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Rapid Reaction: Nets 97, Celtics 96

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

BOSTON -- Rapid reaction after the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Boston Celtics 97-96 during exhibition play Tuesday night at TD Garden:

THE NITTY GRITTY
Celtics captain Paul Pierce put together his finest outing of the postseason, erupting for 29 points on 10-of-17 shooting, while adding five rebounds and a pair of blocks over 26:46. Courtney Lee, running with the starters, chipped in 13 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds and a steal. The Nets didn't play any of their top six players -- starters Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries and Brook Lopez were held out, while MarShon Brooks is battling right foot tendinitis. Andray Blatche seized the opportunity as the Wizards amnesty castoff finished with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting with nine rebounds over 24:57.

TURNING POINT
Celtics coach Doc Rivers elected to watch the debate second half from the locker room and his assistants did something right as Boston stretched a two-point halftime lead to nine in the third quarter. Most of Boston's points came from behind the arc, where Pierce (6-of-8 on treys for the night) keyed the triple outburst (the Celtics were 6-of-7 from downtown in the frame). That should have been enough, but Boston's third-teamers -- Kris Joseph, Micah Downs, Fab Melo, Rob Kurz and Jason Collins -- coughed up a 10-point lead over the final two minutes and Mirza Teletovic made a late freebie to lift Brooklyn.

LOOSE BALLS
The Celtics started Lee and Jared Sullinger alongside their Big Three. Sullinger got a taste of a physical game matching up early with Reggie Evans ... Darko Milicic (mild right wrist sprain) did not play and received a cortisone shot after the game. He is not expected to play Thursday in Brooklyn, but Rivers hoped to have him back on the floor against the Knicks on Saturday in Albany, N.Y. ... Jeff Green hit the floor hard midway through the second quarter, but was no worse for the wear. Green didn't have a great night shooting the ball (some layups wouldn't fall), but got to the line consistently (7-of-8 overall).

WHAT IT MEANS
The Celtics (1-4) won't fret another exhibition loss, even if it was against the Nets' junior varsity squad. And given the dud that Boston delivered in Philadelphia on Monday, this was a preseason step in the right direction. Rivers' assistants (Armond Hill, Kevin Eastman and Mike Longabardi ran the bench) got some valuable experience, the core players got some solid run and most of the crowd headed to the exits before the youngsters gave up the lead.
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WEEI 850

FAST BREAK: PAUL PIERCE ENDS THIS CELTICS-NETS DEBATE
By Ben Rohrbach

Even Celtics coach Doc Rivers couldn’t watch a full preseason game against a Nets team that didn’t send any of its starting five out for the opening tip. Conveniently, the second half of the C’s 97-96 loss coincided with the start of the presidential debate, and that’s when Rivers — an ardent support of President Barack Obama, a fellow former Chicagoan — excused himself, “allowing his assistant coaches to handle the bench duties.”

At least Paul Pierce stayed for the second half, capping a 29-point night on 10-of-17 shooting (6-8 3P) in 27 efficient minutes. Jeff Green (14 points) and Courtney Lee (13 points) also stuck around until the end of the C’s bench eventually coughed up a double-digit lead in the final minutes. Here’s what else Rivers missed.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Sharp Pierce: After entering training camp out of shape and suffering a foot injury that lingered long past the three games he missed to start the 2011-12 NBA season, Pierce seems prepared to begin this season in much better shape, showing no ill effects of the knee injury that hobbled during the playoffs. The Celtics captain connected on four of his first seven shots against the Nets, scoring 10 of the C’s 14 points in the opening seven minutes.

Green party: After struggling for the first time all preseason against the 76ers, Green turned in another aggressive performance, recapturing his leadership role on the second unit. After falling hard to the floor early in the second quarter, he shook off the trainer and even drew a charge on the other end. If there were any lingering questions about Green’s hesitance after returning from heart surgery, he answered them in that stretch.

