Still Think We Need Rasheed?

With a huge win fueled by the return of Kevin Garnett last night against the Orlando Magic, the Celtics asserted their position as the top team in the Eastern Conference, and reminded the panicking Celtics’ fans all over New England that when everyone on this team is healthy, they are in no need of any trades or acquisitions of washed up players like Rasheed Wallace in order for them to make a successful playoff run. In a game that was practically knotted from start to finish, the Celtics came out on top with 52 big points in the paint against Dwight Howard, another 13 assist night and double-double from Rajon Rondo, and 31 minutes of inspired play from a healthy Garnett as he dropped 19 points, led the defense to battle against a very versatile and dangerous Orlando offense, and got the game winning steal in the final seconds that sealed the victory for Boston. This game was proof that Garnett is the biggest difference maker for the Celtics, as they have not looked this organized or played this tough ever since they lost him to his calf injury. Now that Garnett has returned, the Celtics are back, and should continue asserting their dominance in the conference while they prepare for the return of the other starting big man, Kendrick Perkins.

The Celtics never let up last night, which is why they were able to overcome Orlando’s eleven three pointers and Howard’s 33 point 13 rebound night. All of Boston’s starters scored in double digits, and Big Baby Davis scored 15 points on 6-10 shooting off the bench. Davis is so much better for the C’s when he’s filling in for Shaq or Garnett instead of starting, and I was happy to see him balance the amount of jumpers he was taking with strong post-up moves and drives to the hoops. When he was starting in the nine games that Garnett sat out, his jump shot became the primary scoring option for the Celtics, which led to three losses that could have easily been avoided, as well as several sloppy wins. However, he is a different player when coming off the bench with Nate Robinson, and his energy and offensive ability can spark big runs against opposing second units instead of disrupting the flow of Boston’s offense when he is logging nearly 40 minutes per game as a starter. The Celtics played great last night with the return of KG, and will be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time as there is currently not a team in the NBA that Boston can’t beat in a seven game series. With Perk also coming back in early February, the Celtics have a ton of solid big men, and barring any major injuries, Sheed is definitely going to have to sit this one out.

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.

The Big Men in Boston

Jermaine O'Neal is having serious trouble with his knee, and his season and career could potentially be coming to an anticlimactic ending if he needs to get surgery. While I hate to see yet another veteran on the Celtics having injury issues, I have got to say that this seems somewhat convenient with KG and Perkins both close to returning. If all of Boston's big men are healthy other than Jermaine, they have a very solid core with Garnett, Big Baby, and Harangody at the four spot, and Perkins, Shaq, and Semih Erden at the five. And after last night's game, I continue to rave about Erden because he brings a ton of energy to the paint which is exactly what the C's have needed ever since Garnett got hurt, and he makes the Celtics' second unit play better since guys like Davis, Nate Robinson, and Harangody feed off the energy. Erden's 10 points and 9 rebounds last night were big for Boston, and fans may now start to realize that the rookie from Turkey is a very capable backup to Shaq.

The Celtics played extremely well in their rout of the Kings, as Pierce dropped 25 points, Ray Allen was 4/5 from deep, Rondo had a double-double, and Boston's bench manhandled Sacramento's weak defense as Erden, Wafer, Robinson, and Daniels all scored in double digits. With Semih filling in for J.O., the Celtics finally managed to get through a game without Garnett without getting outrebounded. I understand that Erden can absolutely improve on his handles and scoring ability, but his energy and ability to control the paint comes up huge for the Celtics and is unmatched by anyone on the team other than KG. It just seems like good things happen when he's on the floor, like when they last faced the Charolotte Bobcats in December, and Erden was in the starting lineup and led the Celtics with a +34 plus/minus rating. With the trio of centers mentioned before, I think it is clear that the Celtics have a very solid roster, and do not need to make any desperate changes to it that would result in trading away valuable players, or signing an assumedly washed up Rasheed Wallace. The Kings are young and are not a very good overall team, but the Celtics played very well last night nonetheless, and things can only get better for them with starters Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins still on the mend. Look for the Celtics to keep playing with energy tomorrow night when they take on the Bobcats in Boston, especially if KG finally does make his return. If he doesn't, then look for guys like Erden and Nate to energize the team as Semih tries to keep proving that until Perk is back in the starting lineup, he is ready to be the backup center in Boston.

Can They Quiet the Critics?

After consecutive losses to the Bulls and Rockets, the Celtics are taking a lot of heat about not being the championship caliber team everyone thought they'd be at the beginning of the season. Doc Rivers tore into the starters for their uninspired play and apathetic defense after Monday's loss to Houston, and hopefully this inspires them to come out tonight with more energy, and put a beating on the lowly Sacramento Kings in the process. KG is doubtful for the game, but if he does make his comeback tonight, then Doc's harsh words will not be the only thing inspiring the Celtics to show more energy than they have been showing in recent games. Whether or not he returns, Boston needs to play some tight defense, and run their usual offense which revolves around much more than just Big Baby's jump shot. Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, and Shaquille O'Neal should have a field day against Sacramento's inept defenders, as should Boston's second unit against Sacramento's inconsistent bench players. With the Kings losing a 136-133 shootout last night against the Washington Wizards in a game where neither team showed any interest in playing defense, Rondo and the Celtics should be able to pick the Kings apart.

Tyreke Evans is also doubtful for this game, though if he does return from his ankle injury tonight, this will be a big boost for Sacramento's offense as players like Francisco Garcia, Beno Udrih, and DeMarcus Cousins have had to step it up in the absence of Evans, their leading scorer. If Evans doesn't play, Rondo should be able to exploit his explosive tendencies of dribbling, driving, and dishing out assists to tear into the Sacramento's lazy defense. Both Ray Allen and Paul Pierce should have no problem getting good looks both from downtown and inside the paint against defenders who simply cannot guard Boston's all-star wing men. Wizards' shooting guard Nick Young scored 43 points and dropped seven three pointers on Sacramento last night, and unless they try something new on defense, Ray Allen should be able to have a similar night tonight. Also, the young players such as Jason Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins that the Kings use as their starting big men will get outplayed and outmuscled by larger and stronger veterans like Shaq, Jermaine O'Neal, and even Big Baby Davis as long as he uses his size instead of his jump shot as his primary means of scoring. The Celtics will have a mismatch at just about every position, and whether or not Kevin Garnett or Tyreke Evans are on the court tonight, the Celtics have a great opportunity against an inferior team to show Boston's critics that they are still playoff bound, and do not need any dramatic changes to their roster.

What the Celtics need to watch out for is their own attitude on the court, because if they continue to play lethargically on defense and fail to run plays and set picks on offense, Sacramento could surprise them with a scoring surge like the 43 point one they had in the 4th quarter against Washington last night, which sent the game into overtime. They have some young and very athletic play makers, and if the Celtics don't show up on defense, guys like Garcia, Udrih, Eugene Jeter, and Carl Landry could make them pay. Assuming Garnett sits out again tonight, Harangody will need to box out and contain Landry, Sacramento's backup power forward, who scored 23 points last night and should probably be starting for this 8-27 team. Other than Luke's matchup, the Celtics have the edge just about everywhere else, and the only way that they lose tonight is if they beat themselves like they did on Monday against the Rockets. Look for Rondo and Daniels to be the play makers and difference makers in this one, with big contributions from Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. The C's need a big win tonight to show they are still a playoff contender, as well as to silence the critics who think Boston needs some sort of a trade or to reacquire Rasheed Wallace if the Celtics want a legitimate shot at the playoffs.