Post by DERRENMATTS on Jun 30, 2005 3:49:07 GMT -5
Here's where the optimistic side of me shouts out. I like to look forward and envision the team we could have playing for the championship, and possibly winning the grand prize.
Ironically, the team we could be sending to the summer league games could turn out to be the one winning us the championship. Our hope lies in the hands of the young pups. Developing them and guiding them to be the best players they can be will be key to our future success.
Our 2 brightest stars are going to be Big Al Jefferson and Gerald Green. They are the most talented and gifted athletes on the team and they are both excellent scorers who can score in a variety of ways. Jefferson will man the PF spot and GG will most likely be the SF. At 6'8"with incredible athleticism, quickness, and leaping ability, he's a good fit at that position.
As for now, I will pencil in Perkins as our starting Center. At the very least, he will provide us solid defensive work, rebounding, and some shot blocking. But I will not hesitate to move Perkins to the bench if Ainge grabs a solid Center who can provide us with better offense and solid defense (and rebounding). I feel that Perkins is better suited off the bench anyways, as a defensive specialist.
The 2 backcourt slots are harder to predict because it all depends if 1) Pierce is still around a few years from now, and 2) if Delonte can be a 'championship team' caliber PG. If Pierce remains a Celtic 2 years from now, he'll be our starting SG, which most likely means he truly turned his game around and became the type of SG who thrived in the uptempo style--and all in all, this will be the ideal situation. He is a star player.
But if Pierce is no longer a Celtic in 2 years, this means that Ainge and Rivers had the confidence in Green to be the player they wanted Pierce to be. If Pierce isn't here, I look for an improved Tony Allen (equipped with a steadier jump shot) to be the starting SG. He and Green will give us the most athletic and high flying SF/SG combination in the NBA. These 2 slashers/high risers will keep opposing teams guessing whether to stay put on defense, or cheat and take away the slashing lanes to keep them from getting into the lanes.
According to the Boston Globe, Ainge and Rivers put a offseason game plan for Delonte to work on his right hand (he's a natural lefty) so that he can dribble and penetrate with his off hand just as well as he can using his strong hand. He's also working on his penetration and kick out game so that he can get into the teeth of defenses and create plays for his teammates. If Delonte becomes more of a playmaker and shows more ability to set players up for easy shots than he did last year, he will end our search for the right PG. But if he remains just a solid backcourt guard and not a playmaking PG, he may not be enough of a PG to get us over the top.
So there's a quick look at our starting 5:
Perkins - (rebounder, defender, shot blocker)
Jefferson - (star scorer, rebounder, shot blocker)
Green (- star scorer, shooter, slasher, fast break)
Allen - (slasher, fast break, complimentary scorer)
Delonte - (playmaker, 3 pt shooter, comp scorer)
Onto our bench. No team can win without a good bench. Its just too taxing to ask the starters to play the whole game and come up with all the big shots for an entire season, and then the playoffs. A strong bench that can score, play defense, and give the starters a breather is just as important to a team's success as the stars on the team (ask McGrady, Malone, and Stockton). Lucky for us, Ainge has been building up a strong team with stars in the starting lineup as well as a trong bench with every draft he's been a part of, and the trades he's made. In Ricky Davis, he took a misunderstood, underappreciated scoring head case and turned him into one of the league's premier 6th man. His ability to turn on the hot switch and light up the scorer's table has given us a tremendous boost offensively off the bench. Plus, Davis has turned himself into a defensive pest, which allows us to create more turnovers and get us running the breaks.
Along with Ricky Davis, Rivers now has a bench scoring threat he can use in the post. Ryan Gomes averaged 21.8 ppg as a PF/SF for Providence, and he can continue using his versatile inside out offensive game to create mismatches against our opponents. Gomes is crafty like Pierce taking the ball from the wing to the basket and he can score effectively from the paint, as well as from 15 feet and out. He's also a plus rebounder, able to use his strong body to seal off players his size.
I have a strong feeling that a PG battle will emerge this summer when Orien Greene starts pushing Marcus Banks out of the backup PG slot. It'll be a battle to determine who stays on the team and who goes to the NBDL. Its hard to imagine Rivers carrying 3 young PG's on the team, especially when Ainge has made it public that he will be attempting to bring in a veteran PG. Orien is taller, stronger, and more of a PG than Banks is. His PG skills and ball handling make him an intriguing talent when coupled with his 6'5" frame. Physically, he looks like Gilbert Arenas--very well built but not stocky. Marcus Banks has blinding speed and solid athleticism, but so far it hasn't translated to anything but potential on an NBA court. If Orien shows the ability to lead the team this summer, he may take the backup spot outright from Banks.
Looking at this roster, it is 8 players strong. From 1 - 8, this team is stacked.
Delonte
Allen
Green
Jefferson
Perkins
Davis
Gomes
Orien
Ideally, we'd be between 9 - 12 players deep. I'd be happy with 10 or 11 players who get to play every night. So I'd like to add 2 more players to the bench who can give us solid production. I'd add a defensive big man with good rebounding skills (like PJ Brown) and a tall SF who can shoot the ball from deep (like a Brent Barry).
I feel that a team like this can rival any NBA team for the world championship, and even be the next NBA dynasty. Our team right now is so young that we can wait 3 - 5 years for these players to develop and they'll still be between 23 - 28 years old, just entering their prime. The luck has been on Ainge's side these past 3 drafts. There must be something stirring in the cosmos that's allowing all these good fortunes to come our way. This team has a bright future and we're only now starting to look up. I may be optimistic, but how can you not be with all these young talents on our team?