On guard: Lee’s outside shot wasn’t dropping (1-4 3P), but the C’s starting shooting guard once again demonstrated the athleticism and defensive ability that made him so coveted. Also, his chemistry with backcourt mate Rajon Rondo is clearly developing, as Lee found open spots on the perimeter and Rondo naturally found him with a few nice crosscourt passes. Eventually, the career 39 percent 3-point shooter’s stroke will connect.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Opening statement: The Celtics shot just 35 percent in the first quarter against a Nets team that started Keith Bogans, C.J. Watson, Josh Childress, Reggie Evans and Andray Blatche. Outside of Pierce (4-8 FG) and Rondo (2-3 FG), the rest of the C’s combined to make 1-of-9 attempts. That’s not good. Not good at all.

Smallie bigs: While Nets center Brook Lopez got the night off, Rivers started Jared Sullinger and brought Brandon Bass off the bench for the third time in five games, lending more credibility to his seriousness about starting the rookie at times alongside Kevin Garnett in the frontcourt during the regular season. However, without Darko Milicic (thumb), Rivers tested both Bass and Sullinger at the 5 in stretches, and neither made a statement much louder than Jason Collins for backup center minutes. Just ask Blatche (23 points, 9 rebounds).

Terry time: We’re still waiting for that first real Jason Terry explosion off the bench. In 68 minutes over three games against NBA competition, Terry has scored a total of 18 points. He scored 18 or more points in 21 games for the Mavericks during the regular season last year. While he received a standing ovation from a halfway filled Garden crowd — and deservedly so — Celtics fans have yet to see the JET truly take off in green.

112288

This is how I feel as well.

. . . won't fret another exhibition loss, even if it was against the Nets' junior varsity squad. And given the dud that Boston delivered in Philadelphia on Monday, this was a preseason step in the right direction.

Pierce woke up

With only three games to go in the preseason, one would like to have more of a sense of continuity in the team's chemistry. Perhaps Doc's seeing all that he needs to in practice. Who knows? But what I've seen in five preseason games has been a litany of uneven play.

That's why it was great to get a glimpse of what this team can be this season. Perhaps for the first time all preseason, they put together two runs during which they totally dominated the opponent; and it was not because the Nets were so inferior but rather because the Celtics clicked on all cylinders and exhibited excellent chemistry. I hope they have finally seen the future, and that future is moving in a positive direction.

Eleven assists during the third period (exactly half their total for the evening). 29 points in 27 minutes by Pierce because.....he can. These things are more than glimmers. The potential they bespeak whacks one over the head.

But I don't need to hear Tommy tell us again that Doc plays kids at the end because he wants them to have the experience of closing out games in case they have to do it during the regular season. When, during the regular season, would it be likely that they'll be closing out NBA games? Maybe DL games, but not NBA games.

I'm convinced that the kids aren't ready to close out games. I don't need more convincing. I get it. On the other hand, I have no idea how the core player will fare in crunch time because they haven't yet been placed in that position.

I recently saw an article that suggested Doc might be holding back on tipping his hand about the true potential of this team. He does seem fixated on the first game against the Heat. Maybe he wants to add the element of surprise to his other weapons.

But these are highly competitive athletes he's coaching, and it must be frustrating for the veterans to be rooting so hard for the kids at the end of games only to see game after game wind up with a bad taste in the mouth. And I can't see how playing a thoroughly inexperienced youth lineup, cold off the bench, for four minutes gives the kids anything but a sense of inadequacy.

Since they saw fit to jettison Christmas (along with Smith), they can let Downs and Kurz go and be one person UNDER the 15-man roster limit. I hope they will sign a real PG—NOT, I REPEAT NOT—another combo guard. They need a seasoned ball distributor who can settle the bench group down and help them maximize their potential. Terry's potential is certainly not being maximized by forcing him to focus on ball distribution instead of shooting.

Sam

If they sign a real back up point, you have 3 legit talented SG's in AB, Lee and Jet, how you gonna fit minutes for all 3? early in season Avery won't be around. I would rather have AB and Jet split the BUP minutes, this also allows 48 minutes of hell if AB and Rondo are taking turns defending opposing points. I would try to pair up AB with Pierce as a point forward to help him iniate the offense in those stretches.

