Stock Up, Stock Down

by Jeff Clark on Oct 23, 2008 7:54 AM EDT in Boston Celtics Articles

Preseason is over and we are waiting for the Banner ceremony and presentation of the rings and a nice little matchup with the Cleveland LeBrons. So it seems like a good time to roll out a formulaic post taking stock of the team after preseason. We had a lot of questions coming into camp (see a full list here). Here are some answers:

Bull Market (Stock Up)

Tony Allen - We knew he could play defense and he has shown flashes of brilliance in the past. Well he flashed some more of that promise this preseason, averaging 11.8 points per game including 25 points against the Cavs and another 32 against the Nets a few days later. He was still up and down and a bit turnover prone, but it looks like he is at least past the psychological issues related to his knee and should be able to provide the occasional spark off the bench.
Gabe Pruitt - He was the invisible man last year, so we didn't know much, if anything, about him. He had a solid camp and filled in exceptionally well when Rondo missed the last couple of games with a turned ankle. He showed poise and shooting stroke and may soon be ready for an expanded role on the team as Cassell makes the slow transition to assistant coach.
Eddie House - We were wondering where the scoring might come from off the bench this year, but wonder no more. Eddie has the quickest release in the known universe and had no problem leading the team in scoring in the preseason, mostly playing with the second unit. He'll never be a true point, but he can score in bunches.

More after the break.

Volatile Market (Up and Down)

Bill Walker - He is still just a rookie and trailed off after a quick start, but that quick start made him a fan favorite and made him some early enemies around the league. He may start the season inactive, but I doubt he'll finish the year that way.
Patrick O'Bryant - My expectations for him were low and he exceeded them early. In particular he excelled filling in for Perkins playing a lot with the first unit. He was less effective in fewer minutes and playing with the bench, but there's enough talent there to be much more comfortable with the backup 5 position than I was headed into camp.
Glen Davis - Started off poorly, was called out by the coach publicly, and responded with a few good efforts. Basically par for the course for Big Baby thus far. He needs to be more consistent if he's going to push Leon Powe for more minutes.

Bear Market (Stock Down)

Darius Miles - He was a longshot to begin with, but few could forget the fact that he was once a B-list star in the league and had a lot of promise before his injuries. He was a great comeback story and appeared to have the right attitude. He just didn't have the game to stick on a Championship squad with one too few roster spots available.
JR Giddens - Rookies aren't expected to show much in their first preseason, but we would have liked to have seen a little something from him. He barely even played, logging a team low 7.5 minutes per game. Not a good sign. Next stop: D-League.
Brian Scalabrine - With the rookies playing like rookies and Miles playing himself out of a job, you would think that we could at least see some solid-if-unspectacular play from the veteran Air Fundamentals. Not so much. The little time he got on the floor was painful to watch and only reinforced his spot on the inactive saving-this-salary-for-trade list.

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Comments

where’s the love for Powe pimpin it?

by crownsy on Oct 23, 2008 8:19 AM EDT reply actions

Powe has the honor of being lumped in with the starters and guys I’m not worried about in the least

by Jeff Clark on Oct 23, 2008 8:26 AM EDT reply actions

I think Eddie is at the top of this class. Maybe its his experience, maybe its his shot, but he’s looking to be a bigger part of the team this year than last. Could he have a bigger impact as a 2 than a 1? Possibly.

by GreenBalls on Oct 23, 2008 9:05 AM EDT reply actions

I would have like to see Perks name some where between Bull Market and Volatile Market. Why? I feel Perk should be doing a little bite more. I haven’t seen the steady upward progress in Perk as I’ve seen in Leon Powe. Maybe Perk is what he is as a player in the league. I just always find myself wanting more from Perk. Grant to a man nobody works harder then Perk. He puts in the time and he wants to be great. But that hasn’t manifested itself on the basketball court on a night to night bases. I don’t know, how does everyone feel when it comes to Perk?

by CT34 on Oct 23, 2008 9:12 AM EDT reply actions

Nice read, as always. I’d put POB in the “stock up” category. I thought he’d stink, and he doesn’t. TA looks like the same old inconsistent TA to me: stock unchanged. Otherwise I agree.

by Eeyore III on Oct 23, 2008 9:37 AM EDT reply actions

would you call Scal a $3 million Sub Prime Mortgage? Liked it Jeff

by Master Po on Oct 23, 2008 9:40 AM EDT reply actions

I agree with CT34 about Perk.

by richtrader on Oct 23, 2008 9:42 AM EDT reply actions

1. I think Perk gets a pass for starting camp late.

2. I think I was in a hurry to get this up, and if I had more time I would have peppered it with Financial Crisis analogies. Maybe that would have been better, or maybe you all were saved having to read bad humor – the world will never know.

by Jeff Clark on Oct 23, 2008 10:02 AM EDT reply actions

I think with the way Pruit has stepped up we’ll see House playing a lot of 2 and tony playing the 3 spot.

by rjstaines on Oct 23, 2008 10:21 AM EDT reply actions

I think Perk will never be an All Star but he’s an above average defensive center. Would I like to see more consistent play from him? Yes, especially on the offensive end but really his role is to fill the lane defensively, box out, and make people adjust their shot. Also, if he continues to play Bynum better than anyone in the league then Mr. Perk should be a lifer Celtic.

by The Real Large James on Oct 23, 2008 10:44 AM EDT reply actions

I have loved what Eddie has done this preseason, who hasn’t? But I would caution that it is a bit premature to assign him leading scorer off the bench status. Eddie does one thing offensively, and one thing only, shoot jumpshots, especially from long range. As hot as he has been, hitting the jumper can come and go, and going cold from outside, when it is all you rely on, can send things in the direction of the other team in a hurry.

