Additions and Subtractions: Best and Worst Case Scenarios for New and Injured Cs

In the biggest move by the Boston Celtics since assembling the new era Big Three, the Celtics lost fan favorite Perkins, Nate Robinson, ailing Marquis Daniels and a two promising rookies. When the roster was up-heaved, I, like many other Celtics fans, felt the floor disappear beneath us. A promising roster became bare and full of uncertainty.

Then came Krstic. He's no superstar but his performance has been admirable since becoming a Celtic to say the least. As a few more new faces were signed, more and more Celtics fans became hopeful again. But some remained doubtful and a few were still in outright disbelief.

On the flip side, a few more of the Celtics were lost to the looming injury bug. Although they seem to be minor injuries, this yet again begs the question: will they ever be fully healthy? And if they come back, will they be 100%?

With that said, lets take a look at the best and worst case scenario for each of the new additions and injured subtractions of the Celtics locker room.

Von Wafer

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BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 21: Von Wafer #12 of the Boston Celtics celebrates with Kevin Garnett #5 after the win over the Utah Jazz on January 21, 2011 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeated the Jazz 110-86. NOTE TO USER: User expres

Von Wafer's injury is a minor calf strain. At the age of 25 and being so well conditioned, he is almost certain to bounce back from his injury. We've already seen the best and the worst of him and he probably won't be improving too much between now and the playoff run. I see him as more of an investment in the future for the Celtics.

However, the Celtics did add a guy called Jeff Green. Suddenly, the Celtics are younger and more athletic. In 2008, the Celtics benefited from a small lineup. Now, they can do the same only with many times more explosiveness. A lineup of Von Wafer, Rajon Rondo, Jeff Green, Glen Davis and Delonte West could easily keep up with some of the younger teams of the NBA.

The worst case scenario is that Von Wafer will return in time, possibly getting a big game or two in the playoff run as we have seen him do consecutively against the Lakers and the Heat. Again, he is more of an investment than an asset.

The best case scenario? Jeff Green brings out the best in Von Wafer and the small, explosive lineup works magic. 

Delonte West

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LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 26: Delonte West #13 of the Boston Celtics stands on the court during the game with the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on February 26, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. The Celtics won 99-92. NOTE TO USER: User expre

One of the many plagued by the injury bug. You know what he can do: shoot, pass, penetrate, defend... pretty much everything. He is also a great adhesive, as we've seen him and the Boston bench at the very start of the season play like they've been doing that forever. Barring more locker room troubles, he is going to play well with the new guys.

Worst case scenario: injured, again. Nothing much to say here.

The best case scenario would be he bounce back to his former self and stays off the injuries. He is reliable and will pull the bench together.

The O'Neals

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MIAMI - APRIL 13: Shaquille O'Neal #32 of the Miami Heat tips off against Jermaine O'Neal #7 of the Indiana Pacers on April 13, 2007 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloadin

Wear and tear got the better of these two. Jermaine O'Neal, whose body is already worn down to the point that it's held together by tape, has managed to break himself beyond organic repair and was forced to go under the knife. On the other hand, you have Shaq, who played pretty much forever. His body gave up on him thanks to starting and playing most of the first half of this season.

The worst case scenario is that they are overworked again and have to sit out.

The best case scenario would be that they both get small minutes, something like 10-15 minutes a pop, which isn't mission impossible with Krstic's projected performance. With Jermaine O'Neal, hopefully he'll get back some of his old offensive prowess seeing how he did not bounce back well on the offensive end in the half a game that he played this season. But being a healthy, defensive presence is fine too. 

Carlos Arroyo

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DENVER, CO - JANUARY 13: (L-R) Chauncey Billups #1 of the Denver Nuggets and Carlos Arroyo #8 of the Miami Heat talk during pregame as the teams warmed up in 'Save Haiti' shirts to promote the Haiti Relief Fund at the Pepsi Center on January 13, 2011 in

With Delonte West being out, Doc is forced to play Rondo many minutes at a time. In the last move of this season, Ainge added Carlos Arroyo. He's not a great passer and is underwhelming offensively. However, he can shoot the ball very well from beyond the arc and he's probably the most legit point guard the Celtics are going to get this season.

Worst case scenario would be that Arroyo shaves some minutes in the remainder of the season and possibly in a couple of games post-season.

The best case scenario would be that he pulls a Krstic, who was also an underwhelming player in the Thunder but came up with some great performances. Arroyo is a savvy veteran and in a better organized Celtics system maybe he'll become a bit more solid. Oh and also, to put the cherry on top of the cake, maybe he nails a buzzer beater three against the Heat and pulls off a great game.