The wildcard is Avery Bradley, I so want to see him fully healthy defending/harassing Westbrook, Rose, Paul all of em, I think last year he was the best defensive point in the league. Hes sort of out of position defending the big 2's though he's so talented he can still do it as he showed against Dwayne Wade.

Sam

I noticed you emphasized not a COMBO GUARD,what do you have against versatility? I love versatility, I don't have to tell you how many storied players we already had in our history that could play multiple positions.

cow

Sam,
I agree about the need of a PG. But are there any that would do the job better than JT?
As for closing the game with the scrubs, I think Doc wanted to see how Joseph and Downs fared in crunch time. He knows how the core will be doing. BTW, it was a grate play that Rondo the Coach drew for the last possession, shame they didn't call the foul.
I don't think Doc is holding anything back. I doubt that there will be any secrets left after 82 games.
I think the last 2 games, depending on the opponents active players, will be the dress rehearsal for the upcoming season.

AK

I think Doc still does not know what he has and how it's going to work. Like last year after the All Star break, he will use the first 20 games to determine a set lineup.

It is not only trying to determine the value of rookies and how they may be added to the mix, but you have a lot of new veterans who must be vetted and determine who will fit chemistry wise with KG, Rondo and Pierce as well as defining a second unit.

112288

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The Bad was that they lost to a team that didn't play even one of their starters a single minute. This was a loss to the Net 6-15 and that's BAD.

1. The Good were most of the key rotation players. After the Philly game I opined that Pierce has been looking old and slow all pre-season. I had no idea he reads this board because he came out last night with a vintage performance. He ran, he hit 3s, he played D. 29 points on 10-17 with 5 boards and 2 blocks in 27 minutes. Sure, you can point to the quality of the defense against him (6-15) but he hasn't had any rhythm so far, so this is good for him to "feel it" again.

2. KG only played 14 minutes as Doc continues to treat him like Ming Dynasty china but when he was in there he was completely dominant. Turnaround jumpers dropped easily, defenses rotated seamlessly and he had two blocks, one of which was Russell-ian. He went up and tapped the ball to Pierce to keep it in play and ignite a fast break. KG's "there". This is the first game that Pierce has been "there" but KG's good.

3. Rondo had 11 assists but since I need something to bitch about I'm going to start with him. A lot of his dimes came off of transition 3s, which fueled the runs Sam mentioned. Great, they dropped, but live by the 3 and you'll die by the 3 too. I want to see Rondo creating more assists out of half-court sets. Lee cutting baseline, Bass pick-and-popping, Sully getting position underneath and getting fed. Stuff like that. Execution in the face of a ready defense. If we're going to get assists on fast breaks (and I hope we get many) then let's make them layups, not 3s. He also had 6 TOs. Some of those are chemistry TOs, which should fade away over the course of the season and he spends more time on the court with newbies Lee, Terry and Sully.

4. Another good game for Lee. He's settling in. He's still not hitting that corner 3 consistently like he was billed as doing, but he's doing a lot of other things well. There have been numerous incidences over the past few games where he was the lone defender back trying to stop a layup off a Celtic turnover and he did it.

5. Bass had his usual understated but effective and efficient game. He doesn't take over games but you look at his boxscore later and go "wow, he made a nice difference". He has said he wants to prove this year that he's not just a pick-and-pop player. You go, Brandon, you go. A real pro.

6. Sully didn't score a lot but he had 9 boards, 4 of them offensive in 30 minutes. In fact, he has more offensive boards than defensive ones so far. How much more do I need to say, given how weak a rebounding team we have been the past year or two? AND he can shoot from outside if he needs to. He ran the floor a few times too. Lee got an open corner 3 (the one out of 4 that dropped for him) because Sully was drawing the defense to him by running straight down the middle of the lane like a magnet and a bunch of iron filings. Sully got schooled by Andray Blatche, who had a great game (23 points, 9 rebounds in 23 minutes and pretty much did whatever he wanted to do). Sully's never seen a player like him. Better to cut his teeth in the pre-season. Why didn't Danny like him?

