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?

27-11

What is the Boston Celtics record with Shelden Williams in the line-up?

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

Clearly, the 2009-10 Boston Celtics have my full attention for the first time in some time. Should they have your's, too? If you're like me, getting excited about the Celtics when the snow starts to melt is nothing new. I remember getting excited about the Celtics signing Artis Gilmore in 1988, and then adding Jim Paxson not long thereafter. 1988 was also the year that Bill Walton was supposed to return to health, and that really cranked up the noise in Celtic Nation.

Then there was the 1989 trade for Joe Kleine and Eddie Pinckney, the 1991 acquisition of Derek Smith, and the 2002 Joe Johnson trade for Tony Delk and Rodney Rogers. Boy was I excited. So excited, in fact, I remember going on long runs after both the Pinckney and Kleine deal and the Delk and Rogers deal and returning home still feeling like I could run another ten miles. The key question, of course, was how did all those deals turn out? Some better than others, but none yielded a championship. In hindsight, everything is so clear.

But right now, we don't know a damn thing. Will Rondo become Boston's D.Wade in the fourth quarter as the regular season comes to a close? Will KG and Sheed become the Twin Tower combination we contemplated in August? Will Shelden Williams earn more and more PT, and eventually play a key role in a playoff series against the Hawks, rebounding and blocking shots in a big time payback against his former team? What can we expect from Mighty Mouse? Can the Celtics defeat either Orlando or Cleveland in a 7-game series? Will the Nuggets oust the favored Lakers from the Western Conference playoffs?

Nobody knows. But right now I like our chances a helluva lot better than I did last year. Last year the writing was on the wall once KG went down, just like with all the injuries in 1987. I hate those kind of springs. All I want is a chance, and a chance is what we have right now.

So it's OK to put your toe back in the water. This is where the fun starts. The 61-game exhibition schedule is O-V-E-R.

Shelden Williams: 26-year-Old Rebounding Big with Fresh Legs

Most Celtics fans still have a clear recollection of the 2007-08 championship season. If you are one of them, then you probably remember how Doc Rivers picked his spots to use Leon Powe and Glen Davis. Rarely were the two used in tandem. Often one played 20 plus minutes while the other played little or not at all. If Shelden Williams keeps playing the way he has thus far in March, Doc Rivers may have to resort to his game plan from two years ago.

Despite being one of the few Celtics who hasn't suffered an injury the entire season, Shelden Williams played a mere 10 games during the months of January and February. This after playing well early in the season, and making his presence felt inside. Once Glen Davis returned from injury, Shelden's minutes declined and kept declining to the point where he played a grand total of 7 minutes in 3 games for the entire month of February. Many of us were left to wonder whether we'd ever see him play a meaningful role again.

But there he was going for 6 points (on 3-4 shooting) and 4 rebounds against Detroit in 16 minutes, and 5 points (on 2-3 shooting) and 4 rebounds in 9 minutes against Charlotte. Numbers tell only part of the story. What our eyes told us is that Shelden Williams likes to throw people around. Refs tend to call fouls on whomever is guarding him, even when it seems obvious to this writer that Shelden is pushing off with one hand while grabbing a rebound with the other.

No less important, Shelden Williams is aggressive. The jury is still out on whether the last two wins presage a trend or are an exception to the rule. Either way, the route to the championship is via defense and rebounding, and both require an aggressive mindset. Throw Shelden Williams out there with the second unit and let's see if an already hungry unit gets hungrier.

That's what I want to see the rest of the season:

H-U-N-G-E-R.

Meanwhile, Shelden's got fresh legs. That's the benefit of having two bigs with overlapping skills. You rotate them, and they both head into the playoffs in good shape. Look at Glen and Leon two years ago. Shelden is undersized, and not a great leaper. I can live with both of these handicaps if he adds a little snarl to these Celtics.

Can We Start the Bench?

Wow.

Inspired play. Attitude. A sense of urgency, energy even.

Of course, I'm just talking about the bench, and I'm just talking about the end of the third quarter and the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter, but you gotta start somewhere.

