Posey is Still a Celtic

James Posey came into the locker room after we lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals to Miami Heat, and he's forever a Celtic.

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If you are a long-time Boston Celtics fan like some of us (1974), tradition means something to you. With the Celtics, part of that tradition (a very large part) is the players. They become like members of your own family once you've rooted for them long enough. 

Which is why way back on October 28, 2007, I proposed that Danny Ainge arrange for members of the 1986 Celticschampionship to participate in the next banner-hoisting ceremony via a private,closed-circuit party. I mean, you couldn't expect the GM's of the Indiana Pacers and the Minnesota Timberwolves to attend the ceremony in public, especially after McHale had been accused by Laker fans of turning down a better trade (Odom/Bynum) for a worse trade (Al Jefferson and picks), simply because McHale hates the Lakers and once played for the Celtics.

Deepest Celtics Team of the Garnett Era? Puhlease

Wow.

There is going overboard, and then there is losing it altogether.

I'm gonna vote for the latter when it comes to a blog calling the current Celtics' team "the deepest of the Garnet Era." (although kudos for using a term I coined!).

In case you've forgotten, let's take a look at the Celtics' second team that walked off the court world champions in 2008.

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.

While We're Getting Caught Up

Season Averages

Season	Team	G	GS	MPG	FG%	3p%	FT%	OFF	DEF	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PF	PPG
09-10	NOH	61	2	22.8	0.358	0.319	0.844	0.4	4.1	4.5	1.4	0.5	0.2	0.7	2.5	5.1
Career		799	479	27.6	0.413	0.351	0.821	0.9	3.9	4.8	1.7	1.1	0.4	1.2	2.7	8.9

The Difference between this Year and Two Years Ago

stop (stp)

v. stopped, stop·ping, stops

1. To close by covering, filling in, or plugging up.

2. To constrict.

3. To obstruct or block passage on.

4. To prevent the flow or passage of: stop supplies from getting through.

5.

a. To halt the motion or progress of: stopped me and asked directions.

b. To block or deflect; parry or ward off.

c. To be or get in the way of (a bullet or other missile); be killed or wounded by.

6.

a. To cause to desist or to change a course of action: stopped us from continuing the argument.

b. To prevent or restrain: stopped him from going.

Other than Ubuntu, what was the word we most associated with the Boston Celtics during the 2007-08 NBA season? Answer: defense. We got stops when we needed them. The most memorable scene occurred during game 4 of the NBA Finals. During a time out, down 20, Doc told the troops that they weren't playing all that bad, but they had to start making plays. They needed to get stops.

That's what they proceeded to do. They put down the hammer. This squad doesn't do that. It isn't capable of doing it, at least not now. The key to the defense is former Defensive Player of the Year, Kevin Garnett. It's nice when he shoots 6-7 from the field. But that isn't what we need from him. What we need is the dominating presence on the glass and in the lane. We need the quarterback directing traffic, helping from the week side, and volunteering himself for the toughest assignments. He doesn't do much of this anymore, and, in fact, he's not up to the toughest assignments. He's a shadow of his former self on defense. Sheed, supposedly a mirror image of KG's good self, instead is just a mirror of KG's old and injured self.

It's too bad the Celtics still don't have James Posey on this roster. Not because he'd help. But because he'd fit in. He's old and beat up now, too.

Pose and Squeeze Talk about Each Other

“I'm Marquis,” Daniels said before the game. “Posey is a good player. He does what he does good, I do what I do good. I don't try to compare myself to anyone. He's a great player, he's done a lot of great things like I said. I just plan on coming in and being myself and helping our team as much as possible.”

He added, “We both play defense. I probably handle the ball better. He does a lot of great things and I do a lot of things good also so like I said, I don't try to compare myself to no one.” Both players had relatively quiet games on Sunday night as they guarded one another at several points. Daniels finished with three points and two rebounds in 18 minutes; Posey was scoreless with four rebounds in 20 minutes.

Posey said the comparisons are inevitable but doesn't think either player should pay attention to them. Just as he was a good fit on the Celtics two years ago, he believes Daniels is in the right place this season. “He's a great player,” Posey said. “Actually, we're pretty good friends. He can score better than I can for the most part. He has that toughness, physically and mentally, to go out there and play and just compete. So I mean, for that, he fits this team well.”

“He can score the ball,” he continued. “He's versatile, attacking the basket just like Paul. So that coming off the bench as well, just that whole mixture that they have over there is special and they'll fit right in.”

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Does Rasheed Wallace Replace Both Pose and PJ?

For two years, we heard talk about how the Celtics would need two or more players to replace what James Posey brought to the table. TA can play some D, while Scal can shoot the 3 (I got that one from Johnnie Cochran). But very few people ever talked about replacing PJ Brown, except when POB and Mikki Moore utterly failed to be remotely useful backing-up Kendrick Perkins. This year we may have the opposite situation. Rasheed Wallace (one player) might replace both James Posey and PJ Brown (two players). And just for fun we added Marquis Daniels, who adds skills even the now lionized Posey didn't have.

