POST GAME NEW ORLEANS

WELL YOU CANNOT WIN BY SHOOTING 37.2% FROM THE FIELD!

The good news is the next 9 out of 11 games will be home and that spells good things in terms of practices, practices, practices which I hope should lead to some better ball.

I felt sorry for Tommy Heinsohn tonight, you could hear the frustration in his voice. Some positives, how about 6 count them 6 block shoots by Greg Stiemsma! I also like this kid Johnson. He looks like a shooter and I like his shot and moves to the basket. Hey Doc...Play the Kids!!!!!!


FAST BREAK: SLOW CELTICS GET STUNG BY HORNETS 12.28.11 at 10:34 pm ET
By Paul Flannery

There’s no sense worrying about the schedule because it’s not going to slow down anytime soon. There’s no use pining for Paul Pierce because the last thing the Celtics need is for him to be bothered by his bone bruise all season long. This is the Celtics’ reality and right now they are 0-3 after a dispiriting 97-78 loss to New Orleans.

Their legs may be tired after playing at warp speed against Miami on Tuesday, but the Celtics barely resemble their teams of recent vintage. Their offense was stagnant (16 assists and 37 percent shooting) and their defense was slow and lumbering.

The unfortunate symbol of their lethargy was Kevin Garnett who was outplayed by Carl Landry one night after getting worked by Chris Bosh. Garnett had no lift, scoring just eight points in 26 minutes and was often caught behind the play on pick and rolls. Garnett was far from the only offender, but on a night when the Celtics needed something from their All-Star forward, he didn’t have the legs to deliver.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel with games against Detroit, Washington (twice) and New Jersey next on tap. Three of those are at home beginning Friday night against the Pistons but they will once again be playing three games in four night and four in six.

WHAT WENT WRONG

– The Celtics one again had a huge free throw discrepancy in the first half as the Hornets went to the line 15 times to the Celtics’ seven. Boston didn’t shoot a free throw until the 4:04 mark of the second quarter. The Celtics haven’t received many favorable whistles, but their rate of putting opponents on the line is troubling and indicative of an older team that has failed to rotate defensively.

– Ray Allen picked up three fouls in the first half and played just 13 minutes. The Celtics desperately needed his shooting in a half in which they missed 30 of 45 shots.

– Keyon Dooling can do a lot of things, but running the team isn’t one of his strengths yet. When Rondo was out of the game, the Celtics offense had no rhythm or flow and it was difficult to tell if they were actually running any kind of an offense besides high pick and rolls that went nowhere. It’s not entirely Dooling’s fault. With so many new players, continuity is a major issue, but the Celtics have really struggled when Rajon Rondo is out of the game.

– Jermaine O’Neal was just 1-for-6 in 19 minutes. In 58 minutes played this season, O’Neal is 3-for-12 and has scored just eight points.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

– Welcome to the NBA, Greg Stiemsma. The former Defensive Player of the Year in the D-League wasted no time asserting his shot-blocking ability as he rejected a shot on his very first possession as an NBA player. Stiemsma finished with six blocks and provided a shot-blocking presence that the Celtics simply haven’t had.

– Rondo and Allen continue to do the majority of the work offensively. The duo made 10-of-18 shots and scored 28 points. The rest of the Celtics were 19-for-60.

– Sasha Pavlovic had his best game by far, scoring seven points and grabbing four rebounds. Faint praise, but it’s a start for the maligned swigman.

112288

I didn't watch the game (all part of my "life without basketball" program I started this summer), so all I have to work off of is this board and the box score.

The Steamer was finally given his chance and it looks like he made the most of it. Yeah!! C'mon Doc! What more do you need to see to give him some minutes and take minutes at 5 away from KG!

KG is old and is finally starting to show it. The comments above about the Celtics not rotating quickly defensively is what I saw in the Miami game. I'm not sure that's fixable with the current players and that's bad news for us. Paul Pierce and Pietrus will help, but will that really make the team's defensive rotations faster, especially on the baseline?

We only have one PG, Rondo. Dooling was styled as a PG, but he doesn't run teams well. Bradley doesn't seem to do anything except play defense well. We have a SF, Daniels, who can run a team.