During that time frame, we saw Tony Allen clogging up passing lanes (on defense) and making steals a la James Posey. We saw Give It to Me Big Shelden throwing people around in the paint at one end of the floor and dunking in their face at the other. We saw Glen Davis time and again score from inside, and we saw Mighty Mouse draining threes like his name was Drazen Petrovic.

When Doc Rivers removed Shelden Williams from the game and replaced Glen Davis with Kevin Garnett, at least one viewer (this one) was left to ask, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? Do you understand that the Boston Celtics are actually playing basketball and playing it, dare I say, well? Sure, it was against the Pistons. Undoubtedly, we still gave up too many points in the paint. But for the love of pete, Coach, can you possibly let the players stay on the floor when they're on a roll and have some momentum?

I mean, the starters egos can't be that fragile. Hell, having KG, Pierce, and Jesus watch the reserves close out a game might even remind them how its done.

Sheldoon

Was that a dream shake we saw in the second quarter? It must have surprised even Shelden, because later in the quarter, he tried some sort of twisting, spinning move across the baseline before throwing it away. All in all, however, it was another solid performance by #13. Ten points, 9 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 assist. It also included this block and the subsequent ally-oop:

The Love-In for Sheldoon Continues

Despite earning Rookie of the Month honors and leading all rookies in double-doubles during his first year in the league, he did not live up to the standards many had set for a lottery pick out of Duke. Now Williams is focused on helping the team that has given him another shot at establishing himself. He is averaging a career-high 6.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 16.4 minutes per game with the Celtics.

“Honestly, [it's] just me going back to just going back being me. Hustle plays, running the floor, rebounding the basketball, playing defense, taking opportunities that are given to me and not just overdo things, overthink things, or try to do too much of anything,” he said. “It's more of a structured system [in Boston],” he added. “It's similar to being back at Duke. Things are run a certain way, things are expected to be run a certain way. Here everything is very structured. When anybody comes in, you know what your job is and what you have to do and it kind of makes everything else pretty much simple.”

Needless to say, this is a new experience for the 6-9 forward. “It's the most appreciated I felt in my four-year career,” he said.

LINK

There’s very little on this team that surprises Garnett. But then there’s the case of Shelden Williams, who continues to make the most of his ninth man role. Last night, Williams had six points, six rebounds and a block. He’s also second to Paul Pierce [stats] in attempted (31) and made (27) free throws. He’s second only to Ray Allen with a .871 free throw percentage. Eddie House is shooting 1.000, but has taken only four free throws.

“I don’t think anybody anticipated his work ethic, and how he’s able to keep rebounding and (producing) within the small minutes he plays,” said Garnett. “He’s rebounding, he’s keeping balls alive, he’s perfect for this team. He’s that livewire we need, especially with Glen (Davis) being out. He came in and filled the void that was lost for a second.”

LINK

More from #13, More on #13

Like I’ve said all the time, a good amount of players are good once they find the right fit. Take a look at Shannon Brown. He couldn’t play in Charlotte but he was good enough to play for (the Lakers) on an NBA championship team (last year). That just shows you.

--Sheldoon

He’s benefited a great deal from where he is.People haven’t seen Shelden, and I think he shot to the forefront of the league with this team. Now people want to know about him. People are hearing about his journey, and it brings his value up. It brings our value up.

--J.Shuttlesworth

He was a 12th man, an afterthought, someone Doc Rivers could bury at the bottom of his depth chart and hide at the end of his bench. Essentially, Williams' main purpose was to lie in waiting until injuries arose and his services were needed.

As it turned out, that time came a lot sooner than the Celtics were expecting. With the thumb injury that shelved Glen Davis less than two weeks ago, Williams became a key part of the Celtics' rotation overnight, and he hasn't shied away from the challenge. Suffice it to say that Williams has already surpassed the Celtics' expectations for him. And it's still early November. Through six games, Williams' per-game averages off the Celtics bench are very solid: 7.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.5 blocks. He's shooting 57.1 percent from the floor and 84.0 percent from the free-throw line. And he's only getting 17 minutes a night.

