Full Court Press 11/17/04

After two plus heart pounding weeks of National Basketball Association action, your Boston Celtics have completed 5 games. Cinco. V. Not a whole lot to analyze when the biggest question surrounding the team is when Jiri Welsch will return to form, but nevertheless there are no conclusions that can be drawn from such a small sampling of games. However, we do know that the potential contribution of the young players on this roster brings great promise for this team by the time March and April roll around.

In this edition of the Full Court Press, we take a look at the rookies on the Celtics roster, as well as where the second year players rank after one year in the league.

Dan:
Al Jefferson
When I watch Al Jefferson play the game on a nightly basis, I see the potential for an NBA star. There is a real chance that in Jefferson, we are seeing a player who will be the best big man to roam the parquet for the Celts since the days of Parish and McHale.

Jefferson has size, and strength. Even more than that, he seems to possess a real acumen for the game. When you watch a big man in the NBA, one of the easiest ways to see if they “get it” is to watch them work the floor in the half court game. This is the part of Jefferson’s game that stands out to me. He is adept at running the pick and roll, not just in setting a solid pick, but in timing his move to the hoop. When he makes his move, he always has his hands up ready for the ball. When he is not the focal point of the play, he works the baseline nicely and understands the nuances of getting himself open on the weak-side if there is penetration. Most of his hoops have been on lay ins and dunks, but they have not been luck. In almost each instance, it’s been because he has followed the flow of the play nicely, and shown an innate skill to anticipate when he will be open as a play develops. Thus, he is expecting the ball. I am still scarred from the years Vitaly Potapenko would drift towards the hoop as someone penetrated and yet go into a near seizure when the ball came his way, so I greatly appreciate this development.

On defense, Jefferson is smooth. It is easy to see he will be an exceptional shot blocker in this league. He has great timing, and knows how to block shots while avoiding contact. He still is learning the rotations common in NBA defense. It’s obvious right now that he has been used to roaming the middle of a 2-3 zone during his high school career, so that is a piece of his game that still needs some work.

All in all, I would say the Celtics got a bona fide stud in this guy. I think we will see his minutes gradually increase as the year goes on.He has the potential to be a real difference maker come playoff time.

Tom
Delonte West
Obviously, this was not my first choice of Celtics rookies to write about. But “odds” was chosen and “evens” it was, so here we are. A few thoughts came to mind when considering the prospects of Delonte West (at least he is not Justin Reed, was not one of those thoughts.) For starters, West has passed the first test towards becoming an NBA player which requires one to dress like an adult when they sit on the bench. An example of a late first round pick to fail this test is Joseph Forte who once wore a Scooby Doo shirt with brown jeans during a regular season game. He followed this up later in the year by showing up in a Magic Johnson throwback to a playoff game. Forte was shipped C.O.D. to Seattle shortly after.

Attire aside, West appears to carry himself in a mature manner on the court during the preseason. A shooting guard in college, the Celtics have asked West to convert to point guard. There have been many shooting guards that have been asked to make this transformation. Forte and JR Bremer are recent examples of failed attempts while Chauncey Billups is an example of a successful transformation (albeit 5 teams later). So what should we expect from Delonte West this year? Well, after recovering from injury, we should expect that West will struggle to get minutes behind Gary Payton and the emerging Marcus Banks. He might even end up with a case of whooping cough which will land him on the IR again. He will eventually obtain playing time because he is a decent shooter and he possesses solid fundamentals. The big question is will he be able to run offense effectively enough to become a starting point guard? At this point, there is no way to tell and it’s possible that we will not know this answer until this time next year. Best case scenario for Delonte West is that he becomes a more complete version of Cuttino Mobley. Worst case scenario is that he starts wearing Captain Caveman tee shirts while rotting away on the taxi squad.

Mark
Tony Allen
Tommy Heinsohn really hit the nail on the head Friday night when he brought up that Tony Allen plays like a 6′8″ guy, he just has a 6′4″ body. Through 5 games, Allen has played for 53 minutes which is significant for a rookie. Friday night against the Bobcats he played 17 minutes for 9 points (4 for 10), 1 rebound, 1 assist and 2 steals.
 
I was reluctant to anoint this kid a draft day steal (hello Bill Simmons), but I will say that the last 3 rookies I felt this way about were Pierce, Joe Johnson and Kedrick Brown (2 out of 3 ain’t bad!).  The thing that impresses me the most about TA is his energy.  He makes his 9 minutes into 30, and plays all out at each end of the court.  True, he makes rookie mistakes and will need to pace himself to make the most of the NBA season, but you can’t coach enthusiasm. 
 
Another thing that impresses me about Allen (and a lot of the Celtics’ youth) is that he plays heads-up.  The most important thing about playing up-tempo is to maintain awareness, make sure you see the play develop.  These kids, while they still need to adapt to the speed that Payton can lay down, are ahead of the game by their awareness.  I was a huge Ainge critic in the past but if the youth of this team, Allen included, continues to develop; the future is going to be very bright for the green.

Kevin
Justin Reed
Hearsay. When it comes to rookie forward Justin Reed, I’m afraid that hearsay is all we have to go on. You see, Reed has yet to play a minute in the NBA due to his placement on the injury list supposedly due a left hip pointer (otherwise known as the Hellenic flu). Here is the little that we do know about Reed: He stands at 6 foot 8. He played all four years at Ole Miss. During his senior year, he averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. He was taken in the second round by the Celtics this year, drafted 40th overall. He participated in the Summer League where by all accounts he played unevenly. In the eight preseason games, he averaged 2 points and 1 rebound in 8 minutes, with one DNP-CD. Not exactly lighting the world on fire, but then again who places much stock in Summer League and preseason games anyway? Which leads us back to the conclusion that we don’t seem to know much about Reed’s ability to play in the NBA, hence the reliance on hearsay.

