Celtics lose ugly to the Pistons, 103-88; Doc threatens trades

From Celticsblog...
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Just when you thought the team had turned a corner, Boston has now lost three in a row and are back to .500.

gary washburn@GwashNBAGlobe
Doc said the team is playing awful #celtics
20 Jan 13

Chris Forsberg@ESPNForsberg
Doc Rivers: “I gotta either find the right combination, the right guys, or we’re going to get some guys out of here. It’s the bottom line.”
20 Jan 13

Those are strong quotes coming from a coach that's usually pretty level headed. I can't remember a time that he's threatened trades, so this is getting pretty serious. If you check out tonight's box score, you can see who he might be talking about: Brandon Bass played only ten minutes and was 0-for-3 from the floor while Jason Terry was on the floor for 14 and scored only 4 points. Could Doc be targeting Rondo? RR was equal parts brilliant with 15 assists and awful with 9 turnovers. On the bright side, Avery Bradley toughed out his rib injury and Courtney Lee has been playing well during the losing streak, but this is clearly a day of reckoning for the team. Here's Doc's tirade during the press conference:

Doc's Take: 'We are playing awful'

"[The start of game] was awful, we are playing awful. I'm clear not doing my job with this team. And I'm serious, I'm not trying to take a bullet for the team. And I told them that. I said, ‘We got to find something where every night, all 12 guys play the same way.' We did it for three games in a stretch. I told them that games 4 and 5 in that [six-game] winning streak were garbage; We just won the game. I gotta figure that out. I told the guys that, I gotta figure it out. Because I don't think the guys are honest with each other. I just don't think we have committed to being a good basketball team.

"I think this team wants everything easy. They want the easy way out. They want to win easy. And I told them the only way you're going to win easy is your going to have to play hard. The harder you play, the easier the games become. We're taking the wrong approach. I gotta either find the right combination, the right guys, or we're going to get some guys out of here. It's the bottom line. Because this group right now, they are not playing right. It's in them to play right. But right now they haven't been -- either because I'm not getting to them, or they are not getting to each other. But at the end of the day, either we gotta do that, or we gotta make changes."

New York, Atlanta, and Miami are on the horizon at the end of next week. It's gut check time.
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Maybe Doc, normally billed as a players coach, giving a strong boot to a couple of backsides is just what's needed. If that doesn't work, there is always the addition by subtraction he's threatening. There is not shortage of teams who have turned things around by swapping a player or two out just to make a point. The realization that you could be the next one gone has often done wonders to bring a talented but underperforming team together.

Maybe Doc is just trying to light a fire under certain people, or maybe he's serious about the "or we're going to get some guys out of here" part.

Could be an interesting couple of weeks.

Another stinker, but I put this one on management. DA has given Doc a very difficult team to coach, one that emphasizes Doc's weaknesses - his reluctance to confront vets and to keep bench warmers hopeful with adequate PT every game.
We have a ton of B-plus talent and a hole at center since Steamer and Darko opted out. If we get another center, at least as good as either of those two lacklusters, and if Doc shakes up the line up, we may make some noise this spring.
Those are big IFs, but at least Doc is threatening change. He's hinting at big change, but I hope he tries smaller, significant changes first.
1. (Start Green, Bench Pierce). Sell it to Pierce in the name of the team and let him lead the second unit. We're never going to turn the page until Doc makes this move and starts a running unit. As Sam as observed, PP tends to me-ball when things get tough, but we're going nowhere with that brand of ball.
2. Play Lee over JET at almost all times, and use JET more like House in years past, as a decoy or shooter when a 3 is needed to break someone's back. Play Barbosa at least as much as JET.
3. Reduce KG's minutes before he gets hurt again (which would kill the season). Here's our biggest problem of course, as Collins should retire and everyone else is too short, but KG is burning out and that's got to stop. Sully, BB, JG, and some new big needed here to fill the 4-5 hole.
I've been harping on the Green-Pierce change as the key to short-term success. Last year, Ray was the weak line out there, but Doc wouldn't make a move until he was hurt. At that time, this board was not high on AB (we like Moore more), but either in the line-up would have given us the speed we needed.
This year it's PP (my favorite current Celt), but we can't pace ourselves at this time of year because although it makes sense for him, it makes no sense for a team with a 12-man rotation. hawk

The most consistent thing about this team is their inconsistency.

Before we tweak the team perhaps Doc should tweak the line up and the order with which his rotation guys come into the game. The team has yet to establish a style of play on offense and their defense has been dictated by effort or the lack thereof.

The three losses were all for differnt reasons but they had the same result.

Last night the Celtics lost to the Pistons for the 4th straight time and one thing seemed clear, we cannot bang with them down low. Thus the need for a big should be our # 1 priority. Boy that Bynum has his way with us every time we play. He used to play for us if my memory serves me correct.