The Boston Celtics will return to prominence.
Ironically, the team we could be sending to the summer league games could turn out to be the one winning us the championship. Our hope lies in the hands of the young pups. Developing them and guiding them to be the best players they can be will be key to our future success.
Our 2 brightest stars are going to be Big Al Jefferson and Gerald Green. They are the most talented and gifted athletes on the team and they are both excellent scorers who can score in a variety of ways. Jefferson will man the PF spot and GG will most likely be the SF. At 6'8"with incredible athleticism, quickness, and leaping ability, he's a good fit at that position.
As for now, I will pencil in Perkins as our starting Center. At the very least, he will provide us solid defensive work, rebounding, and some shot blocking. But I will not hesitate to move Perkins to the bench if Ainge grabs a solid Center who can provide us with better offense and solid defense (and rebounding). I feel that Perkins is better suited off the bench anyways, as a defensive specialist.
The 2 backcourt slots are harder to predict because it all depends if 1) Pierce is still around a few years from now, and 2) if Delonte can be a 'championship team' caliber PG. If Pierce remains a Celtic 2 years from now, he'll be our starting SG, which most likely means he truly turned his game around and became the type of SG who thrived in the uptempo style--and all in all, this will be the ideal situation. He is a star player.
But if Pierce is no longer a Celtic in 2 years, this means that Ainge and Rivers had the confidence in Green to be the player they wanted Pierce to be. If Pierce isn't here, I look for an improved Tony Allen (equipped with a steadier jump shot) to be the starting SG. He and Green will give us the most athletic and high flying SF/SG combination in the NBA. These 2 slashers/high risers will keep opposing teams guessing whether to stay put on defense, or cheat and take away the slashing lanes to keep them from getting into the lanes.
According to the Boston Globe, Ainge and Rivers put a offseason game plan for Delonte to work on his right hand (he's a natural lefty) so that he can dribble and penetrate with his off hand just as well as he can using his strong hand. He's also working on his penetration and kick out game so that he can get into the teeth of defenses and create plays for his teammates. If Delonte becomes more of a playmaker and shows more ability to set players up for easy shots than he did last year, he will end our search for the right PG. But if he remains just a solid backcourt guard and not a playmaking PG, he may not be enough of a PG to get us over the top.
So there's a quick look at our starting 5:
Perkins - (rebounder, defender, shot blocker)
Jefferson - (star scorer, rebounder, shot blocker)
Green (- star scorer, shooter, slasher, fast break)
Allen - (slasher, fast break, complimentary scorer)
Delonte - (playmaker, 3 pt shooter, comp scorer)
Onto our bench. No team can win without a good bench. Its just too taxing to ask the starters to play the whole game and come up with all the big shots for an entire season, and then the playoffs. A strong bench that can score, play defense, and give the starters a breather is just as important to a team's success as the stars on the team (ask McGrady, Malone, and Stockton). Lucky for us, Ainge has been building up a strong team with stars in the starting lineup as well as a trong bench with every draft he's been a part of, and the trades he's made. In Ricky Davis, he took a misunderstood, underappreciated scoring head case and turned him into one of the league's premier 6th man. His ability to turn on the hot switch and light up the scorer's table has given us a tremendous boost offensively off the bench. Plus, Davis has turned himself into a defensive pest, which allows us to create more turnovers and get us running the breaks.
Along with Ricky Davis, Rivers now has a bench scoring threat he can use in the post. Ryan Gomes averaged 21.8 ppg as a PF/SF for Providence, and he can continue using his versatile inside out offensive game to create mismatches against our opponents. Gomes is crafty like Pierce taking the ball from the wing to the basket and he can score effectively from the paint, as well as from 15 feet and out. He's also a plus rebounder, able to use his strong body to seal off players his size.
I have a strong feeling that a PG battle will emerge this summer when Orien Greene starts pushing Marcus Banks out of the backup PG slot. It'll be a battle to determine who stays on the team and who goes to the NBDL. Its hard to imagine Rivers carrying 3 young PG's on the team, especially when Ainge has made it public that he will be attempting to bring in a veteran PG. Orien is taller, stronger, and more of a PG than Banks is. His PG skills and ball handling make him an intriguing talent when coupled with his 6'5" frame. Physically, he looks like Gilbert Arenas--very well built but not stocky. Marcus Banks has blinding speed and solid athleticism, but so far it hasn't translated to anything but potential on an NBA court. If Orien shows the ability to lead the team this summer, he may take the backup spot outright from Banks.
Looking at this roster, it is 8 players strong. From 1 - 8, this team is stacked.
Delonte
Allen
Green
Jefferson
Perkins
Davis
Gomes
Orien
Ideally, we'd be between 9 - 12 players deep. I'd be happy with 10 or 11 players who get to play every night. So I'd like to add 2 more players to the bench who can give us solid production. I'd add a defensive big man with good rebounding skills (like PJ Brown) and a tall SF who can shoot the ball from deep (like a Brent Barry).
I feel that a team like this can rival any NBA team for the world championship, and even be the next NBA dynasty. Our team right now is so young that we can wait 3 - 5 years for these players to develop and they'll still be between 23 - 28 years old, just entering their prime. The luck has been on Ainge's side these past 3 drafts. There must be something stirring in the cosmos that's allowing all these good fortunes to come our way. This team has a bright future and we're only now starting to look up. I may be optimistic, but how can you not be with all these young talents on our team?
The Boston Celtics will return to prominence.
