Pointing The Finger (Blame Game)

That includes us fans. I wouldn’t say that if we didn’t reach the Promised Land two years ago. I think your comments are correctly measured. Building around aging veterans has consequences, ie you can’t re-jigger things as quickly when they get off track. Contracts, veteran egos, lack of speed, injuries all get magnified as W’s become Ls.
When Danny talked about a “3 Year Plan” he didn’t add “Then We’re Screwed” but you don’t when you have a bold “Go for it” action or you’d talk yourself out of it.

So, here we are. I missed the Nets game but it was cathartic for me in that veterans always find ways to win games like that. Lose to the Cavs and a few tweaks and you’re still a threat. Lose to the Nets and you can’t expect to be taken seriously.

So bring on spring training. And, I can’t wait for June 12 – England vs USA World Cup match.
  
As for the Celts. I don’t root for Danny or Doc to be fired, although my faith is higher in Danny than Doc. Danny will figure something out. He’s not Elgin Baylor, Kevin McHale or Isaiah. You are right. The Rasheed deal is not looking too good. He may go into “vet star” mode come the playoffs but then there are the two years after that. And I’m sorry to see Bill Walker go despite the sound argument that they haven’t let any other young stars-in-making get away. We do after all need to get younger.

So you fire the coach, I remember that is what Red said when they let Tommy go, I hope it doesn’t come to that because I think Doc is great.

Our core is old. Sadly, this decline was inevitable. I’m disappointed by our play, but not surprised.

Things will only deteriorate between now and their first round elimination.

WALLACE : Once he becomes an ex-Celtic, Wyc & DA will openly admit that Sheed was a “desperation signing”. They knew he was old, unmotivated, lazy, and had a volatile personality. They gambled that he would buy into “Ubuntu”. However, they boldly rolled the dice and gave it a shot in hopes of a title. Although I hated the signing all along, that I can actually respect.

RAY ALLEN : The decision to allow Ray`s contract to simply expire is harder to respect. This was done to “save face”. Had they traded him, and the team still performed poorly, they didn`t want to be criticized for “ruining the chemistry”…even though was no chemistry left to ruin! By keeping him, they took the “safe” approach by saying that he gave them the best chance of winning this year…even though there was no chance!

It will only hamper and delay the rebuilding process.

Lester Hudson, J.R. Giddens, and Bill Walker. They were supposed to supplant the current BIG 3 as the new BIG 3. Instead they ended up being complete draft busts.

I have to disagree with your comment that when healthy this team has underperformed. The best health we have had as a unit came at the beginning of the season and we were 23-5 and that is not under performing. Everyone is trying to figure out why this team is playing so poorly, it’s quite simple. They haven’t been healthy all year. Sure, they havent played as hard as we would like but let them get healthy and see how they play.

Sheed could be right. Hate to admit it, but it’s possible. Everybody’s all bent out of shape about the regular season… but he says, “So what?” It’s meaningless. HCA is meaningless. And he’s right, it is.

Sheed, and the Celtics, may have decided that it’s time for a new way of thinking about the regular season. At least for the Celtics. They don’t care about their record, and they don’t much care about their seeding in the playoffs. They’re keeping their cards close to the vest. They’re minimizing their risk of injury – especially Sheed (obviously). They’re not letting opposing scouts see their best stuff. And they plan on turning over ALL of their cards in the playoffs, where games actually matter. Nothing wrong with that plan that I can see. I rather like it.

But is that their plan? Or do they just suck? I don’t know. You don’t know. But I don’t see why you are ASSUMING they suck. How do you know it’s not their plan? Listening to Sheed talk lately… it sure SOUNDS like this is their plan. Why assume he’s full of it? Why not assume that… {gasp}… he might just be RIGHT?

Yes, I thought long and hard about this. For this team to go forward and not fall into and pit holes as we did for 20 years, this team needs to TRADE Garnett at the end of the year and start rebuilding a contender.

Entertaining this thought back and forth makes a lot of sense.

1.) The future of this team is Rondo and Perkins to a degree.
2.) Paul Pierce will retire a Boston Celtic and can lend experience to a new group
3.) With Garnett and Allen off the books, we might be able to bring in some new young fresh legs to Rebound and Run the floor.
4.) K.G has run his course in Boston and now it’s time to start looking in another direction
5.) We can’t be saddled with bad contracts like we did before our Championship. ala Rasheed
6.) Danny and Wyc need to take control of this team and not run it by emotions

And now Doc

1.) Doc’s time has run his course
2.) He doesn’t have the will and desire to coach this team
3.) He has become complacent in his day to day job

Overall, I’m rewatching the End of the Bird Era all over again…. and it’s painful to see !!!!!

Is obvious the coach can not motivate the players and the chemistry is gone. If we think we still have time, something important, big has to be made.

However, I will increasingly blame Ainge and Celtics management if they continue to try to ride a dead horse while attempting to convice the fans that it is still kicking.

Guys, that is a classic trap game. While it is obvious that the Celtics aren’t as dominant as they were 2 years ago, losing to the Nets doesn’t prove anything. They are a scrappy team that would love to knock us off. It was clear the Celtics didn’t get “up” for that game, but who would? The Nets only had 5 wins. That game doesn’t prove anything except that the Nets are staffed with NBA players, who if you don’t take seriously, will beat you.

