Re: Dogma's season preview. <div align="center">Boston Celtics 2006-2007 Season Preview: Are we there yet?</div>Well, it certainly seems as if this is yet another hit-or-miss season for Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics. With the season almost under way, there are a few things to look at that seperate this team for last year's Celtics.First off, we brought in two guys that can play the nba point guard efficiently and correctly. Don't get me wrong, Delonte was fine, but his strength is scoring and I'd rather him utilize his strengths at the 2-guard. Let's talk about Sebastian Telfair. This young gun has one of the brightest personalities in the league; He's a born leader. He's always talking in the lockerroom, there's always a smile on his face, he's always encouraging teammates. He really is a great guy to have around, more than I previously thought. Not only is his optimism contagious, but so is his enthusiasm and drive. I had heard from a justified source that after the State Championship that Telfair's team lost (now keep in mind, this is after he already won 3 state titles IN A ROW), he was bawling in the lockerroom. He was so upset that he didn't win, even though he was just state runner-up after winning 3 in a row. This tells you where Telfair's priorities are. He really cares about winning, which couldn't be said about Mark Blount or Ricky Davis for that matter. Now on to Rajon Rondo. I can't say enough about this kid. There should be a religion called Rondoism after how many haters this guy has converted, myself included. It started in private workouts with the Celtics, where he supposedly destroyed other possible picks Randy Foye and Marcus Williams. Then Rondo goes to summer league and plays arguably the best on a stacked Celtics summer league squad, getting something around 11 ppg, 6 apg, 4 rpg, 2 spg (I don't have the exact numbers). Two league executives even named him the "Steal of the first round", which is very encouraging. I don't know how Danny does it, but he just knows who to pick in the draft. Not only is Rondo showing extraordinary talent, but his skillset fits into this team. He brings quickness, which the Cs have an abundance of, defense, and passing, which we really needed. Dana Barros mentioned him having a "presence on the floor", which Boston hasn't had in a long while at PG. His ability to control the tempo is quite amazing for a rookie PG. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I'm predicting that Rondo will get atleast 2nd team all-rookie honors with a possibility of first team.Big Al Jefferson is finally in shape. Common knocks on him in the past two years have been that he is not tough enough, and that he has a poor ethic. I guess you can scratch #2 off that list. Big Al worked his ass off this summer, losing 30 pounds! Not only that, but a successful surgery to remove the microfractures in his ankle helped. He's been working hard every day (with the exception of a few weeks after his surgery) and it is really paying off. He looks great and hopefully he is playing great. He could very well be the X Factor this year. If he can prove himself to be a semi-dominant inside presence, not only will our frontcourt gain some stability, but Pierce won't have to do as much in quarters 1, 2, and 3. He can save himself for the 4th, and us Celtic fans know what Pierce can do in the 4th. The one thing I'm looking for out of Al is consistency. What was frustrating last year was when he showed a flash of brilliance, only to get his shot blocked on a premature move the next play. If he could learn some patience and learn that he doesn't have to score every time he gets the ball, THAT'S when he'll make the jump. Until then, this Boston team is headed for another first round playoff exit.The young guys are going to get better. It's undeniable that guys like Ryan Gomes, Kendrick Perkins, Tony Allen, Al Jefferson, Sebastian Telfair will improve. As this team grows together, we'll start winning some games. This also comes at a price, however. Know where I'm getting at? that's right, there's not enough minutes to go around. This team is stacked with talent, at every position there is two or three guys that deserve sufficient minutes. If Doc can somehow figure out how to spread this WITHOUT playing 12 guys, we should be fine. At the beginning of the season, I think the rotation should be cut down to 9 at the max, consisting of Telfair, Wally, Pierce, Gomes, Ratliff, Delonte, Jefferson, Perkins, and Allen. If/When Delonte's back is troubling him, Rondo will take his minutes. It will be very tough to decide how to spread these minutes evenly though. I almsot feel sorry for Doc. Not to mention these guys being more talented, but they will also have more experience in close games down the stretch than last year. We lost a lot of games in the final minutes, and each players' experiences last