SB Nation User Blog: BillfromBoston

Offseason Plans

BillfromBoston — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 15:20:13 -0000

Celtics Offseason Plans Will Play a Part Going Forward

Enough has been made of the teamâ€™s current state of development, roster make up, and the decisions that have been made in the past. None of that is relevant to this article. The purpose of this piece is to talk about the actions the current Celtics need to execute in order to take their own games up another level and solidify themselves as a unit going forward.

Most of the projected rotation players have been covered exhaustively as well. The impending draft throws these discussions into fits of combinations that are theoretically based at best at this point. Leaving Wally, Pierce, and Jefferson out of these discussions as well as talks of potential draft picks, letâ€™s change gears a bit.

Focusing on the players that are truly locked into Personal improvement battles seems to be the one sure way to understand what this team can accomplish internally going forward. Note that Ryan Gomes isnâ€™t amongst the players being analyzed below, but not because he isnâ€™t a developing player coming into a pivotal offseason. Gomes is in this group of players, but was accosted by the media after the season finale and couldnâ€™t speak to the specific points brought up in this piece.

{tab=Doc Rivers}

Listen to the interview with Doc Rivers

{mp3remote}http://celticsstufflive.com/PrePostGame/DocRiversInterview4.18.07.mp3{/mp3remote}

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Training Grounds:

Gomes did however take the time to chat during the Sixerâ€™s game and explained heâ€™ll be spear-heading a team movement out to Vegas in order to workout at Impactbball with noted trainer Joe Abunassar, the former IMG Academy basketball guru who helped Gomes and many other prospects round into championship form. Tony Allen and Rajon Rondo are coming along to work on some things and Allan Ray may join them. Other Celtics, such as team captain Paul Pierce and rookie Leon Powe might find their way out there as both spend the offseason in relative proximity to the facilities.

Abunassarâ€™s programs are very progressive, heavily leveraging the expertise of Athletes Performance, an Arizona based firm that has won renown for its performance training work with NFL athletes. The program focuses on different areas, such as carefully constructed diet plans, muscle strength and coordination measurement, flexibility, and strength and conditioning. All of this is of course centered around the skills training work that Abunassar does himself. All the facilities and team members work together to implement the most effective strategy for accomplishing player and team goals with precise, measurable outcomes.

The quality of the daily scrimmage at this facility is top-notch, as many players come in and out of the city all summer to get some high level games and tweak their workout regiments. Top prospects will also be out there including Yi Jianlian and Rudy Fernandez. So, the level of competition and degree of preparation each of the attending Celtics will get should help them improve leaps and bounds over where they left off this season.

{tab=Allan Ray}

Listen To The Interview With Allan Ray

{mp3remote}http://celticsstufflive.com/PrePostGame/AllanRayInterview4.18.07.mp3{/mp3remote}

{tab=Leon Powe}

Listen To The Interview With Leon Powe

{mp3remote}http://celticsstufflive.com/PrePostGame/LeonPoweInterview4.18.07.mp3{/mp3remote}

{tab=Rajon Rondo}

Listen To The Interview With Rajon Rondo

{mp3remote}http://celticsstufflive.com/PrePostGame/RajonRondoInterview4.18.07.mp3{/mp3remote}

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Deep in the Heart of Texas:

Though Gerald Green may be the most tradable commodity on the Celtics squad, heâ€™s been vastly over-criticized for the season he just put in. Green was a 3-5 year project when he was drafted, which is one of the principle reasons he slipped as far as he did. Injuries forced Green into a role he was never intended to play this season, yet he responded with a 10 point scoring average and a number of big time games that speak strongly to his potential.

The fluctuations in performance were to be expected from a player that had absolutely no idea how to play organized ball coming into the league. Reading the game and applying his skill set to it is going to take much longer at the wing than it did for Jefferson in the post. Those expecting big things from Green in year two were warned of the odds against during Greenâ€™s inaugural Summer League campaign. Despite the overwhelming statistics against 2nd year players becoming competent starters, (less than 25%) too much put on his shoulders this season-one would think astute Celtics fans would know.

But Green made substantial progress between year one and year two. Much of this, if not all, was due to the boot-camp style training that Green received in Houston working with John Lucas. The raspy voice of Lucas and the will of Green to succeed proved to be an excellent pairing as both Green and Lucas have decided to renew their relationship this offseason. While last offseason was solely focused on skill development, strength, and conditioning; a good portion of this offseason should be dedicated to film study.

{tab=Gerald Green}

Listen To The Interview With Gerald Green:

{mp3remote}http://celticsstufflive.com/PrePostGame/GeraldGreenInterview4.18.07.mp3{/mp3remote}

{/tabs}

Meanwhile at the Bat Cave:

While the other young Celtics are off doing their work abroad, the close-knit crew of Al Jefferson, Delonte West, and Kendrick Perkins are planning on putting their work in at Healthpoint. Most of the rest of their teammates are expected to head back to the bay state by mid-August to join the trio. It has been a Celtic team custom for most everyone on the roster to be together for a good month or more before training camp, a huge advantage in terms of team chemistry.

Jefferson and Perkins will be focusing on further skill development with coach Clifford Ray, and Perk has stated his goal of losing 30 pounds in order to increase his versatility and alleviate the burden on his sore foot. Perk missed out on a larger portion of last offseason in terms of skill development as his injured shoulder prevented him from participating in true basketball activity until late August. Expect Perk to fight tooth and nail for his starting spot if/when either Oden or Durant come walking into the practice facility. Those expecting either one of the teenagers to take the starting gig may be surprised with what they see from Perkins next season.

West has just begun to recognize how his offensive explosiveness mixes with his multi-positional responsibility. West will continue to work on the areas he is weakest at while harnessing his skill with a constant review of his own performance with a mind toward improvement. Look for West to be the big breakout performer next season with a consistent role for the first time in his career.

{tab=Delonte West}

Listen To The Interview With Delonte West

{mp3remote}http://celticsstufflive.com/PrePostGame/DelonteWestInterview4.18.07.mp3{/mp3remote}

{tab=Kendrick Perkins}

Listen To The Interview With Kendrick Perkins

{mp3remote}http://celticsstufflive.com/PrePostGame/KendrickPerkinsInterview4.18.07.mp3{/mp3remote}

{/tabs}

Celtic Suicide Hotline: (Possible) Life After Oden and Durant

BillfromBoston — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 20:30:37 -0000

As the NBA season comes to a close, there has been a disturbing tenor running rampant on the message boards concerning the teamâ€™s â€œneedâ€* for one of the top 2 picks. While the prospect of adding Greg Oden or Kevin Durant is truly ideal, there is life after those selections.

Iâ€™ve posted two articles attempting to explain the potential buyers market this NBA offseason is going to be, especially for a team holding a high pick in this lucrative draft. Not getting one of the first two picks certainly will cost the Celtics more of their existent talent, but a quality return can be had without liquidating its primary youthful asset, Al Jefferson.

A complementary frontcourt All Star for Jefferson to play with and develop alongside of is an obvious boon, as teams with two frontcourt studs are rare and always successful. {styleboxjp width=300px,float=right,color=black,textcolor=white,echo=yes}But the premise that this team cannot acquire a high-level frontcourt talent without relinquishing Jefferson is false. If may be difficult or improbable, but not impossible.{/styleboxjp}

The Hickman and Gilroy show this evening lambasted all Celtics fans that believe in a positive alternative to the Oden/Durant sweepstakes. They stated in particular that there was zero possibility of acquiring Paul Gasol without trading Jefferson, sighting that Memphis would â€œdemand it.â€* The logic is that the Celtics actually donâ€™t have any valuable trade commodities beyond Jefferson, Rondo, and the pick.

MY contention is that the pick in and of itself is a substantial chip in this offseason market, and that trades depend much more on the circumstances surrounding the teams looking to consummate a major deal. There are innumerable permutations and out-of-site issues that prevent many deals from coming down, but a laymenâ€™s starting point for understanding what may happen this offseason begins and ends with knowing the basic principles surrounding the NBA trade market.

The following is just a simple breakdown of the potential contenders for Pau Gasol based on nothing more than the assets and team scenarios that would be necessary to satisfy all parties involved: Memphis, Gasol, and Gasolâ€™s prospective teamâ€¦

1. What teams have the mix of expiring money and prospects to consummate a deal with the Grizz. (Its known league-wide that the Grizz will look to move money and build through cheap, exciting talent.)

2. Out of those teams, which are franchises that currently have another superstar or a legit chance of becoming better to the point of satisfying Gasol's desires? (Like it or not, superstar players do have an influence in the trade process because the receiving team needs assurances they're not getting a malcontent.)

3. Additionally, which teams are in a position to acquire a Gasol-level player as the logical move for team building going forward? (IE, teams aren't going to trade Gasol for Pierce, KG for Jason Kidd, etc...its going to be prospects and expiring deals for rebuilding in exchange for big time vet helping new team take next step.)

If you factor in these 3 points, the market for these players shrinks from 30 teams to about 6 to 8. I wonâ€™t count Toronto in this equation because of the infeasibility of trading Bargnani a year after obtaining him and the lack of high-end youth on their roster. Out of the â€œcontendingâ€* teams:

The Bulls, Hawks, and Bobcats don't have the contracts to match in order to acquire, and only the Bulls would be an attractive landing place from Pau's perspective.

Portland has the contracts and the young talent, but would be a hard-sell for Pau, could be a contender though.

The Lakers have Andrew Bynum, which is their biggest chip, and they've got expiring deals, so they could certainly be in play.

Seattle has some interesting talent, a pick, and some contracts, but is in utter disarray. They're not attractive to Pau, have ownership issues, and are searching for a new stadium.

