Full Court Press: 1/26/05
First Half Report Card
January 26, 2005
By The Full Court Press Crew
The Boston Celtics have completed 41 games of the 2004-2005 NBA regular season, and used the last three months to prove that they have the consistency of baby poop. One day its green and runny; the next some combination of orange and purple yet hard as a rock. A few consistent themes have immerged since November: Mark Blount is a thief, the rookies can play but not every night, Ricky is better than we thought, Jiri is worse, and Gary Payton is a 37 year old point guard. Other than that, I can’t say that this team has grown thus far this season, and the team, as a whole, has less character than any Celtics team in 25 years. A number of crushing 4th quarter defeats, and an inability to share the basketball of long periods of time have been a hallmark of this team thus far. But, there continue to be positive signs about the future of the franchise, and the fans interested in the face of 0 point and 0 rebound performances by the team’s $40 million center.
In the vein of the great analysts of sport, the Full Court Press takes a look at each position and grades the players on their performance thus far. I’m sure Dr. Jack Ramsey and Kevin Mannix will be proud.
Sam
Point Guards:
The situation at point guard has on the surface has become increasingly muddy as the season has progressed (is this progress?). The team desperately needs a point guard for the future but, other than strong low post players, good point guards are the most valued commodity in the NBA. The future of the Celtics may indeed depend on how the point guard situation resolves itself in the next month and a half. The questions are; Will Payton be traded? Will Banks develop or be traded? Is Delonte West the answer for the future? What else is out there? Every team wants and needs good decision makers and when you find them you donít let them go, my guess is that they stand pat with what they have or that Banks is a goner.
Gary Payton started the season looking like he might save the team from itself and provide ballast to hold the young foundation of the team in place and meld the older guys who felt like they had the team swept out from underneath them with their younger (and in most cases more talented) counterparts. But Payton is old, and it has been showing of late. The extent of his injuries also is not known so we have to take what we see at face value. His thumb was broken, his hamstring was pulled and he is 36 years old playing for a team that is 5 games under .500 in the worst conference in the NBA. Most likely heís pissed off heís here and wants to get traded to one of five teams (Phoenix, Seattle, San Antonio, Miami, Detroit). Despite all this Payton has consistently shown why he is a Hall of Fame player. He has done a good job leading a rudderless ship, calling out teammates who have failed to show up, and deflecting criticism when it has been warranted. The most depressing thing to watch as a fan has been the flashes of brilliance he displays, when you see a window into what a
younger Payton looked like and you say If only he had been here all along.
Marcus Banks is a God damn a riddle. The fastest and most athletic guard I have ever seen don the Celticsí uniform, he is a guy that on one night can blow by the quickest players in the league, draw a rotating defender, and then lay down a perfect bounce pass to an open player right underneath the basket for an easy bucket and then the next night he can produce no assists and four turnovers while flailing around trying to select the right gear to run his motor. Being a point guard he best thing for Banks would be if his teammates trusted him, but it is quite clear that the veterans donít and most likely never will. The best case scenario is that Banks develops into a serviceable backup point guard (a la Travis Best) but the clock is ticking and with Delonte West just coming back and being given minutes ahead of Banks the signs point to Banks being in the doghouse or getting ready to be traded yet again.
Delonte West is my binky. There I said it. Maybe it is because he’s been hurt and having seen so little Iíve fallen for what is mysterious, but it was my belief that West was the furthest along of the first rounders coming out of training camp. Then the injury bug struck. We all want him to be Mike Bibby (isnít that what we all thought Banks was going to be) but I’ll have to wait to see how quick his feet are. Decision making is not a problem with West. He had great teaching in a great system with much of the load being on his shoulders at St. Joe’s. His court vision is outstanding, and he’s a tremendous shooter. The only questions I have are; is he quick enough? and is he really 6′4″?
