FanPost

Are The Celtics Truly A Deep Team?

Many, if not all Celtic fans can agree that defense has really been the Celtics' biggest problem, especially defending the opposing backcourt. This problem can be taken back all the way to Game 1 of the preseason in Turkey, where Bo McCalebb and Romain Sato lit the Celtics interior defense up. Many people played that game off, convinced that the starting backcourt of Rondo and Lee would be too formidable for guards to penetrate once the season actually started. I wanted to believe it, but so far all I've believed is that the Celtics are in dire need of Avery Bradley.

Another solution would be to play the bigs off the bench, but at the rate Doc is going, I believe that inserting Bradley in the starting lineup is a lot more plausible than giving Darko Milicic and Chris Wilcox 20-25 minutes a game, which then raises the question that I have.

Even though the Celtics are only 5 games in, backcourts have had pretty good nights against the Celtics. Some people blame the Celtics backcourt defensive struggles on Rondo's gambling problem, others blame it on Lee's not-as-good-as-advertised defense but whatever the issue is, it should be addressed. From Dwyane Wade, to Brandon Jennings, to Jordan Crawford, to Evan Turner and Jrue Holiday, opposing backcourts are shredding the defense of the Celtics up, down, and sideways.

Many people feel that with the return of Bradley, things will ease up. I also believe that is the case, however that brings me back to my initial question. I thought that being "Deep" meant that you could afford a critical injury to the team, and still continue to have that Championship Swagger. With all the added depth made to this Celtics team, especially in the backcourt, it's amazing how much the Celtics still miss Avery Bradley's defensive presence on the floor. I'm not sure if you can call a team "Deep" if a certain part of the team's game crumbles with the abscence of the player. I'm not taking anything away from Courtney Lee, but he has to step his game up quick, otherwise he's looking at the bench once again.

What are your thoughts? How much do the Celtics need Avery Bradley? If the Celtics had to play an entire season without Avery Bradley, could they even win the Division?

FanPosts are fan-created content and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CelticsBlog. Be respectful and keep it clean. Thanks.