Posey Played Hurt

No one knew it, but Hornets forward James Posey played all but the first two games of last season with torn meniscus cartilage in his right knee. Posey, who underwent surgery to repair the damage in late May, recalled Monday when and where the injury took place.

"In Game 3 here (a home opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers), I came down, had a couple shots -- and I was on that left wing," Posey said, pointing to the end of the floor where the Hornets' bench is located. "I was fouled, but I thought I was going to have more contact -- and I came down awkward.

"My knee buckled. I went to the free-throw line, then I started moving, and then I subbed myself out. I went straight to the back, and I just sat in the hallway. It just didn't feel right. The docs came back and checked it out. Afterward I had an MRI, and they told me what happened."

Posey said doctors assured him he would do no additional damage to the knee by playing. So he taped it up and padded it each contest -- for 72 more regular-season games and five in the playoffs -- and continued to play.

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There's a reason I call him Nails.

. . . or Maybe Sheed is the New Posey

Wallace will have a similar role to what James Posey had during Boston’s 2008 championship season. Posey was a sparkplug off the bench that season. He was a catalyst on both ends of the floor. Like Posey did at times, Wallace could be on the floor in the fourth quarter with Garnett and Perkins, which would give the Celtics a big lineup that would be tough to defend during crunch time.

“Rasheed will be there in the fourth quarter just like [James] Posey was,” Rivers said. “The difference in some ways, and it is a better difference in some ways, we would go small in the post [in 2008] and the three would have to guard the four, but now we can stay tall with Rasheed at the three and the five would have to guard him. I think teams are going to have to decide how [to defend us]. … Rasheed is such a smart player that anytime you put a four on him he would post him up, and every time you put a five on him he would stand behind the 3-point line.”

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Yesterday folks were talking about how Marquis Daniels will replace James Posey. Doc makes it sound like Sheed will replace Posey. Will we still be searching for a Posey successor in February?

Marquis Daniels is the New Posey

Defensively, the Celts haven’t had a player like Daniels since James Posey. Offensively, not even Posey was this versatile.

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I'm a little concerned about the expectations here. I'll be happy if Daniels is really 6-6, and just slightly better and more consistent than TA. But I'll keep an open mind that he might surprise me.

Quick Hit: 2008 Celtics v. 2010 Celtics

This will be a much bandied about topic in Celtic Nation over the course of the next several months. At least I hope it is, or something has gone awry in the Land of Green. Most of us would agree that discussing said subject is premature. But, you know, that never stopped me before.

So let's get round 1 out of the way.

2008            2010              Winner
KG              KG                2008
Truth           Truth             Tie
Beast           Beast             2010
Rondo           Rondo             2010
Jesus           Jesus             Tie

PJ              Sheed             2010
Posey           Marquis           2008
House/Alien     House/Walker      2008
Powe/Davis      Davis/Landlord    2008

See comments section for supporting analysis.

Sheed, PJ, & Pose

The Celtics won a championship with key support from an aging PJ Brown and kids like Leon Powe and Glen Davis. Even at this stage of his career, Rasheed Wallace is better than all three.
--Steve Bulpett

Indeed. Rasheed Wallace starts the season three years younger than PJ Brown was when he ended the 2007-08 season, and markedly more talented and versatile.

It might be worth remembering, too, that one Mr. James Posey had responsibilities that included defending the likes of Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, and others of their ilk. I'm pretty sure Sheed's height and weight will provide an advantage over these taller, bigger threes that Nails never enjoyed.

"He’s going to replace Posey as far as minutes"

“He’s going to replace [Posey] as far as minutes, but they are totally different. Both of them are very tough-minded, which is good. Posey was a guy who spread the floor more, Marquis will be a guy with the ball in his hands more and making decisions.

--Doc

Two years on and we're still talkin' 'bout Nails.I loved James Posey. But, man, I wonder how long it will be before we can sleep at night without having bad dreams about his departure?

Nails

OK, maybe rescuing James Posey from exile in New Orleans wouldn't be all bad.

Posey or BBD?

Now that Grant Hill has decided to follow the career path of Bernard King, who as a free agent in 1987 chose the Washington Bullets over the Boston Celtics, its time to explore some other options, one in particular. Let's start with the facts.

Paul Pierce, if healthy, is gonna play lots-0-minutes, a minimum of 32 minutes per game, and that's a conservative estimate. This leaves a maximum of 16 minutes per game we have to fill at the three. Sheed is gonna take a few of those minutes. Let's say four minutes. Now we have 12 left. What's the best way to fill these minutes?

Celtics management is fond of drafting bulky, undersized bigs who Celtics fans then compare to Charles Barkley. Brandon Hunter comes to mind, as does Glen Davis. I believe someone else fits the bill, but right now I'm drawing a blank.

Back to BBD.