Dan
Wings:
At the halfway point of what has been a disappointing first half of the NBA season, it has been easy to see that while the Celtics possess lots of potential in their future frontcourt of Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins, there main ready to play now NBA talent rests in their small forwards and shooting guards. Paul Pierce, Ricky Davis, Jiri Welsch and Tony Allen possess not only the most athleticism on the team, but also the best ability to score. They are also driving me insane with their inconsistent play. Let’s take a look at each individual:
Paul Pierce -Full Court Press has beaten the issue of Paul Pierce to death. “Should he be traded?” “What is he doing wrong?” “Where’s the effort?”…these are all questions that have been asked in association with Pierce. They are legitimate. Pierce is a true enigma to Celtics fans because we know what he is capable of at his best. And at his best, it would be insane to ever deal him. The problem is, he seems to have a hard time playing with intensity on a nightly basis. I honestly can’t remember if it was always like this with him, but I don’t think it was. Something just seems to be missing from his game, and often times, it feels like that “something” is the key difference in many of the Celtic losses. Eventually, you have to stop dealing with “what ifs” and realize that if this inconsistency is what Pierce is going to give you, it’s time to move on. You don’t need to have a self entitled “NBA Superstar” on your roster to win just 38 games. Pierce needs to decide what he is about as a player before it’s too late.
Ricky Davis-The most maligned player on the Celtic roster is probably
the least deserving, at least this season. The big knock on Davis (mostly from those who don’t watch him play every night) is that he is too in love with his own ego to ever care about winning. That could not be further from the truth. Yes, he loves to dunk, but that’s hardly a knock on the guy. If you focus on him every night, you will see a guy who plays defense with intensity, and who only shoots in the flow of the game. He understands the concepts and benefits of running the floor, and that type of play mixes well with his strengths. He is in an ideal role for him as an instant offense sixth man, and will only get better
as the players around him match him. It’s no coincidence that Davis seems to thrive with the far harder playing second unit while being seemingly bogged down by the starters.
Jiri Welsch-I am bitterly disappointed in this man. I mean, Jiri, can
you knock down and occasional open jumper for God’s sake? He possesses
great instincts for the game, but as soon as he starts thinking, his whole game falls apart. And, I am sick of it. He was probably my favorite player last year. Now, he does at least one thing per night that makes me curse at him. Dribble needlessly into traffic…miss open jump shots…throw a ball away on a three on one. I feel burned out. He plays hard, and will definitely be a good/consistent player some day…but he is not helping now. His minutes need to be taken up by…
Tony Allen-Sometimes, Tony Allen looks lost in the halfcourt offense… that’s the only negative thing I can write in what will by the time I’m done look like a love letter to the guy. Along with Al Jefferson, Tony Allen is the best thing to happen to the Celtics in a lonnnnng long time. He has a natural fire to how he plays the game that actually defines him as a player. It comes out in his defense, it comes out in how he runs the floor, it comes out in his toughness, and it most certainly comes out when he dunks the ball with an assault on the rim like it insulted his mother. The Celtics are a better, tougher, more athletic team when he is on the court-period. I don’t care if he misses
fifteen open jump shots a night, he needs to play big time minutes NOW. He is the only player on the team who’s desire is infectious to his teammates. The Celtics need more of this, and Tony Allen is the key.
Kevin
Power Forward
Remember when we were kids and we frequently used the phrase make pretend before spelling out an outrageous game or scenario? Well, Id like to go retro for a moment and play make pretend just this one time with regards to the Celtics and their power forward situation.
