The Rotation Looks Real solid

[KG Living Legend]

Besides the big 5. I really like the way the bench looks. Doc has said recently KG is going to play the same minutes as last year because there is nobody like him in the history of the universe. But he will try to give Jesus some more rest, and also Paul. So the main part of the bench will be.  Tony Allen  Leon Powe  Eddie House And Billy The kid Walker.  The X factor really is Walker. I expected 1 of the 2 rooks to step up and play solid minutes. But I really didn't expect one of them to look like he belongs so fast as billy has. The biggest loss from losing posey was his tuffness 1st and his knack for the big moment. Now I'm not saying he's got the big game James part down. But he is definitely fills the tuffness role. This kid is a fearless BEAST. And he's 21 Wow!    SO that leaves Only 3 spots open, and limited minutes for The Notorious  P.O.B.  BIG BABY, And then only one spot open for Pruitt Who's looked solid, Giddens a 1st rounder, Sam I Am, D-miles and that other goofy guy.  So forget About the cut right now Who Do you think will be in the 12 active players.

[Scalablob990]

I hope D-miles can squeeze in their, and if not I just hope he makes the team. I think he could be a big help in the future for us.

[shookones99]

I've liked what I have seen so far far from Darius Miles.  He looks like he isn't quite 100% but he seems to have a made a commitment to the defensive end.  With his length and athleticism he could really be a game changer on the defensive end.  In addition to that he is also a solid scorer.

[KG Living Legend]

So Do you all think That even with the loss of James, And the addition of Walker, Giddens An improved Pruitt, D-miles, P.O.B, And Also An Improved Rondo, Perk, And Powe. Is it safe to say that are TEAM will be as good if not better than last year?

[shookones99]

So Do you all think That even with the loss of James, And the addition of Walker, Giddens An improved Pruitt, D-miles, P.O.B, And Also An Improved Rondo, Perk, And Powe. Is it safe to say that are TEAM will be as good if not better than last year?

I would say that we could be just as good as last year.  We have people who can fill in for the loss of James Posey.  I do not think that we will win 60 games again however.  There is more competition in the east right now and especially in our division.  The 76ers and Raptors both scare me.

[Steve Weinman]

So Do you all think That even with the loss of James, And the addition of Walker, Giddens An improved Pruitt, D-miles, P.O.B, And Also An Improved Rondo, Perk, And Powe. Is it safe to say that are TEAM will be as good if not better than last year?

On October 14, I'd say it's safe to say very little about the upcoming NBA season.

I've made it known in past posts that I think this team will miss Posey in the playoffs, but I'm certainly encouraged by some of what we've seen from the new folks (and a few old ones) thus far into camp and the exhibition schedule.  And I'd be thrilled to be wrong about how much we miss Pose.

But beyond from that, making any pseudo-certain value judgments either way seems like a stretch to me at this point.

-sw

[Sweet17]

Tony Allen  Leon Powe  Eddie House And Billy The kid Walker.

Walker might see minutes - unless D. Miles comes back to form. I have heard speculation C's will cut D. Miles. Then trade Scalabrine at deadline and resign the healthier D. Miles for the playoff run.

I think Doc goes with a 10 man rotation for most of the season..

TA, House, Powe, POB (20+ minutes Perk is foul prone), and Walker (spot minutes). In the playoffs we might see a guy removed from that list..

I see Scalabrine, Davis, and Pruitt as trade bait or depth... Though Davis and Pruitt likely make the 12 man list.

As for Posey - I don't see any guarantee that he will play like he did last year. There is a reason he was signed so cheap by us.

Pete

 

[ManUp]

Ok this is how I see it...

Starters: Rondo, R.Allen, Pierce, Garnett, Perkins
Sixth Man:T.Allen
Rest of the Bench:(7)Powe,(8)O'Bryant,(9)House
Garbage minute guys:(10)Walker,(11)Davis,(12)Pruitt

Tony will take the minutes left by Paul and Ray at the wings. Powe will be Garnett's backup, and O'Bryant Perkins. House's minutes will take a dip from last years as Rondo's minutes rise a bit. Walker will take the rest of the wing minutes that are left after Tony gets his share. Davis' minutes will probably be dictated by match-ups and foul trouble at PF an C. I see Pruitt getting his minutes strictly through blowouts.

This is all assuming that small ball won't really be a part of what we do... God I hope it's not.

[Tenacious D]

this is how I see it...Starters,Sixth Man:T.Allen [so far so good]; (7&8)Powe/POB; Davis' minutes will probably be dictated by match-ups and foul trouble [already seen inn pre-season]. (9)House--see a challenge not only from Rondo but from Pruitt, with his ability to bring up the ball.

Walker is the wild card. Is he polished enough to play the role envisioned for Miles? He certainly brings energy. Best case scenario, he could do what Stucky/Maxiel did for the Pistons last year.

[Chris]

I think this team is still missing that one extra shooter off the bench.  Right now the only guy they have is House, and he is limited because of his lack of size to play multiple positions.  Ideally they could find someone (yeah yeah, like Posey) who can both make the defense pay for collapsing down on guys like Allen, Walker, and Powe, while also being able to play with the starters as an extra shooter when they want to go small.

This might be nitpicking, but I think getting a guy like that (preferably a 3/4 type guy) would be very helpful for this team.

