Celtics Report Card for Week of January 9 – 15

By Mike Brilliant

I guess the proverbial “Bump in the road” had to come at some point. That said, I thought it might come on the prolonged road trip in Texas or when Pierce or Garnett would be nursing injuries. I also didn’t expect the Celtics’ offense to struggle so mightily or their crunch time defense to revert back to the 2006-2007 version. Bearing in mind the 1-3 record last week, the grades will not be pretty. Remember, all grades are relevant to how the team has been playing so far this season….

Coach Doc Rivers: C

The offense was the biggest problem during this past week. The Celtics scored 83, 86, 78 and 83 points the past four games after only scoring less than 86 in two of the first thirty-two contests. The offense has recently become reliant on taking threes without Rondo running the offense. This isn’t a bad thing when you shoot 40% from 3’s (like in the first 30 games) but during this stretch the Celtics shot just 30% (25-83). And, to make matters worse, 30% of their field goal attempts have been 3’s. In response, Rivers needs to stress more ball movement and fast break opportunities to facilitate the offense. Even giving Gabe Pruitt a shot at running the point seems essential until Rondo’s back and the hamstrings are fully healed.

Without a true point guard most of the week, turnovers were also a major problem. The team averaged over 16 turnovers in this stretch and it seems like they have occurred at the most inopportune times.

Lastly, Rivers also needs to enlist Clifford Ray to run a boxing out refresher course. What has happened to the Celts rebounding lately?

Paul Pierce: C+

Pierce averaged 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the last four games, all below his season averages. He also had two games where he turned the ball over 5 and 6 times, which is much too high considering the offense has been flowing through him more with House and Allen manning the point. I was also left to wonder what has happened to Pierce using his 230lb body to drive to the hoop and get to the line? This is a Paul Pierce staple. He only shot 17 free throws this week yet he managed to jack up 19 threes, many of the ill-advised variety. For any meaningful stretch, Paul Pierce simply cannot be shooting more threes than free throws. It’s just not beneficial for the Celts. On the plus side, Pierce has maintained his strong defensive efforts. All of the players he covered this week scored below their average with the exception of Jason Richardson, who was silly hot in that game.

Kevin Garnett B-

KG averaged 21.5 points, 8.5 boards and 3.75 dimes on 52% shooting. The number that stands out the most for me is 8.5 boards. Garnett’s season average has dipped below double digits for the first time all year. For the sake of perspective, he hasn’t averaged below 11.4 rebounds in a season since 1998-99. I thought Garnett’s scoring output would definitely take a hit playing with the Celtics this year but I also thought his reign of four straight rebounding titles would continue in Boston. Why isn’t he averaging around 13 a game with no established rebounders on this team? I don’t get it.

Ray Allen: D

Is this the broken down 32 year old, 13 year veteran that NBA scribes were talking about when the Celtics traded for Ray Allen on draft night? It sure seems like it of late.
Allen averaged 13 points in 3 games this past week. He missed the Charlotte game with a pinched neck. Unfortunately, when he came back, he didn’t play very well and was frequently subbed out in favor of Tony Allen. Is it time for the team to rest Allen for an extended period of time (a la Curt Schilling)? Or is that not the issue? Regardless, shooting 41% on the season has to change. After all, they call it “Shooting Guard” for a reason.

Rajon Rondo: Nice try

Rondo came back from injury to play in 2 ½ games this week. Of course, he injured his back during an awkward fall on the lower step under the basket in New Jersey. Then we find out the hamstring problem that kept him out of the Lakers game, is still hanging around. One of the biggest questions before the season was if Rondo could live up to playing with three all-stars. Rondo was deemed by many to be the “weak link”. Ironically enough, Celtics Nation is now asking the question: “How does the team survive with Rondo out?” He is the facilitator of the offense. He starts the break and penetrates often, hitting the floater with more and more consistency. Rondo also rebounds well for a point guard which frequently helps to start the break.

Kendrick Perkins: C

Perkins is just the hard working big guy that gets lost in the shuffle and limelight that comes with a 30-6 start. Regardless, he must continue to rebound and play defense effectively. He had two games with rebounding totals of 4 and 3, which is simply unacceptable for a starting center playing serious minutes. There is no reason that Perkins shouldn’t be pulling down at least 7 boards a game except in the cases of injury or foul trouble. Even thought the statistics don’t overwhelmingly prove it, it sure seemed like Brendan Haywood outplayed Perkins in both Washington games. I agree that Haywood has lost some weight and has definitely improved since being drafted out of UNC, but Perkins still needs to take this match-up 9 out of 10 times.

James Posey: B-

Posey played like his usual super-sub the first two games of the week against Charlotte and New Jersey. He received extended minutes (35 and 30) with the absence of Ray Allen and then Rondo. Unfortunately, he then tailed off both games against the Wizards with averages of 5.5 pts, 1.5 boards and 1.5 assists. If the team is going to continue to struggle on the boards, Posey needs to step it up. At 6’8” and generally playing against 2’s and 3’s, Posey will almost always have the height and strength advantage.

Eddie House: C-

House picked exactly the wrong time to lose his shooting touch. He shot 32% for the week, but more importantly, he received extended minutes with Rondo being hurt, which further magnified the impact of his poor shooting. As with any pure shooter, there are going to be stretches during the season where he struggles. However, considering his defensive limitations and the fact that it takes him ten seconds to set the offense, then he must hit those open shots to be at all effective.

Tony Allen: D

Doesn’t it seem that T.A. can never be just steady? He’s always either spectacular or sub par. There’s never an in-between. He played so well versus the Lakers a few weeks back, but with extended minutes since then, he hasn’t come through. He has problems bringing the ball up court because he can’t dribble, and he continues to take 20+ footer jumpers even though he can’t shoot particularly well. Let’s make this point clear. Tony Allen is definitely not the solution at point. However, with Ray Allen and Rondo hurting, Rivers will be forced to continue to give T.A. the minutes.

Big Baby Davis: C-

Big Baby saw action in three games this week. One was what we come to expect – against New Jersey, he had 7 points and 4 boards. However, in both games against Washington, he was a big waste of space, totaling 2 points and 0 boards. Considering the team’s recent struggles on the boards, this should be Davis’ chance to become a permanent fixture in the rotation. He’s just got to earn it with some greater consistency.

Brian Scalabrine: C-

Besides Leon Powe, Scalabrine has turned into the last guy off the bench. Maybe his 31% shooting has something to do with it. Hmmm…The only reason he gets a C is for that jiggy where-the-hell-did-that-come-from dunk against the Wizards.

Scot Pollard: D

Pollard only played against the Bobcats. In 10 minutes he got 1 board and 1 block. The Celtics are going to need a bit more production from Pollard when he gets into games like this.

Leon Powe: Incomplete

4 games. 4 DNP-CD’s.

Gabe Pruitt: Incomplete

Played 31 seconds in the Nets game. I have a feeling that Pruitt will start to see more minutes as the backup PG if Rondo’s ailments persist. With an 11 game lead in the division and a 4 game lead in the loss column within the conference, this is the time to see what the rookie can do. If he performs, then great, we have our backup/3rd PG. If not, it’s time to see what Danny Ainge can get on the waiver/trade/buyout market.