Monroe......

Monroe doesn't have be great on defense. It is a team sport. He just needs to be competent. Grabbing rebounds is a form of defense.

Baynes is the man when it's time to clamp down on opponent points. Everyone has their role. The team just needs to get healthy and it will continue to gel.

Phil Pressey wrote:Monroe doesn't have be great on defense. It is a team sport. He just needs to be competent. Grabbing rebounds is a form of defense.

Baynes is the man when it's time to clamp down on opponent points. Everyone has their role. The team just needs to get healthy and it will continue to gel.

And what if he turned out to be a liability on defense ?

swish

swish wrote:

Phil Pressey wrote:Monroe doesn't have be great on defense. It is a team sport. He just needs to be competent. Grabbing rebounds is a form of defense.

Baynes is the man when it's time to clamp down on opponent points. Everyone has their role. The team just needs to get healthy and it will continue to gel.

  And what if he turned out to be a liability on defense ?

  swish

Isaiah was a so-called liability on defense. The Celtics still won with him. I saw people (not here) claiming Irving was as bad as Thomas for D. That turned out to be false.

There's the Stevens' factor, too. Did you see Horford will the win against Portland? Monroe is good protection to eat minutes, so Al can be fresh for the playoff run. He will be good for points off the bench.

Kdp,

Like I said, we were told Kyrie would be as bad as IT on defense. People thought our defense would regress after trading Bradley and Crowder. Obviously these have been proven false. Let's give Monroe a chance before we deliver a verdict, yes?

KJ

KDP,

I would agree that Monroe will never be even close to someone like Lanier. He is a much better defender than he's being referred to as here, however.

Regards

I don't like soon come . . .



Put some smile on OUR face
Let money be the taste
Like your presence in this place
I don't like soon come

bobheckler wrote:Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach
about 44 minutes ago
Hearing it's possible the Celtics could hold off on officially signing Monroe until after the trade deadline to maintain flexibility. Likely sooner.

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bob


.

Sounds like Danny still has another deal up his sleeve.

gyso wrote:I don't like soon come . . .



Put some smile on OUR face
Let money be the taste
Like your presence in this place
I don't like soon come

soon come . . . maybe, maybe not?

sinus007 wrote:Hi,
So, to summarize all the posts about GM's defense - he sucks in that department but after being in Celtics environment he'll get much better and the remaining flaws will be masked by the existing top notch team defense. Please correct me if wrong.
As for the Celtics being a contender, I'll throw my hat in and say that they're not, yet. Next year - most probably, with healthy Hayward and the rest of the current team. Because my definition of contender (for this and the next 2-3 years) is a team that has fair chance to beat GSW in 7-games series.

AK

Does that mean that there is not a single contender in the NBA right now? (Unless GSWs can beat themselves, not even they count as contenders under this definition! )

Monroe has played for 7 coaches in 8 years. FWIW I have read that he has defended better in some systems than others. It is hard to see how he could be a liability, given our lack of potent reserve scorers.

NESportsfan12,
Appreciate your attempt at humor. But seriously, I don't see any team in the East that has fair chance to beat GSW, not right now.
As for GSW beating themselves, they did it, so to speak, in 2016.

AK

sinus007 wrote:NESportsfan12,
Appreciate your attempt at humor. But seriously, I don't see any team in the East that has fair chance to beat GSW, not right now.
As for GSW beating themselves, they did it, so to speak, in 2016.

AK

From the dictionary:
contender
noun
The definition of a contender is a person or team that is competing and has a chance at winning.
Someone who is skilled in tennis and is participating in a tournament is an example of a contender.

I wouldn't discount NESportsfan's comment as just humor, he's anecdotally making his point, with which I concur.

In their first game vs GS the C's won 92-88 at home. In their second game the C's lost 105-109 at GS. It was a game the C's could have just as easily won if it weren't for some last minute 4th Q heroics by Curry. Granted, regular season games are not playoff games, but the C's did beat GS. What this says to me is the C's can competitively play against and also beat GS - although the odds may be against them, they would at least have a "fair chance" to beat them in a playoff series.

Has GS already been anointed the Champions w/o any other contenders for the crown? They have shown that they are not invulnerable -  so far, they have lost 12 games while the C's have lost 15 games. Even underdogs with seemingly insurmountable odds against them have a fair or sporting chance, otherwise, we should have told the 1969 NY Mets or the 1980 USA Olympic Hockey team to "forget about it" and that they weren't really contenders.

NESportsfan12 wrote:

sinus007 wrote:Hi,
So, to summarize all the posts about GM's defense - he sucks in that department but after being in Celtics environment he'll get much better and the remaining flaws will be masked by the existing top notch team defense. Please correct me if wrong.
As for the Celtics being a contender, I'll throw my hat in and say that they're not, yet. Next year - most probably, with healthy Hayward and the rest of the current team. Because my definition of contender (for this and the next 2-3 years) is a team that has fair chance to beat GSW in 7-games series.

AK

Does that mean that there is not a single contender in the NBA right now? (Unless GSWs can beat themselves, not even they count as contenders under this definition!   )

+1

sinus007 wrote:NESportsfan12,
Appreciate your attempt at humor. But seriously, I don't see any team in the East that has fair chance to beat GSW, not right now.
As for GSW beating themselves, they did it, so to speak, in 2016.