Phoenix could be a dark horse if they are hell-bent on switching it up and having more of a traditional center who can run. They've got three draft picks and could trade one of their core guys. Phoenix has sworn they're not taking on more money and wouldn't with a Marion/Pau swap for example, but there have been rumblings from Suns ownership about cutting cost via leveraging their picks to justify a glorified dump of Marion-hence the Noah and Durant rumors...

Boston has Pierce as a lure for Gasol. Keeping Jefferson out of the equation the team has a 3-5 pick as an asset, Gerald Green, Rajon Rondo, Delonte West. Plus the team's own pick in â€˜09 and/or Minny's future pick. Not the top possible offer, but certainly in contention with the other two most viable options.

People may not want to hear names like Rondo or Green in that equation, but itâ€™s the reality of making a play for a major player of Gasolâ€™s stature. Its not a LIKELY scenario, but its feasible from a talent perspective.

One has to remember that Memphis has its own pick, top 4 and is looking to rebuild via cheap talent that will draw fan interest. The Celtics pick would give the Memphis team two picks in the top 5 of possibly the deepest draft in NBA history-this has value for a franchise that would be looking at 4 cheap years out of two elite talents. Memphis has Gay/Warrick/M. Miller, so they're looking for a C/PF/PG with SG being a viable option as one of Miller/Gay/Warrick would come off the bench, none are ideal 2-guards.

A Boston deal can give Memphis 3 of those 4 needs while Memphis' own pick fills the 4th need. It covers the cost angle and the excitement angle as well. Phoenix deal is probably the best option for both Pau and Memphis, with the Suns having 3 first round picks to play with as well. But, Phoenix is perhaps the least likely to make this type of move, so they are predicated on participation.

The Lakers are looking for another big time piece, and have the Bynum chip. I'd think they're the market leader for any big based off of the parameters stipulated above.

The good news is, these parameters apply to the market for KG and JO as much as they do for Gasol. Additionally, Chauncey Billups, Jason Kidd, Mike Bibby, Gerald Wallace, Vince Carter, Ray Allen, and Rashard Lewis are lurking in the weeds. There are only so many teams that have the assets to acquire these players...with that being considered, the probability of the Celtics landing a player of some stature is very high.

It should be noted that the team could ultimately decide that retaining the player available with the draft pick IS the best alternative to trading away any of the teamâ€™s most valuable core youth. Ainge has enjoyed a sport rarity in having the support of ownership in regards to long-term thinking. The Celtics as currently constructed are not a common occurrence, more so because of the market thatâ€™s allowed this process to transpire. Ainge gets knocked around a lot for trying to rebuild while remaining competitive, but that very well may have been the only way to get an impatient fan base to buy into the â€œyouth movementâ€* long enough to actually pull it off.

The purpose of this piece is another attempt to mitigate the â€œsuicide factorâ€* I can just see brewing with the possibility of May 22nd not working out as well as weâ€™d all like. There is life after Oden and Durant, though they are the ideal. The team is going to play the market and make the move that fits their interests best. What those interests are is beyond our knowledge and must account for the less glamorous details of the industry.

Ragin' Rondo's Hit-or-Miss Parade

BillfromBoston — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:03:21 -0000

I really liked the illustrations in RedsArmy's attempt to rectify Rondo's shooting woes, it was a novel concept for an article to be sure. There are a couple of things wrong with the analysis that I thought the readers may want to know about (maybe not, who knows)...

First, pronating your wrist is not a bad thing for a shooter. The more you can flatten your wrist the more arc you will get on your shot. Dirk Nowitski is the primary example of this as his wrist is almost completely flat when he shoots. This isn't Rondo's problem as is should really help him to elevate the ball.

Rondo certainly leaves it in his palm too much, but even this doesn't have to be a big concern as long as he funnels the ball up onto his fingertips during the follow-through. Many good shooters don't get the palm separation until they are into the shooting motion with their hand.

The areas where Rondo does do things that are particularly destructive to his shot consistency are:

Body position (shoulders and hips)
Arm position
Release angle
Shooting motion

The first major flaw is with his body. Rondo turns away from the basket at a funny angle. Some good shooters do this, but it's best to have shoulders square to the basket and hips in alignment. This ensures consistently jumping straight up and down and not drifting on the shot. Turning your body away from the shot also promotes many of the release angle problems that Rondo has with his shot.

In terms of arm position, Rondo shoots away from his body with his elbow flailing out on almost every one of his shots. This causes huge fluctuations in left/right action on the ball. Again, there are good shooters who do this, but it is much more conducive to success to have the elbow tucked and square with shoulders and hips.

Rondo's release angle is his most egregious problem. Rondo shoots from the side of his head with his arm cocked like a catapult against his right ear. This creates a motion of "throwing' the ball instead of shooting it with a predominantly wrist-driven motion.

The way Rondo holds his release causes a ton of forward/backward inconsistency with his shot trajectory. There have been many players who have been good shooters without having Larry Bird's "arm fully extended" motion, but the key is limiting the extra motion and isolating the wrist as the principle generator of the release.

This brings us to the final element inherently flawed with Rondo's release. Rondo fully extends his entire arm from the shoulder all the way up through his release and follow-through on most of his shots. When you combine that with all the rest of the shooting flaws he has, you're talking about a shot that's drifting left/right, forward/back and getting sides spin on a good many of the attempts. This is why he has what has to be considered one of the most fundamentally poor shots from a point guard that I've ever seen. He's closer to Olden Polynice or Bo Outlaw than anyone should be comfortable with.

{styleboxjp width=200px,float=right,color=black,textcolor=white,echo=yes}To his credit, Rondo does work on his shot before every game{/styleboxjp} and the coaches have him eliminating much of the wasted arm motion, so though he still shoots next to his head, he is flicking the ball exclusively with his wrist in these sessions. Think about Shawn Marion, who shoots at chin level but still uses mostly wrist to release the ball. The less the entire arm moves the more consistent the shot will become.

{styleboxjp width=150px,float=left,color=grey,textcolor=black,echo=yes}It is typically best for a shooter to maintain as much of his natural motion as possible in order to keep the shot comfortable and familiar{/styleboxjp}. Based off of the fundamental errors in Rondo's delivery, I'd say it would be best to work on isolating the arm extension problems and continue to have Rondo work on using his excellent wrist pronation to get the arc on his shot. Eliminating that "catapult" motion would do more for his shot consistency than anything else while allowing him to continue to shoot from the position he feels most comfortable with, that being releasing from the side of his head with his arm cocked severely.

The process of ironing out Rondo's jump shot is not a simple matter though, as the above illustrates. All Celtics fans would love for Rondo to be the complete package and establish himself as the point guard of the future, but there is a reason that a player with his tremendous skill set fell so far in many scouts eyes.

Rondo has every other tangible and intangible facet to his game that one could ask for from the point guard position, but this element of his game sticks out like a sore thumb and is a principle part of a point guard's responsibility. 29 percent on jumpers isn't "poor" it's a major problem. This isn't easily rectified, but it's on Rondo's radar and he's got the work ethic to get through this problem and become the player everyone would like him to become. But this will be a process, not something that that Celtics fans should consider a matter of due course.

Point, Counter Point

BillfromBoston — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 13:52:46 -0000

The Merits and detractions of Rajon Rondo's game going forward

{styleboxjp width=200px,float=right,color=black,textcolor=white,echo=yes} Rajon Rondo has been such a revelation for this franchise during an otherwise painful season{/styleboxjp}. His ability to consistently produce the spectacular has made him a fan favorite of many and given Celtics fans hope for the future. Anyone that's listened to Celticsstufflive or read the Celticsblog message board for fifteen minutes is aware of "MikeDfromNP" and his bandwagon leading charge in Rondo's behalfâ€¦not a bad seat to be in most would agree.

In the interest and quality of Mike's recent post, I thought it would serve as an excellent staging ground for a true analysis of where Rajon is as a player and where he needs to get to in order to truly be what we want to see him become.

Mike's post in italics:

The offensive and defensive rating stats are considered by many to be a "gold standard" in rating a team's performance. They are quite simple to calculate:

Total number of points scored (or surrendered) / Total possessions X 100 = The rating.

These are also able to be tracked for the team according to when a certain player is on the court. If you go onto Basketballreference.com , you will see, in the advanced stats, the offensive and defensive ratings for players since the late 70's. 82games.com also tracks them throughout the season. They are another tool that can be used to evaluate a players impact upon a team, and be able to tell the ineffective stat stuffers like Marbury apart from guys like Kidd, whose numbers are similar, but whose real impact is far more beneficial.

Since 82games.com tracks the ratings for players when they are on the court, they are also able to track team performance when they are off of the court. By doing so, they are able to generate net "swing" numbers regarding a player's oncourt/off court effect. These are influenced, of course, by the makeup of that players team. A player who plays on a squad with a strong bench will have less of a positive impact than one who plays on a squad with weak bench, but it is still easy to see that the elite players have more of an impact than the very good, the very good more than they good, and so on.

Most of the league's very good players have an on court/ off court net between +6 and +8. Some are a little higher, and some a little lower, but it is a fairly consistent measurement. Paul Pierce, with a + 7.5 falls into this range, as do LeBron James +7.5, Kobe Bryant +8.0, Dwayne Wade +8.3, Baron Davis +8.2, Jermaine O'Neal +8.2, Chauncey Billups +9.2, Rashard Lewis +6.6, McGrady +6.5, Yao +5.8, Jason Kidd +6.3, Chris Bosh +7.3, Ron Artest +5.2, etc. There are more, but I think you can see that these are are widely respected players, at least ability wise, in the league, and are All-Star caliber players.

