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Why Danny and Doc want Allen and Terry together...

I think Allen is taking a long time to decide to come back, despite Bostons's bigger pay out offer compared to what Miami is offering, because he wants to start in the 2012-13 season. But he should face it, he is not that effective anymore defensively as compared to Bradley's defensive performance when he was out due to injury both at the regular and post season. Fortunately, Allen definitely still has the ability to spread the floor offensively, as proven during the post season wherein ATL, PHI and MIA always come scrambling towards him when the ball reaches his hands after a pick or two. It was just unfortunate that he was not able to knock them down as often as expected. So, this is why Danny and Doc want him back - he still commands that fear factor against the opponents, which is very useful as a dying-seconds offensive option or a kick-out second/third offensive option from the post. Furthermore, since the team is known for being collectively defensive or 'crunching' the sap off the offensive spirits of the opponents, Danny and Doc might be thinking that having Terry and Allen as the second string PG and SG, respectively, could be offensively advantageous especially when their opponents' starters are resting - who most of the time are also the defensive go-to-guys like Wade and Lebron. This combination really does make sense, right? Nevertheless, putting Allen at the starting SG position instead of Bradley would really not matter. Terry and Bradley, as the alternative second string PG and SG combo, respectively, is equally damaging (offensively and defensively) against the bench PG/SG of any opposing team.

But then again, for all we know, maybe Danny and Doc might just be riding this issue - of fans and critics loosing confidence in Ray - in hopes to driving and motivating him (Allen) to sign the $6M max offer deal and ultimately drive him to disprove his detractors and become a major contributor once again!

Going back, if Danny and Doc are pitching to Allen that this scenario will definitely give them another championship, and Allen buys it, then the C's 2012-13 roster/depth chart would look like this:

PG – Rondo/Terry/Moore

SG – Bradley/Allen/Pietrus

SF – Pierce/Bass or Green/Joseph

PF – Sean Williams/Sullinger/JJJ

C – KG/Melo/(UFA) Camby or (UFA) Gray or (UFA) Steimsma

Why KG at the middle? Let's accept it, he is more effective at this position at his age because he is highly skilled offensively with his post-up moves and reliable perimeter shooting, and has a superior defensive IQ against almost all, if not all, the active centers in the league. Why not as a PF? Because you have to conserve his energy where it is needed most - score, rebound and defend under the basket. They will be leaving a whole in the middle/under the basket if he is switching and chasing around younger, smaller and faster SF's or PF's who are clawing and scrambling for a space to do mid-range jump shots.

In conjunction, I strongly believe Danny and Doc already found a solution for the starting PF position way back in the Mar 2012 by signing Sean Williams. I really believe they will surprise a lot of critics by starting Sean Williams at the PF position. Believe me, he is truly a find! He was NBA D-League's First All-Defensive Team for 2011 and 2012, and NBA D-League's Third Team for 2011 and 2012 as well! Danny and Doc have so far succeeded in hiding him below the radar. Imagine, this guy is the 'Perk' type player who can dominate the paint defensively and hug the boards. The upsides to his game include that he is agile, long and ambidextrous which makes him tougher to guard, he is offensively aggressive - to his detriment at times, a known SHOT BLOCKER, defensively long, and he has higher FG and FT percentages than Perk. As a kicker, he is a prolific, high-leaping dunking machine! Below are his 2012 stats:

GP - 12

MPG - 8

PPG - 4.2

FG% - 52%

FT% - 65%

RPG - 3.5 (2 Defensive; 1.5 Offensive)

BPG - 1.2

SPG - .3

Imagine if he is given at least 24 mins. of playing time. What a help for KG, Pierce and Rondo in the boards and defensive chores. You can also check these highlights out:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJnWw_KDgUM

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdyC9QV9h6E&feature=related

I am classifying Bass under the SF position because, let's face it, he has never been a crucial force in the PF position because he is undersized and cannot post-up effectively. One of his upside though is that he is a fast big body (6'8.5") who has shown the ability to shot down any above-average SF's out there or even some All-star SF's, except for Lebron or Durant of course - but then again, who could? Another upside, which I believe is the most important, is that he is a high-percentage mid-range perimeter high-arching jump shooter! Most critics miss this fact! Therefore, if he is in the floor with Terry and Allen as second stringers, and as long as they are running a motion offense, I believe whoever is the PF and C at floor at the same time would have a swell time dunking or effortlessly rolling towards the basket for a lay-up because the defense will always be scrambling to defensively recover. Imagine, this is how potent your second five is? But if they can't sign Bass at $6-8M, Jeff Green is the next alternative. He virtually has the same skills set (offensively and defensively) as Bass just with a lighter frame and a bit longer at 6'9". Unfortunately, the C's cannot afford to have both Bass and Green because I believe having both of them plus Terry will push their payroll over the luxury tax level.