Specifically, let us make pretend that youve just dropped from outer space (See? Outrageous!) without having seen the Boston Celtics roster for the last five years. Your best friend, an ardent Celtics fan, describes your current starting power forward in great detail. He tells you that although your big man at the 4 stands at a lofty 611, hes not much of an inside presence. For the season thus far, hes averaging a pedestrian 11 points and 7.5 boards per game. Most of his points come from the perimeter. And dont let those 7.5 boards fool you, either. Its not like hes going all Rodman out there, getting tenacious on the glass. Rather, he just happens to be grabbing the balls that bounce off the granite hands of his inept starting center. Oh, and the Fragile Frenchman, your friend cackles with a Ron Borges-like disdain, happens to be making roughly ten million dollars a year and were stuck with him for the next several seasons. Suddenly, however, the sneer falls away from you friends face. He lights up like a child on Christmas morning as he glowingly describes your rookie backup. He uses the word tough a lot. The phrase soft touch is bantered around. Mature beyond his years is mentioned. Youve heard enough. Pointing a finger accusingly, you say, So if this rookie phenom so good, J-Dooze, why isnt he starting? Your friend smiles. Oh, he will, he says. And soon. The tide is turning, my friend.
Hopefully, you know where Im going with this. Our overpaid veteran big man Raef LaFrentz is fading. Hes not a bad player, really. But hes not all that good either. Halfway through Al Jeffersons rookie season, we have seen enough evidence. The time has come to pass the mantle, and the majority of the minutes, to Big Al.
Regarding our talented rookie power forward, Chicago veteran Antonio Davis was recently effusive with praise about him (courtesy of Peter Mays Sunday Globe NBA Notes) “We were talking about him on the bench,” said Davis. “His touch, his size, his demeanor, his awareness. For a high school kid, it’s unbelievable. He really uses his body well. He doesn’t try to do things out of his element.” He added, “He tries to rebound. He tries to play defense the right way. He’s not forcing anything. He’s not hurting you in any way, so the kid has to play. Bottom line, the kid has to play. He doesn’t hurt you. If I’m not mistaken, that’s what you want to see.” You heard the man. The kid has to play. The tide is indeed turning, my friends. We finally have a kid that can put the power back in the 4 spot. Hail, hail, rock n roll.
Mark
Centers, or how Mark Blount stole 3 Million dollars from the Boston Celtics:
Halfway through the season, and well things have not gone well at the center position. This may be the understatement of the year, actually. The Celtics gave Blount a 6 year 38 million dollar contract in the off-season, based largely on a strong second half of last season. Last season he averaged 7.2 rebounds per game, about 1.3 blocks per game and a healthy 10.3 points per game. In the Eastern Conference of the time (pre-Shaq) he was above average center.
Fast forward to halfway through this season. His blocks per game (the weakest part of his game) has dropped a little, his scoring per game is about the same although he has been wildly inconsistent, and his rebounds per game has dropped to 5.6 and has also been incredibly hit or miss. He has been projecting a sour image on the court, and while not being directly quoted in the local press it’s clear he is making his displeasure with the Celtics system & coaching known to the local scribes off the record.
Let’s look the only other true center the Celtics have at the moment, Kendrick Perkins. He’s played a grand total of 199 minutes this year (to Blount’s nearly 1200). In the 5 games where he’s played greater than 12 minutes he has done some nice things. A few days before Christmas he played 25 minutes against the Knicks and had 4 points on 2 for 4 shooting but pulled down 13 rebounds, including 3 offensive. A few weeks ago, at the Bulls he played 18 minutes and while only had 3 points and 3 rebounds he had 5 blocked shots. 5 blocked shots, against a very young athletic team that has some good big men. Kendick’s scoring has not really developed yet but if you look at his numbers, he’s not getting a lot of attempts. He’s shooting 20 for 46. He’s averaging .4 rebounds per minute played (Blount is at .12), .08 blocks per minute (Blount is at .03) and seems to be getting more confident and comfortable each and every rotation.
What the numbers cannot show is that in his own way Perkins is upset to. He’s upset because he knows he can make a contribution to this team, and his minutes have been few and far between. In this situation, I can only see one resolution. Free Kendrick. I beg of you Doc, let the kid play. He’s 20. He’s as athletic as any player you have on the team. He has something that most of the Celtics veterans lost years ago, a mean streak. He’s not intimidated being on the floor against veterans. We all know the youth of this team are the future of the Celtics. I would suggest to you that the future is now.
