Can Danny?

The Celtics never won three games in a row last season and one of the reasons is that the Celtics rotation was always changing. This season, Doc Rivers needs to realize that the only person that will set the Celtics rotation is Doc Rivers. While it might seem like a given that the coach sets the rotations, Doc is once again dreaming of a world in which the players sort themselves out by their play on the court.

"I don't think we ever had one and I don't think we were a team that should have had one. No one separated themselves enough to have one," Rivers said. "I do think there will be separation this year where last year I don't think I ever made that statement."

Huh? While Big Al might be skinnier now, I'm not so sure he's going to outperform Gomes night in and night out. Perkins is the likely starter but, like last year, his health and foul trouble will be the key to him staying on the court. The backcourt situation is actually worse (in terms of rotation) than last year because it got so much better. The PG spot is completely up for grabs while Gomes, Allen and Green will still battle for Wally's minutes (Not to mention that West will likely also be in the mix for some 2-guard run and Allan Ray could fight for some time).

At least Danny understands the issue, "Doc has some work cut out for him. There's going to be some worthy players of playing time that aren't going to get playing time this year. ... I'm excited that we have those choices." Doc needs to take the reigns of this team and stop with the laissez-faire attitude. The Celtics rotation is not going to work itself out. Well, besides Veal playing himself to the end of the bench. While talent might ride the pine, it's Doc's job to create the "separation" and stick with one rotation. If he hedges his bets like he did last season, the C's will struggle once again to put together a string of wins.

Posted by SoulHonky at 06:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm glad we stick with the basics and don't have to go through ridiculous changes like this time and again.

Posted by SoulHonky at 06:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've always been hoping that Dajuan Wagner could make a comeback to the NBA and it looks like the Warriors are going to give him a shot. While I'm happy for Dajuan, I don't really get why the Warriors would be the ones to sign him. With Baron Davis and Monta Ellis already on the roster, they seem like they need a third PG who is more of a pure point as opposed to another scoring lead guard. I'm not sure how much run Wagner's going to get but it's good to see him back in the league.

Sitting on the pine wasn't an option for another can't-miss prospect. The former internet draft site phenom Maciej Lampe has signed to play in Russia, citing a desire to play and get better as opposed to rotting away as a 12th man. The Bulls apparently were interested but Lampe was smart enough to realize that he was not going to crack their rotation in the coming future. Lampe had one huge game but didn't really show anything in his time in the NBA. Maybe a little P.T. is all he needs but I think odds are that we won't be hearing from him again... unless the U.S. runs into Poland in an international game in which case he'll probably lead the Polacks to an upset.

Posted by SoulHonky at 03:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If there's one issue that the Celtics needs to figure out before the season starts, it is who is there starting point guard. Right now, we have Delonte West, Rajon Rondo, and Sebastian Telfair each vying for the reins of the team. This can not be allowed to become a full-fledged PG controversy or else the C's will suffer. In particular, I think Telfair needs to know his role from the beginning. He can't be left out of the loop as he seemed to be in Portland. If the Celtics truly want to be a running team, they need to solidify their point guard rotation or else they'll be headed nowhere fast.

Right now, I think Telfair almost has to start, not only because we traded a lotto pick for him but because his confidence needs it. While he might come off as self-assured, I think another situation like the one in Portland will kill his on-court psyche. He doesn't need to finish the games but starting seems like a no-brainer right now. I've always liked West as a combo guard off the pine and think he'll deliver in that role better than at the point. The wild card is Rondo. He struggles shooting and is a rookie, but his defense could make him a closer. Also, I think Rondo is a perfect mix and match player to help give the Celtics different looks. He and Tony Allen are a very strong defensive team while I'd love to watch him and Gerald Green running the fast break. Then there's the short yet smart backcourt of Rondo and West.

Doc is going to have his work cut out for him when it comes to the rotation but I think he has to lock down his point guard situation before the first tip-off or else the rest of the position battles will be moot.

Posted by SoulHonky at 04:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The belief that salary cap is overrated is being floated again, this time by Ira Winderman. Winderman recently wrote an article calling salary cap room the NBA's opiate. The article was published in The Sporting News, however, the way that it glosses over counter-arguments and overlooks facts, you'd think it was a piece for Fox News.

Winderman starts off explaining that cap space doesn't help many teams and pointed to the woefully run Atlanta Hawks as his example. While he does acknowledge that others teams helped themselves through free agency this off-season (Chicago, New Orleans), the fact that he uses Atlanta as his example is priceless. You could pretty much argue anything using them. Lottery picks are overrated. Drafting big over small is not the way to go. Trading for former All-Stars is a bad idea. Not only that but the Hawks are exhibit A as to why salary cap room is better than having to make a sign-and-trade. The Suns bluffed that they would resign Joe Johnson and the Hawks fell for it so instead of merely overpaying for Joe, they dealt two picks (including their 2007 pick only top three protected) and Boris Diaw. The Hawks were the ones holding all the cards but, unfortunately for the one remaining Hawks fan, Billy Knight is clueless and made a horrific decision.

Winderman then shifts gears and states that trade exceptions are overrated. While I somewhat agree with this, his defense is fallacious. He points out that the Suns and Sixers not using their exceptions as examples of why they are overrated. The problem is that the reason that those teams didn't use their exceptions was because they didn't want to add payroll. The Sixers didn't use their MLE or LLE either. Should we assume that those are useless as well?

The bottom line is that salary cap space is important because it gives a team flexibility in trades and will allow them to add some very useful pieces to their roster. The only problem is that many fans (and writers)hear the term "cap space" and have delusions of grandeur. They envision a superstar arriving to don the hometown jersey and save the day. In reality, there are very few top players who will make it to free agency. And there are even fewer destinations where the free agent stars will consider going. Boston has never signed a top-of-the-line free agent. Not since Xavier McDaniel and Dominique Wilkins have we ever even signed someone who casual fans might know. Many teams are in this predicament; stars prefer warm climates and contenders, many times in that order. Still, cap space can allow teams to add young role players. While Winderman might call this "illusory", it's actually just intelligence. Knowledgeable fans understand the importance of cap space while only the most blind loyalists hang their hat on cap space being the be all, end all.

Finally, Winderman himself makes the most common mistake regarding cap space: space today means players today. The Hawks actually were smart not to throw all of their cap space at the below-average free agent class of '06. They only came away with Speedy Claxton and Lo Wright (which isn't that bad an offseason) but they will have space next year which should have not only a better crop of free agents, but could have a star or two on the trading block. And those guys could be had for, of all things, cap space.

Posted by SoulHonky at 02:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Raptors have announced that they will be changing up their uniforms and that purple will no longer be one of their team colors. Now if they'll just change their name from the Raptors they might come off like a real NBA team. This really isn't news but any mention of the Raptors means an opportunity to watch Gerald Green again.

Posted by SoulHonky at 03:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)