Full Court Press 11/3/04
Welcome to the initial edition of the Full Court Press. The other contributors and I hope you might be to gain more information from our little part of the internets then you’ll ever hear on certain sports radio stations who struggle to discuss sports through an entire four hour shift. For this first edition, four contributors have given their thoughts on the Celtics upcoming season and how they feel the Celtics stand in respect to their division rivals.
Tom:
Flashback to October 29, 2003…
The Celtics open up the season by absolutely destroying the Miami Heat. It was one of the better performances of the year for the Celtics in all areas: ball movement, rebounding, shot selection, defense. Not even the debut of the worst mascot in the history of the Boston sports scene since Broom Girl at Fenway could put a damper on this night. I still remember taking the green line home that night and chatting with the officials who were sitting directly across from me. I remember telling them how awful Miami was. They agreed with my assessment by stating Pat Riley obviously knew what he was doing by stepping down. I was convinced after that night that Emeka Okafor was going to South Beach.
I bring this up for two reasons. First, I like to give myself a false sense of self importance by mentioning any interaction with a pseudo celebrity. You will find this out later this year when I devote 12 pages to a boxing discussion I had with Willie Maye two years ago. Second, those that follow basketball know how things ended for the Miami Heat. After a dreadful start, they turned things around and ended up with home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
This is not to say that the Celtics will duplicate the efforts of the Miami Heat of 2003-04. It is brought to the surface for one purpose and that is to stress patience. Patience is the key word with the 2004-05 Celtics.
Consider:
This is essentially a brand new team with a new coach, point guard and bench. Hard to have instant success in a scenario like this unless you have a seven footer that averages 20 and 10 a night.
Two veteran power forwards that have played an average of 36 Games last year with a 19 year old back up in the wings.
16 of first 29 games are on the road, including 5 games in 8 days out west. They also will end December with the dreaded Texas road trip. It is possible for this team to be anywhere between 5-8 games under .500 by January 1.
So why on earth am I excited about this team? Because this team stands to be one of the most athletic, energetic and entertaining basketball teams to watch in Boston in a long time. Energetic and entertaining doesn’t necessarily win basketball games. It does help rebuild a fan base which will in turn motivate management to go over the luxury tax. And combined with the right coaching, it can provide a solid foundation to build on.
This most likely won’t be the year for Banner 17 but it could shape up to this franchise’s version of the 1994 Patriots.
Kevin:
Heading into the 2004-05 campaign, the Celtics begin yet another season with more question marks than answers. First and foremost, what can we expect from Gary Payton, both in terms of playing ability and locker room attitude? Will The Glove return somewhat to the form that made him a Hall of Fame candidate in Seattle or will he continue the shocking slide that began a year ago on that dysfunctional Lakers team? For what its worth, assuming he can stay healthy, I foresee a solid contribution from Payton this year. For the first time since Dennis Johnson hung up his sneakers, the Celtics will begin the season with a bona fide floor general manning the point. I expect, after a period of transition (i.e. 20-30 games) while these players figure each other out and reach a level of comfort, the offense will stabilize under Payton and take a step away from dependence on the three pointer.
On another front, is this the year that Ricky Davis finally gets it or is he destined to remain one of those guys with eye-popping talent that never translates into actually making his team any better? While were on the topic of Ricky Davis, Ive just been informed by the media powers-that-be that his name cannot be mentioned without at least once reminding readers that earlier in his career he shot at his own basket in an attempt to secure a triple double.
As for my best guess, I think Coach Doc Rivers will give Davis a chance to shine for perhaps the first quarter of the season before tossing his clipboard away in disgust. Much like a cookie, Rickys playing time will crumble and the results will be disappointing as he loses the majority of his minutes to Jiri Welsch. Unless Davis had an unlikely epiphany during the off-season that the goal of the game is helping your team to win on both sides of the court rather than showcasing nifty dunks, I expect more of Ricky being Ricky. Plus, as I think I may have mentioned, he did once shoot at his own basket.
Moving on, what can we expect from the kids? This question matters now more than ever with four rookies on the roster and seven players with under three years of experience in t he NBA. To me, the progress of the youngsters will be the driver between making the Celtics respectable and making them dangerous enough to do some damage. I have no insights here. Lets see these kids play an actual NBA game before predicting glory or making ridiculous comparisons to established All-Stars.
Lastly, can Captain Paul Pierce elevate his game to another level? If its ever going to happen, it will be this year. Think about it. He finally has a legitimate point guard to run his offense, a legitimate NBA center roaming the paint down low and a bunch of young legs to run the floor with him. For a guy like Pierce, this is the best its ever going to get in a Celtics uniform. I think well find out one way or another by mid season, but I think this is the year that Paul Pierce establishes himself as a guy who carries his team to victory rather than just a prolific scorer.
Questions? Predictions? At this point, it matters not a whit. Let the games begin.