7. Jeff Green had a nice boxscore (14 points on 3-8 shooting) but this was not one of his better games, IMO. Only 3 rebounds. Hey Jeff, didn't you say you were going to focus more on rebounding this year? He hasn't had a good rebounding game yet. Also, he was unfocused on D. He lost his man on the baseline once and also off a jumpball at the Celtic free throw line that got back tapped and Green's man got it. Those are two examples that leap to mind, but there were a number of times his rotations were slow too.

8. Another underwhelming game by JET. I'm afraid to look at Ray Allen's boxscores. I'll give him this though, he's the best towel waver since ML Carr. We need more than that though, JET, we need a lot more from you.

9. The Ugly was the bottom of our bench, our 11-16. I have been excited all summer by the prospect of these guys rounding out the deepest team in the NBA. Now, I wouldn't give a plugged Euro for any of them. Rob Kurz's game reminds me of a solid but unimpressive role player on a college team that gets eliminated early in the NCAAs. He gave up some 3s because he wasn't up on them. Was that bad D, or was it Kurz recognizing a vulnerability due to lack of mobility? Either way, that's bad. And he survived Xmas? Really, Doc, really? In one of the final sequences the Nets missed a free throw and Kurz got pushed underneath the basket by his man allowing Joseph's man to cut across the lane and gather the ball and get fouled. With the exception of Sam, I have been Kris Joseph's biggest supporters. The player I saw in summer league has yet to make an appearance. There was the abovementioned missed blockout assignment on the missed free throw that cost us the game. He played point forward when he was in. I guess the thought was he'd put a smooth move on his man and penetrate. Instead he had 2 TOs on some out of control efforts and was 0-2 from the floor. Doc says the reason he stuck and Xmas and Smith didn't was because of Joseph's "longterm potential". Isn't that what D-league is for? Downs hit a shot, missed what would have been a beautiful inbounds alley oop from Lee (I thought Downs was fouled, but...) and was a general pest. They (Joseph, Kurz, Downs, Melo) came in with 3:57 left and the Celtics holding a 10 point lead and the 4 of them ended up -11. Poor Jason Collins played with them and had his +/- dragged down to a -9. We cannot trust our scrubs to close out a 10 point lead with 4 left against the bottom of another team's bench. Absolutely appalling. It's time for me to stop thinking about them because, regardless of who makes the team, they're not getting off the bench.

The Celtic starting 5 was pretty good, but they were playing the Nets 6-10. No Deron Williams, no Brooke Lopez, no Joe Johnson, no Gerald Wallace, no Kris Humphries, no Marshon Brooks. In other words, no competition. Good for their chemistry and finding their grooves though. Putting together runs, against anybody, is good for the team.

The bad was Terry, Green and some of our execution off of set plays like jumpballs and free throws.

The ugly was those players who don't really matter in the bigger picture anyway.

Doc didn't come out of the locker room after halftime. Watching the debate?


bob


.

This is for both Cow and Sinus:

Cow, since way back in the Boston.com days, I've been a HUGE booster of versatility. To my knowledge, I was the first one (and possibly the only one to date) who said, in some years, that the multiple skills of the 12 guys on the active roster were like having as many as 20 players on the active roster.

But, at heart, I'm an Auerbach guy. He picked players because—although they usually had some versatility—they all had exceptional skills in one or two specialties...... Russ: rebounding/defense; Cousy: ball distribution, Sam: shooting: KC: defense; Sharman: shooting; Sanders: defense; Heinsohn: shooting; Loscutoff: rebounding; Conley: rebounding/defense; Naulls: shooting; Nelson: shooting; etc.

Sure, they all had multiple skills, but their greatest value to Red was that their specialties combined to give him the very best in every phase of the game. The only two exceptions were Ramsey and Havlicek, and Red took advantage of their excellence in a variety of areas to create the new position of sixth man.

When I look at the guards on this Celtics team, I see the following specialties: Lee: shooting; Terry: shooting; Bradley: defense; Rondo: ball distribution. Yes, they all have other abilities (for instance, players without reasonable defensive skills don't usually last long on Doc's teams). But I believe that optimizing their collective potential requires featuring their most unique skills in defining their primary roles. And I believe the primary role of a PG should be ball distribution.