Then there is the next level of player, the guys who are on the short list for the MVP, by right, even though a good case could be made for James and Bryant. This is where you find guys who have already won MVP awards, and one who should win this season: Nowitzki +15.3, Nash +14.5, Garnett +14.4, and Duncan +11.4 (remember that number). So, not so coincidentally, the 2 - 5 players in this stat are the three most recent MVP winners, and the guy who should win it this year. Who leads this stat? Gilbert Arenas with a ridiculous +17.4. So just in case you thought that Gilbert wasn't worthy of mention, think again. If it wasn't for him the Wizards would be hot on our heels.

I think I made a good case that this is a very revealing statistical indicator. There are some guys who you were probably expecting who aren't there, like Boozer, but remember that the Jazz bench is the best in the league, so all of the Jazz starters have their numbers depressed by that being the case. He is still safely in the positive category, though. Both Melo and A.I. rated poorly, and they don't have a great bench to use as an excuse. CP3 didn't fare well either, which really surprised me, but I think he is getting caught in the bench hole too, though the Hornets don't have a bench like Utah's. The Jazz bench has won a lot of games for them this season, but the Hornets did pretty well without Paul, so who knows?

--Great start to the article, but its important to remember that variance within these groups is likely high because the numbers aren't controlled for the other 4 player's on the court with them. {styleboxjp width=150px,float=left,color=grey,textcolor=black,echo=yes}Players will always sort by rank in any statistical measure of production, but limiting the variance in these numbers is really the only way to know what order everyone falls in....{/styleboxjp}just something to think about...

There are some interesting things that become clear when doing such an analysis. Case in point: many of us have long claimed that Pierce is an equivalent player to Wade, Kobe and James. Well, according to these stats, he is. He represents the same impact upon his team's effectiveness. Guys who many people feel to be ineffective stat stuffers, like Melo and A.I., come across poorly with their low ratings (+0.2 and -1.6 respectively).

--Same as above: Melo and AI are underperforming relative to their supposed peers, but there are mitigating factors all around this. Chemistry, experience, and continuity are all major variables at play in the roster makeup of all these teams. Both of these players are CENTRAL elements to their team's offensive sets. Building the continuity necessary to incorporate them into one functional unit is a process that takes far longer than one season.

You all should know what is coming now, as I'm not going through this for nothing. Pierce does not lead his team in this stat. Rajon Rondo leads the Celtics. He represents a ratings swing of +11.6, 0.2 more than Duncan...I told you to remember that number. Does that mean that Rajon Rondo is as good, or even in the same neighborhood, as Tim Duncan? No way. What it does mean is that what the Celtics look like without Rondo out there is pretty much what the difference is between what the Spurs are with Duncan in and out of the lineup. Anyone familiar with that team knows that the Spurs are a vastly different, and inferior, squad when Timmy isn't out there. The same is true of the Boston Celtics and Rondo.

Enough of the "garbage time" stuff. Rondo has been playing the serious minutes for a while now, and he has improved this rating in that time. A lot of it has to do with the inferiority of the other two point guards on this team. Delonte is effective at the two, and Bassy is decent, but no great shakes as the backup.

Personally, I think he is more of a catalyst than anything else. Varejao actually has a 0.5 lead on Lebron for the same reason. The Cavs are a much better team when he is out there. He plays tough D, grabs a lot of rebounds, and basically helps to raise the level of his team's play. David Lee has an even bigger swing than Rondo for the Knicks, for very much the same reason, though he is the only player whom I didn't already list who does.

So you all who think that Rajon is kicking butt and taking names, as I do, you are correct. To those of you who think that he is substandard, then I advise that you to start to rethink how you evaluate a player. Numbers like that do not happen by accident. They are the direct result of a player's positive impact upon his team's performance.

--All this is very compelling evidence to support your point, but one must recognize that situational impact players are only used in the situations that play to their strengths. There are at least 12 to 20 minutes in any given game where players like Lee and Verejao are taken out of the game for matchup or rotational purposes. The same applies to them as it does to Rajon at this time.

There's no denying they all can play, but they're losing about 25 to 35 percent of their maximum rotational time because of the distinct limitations of each...and for each one it's offensive production.

A majority of possessions are played in the half court and all three of these teams play in a lot of isolation sets- Celtics with Jefferson and Pierce, Cavs with Lebron and Hughes, and NY with Curry and Marbury. This is what accounts for that 25-35 percent. Transition players are overly reliant on their help skills in half-court sets and it puts a heavier burden on the other 4 players to produce offense.

When defensive intensity increases and offensive movement suffers, {styleboxjp width=250px,float=right,color=maroon,textcolor=white,echo=yes}situational players like Lee, Varejao, and Rondo often have to come out because they can't function effectively in a positional, static game{/styleboxjp}.

Who, by the way, are the next guy's on the list for this on the Celtics? Allan Ray +2.9 (he's been solid in his time out there), Tony Allen +2.7, Jefferson -0.1, Telfair -0.1, Szczerbiak -0.3, and Perkins -0.8. Sound about right? Yeah, I thought so. Delonte's is -5.0, but that is overwhelmingly due to his time at the point. He has been quite effective at the two.

--Anyone that argues that Rondo hasn't had an extremely successful season is a fool. He's been one of the best rookies in this draft class, only getting the benefit of half a season's worth of real playing time.

But that's not the argument we have not seen eye to eye on. There is NO DOUBT Rondo has the ability inside him to be a great point guard in the NBA, that was reported on by DraftExpress day one in Summer League this year.

The question was what Rondo could do in the half-court sets this team runs. To Rondo's immense credit, he gets the team to RUN more often than any other PG on this team bar none-part of the reason he's got such a great player rating for sure...

The Celtics haven't committed to running though, and until that jump shot is rectified, he's not going to be able to run the half-court sets consistently and stick on the court. Against some teams, he absolutely can be effective. But playoff basketball is about half court execution and Rondo isn't a consistently effective half court point guard.

EVERY point guard with this problem has run into the same difficulties historically aside from Jason Kidd and Gary Payton, both of whom could post to compensate...and are HoFers...Avery Johnson, Brevin Knight, and Eric Snow have all overcome this, as has TJ Ford who is hopefully the curve that Rondo is working off of.

Taking this argument a step further, Jason Kidd has never played with an effective interior big man. If Kidd is truly the gold standard for weak-shooting point guards who have success than it must be recognized that Kidd has always been the best player on his team and has been responsible for creating on virtually every play, a responsibility that Rondo is unlikely to have. When Kidd was at his worst shooting-wise his team was also a lottery level team. When Kidd reached Phoenix and New Jersey he played in up-tempo systems that were devoid of dominant interior offense. Rondo plays with Al Jefferson and that dramatically effects how the team will run its offensive sets. This will require Rondo to his kick-out shots with the clock running down, something he's been unable to do thus far.

It IS a legit problem to be concerned about though, because {styleboxjp width=175px,float=right,color=skyblue,textcolor=black,echo=yes}Rondo has some of the worst mechanics I've ever seen. To his credit he's had moments in shoot-a-rounds where he's looked like he was starting to isolate his motion a bit and eliminate the numerous things he does that cause shot variance{/styleboxjp}.

Overall his fundamental mechanics are all over the map most of the time and it is going to take a tremendous amount of self-awareness and hard work to improve those issues. Rondo does work hard, so we can expect him to improve as a player. But certain players can't or won't admit to their own flaws, (Celtics fans should be able to relate to that) while still working hard.

If Rajon can commit to that type of improvement he truly could be special. All I have ever asked in his evaluation is to recognize how special that type of commitment is. This level of improvement isn't something to be taken as a given.

I asked Rajon early this year if he had thought about personal trainers and workout routines and at that time he told me he was going to do what he usually did to prepare. To me this showed his youth. While there's no doubt that Rajon knows how to work hard on his own, but working hard is different than working smart. Powe is in this boat too.

You've got to get with a professional workout regimen before you're really going to make strides. Being in shape is different than doing the best drill work to improve the biggest fundamental problems. {styleboxjp width=125px,float=left,color=black,textcolor=white,echo=yes}If the organization or the individual players are on top of their games, Rajon will have a great offseason program mapped out for him{/styleboxjp}. Perk and the summer crew may recruit him; it'd certainly help Delonte to work on his lateral quickness and his right hand. What he does between May and September is going to be what makes him a true starter in the league next year and not 2 years from now.

Perhaps the most important element in this equation is what the Celtics add to their team this offseason. If the Celtics are fortunate enough to add Greg Oden to the frontcourt the team will become extremely half court oriented with an emphasis on inside/outside play. At Rondo's current shooting level, he'll be a substantial detriment to these offensive sets. Rondo is currently 11 for 46 on the season shooting jumpers outside the paint, that's 29 percent. That's not going to cut on a playoff team looking to compete with other half court oriented teams when hitting perimeter shots to open up the inside for Jefferson and Oden will be essential.

If the team adds Kevin Durant, or another floor spacing big man, Rondo will still need to improve his shooting to take advantage of the looks created from the defensive attention those players receive, but he should have some more wiggle room to grow. At the end of the day however, Rondo's overall game isn't going to win out over a dominant frontcourt-centric offense and that's going to require major personal growth on his behalf.

Jefferson and Pierce are going to be the focal points of this offense for the foreseeable future and the team is certain to add another big time front court player to that tandem. Rondo won't be afforded the time and opportunity that Kidd, Payton, Johnson, Miller, Knight, and Ford were given.

It's not a question of his ability, but a matter of the team that surrounds him and the demands that will be placed on him given the nature of the offense. This team is fixing to build a competitive playoff team which will be build around frontcourt dominance and stellar perimeter scoring. Without a reliable jumper, Rondo is most likely to be the change of pace back up, which should still give him 20 to 30 minutes a game with plenty of big time performances.

The ball is in his court, but he's got to lock down that missing piece before he'll start on a Celtics team that's being constructed to rely on reliable outside shooting from its backcourt. We won't know how Rajon has come in this regard until next November, but it's unquestionable that he must if he wishes to be the lead guard on a team with championship aspirations.

