Not sure whether this deserves its own thread or not, but I posted over TWolvesblog.com asking for fans there to give their impressions of Al so far this year. A lot of us have been following him but I thought it'd be interesting to hear their perspective.
Only a couple of responses so far, and no real surprises, but it may grow:
http://www.twolvesblog.com/fireboard/minnesota-timberwolves-den/4290-impressions-of-al-so-far-for-celtics-fans.html#4290
A couple of things on my end from visiting that site. First, it seems pretty deserted. we really need to count ourselves among the lucky here in Beantown that we have such an active (and well-run of course) blog.
Second, it appears that Jerry Sichting is not only an assistant but coached his first game the other night. By my count that brings the number of 85-86 Celtics who have coached an NBA game to seven. That has to be a record. And who knows, maybe the Chief will make it. I would be slightly more surprised to see David Thirdkill get the nod, but you never know.
It's really not that deserted, all things considered. First off, you posted in the morning and throughout the middle of the day it tends to slow down (due to people at school and working.)
You have to keep in mind that the Celticsblog forums are probably one of the most active forums of any sports blog on the internet (at least in the United States.) Of course, in comparison to these forums they will seem deserted.
Lastly, what are your thoughts on KG if I may ask? Is he all that you expected? Better than you expected? Worse?
I hope you didn't take offense. As you can see from the next sentence, I was really just counting us among the lucky ones rather than casting aspersions on anyone else.
As far as KG, I can't speak for everyone but I'll give you my two cents. (See the "what I don't like about Garnett" thread here for an overall view).
My personal view? We are all blown away by his intensity and professionalism, which are on a par with the best Celtics ever (Larry, notably, since few of use remember Russell). I personally have been most surprised by how well he has improved our team defense, which was atrocious last year. It is really amazing to see how much more quickly everyone seems to be getting to the right defensive spots, and helping. (People will say that Thibodeau is responsible, but if it were as easy as hiring a coach there would be many better defensive teams in the league).
I can't say I've been disappointed by anything except the fact that I think the Celtics should initiate the offense with KG on the low block more (even if he ends up passing out of a double). But that's a complaint about the offensive sets more than KG. Some people seem to be upset that KG doesn't shoot more - but what did they expect? That's been an issue for his whole career. Did people think that you'd take him off a team with maybe two other legitimate NBA starters, put him on a team with two other All-Stars, and he'd shoot *more*? I don't get it.
Thanks for checking in. I have enjoyed reading those posts about Al.
No, I'm offended... it's not like that. It's kinda my bad because the first time I read your entire post (but didn't respond), and then when I came back later to respond I got caught up in that one sentence without re-reading it all again. So yeah, no harm done.
Good stuff about KG. As you could probably guess, he was most of the posters from Twolvesblog's favorite Minnesota athlete ever. I'm glad he went to Boston because I've been following them for a few years and I'd say the C's are my second "favorite" team, if I can say that. That was even before we traded KG to you guys. So yeah, I wouldn't consider myself a bandwagon fan or anything like that.
I agree that your defensive improvement is most likely attributed to KG rather than Thib (for the most part.) I'm sure Thib does help things, but when you've got someone like KG, it's just amazing what he can do for the rest of the team as well. Also agreed that there is no way one should think that KG would go to Boston with PP and RA and shoot MORE, that's insane. That's never been KG's mindset anyways. From the games I've watched this season, it is odd that they don't run the ball through him from the low block more than they do. Then again, KG has always initiated the offense from all over the court when he was in Minny. Hopefully Coach of the Month can get things figured out. If he does, you guys will be golden.
Glad you enjoyed the posts about Al. Feel free to stop back to Twolvesblog if you've ever got any questions or comments. I browse these forums every now and then, but I hardly ever post due to time constraints. So if there's anything you guys ever want input about, just ask.
Have a good one~