Generally speaking, anonymous (but highly respected) NBA scouts had this to say about Reed: A good rebounder, not afraid of contact, scored the majority of his points in college down on the post yet he is too small to be an NBA power forward. Therefore, we will most likely see him at the 3 spot. His perimeter shooting is suspect, with a range limited to about 20 feet. He is a bit slow footed and, although he has long arms and works hard, is not considered above average on defense.  Following the draft, Celtics GM Danny Ainge compared Reed to Corliss Williamson, which at first made me optimistic. Then I read that the aforementioned highly respected NBA scouts compared him to Jumaine Jones instead, which pretty much quelled my optimism. Ainge also went out of his way to cite the strength of Reed’s defense, which directly contradicted the opinions of the scouts as well. Regardless of these idle speculations, until a roster spot opens up from Reed and instantly cures that pesky phantom hip pointer injury, we will remain in the dark in terms of what he can bring to the table.

As for the second year guys….

Sam
Marcus Banks
The fact that Marcus Banks is still with the team is a credit to Ainge and his negotiating skills, or maybe the fact that Mitch Kupchak is just an awful GM. Payton also has a role in this because if he shows up for the physical then the Celtics don’t get Banks back. When Banks began the season with a dud no one was surprised. Then, Jiri Welsch continued to flounder in his on again off again role as a point guard, expectations were such that Delonte West would be a big contributing factor as the back up point guard. Alas, West broke the thumb on his non shooting hand and in the interim, Marcus Banks (according to the various sports hacks in town) has suffered from a barrage of verbal abuse at the hands of Gary Payton the result of which has apparently Banks has turned a corner. Banks has made some significant strides forward and if I had to pick one play that says Delonte maybe on the IR for a bit longer it would be Marcus slicing to the basket against Portland, turning his body and using the rim to shield a leaping Theo Ratliff, which is no easy feat. A great physical play but also a great play in that he recognized the situation in front of him, something he rarely did last year.

Banks has also handled the tempo and rhythm of the offense a lot better in the last week and a half. There have been a few moments when Banks looks out of control and has made horrible decisions because of poor court vision and maybe because he plays at too fast a speed. Speed is Banks’ game though, and you never want to hinder his use of his best weapon. If the mistakes are a result of him just blowing by everyone else on the court then so be it.

Banks’ play in the last few games point to him maturing rapidly and gaining the ability to slow the game down around him. This most likely is because of Payton’s tutelage, but might also be because the Celtics’ depth is a lot faster and more mobile which helps Banks’ own game. Currently, Marcus’ assists to turnovers are at 2 to 1 ratio, he is shooting .571, which won’t last but is a good sign. Wednesday’s game with the Wizards should provide the first test to see if Banks has indeed reached another level. Banks will have to chase down Gilbert Arenas, Juan Dixon and Anthony Peeler and spell Payton for longer stretches than in any of the first 5 games. Banks can be a defensive stopper if he puts his mind to it, as he is both extremely fast and very strong so it will be interesting to see him matched up against the Washington back court and then Tony Parker and the Spurs on Friday night.

Jon
Kendrick Perkins
The first high school player ever drafted by the Boston Celtics spent much of his first year in the pros being snuck into bars by his teammates and building chemistry with Doo and Norton. Who are Doo and Norton you ask? Only the two most important members of the Celtics franchise that no one knows. Bryan Doo and Walter Norton are the guys who turned Kendrick Perkins from an overweight, weak 19 year old kid to a bruising physical specimen that can compete with any big man on the roster. This initial phase in Kendrick’s development should be considered a stunning success, to the point that Perkins was nearly unrecognizable in Summer League play this summer compared to Kendrick Perkins of 2003.

Now that Kendrick has the body to compete at the NBA level, the question is when will his game catch up? Obviously this is the million dollar question, or perhaps the $726,000 question given his salary level. But, with the arrival of player development Kevin Eastman and big man coach Jim Brewer, Perkins is receiving all the help he could ask for in developing his game. Will he use this tutoring into improving himself on the court? After the phenomenal work ethic displayed in creating his body, I think it is safe to say that Perkins will be better a month from today and even better three months from today.

Though some don’t share this sentiment, Kendrick Perkins is ready to play consistent minutes in the Celtics rotation now. Add to this this the sometimes frightening inability to rebound, Kendrick Perkins should have a role Doc Rivers rotation. Tom Gugliotta has had a disappointing start to the season, and with only Mark Blount and The Fragile Frenchman ahead of him at the center position, Perkins deserves more time on the court. I won’t even mention Walter McCarty, for the sheer fact that his presence on the court causes my wife to run to grab the wooden spoon in fear I will swallow my own tongue after Waltah’s rebounding induced seizures.

Walter McCarty’s name also brings to mind another team weakness, and I’m not referring to a lack of quality vocals in the team’s barbershop quartet. This Celtics team, while better than last year, still lacks a basic toughness that has been missing since Chief chopped Laimbeer down Daniel San when… oh nevermind, you get the point. Kendrick Perkins is not the type of kid to let anyone push him around, and certainly Perk will challenge anyone who enters the lane. A key reason the Walker-Pierce Celtics could not beat the Jason Kidd Nets was the ease with which the Nets wing players were able to get to the rim. Had Kendrick Perkins served on the 2002 Celtics, I can picture Kerry Kittles writhing on the floor, in a pool of his own blood and whiz, after an unsuccessful meeting with The Perk-o-lator. Think Jefferson and Slay would think twice about hurling themselves toward the rim, without abandon, if they were meeting Kendrick Perkins instead of the venerable Tony Battie.

I thought so.