Another important point is that, Pietrus should be re-signed significantly more than his previous contract. He has proven to be a vital part of their rotation for defensive purposes at the SG or SF positions, as well as offensive purposes in the event that any of the SG's or SF's are unable to play due to injury. If you don't believe me, just watch his post-season performances.

Below is my alternate option to the suggested roster/depth chart above:

PG – Rondo/Terry/Gary Neal* or CJ Watson*

SG – Bradley/Allen/Pietrus

SF – Pierce/Bass or Green/Joseph

PF – Sean Williams/Sullinger/(UFA) Kenyon Martin or (UFA) Anthony Randolph

C – KG/Melo/(UFA) Camby or (UFA) Gray or (UFA) Steimsma

*Trade Moore and JJJ with cash considerations for Gary Neal (SAS) or CJ Watson (CHI) - both teams I believe will take advantage of the youth of Moore & JJJ, especially SAS, who is known for eliciting deep hidden talents.

But if worse comes to worst - i.e. Allen opting out and play somewhere else like Miami, then the C's could go longer and put Pierce at the SG position, and have enough payroll space to sign both Bass and Green. Below is another roster alternative:

PG – Rondo/Terry/Gary Neal* or CJ Watson*

SG – Pierce/Bradley/Pietrus

SF – Bass/Green/Joseph

PF – Sean Williams/(UFA) Kenyon Martin or (UFA) Anthony Randolph/Sullinger

C – KG/Melo/(UFA) Camby or (UFA) Gray or (UFA) Steimsma

*Trade Moore and JJJ with cash considerations for Gary Neal (SAS) or CJ Watson (CHI) - both teams I believe will take advantage of the youth of Moore & JJJ, especially SAS, who is known for eliciting deep hidden talents.

In a nutshell, I think Danny and Doc got lucky at the recent draft resulting to a future nucleus which they are pretty much confident to pursue later on - consisting of Rondo, Joseph, Sullinger, Williams and Melo - come 2016 when the big 3's contracts, as well as Terry's contract will all end almost at the same time, sparing him (Danny) the dreadful fear of going through a re-building process. It is because of this 'confidence' that I think led him to pursue 'volting in' the big 4 one last time PLUS a perennial 6th-man awardee because of a 'bottom line' business decision - all for the MONEY, more attendance ergo more money for the franchise. Who doesn't love rooting for the underdogs? ...

Boston's payroll matrix based on the roster/depth chart options 1/2/3 above:

Option 1 Salary Option 2 Salary Option 3 Salary
1.Starting 5
PG Rondo $ 10.05M Rondo $ 10.05M Rondo $ 10.05M
SG Bradley $ 1.52M Bradley $ 1.52M Pierce $ 15.33M
SF Pierce $ 15.33M Pierce $ 15.33M Bass* $ 8.00M
PF Sean Williams $ 0.05M Sean Williams $ 0.05M Sean Williams $ 0.05M
C KG $ 11.30M KG $ 11.30M KG $ 11.30M
TOTAL --- $ 38.25M --- $ 38.25M --- $ 44.73M
2. Second 5
PG Terry* $ 5.00M* Terry* $ 5.00M Terry* $ 5.00M
SG Allen* $ 6.00M* Allen* $ 6.00M Bradley $ 1.52M
SF Bass/Green* $ 8.00M* Bass/Green* $ 8.00M Green* $ 8.00M
PF Sullinger $ 1.10M Sullinger $ 1.10M K Mart/A Randolph* $ 4.00M
C Melo $ 1.00M Melo $ 1.00M Melo $ 1.00M
TOTAL --- $ 21.10M --- $ 21.10M --- $ 19.52M
3. Rotation Players
PG Moore $ 0.50M G Neal/CJ Watson** $ 3.50M G Neal/CJ Watson** $ 3.50M
SG Pietrus* $ 3.00M Pietrus* $ 3.00M Pietrus* $ 3.00M
SF Joseph $ 0.50M Joseph $ 0.50M Joseph $ 1.10M
PF JJJ $ 1.00M K Mart/A Randolph* $ 4.00M Sullinger $ 1.00M
C Camby/Gray/Steamer* $ 4.00M Camby/Gray/Steamer* $ 4.00M Camby/Gray/Steamer* $ 4.00M
TOTAL --- $ 9.00M --- $ 15.00M --- $ 12.60M
GRAND TOTAL --- $ 68.35M --- $ 74.35M --- $ 76.85M

* UFA offer

** Trade Deal offer for E. Moore & JJJ

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