The roster depth of the Boston Celtics
by fordescort on Sep 2, 2010 10:35 AM EDT
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Now with the Delonte signing the current roster depth chart looks as follows:
P G: Rondo , Robinson , Bradeley
S G Ray , West , Wafer
S F: Pierce , Daniels
P F: Garnett , Davis , Harangody
C : Jermaine, Shaq, Perk , Erden
Looking at the roster on paper the C's appear to now have one of the deepest and talented teams in the NBA that will come at teams with waves of depth and firepower at all positions.
The depth they have this year will also assure that the starters will get alot of rest and the team will have capable backups to fill in just in case injury's strike.
They will also be a very versatile team since alot of players can play multiple positions.
They are a legit 3 deep at point guard (4 deep if you add Delonte who can spot duty at that position)
They are a legit 3 deep at shooting guard (4 deep if you add Robinson who can spot duty at the position)
They are a legit 2 deep at the small forward postion (3 deep if add Wafer who can spot duty at the position at least against mini small forwards).
They are a legit 3 deep at the power forward position (4 deep if you add Jermaine who can also play the position)
They are a legit 3 deep at the center position (I will not count Erden since the jury is still out on how much he can help us this year)
Now who knows how this teams chemistry will be or how they will actually perform on the court, we will have to wait and see how that unfolds, but for the time being looking at the team on paper it sure looks like a team that opposing teams will have a tough time to match up against and beat.
More good news is the team can possibly get better if:
The C's can strengthen their only real weak spot which is the back up small forward position by attempting to trade Daniels during the preseason or at the trade deadline in order to acquire a better defensive and scoring back up small forward to play behind Pierce.
and
If the C's can add Rasheed to the roster in the spring (to replace Erden) which would add even more depth to the front court power forward and center positions because as we learned last year in the playoffs big man insurance is vital and as Doc has said "You can never have enough big men in the NBA".
If the C's do the above they will be even more stacked, talented and a tougher team to beat heading into the playoffs, giving them another real great shot to win banner 18.
Anyone agree or disagree?
Be respectful and keep it clean. Thanks.
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if rasheed comes back...
how would they divide up the minutes in the front court? there would 6 guys for 2 positions once perk comes back, and you could argue that all of them are capable of starting.
and i wouldnt say daniels is a legit 3 either. more a sg. IMO.
Well...
In regards to Rasheed again as we learned in the playoffs last year you never know when injurys will strike as they did to 2 of our bigs in the playoffs in (Perk & Rasheed).
So I am a believer and agree with Doc when he said you can never have enough big men on your roster …so for that reason I would not mind seeing Rasheed added to the roster.
I agree if all our bigs healthy it will be hard to find them all minutes but I believe they will all (at this point in their careers) sacrifice playing for the good of the team and for the goal of winning a title.
Also I am sure Doc would love to have the problem of having to juggle a abundant number of bigs on his roster then not having enough as was the case last year in the playoffs.
In regards to Daniels, I see him as more of a small forward then a guard but as mentioned in my post I would not mind if the C’s tried to trade him to upgrade the back up small forward position with a player with more talent both on offense and defense if possible.
One more important thought on Rasheed....
Though I am fully confident in Shaqs low post defense if you consider how well Rasheed defended Howard -Bynum and Gasol. 1 on 1 in the low post last year in the playoffs (considering also that he was injured) I think since we will probably see those same players again in the playoffs this upcoming year having Rasheed sitting on the bench ready to throw on them (especially if our other bigs are injured, in foul trouble or have trouble defending them) would come in very handy.
trade
livingston, gaffney, daniels, 1 pick for carmelo anthony
Who the heck is Livingston?
The first time I read that in the latest Rudy thread, my eyes must have glazed over due to the impossibleness (is that a word?) of that trade.
We have Marquis Daniels and Oliver LaFayette. Would their love child be Marquis de LaFayette?
by GetYourSoxOn on Sep 8, 2010 7:17 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
^^^
but who do you think would be the odd man out? or the two? youre right, it would be nice to have all them available, but who do you honestly seeing “willing” to sit out? and be perfectly okay with it.
I see it like this...
With No Perk until late winter and no Rasheed until the spring I think the 4 man rotation of KG – Shaq- Jermaine and Baby will all get plenty of minutes during the regular season and get thier fill of playing time.