Aleksandar "Sasha" Pavlović

Here is another case of "it is what it is". Sasha Pavlovic can shoot, play defense and has some good experience. Just a solid, slightly minor addition.

Worst case scenario: he cuts down Ray Allen and Paul Pierce's mileage. Yup, he's a swingman which is a plus.

What do Sasha Pavlovic, Troy Murphy, Nenad Krstic, Carlos Arroyo and Jeff Green have in common? A jump shot. The best case scenario would be that not only does Pavlovic provide some solid defense but that he also successfully stretches the floor and emerges as a dark horse...

Bottom line is that he is a solid, solid player.

Glen Davis

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BOSTON, MA - MARCH 02: Glen Davis #11 of the Boston Celtics takes a shot in the first half against the Phoenix Suns on March 2, 2011 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/

The final injured player. I would say that Glen Davis has had a tremendous season, standing in for Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins and Shaquille O'Neal during their stints of injury while maintaining respectable performances.

The worst case scenario for the ticket stub is that maybe in one or two of the more crucial games he under-performs. As an undersized player, having an off night could ignite the opponent who won't hesitate to take advantage of the size difference. Think about the game against Al Jefferson recently. 

The best case scenario is, without a doubt, he trims down a bit. The injury should be a wake up call.  

Troy Murphy

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BOSTON, MA - MARCH 02: Troy Murphy #30 of the Boston Celtics takes a shot as Mickael Pietrus #12 of the Phoenix Suns defends on March 2, 2011 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downlo

Rusty is an understatement. But for Troy Murphy, it can only go uphill from here as he has yet to make a field goal wearing a Celtics jersey. On the upside, he has managed to grab some rebounds and some assists in his 15 minutes per game.

Worst case scenario is that he doesn't completely bounce back. Even in this case, his experience and his craving for an appearance in a playoff game will probably mean he will at least get one double-digit scoring game with some rebounds and assists, maybe in the first round of the playoffs and eat some minutes.

Best case scenario is obviously that he shakes off all the rust. The Celtics will get a 6'11 big man who can play both the four and the five, has a jump shot, can penetrate, has some post game and has a pair of rebound magnets (his hands) coming off the bench.

Nenad Krstic

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BOSTON, MA - MARCH 04: Nenad Krstic #4 of the Boston Celtics dunks over David Lee #10 of the Golden State Warriors on March 4, 2011 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/

A throw in along with Jeff Green who has acclimated with the Celtics better than his teammate. Nenad Krstic is lighting up many Celtics fans' faces. Averaging a double digit in points and almost five rebounds a game, with half being on the offensive end, and also passable defense, Krstic has been nothing short of a pleasant surprise.

Yes, the opponents weren't the greatest and the wins weren't spectacular. But since when was the last time these guys blew out their opponents without much trouble like they should? The Celtics clearly play worse against bad opponents and the opponents seem to be fired up against the Celtics, making a bad combo. The point is, Krstic has been buying into the system and some more (hell he's been bailing the Celtics out of a few first quarter droughts). He just needs to sustain this performance. 

Worst case scenario would be that Krstic declines a bit. Perhaps joining the Celtics have put him in a slight adrenaline overdrive. But so far, there's no sign of decline and it seems like he is just a very intelligent player who is willing to play and has gotten returns out of it. 

Best case scenario would be that he learns the defensive system better. At times, he seems to be a bit slow getting into position resulting in many fouls and a few and ones. He may not have the muscle that Perk has but at least he is willing to play defense (much more so than Rasheed Wallace, who we all love and hate).  

Jeff Green

Look at him run!

The crux of all of the commotion, Jeff Green is a 24 year old prospect. This season he is expected to merely replace Marquis Daniels and so far, he's doing quite a bit more. His versatility has given Doc Rivers a lot to play with. So far, he's played alongside Paul Pierce with a lot of success as they both can post up, penetrate and shoot. He's also managed to play power forward with the Big Four by having Kevin Garnett at the center and has generated great results. He can also run the open floor and get easy deuces in these situations. He is a tremendous upgrade from Marquis Daniels who, perhaps due to injury, has had only a mediocre two year stint as a Celtic.  

Worst case scenario: some improvement this season and a few years with the Celtics. By improvement I mean being integrated into the Celtics system. He is certainly a bit lost right now. He will probably stay for at least a couple of years and probably get a better hang of the Celtics system.

Best case scenario: improves substantially this season and takes the baton from Pierce in a few years as co-leader of the Celtics with Rondo.