[td450]

I actually expect more from the starters. Pierce and Allen were great last year, but neither was able to improve the efficiency of their offense from playing with better players and getting easier shots. I expect some of that this year. Its nice to see Pierce is a little lighter this year too.

Given the experience of last year and how young he is, it would be hard to imagine Rondo not making some significant improvements.  Perk shot a high percent, but took very few shots, so he could assert himself just a little more and make a difference. A bit more respect from the refs (which usually comes with age and championship rings)  would go a long way with him too. KG shot a high percent last year, so he has less room for improvement. Overall, I was expecting this group to need some time to develop chemistry, and we should see more of that this year.

[Scalablob990]

Tony Allen  Leon Powe  Eddie House And Billy The kid Walker.

Walker might see minutes - unless D. Miles comes back to form. I have heard speculation C's will cut D. Miles. Then trade Scalabrine at deadline and resign the healthier D. Miles for the playoff run.

I think Doc goes with a 10 man rotation for most of the season..

TA, House, Powe, POB (20+ minutes Perk is foul prone), and Walker (spot minutes). In the playoffs we might see a guy removed from that list..

I see Scalabrine, Davis, and Pruitt as trade bait or depth... Though Davis and Pruitt likely make the 12 man list.

As for Posey - I don't see any guarantee that he will play like he did last year. There is a reason he was signed so cheap by us.

Pete

 

Where did you hear the speculation about that from? although it somewhat does make sense. Problem is we still won't know how good he is if we sign him again later in the year, he's still an x factor. Trading scal  though would be nothing short of a miracle.

[KJR]

6 - Powe for KG

7 - POB for Perk

8 - Tony for Paul or Ray (agree that Tony is "6th man" and will get most bench minutes; most versatile; best defender; perhaps not first in the game though)

9 - Eddie for Ray or Bill Walker for Paul (with Tony shifting between the 2 and 3) - depends on the matchups; most of the time it will be Eddie; team should never put Eddie and Bill in together; that lineup doesn't work - defensive and ball handling problems

10 - Gabe Pruitt for Rondo - I've been pushing this kid; his agent ought to have me on payroll

Walker and Baby are 11 and 12

Sam, Scal/Miles and Giddens are in street clothes

The biggest change is having Gabe at backup point.  Can't believe nobody else sees this.  Going out on a limb, always hazardous.

Celtics single biggest weakness was 2nd unit defense, and in particular ... backup point defense.  We got abused there repeatedly last year by Stuckey, Pargo, Gibson, Williams, Farmar.  The league is on to this.  They're going to attack relentlessly with speedy point guards whenever Eddie or Sam are in the game.  For this reason alone, Gabe should be playing.

On offense, we want to get into our regular sets.  When Eddie brings the ball up, the other team traps and we lose time and commit turnovers.  It takes us out of our offense.  It's also a waste of Eddie's talent.

With Gabe at point, we have five good offensive options on the 2nd team.  Last year, we had two.  He either throws an entry pass to POB or Powe on the low post, gives the ball to Tony on the wing for a drive, or hits Eddie coming off a screen for a wide open 3.  If the defense sags, he takes the ball to the rim or stops for a jumpshot at the foul line.

I can't say at this point how he'll do.  If he does what Doc wants, he'll be the primary backup PG.  If he doesn't, then there may not be a spot for him on the team, and we have a big problem at backup PG.

From what I've seen, I think he will be able to do it.  He has the athletic skill and the right attitude.  His defense is already pretty good.

If he comes through, our 2nd unit will be much better on defense, and much more consistent on offense than our 2nd unit last year.  And we will not lose as many leads as we did last year when the starters were resting.

I am optimistic that by mid-year we will have a very solid bench.  During the fall, they will probably cost us a couple games ... not a big deal.

[Surferdad]

I think this team is still missing that one extra shooter off the bench.  Right now the only guy they have is House, and he is limited because of his lack of size to play multiple positions.  Ideally they could find someone (yeah yeah, like Posey) who can both make the defense pay for collapsing down on guys like Allen, Walker, and Powe, while also being able to play with the starters as an extra shooter when they want to go small.

This might be nitpicking, but I think getting a guy like that (preferably a 3/4 type guy) would be very helpful for this team.

I see what you are saying because Posey is gone.  However, I am curious about how good Walker's jumpshot is.  Supposedely he has one.  Then there's Scal.  If he can't hit a jumpshot consistently he basically has no role on this team.  His defense is way overrated, IMO.  Good team defender but lousy man-for-man.  Tony isn't really a jumpshooter.  Pruitt can shoot but I just don't see him getting rotation minutes.  Will it be Rondo?  That would be ideal.

Actually this team is pretty young once you take out Paul/Ray/KG.  I think Ainge picks up a veteran during the season.  Could be PJ but maybe it's a wing who can shoot, especially if POB really can fill that backup center role.

[ManUp]

this is how I see it...Starters,Sixth Man:T.Allen [so far so good]; (7&8)Powe/POB; Davis' minutes will probably be dictated by match-ups and foul trouble [already seen inn pre-season]. (9)House--see a challenge not only from Rondo but from Pruitt, with his ability to bring up the ball.

Walker is the wild card. Is he polished enough to play the role envisioned for Miles? He certainly brings energy. Best case scenario, he could do what Stucky/Maxiel did for the Pistons last year.

Knowing what you know about Doc do you honestly think he'll pick Gabe over House?

Eddie has three qualities Doc loves a veteran who hustles, and is lights out from 3pt range.