Ray Allen

Other than Sam Cassell, Ray Allen is the oldest Celtic, and yet he's tied with Paul Pierce for team lead in minutes per game at 36. Last night he played 38. Yes, he's playing better this year. Yes, he's healthier this year.

But don't we want to preserve this guy a little? We know Doc is familiar with the idea of preservation. Every time he talks about KG, he talks about stretching out his career by managing his minutes. He talks about getting more bang for his buck from Cassell by postponing his 2009 debut until later in the season.

As players get older, coaches are supposed to use them less. Doc is actually playing Ray more this year than he did last year. He must not read my blog or he'd realize the perils or running your starters into the ground during January.