They had 46 points in the paint. That's almost half their total. That's horrible. Like I said, I didn't see the game, but I'm willing to take a chance and say that it wasn't because of their bruising frontline shooting over us, it was because our perimeter defense was porous. Am I right? We currently are the 27th team, in terms of defensive efficiency, in the league. 27th. Yuck.

Here's a post-game quote from Doc, about future rotation players. It should make Sam happy. It does to me...

“[Stiemsma] was terrific,” Rivers said. “He does what he does — block shots. He made a play that I’ve never seen. He tried to take a charge, didn’t and still got to the guy and blocked the shot. I don’t know how you do that, but he did it. It was good to see.

“There were a couple of questions answered today, as bad as the game was. I think E’Twaun has moved in front of Avery (Bradley), we’ll probably play them both. At times Greg was our best big on the floor, at 5 or 4. There was a stretch when he was our best player, whether that’s good or bad.”

bob


.

Bob,

You should be glad you missed it. For the first 4 minutes it looked promising
(up 9 to 2) after that it was turn off the lights...the party is over!

112288

Hi,
There was another uninspired outing. The only bright spot on the whole team grey landscape was GS. Very nice debut.
I don't know what happened: maybe they're tired, maybe Doc didn't provide enough motivation, maybe they thought Hornets is a high school team. Or, they decided to wait until home opener.
Not to blame refs for the outcome but can NBA hire people who can count and read. Just a couple of examples. After Tommy first mentioned defensive 3 sec I started to pay attention and in 2 instances counted to 4 and 5 sec. The other blooper was with expired shot clock vs foul on JON review. Guess what, the shot clock showed 00 before the Hornet who was fouled in the act of shooting grabbed the ball (I re-winded and clicked frame-by-frame). I understand people can miss an action that lasts 0.3 sec or can not see clearly across the court or behind their backs. But if you can't count 3 seconds or don't understand meaning of 0 - you better go back to school.

I hope that on Fri we will see completely different team, the one that's called Celtics.

AK

There should be an official term in "The Rules of Basketball" that describes last nights game as played by The Celtics; yuck.

No interior defense, no perimeter defense, missed rotations, I don't even want to get into the offensive side of the game.

As always there are positives. Among them I think is the fact that Ray Allen is aging in reverse. He will always have cold streaks as shooters do, but is it possible he's actually getting better? At 36? The offensive spark Brandon Bass provides is a real bright spot so far as well. He can run the floor and is a good finisher in transition. Greg Stiemsma is making my Badgers look good. I don't remember his ability to adjust and block shots being anything like this at Wisconsin. He's not the complete package but he can grab a rebound or two and while not a low-post magician can position himself effectively enough to provide adequate inside presence within the half-court set.

I'm on a campaign after three games I've never gone on and never agreed with this strongly before; play the kids.

To me Stiemsma is the proof we need to play Johnson and Moore. Both Johnson and Stiemsma were defensive players of the year in their respective leagues. Johnson in Big East D1 ball and Stiemsma in the NBADL. Moore earned several honors as well. As we all know, NBADL teams are generally about a step below top tier NCAA D1 teams. The rosters are loaded with D1 and D2 also-rans and hangers on (who in fairness are still 12x better than I ever fantasized I was) If Stiemsma can pick it up this well, I'd like to see Johnson and Moore get some run after playing against what were for the most part quicker athletes last year.

I'll repeatedly make the obvious disclaimer that the coach knows things we can't and that there may be other facts and plans afoot, and there is no way I know anything close to what an NBA coach does. To me, however, I'm seeing signs of more rapid decline in at least two key players we need at the defensive end and now is the time, for this year and beyond, to see what we have. These are my opinions as a fan. It's what I have and earn for my dedication and purchasing power, throwing time and money into team and league sources.

Have I fessed up enough on my shortcomings in this revised opinion? Then allow me to continue...

I've never bought the thinking that college players all need "seasoning" when they jump to the NBA. This is basketball, not rocket science. If they're too dumb to pick up our schemes let's know that quickly and move 'em out. There are too many examples to the contrary; stud players often play cohesively with teammates right away and have an impact. We're a team in need of a little impact. We didn't even look all that fantastic in eight quarters against Toronto.