Long-Term/Short Term

BillfromBoston — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 12:10:00 -0000

Things to think on entering this offseason

Long-Term thinking for this Celtics team while maintaining a short-term dividend has been the gist of every message board poster for this team. The draft has been the major focus, direction has come into question, and the draft has been debated and will continue to grow in fervor. Some People are still debating whether or not trading Paul Pierce is the smart long-term decision, incidentally coinciding with Pierces return, which has sprung everyone else game even while his is rusty.

It seems that the argument for all Celtics fans is about time lines. Itâ€™s clear that the team has some talent, but its not clear how great that talent may be. There are the factors of Pierceâ€™s age to weigh against the youthâ€™s potential for certain, but heâ€™s proven to be such a difference maker for ALL the player on the team. Even though Pierce may be turning 30, his contract value shouldnâ€™t exceed his production value for quite some time, and that has to factor into peopleâ€™s thinking when assessing how the organization is going to analyze there own short â€"term/long-term projections.

Consider Pierce's playing value on his NEXT contract. Think about a 34 year old Pierce re-upping for about 7 million a year while sliding into the backseat of the Jefferson/Green run Celtics. He is still going to be a productive player, say 17 pts, 7brds 4asts...his passing and other secondary skills will be more valuable and he'll harness them as his scoring load is reduced and ability to play on-ball diminished. Pierce is capable of playing off of others for much longer than heâ€™s capable of being the focal point, and that should extend out his worth substantially as a team leader and contributor.

I'd say building with Pierce as the Celticsâ€™ 3rd best player is about 5 years and that doesn't count the draft pick of this year or its requisite trade value...Pierce as 4th best player? 6 or 7 years is not hard to imagine. Guys are playing longer and the best players who approach the game with equal aggression each and every year become the longest standing players. Pierce can play quality ball until he's 37-38 years old by posting, going to the line with up fakes, and simply crashing the glass and making plays OFF of others...

The only question in my mind is what does the team do if the pick is outside the top 2? Trading for one of KG, JO, and Pau is feasible with our loose contracts and the draft pick. But, does the team want to part with major prospects? Obviously Jefferson is not in play, but the pick, Gerald Green and Rajon Rondo probably look enticing to a few, as do Gomes and West. It could take 3 of those players to land KG or JO-Bird wont let Danny have him cheap-Pau is feasible with less, say West and Green plus the pick and I can't say that's worth it considering the pick plus Jefferson and Green is probably better than Jefferson plus Pau in the near future...

Any trade that happens is going to be dependant on the draft pick the team holds. A selection of Oden or Durant allows the team to make a lesser trade to acquire a quality vet. There are so many past All Stars on the market this year it'll be a buyers market for some of these guys, especially for the hold outs. Who think theyâ€™ll get a desperate offer for their player and end up taking less.

Pau could easily stay in Memphis, with Chaunceyâ€™s talk of joining up and the sure-fire prospect of adding a top 2 pick themselves could easily give Jerry West the ammo he needs to keep Pau content as well. But, his availability will stall negotiations with other teams around the league who will be burning up the wires from April onward trying to get a battle plan ready full of contingencies. With only 8-12 teams even having an arguable compensation package for the top vets available, the more surfing is done the more chance a team gets left short-selling.

Getting Oden/Durant gives the team options that don't include one of Rondo/Green which makes things much nicer from a fans perspective. Jason Kidd's as good as in LA, but Bibby should be at the bottom of the totem pole for trade acquisitions, amazing when you consider his past performance and the situations surrounding this season for the Kings. There are some outlying point guards who may be available, but donâ€™t expect Chauncey Billups name to come around Boston, so picking up an â€œimpactâ€* player here isnâ€™t tremendous. Teams will treat it like that, Billups will be courted heavily, but Kidd is a niche fit now, at 34 heâ€™s looking to go to a team thatâ€™s in a position to win now.

Having to trade for a vet without getting Oden/Durant makes the urgency to consider a mega-trade for KG/JO/Pau more probable. The team has been scouting bigs in this draft intently, as has every other team smart enough to know that a tandem front court of skill and size puts most any team above two-thirds of the rest. It can be an end-game move toward establishing cornerstones for the long-hall.

But, the vet bigs have the same type of thing going for them that Pierce does in terms of there ability to age gracefully and contribute deeper into there careers then just there prime. Pau is young at 26, so swan songs aren't in order there. But KG is 31 going into next season and I still expect him to be rebounding, defending, and passing the ball well past his 35th birthday.

JO will shotblock and hit jumpers for any team he plays for until he hangs 'em up. Less wear, less injuries when on a team with 2 other stars. This is what you get from potential HoF players. You see it all the time. The best find a way to contribute...and 20 million dollar salaries go away before the skills do. Re-signing players like this to 3 year extentions to enjoy those Shaq and Reggie days is always a good thing.

Keeping Pierce should be a clear no-brainer. But pleasing Pierce and settling on a decision will be the toughest task of this offseason.

I assure you that some decision will be made and all the options point to a brighter future going forward through this off season and into the next. Even if you don't understand the NBA Trade Market very well the shear number of quality vets available and the relative paucity of teams that have the available resources to trade for them should be enough to recognize the Celtics position.

Shedding Some Light on the Trade Rumor Game

BillfromBoston — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 12:18:09 -0000

With the recent report by David Aldridge coming out that Pierce may request a trade in the offseason, it may be relevant to review the facts available as we know them and provide some insight into how the process of NBA business works when it comes to utilizing the media to spread information.

Let me see if I can shed a bit more light onto this information flow...

Pierce had publically stated his desire for veteran help and his sense of his own NBA Mortality...
Management has stated its goal of building around Pierce by trading assets...
Ainge has recently re-iterated his statements about Pierce as well as his intentions and enthusiasm for going into this offseason under the same auspices as last year.
Pierce's agent has stipulated that the team has to do something substantial and that Pierce is actively looking to be a part of something greater going into this offseason and would essentially be open to moving if it wasn't in Boston.
Rumors have circulated about the team gauging Pierce's value on the market as well as this new rumor of Pierce possibly requesting a trade this offseason...
The market will be flooded with top talent this offseason making high-end talent availability great as well as depressing the market for acquisition due to volume of players available and teams that have the assets and environment to accommodate these trades.

Without something more substantial from Aldridge, I'm figuring this is a logical assumption by Aldridge supplemented possibly by some back channel info from Pierce's camp in order to stimulate some public buzz and effect some action from management's side.

Seeing how Pierce has gone through this for four season's now, and just last season re-signed for max money, my guess is that he'll give the club a full offseason to work the market and then will look to be moved before the trade deadline if he's not satisfied with the team's progress.

It's highly unlikely that Pierce is going to ask out a year after being convinced of Ainge's strategy. That understanding isn't open-ended, but Pierce is aware of the team's assets and also knows that this offseason will have plenty of activity.

Considering the volume of potentially available players that fit the criteria for the type of "star" player Ainge was looking to acquire last summer when Pierce agreed to stay on, it seems that Pierce would most likely understand that this is offseason there is a better opportunity for exactly what he wanted going into this year.

There has been some speculation into how the league values the Celtics current assets. Despite the poor record overall, most scouts recognize the personal growth of the individual talents on this team. They are paid to measure ability and execution, not judge based off of Win/Loss records. While the mistakes latent in these young players are certainly a metric in determining player value, the focus for scouts watching players with the experience level of the young Celtics prospects is mainly on physical execution on a play-by-play basis. They are charting efficiencies and success in a minute environment to calculate ability and potential.

It is widely accepted around league circles that the Celtics have some valuable youth, but the specific value has differed from Aingeâ€™s personal valuation. But the increase in player valuation for the young Celtics and the depression of the trade market this offseason should go a long way toward bolstering the Celtics position for making deals going forward.

Ownership and management have been very communicative with Pierce in the past and they are clearly aware of their position going into this offseason, so Iâ€™d expect Pierce to be a part of this process going forward, not sitting around and forcing ultimatums without analyzing his options.

Pierce did as much two seasonâ€™s ago when he first had thoughts of leaving after the Indiana Pacers series. The market for Pierce himself isnâ€™t going to be as expansive as it may have been in prior years because of his contract, his recent injury, and the availability of other options on the market.

Quality organizations typically share this type of transparency with their focal point players when moves of significance are in play. Thatâ€™s why the Kevin Garnettâ€™s, Jermain Oâ€™nealâ€™s, and Jason Kiddâ€™s enjoy the ability to dialogue with their employers and figure out solutions to their needs collaboratively.

Not all organizations handle these in-house issues like this. The recent examples of Vince Carter and Baron Davis are proof of what can go wrong without this transparency and communication, but the Celtics have displayed that they follow in the former category rather than the latter.

Like any diligent business, the organization has surely gamed out scenarios for what happens if they cannot come to an equitable agreement with any of the other teams offering their players. This is probably where the rumors of Pierce being shopped stemmed from. Gauging market value is a necessary part of contingency planning.

But based off of the various streams of information we have at our disposal and considering the leverage and circumstances surrounding the principles involved in the situation, its probable that the team has the ability to control Pierceâ€™s satisfaction with the situation predicated on the way they approach this offseason.

Reactionary panic is normal, but hardly substantiated by the situational parameters surrounding its inception.

Tommy Doesn't Like Delonte

BillfromBoston — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:57:45 -0000

This is just a joke of course, and a play off of Mike Gormanâ€™s comments during the Timberwolves game. But, it also hits a deeper note on this board and amongst the die hard contingent of Celtics fans that have begun to draw proverbial lines in the sand with certain players and in taking certain positions when evaluating this team going forward.

The irony in the opinions stated on this board is in the fact that the longer the losing continues the more divided Celtics Nation becomes. Meanwhile, the actual team has maintained its solidarity and support of each other throughout these difficult times.

