About Sheed

Hi,
What do you think about this:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100407&sportCat=nba

Hard to argue with the facts. But it looks so much personal, I wonder why?

AK

AK,

A friend sent me that article the other day, but I never had the chance to read it. I took the time after seeing it here.

I think that it comes across as personal due to the fact that Simmons is basically a sports editorialist.

The most unfortunate part of what he wrote is that it's hard to dispute any of it. He's on target although I hate to say it. We keep seeing flashes of what Sheed can still do, but it seems that despite the fact we need his still decent low-post skills he has little heart for making the effort.

We need him for lack of an alternative, and it looks like Doc will go with a nine man playoff rotation with Sheed, Davis, Finley and Tony off the bench. I can't argue those four are our best bet, but part of me wishes he'd set Sheeds talented but miserable backside on the bench and use Williams or Scal instead.

I think we have to hope that Sheed makes good on his comments that he doesn't really bring it until the playoffs.

If we found a way to part with Wallace this off-season I wouldn't be sad.

Regards

As I've stated elsewhere, I believe Sheed has a tendency to develop a little disdain for fellow members of a (bench) combination who are not executing with a high degree of savvy or competence all the time. Even if he fights the feeling, I'm betting even a modicum of disdain invites a somewhat blazé attitude on his part. When he's playing with the bench, if he screws up or misses an assignment, others are doing it too and he's not all that likely to be called to account. Moreover, I think he senses (rightly or wrongly) some pressure to be a game changer when playing with the bench, especially if his mates are struggling. Hence he takes more" chances." (Some call them "threes.")

Playing with guys like KG, Ray, Finley and Rondo, the pressure to produce is less focused on any single individual and more on the overall unit. The tendency to take individual gambles is moderated by the possibility of being called to account by his teammates. So, playing with those guys provides greater encouragement to stay in control, discharge his responsibilities as best he can, and avoid low-percentage actions.

The problem is that a unit of Sheed, KG, Finley, Ray and Rondo is more likely to play under special circumstances than on a regular basis, and Sheed will be playing mainly with the bench. But there could be some light at the end of that tunnel, as follows.

I'm hoping his stints with the game-clinching group the other night, if repeated at least occasionally, will repeatedly remind him what it's like to succeed handily. And, if there's one thing I'm sure of about Sheed, it's that he thrives on being successful, which is why so many people call him a frontrunner. So I'm hoping that some of his habits in playing with KG, Finley, Ray and Rondo will rub off on his approach to playing with the bench. Perhaps that compromise will appeal more to him than, in effect, exhibiting a split personality (one when playing with team leaders and the other when playing with the bench). Having Ray play with the bench (perhaps with Quis spelling him to free up some minutes) could make this less of an abrupt shift than as if he were still playing with Davis, Tony, Finley and Nate.

All of this is very possibly wishful thinking, and I realize that I tend to place more emphasis on players' psyches than a lot of fans do. The importance of their psyches was drilled into me long ago, and I've never forgotten it. (It's why I reject notions that involve what I call the "toy soldier" approach—just wind them up and send them out like automotons expected to give their optimal performances in all situations.)

This is the dimension I believe Bill Simmons may be overlooking in trying to match Sheed's actions with the causes underlying them. Sometimes, the cause of something is not the most obvious factor.

I'm now editing this past to incorporate the fact that I'm not in any way trying to make apologies for Sheed. If what I say has any substance, I believe it's unprofessional for a player (well-paid or not) to allow anything to make him blazé. All players owe their teams the smartest, most honest efforts. Sure...and let's rename TD Bank Garden "Utopia." I'm just trying to be realistic about Sheed while hoping there's some possible avenue to make him more of a positive force for the Celtics.

Sam

Sam,

I buy your theory as one good possibility.

Or, and hopefully I'm way off on this, playing with some of the starting unit just forces Sheed into a different role. The one we would like to see. Less freelance, especially with shooters like Ray and Finley on the floor simultaneously.

What gets me if you're correct, is that would mean Sheed simply is uninspired by the role he knew he was signing on for.

The only polite term that comes to mind is "Yuck".

Regards

Yes, I'm probably just trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

With the playoffs coming on fast I hope it truly is a silk purse we're looking at!

Maybe it was the ice cream I just downed after the game kicking in some positive aura, but I will choose to remain cautiously optimistic overall.

Perhaps getting to the postseason will cure a few ills.

NYCelt wrote:With the playoffs coming on fast I hope it truly is a silk purse we're looking at!

Maybe it was the ice cream I just downed after the game kicking in some positive aura, but I will choose to remain cautiously optimistic overall.