So for those of you I've debated against in the past when you've said "play the kids", I'm joining you. On this team, under this year's circumstances, I think it's time.

I'm not saying Doc has never played young players either. I should add that it's obvious Stiemsma is getting minutes due to injury and Doc's comments appear to mean Moore will get his. Two out of three is a good start. Now add the third because it looks like our starting 4 & 5 are in serious decline and might welcome the help.

Wait until Pierce comes back? If we're going to be that dependent on one player we've got serious issues. We still need depth and it's time to get ahold of the initial succession plan.

It's not panic; there's no need for that since we're not that bad off. It's reasoned thinking and opinionated statement due to the state of our roster and some deficiencies that need to be addressed soon.

Play The Kids.

NYCelt wrote:There should be an official term in "The Rules of Basketball" that describes last nights game as played by The Celtics; yuck.

No interior defense, no perimeter defense, missed rotations, I don't even want to get into the offensive side of the game.

As always there are positives. Among them I think is the fact that Ray Allen is aging in reverse. He will always have cold streaks as shooters do, but is it possible he's actually getting better? At 36? The offensive spark Brandon Bass provides is a real bright spot so far as well. He can run the floor and is a good finisher in transition. Greg Stiemsma is making my Badgers look good. I don't remember his ability to adjust and block shots being anything like this at Wisconsin. He's not the complete package but he can grab a rebound or two and while not a low-post magician can position himself effectively enough to provide adequate inside presence within the half-court set.

I'm on a campaign after three games I've never gone on and never agreed with this strongly before; play the kids.

To me Stiemsma is the proof we need to play Johnson and Moore. Both Johnson and Stiemsma were defensive players of the year in their respective leagues. Johnson in Big East D1 ball and Stiemsma in the NBADL. Moore earned several honors as well. As we all know, NBADL teams are generally about a step below top tier NCAA D1 teams. The rosters are loaded with D1 and D2 also-rans and hangers on (who in fairness are still 12x better than I ever fantasized I was) If Stiemsma can pick it up this well, I'd like to see Johnson and Moore get some run after playing against what were for the most part quicker athletes last year.

I'll repeatedly make the obvious disclaimer that the coach knows things we can't and that there may be other facts and plans afoot, and there is no way I know anything close to what an NBA coach does. To me, however, I'm seeing signs of more rapid decline in at least two key players we need at the defensive end and now is the time, for this year and beyond, to see what we have. These are my opinions as a fan. It's what I have and earn for my dedication and purchasing power, throwing time and money into team and league sources.

Have I fessed up enough on my shortcomings in this revised opinion? Then allow me to continue...

I've never bought the thinking that college players all need "seasoning" when they jump to the NBA. This is basketball, not rocket science. If they're too dumb to pick up our schemes let's know that quickly and move 'em out. There are too many examples to the contrary; stud players often play cohesively with teammates right away and have an impact. We're a team in need of a little impact. We didn't even look all that fantastic in eight quarters against Toronto.

So for those of you I've debated against in the past when you've said "play the kids", I'm joining you. On this team, under this year's circumstances, I think it's time.

I'm not saying Doc has never played young players either. I should add that it's obvious Stiemsma is getting minutes due to injury and Doc's comments appear to mean Moore will get his. Two out of three is a good start. Now add the third because it looks like our starting 4 & 5 are in serious decline and might welcome the help.

Wait until Pierce comes back? If we're going to be that dependent on one player we've got serious issues. We still need depth and it's time to get ahold of the initial succession plan.

It's not panic; there's no need for that since we're not that bad off. It's reasoned thinking and opinionated statement due to the state of our roster and some deficiencies that need to be addressed soon.

Play The Kids.

NYCelt,

I'm not sure I followed the logic that Stiemsma is the proof we need to play JJJ and Moore. Should we play all old guys because Ray Allen is aging in reverse? Stiemsma had a good game, from all that I've read. Great, I'm very happy and have been calling on Doc to cut back on KG's minutes by playing Steamer more minutes for 3 games now. But just because A is true doesn't follow that B & C are. Moore is going to be getting more minutes not because he has earned them but because another kid, Avery Bradley, has disappointed. Is Bradley proof we shouldn't play kids? JJJ has shown me nothing in the minutes I watched him play in pre-season. Steamer's pre-season showed me enough to believe he could do it in the NBA regular season. I have seen no reason to have similar confidence in JJJ.

