Hello everyone.
It has been quite a while since I posted on my Benchwarmers blog. However, I had to admit the past few weeks have riled me up with so many talk show hosts - and CALLERS - coming up with stupid premises and ridiculous ideas. I decided this is going to be my forum for expressing my own thoughts.
So, I am going to start by addressing the current stream of ridiculousness that is permeating the airwaves - Celtics Trades. I have heard it all. The ridiculous posts online that suggest "Who says no to this trade?", to pundits on afternoon radio explaining that the Celtics might have to revisit the biggest need that Danny Ainge professed on the Toucher and Rich show, suggesting that point guard, and not a big-sized wing who can shoot - as the most pressing problem. There have even been those who have called for Kemba to be benched or traded. And then there is the nightly diatribe by local internet writers against Jeff Teague.
LET'S JUST STOP!!!
Sure, I get it, the Celtics have been subpar. They got off to a strong start and somewhere between the Covid outbreak and the return of Kemba Walker they have been derailed. But, before we pressed the PANIC button, let's pause a moment.
First, there are many reasons for this roller coaster stretch the Celtics have been on. The lack of a preseason is the most pressing one. This team has a lot of young players on it. The veterans added are new to this system. And one thing is clear - the Brad Stevens has more idiosyncracies then the Red Sox under Joe Morgan. It is a little wacky. You might start one game and get an DNP the next. It is the Chaim Blook version of playing basketball, using stats and analysis to help create better matchups. That's what explains some of his wacky lineups. However, a lack of playing together and having even a hint of a summer league has posed a problem to the players. Young players are still trying to catch up and figure out this system. And yes, you Peyton Pritchard fans like me have to realize that this means he will have off nights like last night. This lack of preparation has also posed a problem for Tristan Thompson and Jeff Teague from getting fully integrated into the team....though they have had inconsistent moments of truly helping the team. The fact that neither one of them played viable basketball for months, let alone joined a new team, has not helped either one get their basketball legs fully going this year...and Stevens weird lineups don't help. The lack of practice time doesn't help, either.
Second, this team has not really had its full complement of players playing together at one point in time. There were Covid problems. Kemba trying to come back slowly and avoiding back to backs. Marcus Smart and Peyton Pritchard injured. Jaylen Brown resting a knee. Waiting for Romeo Langford to come back. It is hard to have a consistent output from this team when players are always missing. You never know who to count on. In fact, it is hard to see where this team is and what it is capable of. There has not been a game yet where the Celtics have their full top ten roster ready to perform. And to me that is: Tatum, Brown, Walker, Theis, Smart, Langford, Pritchard, Thompson, Teague, and R. Williams.
Before everyone says exactly what the Celtics need - and suggest that the "NEED TO DO IT QUICKLY" - what is really needed is patience. Let's get everyone back together on the court and actually see what this team needs. With players wafting in and out like the smells of barbecue at a Pat's tailgate, there is no sense what this team needs. In fact, what it really needs is patience. Kemba Walker is going to figure it out. Marcus Smart is going to get back into the lineup when healthy. Teague and Thompson may not be great fits now, but they are going to figure out a role. We need to also see what Langford can do. He had impressive, almost Avery Bradley-esque flashes - down the stretch. We all know what Bradley turned into. Who knows what this team needs quite yet? In fact, Danny Ainge's guess is far better than ours because he sees what is going on behind the scenes.
So let's stop. Let's wait (I know it is hard). And let's see what this team is in early March. Then, we will better know how to use that TPE. Because that TPE should put us over the top for years to come.