But enough of this mindless chatter. We aer losing games because the guy that takes the most shots can no longer be counted on to make them and so it is time to either reduce his minutes and/or bring him off the bench or as some have suggested trade him now and avoid the attitude of a disgruntled veteran who has made a mark on this franchise but can no longer go with them to the promised land.

We are lossing games because Jason Terry should not be the first guard off the bench.

We are losing games because Brandon Bass is no power forward.

We are losing games because we either run walk or crawl up the court. In the first half last night we put up 45 shots but we only ended up with 83.

Most of all we are losing games because Doc Rivers may no longer have the ability to make this team play the way he wants them to. It is quite possible that the team has collectively stopped listening to him. The team says all of the right things but this team plays hard when it suits them.

If we are going to blow this team up so be it. Do it now and get it over with.

dboss

This team is so unpredictable and so talented that they could just as easily take off on another winning streak. Miami's coming up and that charges Rondo's juices. As the putative leader, right now he has to step up and take control, get everyone involved, and talk to the people who need talking to.

There's also this: call it the Ray Allen effect. A couple of years back, someone on this board put together some stats that showed the player who had the greatest effect on elevating the games of the players around with him was Ray Allen. Put differently, the stats of the players on the floor with Ray were better than with anyone else.

The difference was appreciable, too. I always wondered what it was about Ray that brought this out. Finally, I decided that it wasn't anything more than his presence. It was psychological.

Ray won't be coming through the door, unfortunately, we could forgive him if we could use him, but the same effect was noticeable this year with the return of Avery Bradley. Instantly, everybody started playing harder and better, until the wheels came off the bus when they had to play Doc's real son. The psychological spell was broken and they stumbled and fell.

They need a new purpose, and they need to get their act together fast: Miami's coming up. Pride is on the line.

Rondo: ‘Our locker room is too laxed’

January 21, 2013




Rajon Rondo has had his share of incidents for what essentially amounts to losing his cool.

But as we have seen thus far, being cool and calm hasn’t necessarily allowed the Celtics to collect many victories.

“For me, it’s too laxed; our locker room is too laxed,” Rondo said. “Even though a lot of guy’s personalities are laid back. But we all got to this level by competing. And right now, the talent we have, the record is embarrassing. Until guys get sick and fed with it, I don’t know if things are going to change. We still have to go out there and play the game.”

via A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com

Cow it certainly not all on Paul Pierce. But his play has definitely deteriorated this year as the signature games by him are few and far between. He has not played well in 2 or more gmaes since December. Perhaps some of the blame must be put on doc.

Every player on this teams has (i'll use another econimic phrase) 'a marginal utility of production'

Doc needs to figure this out for every player and also determine when the minutes should be distributed. When I see PP get up the court in a hurry, I'm like wow Paul pierce is running but those flashes are few and far between. We cannot beat people inside so we simply need to run all game long.

Doc needs to sit any player on this team that is out there and repeatedly is not getting the job done. Doc rarely goeds after his top guys even when they screw things up like everyone else. I think there is a double stsandard here.

And after watching Jason terry (I still like him) but it is clear to me that he should not come in before Courtney Lee. If Doc preaches defense why is Terry the first guard off the bench? Rondo with terry does not work.

We can also see that Brandon Bass is not an everyday starter due to matchup issues. The Celtics cannot win with Bass as your starting PF.

And Jeff cannot get in the game until Paul Pierce comes out.

If we could get another big Sullinger could take Brandon's spot in the starting lineup.

Doc needs to try something new and DA needs to find us another a reliable big.

dboss

When you look at the statements from Doc and Rondo, it's a little scary. Doc is taking part of the blame, but for what exactly? Not getting to them? That's all? That's the only way he's messed up? That's quite un-Doc-like, placing the blame on the players. I'd like to hear him say who it is he isn't getting to? Which players aren't listening? I hope he isn't trying to blame the bench, who are, to a man, suffering from inconststent playing time. Some time back, Sully was asked about his increased minutes and answered, 'Doc has confidence in me.' If you don't get playing time, you lose confidence. Without confidence, as Doc's kid recently pointed out, you don't play as well as you can. Does Doc know this?

Doc is lost this year. His rotations are off, his combinations are off, his analysis of the problem is off. Like dboss said, he needs to try something. He won't though. Doc's method of coaching superstars is to treat them like superstars, leave them on the floor no matter how poorly they're playing and no matter how badly it hurts the team.

As far as getting another reliable big, we have one: Wilcox. He needs to stay healthy. No problem there, though, he can't get hurt sitting on the bench.

As far as Rondo calling out his teammates, he should look in the mirror first. Laxed - does he mean things like listening to music in the locker room? Or does he mean things like diving for loose balls?