Post by DERRENMATTS on Nov 28, 2005 1:54:29 GMT -5
Peter May's rant:
What are we waiting for?
By Peter May, Globe Staff | November 27, 2005
If only Blonut were the problem. But he's not. Far from it. The problem goes well beyond one player.
We have been conditioned by Celtics ownership, management, and even, to some extent, the players themselves to wait and wait. The party line is and has been: have patience and wait for the kids to develop. That line of thinking doesn't end with the wishful-thinking folks at Banner 17, either. A lot of national writers and broadcasters feel the same way.
But here's what I'm wondering, hours after the Celtics had to scrape and claw to earn a 1-point home victory over the Bobcats (another team that makes no bones about its mission statement -- wait a few years): Are the Celtics really getting any better?
At this juncture of, admittedly, a very long season, you can't even put this Celtics team up against last year's team, even before Antoine Walker returned. That was at least a .500 team. This year's team is worse. The Celtics have played two-thirds of their games at home, and four of those games, all victories, have come against teams with an aggregate record of 11-39. They are 1-3 in the other home games. They are 0-4 on the road. They are 0-6 in back-to-back situations.
This is progress? Does Tony Allen really mean that much to this team?
One thing Danny Ainge promised was to rebuild the Celtics into a younger, more athletic team. He has done that. He wanted the style of play to change. Mostly, that has happened. But I can't say for certain that he's really improved the talent base. Who can say? But he's trying to do what, I think it's safe to say, no one in NBA history has ever done: build a winning team with a large component of late first-round picks, second-picks, and middle-of-the-road free agents.
We keep hearing that in a couple of years, the kids will have developed and the Celtics will have a competitive team. I look down the road in two years and here are just a few of the things I see:
Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker still with San Antonio.
The entire starting five of the Pistons still in Detroit.
Paul Pierce at the end of his contract if he hasn't been traded.
Brian Scalabrine in the third year of his five-year, $15 million deal.
You win with talent in the NBA; that is not exactly a news flash. But rarely, if ever, has the winning combination of talent come from players who were such low picks, players who, in the most ideal of situations, could be seen as complementary players. The highest-drafted player Ainge has chosen is Marcus Banks, No. 13. He's essentially been told he's no longer needed. Springfield-bound Al Jefferson was the 15th overall pick. The Celtics put enormous pressure on this kid to deliver this season -- he's on the cover of the media guide, for goodness sakes -- and he's a year-plus out of high school.
In two years, the Atlanta Hawks may well have a better talent base than the Celtics. I'm not so sure I wouldn't swap rosters with them right now. In two years, the Bobcats may have a better talent base.
The Chicago Bulls have four recent lottery picks around whom they are building -- Tyson Chandler, Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng, and Ben Gordon -- and will have millions this summer to use on free agents or facilitate trades. Yes, re-signing some of these guys might be an issue, but that's a good problem to have because it means there's inherent value there if you need to move someone.
Blount may be unhappy about his touches, but remember that Doc Rivers said that his idea of the way the Celtics offense should run is to make sure Blount and Raef LaFrentz get a lot of looks. Blount is never going to be a big rebounder. The one year he did rebound, there was no LaFrentz, and Walter McCarty was a power forward. Someone had to get the rebounds.
Maybe, just maybe, Blount sees where this is all going. You can love and embrace the kids and drink all the Tommy Juice you want, but at the end of the day, the Celtics are what they are. Right now, they are not a very good team, and if you're waiting for everything to click and jell, well, remember: patience is indeed a virtue.
What are we waiting for?
By Peter May, Globe Staff | November 27, 2005
If only Blonut were the problem. But he's not. Far from it. The problem goes well beyond one player.
We have been conditioned by Celtics ownership, management, and even, to some extent, the players themselves to wait and wait. The party line is and has been: have patience and wait for the kids to develop. That line of thinking doesn't end with the wishful-thinking folks at Banner 17, either. A lot of national writers and broadcasters feel the same way.
But here's what I'm wondering, hours after the Celtics had to scrape and claw to earn a 1-point home victory over the Bobcats (another team that makes no bones about its mission statement -- wait a few years): Are the Celtics really getting any better?
At this juncture of, admittedly, a very long season, you can't even put this Celtics team up against last year's team, even before Antoine Walker returned. That was at least a .500 team. This year's team is worse. The Celtics have played two-thirds of their games at home, and four of those games, all victories, have come against teams with an aggregate record of 11-39. They are 1-3 in the other home games. They are 0-4 on the road. They are 0-6 in back-to-back situations.
This is progress? Does Tony Allen really mean that much to this team?
One thing Danny Ainge promised was to rebuild the Celtics into a younger, more athletic team. He has done that. He wanted the style of play to change. Mostly, that has happened. But I can't say for certain that he's really improved the talent base. Who can say? But he's trying to do what, I think it's safe to say, no one in NBA history has ever done: build a winning team with a large component of late first-round picks, second-picks, and middle-of-the-road free agents.
We keep hearing that in a couple of years, the kids will have developed and the Celtics will have a competitive team. I look down the road in two years and here are just a few of the things I see:
Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker still with San Antonio.
The entire starting five of the Pistons still in Detroit.
Paul Pierce at the end of his contract if he hasn't been traded.
Brian Scalabrine in the third year of his five-year, $15 million deal.
You win with talent in the NBA; that is not exactly a news flash. But rarely, if ever, has the winning combination of talent come from players who were such low picks, players who, in the most ideal of situations, could be seen as complementary players. The highest-drafted player Ainge has chosen is Marcus Banks, No. 13. He's essentially been told he's no longer needed. Springfield-bound Al Jefferson was the 15th overall pick. The Celtics put enormous pressure on this kid to deliver this season -- he's on the cover of the media guide, for goodness sakes -- and he's a year-plus out of high school.
In two years, the Atlanta Hawks may well have a better talent base than the Celtics. I'm not so sure I wouldn't swap rosters with them right now. In two years, the Bobcats may have a better talent base.
The Chicago Bulls have four recent lottery picks around whom they are building -- Tyson Chandler, Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng, and Ben Gordon -- and will have millions this summer to use on free agents or facilitate trades. Yes, re-signing some of these guys might be an issue, but that's a good problem to have because it means there's inherent value there if you need to move someone.
Blount may be unhappy about his touches, but remember that Doc Rivers said that his idea of the way the Celtics offense should run is to make sure Blount and Raef LaFrentz get a lot of looks. Blount is never going to be a big rebounder. The one year he did rebound, there was no LaFrentz, and Walter McCarty was a power forward. Someone had to get the rebounds.
Maybe, just maybe, Blount sees where this is all going. You can love and embrace the kids and drink all the Tommy Juice you want, but at the end of the day, the Celtics are what they are. Right now, they are not a very good team, and if you're waiting for everything to click and jell, well, remember: patience is indeed a virtue.
