Tony Allen Tony had an outstanding season going for himself, until the unfortunate injury happened. TA is a tough grade, since he started off slow and then ended his season in January. However, I'm going to grade him based on what happened before the unfortunate accident. He's easily our best defensive player, very explosive, our emotional leader, and he really took the load when Paul/Wally went down. He was expected to lead our defensive energy, but he led our team on both ends of the floor. He make some big improvements, it was terrible to see him go down. <span style="color:#FF0000">Grade: B+</span> Ryan Gomes Ryan Gomes, AKA Mr. Reliable, had a good year. He worked hard on his jumper this past summer and he extended his range steadily. He went from having a decent 12-14 foot shot his rookie year to having a deadly (and consistent) 15-19 footer, and by the end of the season he was hitting three's. He proved that he can be successful at the 3 in this league, as well as the 4. He was clearly our most consistent player this season, in my opinion, and I think he had a nice year. <span style="color:#FF0000">Grade: B-</span> Gerald Green We knew Gerald was going to be a project from the start, and even though he still has his flaws, he has come along faster than anybody expected. Had it not been for the injuries, Gerald might have only played 5-6 minutes per game (Doc even said that himself). He still has that deer in the headlights look, he still gets lost at times defensively, he still can't handle the ball very well, and he still is inconsistent, but he did make improvements. While he still has his deficiencies on the defensive end, he has improved. While he is still inconsistent, he has improved his long range jumper and he moves much better without the ball than he did in his rookie year. Most importantly, he's a worker and he wants to improve. He knows he has to work harder and harder every summer, but the most promising aspect of it is that he actually wants it. We all know talk is cheap, but Gerald has a good head on his shoulders, and after all he is only 21. <span style="color:#FF0000">Grade: C+</span> Al Jefferson He went from an injury plagued, out of shape young player with questionable work ethic to a consistent double-double, a big time low post presence, and a guy that will be in All-Star consideration next season. Al was phenomenal this year, nobody expected what he did. He's really beginning to reach his potential, he made huge strides this year. We always knew he could score, but he added a few extra tricks to his post game, he added a short jumper that extended its range as the season progressed, he has proven to be a very solid shot blocker, he has gotten much quicker due to the 30 lbs. he lost this past summer, and he has become much more of a vocal presence out there. He's only 22, but he's stepping up as one of the leaders on this team. What a great year. <span style="color:#FF0000">Grade: A</span> Michael Olowokandi The Kandi Man was a surprise to everyone, including Doc and Danny. He surprisingly showed up and asked for a chance to compete for a roster spot in training camp, and he ended up earning himself the last spot on the roster. He is a career underachiever, we all know that, but he was somewhat of a nice surprise for us this year. He even had a few games this year where he actually played very well, he's not a bad 3rd center. He never complains, he never talks back, he stays professional and gives the team whatever is asked of him. I can't give him an F. <span style="color:#FF0000">Grade: D</span> Kendrick Perkins Perk had a lot of issues this year. He started off alright, then he got hit with the plantar fasciitis (that really didn't start to truthfully clear up until about late February). Ever since he has felt healthy, he has been awesome. He closed the season out on a high note, and he was consistently a nice presence for us throughout the last couple months of the season. The one thing that has surprised me about Perk this year is his passing ability out of the high post. I always knew he was a good outlet passer, but his passing abilities in a half-court set are nice to have at the center position. While Perk didn't have a great year, or what we expected, he did have the legitimate excuse of injury and he closed it out nicely. <span style="color:#FF0000">Grade: C-/C</span> Paul Pierce Paul came into camp in outstanding shape, and stayed in good shape for a while. Then, like practically every other Celtic, the injury bug bit him hard (in the foot, elbow, knee, and eye). It's tough to grade the captain this year, seeing how he was only in uniform for roughly half the season, but these injuries don't take away from his value to the team as a player and leader. He means so much to this team, to the young players, and to the fans. He's a true leader and he never gave up on that, no matter how badly he was hurting (inside and outside). <span style="color:#FF0000">Grade: B+</span> Leon Powe The Powe Show can play. Sure, he was a late 2nd round pick, but he's going to be in this league for a while. He works