AK

Sinus007

I agree with you as the roster is currently configured.  However if the Celtics add another wing scorer off the bench,  I think they will have enough talent to compete with anybody including GSW.  

This takes into account that Boston is a better defensive team than GSW.  By adding Monroe to the team you have added a new element to the offense and you have improved your rebounding.  If they are also able to add another scorer  there is little else that they would need.

dboss

The Celtics are not a real contender? That's a heavy dose of cynicism. I don't get why people box in expectations. Horford and Kyrie are not a serious Big Two? Tatum and Brown don't have the potential to become special in the playoffs to add to the two great players?

The Celtics roster is stacked. They have a top record with not so many games left. Everything is set up to get everyone healthy in time for the playoffs.

It's impossible to debate this. One side says the Celtics are not ready and that's that. The other looks around and sees that no team has a better chance at stealing the title than Boston. To take away any hope of winning #18 this year seems brutal and not based on facts.

That injury bug is a factor no one
can predict.  

GS hasn’t been bit by it too bad this year yet and perhaps they won’t.

Think we’ve had more than our share.

We’ve got perhaps a better chance of knocking them off than anyone else.  For those old enough to remember the spring of 1969 we limped to a 4th place finish that year.......

And hung another banner that fall.

beat

Hi,
I'll be more than happy to be proven wrong in June, when Celtics beats GSW.

AK

If you look at points allowed and field goal percentages, Boston ranks at the top. And there is a simple reason for this: we have cultivated a standard for defense. Each and every player, all-stars, veterans, rookies, etc. all take it upon themselves to commit to defensive intensity. Defensive intensity is largely about effort, which this team has consistently shown in abundance. I have no reason to believe that Monroe is a weak link on defense until he's on the floor and embedded into defensive schemes.


KJ

k_j_88 wrote:If you look at points allowed and field goal percentages, Boston ranks at the top. And there is a simple reason for this: we have cultivated a standard for defense. Each and every player, all-stars, veterans, rookies, etc. all take it upon themselves to commit to defensive intensity. Defensive intensity is largely about effort, which this team has consistently shown in abundance. I have no reason to believe that Monroe is a weak link on defense until he's on the floor and embedded into defensive schemes.


KJ

Defensive intensity is largely about effort

KJ,

That is positively the complete gospel truth.

Effort is the number one determinant of success on defense. Effort including desire. To play good defense, you mainly have to want to play good defense. Anyone who has ever laced 'em up and taken the floor knows that defense, good defense, is much harder to play then offense. It takes more energy, consistent and persistent effort, and desire.

You talk about Boston cultivating a standard for defensive effort, and I agree. You talk about needing to see Monroe play defense with this team before leveling any judgement against him, and I think you're on the money with great Celtic examples past and present to back you up. Kyrie Irving anyone? Sure, he was an OK defender in Cleveland. Depending on who you talk to, maybe just OK. Has he turned it up in Boston? Yes, because of the culture and expectation of effort on the defensive end. A good example of the standard you're talking about would be the 2001-2002 Celtics under Jim O'Brien. Under Pitino, the team flat out stunk on the defensive end. Defense wasn't stressed. The same players, and most of them utterly forgettable and now forgotten, played incredible defense under O'Brien. Why? It was made a standard of play, the main emphasis. They even adopted a motto, "Defend like Wolves."

Monroe isn't nearly as weak a defender as some are making him out to be; just watch him play. Put him in a good system, with an expectation of defensive effort, and he's likely to be fine. Basketball defense isn't magic. It takes less in pure athletic skill, but much more dedication, than offense. Almost anyone skilled enough to play in the NBA can play good defense, but they need to want to.

I buy your point.

Regards

bobheckler wrote:A. Sherrod Blakely @ASherrodblakely
about 1 hour ago
Greg Monroe flying to Washington, DC this morning, according to source. Will meet up with the #Celtics, deal with Boston expected to become official prior to Thursday night game vs #Wizards.

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bob



.

When the delay in signing was reported, that is how I guessed it would play out.

Go Monroe,

Go Celtics!!!

jrleftfoot wrote:Monroe has played for 7 coaches in 8 years. FWIW I have read that he has defended better in some systems than others. It is hard to see how he could be a liability, given our lack of potent reserve scorers.

like I said before, it’s not like he’s KO or Zeller

Brad has a new tool in his box.

This team has not played with a low post scoring option so it is going to take some time for them to utilize that option.  Making entry passes into the post has been one of the things that the Celtics have not done well.  It is all about angles.  It is all about the post guy. establishing an optimum position to receive the pass.  Monroe's addition should be very exciting or Celtics fans.

He is shooting 62% this year.  Post scorers demand attention which also opens up perimeter scoring.  A post offense reduces those long rebounds that turn into fast break points by the opponent.  Post offense puts the other team in foul trouble.

Adding Monroe gives the Celtics a high post/low post offense with Horford.  The possibilities to create scoring opportunities are everywhere.

It is not often that a team gets to add a player like this by using an exception.  No assets going out, no long term salary commitment = no sweat.

dboss