Moreover, I believe that's particularly important when sifting through the players who have lasted this long in free agency. In my mind, acquiring a combo guard this late in the going means you're compromising somehow. I'd rather compromise shooting excellence in favor of being a good playmaking catalyst. I believe guys like Bass, Green, Lee, Terry and Bradley (whoever winds up on the bench squad) can take care of the shooting, particularly if they have the advantage of working with a good ball distributor.

You've also seen me be very consistent in my belief that PG is the most important position on the team largely because the PG position, more than any other, influences the performances of all four teammates. That's why I feel it's the position that's most in need of players who have a ball distribution specialty. If they can score also, that's nice, but then they'd probably want to be starters with elevated salaries.

Sinus,

I feel that using Terry as a backup PG is a problem in two ways. First, his specialty is shooting, and that skill is diluted when he has to focus on ball distribution. (You can see that happening right now.) Second, the fact that, for Terry, ball distribution is a secondary skill at best means his bench mates aren't benefiting from the ball distribution catalyst they need in order to succeed to the max.

Having said all this, I have no idea what point guards are currently available— especially for the veteran's minimum. I'll leave that to those who are more skilled than I at sifting through all the possibilities. And, in the end, the Celts may be forced to settle for acquiring another combo guard and ask that guy to focus on ball distribution. Definitely not my first choice, but beggars can't be choosers.

Sam

BobH,

I think Danny didn't like Blatche because KG detests him. But, for a guy who was cut for lack of conditioning, he put on quite display last night.

You seem to attribute all those threes at least partly to luck. But the fact is that the pace at which the Celtics were playing during that period did not allow the Nets' defense to get set and, in most of those instances, left Pierce wide open. I'm not a big fan of the three (an understatement), but any wide open shot is a better percentage "gamble" than a contested one.

Sam

Sam

Right were in agreement that versatility is a good thing, so being whats left out there at veterans minimum, who knows whats even there? why not have AB whos only 21 be groomed not to do all Rondos resposibilities, but why couldn't he bring the ball up ala Danny Ainge or Dennis Johnson who both were not a traditional point? This way you could still have him harassing the opposing reserve point, a favorable match up. KC when he backed up the Cooz didn't do the same stuff as the Cooz, right? but it was good enough to work. I'd rather have AB backing up Rondo and learning on the spot than say a Sabastian Telfair.

cow

Hi,
Re: backup PG. I wonder if Fisher is available? For vet min, for 6-8 min. Why not.

AK

sam wrote:BobH,

I think Danny didn't like Blatche because KG detests him. But, for a guy who was cut for lack of conditioning, he put on quite display last night.

You seem to attribute all those threes at least partly to luck. But the fact is that the pace at which the Celtics were playing during that period did not allow the Nets' defense to get set and, in most of those instances, left Pierce wide open. I'm not a big fan of the three (an understatement), but any wide open shot is a better percentage "gamble" than a contested one.

Sam

sam,

Good point about KG and Blatche. Everybody who plays against KG hates him. Everybody who plays with him loves him. Oh well...

I don't think the 3s were luck. I know that when Pierce is trailing on the break and he stops and pops from 3 on the feed from Rondo it's not luck. It has happened so many times the Leprechaun would have to be working overtime to make it so. I'm just a fan of running fast breaks down the opponents' throats. I think that a well-spaced break that attacks the rim is highly likely to produce points and/or fouls while a 3pt shot is less likely to do that but is more likely to create a long rebound and a quick trip the other way. If the defense gives ground, the offense should take it! Don't just pull up for the open but less easy one. The best way to defend a player is by making them sit down with fouls, they can't hurt you if they're benched, and the way to make them foul you is by aggressively attacking them before their defense is set. 3ptrs on fast breaks are not, IMO, aggressive since they don't force the defense to make tough choices.


bob

.

sinus007 wrote:Sam,
I agree about the need of a PG. But are there any that would do the job better than JT?
As for closing the game with the scrubs, I think Doc wanted to see how Joseph and Downs fared in crunch time. He knows how the core will be doing. BTW, it was a grate play that Rondo the Coach drew for the last possession, shame they didn't call the foul.
I don't think Doc is holding anything back. I doubt that there will be any secrets left after 82 games.
I think the last 2 games, depending on the opponents active players, will be the dress rehearsal for the upcoming season.

