Boston Celtics Midseason Report Card

Ray Allen

A year ago, Ray Allen was having more difficulty than other Celtic as far as adjusting to a new system. His shot would go through heavy up-and-down periods and he was uncomfortable as more of an off-ball scorer than a one-on-one scorer, which he had been for as long as he could remember.

This year, however, Jesus Shuttlesworth is back in full effect. Ray has finally found his comfort zone within Doc Rivers' system, and as a result, shooting the ball at more-than-desirable efficiencies (50.4% FG, 41.6% 3FG, and93.6% FT,) and playing like the future Hall-of-Famer that he is.

Allen's rebirth can also be attributed to the development of Rajon Rondo, who has made it a point to attack more frequently and exploit his advantages in transition. Ray will be the first to tell you that he has been the beneficiary of those attacks, and it's working wonders for his confidence and Boston's offense as a whole.

Grade: A-


Tony Allen

Coming into the year, nobody knew what to expect of Tony Allen. Fans wondered what version of "TA" they were going to get. Could they expect something similar to his 2006-2007 campaign, or "evil TA" (the one that plays without a brain)? 2008-09 has brought a mixture of both Allens.

On one hand, he still makes your heart temporarily stop when he takes more than two dribbles, and his decision-making remains questionable at best. On the other hand, he has been very solid defensively and has given the C's some big games off the bench this season, especially early on. Consistency is a concern, but at the very least, TA's energy has been a positive for the Boston bench.

Grade: C


Sam Cassell

As a coach, "Sam I Am" has been terrific for the Celtics this season. He has given the staff another vocal basketball mind to help bring along the youngsters, and with the way things are going, Cassell may find himself strictly coaching in the near future.

As a player for the C's this season, he has contributed two technical fouls and not much else, giving me no choice but to give him the following:

Grade: Incomplete


Glen Davis

"Big Baby's" play has been congruent to the motion of a live ball in a game situation; up and down. To start the season, Glen Davis was about as pitiful as a Ben Wallace free-throw. In fact, that mid-range jumper went down at an even more abysmal clip than Wallace's charity stripe anticts.

Since the beginning of the New Year, however, it's difficult to go against the notion that Big Baby has been Boston's best bench player. The jumper is falling more frequently than before, but that's not the reason why the big fella has played better basketball. The real reason why Big Baby has been more productive since the holidays is simple; it all comes down to what spots he is shooting from. When Big Baby limits his offense to pick-and-pop jump shots and nothing more, he struggles mightily. On the contrary, when he picks his spots intelligently and mixes up his attack with inside-outside play, he is a much more productive asset.

Not only does this open up more for him within the offense in pick-and-roll (not pop) situations, it allows him to help create more second chance opportunities for the C's with his work on the offensive glass.

As long as Davis continues to play the way he has played in January, he is going to be just fine.

Grade: C


Kevin Garnett

Comparing the numbers of this year's Garnett to last year's version, you notice one major difference. It's not that he is scoring less and it's not that he is shooting a career-best 84.2% from the charity stripe. It's that he is dishing fewer assists and shooting two less free throws per game (4.7 to 2.7).

A lot of lurkers could suggest that those statistical decreases are a bad thing. I don't necessarily see it this way. Why? Because there is a valid reason for Garnett creating at a lesser degree with the basketball.

Rajon Rondo is controlling the ball more than ever and playing with a far more aggressive state of mind than he has in previous years. It's not ideal for your best big man to be getting less trips to the free-throw line than the fourth big in the rotation (Leon Powe is averaging 3.3 FT/game,) but let's face the facts. KG is once again sacrificing his own stats for the betterment of this team's offense, and it's working.

KG has been terrific, although he hasn’t been quite the player he was a season ago, at least from the standpoint of consistency. Leg pains have limited him at times this season, and he understandably hasn't brought the same physical intensity every single night because of it. Expect a more fluid second half from "The Big Ticket."

Grade: B+/A-


J.R. Giddens

It's difficult to judge Giddens off of a couple of preseason performances and a few impressive NBDL box scores. Boston's first-round pick joins Sam Cassell as the only two Celtics who have failed to check into a regular season game.

From the little that we have seen from him, however, it is evident that he has some legitimate defensive potential to go along with that motor. Time will tell.

Grade: Incomplete


Eddie House

Throughout Boston's eight-game winning streak, Eddie House has been terrific, as he has managed to knock down half of his last 42 three-point attempts and has two twenty-plus-point performances in Boston's last three games. However, I have a beef with Eddie House. Before I get into it, I’ll note that I am not taking anything away from House’s contributions to last year’s glory, and I’ll also go on record saying that I like Eddie.

With that said, let's make an objective observation; number 50 only seems to shoot well when the Celtics are in a blowout situation. This season, it's as if Eddie is only "the man" when the game is decided. Let this eight-game winning streak serve as an example. He went for 25 points in a blowout against Miami and put up 23 in an absolute stomp-job over Dallas four days later. But what happened in between, when the Celtics were in a tight game at Amway Arena? Eddie shot 0-3 from the field and was a relative non-factor. Prior to this winning streak, Eddie's only good shooting performance came on January 2, where the Celtics beat Washington by 25 points. What happened in the game prior, where the Celtics lost by single-digits in Portland? Eddie only hit one of his five shot attempts.

Look at Eddie House's 2008-2009 game log. You'll notice hot streaks through Celtics winning streaks and blowout situations, but rough patches through tight games and single-digit losses. As harsh as this assessment may appear, you've got to look at the facts. Eddie is the king of garbage time, but as the Celtics fold, Eddie folds. That's not what "instant offense" is supposed to be all about.

Grade: D+


Patrick O'Bryant

You know, it is probably unfair to give P.O.Box 26 anything but an "incomplete," but I can't help it. He is that much of a disappointment when he steps out on the court. He's got the gifts, but he's got no heart, and I find it hard to believe that his testicles have dropped just yet.

What is the one thing that this Celtic bench needs? A center with size and length. O'Bryant stands at seven-feet tall and has arms long enough to punch Godzilla in the face. He's got all the size and length you could ask for, but he has nothing to offer alongside it but wasted talent. It's a real shame.

Grade: F

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