At this stage in the development of the teamâ€™s youth it is justifiable to entertain a wide range of perspectives when it comes to playing favorites. But only an objective view of these players and their current skill sets, level of development, and ability to complement each other will manifest in an effective view of the teams options going forward. In that light, let us start out with an analysis of the teamâ€™s most intriguing youngster to get a feel for where he stands in the greater scheme of things.

(This is a long one, so click Read More to get the full article)

Determining vALue With Deadline Looming

There is a logistical shift in perspective necessary when approaching the next thirty plus games with this team. Most fans have taken this turn quite a while ago, but it needs to be stated nonetheless.

That being said, if the constituency of this board is going to begin to think NBA draft they must take the full turn and start thinking like an NBA GM. The draft is just a part of a general managerâ€™s concerns and is one facet of the long view he must take when determining the construct of his team.

Its natural for Celtics fans at this point to range from questioning to condescending when it comes to Danny Ainge and his decisions while rebuilding this team. Stepping aside from that line of thought, listen to assistant general manager Sam Presti of the San Antonio Spurs as he talks about personnel evaluation.

Every organization has a timeline that theyâ€™re currently on. When youâ€™re faced with a decision that could potentially foreclose options, limit flexibility in the future, there really should be a rigid and rigorous checks and balances process to lead you to the question â€œwhy would we be doing this? Why is it ok to be sacrificing something further and limit flexibility?â€* I think in our league obviously flexibility is king. The term â€œcap spaceâ€* is thrown around constantly. Yet, how much is it maximized at the end of the day? Those are the risks that have to be weighed. Identifying where you are as an organization. When is it ok and what is the process that leads you to a decision?

This is precisely the situation that Ainge is now facing in all his dealings. NBA management personnel are paid to weigh long-term options and evaluate decisions based off the projected time lines of their team. The further an organization is away from a definitive end-game maneuver for winning a championship, the more flexibility is valued.

This explains to a great extent why the team has been quiet on the free agent market when it comes to mid-level exception acquisitions as well as why many of the teamâ€™s trades have involved a pairing down of the payroll and a shortening of the teams heavier financial commitments to big contract players.

The Celtics have used rookie contracts as a means to maintain flexibility while evaluating prospects that would otherwise be outside of their capability to sign on the open market. While the team certainly needs another star caliber player to pair with Pierce, once that player is obtained the team will still require the complementary talent needed to push them over the top.

If looked at as a series of moves in a greater game, the Celtics have acquired a solid set of quality complementary players that would have been cost prohibitive on the open market. By shear volume the team has probably obtained a greater percentage of the pieces to the puzzle by utilizing the draft as a means toward building a contender.

The logical counter point to that is of course the tremendous value that the missing centerpiece player holds and the degree of difficulty one faces in finding him. Drafting in the middle first round and beyond is a numeric improbability, especially if that player is a frontcourt player. Looking at the timeline proposition that Presti mentioned above and applying it to the Celtics takes two distinct forms: Pierceâ€™s age and the expiration of rookie contracts.

Pierce was briefly covered last week and it is apparent to most Celtics fans that the window for building around him as a centerpiece player is a short-term scenario, say three to four years. At that point the organization will have to hope that some amongst its complementary talent will have developed to the point where they can offset Pierceâ€™s decline.

As it stands now, Pierce is the only bona fide star on this team and as such he is the central figure the organization plans its moves around. However, because of the smaller window in which to do this, that plan must account for the time beyond Pierceâ€™s prime. Accounting for the teams developmental players and their time lines and respective progress factors into this equation strongly and has contributed to the â€œovervaluingâ€* of the youth, as some have put it.

The past two seasons have afforded management a prolonged opportunity to evaluate a number of players on this team. But the window for the first group of these players is now closing. Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Tony Allen, Delonte West, and Sebastian Telfair are all going into the final season of their rookie deals. Every signing signifies a decrease in that flexibility so essential to future movement, but every trade limits these options as well. Effectively determining which young players fit into the bigger picture is a crucial decision for a GM because building a winner goes beyond the two or three best players on a team.

Lesser complementary players may be easier to acquire in terms of market availability, but the salary cap restricts a teams ability to do so. Trading for effective role players can also be difficult because quality role players with an established effectiveness are often not available for trade. These players tend to find there way onto teams by circumstance and considering the volume of role players needed to build a winner compared to the number of stars, it can become just as difficult to add those final pieces as it is to land the big fish.

In the ideal scenario an organization is skillful with its drafting and shrewd with its limited acquisitions, as the Spurs have been over the past decade. The Celtics seem to have put themselves into a decent position in one part of this equation, the acquisition of role players. What the Celtics have been waiting to discover while playing the market is whether or not any of their home-grown prospects has the ability to manifest into the type of star needed to accompany Pierce. After three years of evaluation, two years of accelerated growth, there is only one viable candidate who has emerged from the pack, Al Jefferson.

The following is a comparative analysis on Jefferson to other frontcourt players that have put up comparable statistics to his in the same timeframe. This report was queried and written by Paul Gearan of Rexer Analytics, a die hard constituent of this board.

Jefferson is currently averaging 14 and 10, but as a starter he is closer to 16 and 12, so I think it's safe to say barring injury, he'll probably finish over 15ppg and 10rpg at season's end.

So I pulled down some data and ran a query that looked for all players drafted from 1986 to 2002 (more modern era of slower play overall) who by their third year in the league had at least one season with 15ppg and 10rpg over at least 50 games. This produced the 17 players listed alphabetically by last name below. The data for each includes their ppg and rpg in the season they surpassed both over the first 3 years (or the best season for those who did it more than once in their first 3 years), the age at which they entered the league, their career outcomes thus far, and the team winning percentage the year, or first year, they put up 15ppg, 10rpg.

Summary/My Take:

1) If Boozer and Randolph make the all star team this year as is likely, that will mean 14 of the 17 players made at least one all star team.

2) Only 5 players put up these stats for the first time for winning teams. Most were with mediocre to terrible teams.

3) Kevin Garnett is not on here because he did not manage double figure rebounds until his fourth season when he also topped 20ppg or the first time. Garnett's third year was 18.5ppg, 9.6 rpg, 4.6 apg in 39mpg.

4) Shawn Kemp is the only player on the list to start playing in the NBA at age 19, as did Jefferson.

5) Antoine only reached double figure rebounds once in his career and that got him on the list. Certainly playing away from the basket on offense did not help, but even if you just look at defensive boards, Jefferson is outperforming Walker at his best by far on the defensive boards (adjusting for minutes played).

6) The names that probably bolster the argument for inflated stats for bad teams are Seikaly, Walker, Weatherspoon, and Coleman given what we know about these player outcomes. Baker's decline has obvious links to his alcohol abuse, and Ellison and Johnson had injuries that make them difficult to evaluate. Coleman seems a whole different breed as well, and largely destroyed what could have been a great career with his skills. Weatherspoon, like Walker, only surpassed 10rpg (barely at that) one time in his career and was more one of those undersized 4s. Walker, well everyone draws their own judgment about him, a unique player at the very least. Seikaly always seemed the classic good stat guy for bad teams. Never quite all star material: too bad for him he did not play in the post-2000 era he probably would have been at least once.

7) Obviously each player is unique in athleticism and skill set but I think the closest Jefferson comparisons are Kemp (much more athletic than Al of course, but the only high school guy on this list and a mid-first round pick - 17th - like Al), Boozer (not as long as Al, but similar game near the basket and great rebounder), Baker (much longer than Al, very mobile, not quite the rebounder Al is, but a smooth scorer in his prime), a healthy Larry Johnson (although Al does not have Johnson's range), and Randolph. I would say a healthy Al Jefferson probably is most likely to be production-wise in this group with Brand being the highest rung he can shoot for. Shaq, Duncan, Mourning, Mutumbo, and Robinson seem a whole different dimension as does Marion for different reasons.

So would we be happy with a healthy, clean and sober, non-arrested version of Baker, Kemp, Boozer, Johnson, or Randolph in a couple years?

The Players:

1) Vin Baker (ppg:17.7 rpg:10.3) Age:21 4-time all star (Team win %:42%)

2) Carlos Boozer (ppg:15.5 rpg:11.4) Age:21 Probable all star this year (Team win %:43%)

3) Elton Brand (ppg:20.1 rpg:10.1) Age:20 2-time all star (Team win %:18%)

4) Derrick Coleman (ppg:20.7 rpg:11.2) Age:23 1-time all star, major head case (Team win %: 32%)

5) Tim Duncan (ppg:23.2 rpg:12.4) Age:21 8-time all star (Team win %:68%)

6) Pervis Ellison (ppg:20.0 rpg:11.2) Age:22 Injuries damaged promising career (Team win %:30%)

7) Larry Johnson (ppg:22.1 rpg:10.5 ) Age:22 2-time all star, career leveled off, then injuries ended it (Team win %.38%)

8. Shawn Kemp (ppg:15.5 rpg:10.4) Age:19 6-time all star who had too many drugs, children and Cheetos to maintain it (Team win %:57%)

9) Shawn Marion (ppg:17.3 rpg:10.7) Age:21 3-time all star (Team win %:62%)

10) Alonzo Mourning (ppg:21.5 rpg:10.1 ) Age:22 7-time all star (Team win %:54%)

11) Dikembe Mutombo (ppg:16.6 rpg:12.3) Age:25 8-time all star who scored nearly 17ppg his rookie year and never approached that again (Team win %: 29%)

12) Shaq O'Neal (ppg:29.4 rpg:13.2) Age:20 13-time all star (Team win %:50%)

13) Zach Randolph (ppg:20.1 rpg:10.5) Age:20 Possible all star this year, but let's pray Al does not become this in other ways (Team win %:50%)

14) David Robinson (ppg: 24.3 rpg:12.0 ) Age:24 10-time all star (Team win %:68%)

15) Rony Seikaly (ppg:16.4 rpg:11.1 ) Age:23 Lifetime 14.7ppg, 9.5rpg, but mostly for bad to mediocre teams (Team win %: 28%)

16) Antoine Walker (ppg:22.4 rpg:10.2 ) Age:20 3-time "veteran" all star, I'm not opening up this can of worms but Walker only surpassed 10rpg once in his career (Team win %:44%)

17) Clarence Weatherspoon (ppg:18.4 rpg:10.2 ) Age:22 Decent player for first five years on bad teams (Team win %:30%)

If you go down to 14 and 9, since the 1986 draft it only adds 10 more players to the above, 7 of whom are/were all stars (Grant Hill, Garnett, Nowitski, Webber, Gugliotta, Amare and Brad Daugherty), one whose promising career was hurt by serious injuries (LaPhonso Ellis), one good rotational player thus far (Drew Gooden), and one "you gotta be kiddin'!" (Gheorghe Muresan - really, in his third year in Washington he was kind of a force 14.5pg, 9.6rpg, and 2.0bpg, that quickly changed).

