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Volume CXXXII, Number 12 |
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Celtic critics: back off improved team
ERIK SPRAGUE
COLUMNIST
Critics of the Boston Celtics, including Boston Globe sports writer Peter May, have levied the charge that the Celtics are worse off than they were one year ago. Like May, these critics point to the lackluster play of Vin Baker, the Celtics' $50 million off-season acquisition.
That's all well and good, but considering Baker was not even on the team last season-unless he proves to be a distraction in the locker room (which by all accounts he isn't)-the addition of Baker to the roster has not made the Celtics a worse team than they were last year.
These same critics point to the losses of Kenny Anderson, last year's starting point guard, and sixth-man Rodney Rodgers, who played an important role in last year's stretch and playoff run by continually knocking down clutch three-point shots.
As for the loss of Anderson, it was evident until recently that the Celtics direly missed their previous floor general. The offense looked stagnant with a lot of players just standing around and waiting for someone to jack up an outside shot.
So in terms of losing Anderson, the Celtics nay-sayers appeared to have a valid point. However, this obvious need at the point left by Anderson seems to have been adequately filled by J.R. Bremer, an undrafted rookie point guard out of St. Bonaventure. He has played superbly since given the opportunity when veteran Tony Delk went out of the lineup with a sprained ankle.
In fact, just this week, Coach Jim O'Brien declared that Bremer was his guy and that, even when healthy, Delk would not be reclaiming his starting position. Although still a raw rookie, Bremer has shown the ability to set up his teammates and demonstrated a knack for hitting open jumpers and taking his man off the dribble.
With regards to the loss of Rodgers, who signed with the Atlantic Division-leading New Jersey Nets, he is currently sidelined with a strained left calf. Additionally, he is only averaging 7.6 points per game, down significantly from the 11.9 points he averaged with the Phoenix Suns and Celtics last season.
Moreover, while he is a big body, and the Celtics are still in need of imposing prescences inside to rebound, Rodgers never did much of that anyway when he was with Boston. Conversely, he primarily did most of his work from the perimeter with the three-point shot.
While Tony Delk struggled with his shot last year, Rodgers provided a valuable shooting threat from outside. This season, however, Delk has more than come out of his horrendous shooting slump and has regained his status of one of the premiere outside shooters in the Eastern Conference.
May charged that the Celtics are worse team than they were one year ago. While a certain amount of criticism of the Celtics is expected and probably warranted, for May to conclude that they will not repeat their success of last year, culminating in a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, is undeserved halfway through the season.
Based on record alone, 24-17, they are currently in second place in the Atlantic Division and in fourth place overall in the Eastern Conference. They trail the conference-leading Indiana Pacers by five games, which places them right in the thick of the race.
If they were ten games out or more, or if there was concern over the effort they were exuding, then I could understand May's comments. But that's not the case here, and so his criticism seems to be off base.
Moreover, this is the NBA, not the NFL; thus, the season is a marathon, not a sprint. The season is 82 games long, and it is almost impossible to predict what is going to happen over the next 41 games.
Nonetheless, for the time being, the Celtics seem to being playing at a high level, on a par with the other Eastern Conference powers, such as Indiana, New Jersey, and Detroit. And they have won four in a row, which puts them in a tie with Dallas and San Antonio for the current longest winning streak in the league.
More important than the record, though, is the fact that they are starting to gel together as a group, which was a foreseeable problem going into this year, considering the different makeup of the team following off-season acquisitions. While the Celtics will still only go as far as Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker take them, they are receiving key contributions from role players like they did during their stretch and playoff run last year.
The Celtics appear to have found something special in Bremer, who, in light of his rookie status, could be wearing Celtic green for some time. And Kendrick Brown, now in his second year, is finally becoming a factor, especially on the defensive end. He is proving to be a force on defense with his raw athletic ability.
Brown is easily the fastest player and highest leaper on the Celtics, which allows him to come up with important steals and loose balls, as well as rebounds. Lastly, Delk has reestablished himself as a threat from outside and, like Bremer, is hitting the open shot when Pierce gets double-teamed.
One thing is for sure: for better or worse, the Celtics are a different team from last year. And while the result at the end of the season will be the final word as to whether they are a better or worse them than one year ago, May might be changing his tune very shortly. Let's hope so.
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