AK

Sinus

You do realize Doc took himself out at halftime and let the assistants run the show with some direction of what he would like, much like if he was tossed from a game in the first half....

posted this on another thread but here it is again

Training Camp is for the Coaches, Too
By Marc D'Amico
Celtics.com
October 17, 2012

Armond Hill, who served as head coach during the second half of Tuesday's loss to the Nets, has been one of Doc Rivers' assistants for eight seasons.
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images
BOSTON – Doc Rivers watched the second half of Tuesday night’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets from the locker room, not due to an ejection, but as a personal choice.

Rivers watched the final 24 minutes unfold on television because he wanted to use the second half as a training tool for his coaching staff.

Assistant coach Armond Hill, who assumed the head-coaching role during the second half, elaborated on Rivers’ thought process.

“He just came to me and said, ‘Armond, you’re coaching the second half,’ “ Hill explained while also taking over Rivers’ postgame press conference. “He always said that as much as players are in training camp, so are the coaches.”

And with that, Hill was put on the spot to handle everything in the second half. He had the final say on rotations. He was the man with the clipboard in the huddles. He made decisions on when to call timeouts and what sets to run on offensive possessions.

That’s a lot to handle out of the blue, but that was the exact reason for Rivers’ decision. He wanted to simulate what may occur in the regular season.

“What happens if he gets thrown out, something like that?” Hill asked the media after the game.

The answer is exactly what happened Tuesday night. Hill would presumably assume the head coaching responsibilities and everyone on Boston’s bench would answer to him.

Rivers did still manage to give Hill some direction before the second half began. This also simulated what could happen during a regular season game. If Rivers were to be ejected during the first half of a game, he would still have the opportunity to communicate with players and coaches during halftime. On Tuesday, Rivers laid out a plan of attack for Hill to follow in the second half.

“Doc was, as far as the game plan, wanted us to go to KG (Kevin Garnett) early in the second half,” Hill said. “Then when KG goes out go to Paul (Pierce) and keep (Rajon) Rondo in the mix. He wanted to play Rondo a little bit in the fourth quarter and Rondo was begging for more time, but we said two to five minutes and he played five minutes.“

As Rondo’s time on the court came to an end, Hill was forced to make a difficult lineup decision. He wanted to get his core players out of the game get his youngsters some playing time. The problem is, with Boston’s roster cuts earlier in the day, there were no young players available to run the offense.

“As far as at the end, I put all the guys in and I didn’t have any point guards in,” Hill said.

It sounds as if Rivers questioned that decision from the locker room, at least until he spoke to Hill after the game.

Said Hill, “Once I explained that Courtney (Lee) was cramping up a little bit, he understood.”

Hill’s decision to replace his five veterans with four youngsters and Jason Collins wound up losing the game for the team, but that really wasn’t the big story. What the Celtics, and Rivers in particular, will remember is that they excelled during the first 20 minutes of the second half under Hill. Had this been a regular season game, they would have easily won the contest.

But it wasn’t a regular season game, and that’s exactly why Rivers decided it was the perfect opportunity to give his coaching staff some real-life training.

“I can only thank Doc for giving me the opportunity to coach,” Hill remarked. “That’s what we’re all here for. He’s taught me and I’ve been with him and he continues to teach me and he’s given me another opportunity.”

Hill’s most recent opportunity could wind up being a game-changer if Rivers happens to get into a tiff with a referee at any point this season.

Sam,

Danny didn't listen to you.
Boston has signed Barbosa who is a combo guard and more of a sg then a pg.

tjmakz wrote:Sam,

Danny didn't listen to you.
Boston has signed Barbosa who is a combo guard and more of a sg then a pg.

