Celtics' Blurry Rotations Coming Into Focus

MY NOTE: This was apparently published before the Memphis game, a game in which Pressey did not play much, nor did Lee. A bit of a premature ejaculation by Blakely.



Celtics' blurry rotation coming into focus
November 26, 2013, 11:00 pm






BOSTON — From the moment the Boston Celtics began training camp, there was a feeling among many that the Celtics had at least one too many warm bodies on the roster.

In that regard, injuries have in one respect helped Brad Stevens and his staff with fine-tuning their roster in as efficient a manner as possible.

Stevens has used various combinations which has put a premium on trying to unearth various groupings that work both for the first unit as well as the second.

The tinkering seems to be paying off now as the Celtics come into tonight's game with back-to-back wins over Atlanta and Charlotte, respectively.

Beating those teams doesn't exactly make the heart skip a beat.

But considering how both games were gut-check performances that ended with a Celtics victory, the continuity and cohesiveness that's taking shape among the players is palatable.

Boston's starting five is comprised of Jordan Crawford, Avery Bradley, Jeff Green, Brandon Bass and Jared Sullinger. Top bench players are Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, Courtney Lee, Vitor Favorani and Phil Pressey.

Stevens will have a tough decision on what to do with Bass when Kelly Olynyk (ankle sprain) returns to the lineup in another week or so.

"I feel good about when to bring guys in, who to bring in first," Stevens said. "I feel good about those things. That's a little bit of a work in progress."

While the players in and out of the rotation might change, the one constant has been all have been ready to contribute with no notice.

Boston rookie guard Phil Pressey has no idea if he's going to play one night or another. And yet you would think he's used to playing 20 or so minutes a night by the poise and composure he shows when on the floor.

Following Boston's win at Charlotte on Monday, Celtics players went out of their way to praise the play of Pressey who came off the bench and tallied a career-high eight assists.

Another fringe rotation player, Kris Humphries, showed up big in Tuesday's 96-86 win as well. He had four points, five rebounds and a plus/minus ratio of plus-17. Even more important than his stats, his defense was significant in helping keep former Celtic Al Jefferson (now with the Bobcats) from being a major factor as Jefferson finished with 14 points but could only grab three rebounds.

"For someone like Phil he didn't see much action in the Atlanta game and Hump (Humphries) hasn't seen a lot of action throughout the season," said Sullinger. "So those guys are very anxious to show why they can play and why they're in this league.

Sullinger added, "That's what makes it special, especially someone like Phil. He wants to show everybody he belongs in this league."

The same can be said for this Celtics team that's still learning and growing not just how to play but how to play together and prove their many naysayers wrong who see a team rebuilding and not one that's trying to win as many games as possible.

Boston hasn't arrived, but you have to like the direction they are trending towards right now.

"We're still not playing 48 minutes," Stevens said. "But we are doing some things, you can see it from a coaching standpoint, there's a lot of things happening that we're getting better at, especially on the defensive end of the floor."




bob



.

I don't think they'll have much of a solidified starting 5 because Stevens is going with whoever he thinks will be the most productive; sometimes it pans out and sometimes it doesn't.

But then, it's also important to remember that most guys on this team are interchangeable on this roster as bench players or starters.



KJ

One radical idea would involve sending Olynyk out for a stint in the D-League with specific instructions to work on those parts of his game that would could be capitalized on, long-term, by the Celtics. I know this would be a very unpopular move, but right now Kelly is not really a game-changer, and both he and Brad have struggled to help him find a useful role while (hopefully) gaining the kind of body strength that a 7-footer needs. Is it better for him to endure the repeated frustration of not quite being a good fit, or would it be better for him to succeed almost every night in the D-League so that he can return to the Celtics full of confidence, enthusiasm, and a success-oriented mentality?

Two reasons, unrelated to Kelly himself, for considering this idea would be (1) to allow other Celtics' bigs to get plenty of floor time in order to determine whether or not they can be part of the rebuilding and (2) to showcase their skills to other teams.

I can already think of reasons why this could be a bad idea. Brad's tact would be tested sorely in explaining such a move to Kelly, who seems like a really great kid. The Celtics lack height, and he's tall. Would a so-called "demotion" dampen his spirit? Would he progress more quickly by struggling against NBA players or by succeeding against lesser players? Etc., etc., etc. My only reason for posting this as a possibility is an attempt to think outside the box. I believe this kind of season calls for just that.

Just a thought.

Sam

Sam

Another tack for Stevens to take.

Call it a rehab assignment like in baseball... but that would only work for a handful of games.
Doubt it happens but you never know.

beat

Beat, a rehab assignment might be a convenient way to help position a D-League assignment initially, but I could see a D-League stint for Olynyk extending until the Celtics' logjam at the PF position is reduced in one way or another. However, as I suggested earlier, it could be that Brad feels only big league competition will bring out the best in Kelly.

Sam

Sam,

Kelly to the D-League sounds reasonable.

They have that logjam at the 4 anyway. And it would give him some time to develop. Although, nothing is quite a substitute for the real thing. Olynyk will continue to struggle but at the same time it'll be much more valuable experience in the long run to take his lumps now.


KJ

KJ,

Even though I made the suggestion, I'm still on the fence as to whether it's a good idea. One could argue that against minor leaguers (and very probably shorter ones than have made it to the NBA), he could develop habits that won't work in the bigs. My main support for the idea is freeing up some more time so that all the PF "candidates" can get more meaningful game time other than just practice.

I have no idea whether this has even remotely occurred to Danny and/or Brad; but, if it has, they'll have a lot to consider. I think Pressey would be a natural for the D League when Rondo returns.

Sam