Boston ... Where are you!?

Where in the world are the Boston Celtics? I turn my television on every morning to watch highlights and I can never find any Celtics highlights. I check the NBA schedule from the night before and it says that they played but I don’t see it. That’s because they are not the Boston Celtics anymore. They are a small fraction of what they used to be. With the increase in age of the roster comes an increase in the loss column, most recently a 103-71 drubbing at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers. The age has a big affect on their performance but I think the grueling schedule in this shortened season has doomed this Celtics teams. Playing 4 games in 5 nights, numerous back to backs and even some back-to-back-to-back games is not something the likes of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and even Jermaine O’Neal can handle anymore. The Celtics are 0-7 in the second game of a back to back this season and it doesn’t look like that stat is going to improve.

Allen is the guy that needs to go

I attended a Celtics-Pistons game in February at the Palace and I was fortunate enough to sit courtside. It was ugly let me tell you. The game had nothing to do with the Celtics backcourt vs. the Pistons backcourt. It was all about the old vs. the new. The Piston guards are young and exuberant and the Celtics guards are old and play in slow motion, even with Rajon Rondo as the point guard. They play slow, they struggled to defend pick and rolls and the Pistons put on a fast break clinic.  The Celtics settled for jump shots because they couldn’t get to the rim while the Pistons attacked the rim relentlessly. At this point, Danny Ainge needs to make a change and blow this thing up because they have no chance of making a playoff run. They are reeling right now, spiraling down quickly and could potentially even miss the playoffs if something doesn’t change.

Ainge has many options with this current roster. I think the only player who is off the market is Paul Pierce and that has everything to do with loyalty and nothing to do with his performance. Obviously the most valuable piece is Rondo but if the reports keep coming out that he is a cancer in the locker room, his is difficult to coach and he is selfish than his value is going to diminish. With that said, I have a piece of advice for Doc Rivers: QUIT FIGHTING WITH YOUR PLAYERS! If you didn’t realize or maybe have forgotten, it’s a player’s league. The league has nothing to do with you anymore Doc. You make subs, you call timeouts and you draw up concepts but the guys on the floor will freelance and play pick and roll or iso basketball. Learn from one of the greatest coaches in sport ever, Phil Jackson, and sit down Doc!

Take a seat Doc!

It’s time for the Celtics to turn up the dial and start playing every single night. They can’t afford to take nights off anymore because if they don’t get out of the 7 or 8 seed it is going to be a quick playoff exit. They don’t stand a chance against the Heat or the Bulls and if they want to get out of the first round they are going to need to forget about their bodies and start playing 100% every night. I think that if they are healthy, they can challenge Orlando and Philadelphia in a 7 game series with their current roster but if they want to improve their situation for both this year and the next 5-10 years than its time to make a move. Let’s see what Danny Ainge is truly made up of now.