So I think that brings our grand total to 21 of 27 of players who averaged 14ppg and 9rpg in at least one of their first 3 seasons from the 1986 to 2002 drafts went onto become all stars, most in multiple years. Among them, and it's tough to project some early careers like Brand, but I'd say there are 8-10 hall of famers in this group. So, there are greater odds of becoming a hall of fame caliber player than failing to make a single all star game. Even among the 6 who failed, Ellison and Ellis had single seasons worthy of all star consideration and if they had remained healthy had a decent shot. Gooden's career is still young, although I doubt he will ever get there, it's not completely impossible. That leaves our confirmed "busts" as Weatherspoon, Muresan (didn't he have bad injuries too?), and Seikaly.

None of this is meant to imply that Jefferson is a sure-fire All Star or a Hall of Fame caliber player. But what it underscores is why Jefferson is so highly regarded by the organization. Trading Jefferson for a more established veteran frontcourt player makes some sense depending on whom that frontcourt player is. But when considering trading him as an option one must factor in the benefits of having one more season to evaluate Jefferson and his developmental progress.

Also considered in this scenario is the opportunity lost by making such a move. Because a team has the ability to re-sign all of its own players in excess of the cap, developmental players become imminently more valuable to an organization while they are on their rookie deals. Organizations with high-end developmental players can utilize their large, moveable contracts and other assets to bring in other larger salaried players who better complement their roster. Since salaries must essentially line up in these types of transactions and because teams most often demand comparable value for their trade assets, it is far easier to â€œgrowâ€* an impact player than it is to trade for one.

Draft picks are typically unproven commodities until they have established some type of benchmark for performance on the NBA level. Until the draft order is established for this season, it is nearly impossible to factor in the pick when making personnel decisions. Known commodities are the currency that GMâ€™s must utilize when building a roster and the less established they are the more of a futureâ€™s market these decisions become.

At this point Jefferson can still be categorized as a commodity on the futureâ€™s market, but he has an established value and a comparable track record from which to solidify his value that no other prospect on the Celtics enjoys at this moment. Regardless of viewpoint, having Jefferson in hand should make Celtics fans feel somewhat confident in the teamâ€™s direction because buy or sell, he should yield a significant return on the teams investment.

Understanding Our Options

BillfromBoston — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:00:00 -0000

Taking Stock in Whatâ€™s In Hand

One of the main issues that Celtics fans have gotten drawn into this season is argument about the potential of our current players. The constituency of the fan base has become more polar in their opinions than a political debate. One group defends the virtues and potential of the teamâ€™s young players while the other side aims to expose them for their weaknesses.

There is no questioning the current record of the team and itâ€™s indisputable that the current players are not good enough at the moment to win in this league. However, this season has also proven that this team has some young players who are on the upswing developmentally. So, the real argument of importance is "which of these guys can play?" The final level of growth for these players has yet to be determined, but if the plan is to build a team with Pierce as the centerpiece, there are timetables involved that just donâ€™t allow for an open-ended level of patience with that development.

It's clear that Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Tony Allen, and Delonte West have separated themselves and shown that they can be consistent, quality NBA players that any team could plug into their rotation. This means that the team has four young players who are beyond potential and have arrived at an actual value, whatever level of value may be. Without pigeon-holing them into roles or placing mantels of expectation on them beyond what theyâ€™ve shown, the team can move forward and at least count on these four to be productive and reliable when building offensive and defensive schemes that incorporate their skill sets.

These four players may not have the most potential of all the teamâ€™s young assets, though Jefferson is widely considered to be in that category, but they are the most â€œgame-ready.â€* It should also be noted that these four all have complementary skills, play different positions, and will be affordable when they come up for contract renewals. Jefferson is the only one amongst the four that stands to get a deal over 8 million annually. Gomes and West are more than likely mid-level players or below, while Allenâ€™s injury probably will limit his earnings potential further.

These arenâ€™t the type of factors that most fans want to focus on, but building a winning team starts with building chemistry and having complementary players who bring something to the table. These four have shown that if nothing else, they can be those types of players.

Taking that into consideration, one must then move into the realm of additional asset evaluation and the return that can be expected or sought from them. The draft pick this season will be the primary asset if the team retains the core youth that are furthest ahead developmentally. The value of this pick will be maximized once the lottery order is established and teams begin to turn their focus solely to scouting. Once the NBA season finishes General Managers begin to become fixated on the concepts of potential and the lure of the unknown, which is an advantage for a Celtics team that is basically attempting to sell those concepts as their currency.

Gerald Green and Rajon Rondo are the other two principle commodities the Celtics have to offer. Both are highly regarded by other organizations as young talents, but neither has displayed the type of consistent production the aforementioned four have. Both of these players may very well be high-end talents in the long run, but if this team is set on building around Pierce and committing to a core these players may serve that strategy better as assets.

Whether or not one wants to move the longer-term assets (Green, Rondo) or one or more of the shorter-term assets (Jefferson, etc) depends on return and direction. But all these players CAN be moved to upgrade the team's stability as it pertains to building around Pierce and making a highly competitive playoff team. The only question is which players will be moved and for what. The problem over the past two seasons hasnâ€™t been whether or not other clubs value our youth, but it has been the discrepancy in valuation between those clubs and Danny Ainge that has prevented a significant move.

To Build Around Pierce Ainge Must Accept Less

For the past two seasons Ainge has held out for a perennial All Star/HoF caliber player as a return for the young players he has collected. But opposing teams arenâ€™t going to easily be persuaded into giving up a franchise cornerstone in return for players who havenâ€™t displayed any level of consistency. Everyone around the league is aware of the raw talent inherent in most young and unproven players, but there is no urgency to acquire these types of players in return for franchise caliber talent.

Only the rarest of circumstances even make these types of players available. When these players come on the market a General Managerâ€™s career livelihood rests on obtaining the soundest value in return. Speculation into raw talent is essentially a gamble, tantalizing but not pragmatic.

Paul Pierce's recent statements to the media about his desire for veterans and his current age stipulate that Ainge should take one last bid at that high-end market: Pau Gasol, Kevin Garnett, and Jermaine Oâ€™neal are all worth pursuing certainly. Shawn Marion, Ray Allen or any other players that may come onto the market are also viable to inquire about. But after that, there is another tier of players: Mike Bibby, Brad Miller, Rashard Lewis, Jamal Magloire; these players are well within the "price range" of our available assets while still retaining a youthful core, but theyâ€™ll come at a price as well.

This is the direction that Ainge is going to have to move toward if he hopes fulfill Pierceâ€™s needs and put a competitive playoff team on the court. There are feasible combinations available, quality lower-end veterans that teams will trade for the Celtics talent. But, theyâ€™re price isnâ€™t going to be cheap. Coming to terms with this reality is something that Celtics fans and management must do to move forward going into next season.

Ainge probably could have had Allen Iverson, and he could most likely land Gasol as well. But he hasn't been willing to move four or five young assets in exchange for one, which is what any team is going to demand for that caliber of player because the young talent hasn't shown itself to the level that say Chicago's has.

With Pierce turning 30 next year, Ainge will have to re-calibrate his approach to the market. One last bid for the top-tier players is justifiable, but then a look toward the next tier must be done. He will get a lesser player in return, but he'll be able to do so without giving up the volume of assets he was reluctant to part with in the higher end scenario.

We may all want KG, but settling for a Bibby and a Magloire at the end of the day may be best if we want to keep Jefferson, Gomes, and West. Bibby could easily cost Ainge Rajon Rondo-which is something the constituency of this board is loathe to do-but if that's the cost of keeping the most game-ready players around Pierce, that is what the plan will have to adjust for.

The point is that the team situation will remain liquid, and always will be as long as there are quality assets, something Ainge has been adept at acquiring. If the team doesn't bring in a "superstar" to go with Pierce the team won't be "instant championship contenders" but they can easily move into the range of playoff contenders by taking some stable veterans who are at least starting caliber players. Cleveland, Toronto, Washington have role-playing veterans that surround their star players and that defines those three teams. Only Washington has more than one star amongst the three. Teamâ€™s that aren't true championship contenders, but are still in the process of building off of their playoff experience.

It is paramount to remember that a trade involving any of the youth isnâ€™t an end-game proposition. Itâ€™s inevitable that good portions of these players arenâ€™t going to manifest into a finished product while in Celtics green. Moving forward from this offseason, the Celtics will have more picks in which to acquire more young players. Not a single contributing young player on this team has been taken earlier than pick 15 and with Minnesotaâ€™s first round selection in hand, there is sure to be a pick in the future that will hold some value as well. There will be chances to replenish the roster or make additional moves with which to continue the construction project.

