10 things about the season so far

[Gant]

1) Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo

You want to know what the problem is between these two guys? Each craves the other's decorative accessory. Paul wants Rondo's ring; Rondo wants Paul's crown.


2) Coaches' Confession

The other night on CSN, former Providence Friar's coach Tim Welsh said that behind the scenes and off the record, Celtics coaches whisper that last spring if they had KG in the playoffs but NOT Rondo they would NOT have made it out of the first round.


3) Unfair Rondo Criticism

What is it with people and Rondo? All his accomplishments don't count because he plays with three stars? Is there any other player in the league who gets this knock? I mean all kinds of guys play with great stars and NO ONE ELSE ever gets accused of false stats because of it. (Not to mention Ray and KG are not quite their prime selves at the moment.)


4) Ray's PT

Have you complained about Ray Allen's playing time? Danny Ainge had something interesting to say on the subject a few weeks ago: He said all minutes are not the same. Ray's minutes are not rigorous as Paul Pierce's. Pierce slashes and takes a lot more pounding. Ray stays on the outside and that's why he can go longer.


5) Rondo and Brad Miller

Did anyone else notice in the Chicago game, Rondo was out front, streaking upcourt with the ball. Then he saw Miller out of the corner of his eye taking a bead on him, at which point Rajon abruptly pulled up. Very wise. Big bad Brad was surely about to go biblical on the little guy: "A tooth for a tooth."


6) Rondo's Contract...

...reportedly has incentives. I bet free throw shooting is in there. So far so good; 3 for 3. Though one miss and the percentage drops by 25%. Baby steps.


7) Giddens

Giddens didn't get extended. In small part it was a money decision. You want to know where that money went? It's in Rondo's pocket.


8) Bench

It's a glorious bench, the best for the Celtics since former all star Scott Wedman was the 10th man. This bench could beat some starting 5's including a sizable fraction of Celtic starting 5's from the last few decades. Yes, I'm talking to you Brett Szabo.


9) 8 Games In 12 Days...

...to start the season. 6 down, 6 wins so far, although the team almost got Oleksiyed to death last night. (is that a verb?) Next is one day of rest, then Phoenix (no problem, Rondo always gives Nash fits), then another second night of a back to back against the ruble-fortified-Meadowlanders (no problem again for obvious reasons).


10) KG

I'm very happy and relieved by Garnett's play so far. No he's not back to full sprint, but he's playing great D and should gradually gain effectiveness throughout the season. In other words, this team should keep getting better and better all year long.

Isn't that a pleasant thought?

[Kefa461]

6 up 6 down......Just win baby.

[DorfonCeltics]

Good stuff Gant. I know Rondo always plays well against Nash but this Suns team is playing some good ball (not counting the blowout at the hands of the Magic the other night) and could give us fits. However, I still see us finishing this stretch at 8-0. Go C's

[sam_I_am]

2) Coaches' Confession

The other night on CSN, former Providence Friar's coach Tim Welsh said that behind the scenes and off the record, Celtics coaches whisper that last spring if they had KG in the playoffs but NOT Rondo they would NOT have made it out of the first round.

Is this because the coaches think KG has slipped that much? Is it factoring in knee injured instead of healthy KG? Was it a matchup issue?

10) KG

I'm very happy and relieved by Garnett's play so far. No he's not back to full sprint, but he's playing great D and should gradually gain effectiveness throughout the season. In other words, this team should keep getting better and better all year long.

Isn't that a pleasant thought

His defense last night was atrocious against a really bad team. His offense was also suspect. I am officially worried about him - mainly BECAUSE he looks so healthy and is not making an impact individually like he used to. Still, the team is playing great in large part to him being on the floor.

[mwhis21]

I think the coaches say that because they know that we don't have another player that can create off the dribble like Rondo. Sure Pierce can create his own shot, but he doesn't create opportunities for others with his dribble. If Pierce goes to the hoop but decides there is no shot he looks to bail and often finds himself in a bad situation. (his jump passes have always frustrated me).

More so than anything if Rondo went down who is our PG? Eddie House? Eddie House looks like me on the court. Can't dribble with his left hand, can't finish with his left hand, cant dribble away from pressure, but can shoot the crap out of the ball. I don't think its much a knock on KG as it is on the importance of having a PG that can dish the ball.

Its true that as Rondo goes so goes our offense. Defenders may not respect his shot but they certainly respect his play making ability.

[Prophet_C]

lol at the Brett Szabo reference. Those were some sucky days.

[kmgarnett21]

My biggest problem with KG is that he's not being aggresive offensively, at all. He doesn't even look to post. I like the Pecherov kid a lot, but does anyone really think he could man up KG one on one down on the block? Where is KG's patented baseline, fadeway turnaround that he always hits? We should've seen that 8 times last night against Pecherov.

KG might get the pass and look to score 3 times a night so far. He just looks like as soon as he gets the ball, he's thinking "pass 1st, pass 2nd, pass 3rd, shoot 4th"

He needs to try and score. There are times when we NEED him to score, whether its taking his man off the dribble, posting his man up, or catching and immediately shooting the J.

I'm really disappointed with KG's play moreso than anyone else. He really needs to step it up, especially in games like last night when Paul couldn't get going at all and Ray continued to struggle.

Isn't Perk averaging more pts and rebs than KG so far?

[Gant]

My biggest problem with KG is that he's not being aggresive offensively, at all. He doesn't even look to post. I like the Pecherov kid a lot, but does anyone really think he could man up KG one on one down on the block? Where is KG's patented baseline, fadeway turnaround that he always hits? We should've seen that 8 times last night against Pecherov.

