Celtics Central

After being incommunicado for about 10 days, I thought I’d catch up a little.

 A few big trades (Shaq to Cleveland, Vince Carter to Orlando, Mike Miller and Randy Foye to Washington) the draft, and much other rumored Celtic trade talks have transpired. But the Celtics are in about the same position they were before all the brouhaha.

Boston had Manny being Manny.

Is this Danny being Danny? In a word, yes.

As the season came to the end, no one thought that Ray Allen, Kendrick Perkins, and certainly not fan favorite Rajon Rondo, would be mentioned in trades just a few weeks later. Mind bending. But it is a good exercise in Danny being Danny.

In Frank Dell Appa’s recent article on the Globe’s website, Boston.com, Doc Rivers said….

“When you don’t win the title, people are looking at your team,’’ Rivers said. “They want to make a move, see if you will panic. A lot of teams were very aggressive toward us. I think Danny did his job. You’ve got to explore who has value and what you can get.

Media pundits were reporting that it was the Celtics themselves who were shopping high profile players to different teams. It depends on who you want to believe. Me? I think both things were happening.

There were too many rumors of Danny trying to get an early draft pick for it to be just other ‘teams getting aggressive’. He said that Tyreke Evans was his man in the draft – but the price was too high. Sacramento took his free advice and took Evans (instead of highly hyped Ricky Rubio) at number 4.

I think Danny was (and is) exploring Ray Allen options. This article by Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald illustrates Danny’s mindset well about an aging team of stars. Trade ‘em if you can, to keep the team truly competitive. It makes sense.

It’s just that no one saw it coming. Danny was looking at value now and later. We were looking at MLE signings, and veteran minimum pick ups. Danny looked a little further out.

Danny is playing politician now (and always), but I think he had a few moves in mind up his sleeves.

Danny and the Rondosore.
Rajon Rondo talk? It’s all about the money. I believe that Rondo’s name probably was mentioned in trade scenarios. But which side brought him up is an unknown right now.

One could reasonably believe that initial discussions about Rondo’s dollar value were broached between Rondo’s agent and the Celtics. Agents aim high. Money ball? How about hard ball? But it really began much earlier.

I was standing right there in the locker room early last season when the first inklings of posturing came from Rajon. When talk of his next contract was brought up, he would not commit to saying that the Celtics are his home and this is where he wants to be. Instead, phrases like, “It’s a business.” and the such were his eyebrow raising answers, even after multiple attempts by reporters to let him rephrase his answers. To be sure, the NBA is indeed a business.

Rondo-gate ?
Make no mistake, Doc and Danny are both very media savvy. Critical player comments are not spoken ‘off the cuff’. If mentioned publicly, solicited or not, rest assured, there is a reason. So…if you can’t understand a situation, look for the money angle. It’s about the money.

Cedric Maxwell just recently said that Rondo’s camp is looking for something along the lines of $10 mil a year. I’d feel better if a long term deal started at about $7-8 mil for the Celtics’ prodigy. But it renders mute any talk about a max contract – which Rondo is not worth at this point in time, IMO.

While Danny and Doc riled up Celtic Nation, they first wanted to get a few things laid out publicly, if Rondo’s agent was going to hard ball them towards a max contract, in my opinion. Take that, Bill Duffy. The message was sent, so now Danny’s playing politician the other way. Nicely done by the Celtic President of Basketball Operations

More Expansive Thought About the Roster
Referring to Danny’s well publicized comments about trading Larry Bird or Kevin McHale as they moved past their primes….I remember those Celtic teams.

They were too old and not athletic enough, nor energetic enough. The starting five carried them but would get tired and outplayed by inferior talent in the fourth quarters. Lesser teams, but younger teams, or teams with better depth would overtake these superior studs simply because they were drained in final quarters. I think they were last, or close to last, in creating turnovers one particular year.

Current Celtic bench problems are well documented. The stars are getting older.

While we all know that this starting five could match up against any in the league, including the Lakers, the bench was inconsistent for most of last year. It disappeared almost completely in the playoffs.

In the words of Winston Churchill…”Never has so much been done, by so few, for so many.”

In the end, they were outmanned and worn down, though they will not admit it openly. And I am dearly hoping that it was Ray Allen’s hamstring issues that impacted his shooting woes in major way. Not that having a hurting hamstring is a good thing. But it would help to explain his wildly inconsistent shooting. As the playoffs continued, he didn’t even square up well on many open shots, a sure sign that something was wrong.

While Danny appears to have explored and probed for potentially more monumental changes, his current focus has moved on to free agency now, at least publicly.

And I’ll look at that next. Marquis Daniels is now in play, as Indiana decided not to pick up his option. Bruce Bowen may be available soon, as well. Either player could help.

