Cassell Struggling With Ubuntu

by Jeff Clark on May 26, 2008 6:01 PM EDT in Boston Celtics News & Links

Sounds like Sam is frustrated with his playing time.

"It’s very frustrating," Cassell said yesterday when asked if the lack of playing time was difficult to deal with.
"This is my first year (in the NBA) that I sat out in a playoff game," Cassell said. "I didn’t get any playing time in four games. That’s my first time ever. It boggles not just me but anyone around, like, ‘Why’s he not playing?’ I’m not discouraged, but it’s tough, ain’t no lie. It was tough because I know I can play.
"All of this is brand new for me. I’ve never been in this situation before. I understand (it), and it’s a role that it takes time to get comfortable with. I’m not complaining about it, but it just takes time to get comfortable in the role."

This should be a surprise to nobody but fans in the forums don't seem that happy about it. When Eddie was racking up the DNP-CD's, he was of a similar mindset and said so. It's just that Eddie was with the team since day one and Sam is a new guy in the locker room. It doesn't help that Sam is a motor mouth, so the flood of words only makes his less-than-desirable comments seem that much worse.

Amusingly, it seems the Paul Pierce had enough of Sam's shoot-first mentality and was "openly chastising him on the floor." You can see the video of it at Odenized.com. (hat tip Red's Army)

I was a big supporter of bringing in Sam from day one, but I admit the guy has his faults. His mouth will never stop running and he'll never stop gunning. That's what you get with the guy. You just hope that his positives (experience mainly) outweigh the negatives. He played a positive role for a while in the last game (interestingly, right after Paul spoke with him). I still think he'll be a positive factor in the future. And if he isn't, there's always the bench, whether he likes it or not.

Related link: Hoops Addict talks about the Celtics success despite "shaky point guard play."

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Loved Pierce getting on his face… other than that, I think too many people are making a big deal out of nothing with the quotes of the article. In fact, I love that he has that mind set… anything less and I would’ve thought he was weak, and I don’t want weak people in here.

by BudweiserCeltic on May 26, 2008 6:08 PM EDT reply actions

Pierce finished by saying, “Do your job,” after the “run the play.”
You Got to love Paul’s leadership. He’s a great guy to have on your team. His character is really starting to show. Everyone that knows him says he’s smart and funny. No question his BBIQ is very high.

by heyjohnny on May 26, 2008 6:12 PM EDT reply actions

I tend to agree – the only reason Eddie House was able to come in and hit some big threes in the last series is because he is borderline cocky and couldn’t understand why he was sitting

by Jeff Clark on May 26, 2008 6:14 PM EDT reply actions

I agree heyjohnny… I’ve never bought the “Pierce is no leader” crap. I never know where that started because I doubt many of the people that make that claim have actually scene how these players behave in the locker room. So much happens behind closed doors that I have always found it silly when people start to make claims like this. It’s Pierce who does all the talking before stepping into the floor, and in one of those videos that they show the coaches before the 3rd quarter talking to the team in the locker room, it was Pierce in one of them talking to the team. He’s a leader.

by BudweiserCeltic on May 26, 2008 6:16 PM EDT reply actions

I can understand his frustration, but I can also understand the people who don`t like his style of play.

I thought we got him here for exactly these games against Detroit, so I have to wonder why he got no time on the floor. I thought he could have helped in the fourth quarter of game 3 against DetroitÂ´s pressure. I can understand that he wants to play, especially with Rondo struggling.

Maybe it`s because Chauncey`s handicapped, and Doc doesn`t like the idea of Sam vs Stuckey. Maybe Doc wanted to make a statement that Rondo is the starting PG, no matter what.

Anyway, we won, so thereÂ´s nothing to criticize.

Bad luck, Sam.

by Casperian on May 26, 2008 6:16 PM EDT reply actions

Wow, a ton of spelling errors above… sorry for that.

I’ll just add, the real Ubuntu Killer are the media and the fans. Let’s stop whining, and let’s support our guys wether we like them or not.

by BudweiserCeltic on May 26, 2008 6:18 PM EDT reply actions

Wow, a ton of spelling errors above… sorry for that.

I’ll just add, the real Ubuntu Killer are the media and the fans. Let’s stop whining, and let’s support our guys wether we like them or not.

Yupp, ditto. ItÂ´s late at night here, please forgive me^^

by Casperian on May 26, 2008 6:36 PM EDT reply actions

Sam is better in a half court game. House is better when the tempo is faster. Neither one of them can guard Stuckey. So Rondo needs to rest when Billups is on the floor. Either Sam or House has to guard Billups. But that is not the chore it normally is because Billups’ hammy is bothering him. The Cs play better vs Detroit when they push the pace and get hoops in transition. If they walk it up, it plays into the Pistons’ hands.

by Greg37 on May 26, 2008 7:25 PM EDT reply actions

Does Sam get in Pierce’s face when Pierce gets up in the air with absolutely no place to go and makes a ridiculous pass that
leads to an opposition basket?

by Greg37 on May 26, 2008 7:27 PM EDT reply actions

How much playing time does Sam think he’d get on May 26th in a Clipper uniform?

by mcpu40 on May 26, 2008 8:54 PM EDT reply actions

hes slow, kills the pace of the game, cant dribble anymore, and cant make shots on the road. what the hell does he expect. on top of that, hes mostly a liability on defense…the guy just flat out sucks now.

by gtiracer06 on May 26, 2008 10:57 PM EDT reply actions