YOU BE THE CELTICS COACH (minus the pay)

As what I consider the "real" season for the Celtics (post-all star play) nears, I've seen myriad comments on what's wrong with the team, what people think of Doc as a coach, what Danny should be doing, and just about everything except a new design for the Garden. But I'd like to pose a very simple and focused question.

After the all-star break ends on Sunday, the Celtics will presumably reconvene in Sacramento late on Monday or early on Tuesday in advance of Tuesday night's game against the Kings. If they all magically arrive early enough on Monday, Doc could conceivably hold a full practice that day. But the odds are greater that there will be a run-through on Tuesday morning and that the first full-fledged post-all-star practice will occur on Wednesday (before the Thursday game @ the Lakers).

You're now Doc. You have 90 minutes to do anything you want on Wednesday. (Let's assume specific preparation for the Lakers can take place Thursday morning.) For the purpose of this discussion, I'm assuming the same roster they have at this moment (5:25 pm Tuesday). Here's my question: What would you do with the 90-minutes of their first post-all-star quality practice time on Wednesday? How would you distribute the time? What kind of tone would you try to establish? What would you emphasize at the outset of what hopefully will become a renewed march toward contention? What kinds of things would you say to the team or to individuals? How much of your practice would involve talking/lecturing versus walking or running through playing situations versus film time versus scrimmage versus something else?

I'd appreciate it if comments could be kept as realistic as possible. For example, trade transactions are not part of practice, so opinions on trades can be recorded on other threads, but please not here. (If the Celtics should make a trade, we can always amend this thread or start another with different assumptions.)

Have some fun with it. And perhaps this can be a way of starting to accentuate the positive as this team looks to rebound.

Thanks,

Sam

Sam,

Defensively, I'd look for energy and communication. If you're going to try to get an offensive board, work hard for position and then fight for it. If not, then run your butt back. If there's a loose ball and you're close enough to make a play for it, then do it with authority. There have been too many times we wouldn't commit to a defensive play and then we'd look at each other because we thought the other guy was going to do it. Call it and do it, let the other guys know you have their backs and so they can slide over and get yours.

Offensively, I'd run the ball through Rondo as much as possible. Picks-and- rolls and picks-and-pops. Try to run plays to break Rondo free. He's been the best player on the team the past week or two, let's use that.

Against Sacto, we may need to put Tony Allen on Tyreke "the freak" Evans. I've been watching this kid all season and he's the real deal. He's going to be an all-star someday for sure. VERY athletic. 6'6" point guard with knuckle-dragging arms. Since Rondo and Evans are both starting point guards, it'll be interesting to see how well they match up. Play physical against Casspi. Like other Euro players (although technically he's Israeli) he's more of a finesse player and he can be muscled. Let him run free and that's playing to his strength. Turn Perk loose on Spencer Hawes. Hawes would be a backup center on a good team, Perk can work him.

bob

So Bob, I gather that a lot of what you'd do at practice would involve a sort of extended pep talk and an exhortation to play hard rather than a lot of work on basics or schemes of play (except the admonition to run the ball through Rondo). Would you say they haven't been running the ball through Rondo a lot of the time? Would you recommend doing that exclusively?

Sam

sam,

Not pep talk. I'd get on them in the drills when to move faster. If a player doesn't slide on defense, I'd call him on it and hold him accountable.

As far as running through Rondo, we have been doing that a lot and we looked better when we did. It's when we stop doing that the offense becomes stale and predictable. I'm not saying do that exclusively, but we need more movement when he's not. Since we really don't have another ballhandler like him, we need to pass more. We have plays that move the ball around, I'd practice them.

bob

I would stress simple position basketball. FIND YOUR DAMN MAN AND BOX OUT. Set hard picks without moving. Take charges. Call picks and fight through them or call switches. Help each other. I would ELIMINATE iso basketball and bench anyone who engaged in it. Bench them no matter how much time left within reason. In that spirit I would hand Rondo the keys to the team and take him aside privately and encourage him to start running the team throughout the game and calling out guys that are out of position and rewarding those that are with the basketball. I would have the bigs going to the glass every time. I cannot overstate this. Too many of the wrong color shirts around the hoop and too little effort on the part of the c's.

I would bench Sheed the second he took an ill advised three. I would send his ass to the showers when he gets a stupid t. Whatever it took to get his attention I would do it.

I would let KG run the d with his mouth. Rondo runs the o.

Jeb

And Cow this is for you. I would show them tape after tape of your namesake.

Make them watch Cowens. Hustle!

I would focus on trapping defense and a team commitment to communicate with one another more on D.

I would not do a 'basic training'......rather a re-focus on the principles that made us successful. The video attached is the type of classroom I'd recommend as the present group does not need to be further fatigued, rather, reinvigorated.

This is from prior to the Indiana game in 1986. More so than increased energy, timely switches and planned hesitation to effect change can be more valuable than organized chaos.

Tark

jeb65 wrote:And Cow this is for you. I would show them tape after tape of your namesake.

Make them watch Cowens. Hustle!

I still love Dave Cowens,pound for pound greatest defender in basketball,remember how he'd stop penetration on the pick and roll?

And I understand an Amoeba Zone is not legal in the NBA. The principles of help defense, switches and hesitation to create turnovers is key in team defense.

All the best,

Tark

Great stuff guys. Fun reading.

Jerry Tarkanian wrote:And I understand an Amoeba Zone is not legal in the NBA. The principles of help defense, switches and hesitation to create turnovers is key in team defense.

All the best,

Tark

it seems when our defense was at its best just last season and year before it loaded up on strong side and was a disquised man to man with real zone principles.We always had a hand in passing lanes,guys pressing on perimeter and Perk and KG protecting the basket.....whatever it takes to get back to that would be nice.