Marquis will be back soon! Here are some things to watch for...

Eddie House was phenomenal for a very short period of time during the beginning of the season.  In fact, even Sheed was phenomenal from behind the arc at that point!  Why have they been in slumps for 2 months now?  In fact, why has the oft-called "deepest bench in the league" been struggling so bad this past month?  

(let me modify this by saying that they have improved tremendously these past 2 games...injuries have screwed things up mightily....I still think this bench has the capability to be one of the best in the league...)

The MAJOR change that has screwed with the fortunes of our bench...besides KG and Paul's injury...besides Sheed playing as a starter...besides Baby changing his name is...

The absence of Marquis Daniels...Marquis is really the bench's version of Rondo.  Actually, I think the pace of his play is better suited for bench production than even Rondo's play.  First of all, Marquis rarely loses the ball!  This is simply huge, huge, huge for this team (which is near the bottom of the league in turnovers).  He sort of floats between defenders without losing the ball....this is one trait that proves to be very useful to this turnover-prone bench.  His speed is deceptive too.  He's quick, but not jerky.  When he drives, he does so smoothly, moving right up to about 10 feet from the basket....he leaps....he gets the relatively uncontested 10 ft jumper...or he kicks out...

Obviously having Eddie run the point screws up his rythym, as well as the bench's offensive chemistry.  Having Rondo run things is much better....yet I would rather have him preserve his energy for effective offense for FOUR quarters...even then, I sometimes think his pace is too fast and jerky for this bench...again, this is a turnover-prone bench, one with players sporting not-so solid catching hands (Shelden, I'm looking at you...or not, since you never seem to play anymore)

Marquis on the other hand, makes passes with just the right amount of telegraphing, and with just the right amount of speed.  As three point shooters, these are the types of passes that Sheed and Eddie need.  Clear, quick passes...not bullets.  You don't want them to bobble the pass, yet equally important, you don't want them to take too much time to shoot (contested shot...or too much time to think).  You want passes that are in the flow of offense...no-thinking or second-guessing should be involved (as has been the case recently from behind the arc). 

AND!...the single most important thing about Marquis is.... 

That he is just about the calmest guy on the court on any given night.  This is vital.  I mean, our bench is not exactly an emotionally stable one.  Think about it:

Eddie: He's a skittish, inconsistent pure shooter
Tony: He's Tony...enough said!
Baby: He's in the midst of a transformation...apparently he's not Baby anymore...in other words, unstable
Sheed: I shouldn't even have to comment on this one...let's just say "BALL DON'T LIE"

This bench is talented as all hell...yet it is unstable and overly emotional (The very fact that they are overly emotional should explain their inconsistency...and also points towards their undeniable level of talent).  I think Danny chose Marquis not only for his obvious skill, but also for his temperament.  Remember those rumors in the offseason about the Celtics acquiring Grant Hill?

Yes of course!  Grant Hill would have been that same sort of cool, calm, veteran presence that could sooth the likes of this bench.  The Celtics bench clearly needs Marquis for point guard duties first and foremost.  Next they need him for his team defense.  Next, they need him for his slash and kick abilities.  Finally and most importantly, they need him for his ability to keep the bench's emotional temperature down. 

Do you remember that Marquis was already injured during his last two weeks of play.  His level of play really tailed off...and now we know why.  Nobody can pass well with a torn finger ligament.  Case in point.....KOBE.....not to say he's a passer by nature, but his level of douchery is becoming legendary....he doesn't hand off even more than 5 passes to his ALL-STAR  power forward, Pau Gashole.  My god.  Even I don't think he's that much of a hog...I think having a bum finger hinders his passing much more so than even his shooting....passing is spontaneous, requiring finger flexibility...whereas shooting, especially from somebody so determined and methodical as Kobe, is often predetermined.  Marquis is no different...meaning his level of play should approach that of his during the beginning of the season.  This level of play was pure offensive gold.

Once Marquis gets reacquainted with the system, he'll do what he's always done, below the radar.  He plays great defense on the opposing teams' best 2's or 3's, regardless of whether they are on the other teams' starting lineup, or bench.  He'll get the bench scoring at least 10 more points per game, without having to do much on his part shooting-wise.  He'll get his reliable 6-12 points per night without much fuss...and he'll also get 6-12 points for Sheed, for House, for Baby, and perhaps maybe, maybe even for Tony too.  Even Scal will benefit.

Anyways, with Marquis back and healthy, the bench will function as it had for the first ten games.  I don't think our team play was a fluke for the first ten games of the season!  The bench simply was able to keep, and more often than not, extend leads!  Our bench was the best in the NBA at that point, bar-none!

Farther down the line, Paul, Ray, and Rajon will see less playing time.  As I think we can all agree:

Less playing time for the starters=more rest, better shots

More playing time for the bench=more bench chemistry, less burden on starters.

Of course, in order to give the bench more time, they'll have to play better.  With Marquis back, they'll extend leads rather than lose them.  When the starters come back, they'll do what they do better, passing the ball with less concern over losing leads...and we'll see many less forced Ray 3's, forced Paul Iso's, and forced Rondo turnover bullets.

You can probably see that I like Marquis...he is THAT important for this team. 

Marquis, we're all glad you'll be back on Sunday!!