I think they just wanted someone who can speak Portuguese to Melo.


bob


.

TJ,

I never expected to get Danny's ear. Unless one recalls that it was only a matter of hours after I lobbied for them to get a point guard that they signed the closest thing they could find.

I'm not at all convinced Danny didn't have my line of reasoning in mind by signing Barbosa. As I mentioned, in my earlier post, I was prepared for the possibility that there weren't any adequate ball distributors out there; and, if there weren't, they probably wouldn't come for the money Barbosa took.

You can't manufacture what's not available, so you go to whatever's the best alternative. He took the best guard that was realistically available—a combo guard. My hope is that either Barbosa or Terry (depending on how they look over time) will be asked to concentrate on doing best he can at ball distribution so the other one will be able to focus on what he does best—scoring.

Sam

Cow, I have more chance of growing hair than Bradley has of acquiring a point guard mentality. I know it. Doc knows it. I suspect Bradley knows it.

Actually, I hope I'm wrong because it would be nice to have more point guard skills on this team. But right now I'm hoping that, being a veteran, Barbosa will have enough basketball IQ to be a better pseudo-backup PG than Bradley would be at this point in his career—especially since he's going to have enough on his mind to compete for SG playing time after missing a month or two.

And, by the way, I've seen a lot of K.C. Jones at work. Avery Bradley is no K.C. Jones. Among other things, K.C. had far better basketball instincts than Avery will ever have.

Sam

sam wrote:Cow, I have more chance of growing hair than Bradley has of acquiring a point guard mentality. I know it. Doc knows it. I suspect Bradley knows it.

Actually, I hope I'm wrong because it would be nice to have more point guard skills on this team. But right now I'm hoping that, being a veteran, Barbosa will have enough basketball IQ to be a better pseudo-backup PG than Bradley would be at this point in his career—especially since he's going to have enough on his mind to compete for SG playing time after missing a month or two.

And, by the way, I've seen a lot of K.C. Jones at work. Avery Bradley is no K.C. Jones. Among other things, K.C. had far better basketball instincts than Avery will ever have.

Sam

sam,

As far as growing hair, there are ways to do that requiring far less effort and talent than becoming a point guard.

You know, I seem to remember hearing about Doc coveting Barbosa last year, but he went to Toronto (and then to Indiana in exchange for a 2nd round pick as part of a salary dump) with a $7M contract, which priced him out of our range.

If Doc ever decides to give up basketball he'd make a great headhunter. First he recruits Terry, then Lee and now he gets his man Barbosa after a multi-year dogged pursuit.

Danny's Ace-in-the-Hole.


bob


.

sam wrote:TJ,

I never expected to get Danny's ear. Unless one recalls that it was only a matter of hours after I lobbied for them to get a point guard that they signed the closest thing they could find.

I'm not at all convinced Danny didn't have my line of reasoning in mind by signing Barbosa. As I mentioned, in my earlier post, I was prepared for the possibility that there weren't any adequate ball distributors out there; and, if there weren't, they probably wouldn't come for the money Barbosa took.

You can't manufacture what's not available, so you go to whatever's the best alternative. He took the best guard that was realistically available—a combo guard. My hope is that either Barbosa or Terry (depending on how they look over time) will be asked to concentrate on doing best he can at ball distribution so the other one will be able to focus on what he does best—scoring.

Sam

Sam,

You are right that Danny signed the best available guard.
Barbosa is significantly better than any free agent point guard.
I would not be surprised if either Barbosa/Terry/Lee is traded after 12/15.
If Wilcox or Milicic miss significant time, they will need to trade for another pf/c.
Good move by Danny in signing Barbosa.

TJ,

Unlike other recent years, the Celts certainly do have plenty of trading chips with reasonable value. I think you correctly identified three players who have some redundancy between them; and trade possibilities may be determined by how successful Doc is in getting the maximum out of all of them.