Welcome to the new blog site everyone!

Thanks for your patience. A bit later than I thought but, as promised, here is part two of Bill Russell’s new book on his lifelong friendship with Red Auerbach.

And…

 “In our profession, we were both passionate, driven, and single minded. Away from it, we were standoffish by nature, not terrifically sociable. Neither of us bonded easily with others.”

More surprising…

 

“During our fifty years of relationship, we didn’t know much about each other’s private lives. We never discussed anything we didn’t want the other to know……………….He didn’t tell me how his parents raised him in New York, and there were plenty of things about how I grew up I never shared with him. Neither of us knew if the other was a Republican or a Democrat. I didn’t know if he went to synagogue, and he didn’t know if I went to church.”

 

Bill went on to say that Red was his first coach to recognize his passing skills. In fact, Bill said that his previous coaches really didn’t know how to coach him at all. Red was a great listener and constantly asked his players’ opinions. That was unheard of in those days.

Russell shares many practice time and game anecdotes. Each is used to illustrate a particular point. You get a good feel for the Celtic’s unique camaraderie and sense of family, as well as the plusses of playing for owner Walter Brown and negatives of the times.

He tells of the time he had to protect from Red from Wilt Chamberlain, many instances of racial prejudice, especially in the south, and of how Red never expected Bill or other black Celtic player to compromise his integrity.

Completely unvarnished heresy today, Red never scouted his opponents. His reasoning, not unlike the famous college coach, John Wooden was “F-em! Let them worry about what we’re doing!” (Direct quote)

That is not to say that Red didn’t know his opponents. He did. He was a tremendous observer of players’ tendencies – his own and the other team’s.

Talk about tailoring your coaching to your players, this next bit of information will astound most everyone who reads it. Perhaps it will also cast Allen Iverson in a somewhat different light….

In Russell’s 2^nd year, Red instituted the 2 minute rest at the end of the first period for Russell, giving Bill 5 minutes of rest. He would then play ‘just’ 46 minutes a game.

Red, Bill, and Bill’s team mates all knew that Russell’s practice rests and lengthy time off would make life easier for all of them come game time. And it did.

I never knew that happened until I read this book. I wonder how players today would view that. The answer is in the results and the special person who it was granted. I can’t see any arguments, but I might be wrong.

One thing Bill shared early on, was that his father brought him up to believe that you give more than you are paid for. If they pay $2 an hour, give them $3 an hour, then you will always be valued and you will always be in control of your own life.

Bill Russell did just that and literally controlled the game of basketball, as well as his own life through that simple concept. Basketball fans, Celtic fans especially, are blessed by that. Bill Russell strove from early to always to be the very best player on the court, and he usually was.

Red Auerbach, the man who allowed Bill to be Bill and became Bill’s special coach and even more, his special friend, is gone for a few years already. We are left with just one half of that unique combination.

Let us bask in the years that are left with basketball’s most revolutionary player and Boston’s remaining icon to a time that defies credulity in many ways. Enjoy the man that is Bill Russell through his intimate thoughts shared here in this book.

(Revised)

Bill Russell, basketball giant, revolutionary, cultural icon, and apparent introvert, has always remained somewhat of a mystery. He reveals why in this book. Simply…he is a most private person, and could even be considered a loner. But that would only be partially correct.

In reading this book, Bill Russell reveals himself as he understands himself. He was honest about things (suspiciousness of white people born of blatant racism and less blatant prejudice) both positive and negative.

His very normal human reactions blended with the more idiosyncratic tendencies of a painfully private person appeared to form a stark contrast with the man who accomplished mind boggling success in his career.

I came to the conclusion that, in fact, it is those extreme idiosyncracies that drove Bill Russell to be so very unique. There is no other way to connect the two parts of the man.

Meet young Bill Russell….

“One of my innovations was the blocked shot, which revolutionized how defense could be played. People still ask me today, “Who taught you how to do that?” Well, nobody! I had never seen a blocked shot in a basketball game before I did it! I estimated that, in college, I averaged at least fifteen blocks a game. Often, I started fast breaks off those blocks, which revolutionized the way offense could be played.”

Bill Russell’s new book is called ‘Red and Me’. It was co-authored with Alan Steinberg. Still, it reads close to how Bill Russell might actually talk.

It is a great read. Whether you grew up watching Russell and the Celtics make history or you are a student and lover of the game, you will enjoy it.

With Father’s Day coming up, it’s time for a special break from the current NBA. What a great Father’s Day gift. (No. I’m not getting paid to endorse it.)

