Plan B: Reprising KG and the Four Guns may be Complicated

You may recall some discussion in the past about the line-up I call "KG and the Four Guns." (Hereinafter KGFG) It consisted of KG at the 5, James Posey at the 4, Pierce at the 3, Jesus at the 2, and E.House at the point. Often thought to have first reared it's head during game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals, when the smaller lineup led the Celtics back to victory from 24 down, Doc actually first deployed it earlier in the season when the C's were down 22 on the road against San Antonio, only with Sam Cassell taking over for Ray Allen.

I remind us of these lineup variations because they come to mind when we consider the possibility that Rajon Rondo returns to camp with the same old, inconsistent, largely unreliable jumper. What then?


Well, as I understanding things, that would be when we'd close out close games with Jason Terry at the point, Courtney Lee at the 2, Paul Pierce at the 3, Jeff Green at the 4, and, of course, Kevin Garnett at the 5 (and maybe Doc figures out a way to include Avery Bradley, should he return to form). There is no shortage of offense or defense in this lineup. It might be a little short on rebounding (ooops, bad pun), but rebounding is often a matter of heart. So a stature-challenged lineup such as this isn't necessarily condemned to a sentence of getting killed on the glass (on the other hand, rebounding can also be related to fresh legs, and having three old guys on the floor may not bode well for the Green gathering in caroms).

Now for an interesting question:

Were Doc to deploy KGFG mid-season against the Lakers, deep in the fourth quarter, how might this impact the sensitive psyche of old #9? It is one thing to sit down Shorty in year two of his career, when you are down 22 to the Spurs during the regular season and 24 to the Lakers during the NBA Finals. It is quite another to do it now that he is an All-Star, and on any given night (dare I say it), the best player in the game (and I'm not just talkin' 'bout the particular game he is playing).

But if his J isn't falling, what's the harm?

Well, I suspect the harm might be very real.

Shorty's is a temperamental kid, perhaps not unlike Zeke.If Chuck Daily started benching Isiah Thomas during key stretches of big game, how might that have gone over? Not too well, I would surmise. Ditto for Rajon under similar circumstances in the coming season.

So there is more risk now in deploying KGFG this year than there might have been in the past.

That kind of complicates things, which kind of pisses me off.

I guess we'll have to see how it plays out.