Who All Will Guard Kobe?

Do we start out with Pierce on Bryant and Jesus on Artest or vice versa? I don't know, and, really, I don't care. Try it one way and then the other. See what happens. What I do care about are DKDs (Designated Kobe Defenders) 3, 4 and 5. In 2008, we only needed to go three deep. The third DKD proved to be a difference maker in Game 4, which decided the series. His name? James Posey.

Nails has moved on, and the question is, who do we have to replace him?

It says here that we've still got plenty.

Tony Allen is undersized, but physical. He'll be sure to use his fouls in pushing Kobe around. After TA comes Marquis Daniels. Thinner but longer, Squisy has a chance to prove why we signed him in the first place. Having received a free pass during the regular season because he has "good hair," he will now be counted on to use the full length of his body to frustrate #24.UPDATE: 5/31. Doc says Marquis is out indefinitely. Perhaps the whole series. Boooooooooooooo!

Finally, we have the most intriguing member of the DKDs, Michael Finley. At 6-7, Finley stands the tallest of the three. At 37, Finley may also be the wisest. Perhaps most importantly, Finley can drain the 3 ball. No Kobe playing free safety to offer help defense when he's guarding Mike.

But is Finley too old to play D?

We're not talking about lots of minutes, and we're only asking for short spurts. No one doubts that Finely is still in good shape. All he needs to do his channel his energy and his length for 5 or so minutes every game. I think he'll make a meaningful contribution on D. But he if can't, we've still got four other guys to throw at the Fakers' star.

Heart

The fact that Doc Rivers played a perfectly healthy Marquis Daniels a mere six minutes against the Denver Nuggets is perhaps more interesting than the line-up Doc brandished late in the game, using P-squared at the four and TA at the 3. TA, of course, was the beneficiary of the Daniels' decision, and he more than capitalized.

Don't get me wrong. I like Marquis. Marquis finds more creative ways to knife through opposing defenses and score from inside than anyone on the Celtics, save Rajon Rondo, especially if you exclude Celtic players whose drives result in charge calls. I also realize that's it dangerous to interpret the sometimes placid look on his face as a lack of intensity. After all, I was a big fan of double-zero. Still, S'quisy doesn't always seem to play with a fire in his belly.

Nor does TA. But at this point in his career, I think we all know when Tony Allen is most likely to provide a high-intensity performance: after he's been sitting on the bench for a long stretch, getting DNPs while someone else gets his PT.

In the end, the Celtics are gonna need to "bring it" to get very far in the playoffs. Doc Rivers is all about fire and intensity. He's the anti-Zen Mistress. Accordingly, Doc will play those guys who play the game this way. Going to TA over MD may just be the first example. Could a preference for Shelden over Sheed be in the offing?

Short-handed Celtics Travel to Portland

Even at full-strength, the Celtics roster stands at a mere 13 players, and that includes Marcus Landry, who is now being called a practice player. However, Landry and fellow former Knick Nate Robinson are unlikely to be eligible to play tonight because of the logistics and timing of the trade. That leaves 11 Celtics to compete . . . except that Tony Allen hurt his leg last night, and Doc (see video below) pronounced him doubtful for tonight.

Which brings us down to 10 players.

That means extra PT for Marquis, right? Probably, but he was kinda, sorta AWOL last night, and, I thought, looked way skinnier than usual. Perhaps he's sick? In any event, look for some creative coaching to get around these hurdles.

I had a good feeling about last night's game, and do again for tonight's game. But we'll need everyone to contribute. NO 2-11s from Sheed, and no gooseggs from Squisy.

Dimensions

House has been a huge help to the club, and his shooting was a key in the win over Sacramento Tuesday (the three second quarter treys helped open a 10-point lead). But the Celts see him as basically a spot-up shooter from the perimeter. Eddie catches; Eddie shoots.

And when he has room and time to set his feet, Eddie usually hits.But Robinson can score in more ways, and his offensive package could mean a great deal in spreading the threat through the rotation.His extra dimensions would make the Celts more difficult to defend.

Robinson’s abilities on the pick and roll will keep opponents more honest because he is just as likely to turn the corner and drive as he is to pull up for a jumper.And while Robinson isn’t the true point guard the Celtics have been seeking as a backup to Rajon Rondo he is a better ballhandler than House.

LINK

Marquis Daniels and The Dubious Value of Historical Precedent

I was a history major in college. I have a law degree, and in the law, precedent usually carries the day. This blog is heavily into Celtics history. But if history has a place in various aspects of society, it's value can be overstated, too. Let me explain.

The Celtics drafted Michael Smith in 1989. I was fired up. Red Auerbach compared him to Larry Bird. Smith came to camp out of shape and proceeded to get hurt immediately. He fell behind, and it took him forever to get caught up. Thereafter, any time a Celtics rookie got hurt early in his first season, I was done with him. I was done with Glen Davis before he ever suited up because he got hurt in the pre-draft tryouts.

Continuing the injury theme, I've always been an admirer of Tony Allen's undeniable skills. I've compared his defensive abilities to Deion Sanders. I'm not TA Crazy, like some fans who remember his stellar play before blowing out his knee earlier in his career. But I've always been solid in his corner. Because he gets injured so often, however, I've basically written him off as a possible contributor. I then applied the Tony Allen precedent to Marquis Daniels. Pacers fans warned us. They said Daniels gets hurt a lot. Don't expect him to stay healthy. I kept an open mind, but, sure enough, he got hurt and missed a boatload of games. My response was to dismiss him as a contributor the rest of the season.