At 4 we have KG, Bass (who started last year, so he's capable of 30mpg), Wilcox (when healthy) and JJJ. With the injury to Wilcox, perhaps JJJ will get some minutes but if Bass can play 25-30 and The Steamer can steal some minutes from KG at 5 so KG can play 4, we might not need him. Throwing the kid into the fire, when he hasn't shown much so far to justify it, isn't helpful.

Let's also remember that The Steamer's 26 years old and has been playing pro sets (that's what the NBA GMs want the D-league to run) for a few years now. Quality of competition aside, he's a lot more mature, basketball-wise, than either JJJ or Moore. Plus, at 6'11", 260#, Steamer has an NBA body. At 6'10", 220# JJJ does not. By comparison, Sasha is 6'7", 235#. Same with Pierce. Pietrus, at 6'6", still weighs 215#. Do you really want to throw JJJ to the 240-250# NBA PF wolves already?

bob

.

Bob,

Given the overall disappointment of the New Orleans game, it's easy to get excited about glimmers. One such glimmer was the fact that Johnson looked very confident in swishing a 17-foot jumper and aggressive in drawing a couple of free throw chances. Of course, all of that followed his initial foray, in which he threw an attempted jump hook off the side of the backboard.

That all occurred during a short stint in garbage time, which doesn't really prove anything one way or the other. What I think will be a determining factor with respect to JJJ is whether he can transfer his defensive skills to the NBA. I have no indication about that yet, and I saw enough of Russell not to make snap judgments about defense based primarily on weight (or lack of it).

Johnson is just one of many unanswered questions that we should look forward to deliberating as the season progresses.

Sam

Bob and Sam,

Sorry, but I'm firmly in the Play The Kids camp on this one. And I think it makes perfect sense.

I'm sure several board members are tired of the three of us having the same opinion all the time anyway!

Actually, it's not Johnson's offense I'm looking to see it's his D.

I've seen D league defense (and the newer Premier League) and I'm more impressed with someone who played strong D in D1 recently. In terms of speed and athleticism I think D1 is superior to NBADL. Johnson's no dummy, he should be able to pick up the schemes. I've watched a lot of both in their college days and I think Stiemsma's apparent potential in a few areas does provide an added indicator that we should give a shot to Johnson. As I pointed out earlier, Stiemsma is hardly an all-around talent. He's got severe limitations in areas Johnson may not. One way to find out is to play him, and I think next year's training camp is too late. I'm also less concerned about Johnson's weight. He's skinny but muscular and can probably take the punishment against a bigger body while being more agile than most of them. Russell, Durant and a young Alcindor are some non-NBA bodies that held their own right away and did just fine. He may never be at any of their level, but what have we got going at 4 and 5 now? If weight were everything we would have kept Sweetney or purchased rights to The 'Fridge from The Bears.

How much are we really risking by playing Johnson some with O'Neal and KG in decline? Might he cost us a game? Yes, it can happen. If it's the one game that costs us a playoff spot we weren't going anywhere anyway. Home court advantage? Could be that one loss costs us that too; but what are the odds? Low enough to find out if part of the help we need is sitting there now. I'm not saying start the guy, I'm saying let's get a good look. O'Neal looks like toast and KG may have declined more than we hoped. We didn't think KG could keep up with Stoudamire or Bosh, that's OK; but when Amir Johnson, Ed Davis and Carl Landry blow by it's time to look for some more backup!

I think it would also be wise to have Johnson game-tested now because there are going to be so many variables later this season. Will we be in the hunt, but looking to add a big? It would be good to know if he's already here. Will we be second tier, without a realistic shot? It would be good to know what expiring contracts we can deal and what we have in their place as we start to rebuild. I think if we want to remain a playoff force into the future we need to make forward looking moves and take a few bold steps.

As for Bradley, I can't understand why he got minutes over Moore to begin with. Wilcox hasn't exactly shown enough that his spot should be a lock either.

Play The Kids.

I'm joining their club.

I'm buying the theory that the guy saying it can't be done is usually interrupted by the guy who just did it.

I already got the tattoo.

