Spleen
02-21-2010, 02:11 PM
Without a doubt most came into this season with aspirations of watching another banner being raised in June. We had acquired Wallace and Daniels to address bench needs at the 4/5 and a heady swingman to give Paul and Ray some extended breathers and even play some at the point. There was little to discourage our optimism when we jumped out to a quick start, and Wallace was draining them from outside as well. There even was talk of 72 wins. In December the team was 23 - 5 and it looked like we were on our way to the best record and another title.
Much has changed since then. It wasn't any one thing like Garnett neediing some time off to deal with knee and leg issues and not looking like his old self when he was playing, or Daniels being out 29 games with thumb surgery or Big Belly missing most of the first 2 months. Steady Eddie wasn't as steady as he had been in the past and though he's always been a streaky shooter, his droughts were more prolonged and streaks were not as robust. In addition, he had lost a step which didn't bode well for someone already defensively challenged. Ray Allen was not the same Ray who had always been such a dead eye from the perimeter, his numbers were approaching all time lows, and he didn't look like he was able to offer much defense, which had never been a strong point. Even Pierce has not been the same player, and has had several nagging injuries of which he is currently sporting a banged up thumb, knee, and foot and it has been affecting him more than he would like to admit. He rarely looks like the Paul of old capable of putting the team on his back in the fourth quarter, rather he looks much like the warrior running back who is nearing 30 and all of the hits and bruises are taking their toll and he can no longer get as quick a first step or get that extra lift needed to get the ball away in traffic. The team has played spotty defense, one of the first things to go when fatigued and hurting.
This is not meant to be a doom and gloom diatribe, rather it is a look at our team as currently constructed. This certainly isn't what anyone wanted, but we all knew that it was a narrow window when Danny compiled the present Big Three. And all of those miles and nagging injuries can turn future hall-of-famers into mere mortals. The hope was that Wallace would provide a huge lift off the bench and be a ready replacement at the 4/5 whenever needed, and though he hasn't been terrible, he also hasn't come close to expectations. He's turned into Raef LaFrentz with his hanging out at the three-point line and then producing at less than 30% from out there, though one also gets few bruises out there. Daniels contributions add up to an incomplete because of all of the time that he's missed. That second unit that was hoped to be able to stay on the floor and challenge and extend the lead and give the starters respite also hasn't worked as planned.
Winning championships takes many factors of talent, chemistry, and a measure of good old fashioned luck that everyone performs well and that they stay healthy. The Celtics of the 80's won their third and last title in 1986 and in June 1986 Larry Bird was 29, Kevin McHale was 28, and Robert Parish was 32. They won a lot of games over the next few years, but kept falling short and eventually faded into oblivion.
The trade that didn't happen that I wanted to see would have been bringing Butler and Haywood to Boston and whatever fillers needed to make the money work for Ray. Butler can play the 2/3 and Haywood would have been a great addition at the 5 spot who could easily have stepped in and started if Perk went down or got into early foul trouble. All of this is now just wishful thinking, and though the Celtics will win 50-something, they have little chance of getting to the Finals. Danny should have bit the bullet and pulled the trigger on a deal to move Ray (and others) in order to enhance the future, but he didn't because he still believes we have a good chance to win this year. What else can he believe at this point, he's heavily invested into this as he built the team? I'd place the odds of this happening at no better than 25%.
Much has changed since then. It wasn't any one thing like Garnett neediing some time off to deal with knee and leg issues and not looking like his old self when he was playing, or Daniels being out 29 games with thumb surgery or Big Belly missing most of the first 2 months. Steady Eddie wasn't as steady as he had been in the past and though he's always been a streaky shooter, his droughts were more prolonged and streaks were not as robust. In addition, he had lost a step which didn't bode well for someone already defensively challenged. Ray Allen was not the same Ray who had always been such a dead eye from the perimeter, his numbers were approaching all time lows, and he didn't look like he was able to offer much defense, which had never been a strong point. Even Pierce has not been the same player, and has had several nagging injuries of which he is currently sporting a banged up thumb, knee, and foot and it has been affecting him more than he would like to admit. He rarely looks like the Paul of old capable of putting the team on his back in the fourth quarter, rather he looks much like the warrior running back who is nearing 30 and all of the hits and bruises are taking their toll and he can no longer get as quick a first step or get that extra lift needed to get the ball away in traffic. The team has played spotty defense, one of the first things to go when fatigued and hurting.
This is not meant to be a doom and gloom diatribe, rather it is a look at our team as currently constructed. This certainly isn't what anyone wanted, but we all knew that it was a narrow window when Danny compiled the present Big Three. And all of those miles and nagging injuries can turn future hall-of-famers into mere mortals. The hope was that Wallace would provide a huge lift off the bench and be a ready replacement at the 4/5 whenever needed, and though he hasn't been terrible, he also hasn't come close to expectations. He's turned into Raef LaFrentz with his hanging out at the three-point line and then producing at less than 30% from out there, though one also gets few bruises out there. Daniels contributions add up to an incomplete because of all of the time that he's missed. That second unit that was hoped to be able to stay on the floor and challenge and extend the lead and give the starters respite also hasn't worked as planned.
Winning championships takes many factors of talent, chemistry, and a measure of good old fashioned luck that everyone performs well and that they stay healthy. The Celtics of the 80's won their third and last title in 1986 and in June 1986 Larry Bird was 29, Kevin McHale was 28, and Robert Parish was 32. They won a lot of games over the next few years, but kept falling short and eventually faded into oblivion.
The trade that didn't happen that I wanted to see would have been bringing Butler and Haywood to Boston and whatever fillers needed to make the money work for Ray. Butler can play the 2/3 and Haywood would have been a great addition at the 5 spot who could easily have stepped in and started if Perk went down or got into early foul trouble. All of this is now just wishful thinking, and though the Celtics will win 50-something, they have little chance of getting to the Finals. Danny should have bit the bullet and pulled the trigger on a deal to move Ray (and others) in order to enhance the future, but he didn't because he still believes we have a good chance to win this year. What else can he believe at this point, he's heavily invested into this as he built the team? I'd place the odds of this happening at no better than 25%.