Perhaps getting to the postseason will cure a few ills.

Cheesecake to ice cream? Permanent or just a temporary switch?

Good to see you got home before they rolled up the sidewalks, Bob. Cheesecake, ice cream, nah. I'll cast my vote for the cannolis at Mike's Pastry in the North End.

Shortly before the end of the Wizards game, Bobc suggested we go over and sit behind Wyc and shout for our money back. It was tempting. What ever happened to the good old days when Walter Brown would storm into the dressing room after a bad loss and threaten to fire everyone on the spot? Walter cared about the fans, appreciated that they paid good money to see his team; he was the biggest fan of all. What about Wyc? He's a fan, too, but he has to be accountable. Somebody better pitch a fit. There were empty seats last night, not many but the goold old days are gone, it seems, at least in terms of automatic sell-outs.

If this lackadaisical play keeps up, the only sell-outs will be the players. Can you imagine shelling out hundreds for playoff tickets and seeing them play the way they did last night?

About the linked article, Bill Simmons is a girly man. It's as though he's trying to say that Rasheed Wallace is at fault for everything that's gone wrong this season. What a crybaby! No wonder his wife won't have sex with him. Did Bill forget to mention a tiny little fact about Sheed, somewhat inconsequential, I suppose, but nevertheless relevant, i.e., Sheed was an important piece of a powerhouse Detroit team the terrorized the league for a few years? If he's such a poison to team chemistry, how'd that happen?

In person, Sheed looks much better than on the tube. He doesn't dart from side to side the way Perk and KG do (excuuuuse me, the way Perk does - KG didn't do diddly last night -) Sheed slides his feet sometimes to get into position. It looks like he isn't moving, it's slick, smart, like a lot of things he does. He also played harder last night than anyone except Finley.

The crybaby boobirds come out of their holes every time the team loses badly. If the Celtics suddenly get on a roll, or heaven forbid, go on a rampage, what are the girly men going to cry about?

Anyone who thinks the Celtics aren't coasting into the playoffs didn't see last night's game. Red often used the expression 'false hustle'. He used it in the context of practice. No one would ever get away with it in a game that Red was coaching. Still, I always wondered what it looked like, this false hustle. Now I've seen it in person in a Celtics game. It was a far more egregious violation of Celtics tradition than anything since Pipino, much worse than the cheerleaders.

spike

Spike,

I thought it was one of the worst games I've seen KG play. And I also thought that, especially in the first half, Sheed played better defense than anyone else on the team. (Notice that this is a relative statement.)

Sam

I don't think Sheed is the only problem,theres alot to go around

Sam

Sheed's the least of our worries. The big question is, can this team go from zero to sixty in ten seconds flat. They seem to think they can, particularly Paul and KG, and Rondo's obviously following their lead. Perk and Ray seem to have only one speed, although they're obviously limited when their fellow starters are putting out the false hustle.

What I payed the most attention to last night, besides the cheerleaders (Red wasn't wrong often, but this time he was), was the offensive flow of the starters. As far as I could tell, Rondo didn't call many plays, except in the early going, when he called Ray's number repeatedly. It seems the offensive game plan was to go to Ray right off the bat. As the game wore on, Rondo just headed for the hoop himself and dished off if anyone followed. By the fourth quarter, when they tried to make a run, the offense was helter skelter.

That's what worries me: the lack of an offensive identity. It also seems that Doc doesn't know what the solution is. Two years ago, Rondo passed off after crossing half court or threw it into KG in the low post, then went to a corner and got lost. Now he's looking to run the offense, but there's no system. If Ray gets featured, Paul disappears. If KG gets featured, it seems to work better, but he really looked as though he was playing with his eyes closed. How else could they miss all those layups? Even Sheed missed some layups (lol).

bobc33 wrote:

NYCelt wrote:With the playoffs coming on fast I hope it truly is a silk purse we're looking at!

Maybe it was the ice cream I just downed after the game kicking in some positive aura, but I will choose to remain cautiously optimistic overall.

Perhaps getting to the postseason will cure a few ills.

Cheesecake to ice cream? Permanent or just a temporary switch?

Bob,

It's an additional vice, though secondary. Cannolis, especially the cheese filled ones, can cover many bases too.

Sorry the Celts didn't put on a better display for you and Spike last night. It's more fun to be at the game either way.

Regards

Spike,

From the day KG joined the team, I've been concerned about the offense. They really did mount a monster defense that first season, and it was able to overcome the offensive lapses.

