This team has almost all the pieces in place. All they need is just a little bit more to put them on top. We're just missing one thing. See if you can guess by the end of my post.-We have a leader. Paul Pierce has established himself as a superstar in this league, and he has become a great leader in the process. Not only is he scoring 27 ppg and leading the team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals, but he's acting as a role model and a mentor to the young players. He plays great in the clutch, too.-We have the role players This team wasn't just compiled with talent at each position. Each player fits into a role that is key for success. We have the shooters (Wally, Delonte, Raef [sometimes], Dan Dickau), we have the slashers (TA, Orien, Delonte, Gerald), we have the rebounders (Al, Perk, Gomes, Jones), we have the defenders (TA, Perk, Orien), we have the youth (let's see, everyone but Paul, Wally and Raef).-We play as a team. The camaraderie after the trade is as good as i've ever seen, with the celtics atleast. I'd say they work as well as a team as anyone outside of Detroit. With players like Wally, Delonte, and now Paul, i don't see how they couldn't work as a team. Wally is a REALLY big part of this.-We have athleticism. This is one of the most athletic teams in the league, yet at times we don't utilize it. I put the blame on Doc. Everywhere you look on this team there is athleticism, with the exception of Wally, Raef and Scabs. And they can still run the floor atleast.-We have a good mix of vets and youth. There aren't alot of vets, but they are ideal for the team. Paul is a true leader, and his mentoring Gerald Green has really helped. Wally is as good a team player as anyone in the league, so of course he is a great vet to have on the team.-We having trading chips. With our plethora of first rd. picks and young talent, we have the potential to grab a superstar on the block. This includes Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal, etc.Now what's missing? In case you haven't guessed already, it's team defense. We don't have a defensive identity. Doc doesn't know how to approach this, and it's killing us. We have the athleticism, we shouldn't be this bad on defense. I think the best route is to try to force turnovers and get out on the break. Either Doc needs to give us a consistent, successful scheme on defense, or we need to find a coach that will.
Good stuff, the pieces are in place they just need to put them together. Next year is going to be a BIG year for a lot of these young guys. It's gonna be a make or break year for Kendrick, this is going to be his fourth season next year, he's going to have to step it up. Same with AL J, this season was tremendously shaky for him and next season he's gonna need to be a big time player for us.
I agree that this season will make or break some of our players and give us an idea of what we can expect from them in the future, they're not all going to work out so hopefully after another year we'll know who's a keeper and who's going no where.
Hopefully they don't repeat and Billups/Joe Johnson type crap. The C's have always drafted well. Everyone thought they looked stupid taking Chauncey so high, now they just look stupid for letting him go. I mean was Kenny Anderson gonna make them an instant contender. Ouch!