Now later in the season and in the playoffs when Perk and Rasheed hopefully come on board, I would assume and hope the 4 players above would (especially after getting so much playing time in the regular season) not mind if Rasheed and Perk took some of their minutes later in the regular season and in the playoffs to get in shape and get timing prior to the playoffs.
Now I am not saying Doc should have a 6 man big man rotation, like I mentioned in my post above I would not mind having Rasheed out of the main rotation riding the bench.
He would be only called aupon if we need him in spot duty in case for example we need a Howard or Bynum or Gasol stopper etc. or one of our other bigs gets injured or in foul trouble.
Also who plays out of the 6 depends on matchups on the given night or playoff series.
Maybe in a series against a team with a quick athletic smaller power forward Baby plays, but in a series with a big power forward with length like LA, Baby would sit while Rasheed gets the minutes.
Maybe in a series with a team who has a fast, mobile, athletic center, Jermaine gets minutes at center while Shaq and Rasheed sit….
So it depends again on match ups who plays or not, but for the reasons mentioned above I do believe their are ways to juggle the minutes of all 6 of the main bigs to keep them happy, motivated and in shape heading into the playoffs.
So for the reasons mentioned I do not see having too much big man depth as a problem …if it is a problem though I assume it is a problem Doc would not mind having since its a nice problem to have.
I AGREE BUT SORRY TO ALL GLEN DAVIS &/OR MARQUIS DANIELS FANS..
I’d place BBD, QUIS or both as trade baits for the C’s to acquire a SF in the mold of Shane Battier, James Posey to back up Pierce.. This way, we may have solved our problem as to who guards Kobe & LeQuit & can shoot the 3’s.. I know this is difficult but this is ONLY a wishful thinking..
PG SG C SF PF
1st: Rondo Allen Perkins Pierce Garnett
2nd: Robinson West Shaq Daniels JO
3rd: Bradley Wafer Erden Harangody BBD
Well Id prefer we try to acquire a back up small forward by...
trading Daniels and maybe a pick etc.
But Baby could also be used as trade bait to acquire one especially if Jermaine plays well at the power forward position this season and Doc goes with him often instead of Baby.
With Perk and Shaq taking most of the minutes at center Jermaine will probably see alot of minutes atthe power forward position behind KG ….meaning Baby could be the odd man out and possibly used as trade bait.
I would feel better though of trading Baby only if the C’s were assured Rasheed was signing in the spring because I would not want to lose the depth up front by trading Baby.
Also trading Baby may depend alot on how Erden and Harangody turn out because if either of them can give the C’s solid minutes in the front court and contribute, that may make the C’s feel more comfortable to use Baby as trade bait to help acquire a legit small forward back up to Pierce.
Baby
I do think that trading Big Baby would be an answer. Not sure I like it. But with Perk back they have 7 Bigs. And Gody and Baby are both undersized PF. Trading Daniels does not really give you depth at SF. You would still only have two SF. Davis is attractive to some teams, so its plausible to get a decent SF in return. Davis playing SF may also be an answer to try. He is very quick. I think? he can stay with most second unit SFs. And he may cause his own problems when light weight SF’s try to guard him, or keep him off the boards. Good Luck with that.
I was surprised that Daniels shot so well last year
Career high .498 FG.
Until injured, he played well, and deserves another chance.
I’m with those that want Sheed to stay retired – if he comes back late, he will be so out of shape as to be a liability rather than an asset.
by nba is the worst on Sep 3, 2010 10:20 AM EDT reply actions
I agree with the overall point... however.
Saying there is “legit” back ups in some of these spots is a bit of a stretch.
I.E.
Wafer, Daniels, Bradley, Harangody are not a “legit” anything until they see time this year. Daniels, I think will bounce back this year, and I’m not saying he wont be more than adequate in that back up role. But he is certainly not a sure thing right now.
Bradley, is not a “legit” back up point guard right now. He doesn’t know the position at all, and really struggled at it in Texas. So he’s not really a viable option at PG (although West is, so I’d argue you do have 3 deep position there.)
Harangody shows lots of potential, but he is not at this point “legit” as far as a back up goes. It remains to be seen if he’ll be able to get his shot off and compete in the same way once out of the Summer league, when the competition is far more fierce.
