The Celtics and their fans find themselves at a crossroads
at the moment. How to go about the rest
of this season? The Celtics record is
currently 12-35 and they now find themselves deep within the worst consecutive
losing streak in Boston Celtics history. It is now up to 15 straight games and things do not look all that
promising anytime soon to snap that and become a winning team. The funny and strange thing about all that is
this team has somehow managed to escape any harsh Boston media and fans
criticism.
The reason for that is we just cannot sit here and fault
these young players finally getting their minutes to perform and show what they
can do on the big NBA stage. Many are
just getting their first taste of the grind of NBA games. The biggest factor has been the rash of
injuries that have hit. Veterans Paul
Pierce, Wally Szczerbiak and Theo Ratliff have all been injured and out for a
good many games. That is 3/5 of their
projected starting five when the season started. Add to the fact Kendrick Perkins was out for
a time as well and even though has come back, still looks not right. Al Jeff even missed some games the first
couple months. And the biggest injury
and toughest one to swallow – when Tony Allen went down for the season right at
a time when he was really stepping it up and playing the best basketball of his
career. Tony was ahead of the curve in
terms of developing and showing what he can bring to this team now and in the
future. So that was a huge loss and one
that really negatively affected the team and started the long losing
streak.
The young players who will be tied forever to this losing
streak really deserve better as they have not quit and are showing glimpses
each game what we can expect with a total healthy roster. It seems someone different steps up each
night with a solid game that raises our eyebrows as we look toward the
future. Al Jefferson has been an
automatic double-double every night and has displayed a nice repertoire of
offensive moves around the basket. Ryan
Gomes will always be that under-appreciated player every team needs who does
the dirty work that does not show in the stat lines, but by the end of the
night produces a decent stat line anyway. Delonte West has proven he is a tough competitor who plays hard every
second of the game and won’t back down from anything. His shot will only get more consistent with
more time. Rajon Rondo looks like a
keeper too. This kid can get anywhere he
wants to on the court with his ridiculous quickness and plays a pesky
defense. He just needs to work on his
midrange jumper and he could really dominate overall. Gerald Green has shown flashes here and
there, but the jury is still out on him what he is going to do in this league
long-term. Somehow I would like to see
the Celts hold onto these young players. Guys who have under-performed like Sebastian Telfair, Kendrick Perkins,
Brian Scalabrine, and Michael Olowokandi can take a hike as far as I’m concerned. Hold onto Leon Powe and Allen Ray also for
end of the bench guys.
But enough about the current roster. Let’s get back to this crossroads we find
ourselves at. At 12-35 and 35 games left
in the season, we currently have a firm hold on the second to worst record in
the NBA. Only Memphis at 12-37 is
worse. Meaning we are a full one game
behind them for that glorified bottom spot and 3 games ahead of Philly for that
second to last spot with Philly sporting a 16-33 record. So what to do here since the ping-pong balls
are never an exact science to fall your way to land that #1 or even a top 3
pick as nothing is guaranteed by any stretch. I believe I am in the majority now of just saying let the kids play,
develop in game scenarios and weather more bumps and bruises to better, more
experienced teams while still losing. Win one here and there, but overall let’s go for the best shot of
ping-pong balls we can get. Keep Pierce
out, let him rehab and get him fresh for next season. What do these last 35 games really mean
anyway now at this point?
The reasoning behind this thinking is because this college
draft class is deep and has a couple of, what everyone thinks to be, instant
franchise players to be won. 7 foot 280
lb freshman center Greg Oden of Ohio State and 6’ 9” 225 lb freshman combo
guard/forward Kevin Durant of Texas are the two prizes and potential franchise
players. Both seem like can’t
misses. And even though the rest of the
draft looks deep, the drop-off from these two does look substantial. So the Celts obviously want the #1 pick, but
even netting the #2 this year would look pretty sweet. So let’s further examine these two potential
studs.
Greg Oden is that classic big man every team wants to build
a team around for years to come. His
numbers this season so far are 15.3 points per game, 9.6 rebounds per game and
3.5 blocks per game to go along with a 62% field goal shooting percentage and
60% free throw shooting percentage. Now
wait, some people would look at these numbers and not be so impressed when
talking about a potential #1 pick in the draft. However, prior to the season starting, Oden injured his shooting hand
and probably should not have even played quite a few weeks into the season. Instead he has played through the pain and
has basically been playing with one hand. Shooting his free throws with his opposite left hand and overall still
not 100%. So imagine those above numbers
if the guy was completely healthy! Oden
is athletic for a 7 footer and the biggest thing he’ll bring to an NBA team
next year is his defensive presence. That 3.5 blocks per game stat jumps right out at you. The guy is a shot-blocker and when he doesn’t
get the block, those shots are altered and usually equate to a missed attempt
for the opposing team. He is a force
down low that the opposing team will need to adjust their offensive game-plan
to, as it will not be as easy as usual to drive to the hoop for layups. Oden is drawing comparisons to Shaq, Patrick
Ewing and even Bill Russell! He still
has a long way to go in terms of developing, especially on the offensive side
of the ball. But the sky is the limit
for this young center.
Kevin Durant is a completely different type of player. But also could be the main man a team builds
around as well. His numbers are 25.4
points per game, 11.6 rebounds per game, 1.9 blocks per game, 49% field goal
percentage, 81% free throw percentage and 40% 3-point percentage. Even as a freshman, Durant has been money and
playing like a sure-minded veteran. He’s
got mad skills all over the court. He is
already a complete player with a silky smooth style out there. In Big 12 conference games, he’s been scoring
34-37 a night. He can score down low,
either with his back to the basket or facing the basket. He can create his own shot anywhere on the
court off the dribble. He’s very
exciting to watch. He’s got the
consistent mid-range jumper along with also being able to step it back and knock
down the 3 ball. He can rebound and
block some shots. He’s the total package
on the offensive side of the court. Defensively he won’t be quite there yet in terms of the NBA, being that
he is a bit lanky and does need his body to develop more to take the day-in,
day-out grind of a full schedule NBA season. Durant is drawing comparisons to Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady and he
looks to be a real special player for some years to come.
So the next obvious question is if the Celtics do land that
#1 pick, which player do they take? And
as tough as that decision may seem and as much as I love watching Durant, I
think it’s an absolute no-brainer that you would have to go with the big guy in
the middle - Oden. True he may not be
NBA ready as much as Durant is at this time, but you cannot question the
uniqueness of having that presence down low in this day and age when true
centers with those shot-blocking abilities are few and far between. Players like Oden seem to only come along
once every ten years or so, and makes for the perfect guy to build a team
around being that it is much easier to find those talented complimentary
players at the rest of the positions. That true talented center is always the hardest to come by and this kid
looks like the real deal and worthy of that #1 pick. And whomever plays bridesmaid with that #2
pick receives a damn good consolation prize in Durant.
Oh, one small detail not mentioned and being forgotten
about by everyone. Oden and Durant could
still stay in school if they so choose. Ouch, now wouldn’t that throw a monkey wrench into all this scheming? Even so, at this point, the Celts have gotta
do what they gotta do and try to go for that top pick, and hope that luck of
the Irish can finally find its way back to Boston and this franchise and give
us that right combination of ping-pong balls for that #1 pick which we should
have gotten the year Tim Duncan came out. And as for the next 35 games, we can just hope our young kids with their
extended playing time garner more experience and develop even further playing
hard, but the all important end-factor – still lose the game. Tough to say and swallow for now, but it’s
for the greater good of the team and its future unfortunately. Go Celtics!
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