Boston Celtics: 5 Scapegoats for the Team's Slow Start

The Boston Celtics are off to an uncharacteristic 13-10 start this season, and there are a number of players who can be used as scapegoats for the team's slow beginning.

Three games over .500 isn't anything to be up in arms about, but Boston fans expect much better out of their teams. Basketball season is now of the utmost importance for the Celtic faithful, as the New England Patriots have once again come up short of winning the Super Bowl.

Here are five scapegoats for the Celtics' lackadaisical play out of the gate.

5. Doc Rivers

There is no doubt that Doc Rivers is a great coach. He's proven his ability in every year but 2006-07, which was largely due to an injured  Paul Pierce.

In the last few seasons, Rivers has relied heavily on the talent and cohesion of his "Big Three." However, Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are not getting any younger, so Rivers needs to work on drawing up a better game plan on both sides of the ball.

The former point guard turned coach recently had this to say, according to NESN.com: "Our spirit is intact," Rivers said. "It's in the right place. But we have to do a better job with our defensive execution and our offensive execution."

He didn't come out and say that the team needs a better game plan, but he sure did imply it. Poor defensive and offensive execution aren't fixed by just mixing a few players around, but rather by designing a more effective scheme to utilize the aging players he has.

Rivers' statement shows that he believes he has the guys he needs to win, but it falls on him to create a game plan that gives the Celtics an advantage over their more youthful opponents.

4. Danny Ainge

Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge started the season on the wrong foot when he said he would be open to trading point guard Rajon Rondo.

Ainge won two NBA titles with the Celtics in 1984 and 1986 and knows better than most people that the team has a history of being loyal to its star players. Rajon Rondo is definitely a star player. At the very least, he's a franchise player.

Rondo is averaging 13.8 points per contest in this young season but only 9.5 assists (as opposed to 11.2 last season). A shade under 10 assists is nothing to sneeze at, but could Rondo's decrease in dimes be a result of Ainge making it known that he wanted to deal Rondo for a scorer in order to lighten Paul Pierce's load? Maybe Rondo is trying to score some more points himself.

When the president of basketball operations voices his doubt about the floor general of the team, it does not convey a positive message to players and fans.

Although Ainge has since said that he was not trying to trade Rondo, the effects of his remark seem to be lingering. 

3. Kevin Garnett

The Boston Celtics are 29th in the league in rebounding in this early season. Their shortcomings on the glass can be attributed largely in part to Kevin Garnett's declining ability to pull down rebounds.

The former first-round pick is averaging 7.3 rebounds per game so far, more than three boards fewer than his 10.7 career average. His scoring has taken a dip as well, undoubtedly because he is getting fewer second-chance opportunities under the hoop. Sans his rookie year in 1995-96, the power forward has posted career scoring lows thus far.

If the Celtics want to right the ship and once again become one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference, Garnett needs to dig deep, as his team is running out of time.

2. Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce, "The Truth," is shooting 43 percent from the field, the third-worst showing of his career. In the seven Celtics losses that Pierce has played in, he's shot just 39 percent from the field, posting 15 points per game.

It's pretty baffling that Pierce has fared so terribly in losses, considering he is ranked third among small forwards when it comes to player efficiency rating. When it comes to estimated wins added, he is tied for fourth with Carmelo Anthony at 3.7, but we all know how the New York Knicks are playing this season.

When one of the star players (and the primary source of scoring) on your team is only shooting 43 percent from the field, it's quite easy to point him out as the problem.

It's hard to envision the Celtics trading the former No. 10 overall pick, but if they choose to do so and the team turns it around, Boston fans could begin to believe that Pierce was the problem.

1. Father Time

The primary scapegoat for the Boston Celtics' early struggles isn't a person, but rather the unavoidable course of nature. 

Father Time has been catching up with the Celtics, and there's nothing anyone can do about it. They are the fourth-oldest team in the league and are ranked 26th in team scoring. They are averaging nearly six fewer points per game than last season, and it's obviously because they are getting older and less effective.  

Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen will turn 35, 36 and 37 this year, respectively. Allen and Garnett are in contract years, while Pierce is signed for next season. It's feasible that this could be the last time we see the "Big Three" together, an upsetting reality for Celtics fans.

They are running out of time to win with the team they have, which means something has to change in order for the team to be considered a legitimate contender to reach the NBA Finals.