Full Court Press: Training Camp Preview - Power Forwards 9/28/05

After five painful months of waiting and speculating, the nearly 35 individuals who will compete to become members of the 2005-2006 Boston Celtics roster will assemble in Waltham just six days from today. Maybe putting the number at 35 is a gross exaggeration, but one thing is certain: the 17 gentlemen (and Tony Allen) who will arrive at Healthpoint are due for a training camp unlike any other they have encountered since many of them were pimply-faced teenagers— which, in most cases, was only a couple of years ago.

Every member of the team excepting Captain Paul Pierce will be battling for playing time and a spot in the rotation. So, unlike years past, this camp and exhibition season will be a true battle royal, with everything up for grabs. Over the next week, the Full Court Press will examine each position in detail and offer our sometimes reasoned—and hopefully always thought-provoking—point of view. Kevin will take the first crack at examining the crowded Celtics roster by putting the power forwards under his microscope.

Feel free to use the link to the right to ask the FCP anything from “What is the Celtics greatest need?” to “Can I still wear white after Labor Day?”— we’ll do our best to answer e-mails and develop a real dialogue with our readers.

Power Forwards
by Kevin

Although the roles and positions of the big men are still drawn in the sand at this point, let’s make a leap and call Al Jefferson and Brian Scalabrine the primary power forwards. When it comes to playing style, these two guys couldn’t be more different. One is a budding star, the other a journeyman role player. One is a Dodge Viper that has yet to realize his own power; the other is a dependable minivan, consistent but unspectacular. Alas, before I digress into any more bad metaphors or share my opinion on my favorite brand of coffee, what follows is a summary of those two players both in terms of what we’ve seen and what we can expect going forward.

Al Jefferson

Most people already know all about Big Al’s strong footwork, soft hands, and offensive creativity down on the post. They know he’s not afraid to bang down low. They know that he exceeded all expectations in his rookie season and that his unanticipated progress is the primary reason that Antoine Walker is now a member of the Miami Heat. They know that heading into this season, the starting slot at power forward is his to lose.

On the downside, people also know about Big Al’s defensive lapses and his spotty free throw shooting. They also learned of Jefferson’s difficulty in handing increased defensive pressure and his ineptness in passing out of tough double-teams, problems that surfaced during the playoff series against the Pacers last spring and lingered into the Summer League season. What people don’t know, however, is how Jefferson is going to respond to these issues in his sophomore campaign. At this point, I don’t know the answer to that question and I doubt Doc Rivers does, either. This is the single most compelling story of the Boston Celtics heading into the 2005-06 season.

When last we left off, the Celtics were getting trounced into elimination by an undermanned, over-the-hill Pacers team. This happened primarily because the Celtics’ offense was broken (although team defense was no picnic either, mind you). Ball movement became almost nonexistent as the team reverted to isolation plays in a predictable half-court offense. Under this scenario, Jefferson faltered.

If his team is to succeed this season, the young power forward must be able to handle the double-teams because—let’s face it—the jig is up. Teams are now well aware of Big Al’s skills; he’s no longer going to be able to sneak up on them with those surprise breakout games we saw last season. The new book on the Celtics will be primarily to shut down Pierce from the outside and Jefferson down low. It will be interesting, to say the least, to see how the kid responds to the big time.

If I were to guess, I’d say to expect a rocky road for a little while. He’ll likely struggle out of the gate and Rivers will continue to play his good cop/bad cop routine, handing out relentless “tough love” criticism while struggling to maintain a positive overall message. The good news is that Jefferson appears to have bought into his coach’s preaching and is willing to listen to Rivers, which is always half the battle with the talented young guys. In a best-case scenario, Jefferson will eventually emerge as a true consistent scoring threat, both down low and by developing a nice 15- to18-foot jumper. Should this happen, Pierce might also finally place some trust in one of his teammates and stop trying to take on the world all by himself. Overly simplified? Perhaps, but the fact remains that however far Al Jefferson progresses this season, so too goes the fate of the team.

Brian Scalabrine

Sure, go ahead and make fun of him. Get it out of the way. Make sure you mention the brain-typing thing. And don’t forget to say that he looks like the love child of Ian Ziering and Michael Rapaport on growth hormones (I’m sure there’s a Beverly Hills 90210/“Donna Martin Graduates!” joke in there somewhere, but I’m not sure what it is). The fact that Scalabrine’s introductory press conference was overshadowed by the same-day announcement of the Antoine Walker sign-and-trade was truly fitting. Scalabrine doesn’t belong in the spotlight because he’s just not that kind of player. He’ll never amass eye-popping stats and he’ll never make the all-star team. None of this makes him a bad pickup by the Celtics, however.

As the sole significant free agent signing this off season, Scalabrine was met with a mixture of snorts and shrugs. After all, his career highs last season in points (6.3) and rebounds (4.5) are hardly the stuff that dreams are made of. To be fair, however, the stats sheet will never tell the full story with Scalabrine. He runs hard, he hustles, he defends, he takes charges, he fills passing lanes, and he chases down loose balls. In essence, he does all the little things that help his team win. Call him the anti-Mark Blount, if you will. He’s a role player who actually knows his role. He may not be generating much excitement yet, but give him time—I swear you’re going to like what this guy brings to the table.

Thanks again to Kevin for an insightful look at the Power Forward position, and check back around this time Thursday for the Dan’s take on the Center position.