|
|
Post by DERRENMATTS on Oct 2, 2007 19:37:02 GMT -5
I think our backups, otherwise coined the, "B-Unit", could be a bright spot. Initially, after the trades went down to acquire RAllen and Garnett, our bench was depleted and lacked talent. But Ainge did an admirable job by scrounging around and finding good veteran talent for cheap, and it appears to be a solid collection of scrappy hard nosed players who hustle and stand their ground.
Posey is right now anchoring the B-Unit, with his defense and tough play, but report is that guys like TAllen and Powe are also being bulldogs out there against the star studded A-Team. Newly acquired Estaban Batista is also turning heads, scoring in the paint against KG.
The B-Unit even beat the A-Team on the first day of practice. Doesn't mean much, but encouraging nonetheless. From reports, practices are very ultra competitive and guys are giving lip service to one another (all in good competition). All this hard competition should make us a much better team, both starters and the bench.
|
|
|
|
Post by rockinrondo on Oct 3, 2007 13:07:23 GMT -5
It is really good to hear that T. Allen is already out there going hard. I think our bench will be a nice compliment to the starting five. The starters will log most of the min., all the Celtics need is 4-5 players to step up and play smart, hard nosed basketball, for like 12-15 min a game.
*T. Allen (15 + min. a game, when at full strength) can play the 1, 2 and 3. I think he will play mostly behind R. Allen at the two. T.A can do a little bit of everything, he and Posey will be our first two players off the bench, in most games.
*Posey (15 + min) can play the 2, 3, and 4. I think he will play mostly behind Pierce at the three. Posey is the sixth man on this team, although I think T. Allen is a close second. He will give us 10 pts. 6-8 reb., and a lot of hustle every game.
*Scal. (10-12 min.) can play the 3, 4, and some 5. I think he will play mostly behind K.G. at the four. I think G. Davis (Sleeper of the 07 draft) will over take him for this spot, by the end of the season.
*Pollard (12 min) can play the 4 and 5. I think he will play mostly behind Perkins at the five. Pollard, (from what I have seen), a lot of Celtic's fan's say on this and other sites, is not very respected. I think he will be the "surprise" player off the bench this season, and more so in the playoffs. He is a hard working team player, with a high basketball IQ.
*House (10-12 min) can play the 1 and the 2. I think he will play mostly behind Rondo at the one. House is more a two guard in a point guards body, but he can shoot the three, and that is a huge weapon to have off your bench.
*Davis (8+ min.) can play the 3, 4, and five, against some teams. I think he will play a little at all three positions, at the first of the season. Then, I think he will take over most of the min. behind K.G.at the four.
IMO, these will be the main guys off the bench during the regular season. Doc will cut the rotation down to 7-8 maybe 9 players during the post season.
|
|
|
|
Post by DERRENMATTS on Oct 3, 2007 14:39:34 GMT -5
Hey, and the B-Unit continues to win!!! They won a couple more scrimmages yesterday (so I hear/read). Off the bat, I think Scal, Posey, House, Pollard, and TAllen will be the main minutes hogger off the bench. In time, Powe will make his way into the main rotation. Big Baby will be itching to play, but he's gotta jump over a bunch of players to get on the court in meaningful minutes.
Like you said, Rockin, we have a versatile bench. Our bench:
-can defend (Posey, TAllen),
-can shoot (Scal, Posey, House),
-hustle (Posey, Scal, Pollard, TAllen),
-rebound (Posey, TAllen),
and
-play with aggressiveness (all of 'em)
These are all key ingredients for guys playing spot minutes off the bench. They have to make their impact felt immediately.
|
|
|
|
Post by eja117 on Oct 3, 2007 14:56:29 GMT -5
I also heard the B unit continues to win from Greg Dickerson on the radio. Apparently the A team is taking some time to get used to each other, which makes perfect sense seeing as how none of these guys have ever played with teammates as good as this.
|
|
cfoo
Welcome To Celtics Green!