Dan:
I have many thoughts on this year… Where to start? Will they be wearing the white sneaks on opening night again? What in God’s name is the rotation going to be? Can anyone on this teamplay defense, or more to the point, do any of them care about defense?I am actually feeling extremely optimistic. I don’t recall a point inthe past 10+ seasons where the team has seemed to be stocked with somuch young athleticism and talent. No, not even the Derek Strong era. My only concern is how cohesively they will play together. As we allk now, the NBA’s game is an extremely regimented one which sometimes drowns out athleticism and freelancing. So I am concerned as to the fundamental skills of this team (outside of the veterans). I do believe that the young guys like Allen and West will benefit from being in college all four years, and that Jefferson has raw skills in the one area that they are most crucial: rebounding. I believe in Lafrentz more than most people out there, and Googs has been far more impressive in the pre-season than I anticipated. So my outlook is very positive. Even if they don’t win as many games as two or three years ago, I feel we will see a far more enjoyable brand ofbasketball.
Mark:
I may have just finished a tankard of the Celtics Kool-Aid, or fallen under some sort of Bill Simmons mind-meld, but I look at the Celtics of the cream of the Atlantic Division crop (the new Atlantic Division, that is). I know you think I am crazy, so let’s break it down Dr. Jack Ramsey style shall we:
Philly: Iverson, and a trip to Dr. Frankenstein’s lab for spare parts. Glenn Robinson was a nice player, but last season had a low for PPG, RPG and MPG. Here’s hoping that old friend Kedrick Brown gets it going though. The O’Brien/Harter system will help them win some games though, boring as it may be.
Knicks: What can you say? Isiah’s streak of successes rolls on. (tongue firmly in cheek) Honestly, I find it hard even to try and break down this roster. Watch out for Bruno Sundov.
Nets: No Kittles, No KMart, No Lucious Harris, more playing time for Brian Scalabrine, a healthy (????) Mourning + an unbelievably surly and injured Kidd = way too much fun to be ignored. A train wreck. My lock solid bet of the season is that one of the players to attack Lawrence Frank. I am also going on record as saying there is less than a 0% chance that Kidd is there at the end of the season.
Toronto: This roster makes the Knicks look like the mid-60’s Celtics. Bosh is a great young player, in my opinion. I look for him to build on last year, and become a real force for them. Will we see the 43 start VC (2 years ago) or the 73 start VC (2003). I have no data to support this, pure conjecture but I see a pissed off VC starting no more than 41 games, and yet the team will challenge for the playoffs. The results will be delicious. I am begging ESPN to put a camera on these guys 24/7.
Jon:
Who knows what will happen this year? Not me. Not Danny Ainge, nor Doc Rivers. The only thing that is certain is that nothing is certain. But, a lot of Celtics fans are bullish on this team, and who can blame them? The best of last year’s team, which admittedly isn’t much, was held intact, and an incredible amount of young talent infused the roster in much the same way that Nikki Ziering and Traci Bingham were greeted as new Barker’s Beauties on the Price is Right.
How soon the kids get it will be the difference between a repeat of last year, and a Miami-like surge in the 2nd half of the season. Last year, great things were expected from Marcus Banks, and despite a coaching change (as well as Ainge paying off the new coach to play Banks) Banks couldn’t produce a consistent effort from night to night. Whoever is to blame for this is debatable, but one thing is sure… Doc Rivers needs to get more from his rookies than Banks and Perkins brought to the court.
The player most likely to make an immediate impact is the man who one noted Internet scribe is due to play All-Rookie level ball, supplant Welsch and Davis from the starting lineup, and find a cure for the Ebola virus. (ok, he said influenza, but you get the point) Tony Allen has been impressive in the preseason, to the point where Doc has publicly said that Allen earned a spot in rotation. Which becomes more noteworthy by the day, as Welsch and Davis turn in one solid effort after another. If Tony Allen can consistently hit shots of 19 feet and out, either Welsch or Davis are trade bait. Write. It. Down.
There is excitement. There is spastic arousal. And, then there is the losing control of your bodily functions wonder that is Al Jefferson. Tommy may love Walter, but I LOVE WHEEZIE! This kid just knows how to play the game, even if his game doesn’t yet include defense. But give him time, and it isn’t a leap to foresee Jefferson as the best power forward since Kevin McHale’s broken foot patrolled the paint. With a Kendrick Perkins-type conditioning effort, one on one work with the new development coaches, and spot time on the court facing the pros could put Wheezie in position to not only contribute this spring, but possibly start next fall.
While Jefferson and Allen have the luxury of playing well behind a number of veteran players, the point guard position does not provide such depth. For lack of a better candidate, Jiri Welsch will start the season as the backup point guard, but every opportunity will be given to Delonte West and Marcus Banks to claim that title so Rivers can slide Welsch back to the wing. Unless Banks can miraculously learn how to be consistent at the NBA level, look for West to supplant Banks spot on the active roster.
So in the end, still more questions, but much more to be optimistic about than ever. To see how these questions are answered through this season, check back with the Full Court Press next week.