Regards

I just saw this on Twitter:

"Right now, the #Celtics are like the Titanic. Old, broken, slow and at the bottom of the Atlantic." https://twitter.com/#!/TallDarkNHansom/statuses/152512322815012867


Even though it is funny, I don't completely agree with it. I like that Doc is starting to give some minutes to young guys like Stiemsma. I am particularly impressed that Doc played Stiemsma instead of going small.

Johnson has a nice outside shot. Perhaps with his build he plays the small forward position and adds size at that position.

As far as Bradley goes, I think they screwed the kids head up. First he is a point guard now he's playing shooting guard because he had trouble running the offense. He gives a lot of height away and is a little too short to play 2 guard at 6'2" verses guys who average 6'5" - 6'6" at that position.

Any how, this is going to be a weird year for Celtic fans. With next year being a big year with a lot of salary cap room, Danny needs to assess what he has and who he keeps and who he may trade before the deadline to set up next year.

Do not be surprised if we are the last or next to last seed in the East going into the playoffs that Danny trades away Ray Allen and Garnett for draft choice or some young and upcoming player like Norris Cole with the Heat. Tell me the Heat would not trade the kid for Ray Allen!

112288

Could this be the beginning of the end for this team?

I sure hope not and I do not want to get carried away with what we have seen over the first three games.

The big concern has to be on defense.

There is no mistaking it but both KG and JON are unable to play at a high level of defensive intensity except in short spurts. The condensed season will only make the problem worse unless those guys play less minutes.

Jon is looking like a 15-18 mpg player at best and KG is probably a 25 MPG player, if that.

But the problem with the defense cannot just be placed on the shoulders of JON and KG, our defensive guard play has been just as bad. They have not been able to stop dribble penetration against any of the three teams that they have played.

As you look at the new guys on the team, Bass is a very good player but trying to run the offense through him is a losing proposition. Dooling may be able to hit some three point shots but his PG skills are pretty weak, He is always out on the perimeter.

Sasha played a little better last night but he is a third string sf.

Did anyone notice that NOLA was playing zone and although the refs missed 3 second calls, Boston was incapable or running offense against their zone. Maybe when PP returns the offense will become more efficient.

As far as playing the young guys, last night Steimsma proved why he was voted defensibe player of the year in the D Leauge. His instincts as a defender and shot blocker are natural. He needs to get 20+ minutes per game at the 5.

Bradley continues to run around in circles so the experiment at this time is a failure.

So why not play Moore some minutes? Because Doc Rivers has a pecking order system that will not permit it.

DA has made a lot of gambles begining with trading Perkins. This has nothing to do with the fact that Green is damaged goods at this point. The fact is that we no longer have an inside physical presence that Perkins provided. I might add that Boston may not miss Baby's offense but his interior defense is being missed.

I like the pieces he has added to the team but an alternative strategy would have been to break up the big three last year, take your lumps in the standings but set in motion a plan to rebuild the team around younger players.

It is quite possible that both JON and KG could experience a drastic reduction in their productivity this year. If that happens the team is finished.

Let's hope that Doc can manage around these issues by changing rotation minutes and players.

dboss

I am a strong believer in teams thinking long term and doing what gives them the best chance to win the whole thing, not every single game or "place as well as possible".

The way this team is constructed and with the age of the core players there will be a need for more firepower than just the big 4.

If it means losing 10 extra games and getting a .500 record, barely making the playoffs I think they would be better off saving the legs of KG/Pierce/Oneal and finding out who of the kids that can play+give them confidence.

As an example we play Detroit the 30th, WAS 1st/2nd, NJN 4th and IND 6th.

KG/Oneal should not even dress for the second game vs WAS. Of course there might be contract issues and what not stopping it but it would be better long term if they did not in that kind of scenarios.

A scathing review of the Celtics last 3 games in today's BOSTON.COM.

Biggest knock is on JON and the softness in the paint.

"O’Neal’s production is quickly becoming an issue. Coach Doc Rivers said he is not concerned about O’Neal’s scoring but more his defense and rebounding. In three games, O’Neal is averaging three rebounds and one blocked shot. In what perhaps was a move of desperation or forecasting, Rivers inserted rookie Greg Stiemsma in the first half against New Orleans, and he blocked six shots in 20 minutes.