Long shots that are missed are hard to offensive rebound, and provide fast break opportunities for the opposition. If the ball is swung to Eddie, he is going to pull the trigger. When it goes in, it is a thing of beauty, but if it is off, as it will surely be sometimes, it can kill an offense with quick shots, and if there are no other threats, its one-dimensional nature is quickly exposed. Eddie will need an effective Tony slashing and Leon posting up to really be a benefit. Looking for him to be the top scorer off the bench is a dicey proposition and not something that should be counted on from strictly a jump shooter, no matter how effective.

by KJ33 on Oct 23, 2008 11:46 AM EDT reply actions

The person that interest me the most going into the start of the season is Perk. I want to see if he got rid of that crab dribble that he has done for the past 4 years. I want to see if he is going to be more of a low post threat. The reason why teams beat us last season including the play-offs had a lot to do with the Cs not having a low post scorer. I can remember during the ATL and the Piston series where Perk give us some inside scoring and the game really become easy for the team on the offensive end.

I thought last season the team was pretty much a jump shooting team. If Perk is going to be the starting Center I would like to see more from him. He has shown it but not on a night in and night out bases.

by CT34 on Oct 23, 2008 12:45 PM EDT reply actions

Lets give Perk a little while to get his groove back after all the shoulder drama. He showed some great stuff in the playoffs last year. When I think back on our home/away record in the playoffs last season, I think that speaks to the influence of our younger guys. The big 3 were consistent home and away but it was guys like Perk, Rondo and Powe who played so much better at home. I know that Perk has been in the league for a little while now, but he started young and I still think of him as a youngster. Keeping his eyes open he gets a lot of emphatic dunks from KG double teams and when his hook has enough arc in it I start to daydream about where this offense can go. Defensively, of course, he is a beast. Maybe POB will push Perk a little in the ‘O’ department.

by GreenBalls on Oct 23, 2008 12:54 PM EDT reply actions

tony is the big question mark for me. if he can be consistent even when he does not get the big minutes, he is a gold mine. he has not proved that as yet.

by nazzbo on Oct 23, 2008 1:06 PM EDT reply actions

if he continues to play Bynum better than anyone in the league then Mr. Perk should be a lifer Celtic – The Real Large James

I reckon there is a very good chance that Perk will be a Celtic for life, including starting centre for life. But it will depend on what happens when the team goes into the next phase after the Big-3 retire.

If Perk continues as is, regardless of stats he will probably have an All-Star game or 2. If Jamaal Magliore, Dale Davis and Theo Ratliff can make the All-Star game then Perk definitely can.

Don’t forget he is only 23…

by patterson.adam on Oct 23, 2008 1:35 PM EDT reply actions

I’d put Pruitt in the mixed results bag – he turned the ball over a lot and had a terrible shooting percentage. He’s a Danny pet-2nd-rounder, so he’ll stick around (also, he’s a better option than the hated Sam-I-Am), but PG remains a semi-weak spot on this team, particularly if Rondo shows the same reluctance/inability to shoot as he did in the playoffs.

All in all, though, a fairly solid preseason. We’re going to miss Posey’s locker room presence more than people realize, but we’re also getting substantive contributions from 2nd-3rd year pros and 2nd round draft picks, moreso than any other team in the league. I can’t see this team repeating, but they’ll be in the mix.

by Bob Dylan on Oct 23, 2008 2:14 PM EDT reply actions

No love for BBD? Newsflash: BBD is the best one-on-one post defender on the team after Garnett. Outstanding technique.

BBD’s issue is getting his shot off in traffic. He still hasn’t learned how to clear space, which is odd given his girth. Powe, in contrast, has a very nice bag of tricks.

Remember that Powe is really 6-10 because of those insanely long arms. That’s why he gets his shot off so easily against “taller” players. Havlicek and Tom Sanders also had very long arms, which is a major reason why both of them played so much bigger than their listed heights.

I would say that everyone’s stock went up, with the exception of Scalabrine and Cassell (who didn’t play). Even Miles showed flashes.

by Brickowski on Oct 23, 2008 4:48 PM EDT reply actions

O’Bryant, I agree w Eeyore, has to be a rising stock. He’s behind Leon and Big Baby and he should be but he’s no stiff.

Pruitt’s not a finished NBA PG but he plays NBA defense and hits the 3 so I think he’s a rising stock.

Leon looks better. Rising stock.

Eddie looks better. Rising stock.

Tony Allen. Hold. Don’t sell, don’t buy more.

Walker. I missed his moments of contribution. Didn’t see much from him but I’ll take everyone’s word on him as a rising stock.

Scalabrine. I’ve got stocks like that. Have lost too much value to sell. Forget about him and maybe, just maybe, he gets a few good games in a row in Dec and becomes the player Danny thought he was getting. He’s not Lehman stock, more like AIG.

by Wildblu1 on Oct 23, 2008 4:52 PM EDT reply actions