At fifteen games in, we are getting very close to the classic twenty game mark when you can really start making judgments about a team. Last nights loss was pathetic. You simply do not let the Nets blow you out at home like that.
That said, I really believe that Bradley could drastically change the direction of the team. The team was unbelievably good when he was put in the starting line up and I think that along with his trademark defense we will see a further improvement in his scoring as well.
So I am going to still take a wait and see approach on this. Yes, at this point I am very disappointed with this team and there is no way we are getting out of the second round playing the way we are right now.
I also am beginning to think it may be time to try starting Green and letting Pierce come off the bench. Yes, Green has shown nothing but I am assuming that the Celtics saw something in him that we have not. I do not get paid to evaluate NBA talent, they do. Perhaps he would be better served starting and being in the flow from the get go. At this point the fact he is making 9 million a year and playing so badly is going to wear thin very quickly. We need to jump start Green and Pierce is clearly having trouble guarding starting players now. As you age, it is the defense that goes first on perimeter players, not offense. Pierce is getting torched out there. A switch might be the catalyst resulting in better results for both those two players and the team as a whole.
We should not be in panic mode yet. Fact is, our starting shooting guard, a guy that quite emphatically supplanted a hall of famer is not on the court yet. Let us not forget just how Bradley completely shut down all sorts of players including quite famously Dwayne Wade last year. Not just the famous block but overall. Wade was awful when playing Bradley. I have tried to find them to repost but Wade's stats in games against the Celtics last year when Bradley covered him were awful. In the famous "block" game for example , Wade was 6 for 17 and scored 15 points. He averaged 22 a game last year.
Look, there are troubles for sure. The team has not meshed the new guys all that well, except for Sullinger who has been great and clearly gets his role. The lack of size and athleticism inside is a problem. We have only one good win, knocking off OKC. This team certainly has it's troubles. I just want to give them around fifteen games after Bradley gets back in the rotation, then evaluate where we are at that point.
Seems fair, right?