You see where I'm going. Watching MD play just a few minutes today demonstrated to even the basetball-challenged that he is a multi-skilled player who, if healthy, could drastically increase this team's chances of winning a championship. Remember earlier in the season when the Celtics bench was outscoring the starters? Do you think it was a coincidence that this happened when MD was healthy?

I realize that the Celtics will need a lot of luck for everyone to get healthy, stay healthy, and get on the same page. But history really will have nothing to do with how far they get.

A lot of people that come in, they say they’re hungry, well I’m starving. I’m starving every night. I feel like I’ve got to prove something.

--Squisy

You know what I like about the Squeezer? I don't grind my teeth every time he touches the ball out of concern over what will happen next. He was only 1-5 last night. But he still added 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal in 22 minutes of PT. Marquis Daniels keeps the bone-headed plays to a minimum because he keeps his head in the game, unlike someone else we know. The below video is so great because it captures TA during one of those "he's somewhere else" moments.BTW, I'm really looking forward to what Squisy has to show us on Friday.

Should the Celtics Stiff Daniels and Hold on to their Expiring Contracts?

NESN seems to think so.

The argument appears to be that it is better for the Celtics to wait for the mid-season trade deadline and look for someone like James Posey, who might be dealt to save money. It is an interesting idea. My concern would be that Marquis Daniels may remind us too much of A) Tony Allen (injury-prone and inconsistent); and B) Mikki Moore (over-hyped and under-performing).

Still, I'm inclined to take the gamble, given the flattering reviews Daniels received both before and after the deal from non-Celtics fans around the league. The Celtics can always deal him for someone else mid-season if it doesn't work out.

Marquis Update

Marquis Daniels has supposedly inked a contract with the Boston Celtics, though Fanhouse says that the details of a sign-and-trade are still being worked out between Danny Ainge and Larry Bird. This to me sounds like an update without an update, no?

More Love for Marquis

And Daniels? I can understand why a team like the Pacers would decide not to pick up his $7.5 million option. Not in this economy, not with the team sometimes struggling to pull in five-figure crowds. But to pull Marquis Daniels for either a $1.8 million contract, or a sign-and-trade with Tony Allen and Brian Scalabrine?

This is huge.

Honestly, 25 teams could use a Marquis Daniels, and a team that is 13 months removed from a championship just picked him up. You have to appreciate that. And while Daniels hasn't built upon what was a very promising rookie campaign in 2003-04, the guy can play. He has all sorts of little tricks defensively, he can work from two positions, he can shoot, he can shoot on the break, and he can really get into the lane. He's essentially a mini-version of another rookie on the 2003-04 Dallas Mavericks - Josh Howard(notes). At, what, one-sixth the price?

--YAHOO

Speaking of love, Red's Army has a good piece about how the league is flabbergasted over the Rasheed Wallace signing. I must admit, if KG's knee is healthy, there is no way to fully gauge the impact Sheed will have. Did Bill Russell have another Bill Russell coming off the bench behind him? How about Wilt? Kareem? You could say the best example would be Parish and Walton, but even that comparison is a bit off-center, as Walton's health usually limited his number of minutes to less than 20, and old Mountain Man couldn't hoist a shot from more than 15-feet, and even those shots (and it kills me to criticize my dog) were butt ugly.

Not a Bad Dunk

OR HOW ABOUT THIS ONE?

The Makeover Continues

Like I was saying the other day over at MVN, perhaps the most fascinating thing to happen this summer was something that didn't happen at all, namely the proposed draft day trade of Brian Scalabrine, Tony Allen and a choice of J.R. Giddens or Bill Walker for the Memphis Grizzlies' 36th pick and cash considerations. A lot of folks thought Danny had his eye on someone at pick #36. Not me. I figured Danny was trying to unload three players for one, and since the one player he'd get in return was a non-guaranteed second round pick, it was really three players for zero. Next you throw in the fact that Gabe Pruitt has a team option this year, the aforementioned proposed trade told us that Danny's goal was to totally remake the roster from spots 6-15.

Well, last night we heard the other shoe hit the floor.

Like any good (read "bad") Celtics' fan, I'm now obsessing over who were gonna lose in the Marquis Grissom, er, I mean Daniels deal. Losing Brian Scalabrine would have concerned me more before his third concussion of the season last year sent him to the same type of doctor that told Troy-Aikman to hang it up, meaning whatever reason there is to love or appreciate Vanilla Thunder is now a fleeting reason because of the brain issues (kind of ironic, don't you think, since Danny's brain doctor told Danny to sign Brian because he had a good brain type. I wonder what the brain doctor would say about Scal's brain today?).

Which brings us to the burning question of the next three days: what else will Larry exact from Danny in this deal?

Here's my break down:

I think Tony Allen would be a tough MoFo if his body didn't let him down and make him such a wuss. Gabe Pruitt is a preacher's kid, and thus where nature has left Tony Allen lacking bodily resilience, nurture has left Gabe Pruitt lacking a killer intensity. Between JR Giddens and Bill Walker, I say Giddens is the more talented, while Walker is tougher, physically and mentally, which thus makes him more of a Doc-Rivers guy.

So if we're gonna lose someone other than Scal, I guess the pecking order is to lose Gabe first, Tony Allen second, Giddens third, and Walker fourth. What say you?