It is full of Celtic gold. But more than that, it gives you insight into two very interesting men and icons of the game. They are undoubtably the first two and biggest faces on the Celtics’ own Mt. Rushmore. In this tribute to his deceased friend, Mr. Russell reveals how much the two of them were alike.

He takes you on an abbreviated journey (only 170 something pages) through his life up, right up to Red’s death. It’s sprinkled with some previously private thoughts and experiences. A man who hasn’t liked to share very much with the public world does so here, in order to honor Red. Personal loyalty overcomes his natural inclinations to do so.

Over the next few days, I’ll share with you a few snippets.

Bill begins with his own childhood in order to explain the values and mindset he grew up with and shaped him as a young man. His sense of dignity and unfailing determination to be treated like a man, not as a black man, came from his grandfather and far more from his father (who he called Mister Charlie). But I’ll leave those stories for you to read in the book.

As amazing as it seems today, Red never saw Bill play before he drafted him. There weren’t scouts and game films then. He went on the advice of two people, Bill Reinhart, (Red’s former college coach) and a former Celtic player (Don Barksdale -who lived in Oakland). They both told Red that this was the guy who will win you championships. Red ‘tracked’ Bill’s senior year at San Francisco.

Red saw within a week of Russell’s arrival with the Celtics…

” that despite all the accepted wisdom about how a center should play, I did not play that way. I was going to be the dominant force in professional basketball, and we both knew that.

Red had been an offensive-minded coach. Most similar coaches would have tried to shape me to their offensive scheme, and force me to play the way previous centers played in that scheme.

Red didn’t do that. Instead of clinging to a fixed strategy, as he learned more about my game he made adjustments in his approach to accommodate my strengths, in particular.”

The dynamics between Red and Bill and Red and his players generally is enlightening….

It was funny, though, Red’s public image was that he was so domineering, he made Vince Lombardi seem like a choirboy. But he wasn’t like that.

When he talked to us about game strategies, he used to tell us in the huddle, “I don’t know everything. I can’t put this stuff on the floor for you. You guys have to do that. What do you think? It’s important to know what you what you guys think because it’s no good if it’s a strategy you don’t buy into.”

To me, that was a novel approach. Back then, coaches never admitted that – it was always the players that didn’t know something. Second, asking us what we think? Unheard of.

There is nugget after nugget as their stories unfold. Mr. Russell’s desire to focus on the human aspects elevates the book to a higher level. Though it has game and locker room anecdotes, it goes far beyond that.

You walk away knowing both men better, and in ways I never expected. Did you know that Bill Russell never practiced?

Buy it. Read it.

I must first say this exercise in looking at potential free agents for the Celtics is pure conjecture to begin with.

Most of the players that I have mentioned in my previous article came from strictly from looking over the available free agents.

Other than Antonio McDyess, who we all know that Danny has liked for a while, the rest are merely for conversation sake. I have no indication at all that the Celtics are interested in any of them.

But after looking over the boards and seeing a dichotomy of opinion on one player in particular, Jamario Moon, I decided to contact someone who might know a bit more than the average fan.

After a discussion with a professional, veteran NBA source who has observed Moon a lot, I will reduce and reframe my expectations and understanding of Jamario Moon. I originally wrote this about Moon:

SF: Jamario Moon – An active, long defender. He needs more discipline and would get that with the Celtics. He always defended Pierce pretty well in Toronto, and shoots the three-ball. Not nearly as clever or tough as Posey but….Posey-light? Has the length Danny likes. I like him.

Due to the candid nature of the conversation, my source will, of course, remain anonymous.

What is your take on Jamario Moon?

He’s an athletic three, who does nothing particularly well, but can defend a little, hit a three point shot every now and then.

That is a lower opening appraisal than I hoped for. But that is why I was checking for more knowledgeable information than I had previously to make an opinion. I don’t necessarily agree with everything he says, such as the following….

It’s sort of like what you guys had with Gerald Green a little and what the Heat have with Dorel Wright. He’s an athlete, but is he a basketball player?

I would say that Moon has already accomplished far more than either of those players. Granted he is older, too. But I get his drift. The feeling is that Moon relies on his athleticism but does not really play the whole game well.

To paraphrase…. Moon is a poor positional defender and counts on his speed and fantastic leaping ability to make up lost ground when he gets beat by his man. He will often catch up to his man at the rim, but that is too late, as the center has already had leave his own man to commit to help on Moon’s player.

I told him that I saw Moon playing some solid defense on Paul Pierce when the Celtics played the Raptors. Response….

Yeah, he can guard Paul Pierce or if you put him on a Paul Pierce or he becomes the Celtics’ stopper, he’s also going to get a bunch of fouls.

Guys like that are guys that are fine if they’re coming off the bench, like Pietrus for Orlando, and you accept the fact that he might get three quick fouls because, you’re just not going to stop anyone one-on-one.