The team has been looking for the "home run", a phrase that Ainge used in the past which has set the tone for many fan's expectations. But building a championship team is typically a matter of base hits, not home runs. This team may not have the time or resources to touch all the bases, but they can certainly hit a double and continue to build toward driving things home.

Why We Fight

BillfromBoston — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 09:40:35 -0000

Despite the mounting losses that this team has endured over the past few weeks, there has been an endearing spirit of resiliency and â€œfightâ€* that has been a consistent and comforting presence throughout.

Nobody wants to see the team struggle in the standings, but itâ€™s hard to place much fault on the roster as currently constituted. The main playing rotation is more than merely short on playing experience. The group that has taken the floor recently has logged precious few minutes with each other.

On-court chemistry involves more than just occupying a spot on the roster with each other. Many of the pains the team is going through revolve around a lack of familiarity with each otherâ€™s respective game nuances, something that veteran teams like San Antonio have in spades. Ryan Gomes explains:

â€œWhen youâ€™ve been with a team thatâ€™s been together for three, four, five years, you know every move [of your teammates]. Tim Duncan knows that when he gets it at the elbow, he can give Parker a wink and heâ€™ll know whatâ€™s going to happen. When you have that, you trust everything that you do [as a team]. Weâ€™re at the level where weâ€™re trying to get there. We are a less experienced team than they are. They play off of reads; they donâ€™t just play off of one-on-one.â€*

But that familiarity is growing by the play. Even though the bottom line of winning games isnâ€™t being fulfilled the players are battling tooth and nail to the best of their ability. Mistakes have become less frequent and their level of competitiveness has increased dramatically, as evidence by their efficiency and production spike since the Memphis game two weeks ago.

With so many players displaying individual growth in their games itâ€™s hard to argue against the value that the injury to Pierce has provided when thinking about long-term/short-term gain. Players are taking encouragement from their own improvement with an eye toward the return of their captain.

â€œThe biggest thing is competing. We donâ€™t have to be the most talented guys in the league to compete, thatâ€™s what weâ€™ve done. But weâ€™ve got to do it for 48 minutes. You can see the anticipation of Paul and Wallyâ€™s return. The key is that guys still have to stay aggressive and keep playing the way theyâ€™re playing. If we do that then when those guys come back weâ€™re going to be a heck of a team man,â€* West stipulated after the highly contested game against the Spurs.

Dispelling the â€œculture of losingâ€* fallacy

One of the principle arguments that has made its way through the message boards is the notion that the volume of losses that this team has endured will develop a culture of losing, or an acceptance of failure as it where.

Those who warn of the dangers that building through the draft may bring continually mention teams such as the Hawks and Clippers. However, there are some distinct differences between those teams and the current Celtics.

The Celtics have uniform communication from the ownership level all the way through the coaching staff. The team has an organizational direction that is supported from the highest levels of the team and is openly discussed and understood by all principle decision makers. Teams such as the Hawks, or until recently the Clippers, have had no such direction or communication. It can be legitimately argued as to whether or not the Celtics have an effective direction, but theyâ€™ve chosen to build around Pierce by developing youth and playing the market if and when they see value.

Teams with losing cultures never commit to any direction. They continually draft players, but they are also continually letting other young drafted players go to other teams as their new youth arrive. The Clippers were a turnstile franchise for decades before Donald Sterling began worrying about his legacy in Los Angeles.

With no direction from the top, players stop believing in ability of their franchise to find success. Players donâ€™t get the solid leadership and consistent message they need to continue to fight through the down times. As those down times continue these players start playing for their next contracts or the next plane out of town. Thatâ€™s what breeds a culture of losing, something that is not currently a part of the fabric of this team.

Rajon Rondo put it into perspective in a way that transcends his age and experience as a rookie trying to establish himself in the league.

â€œYou kind of do think about [progress] individually, but its still a team sport. Weâ€™re trying to get wins on the floor. It hurts to have a couple of the losses that weâ€™ve been having, those 3 and 4 point losses. Weâ€™ve got to stay positive and stay together. We donâ€™t want to handle adversity, we want to overcome. Just stay together; if the fans stay with us, then weâ€™ll be all right.â€*

Riversâ€™ role in keeping spirits high

The fact that these players have been able to maintain their focus and desire is no small matter. The mental drain of losing games is a tough task to endure, especially when so often it comes from the subtle mistakes that they make.

The dichotomy between the mental errors that keep this team constantly behind and the zeal with which they storm back only adds to their psychological exhaustion. As frustrating as it is for fans to go through the ups and downs of this season, imagine how taxing it is to those who are actually performing on a nightly basis.

The players want to win as badly as the fans that follow them, more so. What truly separates this team from many in the NBA is that this young band of brothers actually feels the sting of defeat internally. The effort they display on-court should be enough to recognize this.

But behind the scenes, when the cameras go off and the channel changes these players are still staring off beyond the microphones pushed in their faces, still going over every mistake and every missed opportunity in their minds. They constantly review what separated them from a win on any given night.

Doc Rivers is the man responsible for keeping these players searching for the good in every loss. He is the one who helps these young players put the past game behind them and look objectively at whatâ€™s to be done to find success the next night.

â€œFocusing on the small things. Keep improving. If you keep working then it will turn your way and things will happen for you. I tell our guys every night theyâ€™ve got to show up and be ready to play. Youâ€™ve got to have great focus and youâ€™ve got to do all the little things. If we cut down on those little things, those little mistakes, then we will win games,â€* said Rivers.

Rivers has been the object of ire for most who follow this team. Pierce has bore this brunt at times, but it inevitable and overwhelmingly rests at the feet of Rivers for most.

Rivers is most often cited for his lack of establishing a rotation and his inability to substitute and situation-manage single possession games down the stretch. The problem with this line of reasoning is that he hasnâ€™t had a team that could be easily managed in this manner until recently. Before injuries fully hit the club, Rivers could reasonably expect consistent performance from very few of his players.

Beyond Pierce and Szczerbiak, none of the other Celtics could be penciled in to produce on a nightly basis. This made substitution patterns and set rotations extremely difficult. The roster was a grab-bag-o-fun each and every night, with a couple of decent performances making a merry-go-round through the various talented youngsters getting playing time.

But, before Pierce and Szczerbiak went down, the output of Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, and Tony Allen had really begun to stabilize and this was starting to allow Rivers to commit to specific roles and rotations with much more consistent rhyme and reason.

The point guard position was most in flux up until recently, but with good reason. Sebastian Telfair had rightfully earned the starting position early on, while Delonte Westâ€™s injuries and Rajon Rondoâ€™s inconsistency kept them jockeying for backup minutes.

When Telfair began to fall off this gave West the chance to jump back into the starting role. â€œItâ€™s starting to click for me,â€* said West. â€œ Iâ€™m really dissecting coach Riversâ€™ offense, really starting to understand what it takes to be a good point guard in this league.â€*

Another injury to West allowed Rondo to get his second crack at major minutes, and this time he was ready to run with it. â€œ I watch a lot of film, see where I can get better, especially defensively and offensively knowing when I can attack and when I should try and knock down a shotâ€¦all aspects of the game,â€* Rondo explained.

Its easy to view the team from the outside and make judgments on which players have the most talent and who deserves the minutes in a theoretical rotation. But to keep order and maintain a full commitment from all the players, Rivers has had to establish uniform guidelines for earning playing time and has had to detail specific objectives for each player to strive toward, benchmarks that merit minutes.

When Rivers said a few weeks ago that he couldnâ€™t just â€œgiveâ€* minutes to a player performing below another just for the sake of development, he was describing the fine line between balancing the potential of one player against the collective interests of the team.

Gerald Green is currently in this situation right now. Green is more talented than Allen Ray, but Ray has played better than Green over the past week. Message board pundits have been up in arms about whatâ€™s best for Green and his confidence, but Green isnâ€™t the only player on this team.

â€œIâ€™m kicking myself a little because I had Allen Ray on the bench [against the Kings] and he had a great game the other night. Itâ€™s tough, because you try to get Gerald going. You try to get him to fight through tough nights. The only way you do that is by leaving him on the floor. Tonight is a night a probably shouldnâ€™t have done that, â€œ Rivers mused after deciding to sit Ray in favor of encouraging Green.

Rivers wants his best players to develop, but he must be consistent with his message to ALL the players in order to get an effort out of each and every one of them. If Rivers determined playing time and role responsibility strictly off of potential, heâ€™d risk creating an atmosphere entitlement for those he handpicked as the â€œfutureâ€* of the franchise. At the same time, the Celtics would cease being a team and would begin to play as a collection of individuals, a gang of pirates playing against each other in a cutthroat battle for moving up the minuteâ€™s totem pole.

By clearly defining to the players what it takes to get on the floor, all his players feel like they receive equal treatment and each clearly knows what he has to do to get on the floor, as well as what will get him off of it.

Every player to the man knows that they must perform. Gerald Green plays harder and embraces coaching instruction more because he knows that playing time is afforded to him by production, not the reaction his name produces when heâ€™s introduced to the crowd.

When Rivers plays 10 or more players on a given night-when he has that luxury-its because heâ€™s fostering the sense of equality and camaraderie needed to keep a young group together and fighting. This is how he prevents a â€œculture of losingâ€* to set in.

â€œLooking at the score every night, theyâ€™re closer than they think. But losses hurt. It hurts us all. Every night you come into that locker room and they got their heads down, its tough. Tomorrow weâ€™ve got to build them back up and push them out there on Wednesday. Thatâ€™s what weâ€™re doing.â€*

Signs for the Future

BillfromBoston — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 04:56:44 -0000

Three Play â€œThe Right Wayâ€*

During a difficult season for all Celtics fans, itâ€™s important to find the positive elements and focus on them when looking for hope in the future. The message board has been ablaze with all sorts of argumentation over the prospects of this club going forward.

