Time to give Pruitt some run?

[RebusRankin]

I'd like to see him get some run because I think the second unit needs more of a traditional PG. I think it would improve their play.

[guava_wrench]

I'd rather see the second unit continue to play together. They have had plenty of great games. I would like to see consistency of roles for now, and then work in Pruitt some later on.

[Cman]

I wouldn't mind seeing Pruitt if for no other reason than giving Ray and Paul a little more of a break. 5 games in 7 days can be a killer and they're both playing a lot on minutes (especially Pierce). Not to mention Ray's shot has been off, which many time is because of tired legs. I like Pruitt and House together in the pre-season.

Yeah, PP has been playing a lot of minutes

I'd rather see the second unit continue to play together. They have had plenty of great games. I would like to see consistency of roles for now, and then work in Pruitt some later on.

The thing is, I view Pruitt as part of that second unit -- right now Doc is only playing 4 of the 5 players on the 2nd unit.  Pruitt should be brought in with the 2nd unit and all five should get burn.  The problem is the Cs dont have a true backup SF, so PP is playing more than he should.

[celticmaestro]

Man, if we had Cassell as our back-up PG we'd be 9-0 right now. [dang] you Doc, [dang] YOU!

 

PS. I agree that Pruitt should get a chance. But obviously Doc knows something we don't and therefore isn't putting him in. For now, I'll trust the Championship coach and let him make the decisions.

[moiso]

I wouldn't mind Pruitt being rewarded for half of House's minutes in a game after Pruitt has had a strong practice.  House has been playing decent minutes and I don't think this would hurt his confidence.  I can't fault a guy for missing outside shots, but Eddie doesn't seem quite as focused defensively so far this year.

[PRIDE]

I think its still too early in the season for Pruitt. Doc has established a rotation and he's winning with it. We've played 5 playoff teams in our 8 games so Doc has been winning with his 9 man rotation. Our starters have been playing a lot of minutes so Pruitt and Walker will start to see some minutes soon.

You can't blame Doc for playing Eddie House though. Even when his shot is falling he still spaces the floor and brings energy off the bench. I think House plays very well with Paul Pierce and they can generate offense with the 2nd unit. I'm sure you all have noticed Eddie House setting screens for Pierce, and Pierce either goes one-on-one with someone or kicks the ball out to Eddie if he draws the double team.

Pierce has been logging a lot of minutes so I hope Bill Walker can see some time soon. I'm really curious to see if he is NBA ready or not. He played a big role on his team at K-State last year so I think he should be able to make a small contribution to the team this year.

[moiso]

Half of the fun for me is seeing the developmentment of the young guys.  Guys like Pruitt, Walker, and Giddens are like gifts that we havn't been able to open yet.  I'm sure Doc will do whats right, and in the meantime I'll be hoping for some blowouts so we can see these guys.

[CoachBo]

All of the fun for me - as a coach and as a fan - is winning. Nothing else is remotely amusing.

There's no such thing as a shiny new toy when you're a coach. Only winning players, players who aren't quite ready to help you win and losing players. If you're in the last two groups, I bench you.

Want to get off the bench? Earn it in practice.

Pretty simple.

[Roy Hobbs]

The thing is, I view Pruitt as part of that second unit -- right now Doc is only playing 4 of the 5 players on the 2nd unit.  Pruitt should be brought in with the 2nd unit and all five should get burn.  The problem is the Cs dont have a true backup SF, so PP is playing more than he should.

You mean all five bench players at the same time?

I *hate* lineups like that.  Doc's 4-man bench lineups drive me nuts, and five bench players (naturally) is even worse.  I think there should be no fewer than two starters (and one member of the big three) on the floor at all times.  82games.com did a study a couple of years ago, which showed that teams tend to get dominated when they have 4 and 5 bench players in the game at the same time. 

I don't think basketball is a game where "line changes" works well.  It's much better to have at least two or three players who are into the flow of the game stay on the floor.  Also, of course, the starters are the best players on the team, and they have an amplifying effect on the players around them; the more starters that are on the floor, the better the team -- including the individual bench players -- will play.

That has nothing to do with whether Pruitt should see some time, though.  I'd like to see him get some minutes.  (I don't necessarily buy that Pruitt hasn't earned the minutes in practice, though.  We've seen in the past that there are talented players who don't necessarily get minutes.)

[guava_wrench]

I wouldn't mind seeing Pruitt if for no other reason than giving Ray and Paul a little more of a break. 5 games in 7 days can be a killer and they're both playing a lot on minutes (especially Pierce). Not to mention Ray's shot has been off, which many time is because of tired legs. I like Pruitt and House together in the pre-season.

Yeah, PP has been playing a lot of minutes

I'd rather see the second unit continue to play together. They have had plenty of great games. I would like to see consistency of roles for now, and then work in Pruitt some later on.

The thing is, I view Pruitt as part of that second unit -- right now Doc is only playing 4 of the 5 players on the 2nd unit.  Pruitt should be brought in with the 2nd unit and all five should get burn.  The problem is the Cs dont have a true backup SF, so PP is playing more than he should.

Sorry, but there is no 5 man "second unit". There are bench players. there are actually 7 of them, not 5.

[moiso]

Coachbo- are you saying that you weren't a Celtic fan until last year?  We havn't had many winning teams since the 90's, but although I'm happy to be on the mountaintop now, I can't say I like the Celtics of 2008 more than I liked the Celts of 2006/2007.  I enjoy the whole process of the evolution of the team.

[Sweet17]

Let me state - I hate second units as well. It's a stupid idea because the talent level of your team just gets way to low and the starters are always having to dig out of that hole.

Also I realize that throughout the season guys like Pruitt, Walker, Giddens et al. might get championed for PT. But the reality is unless we see a PROFOUND slump (half the season for House) or injuries those guys are just there for depth purposes.

Doc isn't going to go to a larger rotation - as that keeps guys from getting going..Our rotation is fairly set - unless someone gets hurt, IMHO.

[housecall]

After the game aganist Atlanta,G.Dickerson asked Doc about overplaying Pierce(avg.39minutes) so far this season  and Doc's response was "I  run the starters and the first few off the bench as much as i can the first 15 games of the season to get them in shape for the season"... that tells me, given time Pruitt,Walker will eventually get  time on the court.

[xmuscularghandix]

I wouldn't mind seeing Pruitt if for no other reason than giving Ray and Paul a little more of a break. 5 games in 7 days can be a killer and they're both playing a lot on minutes (especially Pierce). Not to mention Ray's shot has been off, which many time is because of tired legs. I like Pruitt and House together in the pre-season.

Yeah, PP has been playing a lot of minutes

I'd rather see the second unit continue to play together. They have had plenty of great games. I would like to see consistency of roles for now, and then work in Pruitt some later on.

The thing is, I view Pruitt as part of that second unit -- right now Doc is only playing 4 of the 5 players on the 2nd unit.  Pruitt should be brought in with the 2nd unit and all five should get burn.  The problem is the Cs dont have a true backup SF, so PP is playing more than he should.

but when paul is in the second unit he's not the same paul pierce, he's racking up assists and rebounds. it's like he's getting a little bit of a rest. theres some times when they go on the offensive end and he doesn't even touch it, he's like a distraction.

[xmuscularghandix]

lets all go buy the half price pruitt jersey's that they're selling on the site, the increase in sales will MOST LIKELY result in more playing time. BBD jersey's sell pretty well and he's got a decent MP.