Posts: 1
|
Post by cfoo on Oct 3, 2007 19:12:57 GMT -5
The more I think of House the more I think he will play the off guard. He is basically instant offense when we need runs. As an off guard he will basically just shoot and provide offense off the bench. I think TA and we might hang onto pruitt to play the pg spot behind rondo. I would guess Pruitt, TA are battling for position. Powe and Big Baby and Scal are as well. Pollard and Esteban etc.... From the looks of it our B unit is pretty much going to be. The reason TA is going to be used as teh backup point imo is to play house at the SG and make room for someone like Jones to get time at the 2 and 3 behind posey where TA normally would.
|
|
|
|
Post by DERRENMATTS on Oct 4, 2007 3:58:40 GMT -5
I kind of see House playing an Ainge-Wedman role. Ainge was an underrated player. He was more than a complimentary PG to DJ. He was pretty heady on the breaks and was a clever ball handler. But shooting the ball and keeping defenses honest was where Ainge came in handy. Same with Scott Wedman. Coming off the bench, Wedman gave us a sharp shooter who could stick it to opponents who would lay off of him.
House will need to provide a consistent deep threat who will make sure defenses stay tight on him. This is an area I thought we missed last season. For some reason, Delonte lost his shooting touch and could not hit baskets consistently. Not only that, but he was also hesitant to shoot the ball. I don't think this will be a problem for House--he likes to jack up shots in a hurry.
|
|
|
|
Post by FLCeltsFan on Oct 4, 2007 8:41:30 GMT -5
According to reports from yesterday, House and Tony are developing some great chemistry on the second unit with them sharing the PG and off guard duties. That is going to mean good things. From the sounds of it, Batista could slip ahead of Pollard as back up center, especially if Pollard continues with his history of injury woes. Powe and Allen have been described by Doc as pit bulls. I can see Powe bringing some intensity and being an intimidator off the bench. With the 2nd and 3rd units able to beat the starters in scrimmages, it seems as though our bench is coming together nicely.
|
|
|
|
Post by eja117 on Oct 4, 2007 9:22:46 GMT -5
A lot of people act like we have some serious depth issue but I don't think so at all.
If you look at our supposed needs like center what do we have behind Perk? Probably in order Pollard, Batista, Baby, and if really needed Scala. There is no way on Earth Scala is going to get that beat up by the Rasho Nestorvichs and Francisco Elsons of the world.
At point House is not going to get destroyed by the Jasikevicus or Bassys of the world.
At pf Powe isn't going to get beat up by the Craig Smiths of the league. This is why stars when games in the NBA. The backups just don't make that much of a difference in 8-15 mins a game.
|
|
cfoo
Welcome To Celtics Green!
Posts: 1
|
Post by cfoo on Oct 4, 2007 20:49:33 GMT -5
The bench is basically just to give our starters a rest and hold the lead or keep us in games, by playing defense and going against tired starters or bricklaying bench players themselves or provide a run when we need offense. If you watch good benches they usually will just kind of not blow the game and they have games every once in a while where they really make a run and stay in the game longer than expected.
|
|
|
|
Post by eddietours on Oct 5, 2007 8:13:54 GMT -5
l think our bench has something very nice like defense minded player posey and allen man l just can't wait for the start of the season
|
|
|
|
Post by VI_CelticsFan on Oct 5, 2007 16:25:47 GMT -5
Yeah, I'm pretty impressed with the way Danny filled out the bench after the Garnett trade. I really thought that we would have no chance at getting Posey, but we were able to sign him. I have no problem with Tony being the backup point guard (he handled it pretty well last year before the injury). I also love our backup wings in Posey, Allen, House, and Jones. Those guys bring a combination of shooting, defense, and athleticism. Our big man depth off the bench is actually pretty deep with guys like Pollard (if he can stay healthy), Powe, Scal, Baby, and Batista. I may be taking this too far, but I honestly think that we could end up having the best bench in the league (or at least one of the best).
|
|
|
|
Post by ferbo on Oct 5, 2007 20:48:26 GMT -5
Agree.
Where are the folks who were saying Ainge didn't have a plan?
|
|
|
|
Post by Roadrunner on Oct 5, 2007 21:38:45 GMT -5
Agree. Where are the folks who were saying Ainge didn't have a plan? Simmons said it best that if this was the WSOP, and Danny had 25% chance of winning, he went for it. |
|