KG might get the pass and look to score 3 times a night so far. He just looks like as soon as he gets the ball, he's thinking "pass 1st, pass 2nd, pass 3rd, shoot 4th"

He needs to try and score. There are times when we NEED him to score, whether its taking his man off the dribble, posting his man up, or catching and immediately shooting the J.

I'm really disappointed with KG's play moreso than anyone else. He really needs to step it up, especially in games like last night when Paul couldn't get going at all and Ray continued to struggle.

Isn't Perk averaging more pts and rebs than KG so far?

He's recovering from knee surgery (which with the gift of hindsight should have been done months earlier).

It takes time. He has to gain at his own pace.

[kmgarnett21]

My biggest problem with KG is that he's not being aggresive offensively, at all. He doesn't even look to post. I like the Pecherov kid a lot, but does anyone really think he could man up KG one on one down on the block? Where is KG's patented baseline, fadeway turnaround that he always hits? We should've seen that 8 times last night against Pecherov.

KG might get the pass and look to score 3 times a night so far. He just looks like as soon as he gets the ball, he's thinking "pass 1st, pass 2nd, pass 3rd, shoot 4th"

He needs to try and score. There are times when we NEED him to score, whether its taking his man off the dribble, posting his man up, or catching and immediately shooting the J.

I'm really disappointed with KG's play moreso than anyone else. He really needs to step it up, especially in games like last night when Paul couldn't get going at all and Ray continued to struggle.

Isn't Perk averaging more pts and rebs than KG so far?

He's recovering from knee surgery (which with the gift of hindsight should have been done months earlier).

It takes time. He has to gain at his own pace.

I hope its just that. I hope he's been doing bad b/c he's coming back. But I was expecting him to look better than he has thus far. Maybe my expectations for him were too high, but I wasn't even setting them that high. I was expecting him to come out and put up 16 points with 8 or 9 rebs. I think his season high was last night, right?

I'm sure he'll come around, but I just hope this isn't the way KG will be the rest of his career.

[captain green]

My biggest problem with KG is that he's not being aggresive offensively, at all. He doesn't even look to post. I like the Pecherov kid a lot, but does anyone really think he could man up KG one on one down on the block? Where is KG's patented baseline, fadeway turnaround that he always hits? We should've seen that 8 times last night against Pecherov.

KG might get the pass and look to score 3 times a night so far. He just looks like as soon as he gets the ball, he's thinking "pass 1st, pass 2nd, pass 3rd, shoot 4th"

He needs to try and score. There are times when we NEED him to score, whether its taking his man off the dribble, posting his man up, or catching and immediately shooting the J.

I'm really disappointed with KG's play moreso than anyone else. He really needs to step it up, especially in games like last night when Paul couldn't get going at all and Ray continued to struggle.

Isn't Perk averaging more pts and rebs than KG so far?

I agree except the kg and perk thing: perk is 9.2ppg and 5.5rpg and kg is 11.3ppg and 7.5rpg but that's close enough to get it confusing which is the point. I know he's coming back from 1st major surgery and were 6-0 and I feel he's going to get better,but I expect more.
Also this shooting problem rondo is suppose to have he's 6th in the league for guards at .565%
Also,Also, I agree with Gant with 9.5 out of 10 posted.
Damn it feels good to be celtic fan

[Scalamental]

1) Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo

You want to know what the problem is between these two guys? Each craves the other's decorative accessory. Paul wants Rondo's ring; Rondo wants Paul's crown.

Great way to put it.

[DunkOnFace]

I'm with Gant on KG. At times he did look like a shell of his former self last night. On many plays I witnessed a lack of explosiveness, quickness and hops. His legs aren't under him yet. But isn't that to be expected, given the circumstances? Serious injury, long rehab, lot of miles on the legs, plus 6 games in the first 9 nights? Truthfully he just looked tired to me last night more than any of the symptoms.

I don't expect MVP KG to ever return (did we have that KG to begin with?) but he's going to gradually regain that explosiveness as the season progresses. What is more worrisome at this point is how well he'll hold up for the long haul, but it's still too early to even consider that.

[Kefa461]

KG will be fine.......the leg and knee is ok.....it just takes time for the whole leg to get stronger.....he's taking his time as he should and we are winning at the same time.....priceless.

[Dirty Water]

My biggest problem with KG is that he's not being aggresive offensively, at all. He doesn't even look to post. I like the Pecherov kid a lot, but does anyone really think he could man up KG one on one down on the block? Where is KG's patented baseline, fadeway turnaround that he always hits? We should've seen that 8 times last night against Pecherov.

KG might get the pass and look to score 3 times a night so far. He just looks like as soon as he gets the ball, he's thinking "pass 1st, pass 2nd, pass 3rd, shoot 4th"

He needs to try and score. There are times when we NEED him to score, whether its taking his man off the dribble, posting his man up, or catching and immediately shooting the J.

I'm really disappointed with KG's play moreso than anyone else. He really needs to step it up, especially in games like last night when Paul couldn't get going at all and Ray continued to struggle.

Isn't Perk averaging more pts and rebs than KG so far?

He's recovering from knee surgery (which with the gift of hindsight should have been done months earlier).

It takes time. He has to gain at his own pace.

I think you nailed it here Gant. It might be that simple. I mean look whats going on in Foxboro with Exhibit A: Tom Brady.

KG will get better.

[Bad-Thoma]

good stuff as always Gant