Post by DERRENMATTS on Nov 10, 2006 2:55:09 GMT -5
As LongtimeFan mentioned, Doc seems like a nice guy and I woudn't mind sitting down and talking with him. But he's just not getting the job done as head coach.
One of the most evident signs of this is the lack of player development. Over the course of his 2 years here (going on his 3rd season as head coach), we have been going down hill (45 wins, 33 wins, and now we are off to a 1 - 3 start). Ainge is doing his absolute best by bringing in young and talented players to build the team around, but Doc hasn't been able to develop these young kids into the players we need them to be. So far, of the young kids Ainge has drafted, only Delonte has had a breakout season, but the reason for that is the big amount of playing time he was given last year. I don't give Doc credit for Ryan Gomes' success because Gomes is just doing what he's already been able to do (rebounding and converting offensive boards into layups).
But look at Perkins, Jefferson, Green, and Tony (and this argument may also include Rajon and Leon as well). These kids have the capacity to be players at this level, but none of them guys have been able to live up to their potential yet, and mainly because they aren't being given the playing time to develop. We've heard how Perkins is the best rebounder in practice, we hear of how impressive Jefferson and Green have been, many outsiders have drooled over the stuff that Tony Allen can do, but yet their talents remain on the practice floor and on the bench. Winning battles in practice doesn't equate to wins in the league standings. The young guys can't contribute from the bench.
Rather than trying to win as many games as possible riding our veterans to the ground, its time to develop the kids. There's absolutely no way we go anywhere if our kids don't develop. Don't beat around the bush any longer. Its time to take a step back this year (and in actuality, it should have been last year) and let the kids play so that next year we can move forward and be a stronger team as they progress and develop their games. Its time for Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins, Rajon Rondo, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, Delonte West and Leon Powe to play heavy minutes every game, even if they stumble. They need to get better NOW, or we won't be good LATER.
Doc said Gerald is maturing right before his eyes and he said we'll see Gerald on the court more. So why was he given only 8 minutes against the Bobcats?
Ainge is hellbent in transforming this team into an uptempo unit that utilizes our youth, speed and athleticism. He goes out and gets Telfair and Rajon to boost our opportunities. But Doc seems to have already abandoned this idea, and instead focuses on executing our halfcourt sets, every single time down court. This totally negates Telfair's speed. And what's worse is he's using Delonte at the Point again, which slows down our game even more. Plus, this confuses Delonte, who was originally told to think like a PG, then to revert back to his old style of play that made him successful in college, and now to focus back on being a PG again.
Our team is full of young players and our future revolves around these young guys. So what's the sense in delaying their progress? Why play Scalabrine and Kandi when Powe should be getting developmental time. Why insist on playing Pierce 40 mpg and Wally 36 mpg while Gerald and Tony get a handful of minutes. Are we trying our best to win a championship this season? Or is it more important to gear towards a future championship with our young players leading the way?
We can procrastinate and prolong this process as long as we want to. We can be an average team for another decade at this pace. Unless the kids get playing time, they will not make significant improvements in their development; the degree of improvements that propel us into the contenders.
This is not tanking the season; its developing towards our future championship.
One of the most evident signs of this is the lack of player development. Over the course of his 2 years here (going on his 3rd season as head coach), we have been going down hill (45 wins, 33 wins, and now we are off to a 1 - 3 start). Ainge is doing his absolute best by bringing in young and talented players to build the team around, but Doc hasn't been able to develop these young kids into the players we need them to be. So far, of the young kids Ainge has drafted, only Delonte has had a breakout season, but the reason for that is the big amount of playing time he was given last year. I don't give Doc credit for Ryan Gomes' success because Gomes is just doing what he's already been able to do (rebounding and converting offensive boards into layups).
But look at Perkins, Jefferson, Green, and Tony (and this argument may also include Rajon and Leon as well). These kids have the capacity to be players at this level, but none of them guys have been able to live up to their potential yet, and mainly because they aren't being given the playing time to develop. We've heard how Perkins is the best rebounder in practice, we hear of how impressive Jefferson and Green have been, many outsiders have drooled over the stuff that Tony Allen can do, but yet their talents remain on the practice floor and on the bench. Winning battles in practice doesn't equate to wins in the league standings. The young guys can't contribute from the bench.
Rather than trying to win as many games as possible riding our veterans to the ground, its time to develop the kids. There's absolutely no way we go anywhere if our kids don't develop. Don't beat around the bush any longer. Its time to take a step back this year (and in actuality, it should have been last year) and let the kids play so that next year we can move forward and be a stronger team as they progress and develop their games. Its time for Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins, Rajon Rondo, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, Delonte West and Leon Powe to play heavy minutes every game, even if they stumble. They need to get better NOW, or we won't be good LATER.
Doc said Gerald is maturing right before his eyes and he said we'll see Gerald on the court more. So why was he given only 8 minutes against the Bobcats?
Ainge is hellbent in transforming this team into an uptempo unit that utilizes our youth, speed and athleticism. He goes out and gets Telfair and Rajon to boost our opportunities. But Doc seems to have already abandoned this idea, and instead focuses on executing our halfcourt sets, every single time down court. This totally negates Telfair's speed. And what's worse is he's using Delonte at the Point again, which slows down our game even more. Plus, this confuses Delonte, who was originally told to think like a PG, then to revert back to his old style of play that made him successful in college, and now to focus back on being a PG again.
Our team is full of young players and our future revolves around these young guys. So what's the sense in delaying their progress? Why play Scalabrine and Kandi when Powe should be getting developmental time. Why insist on playing Pierce 40 mpg and Wally 36 mpg while Gerald and Tony get a handful of minutes. Are we trying our best to win a championship this season? Or is it more important to gear towards a future championship with our young players leading the way?
We can procrastinate and prolong this process as long as we want to. We can be an average team for another decade at this pace. Unless the kids get playing time, they will not make significant improvements in their development; the degree of improvements that propel us into the contenders.
This is not tanking the season; its developing towards our future championship.