The multitude on injuries this team has had so early in the year has negated any ability to accurately gauge their capability as a unit. Even during the brief stretch of success before Paul Pierce went down, the team as a whole was still below full capacity.

The central factor going into this season was whether or not the younger players on this team could â€œseparateâ€* themselves from their peers and turn potential into production. Patience on this front has varied greatly amongst the constituents of the board but regardless of opinion, Aingeâ€™s rebuilding plan is reliant on player progress.

The strange irony within the injuries this team has endured is the fact that all of the youngsters have gotten extended minutes. Those minutes translate directly into situations and responsibilities on the court that they wouldnâ€™t have been afforded in such volume without the veterans going down.

Those opportunities have begun to yield results. Tony Allenâ€™s loss was unfortunate, but there are a number of other players beginning to show their worth.

Three players displayed exactly the type of situational role responsibility that will be needed to make this team successful going forward.

Al Jefferson

Last years favorite whipping boy has silenced all but the harshest of critics with his play over the past six weeks. Jefferson had the mantle of â€œthe manâ€* thrown on him when Pierce went down and that responsibility has been handled with varying results.

Jeffersonâ€™s game is still primarily from eight feet and in. Being the only credible double team threat left standing has allowed opposing defenses to throw looks at Jefferson that almost no player in the league faces.

Last night, Westâ€™s outside shot really helped to keep the wing defender off him, which left Brad Miller as the primary help man. Miller is not known for his defensive prowess and that showed consistently on the floor all night.

But, it was Jeffersonâ€™s face-up shot that really helped to open up his offensive options last night. More than just the actual attempts, it was the threat of those shots that froze the secondary defenders on more than one occasion.

When Jefferson is on the court with Perkins, his face-up shot creates space for both to operate inside and sets up an opportunity for an uncontested put-back on the weak side. If the other interior defender rotates over, a jump shot or a quick pass over the top are now available options for Jefferson with Perkins open on the opposite side of the paint. Even coupled with Gomes, Jeffersonâ€™s face up shot can create a lane for Gomes to cut to the basket if the help defender commits early to the threat.

If the defense chooses to stay at home, Jefferson has only a single defender to contend with. â€œThatâ€™s his next step. He can make [the face-up] but itâ€™s not his shot yet. When he adds that part to his game I donâ€™t know if you can guard him anymore.â€* Rivers said.

Tonight that shot was going down, but even as he works on making it â€œhis shotâ€* there are other things Jefferson is beginning to do that help him to contribute on the nights where the opposition limits his quality offensive looks in the post.

â€œI think he learned early on that if [the other team] is going to trap him, heâ€™s got to find a way to stay on the floor. He knows that he still has to improve defensively. He knows that if heâ€™s not scoring offensively and heâ€™s not doing anything else, then heâ€™s probably coming out. I think heâ€™s a pretty smart player. He figures if he rebounds well, he stays on the floor.â€* Rivers explained before the game.

One of the final missing elements in his physical progress that Jefferson has realized this year is his body strength. Jefferson has spoken about how his loss of body fat has helped him with conditioning and quickness, but he realizes that greater upper-body strength can help him be more dominant on the inside.

â€œLast summer I worked on getting the weight off and getting in shape, this summer Iâ€™m going to be building muscle and getting stronger. You look at a guy like Dwight Howard. Dwight Howard has both.â€* Jefferson explained.

Jefferson isnâ€™t considered amongst the elite big men in the league yet and he has a lot to work on, but the progress-under-fire that heâ€™s made thus far should bode well for the future of this team.

Ryan Gomes

Gomes is a player that has also elicited a small amount of criticism for a perceived regression in play of late. There are certainly limitations to Gomesâ€™ game as an NBA power forward, but Gomes is aware that match ups and versatility will lead to effectiveness on the court in his future. This was never more evident than in his match up with Ron Artest, arguably the best defender in the league.

â€œYou know heâ€™s a tough defender. He guards the toughest guy on the opposing team every night. That will just help me out because Iâ€™m not at that level yet and I donâ€™t get that much respect [from the officials], but he still plays the same every game so I can use this as motivation to get better.â€* Gomes explained.
Gomes talked about studying film and recognizing the differences in playing against perimeter players as opposed to strictly going against power forwards. He understands that his success at each position is predicated on identifying the match up on a given night and knowing what spots on the floor to focus in on both offensively and defensively.

â€œIt was a good match up and I think I can learn from that. Iâ€™m going to break down the tape and see how I can get into some of the positions that he did on a lot of his plays. Itâ€™s a physical game in the NBA and once you have a reputation of being a certain type of player theyâ€™re going to let some things slide.â€*

Gomes looks at Artest as an excellent player to try and emulate in terms of on court play. Their size, strength, and athleticism are virtually identical to one another and both have played at the three and the four spots at times.

â€œI did well against [Artest], and if I do well against other guys guarding the perimeter playing the three after spending all of last season playing the four it can only help. Offensively it will probably make me a more versatile player because Iâ€™m doing things against small forwards and power forwards are much slower, so I can get away with a little more there too.â€*

Doc Rivers has also been quite pleased with Gomes and his play at the three. Since Allen went down, Gomes is averaging over 42 minutes per game and his role responsibility offensively has significantly increased, as has his confidence.

â€œYou put him on Artest all game and thatâ€™s not easy for anybody. Those last two jumpers that Ryan missed front rim were probably a result of fighting the Mohegan guy.â€* Rivers quipped after the game.

Delonte West

West did exactly what will make him an effective player in this league during the Kings game. His best attribute is by far his ability to score the basketball, particularly his outside shot.

When West is taking open shots without conscience he becomes a player that the defense must account for and this enables him to get into the lanes and create opportunities for himself and others.

West will never have the pure speed or two-handed dribbling ability to simply break down his defender straight up. However, West is a dangerous playmaker when heâ€™s looking for his own shots instead of trying to prove how much of a point guard he is.

Last night West didnâ€™t hesitate to take what was given to him and once the shots started dropping it helped get Al Jefferson some room to operate as the strong-side wing defender couldnâ€™t come down and trap Jefferson indiscriminately.

Westâ€™s defensive foot speed isnâ€™t going to be exceptional against quicker point guards in this league and his playmaking off the dribble isnâ€™t ideal for a starting point, but for a team that is basing its offense around Jefferson, and Pierce once he returns, Westâ€™s game is the furthest along of any of the other options at his position.

Ainge didnâ€™t bring in two young point guards for no reason, but West will always have a role on this team as long as he shoots first and asks questions later. The more the team runs two point guard backcourts, the more useful West can be when he shoots to kill and stops trying to prove himself as a primary ball handler.

Looking Ahead

Itâ€™s painful for all Celtics fans to endure another losing season, but there are plenty of reasons to remain engaged in what the team is doing this season while keeping an eye toward the next.

Going into next season, Pierce will have the benefits of a developed low-post presence in Jefferson. Jefferson may still be in developmental mode, but the experience of this season will enable him to provide the necessary production and defensive attention to dramatically open up things for Pierce on the perimeter. With a true inside/outside offensive tandem, the rest of the team will find it much easier to execute what it is they do best.

Ryan Gomes is the quintessential example of a complementary player whose game can take off with two double-team worthy options to play with. Gomes stated a few weeks ago how much his game is predicated off of taking advantage of the seams created by opponents focusing their attention on Pierce.

The time spent without Pierce is enabling Gomes to develop other elements of his game as he is now a feature player in the Celtics current attack. When Pierce returns and couples with Jefferson to draw the oppositionâ€™s attention, Gomes should be substantially more dangerous because of the expansion of his own game.

West is much the same. He has mentioned in the past that it is more difficult for him to get his shot off against heavy pressure from larger defenders and he doesnâ€™t have the innate skills to create as well as other players might. But West is an intelligent player who knows how to take play off of others. He is at his best when he is forgotten about or when the opposition gambles off of him, and so neglect becomes his ally.

There are others on this team that are benefiting from the chances that adversity has presented, but that doesnâ€™t guarantee future success for this team. However, even the most pessimistic fans should be able to see the strategic position this team is in going forward into the off-season.

The final record of this team is not going to be indicative of the personnel that it possesses. Regardless, a high pick in this years draft holds substantial value to the franchise going forward.

Most on this board concur that another frontcourt player would be a boon to this team. â€œDefenseâ€* is the word thrown around most often by those that adamantly argue against this teamâ€™s direction. The 2007 draft is ripe with players who can step in and provide a frontcourt presence on both ends of the floor.

While no rookie drafted is going to step in and make this team a contender right off the bat, they will be able to contribute to the rotation and improve the teamâ€™s performance because of it.

In addition to any drafted lottery player, the team will have acquired another trade asset for playing the market this off-season. It has been stated quite clearly by Ainge that his objective is to build around Pierce by bringing in developed veteran help.

This past off-season didnâ€™t provide the type of value that the team felt represented the talent on their roster. Instead of making a quick concession to placate the fan base and put and aesthetically more pleasing product on the floor, Ainge bet that he could improve the teamâ€™s bargaining position by standing pat and waiting for his hand to improve.

With over 50 games to go, it seems that the teamâ€™s valuable commodities are improving every day. Wins and losses shouldnâ€™t be the central focus for anyone at this point. As long as the players on this team continue to increase their effectiveness and value to this club and others, the Celtics will be in a position to finally put a team on the floor that everyone can be satisfied with.

With the east the way it is now, contention becomes a much more palpable prospect going forward. Most of the teams in the East are flawed in some way shape or form. Few teams posses a legitimate inside/outside tandem to play around and with another substantial talent to added to a team deep with complementary talent, it shouldnâ€™t be difficult to take the next step toward building a winner.