Look, it is easy for all of us to throw in the towel after that disgusting loss to the Nets. But let’s also be real. We have a very good team. Banged up, somewhat old, but talented. In the playoffs. there are no back to back games. More time for practice and some rest for those who need it. A seven game series also allows us to focus on one opponent. So, if we take it one game at a time in the post-season, and stay healthy, then I think this team will lock in and do well. The rest and the preparation for one opponent is perfect for a team like us that needs the rest and the restoration of focus. It will still be hard to beat us in a 7 game series with Pierce, Allen and KG on the floor 30 minutes a game.

Were we not 23 and 5 before Garnett got hurt? Ever since that injury, this team has suffered.
Sometimes I wonder if Garnett feels he no longer has the right to manage the defense as the leader becuase he can’t perform at his highest level. Without the quarterback the team is less focussed.

I think the only thing shown by this season so far is that the bench is not composed of starters, with the possible exception of Marquis Daniels, who, imo, has played brilliantly. Any other bench player deserves reserve pay, not starter pay. I am extremely disappointed in Glen Davis, who billed himself as a “starter”. I said from the beginning that he was a bench “substitution” for KG last year , not a “replacement”. If he actually could have “replaced” KG we would have gone farther in the playoffs. Now Pierce is injured and KG is still recovering, Ray was worn down by too many minutes and having to carry the team yet again…same with Perk. Rondo might also break down unless Robinson fits in (by breakdown I include mental/emotional as well as physical.

I still feel that we will be fine, but our “deep” bench better start playing like a “deep” bench, with passion and team spirit. Glen, please don’t try to lay up the ball when you are surrounded by taller, more athletic opponents…it seems that “practice is Not making
perfect” and you continually get stuffed and turn the ball over. Learn to pass out to an available teammate. Sheed…you are premier in the paint…get there and get some rebounds. I still haven’t heard a good reason why Williams is not playing. My thought on that is, even if you don’t think he is that good, he is effective…he was playing with Marquis on the second string when we won 18 in a row and I don’t care about his “stats”, I just care about the wins.

I don’t think the season has been that bad.

The start of the year was excellent. The last two months have been tough but that is mostly down to injuries. I still feel very good about the Celtics chances of contending for another title. As long as that’s true, I find it hard to be that disappointed with recent performances.

The main goal (Championship) is still very much in play despite quite a few bumps in the road.

Deserved or not, he has lost this team. As the article stated, he has never been a great game management coach, relying on creating an emotional bond within the team. Well, that bond has a rift and it is apparent Rivers does not have the epoxy to mend it. Frankly, I don’t think the players are listening to Thibodeau either. It’s time for a change and tomorrow would be a good place to start.

I can’t blame Ainge that much. I would have liked to have seen a deadline deal for Ray Allen but for whatever reason it didn’t happen. Wallace is a problem now, but if you read his quotes in the paper this morning, he’s saving the good stuff for the playoffs. Not to worry. I’m glad he straightened us out on that score.

The buy-out pickings are looking mighty slim so the C’s will have to make do with what they’ve got. To me, that means get a new coach in there and try to get these guys motivated.

Ok saying that your BORED!! is just another way of saying that they think they’re too good to play hard, yet they really haven’t shown much.

They haven’t earned shit this year!

Just come out and say that you guys have NO HEART OR PASSION TO WIN!!!

Apparently great minds do think alike.

He’s using the same approach with a very different team. Popovich would have tried Pierce or Allen off the bench.. or something else. Nothing has been mixed up – Doc’s one lever seems to be play the the All Stars more – which works – until it doesn’t.

I’m fine riding KG, Pierce, and Ray – unless its going to cost them come playoff time. I’d rather battle for 55 wins and be feeling 100% at playoff time – then battle for 65 and have the big 3 at 80%. Maybe that’s not the case and all the injuries were flukey and maybe not – I don’t know. I do know that he’s still operating in 2008 mode and it’s not the same team, roster wise, physically, or mentally.

And for everyone getting mad about the “bored” aspect – go read some books about old school Celts – Red was always scheming ways to keep his guys hungry. That’s the nature of the beast.

There is absolutely NO pride in this organization at this point in time!

Danny – 4 issues that I think should have been done differently:
    1 – Rasheed : while we needed to get some length/depth in the middle, we didn’t need an outside shooting, technical machine that I think has been a bad influence on Perk
    2 – Powe : we should have kept him believing he would show the same recovery work ethic he had in the past
    3 – BBD we should have moved. There was interest, and for what we need he just doesn’t get the job done. He is just too soft under the rim or too short not sure which.
    4 – Ray Allen since the previous 3 points went the wrong direction, we should have been moving Ray to make up for the first 3 mistakes. Without those 3 mistakes, we wouldn’t have to think about moving Ray.

(Doc – needs to play deeper on the bench. We get too many people on the bench that don’t get enough regular season minutes to be useful in filling in for the injuries that inevitable come up, as well as at Playoff time.)