The Roles of Rookies Semih and Luke

We are almost halfway through the Celtics’ regular season, and despite their 30-9 record which tops the Eastern Conference, it seems like a lot of Celtics fans out there are not happy with the current roster, which currently features a significant amount of minutes played from rookie big men Semih Erden and Luke Harangody. Boston’s first round pick Avery Bradley also still holds a spot on the 15 man active roster, despite being sent down to the D-League this week to play for the Maine Red Claws, not because he’s another hopeless case of first round pick gone bad, but because Doc Rivers wants the kid to get some reps and solid minutes doing what he does best… playing basketball. The Celtics have plenty of veteran guards right now, as well as a sharp-shooting Delonte West returning from his wrist injury in a couple of weeks, so Doc thinks Bradley will benefit more from solid minutes on the Red Claws than riding the bench all season for Boston. Also, Bradley and Harangody, the two “true” rookies, both seemed timid and uncomfortable on the court at first when playing against and alongside NBA stars. However, while Harangody has embraced his amplified role and now looks much more comfortable on the court than he did at the season’s start, Bradley still looked uncomfortable and intimidated on the court for the rare minutes he was given. Don’t completely forget about Avery during his D-League stint. He will be back, as the kid is an incredible athlete, can knock down threes, and throw down dunks like you wouldn’t believe. He may be the quickest guy on the C’s other than Rajon Rondo, and I am still looking forward to seeing the two explosive guards run all over opposing defenses together in the Celtics’ future.

As for Semih Erden, he has looked relatively comfortable from the start, and this can be attributed to his professional play in Turkey and the Euroleague before coming over to play for Boston. After these first 39 games of the season, I have to say that I am not only incredibly happy with the solid play and excellent record of the Celtics, but with their overall roster and development of their rookie players. If this team has managed to stay atop the Eastern Conference even without starting big men Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins, how good are they going to be once all the starters are healthy? Right now it appears that this team is already very good with Shaq starting and the two energetic rooks logging big minutes off the bench for the C’s, and when healthy, this team is only going to get better.

The Celtics do not need to add Rasheed Wallace or alter their roster in any significant way because other than Kevin Garnett, nobody brings more energy to the floor than Erden and Harangody. The two of them are always hustling, and Erden controls the paint, makes smart cuts, and contests every shot, while Harangody sets good picks, plays tight defense, boxes out, and can make his open jumpers. While both guys have a lot of room to improve, they show a lot of heart, hustle, and do all the little things that a coach really wants to see from his rookie players. An important thing to realize about these guys is that they are only getting all these minutes right now because of injuries to Boston’s starters, and they’re going to keep getting better and better with all this experience. And while I realize there are better ways to make a playoff run than with a team stocked with rookies (even though Bill Belichick could convince you otherwise) it is important not to forget that Erden and Harangody are only third-string big men for the C’s. Perkins and KG will return soon enough to the starting lineup, which will send Shaq and Big Baby Davis to the second unit, and then the Celtics will have not only a nearly unstoppable starting lineup, but a bench that can contend with opposing starters all around the league. As long as those guys recover successfully from injury and do not get reinjured, Erden and Harangody’s critics can relax because the rookies’ minutes will practically disappear down the stretch. The worst case scenario is foul trouble or injuries resulting in Erden or Harangody getting back on the court, and if given this opportunity, both of them would absolutely play hard and bring valuable energy to the floor that other guys on the team feed off of, such as Nate Robinson and Glen Davis. Right now this team may be scrappy, but with KG possibly coming back Monday night against Orlando, and Perkins still on the mend, the Eastern Conference leading Celtics will only keep getting better. These rookies play harder than just about everybody, and with each of them having the potential for a double-double every night, and the starting big men soon returning, I still am not feeling the need for Sheed, or any significant change to Boston’s solid roster.

Scrapping for Wins

The Celtics take on the Bobcats tonight in Boston, and are going to need a big contribution from their second unit if they want to overcome their injuries and pull out a win. The Celtics typically play very well against the Bobcats who are just 15-21, but with Perk, KG, and Jermaine O'Neal all sitting out due to injury, the remaining big men need to step up and play hard like they did Wednesday night against the Kings if they want to win. I expect rookie Semih Erden to play very well and to continue bringing tons of energy to the floor as his minutes increase, as long as he's not also sitting out tonight after aggravating a groin injury and missing practice yesterday. He does a great job controlling the paint, and played exceptionally well the last time they faced the Bobcats logging a plus/minus rating of +34. The other three remaining big men are Shaq, Big Baby Davis, and rookie Luke Harangody, and all of them need to dig deep and play hard tonight to help the Celtics contend in the paint and on the scoreboard.

The Bobcats may not currently be the playoff caliber team that they were last season, however they are on a four game winning streak, and are coming off a big win against the Bulls on Wednesday night. Their players are by no means more talented than Boston's, however like the Celtics, they have an uncanny ability to score from all angles when their players are hot. Their starting wingmen Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson love to drive to the hoop, as does their scoring big man off the bench, Tyrus Thomas. However, they are not only capable of scoring from inside the paint, as everyone in their starting lineup can consistently knock down three's except for Kwame Brown. They are solid on the boards, and can exploit any weakness your defense gives them, which in Boston's case could very well be on those boards. Their starting big man, Boris Diaw, is an incredibly good shooter for his size, and could be a huge threat to the Celtics who have a group of big men right now who can get easily worn down, and will not want to contest Diaw's jumpers. For the Celtics to win this game, they need to play solid defense and get rebounds to eliminate Charlotte's second chance points, and then expose the Bobcats' inconsistent defense which can get very complacent at times.

Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo led the C's to victory against the Kings, driving in and exposing Sacramento's weak interior defense. They need to play the same way tonight, as when Charlotte's defense lets up, they become incredibly vulnerable inside the paint. Rondo should have no problem penetrating the middle and finding open teammates, while Pierce, Marquis Daniels, and all of Boston's big men need to use their size to get some easy buckets and make plenty of trips to the free throw line. Inside scoring should not be a problem for the Celtics tonight, and that should open the door for Pierce, Ray Allen, Von Wafer, and Nate Robinson to show off their range when the Bobcats start collapsing on Boston's guys penetrating the middle. These two teams are actually quite similar other than Boston's slight edge in talent and effort, and huge edge in leadership, coaching, and basketball smarts. However, this game could end up being very close, and the Celtics need to make sure they don't let up or get down on themselves since Rondo, Pierce, and Ray Allen have the ability to pick Charlotte's defense apart.

With the driving ability of guys like Wallace, Jackson, and Thomas, as well as the sharp shooting and improved play of point guard D.J. Augustin and Stephen Jackson, the Bobcats can score in bunches and are often not easy to stop. Boston's defense needs to play tough, and make sure that when Charlotte misses their shots, the Celtics wind up with the ball instead of Kwame Brown or Tyrus Thomas coming down with loads of offensive rebounds. Typically Boston does a very good job of stopping the Bobcats' versatile offense, but with so many key big men out due to injury, the rookies really need to step up tonight as big guys Glen Davis and Shaquille O'Neal are undeniably going to need to take some breathers. Until starting big men Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett return from injury, the Celtics will truly be scrapping for wins.

January Poll

There's a new poll out today for the month of January, so vote for which of the newest members of the Celtics has played the best thus far this season. Another way to look at it is which of the newer Celtics has been the most pleasant surprise so far as just about every one of them has had their moments of brilliance, except for maybe Delonte who's been out with a wrist injury. Nevertheless, we've seen big games and offensive production from Shaq and tough defense and big blocks from Jermaine O'Neal. Rookies Luke Harangody and Semih Erden play very tough when given an opportunity, and Harangody recorded his first career double-double the other night against the Raptors while Erden loves to lock down the paint and contest every shot when he's on the court. We've seen Von Wafer show that he is much more than just a potential attitude problem with his occasional explosive scoring nights, and has apparent chemistry with fellow backup guard Marquis Daniels, and thankfully the troublemaking duo now causes much more trouble for opposing teams than their own. There's no denying that Boston had a very big offseason... but who do you think has stepped up the most?

Holy Harangody!

Luke Harangody played his best game thus far as a Boston Celtic last night, scoring 17 points and pulling down 11 rebounds while the Celtics routed the Raptors 122-102. Rondo and the Celtics exposed the Raptors weakness inside the paint early on, and as a result scored 54 points in the paint in their ability to outmuscle, outhustle, and slash past Toronto's passive and less-than-aggressive defense. Rondo had a plus/minus rating of +23 in only 26 minutes played, while Harangody, Nate Robinson, and the rest of Boston's bench helped torch Toronto for majority of the game. The Celtics played extremely well overall last night, and complacency should be their biggest concern when they head to Chicago to face the Bulls tonight.

The Celtics need to make sure they come out firing tonight they way they did in the first half against the Raptors, and not just passively coasting the way they did in the second half when the game was essentially already over. The Bulls are a very talented and hard-nosed team, and are capable of punishing complacency with explosive scoring and drives to the hoop from Derrick Rose and Luol Deng, and can also dominate on the boards thanks to double-double machine Carlos Boozer. The Bulls have played well this season despite injuries, and are yet to see Boozer and Joakim Noah work the paint together since Noah went down as soon as Boozer had returned from injury. If they ever get both big men healthy together, along with their physical slashing guards and forwards such as Rose, Deng, Ronnie Brewer, and Taj Gibson, this team could absolutely turn some heads come playoff time.

However, the Bulls are coming off a loss last night to the lowly 76ers who worked an inside-outside game that enabled them to put up 105 points against this tough Chicago team. The Celtics have been using their combination of outside scoring ability from Ray Allen and Paul Pierce and dribble and pass penetration from Rajon Rondo to guys like Shaq down low to really stretch out defenses and pull out some big wins. If they can continue doing this tonight, Chicago should not be able to contain Boston's versatile offense. Keith Bogans will not be able to keep up with Ray Allen and will get dragged through picks as he chases Ray all over the court, and the Celtics should be able to penetrate inside and take advantage of Kurt Thomas, the second oldest man in the NBA, who is filling in for the injured Noah. I do not expect the Celtics to dominate the boards by any means, but if they can get rebounds from all their players the way they have the past couple of games, Boozer's dominance in the paint should not be enough to give Chicago a win. All eyes will be on the Rondo-Rose matchup which is always exciting and fun to watch, but ultimately Ray Allen and Boston's bench should be the difference makers in this one. I hope to see Harangody continue to play with confidence, box out, contest shots, make his jumpers, and do all the little things right as he became a legitimate scoring threat last night against Toronto. Also, I hope to see Scal get on the court against his old team, as nothing could be more entertaining than watching Scalabrine and Harangody go at it.