Hey Ross,

Great hearing from you. My take on what the Celtics are doing this year is that they are in a bit of a transition phase, even though the important pieces of Garnett and Pierce are still on the court. Watching the way the team is playing this year is showing me a bit that they don't think they can simply win the way they did last year by relying entirely on Garnett and Pierce to score and leaving the bench to just try to not blow the lead to much. Rondo is taking more control of the team offensively, and is being relied on completely to create the offense. It has been seen heavily in games where he has had to sit out, as the team's offense appears very stagnant and unable to find rhythm. In addition I have been surprised at how much it appears Garnett is taking the back seat in terms of being the emotional leader of the team that we have seen in the past. Rondo hasn't quite figured out how to completely embody this role, and I don't know whether Garnett is just older or was convinced to rejoin the team by saying he could be more of a supporting veteran but he doesn't appear to be quite as much of a vocal leader overall as he has been in the past.

In saying that I think much of the issue is they have yet to really find their true identity. They are playing much more like a collection of talented players than an overall effective team. I think some of this has to do with the fact that there hasn't seemed to be a rotation that has really clicked yet, and Doc has been forced to change the lineup over and over again in an attempt to find the chemistry that will allow the lineups to compliment each other better.

In terms of minutes, I think it is a tough question because of the lack of clarity on who should be on the court together. I do think the return of Bradley will help with this a bit, as he will likely reclaim the starting role and there will no longer be this need to shuffle shooting guards around. My best guess is that by the end of the year we will see a starting line-up of Rondo-Bradley-Pierce-Sullinger-Garnett. As Sullinger continues to develop I think he is going to develop a strong defensive set up with Garnett down low, and he is beginning to really show what he can do on the offensive boards.

The remainder of the rotation will be tricky. As Sullinger gets more minutes, undoubtedly Collins will likely see a big decrease in minutes even if he continues to start. I think Bass will adjust to the role of coming off the bench and we will see his minutes remain around the same or be decreased slightly, but he is still the player that will often replace Garnett when he needs his rest. I think Green's minutes need to be increased a bit and that we should start trying to give Pierce a bit more of a rest. Although I like what Pierce has done he is likely to slow down at some point, and I don't see him being able to completely carry the team any more with scoring. Finally the Lee and Terry debate is a bit complicated, though it is clear both of their minutes will go down with the return of Bradley. I do believe that we will see Lee start to take more of Terry's minutes as he settles into the reserve role and really finds his place on the team.

Sorry for the long response, but the subject was too interesting for a short answer.
Best,
Nick

145 days ago