I don't care what Doc or anyone else says, I feel offense is the root of the Celtics' problems. I know they can reel off points, but they're not nearly doing it efficiently enough to keep themselves from getting frustrated at their offensive inconsistency. And, when they get frustrated at their offensive inconsistency, that when the frustration eats away at their energy on defense.

I hope they can turn on that switch.

Sam

That was obvious last night Sam. Miss after miss after miss. The frustration on Paul Pierce's face was obvious. Ray wasn't much better, except that he did keep moving. KG? I don't know what the heck is going on with him. The only one showing any enthusiasm for the game was Rondo, maybe Perk a little. I have never seen so many easy shots missed in all my years of following basketball!! That was the worst game a Boston Celtic team of talent has played. I hope they all went home and looked in the mirror last night.

I finally got around to reading this column. Wow. He really, really let Sheed have it. Both barrels, full bore, point-blank.

The perception of this being a personal attack comes from his conclusion, that Sheed isn't committed or can still play and just wants to play with people's heads and pocket the money. Unfortunately for Sheed he backs that up with more than a few statistics and examples, both past and present.

Let's hope Sheed reads that column and has some pride. My bet is that he won't read it. Sheed isn't interested in what others think and never has. When he was young, he was too headstrong to listen. Now that he's older he's "been there done that, you can't tell me s--t that I don't already know".

Nobody wants to fight with Sheed. Nobody wants to get into an argument with him (Doc did publicly once, but then it was over in a flash, like a summer sun shower). We need an intervention but who has the balls and enough authority with Sheed to do it? His wife, sure, but I doubt that'll happen.

The rumors, pre-trade deadline, was that Larry Brown coveted Sheed. I say, if he still wants him next year, let's let Charlotte CTC.

bob

.

Bob,

I see him in a different uniform like the Bobcats next year. I was excited about him at the start of the year but I found myself reading the Simmons article and saying uhuh.... over and over. I'm not usually a big Simmons fan but he is right on with many of his points there IMO.

Sam's comment about making a silk purse could come true if he just turns it on in the post season, and posts up more, and takes less threes, and plays better defense, and stops turning the officials against us, ...jeesh it's Sow's Ear time.... I hope I'm wrong.

The maddening thing for me about Sheed is that his BBall IQ is off the charts. Last night he took a 3 and made it when TA was wide open under the basket. The camera showed him apologizing to TA while backing up down the court. Let us all hope he is sandbagging for the tournament.

We still have enough talent to go deep and if Sheed can just shut up and play we have a chance.

Hoop

Hi,
This whole affair with Sheed reminds me a casino roulette: everybody makes their bets and all wait trembling or holding breath for the wheel to spin. What I mean by that is that a lot of people guessing will he perform in the playoffs or not. But I don't recall anybody doing the same about RR or BBD or RA. That's the problem I'm afraid of.
Oh well.... Wheel slows down, we'll find the result very soon.

AK

Sheed has not been what I had hoped and the key thing he lacks is hunger. If he was serious about winning another ring he would have showed up in shape and played with at least some intensity. He imho has not lived up to his own words.

Wonder how that Hall Of Fame debate concerning Sheed is progressing...

steve3344 wrote:Wonder how that Hall Of Fame debate concerning Sheed is progressing...

steve,

There was a debate about Sheed going to the Hall? Can you point to the ninny?

bob

.

bobheckler wrote:

steve3344 wrote:Wonder how that Hall Of Fame debate concerning Sheed is progressing...

steve,

There was a debate about Sheed going to the Hall? Can you point to the ninny?

bob

.

Bob,

There were actually two of them on here - one a couple of months ago that I shot down with lots of examples of players who've had better careers than Sheed who never got a sniff of the Hall and another one a few weeks ago that again, was quickly squelched. When I have the time I might look for them for your entertainment. And they were entertaining. And laughable.

I thought the movie title was, "About Schmidt".-MD.

The last time I heard the word ninny used was by Cathy Moriarity as Nurse Nan in the 1991 Sally Field movie, "Soapdish."-MD.

The article ws scathing to say the least. Some of his comments seems to infer that he knew what Rasheed is thinking aboiut when he is out there on the court. Not sure anyone could figure that one out unless they had a few sessions on the couch.

The final straw will come, if it comes, during the playoffs when Sheed's hot button goes off. If that happens Rasheed cannot and must not be on the roster next year.

I hope this does not happen because the Celtics need for him to play well below the neck but especially above the neck. Rasheed has a chance for redemption but I have yet to see him play well consistently. He takes a lot of plays off. He is perhaps the biggest unknown as the Celtics prepare for battle.

dboss