And even Stiemsma picked up a technical foul for grabbing the rim trying to defend a layup attempt by Carl Landry. That isn’t likely to occur with O’Neal. The center position has been one of concern since Shaquille O’Neal retired after one year with Boston, and while Jermaine O’Neal claims to be healthy, he hasn’t been a productive starting center in two years.

It may be time for Celtics president Danny Ainge to seek a solution in the middle, but that has become increasingly difficult. Any worthy center is going to demand more than the veteran minimum the Celtics have to offer. And a player such as Erick Dampier brings NBA capabilities but also serious limitations, like O’Neal.

But if opponents such as Landry are going to attack the rim without the slightest fear of a hard foul, then the Celtics are going to get dominated in the paint."

Your asked for it!

"E’Twaun Moore, whom the organization has liked since nabbing him 55th overall in June’s draft, will replace Avery Bradley as the backup shooting guard."

112288

swedeinestonia wrote:I am a strong believer in teams thinking long term and doing what gives them the best chance to win the whole thing, not every single game or "place as well as possible".

The way this team is constructed and with the age of the core players there will be a need for more firepower than just the big 4.

If it means losing 10 extra games and getting a .500 record, barely making the playoffs I think they would be better off saving the legs of KG/Pierce/Oneal and finding out who of the kids that can play+give them confidence.

As an example we play Detroit the 30th, WAS 1st/2nd, NJN 4th and IND 6th.

KG/Oneal should not even dress for the second game vs WAS. Of course there might be contract issues and what not stopping it but it would be better long term if they did not in that kind of scenarios.

Swede

I said in another thread a while ago if a baseball player is in bit of a funk, the manager might sit him a game. Comparing baseball to hoops is a little apples to grapes but in this compressed season when we play virtually 2 games every three days it is almost the same. Our core is OLD and will need nights off. I see it as a plus plus. As you said we see what the bench can do and at the same time give a much needed rest to a core player. It's still a long season so I say try it. Can't do any worse than we already have.

beat

swedeinestonia

You raise some good points. However if we are only playing at 500 and the probability of getting ousted in the first round is a high, I rather sell my assets off like RA or KG for young talent. Next year we could have a nice group of young players and vets.

Rondo/Moore/Johnson/Green/Pietus/Bass......then add any young talent acquired from RA & KG trade and then add your free agents in.

112288

I'd hate to see RA go anywhere but it may be for the best.

Oh yeah if we have no chance of winning then the long term strategy obviously goes beyond this season.

We have a good bench it is just not used enough. There needs to be some gambling where if we play a team on the second night of a back2back FOR THEM we play our bench big minutes, especially if it is against a "lesser team" like minnesota or whatever.

If we remove the Big 3 I think we can floor a team able to beat most of the lesser teams especially if they are on the second night of back2backs and we are not.

Go for the homerun, screw getting to the second round of playoffs and being too tired.

worcester

RA is a class act as well as a great player even at his age. However he does bring big value to a team looking to win it all and that could bring us a talent who we would have for many years to come. Trading our stars all depends on how we play and where we are record wise at the trading deadline which is early March of this year. If Danny could trade Perk in his prime, he can trade anyone who is in his last year of his contract and nearing the end of his career if he felt it could help his team.

112288

I'll add this. The Celtics/Danny will have a tough time getting a free agent like Paul or Howard to come to Boston. These guys for one want the glitter of Hollywood, the bright light of Broadway or the Sun and Fun of Miami. I must say that these guys like Howard are a joke for not wanting to come to Boston especially when they complain about head coaching and we have Doc.

We need to go for young, lesser recognized talents who would be restrictive free agents when their contracts come up and where we can keep them around awhile or sign and trade and force a good veteran to come to Boston. That can only come about by trading one or all of the big 3 to a contender looking for a title. OKC could become our trading partner again for let say RA or KG.

112288

Perhaps the Steamer should start. Let JON play against the backup centers, where his skills may still be enough to be a net plus.

Maybe some of the other team's starting centers would take the Steamer's lunch money, but I say so what, they are already doing that to JON.

Doc would never do it, dang "pecking order method"!! I know he signed a 5 year extension, is it too early to say Fire Doc!! (Matty?)