But other than that, I completely agree with you, they have solid back ups at every position, and are, at least very strong 2 deep at all five positions, with the exception of SF, but I do agree that Daniels should be fine this year. The guys got the talent, he just needs to get his mojo back.
Should be a fun year, the extra rest should keep the starting five going strong with more energy, and make them even better.
I agree Wafer, Daniels, Bradley, Harangody would not be legit back ups ....
as 1st or 2nd string bench players but since they are only 3rd string bench players I consider them in that sense legit back ups.
LOL
wow, i strogly dissagree. we do have “legit” backups, Robinson is a legit PG back up, West is Legit, BBD is legit Daniels is legit too, hes a great defender, good size can shoot the mid range decent and hes actually really good with the pick and rolls as well as an underrated passer not to mention pretty smart about the game. all the other guys you mentioned Bradley, Hgoat V Wafer, but maybe not Erden will most likelly be much better than the average 3rd string player.
Your point would have much greater validity if...
More of these players were in their “prime” years.
A roster filled with “prime-time” names can be misleading.
Paul, Ray, KG, JO, Shaq are all well “past their prime”.
Harangody, Bradley, Erden, Wafer, Daniels, and a recovering Perk are all “question marks”.
Robinson and West are capable of being very “unpredictable”.
Rondo and perhaps Baby are their two “reliable, predictable, prime career players”.
I agree if the core vets were more in thier prime
they would be considered “more legit players”, but even at their current ages and though their play has diminished to some extent they still play at a effective level to be considered “legit players”.
Regarding Robinson and Delonte I think they are both “legit players” especially coming off the bench and for the very reason they are both young, talented and have proven they can be very good contributors on the court.
Though I am not a big fan of Daniels I do think he is a legit NBA small forward back up…just not a good one.
I agree the jury is still out on how legit Harangody, Bradley, Erden and Wafer will be, but as I posted (elsewhere) I do think considering from what we have seen from them so far in their careers, I think its safe to call them legit 3rd string bench players… which will be their roles this year.
Legit???
Miami has perhaps 7-8 “Legit” players on their roster.
We have 10-13 depending on your logic and leanings.
That is a big difference. Depth was the Achilies heal for Cleveland and for us. Now we can compete with LA and Orlando on depth (not to mention talent!).
As others have mentioned before...
Our depth IS amazing…and that is being said in spite of the obvious pitfalls that may occur. Obviously, Marquis “may” (will) get injured sometime during the season. Delonte “may” crack apart. Nate may get thrown in the doghouse. Baby “may” exhibit his characteristic inconsistence. Shaq “may” become a distracting malconent, and Jermaine “may” play just as horribly as his first round performance last year suggested.
Of course, most of this WON’T happen…and there’s a very good chance that none of it may happen.
Each one of these players is not far removed from having posted significant and impressive stats for the Celtics, or for their respective teams. Shaq and Jermaine were starting centers on contending teams. Nate, Wafer and Delonte were fire-cracker types who were capable of 10-20pt. explosions at any given time. Marquis himself was fantastic for us before, and JUST after he was injured.
Our depth is going to come into play the same way it did against LA in game 4 of the finals….except this time it won’t be so unexpected. It’ll also finally allow ALL of the big 3 (and Rondo too!) to have shortened minutes. Look at any other team’s bench, and compare the potential talent between theirs and ours. Even if only HALF of our bench players pan out the way they can, it would still give us more combined firepower than any other team. The key is twofold. Get bench chemistry to ensure starter rest during the regular season. Then use the bench to carry the starters through the inevitable lulls during the playoffs. This bench will is so talented, that the above keys will inevitably be met.
Ashtray Bouquet
We're pretty much the same person!
I was just about to reply on your comments and say the same thing, haha! Great points yourself.
Ashtray Bouquet
I don't like the teams
Where players must be stuck to only one position. But for some reason I’m liking this…
Anyway, wouldn’t it be awesome if you have 3 players playing 4, one playing 5, 3 on 3, and 5 playing 1 and 2 – and they are all between 6’5 and 7’1 and they can all shoot threes and they’re all almost as fast as Rondo?
Irresponsible I stand...
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