Enemy Chatter: The Celtics are a mish-mash of talent

We often wonder what opposing teams, their beat reporters and bloggers are saying about the Celtics. Here’s a look at some enemy chatter from Memphis.

…the Celtics are suddenly no longer outside looking up but a team that could be fighting for home court advantage in the playoffs. Must be nice to play in the East.

Boston’s lineup is a mish-mash of talent with no player seeming to play a traditional role. Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley share backcourt duty. Neither is a traditional PG or SG. Both players are tremendous defenders however and that makes up for their lack of scoring. Backing them up are Evan Turner and Isaiah Thomas. Turner and Thomas can both score but neither is a defensive presence and both are ball dominant. Not exactly a combination teams desire but somehow Stevens had them productive last year. James Young and rookie R J Hunter will struggle to find minutes in the backcourt but both can switch down to play some 3 if needed.

The big men are also a mishmash that fits together somehow. Kelly Olynyk is a 7 foot center but hardly a traditional back to the basket big. Lee and Amir Johnson will join Olynyk and Jonas Jerebko to bulk up the Celtics inside game. Jae Crowder will start at SF but is more of an energetic player than a traditional starter.

3 Shades of Blue

The guys at this Grizzlies’ blog do a series of season previews called “Assessing the Enemy.” I agree with their summary of the Celtics, although I feel like a top 4 playoff team is a bit ambitious. That would require 50 wins and I just don’t think the C’s have enough talent to get to that level.

Here’s what I wrote for them on the disparity between the Celtics and Grizzlies:

The most optimistic Celtics fans are hopeful for a 45-50 win season but even if Boston reaches that level they’ll still be a notch or two below the Grizzlies. David Lee and Amir Johnson should prevent the Celtics from getting outright bullied in the paint, but the edge still belongs to Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. I should say an aging Zach Randolph, It’s amazing to me that he’s 34 years old.  I love the potential of the Celtics backcourt, especially the dynamic defensive duo of Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley, but Mike Conley is the best guard on both teams. At Small Forward, I’ll take the up-and-coming Jae Crowder over 33 year-old Tony Allen (when did the Grizzlies get so old?). Isaiah Thomas is the best of all the bench players, far superior to grey beards Vince Carter and Matt Barnes. Overall the Grizzlies get the edge because they are a better team with better players.

P.S. Thank you for the conditional 1st round pick for Jeff Green. My advice to the fans…stgop asking the “what if” question about Jeff. He is what he is.

It should be mentioned that Jeff Green leads a poll on their site,”Which player would you most like to see traded?“