--NESN

He played well in the season-opening win in Cleveland, scoring four points and grabbing three rebounds in 13 minutes. As his time on the floor has increased, so has his production. He had 12 points, nine rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block in 22 minutes against Charlotte, and then put up a double-double effort in 24 minutes against the Bulls — 10 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

In fact, Shelden Williams is a big part of why the Celtics are 4-0, part of a bench that has equaled — and at times surpassed — the starting unit in the early going. His defense has been big, even if he hasn't quite figured out the Celtics' help defense just yet.

"Pretty much where I've always been, you're responsible for your man, and that's something they don't stress here," he said. "Everybody has to jump back. That's something pretty much all my life I've been the last line of defense, and I've had to get the stops myself. I'm still at the point where I'm looking at my man, and I'm not looking to help. That's something I'm still working on."

--TIM WEISBERG

Shelden is Fitting In

When we first got Shelden Williams, he was so used to running down to the post and asking for the ball. Early on we explained that, 'We have Paul Pierce and Ray Allen; your job is this.' He's doing it, accepting it. He's been a big pickup and the one thing he does, too, is rebound.

Doc

It is interesting to see how much success or failure in the NBA can be reduced to understanding, accepting, and fulfilling a role. When you're the fifth pick overall in the NBA draft, the presumption is that you are Moses Malone, and thus GIVE ME THE FREAKIN' BALL NOW is your role. When that role doesn't pan out, you need to find a new one.

It is clear to me that Shelden's role is to do the little things, nothing more and nothing less. Get rebounds, block out, defend, take up space, set picks, roll, take 'er to the rim, hit your free throws, and keep the boneheadedness to a minimum.

There's not much glory in that job description, unless you play for the Celtics, in which case, if you play your role well enough, your prize is immortality. Not bad, huh?

Ron Artest v. Shelden Williams: Who's Off to the Better Start?

Shelden Williams
Salary: $1.9m for 1 year

2009-10 Statistics			FG		3PT		FT		Rebounds			Misc
	G	MIN	FGM-A	FG%	3PM-A	3P%	FTM-A	FT%	OFF	DEF	TOT	STL	BLK	TO	PF	AST	PTS
Season	3	19.7	4-8	.500	0-0	.000	18-21	.857	1.7	5.7	7.3	.33	1.00	1.33	4.00	1.7	8.7

Ron Artest
Salary: $36m for 5 years

2009-10 Statistics			FG		3PT		FT		Rebounds			Misc
	G	MIN	FGM-A	FG%	3PM-A	3P%	FTM-A	FT%	OFF	DEF	TOT	STL	BLK	TO	PF	AST	PTS
Season	2	32.0	4-16	.250	2-9	.222	3-9	.333	1.0	3.0	4.0	1.50	.00	4.00	3.50	3.5	6.5

Shelden was a high draft pick for a reason and he was a dominant player in college for a reason. My job, the staff’s job, is to get that out of him. He has, I think, a great opportunity to do it with this team.

--Doc

Shelden appears to be making an effort to answer my question from opening night.

Well, Sheldoon, You Got Anything?

Boston Celtics (4) - With Kevin Garnett healthy, they should at least be back in the title picture. However, I think the Cavs and Magic improved a little too much. I don't see a washed-up Rasheed Wallace being a major difference-maker. I honestly think Ainge was just flattered by his big name like he was with Marbury. I don't see Shelden Williams being a difference-maker, either (LOL).

--CBS Sports

I gotta tell ya, Shelden, you're cramping my style. It's one thing to make Meg-Ryan jokes about your first name. It's another to pretend that you're seemingly faultless jumper means something in the pre-season. But goll dang it if I'm gonna be so light-hearted when you're thrust into the spotlight against the Cleveland Cavaliers . . . . and on the road, no less.

It's not like I'm gonna rip you a new one tomorrow if you play undersized and otherwise live down to expectations. Then again, I have nothing against a surprise or two, as in, you know, a block here and a rebound there, a dunk here and maybe a jumper there.