It is a slippery slope that Doc walks this year. Obviously we know rebuilding is for sure next year, however they have big pay checks to finance this year with KG/RA/PP/RR and they need to sell tickets. So Doc has to get the team to be competitive from now until mid February. If not, look for Danny to start tweaking come February/March.

112288

112288 - excellent diagnosis!

NYCelt,

If you read carefully over my recent posts, you'll find that I'm not at all against playing the kids. I AM against playing the kids before Doc thinks it's time to do so because I trust Doc's judgment more than ours.

• Doc is better able than us to take into consideration things like extenuating circumstances for poor play; relative successes of various combinations; performances in the few practices they may have had; nuances of someone's play that could escape our notice, etc.

• He's superior to us in fathoming reasons for breakdowns in performance and diagnosing how correctable those breakdowns may be by tweaking the play of veterans.

• He's more adept at recognizing problems that Pierce's presence might alleviate.

• He's a more appropriate analyst than we are of the possible consequences of reduced time on the psyches of veterans. (In that regard, I've already been surprised at Doc's very uncharacteristic public comments that Moore had passed Bradley and—today—that JON had better stop looking at the stat sheet and worrying about how many shots he gets. He's usually very circumspect about the psychological impact of his statements on players.)

• Doc (and Danny and the owners) is vastly more conversant than we with the team's private stance on winning now versus rebuilding.

I could continue this list ad infinitum, but I'm sure you get my drift. In short, I believe Doc's a much better gauge than we are in when the time is right to play the kids.

I was fine with the fact that, in the New Orleans game, Doc lived up to his pregame announcement, gave Stiemsma a lot of run, and added cameo appearances for Johnson and Moore in garbage time. It was Doc's decision. Moreover, I've been nothing but enthusiastic (although cautiously so) about Stiemsma, and my number one reason is something I haven't seen mentioned by anyone. I believe KG is more energized at the defensive end when he plays with a center who can protect the basket; and Stiemsma seems obsessed with protecting the basket.

As I stated earlier, I'm not all that worried about Johnson's lack of weight. I do believe he's better-suited for PF than center, at least at this stage of his career, and if only because his jump shot and quickness can better compensate for his lack of bulk at the PF position. As I have also stated, I have no idea how well JJJ might defend in the pros. Time will tell.

IF some or all of the kids are going to get their shot, I have one concern. I'm not a big fan (in fact, I'm an opponent) of short stints or garbage time appearances as development tools or as ways to measure young guys' potential. Stiemsma got an extended run in the Hornets game, and I think that's the only basis on which youth should be judged—especially during a season when practices will be rare. A lot of people subscribe to the philosophy that, if a kid is not cutting it, it's easy enough to remove him before he does much damage. I do NOT agree. First, a load of damage can be done in just a minute or two. (Bradley's becoming very good at it.) Second, it could be that a major reason a young player is doing damage is that he needs more time on the court to feel comfortable out there. For example, I'm very glad Doc didn't yank Johnson after he threw his first shot off the side of the backboard. I don't like the idea of dipping a toe into the water. Either give a kid a good run, or wait until the time is right. (The nature of the opponent can be a factor too.)

I think Doc's a better judge than we are in knowing when the time is right. I definitely do NOT subscribe to a blanket "play the kids" philosophy. There's a lot that goes into such a decision, and it could differ from kid to kid.

Sam

Sam,

I actually responded to you and Bob together for the sake of time. I did see your comment about being less concerned about weight. Since I did it that way I really didn't address separate comments each of you made.

I won't rehash what I said earlier; it's in a couple of posts up top and I hold firmly to it.

As I did say, however, as a fan of the game I'm firmly convinced that for this team at this time the right thing to do is play the kids.

I've made my concessions and disclaimers in earlier posts, and my opinion on this is strong.

Play The Kids. And not in garbage time.

Specifically; Moore, Johnson and Stiemsma.

As I also mentioned in an earlier post, I think several board members will be relieved to see we don't always agree on everything! Some might have started to think I go into a phone booth as me and come out as you or Bob!

Regards

About JJJ, is he quick enough to play some SF?

Might provide a different look against the LeBrons and Carmelos with a 6'10" guy defending them. How does Durant work against them?