Well, maybe he was a bit of an afterthought, but everyone involved is hoping that Sasha Pavlovic plays better than that. In fact, it sounds like Rivers and company are envisioning him playing the Tony Allen role of defensive pest that checks the LeBron's and Kobe's of the world while Pierce and Allen take a short rest. (Must resist temptation to make same old dribble-ball-off-foot joke, ...oops, too late)
By now you've heard two telling quotes about Sasha that are in stark contrast to each other. After the Bucks game, Rivers gushed that Pavlovic was "the best defensive player on the floor." This seemed odd since Sasha once told his coach (Mike Brown in Cleveland) "My offense is my defense." Steve Bulpett did the logical thing and tracked down Brown to ask him about that.
Sasha Pavlovic defensive about place on team - BostonHerald.com
"I remember that quote, and he paid dearly for that," Brown said. "I sat him for a while. But being in the environment and the culture with the Celtics will really help him. It’s going to force him to not only play defense, but it’s going to force him to work, focus and always be going in the right direction. There’s an unspoken pressure when you’re in a winning organization and a winning environment. This type of culture is what he needs to be around, in my opinion. I think it’s terrific for him."
I'm not sure I fully buy that he's become a defensive stopper all of a sudden, but I'm happy to hear that he's bought in and is going to make the effort to fit in.
Personally I'm not sure what to make of the guy. I honestly never thought about him much and when I did it was dismissive dislike because he was a bit player on a team I hated. I has yet to be seen how large a role he'll play on this team but with the way injuries follow us around, it wouldn't be surprising to see him get some run down the stretch. So I'm keeping an open mind. If he can prove to Doc that he can play well enough on D, he'll have a chance to get in the game and maybe make a few shots. For a guy that might be the 14th or 15th guy on the roster, that's not too shabby.