Sounds like Sam is frustrated with his playing time.
"It’s very frustrating," Cassell said yesterday when asked if the lack of playing time was difficult to deal with.
"This is my first year (in the NBA) that I sat out in a playoff game," Cassell said. "I didn’t get any playing time in four games. That’s my first time ever. It boggles not just me but anyone around, like, ‘Why’s he not playing?’ I’m not discouraged, but it’s tough, ain’t no lie. It was tough because I know I can play.
"All of this is brand new for me. I’ve never been in this situation before. I understand (it), and it’s a role that it takes time to get comfortable with. I’m not complaining about it, but it just takes time to get comfortable in the role."
This should be a surprise to nobody but fans in the forums don't seem that happy about it. When Eddie was racking up the DNP-CD's, he was of a similar mindset and said so. It's just that Eddie was with the team since day one and Sam is a new guy in the locker room. It doesn't help that Sam is a motor mouth, so the flood of words only makes his less-than-desirable comments seem that much worse.
Amusingly, it seems the Paul Pierce had enough of Sam's shoot-first mentality and was "openly chastising him on the floor." You can see the video of it at Odenized.com. (hat tip Red's Army)
I was a big supporter of bringing in Sam from day one, but I admit the guy has his faults. His mouth will never stop running and he'll never stop gunning. That's what you get with the guy. You just hope that his positives (experience mainly) outweigh the negatives. He played a positive role for a while in the last game (interestingly, right after Paul spoke with him). I still think he'll be a positive factor in the future. And if he isn't, there's always the bench, whether he likes it or not.
Related link: Hoops Addict talks about the Celtics success despite "shaky point guard play."