He's no Charles Barkley, who played a fair amount of minutes at the 3 early in his career. Chaz was a better rebounder, a better leaper, and a better shot blocker. Chaz had better range, and was better in the open floor. He was just better. One of the best of all time. Big Baby? Not so much. But let's not sell him short either. Davis has some range, can dunk and blocks a few shots. Davis may just be a better defender than Chaz, too. He's also taller than Barkley, and no less afraid to throw his weight around than was the Round Mound of Rebound.

So what am I getting at?

The other day various Celtics blogs and message boards were talking about a sign-and-trade with New Orleans, whereby we'd sign the Bambino Grande and then trade him to the Hornets. Needless to say, we'd get the man I call "Nails" in return, good old James Posey. Virtual pandemonium spread across Celtics Nation at the mere thought of James Posey returning to Boston. I'm here to question the wisdom of that idea.

What if we re-signed Glen Davis, and instead of trading him, we kept him and played him at the three (in addition to playing him at the 4 and 5 spots)? No he's not tall and lanky like Posey, but he is a wide load and fairly quick on his feet. Posey had an off year last year, while BBD had something close to a break-out season, especially if you take into account his performance in the playoffs. So one player is getting old (33 next year) and showing decline in playing ability, while the other player is young (23) and just starting to come into his own.

Will BBD be a lock down defender against 3s during his 12 minutes? Highly unlikely. But would James Posey be as effective on defense as he was two years ago? Meanwhile, matching up Baby against an opposing 3 would be a bruising experience for the other guy, and I mean really bruising. Sure, there will be a few 3s taller than Baby, like Lamar Odom. But BBD has already shown that he can defend players much taller than him, though usually these taller players are not mobile 3s, and if the game's on the line and we need a tall 3, that's why we have Sheed and Garnett. Earlier in the game, though, let's have Baby beat up and beat down that same player for a good 8-12 minutes.

Psychologically, it's entirely possible that a BBD beat-down at the 3 might do more damage than could frenetic defense from a tall and skinny 3, and as the Celtics and other defensive-minded teams have proven, psychologically damaging defense takes its toll over 48 minutes.

Maybe I'm nuts. Maybe what we really need is a tall and skinny swingman. But bringing back BBD and playing him at the 3 gives him his best chance to be a poor man's Charles Barkley, not that this should be a goal necessarily, but it would be fun to watch how it worked.

The Posey Ring Ceremony

Thanks Again, Nails

He's up to those same tricks. You know, it's funny, last year I loved what he did, setting flops, charges, grabbing, holding, getting away with hitting on the arm. Today I think I complained about Posey the entire game. He's a pain in the butt, he really is, and now I know why I loved him on my team.

--Doc

Nails Returns

Poseyless Celtics: How are they Doing from Range?

Every Celtics fan remembers the threes James Posey hit in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, just as every Celtics fan remembers the threes he and Eddie House in Game 6. The threes in Game 4 got us back into the game and then helped secure the win, while the threes in quarter two of game 6 started the Celtics on their way to an historic win.

Most pundits predicted the Celtics would sorely miss Posey this year, and, over time, I'm sure they will (man hugs aside). But how are the Celtics doing from range compared to last year? Has there been a wild decline in three attempts or accuracy?

Last year the Celtics averaged just a smidgen more than 19 three-tries per game, while converting 7.2 of them, for a percentage of .378. This year the Celtics are attempting only 15.5 threes per game, while making 5.3 of them, for a percentage of .341. Not only is our three-point field goal percentage worse than last year, then, the number of threes we take has declined by 19% while the number of threes we make has declined by 26%.

But those numbers improve dramatically if you focus on the last nine games. During the winning streak, the Celtics have gone 49-125 from three, for a percentage of .392. During the win streak, then, we are averaging only 13.8 three-tries per game while making 5.4 of them.

One conclusion might be that we are getting more judicious and intelligent about the shots we take from range. There is no doubt some truth to that conclusion. However, the winning streak also skews those numbers. In the two games immediately preceding the win streak, the Celtics hoisted up 25 threes against Denver, making 10, and 24 threes against Atlanta, making 5.

What did those two games have in common?

The Celtics trailed at least part of the time by large margins, increasing the need to shoot threes.

So it is hard to fully separate the chicken from the egg. Are we winning more comfortably because we're using the three more judiciously or are we judicious in shooting threes because we are winning more comfortably?

A little of both, but like a runner who adjusts his running style due to an injury, the Celtics are adjusting their style to play to their strengths.

Deja Eddie

And there it was.

Second quarter.

Close game.

Tough rival.

Back-to-back threes create space between the Cs and the opponent.

Celtics build on that lead and never look back.

Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals?

James Posey and Eddie House?

No, no, and yes.

The timing of Eddie House's back-to-back threes couldn't have been any more reminiscent of the deciding game last June if Doc would have hired a choreographer.

We didn't have Nails to play his role. But just before the two threes, Leon Powe, playing small forward, swatted a shot that had Elastic Man wondering how a 6'7" guy had blocked his shot. Afterall, isn't Tayshaun Prince 6'9"?

Answer: The Show has a 7'4" Wingspan.

Nails would have been proud.