Kevin Garnett Fallout: Reservations About the Celtics

When the site I regularly write on was named Celtics 17, I don't think it was meant as a prediction of how many players the Celtics would have to send to Minnesota to get Kevin Garnett. But it was close.

My feelings and thoughts have run a wide track over the last few days. Ultimately, I'm happy. The solid core we have now defied prediction.

A month ago, no one thought Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen would be throwing in together to try to make each other's dreams come true.

Role players—You have no idea what these three guys will do for role players. Even I would walk onto the court with a swagger if I were playing with them...and I'm a 5'10" white guy with no jump shot who'd need three jumps just to slip a piece of paper under my shoes. 

With Garnett and Pierce and Allen...I'm the baddest cat on the court.

Don't mess baby. The Kid, The Truth, and Ray-Ray have my back.

That's how it is for role players in Boston now. (Kevin, please free Ryan Gomes!) Individually, any one of the Big Three may not have made mediocre players "better enough" to compete. But the Celtics have just achieved critical mass. There will be a halo effect for the rest of the team.

In Minnesota, on the other hand, Al Jefferson will have to make good with...Ricky Davis getting his back?

I'm feeling ya, Al. His learning curve continues for another year.

But we will briefly interrupt this Celtic Summer of Love for a few...reservations.

I'll frame this by saying, just like Danny Ainge, I'm all in. I'm buying what Danny, Wyc, Doc, and Paul are selling. I see the plan. It's rather obvious. A blind man can see it.

Having said that, though, and with the excitement of the trade starting to settle down, I have a few reservations regarding all six of the key Celtics.

To start with the recent acquisition...

1. Kevin Garnett

Great, great player. But truth be known, I had some doubts about him long before the trade.

a) I never really saw him make the players around him better. He's a storm on the court, but he's more like a tornado than a hurricane: He cuts a narrow swath of devastation, revolving only around himself.

b) He isn't a classic interior defender. He plays his man very well, and does some weakside defense and shot blocking but he's not great at straight-up interior D.

c) He doesn't have a true low-post game. Al Jefferson is already more advanced in classic low-post moves. You would have thought Kevin McHale could have taught Garnett a drop step or an up-and-under. Too often KG makes his move away from the basket.

2. Paul Pierce

Pierce is my guy. I've stood by him through the entire Danny Ainge Era. Tremendously versatile game. Plays with the heart of a lion. A flawed hero with an imperfect personality who can attack you in a variety of ways.

But two questions... 

a) Will he be smart enough to figure out how best to utilize his own talents and those of his cohorts? He's a basketball battleship in terms of offensive weapons; the question is whether he has the IQ and instincts to make his teammates better together.

b) Will he—and can he—play the kind of defense it will take to go far in the playoffs? He won t have to carry the load on the offensive end anymore. That means more energy for the other side of the court. And yes, he can play VG D when he wants to.

Paul...your ship has come in.

3. Ray Allen

The UConn golden boy comes home. I ve watched him play since his freshman year under Jim Calhoun. Legit first option and an efficient scoring machine. Generally he (and we) won't have to worry about the "dislikes contact" label with Pierce and Garnett around.

One problem...

a) He plays little defense, from what I hear. Will 2007-08 be a repeat of previous seasons in which the Celtics scored easily but were often outscored?

4. Rajon Rondo

 A very young second-year point guard who has trouble hitting the open jump shot. Rondo has strong "on ball" defensive skills, is a feisty player, and can do just about everything except hit a foul shot. Smart, aggressive competitive...and did I say young?

 a) Can anyone possibly comprehend what he must be thinking right now? The game just got easier for him...or did it? He has to distribute to three potential HOFers who are all used to getting "X" number of shots as their team's first option. Something's got to give. Will Rondo become an afterthought in the offense? Will he be allowed to direct it? Will Garnett and Pierce and Allen let him run the show? Will Doc?

5. Kendrick Perkins

Nicest tough guy I ever saw. That's the problem. Tries hard. Has some bad habits to break. Like rushing his shot. Like shooting it too hard. Like putting the ball on the floor in the paint. D'oh!

a) In Garnett, he now has a defender with size beside him. Will he stay out of foul trouble? Will he be able to keep his plantar fasciitis under control? Will he improve?

Now is the time, baby. KP—this year will reveal just about everything the C's want to know about the rest of your career. Now's the time.

6. Tony Allen

Mercurial player who has played the 1 through 3 in his brief career. A personal blast-off was knocked back to Earth by a devastating knee injury. He's a solid 2 or 3, a defensive disrupter, and, most importantly, a difference maker when healthy.

Wheeeennnn healthyyyyyyy.

a) His offensive role just changed, but perhaps not as much as one might think. If he's the "first off the bench," his offense will still be needed on many a night. But it's his other qualities that have me praying for a healthy return.

The Celtics were a bunch of nice guys playing basketball without Allen. With him, the team s personality changed. Tony Allen was out there. You don't push Tony Allen around.

The Big Three will really appreciate what this man can bring...except when he plays out of control.

So there you have it—the Celtics are ready to rumble. But there are real questions that need real answers.

Will they be able to play with the league's best teams?

Yes...but they'll need coaching, strategy, selflessness, drive, focus, intelligence, and, of course, a few good role players.

For all of the star power in Boston, basketball is still a team game. The role players are often the ones who step up in the playoffs...and hurt you like a punch in the stomach while you're busy concentrating on an opponent's main weapons.

Being a role player on this team will be easy. Being one who helps in the playoffs will be essential.

Positions are being filled quickly.

Eddie House, a three-point specialist, just signed. So did someone named Jackie Manual, as a defensive-minded SF. That leaves a few spots still open. Dikembe Mutumbo is in Danny's sights.

Applications are being accepted. Experience required. Bring your resume.

If the Celtics do this right, maybe my reservations will be...for my wife and I, in a special city at the end of the season.

Last year, the team was just bad. I'm feeling like we re the baddest right now.

 

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