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Matt Geagan is a sports producer at WBZ-TV… which means he’s not just into basketball. You can email him at MattyG@RedsArmy.com
All photos courtesy Getty Images and Associated Press |
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Glass Half Empty
The normally optimistic Matty G. looks at the Celtics situation from a not-so-positive point of view |
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Since the Matty G Column first started, I’ve had a pretty optimistic view of everything Celtics (minus a few Doc Rivers shots here and there). Despite a painful 18 game losing streak, a 24 win season, and a draft lottery that nearly stopped my heart from beating, I’ve tried to always look at the bright side of things. So let’s take a look at what life would be like in my own “Bizzaro World” where I become a pessimist, or in most cases, you’re average Boston writer. That’s right, the glass is no longer half full for the Celts, and it’s a matter of time until it is completely empty. Here are a few things to worry about heading into this season.... |
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Ray Allen Yes, he still has game. Allen will provide Paul Pierce with another guy that will actually get jokes about the 1980’s, as well as another scoring threat. But the question has to come up about his ankles. He had surgery last April to remove bone spurs and other “loose bodies” from both ankles that caused him to miss Seattle’s final 16 games. He missed a total of 27 games last season (and we wonder why Seattle was in a position to get the second pick… oh right, have to stay negative…) because of various foot ailments. Could this mean he will be just a jump shooter from now on? Possibly. If this is the case, he will need the ball. As will Pierce and Al Jefferson. On average, Allen takes over 20 shots a night. A team usually takes around 80 to 90 shots a game, and if Allen and Pierce command over 20 each, and Jefferson would like to get around 15 or so, that doesn’t leave too many more for everyone else. So there has to be some questions about who the ball goes to and how often. Allen has been a class act for the passed 10 years, so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue, but take someone’s shots away and he may get a little upset. This shouldn’t be a huge worry, but the ankles should. Allen will be 32 in a month, and surgeries don’t help the aging process. |
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The Roster After the signing of Brandon Wallace, the Celtics have a packed house. Wallace gives them 14 players under contract, with Glen Davis and Gabe Pruitt unsigned, and Allan Ray awaiting his fate on August 1st. It looks like Ray will be the odd man out, but what about Davis and Pruitt? One of them (or even Wallace) could find themselves making the trip to the NBDL. Danny said before that they weren’t done, and hopefully signing Wallace wasn’t what he was talking about. There is also a pretty big logjam at the forward positions (as Johnny K pointed out, so I won’t go over all that again) so this almost forces the Celtics brass to pull something else off. Sebastian Telfair’s future with the team is up in the air, and who knows if Theo Ratliff will give them anything but a expiring contract. If Davis or Pruitt are what round out this team, boy, are they in trouble. It looks like the Celtics have to make a trade now, for either a veteran Center of Point Guard. A trade will also have to clear some space for everyone. This all seems complicated, and with Danny’s track record for trades, it could lead to an even worse problem. |
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The Progression of the Young Guys Al Jefferson will be entering his fourth season in the NBA. It wasn’t until last season that he really broke out though, averaging a double-double for the season. This was a huge step forward for a guy that seemed to get every freak injury possible the previous two years. He added a little mini-hook to his arsenal, and it seemed like he scored over 20 points every night for the final two and half months of the season. Was this Al coming into his own, or was it just that someone had to score the points with everyone else injured? (This is silly, not even a pessimistic Matty G can argue this. Al will be a force to reckon with on the team, so let’s move on.) As for all the other young guys, can they step up this season like Al did last season? Gerald Green has always showed signs of promise, but he hasn’t made the jump yet. Like Al, Gerald came out of high school. It took Al three years to turn into Big Al, so can Gerald make strides in his third? This could be a question of maturity. We all know Gerald can make unbelievable dunks, but no one knows if he can complete his game. This year is the year for him to step up, but will he? The same goes for Rajon Rondo. The team trusts him to be their Point Guard for the future. How much trust? Well right now his only backups are Sebastian Telfair and Gabe Pruitt. Chances are with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, Rondo won’t have to do too much shooting. But he needs to get down some sort of jumper so other teams will give him a little respect on the offensive end. This is a lot of pressure to put on a 21 year old. The Celtics should make a push for an older guy (cough, Brevin Knight) if they can take care of that other problem of clearing up some roster space. |
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How Far Can the Team Actually Go? The East really isn’t that much of a joke anymore with the Pistons very angry, the Bulls looking ready to compete, and Lebron only needing to get someone halfway decent to help out. That leaves the Heat, Wizards and Magic to round out the top six teams. It won’t be as easy to make the playoffs next season. The Celtics should hope playing in the Atlantic Division will help them out, and they can play better than the Raptors (last year’s division winner) and the Nets. New Jersey still has Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson (while on this negative rush, Jersey is dirty. It’s called the “Armpit of America” for a reason). But even if the Celtics make it into the playoffs, do they beat any of the upper echelon teams? Pulling a three seed would most likely get a match up with someone like the Nets or Magic. Neither would be an easy series, and playing the second seed afterwards wouldn’t help either. If the Celtics slip in as the seventh or eighth team, it would most likely be a none and done trip to the playoffs. The Celtics better get better soon though, because the rest of the NBA isn’t going to wait around. The good teams are getting better, and others are improving. Looks like that 17th banner will have to wait a few more tedious years. |
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And then there’s Doc… The team had a chance to go get a coach like Rick Carlisle or Rick Adelman this off-season. Instead they gave Doc a mulligan, and a one year extension. It’s become obvious the last few seasons that Doc is a great guy, but not a great coach. He coached the team to the playoffs his first year, but hasn’t managed a winning record since. He could have been fired at any point last season, but why pay someone else to try and tank a season? So Doc has one year to prove he can win with this team. With his previous track record, it looks like he’s a dead man walking, but he’ll get paid for an extra year. Is there that much faith he can bring this team to the Promised Land? No. But he’s kept Paul Pierce as happy as he can, and will keep the heat of Danny for one more year. So why not? |
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That was no easy task (minus the low blow on Dirty Jersey), so let’s jump back on the Half Full side of things. Ray Allen will help this team, and there’s little reason to doubt Rajon Rondo can take over as the starting point guard. But the roster, the competition, and Doc should call for some concern. The team isn’t in nearly as bad shape as it was at the beginning of last season. There are a few holes to fill, but it only calls for a little patch work. The Celtics don’t necessarily have to win it all next season but a few signs of life would be nice. That should keep all Celtics fans happy and their glasses full. Or half full, so to speak. |