But don't worry. I'm not holding my breath.

The Shelden 15-Footer

Patrick O'Bryant Lives! Clearly, that was the BIG story from last night's win. Ok, maybe not.

Then what?

Perhaps it was the fact that Kevin Garnett played above the rim throughout the game, including two alley-oop dunks. As KG continues to get healthy, memories of him standing on the ground, declining opportunities to catch and dunk alley-oop passes earlier in the pre-season are fading. This development can't be overstated. A grounded Kevin Garnett proved to be valuable shooting 15-footers, grabbing rebounds, and deflecting and swiping passes. But Garnett needs the hops to become the $21m man.

Next up we have Glen Davis. It takes him virtually no time to start making things happen once he enters a game. His game underneath is really impressing me this year. Every now and then, he appears undersized as in the days of old. But more and more he's figuring out ways to use his body, get space, and get the hoop or some harm. He may give Sheed a run for his money in the Sixth Man race.

Shelden Williams hit two jumpers from 15 feet, and missed one. He keeps making these shots, and one blog is going to have to reconsider their harsh criticism of his jumper. In one piece, the blog was actually imploring Shelden never to shoot his jumper. The blog made the argument based on statistics. But sometimes you have to put the abacus down, and take a look at the real thing. And other than maybe and extended pinkie, the Shelden jumper looks sound.

Rajon Rondo is now talking about how great the Celtics' defense will be this year. Talk is cheap. Because if the first quarter is any indication, the Celtics' defense looks porous to me. The Raptors' scored 18 points in the paint IN THE FIRST QUARTER, and once an individual Raptor player got past his man, there was minimal to no second line of help. Pre-season, I know. But KG isn't looking quite as quick or mobile laterally as I remember. Whatever, it's something to keep an eye on.

Speaking of Rajon, I was watching a bit of the Houston-Boston match-up in game 1 of the exhibition season. Rajon's jumper looks WAAAAAAAAY different. Ball is well above his ahead, well in front of his face. Last two games, he's back to his old jumper. He's even hitting it with semi-regularity. Again, I'm sure someone can go grab a statistic and tell me his jumper stinks. Someone else will tell me his jumper isn't pretty. But you know what? I've seen Rondo make big shots when the chips are down. And he's starting to make it again . . . without thinking about it. So put me down as supporting his decision to go back to his old jumper.

A Few Late Shelden Highlights

Exhibition games are meaningless, which makes garbage time in exhibition games about as conducive to meaningful analysis as a page full of scribble. But when Shelden Williams does something productive on a basketball court, we call it out.

So it was with Shelden's 4 minutes of play last night.

Nineteen seconds after entering the game, seven-footer Yi Jianlian decides he's gonna take Shelden to the hoop. He does, but bowls him over in the process. Offensive foul. Somewhere, Leon Powe acknowledges that's how you draw a charge.

After a Baby turnover and a bucket by Brook Lopez (see here for what I think of him), Lopez rejects a shot by Baby, only to watch Sheldoon grab the ball, take it to the rim, and convert a three-point-play, the old-fashioned way. GIVE IT TO ME BIG SHELDEN!

Very next sequence, Nets score and proceed to apply full-court pressure, leaving Sheldoon alone. The inbounds goes to Williams, who dribbles the ball across court without incident. Before the game comes to a finish, Shelden grabs two more rebounds, cans two from the stripe, and draws yet another foul on Yi.

Not bad for garbage time in a meaningless game. Butter Bean's stock just plummeted.

Doc: Shelden has a Terrific 15-Footer

Asked yesterday what was expected of Williams, who joined the Celtics as an unrestricted free agent in August, Rivers replied: “Very similar to Baby’s role - terrific 15-foot shooter, can pop, he’s strong, can really rebound. That’s his role.

