The Monthly Check In: Easy it wasn't
The easiest month of the Celtics schedule is over and done and the C's find themselves tied for last place. Thankfully, the upcoming month has us facing three Atlantic division foes and the Bobcats again so it isn't as if the schedule is impossible. Still, this is a team going nowhere fast.
Doc Rivers has arguably the worst job in the NBA. Is he trying to win or help cultivate young talent? Rajon Rondo is the fan favorite but Delonte West might actually be the better suited PG for the offense we have. Brian Scalabrine is one of the headier players on an absent-minded team but do you play him or go with young guys like Leon Powe? While Doc's job is tough, let's not act like he's a victim here. He abandoned the running game after a few games, inexplicably thought small ball would work, and has taken a month to come to a makeshift rotation. And then there's the whole issue of our offense not matching our talent. Clearly Doc is a problem.
But he isn't the only problem. While our offense doesn't fit our roster, it's hard to really come up with one. Telfair and Rondo are best creating with the ball. Paul Pierce is better with the ball in his hands. All three of them should be attacking the hoop but our big men are mostly low post guys who can't hit the mid-range jumper. People like to sing praises of Don Nelson and Jerry Sloan but the fact is that their rosters actually make some sense. The players in Boston, quite simply, aren't a team.
But none of this is news. The Celtics were an assortment of mismatched talent to start the season and they are playing like a bad team a month in. More problematic is the fact that Ainge might think we're still that One Trade Away and make a move soon. The thing is, we're three moves away from really being any good. While dealing for a more proven veteran might give us a chance to compete in the pathetic Eastern Conference, we won't be a serious title contender and, in the end, all we'll accomplish is getting ourselves a worse draft pick.
A month in and nothing has changed for me. I still believe we should blow this team up; we'll never win a title with Paul Pierce bringing in close to 20 million dollars a year.
