Boston Herald mid-season report card on the celtics.

Some high or low lights - listed in order of Grade by Herald

RAJON RONDO - A

(14.3 PPG, 9.7 APG, 4.4 RPG, 2.5 SPG)

No one doubts his All-Star credentials. If anything, Rondo has proven that theCeltics [team stats] got an incredible bargain when both sides agreed to a five-year, $55 million deal last September. There hasn’t been a better point guard in the Eastern Conference this season. As vital as Kevin Garnett is to this team’s shelf life, the same now applies to Rondo. They are going nowhere without his “A” game.

KENDRICK PERKINS - A-minus

(11.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.9 BPG, .614 FG)

Just ask Dwight Howard: Perkins is probably the best one-on-one post defender in the game. His offense is gravy, and with Kevin Garnett back, those open looks should return. Rebounding has taken a dip. But he has to lose that post-foul scowl and the arm flapping. That action only fans the flames for officials everywhere.

PAUL PIERCE - B

(18.6 PPG, .471 FG, .448 3-FG)

He remains the premier scorer on this team, but his bread-and-butter drive move hasn’t been as effective. Pierce isn’t getting the same calls in the paint as before, which makes you wonder if referees have picked up on something. Has the Celtics [team stats] captain finally lost a step? A pair of leg injuries (knee infection, strained foot) haven’t helped, but Pierce’s “and-1” opportunities are on the downswing. Like Ray Allen, better offensive flow is his best friend.

TONY ALLEN - B

(7.2 PPG, 1.7 APG, 1.2 SPG)

He is flat out playing his best basketball since that glorious month-long stretch in early 2006, prior to his cataclysmic knee injury. This time, though, it’s not his scoring. It’s his energy, attention to the little things, and, above all, his emergence as one of the best stoppers on this team that is shining through. His decisions with the ball still can be numbing, but at long last, he appears to have turned the corner as an important role player. As always with him, though, cross your fingers.

KEVIN GARNETT - C

(14.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG)

It’s difficult to grade someone who, on the mend from knee surgery, sank into a 10-game absence with a hyper-extension of the same knee. As a result, KG’s entire season has been one of painfully attempting to get back up to speed. The question is whether he can return even close to form by the playoffs, or whether the limited player on the floor right now is an accurate indication of who Garnett has become. For now, KG isn’t that Hall of Fame defender so pivotal to this team’s future.

RAY ALLEN - C

(16.0 PPG, .450 FG, .338 3-FG)

He is struggling through his worst statistical season since his rookie year, but he remains the Celtic you want with the ball and an open shot if the game is on the line at the buzzer. The problem is that good looks haven’t come as easily this season. Part of that stems from a puzzlingly stagnant offense. But another part of that dilemma has to be pinned on Allen. Has he ever missed this many layups?

RASHEED WALLACE - C-minus

(10 PPG, .408 FG, .296 3-FG)

He’s fine when playing the reserve role he was signed to play. When he hits that 3-pointer, swings into the post and covers the paint defensively, he looks great. On a cold night he can be frightening, and the probability of that multiplies when his minutes start drifting north of 20. As far as the technical fouls go, Sheed came as advertised. No one should be surprised as he approaches the league’s 16-tech mark, and suspensions will begin to accrue. It seems he can’t help himself.

COACHING C 

In recent weeks, Doc Rivers has pointed a finger at himself when discussing what has gone wrong with the C’s, and rightly so. When Rajon Rondo [stats]stepped up and criticized what he considered a growing culture of individualism on the team, the comments were partly an indictment of the coach. The architect of umbuntu has to reintroduce the concept. In Rivers’ defense, he is coaching an aging, brittle team that requires frequent adjustments. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce[stats], in particular, have shouldered too much of the minutes load as a result. His reluctance to give even small roles to Bill Walker and J.R. Giddens has run counter to that need.

MANAGEMENT - C

Shelden Williams initially looked like an uncanny signing, though he has since slipped off the radar. Rasheed Wallace, identified by most teams as the best free agent on the market last summer, is who he is at this stage of his career - a talented mixed bag. Marquis Daniels, back from injury, should prove to be the most consistent of the lot. But right now Danny Ainge’s best move, hands down, was locking up Rajon Rondo for another five seasons.

GLEN DAVIS - D

(5.8 PPG, 4 RPG)

Davis’ amount of time missed to thumb surgery (28 games) should warrant an incomplete, but the player formerly known as Big Baby was the architect of his own misery. He returned, and in another case of baffling judgment, told a Pistons fan to perform a task not fit for print within full earshot of TV and radio broadcasts. Maturity is his greatest challenge. He’s starting to play well, with a relentless energy the bench sorely needs. But he also has to guard against an emotional relapse.

EDDIE HOUSE - D

(7.1 PPG, .398 FG, .373 3-FG)

At this time last year he was on one of the hottest stretches of his career from downtown. But save for some big fourth quarters in early February, House has been a man of low impact, with all of the usual defensive and ballhandling shortcomings. As evidenced by those numbers, his jumper isn’t falling. But House is also a streak shooter. An eruption could be on the way. He was playing well, off the ball, with Marquis Daniels when the latter went down.

MARQUIS DANIELS - Incomplete

(6.2 PPG, 2 APG)

Just as he was starting to blend in as the heart of the second unit, Daniels tore the tendons in his left thumb. Now he has to re-learn an offense that has been updated since his departure. But he is only going to help at both ends, and also give Paul Pierce and Ray Allen some desperately needed relief.

http://bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?&articleid=1233177&format=&page=3&listingType=celt#articleFull

Do you agree with the grades?