season may help convert some of those "should-have-been's" into "wins".Tony Allen gaining back his strength. People tend to forget just how valuable this guy is/can be to our team. Even as a rookie he served as a great defensive specialist and spark plug. The general public is underrating him because of his injury last year. When fully healthy, TA can give the Cs one of the toughest, most agressive defenders in the league, not to mention all the energy in the world on both ends. He is starting to learn to settle down and he's improved his ballhandling and decision-making a lot. Even his shooting is improving. He seems to be the odd man out on the roster, however. If he can come back strong early on, that story could/will change.We finally have someone who can protect the basket. Last year, everyone wondered why our small line-ups never worked. It finally occured to me that it was solely because we had Raef LaFrentz and Mark Blount at Center! We can get away with a smaller line-up this year because we have a real center protecting the basket when other players drive. That man is Theo Ratliff. Perk said that he is "arguably still the best shotblocker in the league", which is great news if the Celtics are looking to improve on interior defense and rebounding. Not to mention Perk, who is finally coming into his own. I expect big things outof Kendrick this year. NOt so much offensively, but I think he will be a complete beast on the boards and protecting the basket. If you look at his stats before his shoulder injusry, most would be shocked. Getting numbers like 9.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg, and 2.4 bspg in the last 13 games before his injury.This is a TEAM. You don't see any lockerroom cancers, any pouters, anyone that will bring the morale of the team down in Boston. There is alot of optimisim and camraderie on the team, which can't be said for most of the league. When Gerald Green asks who his friends on the team were, he replied "everyone." he says that they do many things together, as a team. For instance, if they go out to eat, they do it as a team. I don't know of many teams in teh league that have that close of chemistry. Paired with this unprecendented camraderie is a team mindset. We don't have any volume scorers, any ballhogs. No one is complaining about their role, no one is asking for more shots. Just a lot of guys that are striving for one common goal, to win. Everyone in the franchise, top to bottom, has class. Perfect example: Ryan Gomes. When interviewed after his midseason breakout, Gomes was asked what he felt about not playing early on in the year. He said he hated it, but he wasn't going to pout or lower his head. He kept working hard, and now look where he is. He's an established starter. There's also Wally Szczerbiak, the epitomy of a team player. He's always willing to make the extra pass, always encouraging teammates, always optomistic. He doesn't force anything for himself and he plays smart, efficient basketball. He's also an underrated defender. He takes great angles and his rotations are crisp and timely. He was actually one of the better team defenders on the Cs last year.Gerald Green is making strides. He's been working hard (what else is new?), and supposedly his defense and ballhandling has improved greatly. This kid is an athletic god, and a scoring machine. His athletic abiity paired with his jumpshot really is a deadly combination in this league. Not to mention his 6-8, lanky frame. To be honest, I don't think the TMac comparison is too far off. Now, I know, Green won't be as good as McGrady, but their skillsets are very similar. both are tall, lengthy freak athletes with superb jumpshots, both had a problem with D coming into the league out of high school (although TMac got better quicker), and both rely on their jumpshot a bit too heavily considering their athletic gifts. I think it's about dead on. We still have Paul Pierce, arguably a top 10 player in the league. He can literally do it all. He can score, rebound, pass, play defense, lead a team, he's clutch, and he's a great leader. On top of that, he is probably the most consistent player on the planet. He's now bought into Doc's team philosophy and has really made huge strides reguarding his attitude and such. He's listening to Doc, he's optomistic, not pouting or calling out teammates. Pierce could've easily bailed out when we were losing. But he didn't. He showed his leadership and his loyalty by sticking it out, and I think his teammates realize this. Dogma's Record Prediction:43-39
Re: Dogma's season preview. :dribble: You did an excellent job man. You hit it all on the money. You even went as far as inventing a new religion: Rondoism . But I am very excited about this team, this is going to be a very fun year. Tuesday night I am going to be in heaven. EDIT: I see you've finally figure out the title haha. I like it.
