

• The coaches' collective approach to (1) developing and nurturing potent offensive and defensive systems on the fly, (2) making the best possible use of the relatively few practices they'll have, (3) integrating players new to the team, (4) molding this into a team of interchangeable parts, and (5) adapting and adjusting to player games lost to injury

• Danny's success in somehow making one or two more moves (possibly in-season) to address weaknesses and whatever falls between the cracks

• Patience and support of the fans as they realize that the braintrust of the team is focusing on dual objectives: making this team as competitive as possible while also preparing for upcoming free agency and life after the Three Amigos

Go Celtics!

Sam

bobheckler wrote:Per Gary Washburn, here's what Doc had to say about JJJ yesterday:

“Up and down, he’s getting beat up,’’ Rivers said when asked about Johnson’s progress in practice. “He’s excited when he actually gets the [scrimmage] refs to come on the floor, I’ll tell you that. But he did a couple of good things today. He’s starting to learn who he is. He knows he’s a jump shooter and he’s starting to become comfortable enough to take that shot.’’

“Today was the first day when he picked-and-popped, he caught it and shot it,’’ Rivers said. “The other two days he tried to make another play and got bumped off the spot, so I think he’s starting to simplify his game.’’

When asked if he expected Johnson to generate an interior game, Rivers said, “Nah. I mean, he’ll dunk because he’s athletic as heck, so we’re going to run stuff to get him rolling to the basket and throw it up in the air and he’ll go get it. But as far as post presence? Not really, but that’s fine. We don’t need that. We’ll try to get that somewhere else.’’

My comments:
"We don't need that?" We don't need interior presence? Oh, brother...

bob
.

Bob,

Interior game? We don't need no stinkin' interior game!

Sure...

I think we've all learned to buy what an NBA coach says about as much as what a politician says.

Despite what Doc says to the gullible media crowd for the benefit of the competition, my own guess is;

- Johnson plays lots of 5. He was a 4/5 at Purdue and their defense is similar to what we play. He is dangerous from 15' too.

- Bass and Wilcox will be a 4/5 revolving door backup plan, even though both (supposedly) have "4" tattooed on their forehead. Unless your name is Howard or Bynum, there just isn't any real difference between an NBA 4 or 5 anymore.

- Stiemsma may very well stick. As a Badger fan I'm happy but surprised to see him in the NBA. He's not an NBA calibre player, but makes the occasional highlight reel and provides insurance.

And those are my fearless prognostications for today.

If I only hit one out of three I'm as good as an MLB superstar by batting .333.

Regards

NYCelt wrote:

bobheckler wrote:Per Gary Washburn, here's what Doc had to say about JJJ yesterday:

“Up and down, he’s getting beat up,’’ Rivers said when asked about Johnson’s progress in practice. “He’s excited when he actually gets the [scrimmage] refs to come on the floor, I’ll tell you that. But he did a couple of good things today. He’s starting to learn who he is. He knows he’s a jump shooter and he’s starting to become comfortable enough to take that shot.’’

“Today was the first day when he picked-and-popped, he caught it and shot it,’’ Rivers said. “The other two days he tried to make another play and got bumped off the spot, so I think he’s starting to simplify his game.’’

When asked if he expected Johnson to generate an interior game, Rivers said, “Nah. I mean, he’ll dunk because he’s athletic as heck, so we’re going to run stuff to get him rolling to the basket and throw it up in the air and he’ll go get it. But as far as post presence? Not really, but that’s fine. We don’t need that. We’ll try to get that somewhere else.’’

My comments:
"We don't need that?" We don't need interior presence? Oh, brother...

bob
.

Bob,

Interior game? We don't need no stinkin' interior game!

Sure...

I think we've all learned to buy what an NBA coach says about as much as what a politician says.

Despite what Doc says to the gullible media crowd for the benefit of the competition, my own guess is;

- Johnson plays lots of 5. He was a 4/5 at Purdue and their defense is similar to what we play. He is dangerous from 15' too.

- Bass and Wilcox will be a 4/5 revolving door backup plan, even though both (supposedly) have "4" tattooed on their forehead. Unless your name is Howard or Bynum, there just isn't any real difference between an NBA 4 or 5 anymore.

- Stiemsma may very well stick. As a Badger fan I'm happy but surprised to see him in the NBA. He's not an NBA calibre player, but makes the occasional highlight reel and provides insurance.

And those are my fearless prognostications for today.

If I only hit one out of three I'm as good as an MLB superstar by batting .333.

Regards

NYCelt,

I pretty much agree with you on all your points except for the one about JJJ. If he does play center, it will all be high post. No way he has the body or experience to go down into the low blocks with a bonafide NBA center now.

So, that means you did better than 1 out of 3. :-)

bob

.

Bob,

I suppose we'll see how I did at season end, but thanks for pumping my ego up by crediting me 2 of 3 this far ahead.

Someone really should go back and check my track-record.

But stay tuned...I'm getting a vibe on E'Twaun Moore and Avery Bradley. More (Moore?) on that later.

Aw c'mon...you know I can't resist calling these!

Regards

NYCelt wrote:Bob,

I suppose we'll see how I did at season end, but thanks for pumping my ego up by crediting me 2 of 3 this far ahead.

Someone really should go back and check my track-record.

But stay tuned...I'm getting a vibe on E'Twaun Moore and Avery Bradley. More (Moore?) on that later.

Aw c'mon...you know I can't resist calling these!

Regards

NYCelt,

"getting a vibe" on Moore and Bradley? What kind of vibe? That they're going to have amazing, breakout years or that they're going to be traded?

bob

.

bobheckler wrote:

NYCelt wrote:Bob,

I suppose we'll see how I did at season end, but thanks for pumping my ego up by crediting me 2 of 3 this far ahead.

Someone really should go back and check my track-record.

But stay tuned...I'm getting a vibe on E'Twaun Moore and Avery Bradley. More (Moore?) on that later.

Aw c'mon...you know I can't resist calling these!

Regards

NYCelt,

"getting a vibe" on Moore and Bradley? What kind of vibe? That they're going to have amazing, breakout years or that they're going to be traded?

bob

.

Bob,

I almost forgot I was supposed to address my almost mystical premonition on Moore and Bradley. Ok, that's a load of cr*p out of me, isn't it?

Easy one here, I think, but I'll withhold the absolute final lockdown word on this one until after tomorrow's first preseason game.

Ready? By March...Moore is a rotation regular at the 2 and Bradley is gone.

I know, I know; with Green gone for the season and Sasha and Daniels apt to be purely at the 3 (if either can stay healthy), Moore is the only real 2 in the picture. I am at least using some cosmic mojo to predict Bradley's complete departure.

How's that? Not that tough a call either? Oh well.

Great. Now I'm talking to myself.