ridiculously hard at all times, he is an outstanding rebounder, he's very strong, he's very tough, he's very athletic and explosive, and he disrupts the opposing bigs. He's so physical that he has frustrated numerous opposing bigs (such as Lamar Odom, Carlos Boozer, and Chuck Hayes). He still has a lot of work to do on the offensive end and with his footwork, but he's going to be in this league for a while. <span style="color:#FF0000">Grade: C-/C</span> Theo Ratliff It's disappointing that he only was able to play in two games this season, due to the chronic back problems. I never expected him to play more than half the season, but the fact that he could only suit up for two of them was very disappointing. He would have been our starting center, and his veteran leadership and defensive abilities were key losses for us. I hope this surgery can set him on the right track so he can stay relatively healthy next year. <span style="color:#FF0000">Grade: Incomplete</span> Allan Ray Ray had some good moments, some bad. He was never expected to do much at all, obviously, and the only reason he got a chance to play is because all of our key players were hit with injuries all year long. Regardless, he's a career journeyman (think Eddie House 2.0). He has a beautiful shot, though it is inconsistent, but that's about it. <span style="color:#FF0000">Grade: D</span> Rajon Rondo I am so incredibly happy/relieved that Ainge found us another gem in the draft. Pre-draft, I didn't think Rondo was the answer and I thought he was going to be a project, but the kid has proved me wrong big time. He does absolutely everything well out on the floor, except shoot the basketball. He's an assassin defensively, he's a great athlete, he's very quick, he always pushes the ball, he's a very heady player, he's a playmaker, he's a wizard with the ball, he's one of the best rebounding point guards this league has seen in a while, he can finish, and he already has leadership qualities (as a 21 year old rookie point guard, that's rare). He is clearly the point guard of the future (after 15+ years of searching for one, we finally found him). If this kid ever develops a somewhat reliable jumper, he's going to be one hell of a player. <span style="color:#FF0000">Grade: B</span> Brian Scalabrine Scal was a nice surprise this year. He lost some weight, he improved his jumper, he brought the hustle, and he came up big for us defensively quite a bit. He still has his "haters," but he definitely gained some more respect from the fans this year. I'll be honest, last season I did not like him at all. Now, I actually like Scal a lot. He knows his role and he has a great personality. You can crack your jokes about him, I'm not going to act like I don't (hey, it's fun), but he had a solid year. <span style="color:#FF0000">Grade: C-</span> Wally Szczerbiak Wally was a big disappointment this season. In October and November, Wally was on fire. He shot the ball extremely well on a consistent basis. Then, he rolled his ankle a handful of times, he had some knee difficulties, and he tried to rush himself back after every single injury. Wally has been a walking injury since he caught his first flight to Boston. It's a shame because when healthy, he's one of the better shooters in the league, but he was very inconsistent this year and the injuries were out of hand (I know they aren't his fault, but still). <span style="color:#FF0000">Grade: D+</span> Sebastian Telfair What a disappointment. In summer league, October, and November, he played well. He pushed the tempo, we ran more as a team, he had a healthy Pierce/Wally to kick the ball out to, he limited his turnovers, and he ran the team relatively well. He was even shooting the ball fairly well from mid-range. Ever since the end of November, it all went down hill. He got demoted quickly and West took the starting job, then Telfair lost his backup duties completely when Rondo came on. I don't disagree with West and Rondo playing over him, they are both better than him without question, but I think that if Delonte played his natural position all year long (SG) and Doc didn't completely kill Bassy's confidence, we'd be in a different situation right now. Well, that means nothing now... shoulda, coulda, woulda. Regardless of the fact that I like him or not, he was a big time disappointment this year. Then he ends it with that stupid gun/speeding incident? Ugh. I still support Telfair, but I'm very disappointed in him. <span style="color:#FF0000">Grade: F</span> Delonte West Delonte had a decent year, it could have been better and it could have been worse. He started off slow with the injuries and back-and-forth switches from point guard to shooting guard, but he caught on midway through. I love having him in Boston, his personality is one of a kind and the effort/heart he has is outstanding. I think that if he was able to play his natural position all year, he would have had a better year, but he didn't have a "bad" year by any means. No big improvements, he didn't regress. <span style="color:#FF0000">Grade: C/C+</span> Agree? Disagree? Post your opinions.
