Doc Rivers report card...!

[CelticG1]

Doc needs to learn he's got 3 unknown weapons in Giddens, Walker, and Gabe. Gabe has not broken out yet, but I think he's close. We can't keep playing Pierce 40 minutes every game, if Pierce goes down it's like decapitating our team, along with ripping out the heart. Besides subbing methods at times, refusing to use new blood is the second thing from Doc which bothers me. I'd drop a solid B or high C+ for Doc.

So If Doc had been using these "3 unknown weapons" and we had 5 more losses and 5 less wins would his grade be higher the same or lower??

[nickagneta]

I love and support Doc and considering what he does as a coach to prepapre this team on the court and off it and considering the fact that he has been winning over 80% of his games here the past two years, I don't see how anything but a very good grade is possible.

Does he have his shortcomings? SDure, who doesn't. He's human and last I checked humans weren't perfect. But he makes up for those shortcomings with exceptional use of his other trengths and the ability to recognize his shortcomings and surrounding himself with people who are strong where he is not. That's always the sign of a great leader.

Total grade from me is about an A-. Until he stops winning and the Celtics aren't World Champions anymore, I don't see how a grade less than that is possible.

I will say that he must be doing something right because many people who's opinions I have come to respect who before last season never thought Doc would be able to do anything close to what has transpired here, have altered their opinions on Doc dramatically. To do so constitutes an exemplary job by Doc in my eyes.

[cordobes]

Doc needs to learn he's got 3 unknown weapons in Giddens, Walker, and Gabe. Gabe has not broken out yet, but I think he's close. We can't keep playing Pierce 40 minutes every game, if Pierce goes down it's like decapitating our team, along with ripping out the heart. Besides subbing methods at times, refusing to use new blood is the second thing from Doc which bothers me. I'd drop a solid B or high C+ for Doc.

So If Doc had been using these "3 unknown weapons" and we had 5 more losses and 5 less wins would his grade be higher the same or lower??

Ahahah. Great question. I suppose we all know the answer.

[Kiorrik]

Guys, just a quick question here 'cuz I don't know the numbers: how is Boston's play after a time-out? Do we do well after a break? Do we get looks from the plays called in the time-out?

[blueygreen]

Guys, just a quick question here 'cuz I don't know the numbers: how is Boston's play after a time-out? Do we do well after a break? Do we get looks from the plays called in the time-out?

I don't know the numbers, but I know that many people think that Doc is one of the best coaches out of a timeout in the league, and it was in the 3rd quarter that we often won our games both last year and this year.

[wdleehi]

While it would be good to have Pierce and Ray have more time off during the game, the ability to has been taken out of Docs hands in close games.



1) Thin depth at the swing position (that's on Ainge)

2) Injuries to TA and KG.  (KG's injury moves Scali to PF full time instead of playing 10 minutes at SF)


What he has control over now is how well can he prepare Walker to step onto the court and play 5-10 minutes. 


The rest is on Ainge trying to find either a swingman that can play or a big man that can play and allow Scali to play at SF.


Overall, I would give Doc a B this season.  The bench is to weak to be played as a unit in close games.  The games Doc did co-mingle the starters and reserves more, those weaknesses are minimized and the bench strengths show.

[Kiorrik]

The good I see:
- As said before, I don't know the numbers, but I did notice that Doc's plays out of time-outs are quite good.
- Interviews and such show how he's very down-to-earth and realistic at all times.
- He turned a bunch of basketball players into a winning team.
- He has gathered exactly the right people around him, and has the faith to trust them for their specialities.
- It seems as though the people around him trust him just as much as he trusts them. That is more important than anything when handling such ego's.

The things I don't know poo about:
I have no idea what else a coach should do. I don't know if he's got a major role in practices, whether or not he has a hand in trades, draft picks etc. Thus I can't comment on whether or not I think he's good at it.

What I 'disagree' with:
- In some games, he could've let the youngsters get a few more minutes.
- That in turn would let him rest his starters a bit more often.

Note that I say these things without knowing poo about coaching an NBA team. Obviously I have 0 experience in that field so perhaps, with the right amount of experience, I would've made the same choices. As such though, I'd have tested my bench more often

Aaand... since I'm from Holland I'll use our grade system (1.0-10.0) and give him an... 8.7