I think that, of the three, Lee is the real keeper st this stage. He seems to be settling very nicely into the Celtics system. I believe Terry is uneasy as he tries to figure out his role, and that role could actually be altered by Barbosa's arrival as well as Bradley's eventual return. Based only on very early results, I think Terry's shooting effectivness is being undermined by casting him in the backup PG role.

It seems as though every new season offers lessons. For the last couple of years, Celtics fans have been schooled in how to deal with the impact of injuries, advancing age, and fatigue. This season should offer very interesting perspectives on player combinations, minutes management, and chemistry development. I suspect Lakers fans will have the opportunity to learn equivalent (albeit perhaps different) lessons.

Sam

TONIGHT'S CELTIC/BROOKLYN GAME HAS BEEN SWITCHED TO TNT - AT 8:00PM

NOT NBATV

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sam wrote:Cow, I have more chance of growing hair than Bradley has of acquiring a point guard mentality. I know it. Doc knows it. I suspect Bradley knows it.

Actually, I hope I'm wrong because it would be nice to have more point guard skills on this team. But right now I'm hoping that, being a veteran, Barbosa will have enough basketball IQ to be a better pseudo-backup PG than Bradley would be at this point in his career—especially since he's going to have enough on his mind to compete for SG playing time after missing a month or two.

And, by the way, I've seen a lot of K.C. Jones at work. Avery Bradley is no K.C. Jones. Among other things, K.C. had far better basketball instincts than Avery will ever have.

Sam

you know Sam your reminding me a little of Yankee fans, they are spoiled and need an all star at every position it seems, like their entitled....I'm not saying your going that far. I didn't see KC Jones in his prime and I'm comparing the situation not the player as a back up, thats all. Bottom line buddy you were dead wrong on AB last year when you said you wanted to trade him, I'm sure we all agree he made great strides last year and we all love what he brought. I'm sure Doc will find the best solution, if he decides to further develop AB as a point to give Rondo a breather I could live with that, AB couldn't be worse than Eddie House.

cowens/oldschool wrote:

sam wrote:Cow, I have more chance of growing hair than Bradley has of acquiring a point guard mentality. I know it. Doc knows it. I suspect Bradley knows it.

Actually, I hope I'm wrong because it would be nice to have more point guard skills on this team. But right now I'm hoping that, being a veteran, Barbosa will have enough basketball IQ to be a better pseudo-backup PG than Bradley would be at this point in his career—especially since he's going to have enough on his mind to compete for SG playing time after missing a month or two.

And, by the way, I've seen a lot of K.C. Jones at work. Avery Bradley is no K.C. Jones. Among other things, K.C. had far better basketball instincts than Avery will ever have.

Sam

you know Sam your reminding me a little of Yankee fans, they are spoiled and need an all star at every position it seems, like their entitled....I'm not saying your going that far. I didn't see KC Jones in his prime and I'm comparing the situation not the player as a back up, thats all. Bottom line buddy you were dead wrong on AB last year when you said you wanted to trade him, I'm sure we all agree he made great strides last year and we all love what he brought. I'm sure Doc will find the best solution, if he decides to further develop AB as a point to give Rondo a breather I could live with that, AB couldn't be worse than Eddie House.

Cowens,

As I have mentioned before I have been a Lakers and a Yankees fan from a very young age.
Yes, I know, the two most hated teams for Boston fans.
I would have to disagree with your Yankees fans statement.
We don't want to have superstars at every position.
We love players like Paul O'Neill, Scott Brosius, Tino Martinez, David Wells.
These guys were not stars but were great teammates, sacrificed themselves for the sake of the team and they were clutch when the Yankees needed them.
I have never liked A-Rod and never will.
He is not a true Yankee to me.
A-Rod could hit 1000 home runs but he will never have the respect from Yankees fans like we have for Pettitte, Posada, Rivera, Jeter and Bernie Williams.
Those are true Yankees.
We don't want 8 figure players at every position.
I was so happy they didn't sign Cliff Lee to a $150m contract.

Anyway, sorry for the off-subject discourse.
Danny does have more options with the addition of Barbosa.
There is no down side to signing him.
Barbosa scored at will during the Olympics, so I don't expect that to change any time soon.