I think his defensive stopper-ism is a tad over rated. I think that’s who people really want him to be. But I think he’s not as positionally intelligent as like a Bruce Bowen….who has broken down individual defense to more like a science.

He went on to say that….

But probably half the people you talk to will tell you , “Don’t kid yourself. You can’t guard anyone one-on-one these days.”

Again, mostly true. But there are times when a rare few players do a pretty good job of defending one-on-one with the Pierces, Kobes and LeBrons of the league.

What if he came to a strong team like Boston?

If he is not going to be a starter, and he is going to be a 17 minutes a game guy…just like James Posey can guard 3/4s for example…..he can guard 2/3s. Just like James (Posey) can hit the corner three when you need it, you know, Jamario…not as high a percentage, he doesn’t have the big game experience…could hit three also.

But he’s not even a 6th man. He’s more like a 7th, 8th or 9th man. He’s not the guy that is going to come off the bench who will energize your guys either way. He’s not a big steals guy. He’s not a pure shot blocker defensively.

He’s a guy who’ll come off the bench and buy time for you.

In some ways that is all the team needs, if they can get him for short money. But it sounds like he would not be that good on defense on LeBron or Kobe. Would Kobe or Lebron eat him up?

They would eat him up, but what he would do is, he would keep Paul out of foul trouble. You could throw him on LeBron for 15 minutes a game and he would get some fouls. But he would make LeBron exert energy, which is what you want.

So there might be times when the Celtics can go small, let’s say when Cleveland goes small, where you could have him and Pierce on the court at the same time, and use Jamario against LeBron.

If he gets fouls, so what, at least Paul’s not getting the fouls, and you still have Paul’s offense out there. That’s what he is. He’s not the kind of guy you’re going to worry if he gets 2 quick fouls or 3 quick fouls. It doesn’t matter.

He’s not the kind of guy…the difference between him and Posey is that he’s not an end-of-game guy….. Even if the fouls aren’t bad, I think Doc would put Paul on him (LeBron) anyway, the way that Paul’s upgraded his defense…as long as Paul’s not in foul trouble and in danger of getting his 5th or 6th foul.

He didn’t see teams being overly successful with Moon on the floor at crunch time. He went on to say that players that play defense like Moon drive positional defensive coaches crazy.

That right there gives me pause. If Tom Thibodeau comes back, and even if he doesn’t, Doc Rivers would not allow a player to freelance or play undisciplined and ‘catch up’ defense out there. That is why the Cs have even gotten upset at Rondo for playing defense the very same way at times.

The one thing they are, Celtics might be as positional (on defense) as any team in the NBA.

That is true. But I might add that they are short on length and athleticism and that is missed quite a bit at times in games, as well.

What they need is an ‘athlete’ who knows the fundamentals of the game, too.

He says that you don’t need to be an athlete to be a good defender and used Bruce Bowen as an example….

The question is whether his basketball IQ is up there. Certain guys understand tactically what to do. Their footwork is spectacular. They know when a player goes left, to play him to the left. Bruce is positioning and angles, and that’s what people don’t understand. They go for (the fact) that Bruce is not a good athlete at all. But he knows what to do.

He even used Brain Scalabrine as an exemple…

(Many) thought Mikki Moore was a great pick-up right? He is a 7 footer. He’s long. He’s better than Scalabrine. But at the end of year, Brian Scalabrine, who is not really atheltic, he still fit that defensive system better than Mikki Moore did.

Of course Trevor Ariza’s name came up…..

He (Moon) is an athlete. But is he an athlete who can ever be transformed into something a little more? You know, Trevor Ariza’s come around so, obviously there is hope for everyone.

But for every Trevor Ariza who has turned his athleticism into a polished NBA player, there are 10 guys who just end up as journeymen their entire careers.

(Chuckling) Yeah, that is a good illustration. To be honest I always liked Ariza. I thought if you put him in the right situation…….

Exactly. And you put him in the triangle on offense and you get him positionally where he needs to be on defense and you can make something out of him. Maybe Jamario will find that.

So, my idea of Jamario Moon becoming a ‘Posey-light’ appears to be on the hopeful side. Yet, he could be a long shot as a Trevor Ariza type if he would acquire the discipline necessary to make that jump.

My source did not seem optimistic that would happen.

Bear in mind that even the smartest, most knowledgeable minds in the NBA will disagree on players and their potential. So I leave the door open that he may be wrong about Moon. Then again, he may not.

So I will defer. Based on that appraisal, Moon more likely appears to be a low cost pick up for deeper off the bench. In a pinch that will do, but that isn’t really what the Celtics need right now.

Danny has a tough job this summer.