LINK

Remember all the articles (here and here) saying Shelden couldn't shoot? Sometimes the best thing you can do is put down the calculator and just watch. What I've seen is a kid with mechanically sound jumper. Maybe he's missed in the past because playing against oversized opponents in the wrong offense. Whatever, Shelden unveiled the jumper in the scrimmage the other night, and it looked like it always has--just fine.

Shelden Gets Talked Up before S'quisy

Their off-season did not stop with Rasheed Wallace. The Celtics bolstered their bench further by adding the likes of Shelden Williams and Marquis Daniels. Williams has bounced around the league since being drafted fifth overall in 2006. He hasn’t ever gotten the opportunity to play significant minutes. He has proven to be a solid role player and that is all he will be called upon to provide for this team as well. Daniels, on the other hand, had a terrific year in 08-09. He was able to see a steady diet of playing time given the absence of Mike Dunleavy Jr. and he capitalized beautifully. Although he showed bits of inconsistency, he had some spectacular stretches including a November that saw him average 16.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per contest. His ability to facilitate the offense will complement Eddie House’s shoot-first mentality nicely for the second unit.

LINK

If we go back to the start of last season, any excitement the Celtics had about bigs on their third unit centered on Patrick O'Bryant. Personally, I had POB pegged as a William-Bedford type. That is, a hanger-on who makes a championship roster solely because of his height. Not so for Shelden Williams. Where POB had ticker troubles, I expect Shelden to roll up his sleeves and snort around in the mud to get rebounds and remove people from the paint. To be honest, Mike Sweetney would probably have been an upgrade over POB.

More of Shelden Rather than Less, Sooner rather than Later?

Like sands through an hour glass, so are the days of Celtics Nation.

Come on, does anyone really think KG is gonna play much in the first few pre-season games? I guess the theme for those games will be GIVE IT TO ME BIG SHELDEN. . .

Give It to Me, Big Shelden

Rasheed Wallace is a player that Doc and especially KG will love because of his ferocity and bully mentality. His skills are on the decline a bit, but ‘Sheed can still hit threes, rebound and find the open man. Shelden Williams is a big body who along with Kendrick Perkins and Big Baby will make going to the paint a physical nightmare for opposing players. Boston hopes that Williams will be the player Atlanta thought they were getting when they drafted him fifth overall out of Duke in 2006.

LINK

Damn, and the author was doing so well until the last sentence. Yes, Shelden Williams will thrive in a system where the sum total of his job description will be "rebound, play defense, and pound opposing players who enter the paint." He does these three things, Give It to Me Big Shelden will earn an A+.

I just can't stress enough, however, that this is entirely different than the reason he was drafted #5 in '06. In the NBA players are drafted #5 to be franchise-players, you know, like Kevin Garnett. The Leon Powes of the world are drafted later on.

So, NOOOO, the 2009-10 Boston Celtics don't have ANY expectations that Give It to Me Big Shelden will rise to the level of expectations set in June 2006.

Shelden to Wear #13

Is No. 13 unlucky?

1981

Mike (Red) Wallace was the first Celtic to wear #13, in 1946 - and became the first Celt traded (to Toronto for Chuck Hoefer after only 24 games in a Boston uniform). No Celtic has worn No. 13 in nearly 30 years - since Bob (Gabby) Harris in 1953-54. Tiny Archibald came close to using it - in fact, he did on his first day of practice as a Celtic in 1978. Because No. 1, which he'd worn previously as a pro, was unavailable, Archibald opted for No. 7. Told that number belonged to Ernie DiGregorio, Tiny's next choice was No. 13. But when DiGregorio decided not to report and retired, Archibald turned in 13 for 7.- A number of Celtics have worn numbers other than their own for a game or three. There's no club rule against that number, according to Auerbach. "Nobody has asked for it," he shrugs.

Well, that's not entirely true.

1989

Dave Cowens good-heartedly reports he's a little miffed that Charles Smith is running around wearing No. 13. "That's the number I wanted," said the big redhead, "but Red Auerbach wouldn't let me. He said he'd never have a guy wear the same number as Wilt Chamberlain".

So who's the best player ever to wear #13 in a Celtics' uniform?