I agree with everything pretty much. I'd give Gomes more of a grade, maybe a B+, mostly because he had no jump shot last year what so ever and this year his long range jumper was very consistent, I know you mentioned that but I just think you underrated it a little bit. I'd probably give Allan Ray a C-, he had a few games of lights out shooting. I mean you rated Kandi a D and Ray a D, Ray clearly was more productive than Kandi waste.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (WELCOMEtotheJUNGLE @ May 4 2007, 01:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I agree with everything pretty much. I'd give Gomes more of a grade, maybe a B+, mostly because he had no jump shot last year what so ever and this year his long range jumper was very consistent, I know you mentioned that but I just think you underrated it a little bit. I'd probably give Allan Ray a C-, he had a few games of lights out shooting. I mean you rated Kandi a D and Ray a D, Ray clearly was more productive than Kandi waste.</div> I guess you have a point, but I think a C- would be too high for Ray for the simple fact that he does nothing well except shoot.
C+ for Gerald? Are you high? He deserves an A or B easy. He was thrown into a bad situation and still came out on top. He gave Boston fans something to cheer and be happy about. And I bet you all know that 70% of the attendance in the Garden is because they wanna see Gerald Green. PWNED
High5, if you think Gerald deserves an A or B for what he did this past year, then you must not think very highly of him.
CB32's grade was right on the spot. Just because you have a man crush on Gerald High54 doesn't mean he's an all-star player. An A would go to a proven veteran star like a Paul Pierce or someone who had really improved.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (WELCOMEtotheJUNGLE @ May 4 2007, 04:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>CB32's grade was right on the spot. Just because you have a man crush on Gerald High54 doesn't mean he's an all-star player. An A would go to a proven veteran star like a Paul Pierce or someone who had really improved.</div>Did I say he was an all-star player I said he deserved a B or an A because of his play and sportsmanship and being a great kid.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Did I say he was an all-star player I said he deserved a B or an A because of his play and sportsmanship and being a great kid.</div>Did I ever say you said that? I was just elaborating on the fact that an A or a B should be given to an all-star calibar player or a player who has made huge improvements. Gerald didn't make huge improvements and I believe you said..... <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>C+ for Gerald? Are you high? He deserves an A or B easy.</div> So to answer your question, no CB32 was not high, he was making good judgement about a 2nd year player out of high school. Gerald deserved the grade CB32 gave him.
I think Rondo should have gotten a B+ for the simple fact that no one expected him to come in and play as well as he did when Doc started giving him consistent minutes and the starting job.
great write up.I think you nailed them all pretty good.I would have put Delonte as a B-/B because so much was asked of him due to all the injuries and I think he was fairly solid and reliable all year but that's a minor difference.since we have possibly 2 strong draft prospects coming in, who do you think will be gone next year?will Ainge package 2-4 players for 1-2 in return or will some have to be let go?I think Olo is gone for sure and possibly Ray if nothing can be done via the trade route.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticFan @ May 5 2007, 04:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>great write up. I think you nailed them all pretty good. I would have put Delonte as a B-/B because so much was asked of him due to all the injuries and I think he was fairly solid and reliable all year but that's a minor difference. since we have possibly 2 strong draft prospects coming in, who do you think will be gone next year? will Ainge package 2-4 players for 1-2 in return or will some have to be let go? I think Olo is gone for sure and possibly Ray if nothing can be done via the trade route.</div> Yeah I think Kandi Man and Ray are goners, but you never know. It depends on what we do in the trade market, we don't know how many roster spots will be available to fight for. However, the top 5 pick we have pushes Kandi out the door and the 32nd pick is most certainly going to be a better player than Allan Ray (and that 32nd pick will produce a 1st round talent for the average draft). I've said this a bunch of times, Allan Ray is Eddie House 2.0. Someone will most likely find a spot for him because of his shooting ability, but that's all he can do.
I think Delonte West deserves atleast a B-. He didn't really get to play at the point guard towards the end of the season, but at the 2 spot he did pretty good with Rondo. I guess you could give him a C+ too.
