Blame Doc for Celtics' Woes
Look, I like Doc Rivers. He seems like an incredibly nice guy, and everybody says he's one of the sweetest and kindest people you'll ever meet. So it's kinda hard to slag him.
With that said: he's not a good coach and he's ruining the Celtics' season.
Pointing fingers sucks. I don't like being negative, and we've got a long time before the playoffs get here. There are plenty of ways to turn this ship around, but right now the C's are staring down the barrel of blowing the best (and probably last) shot they'll have of winning a championship for the next decade.
With Danny Ainge not pulling the trigger on moving Ray Allen at the deadline (and going with the mostly cosmetic upgrade of Nate Robinson instead), he's pretty much locked in this roster for the next three years, or until Kevin Garnett's contract is up. They've locked in Rajon Rondo, they'll resign Ray, renegotiate with Paul Pierce, and are stuck with the gigantic contracts of KG and Rasheed Wallace. Kendrick Perkins is the only variable, and it's a minor one at that. Like it or not, these are your main Celtic cogs for the foreseeable future.
This weekend, those cogs lost to the Nets. At home.
They lost a game to the Cavs by 20, after quitting in the second half.
They also are making excuses: A few players are saying that they're bored with the regular season, and are just waiting for the playoffs to start.
Yeah, you know what? That's unacceptable.
First off, it's an affront and a giant "**** YOU!" to the paying fans who pack the Garden. Secondly, it's a terrible excuse. When's the last time you saw a team coast into the playoffs and then be able to "turn it on" and win a championship? I can't remember one. It doesn't work like that. If I were the coach, and I heard one of my players say they were "bored", I'd bench their ass no matter who they are. You're bored? Fine. Somebody else would kill to play those minutes. But Doc just lets it pass. What kind of message does that send to the rest of the team?
Apparently, not a good one, as there have been reports of locker room turmoil and everybody's trying to explain, rationalize, and "talk, talk, talk" away the worries. KG's has spent more time defending himself and his own team in front of a microphone than in the post against an opponent on the court.
For a team that supposedly has title hopes, it sure seems like there's a ton of bickering, in-fighting, and piss-poor results.
Face it, our Celtics are a mess.
And it's Doc's fault.
Why? Well, let's start with the substitution issues, what I consider to be the far most egregious and apparent flaw in his coaching this year. He continues to run Ray into the ground, and they lost that game against the Cavs because he took the one guy doing damage (Rondo) and left him out there until he was panting like a dog or a typical T&R fan ogling the pictures from the in-studio visit of the female stars from "She's Out of my League."
Rondo and Ray are the two guys running around the most out there (Rondo's pushing the ball up the court, Ray's coming off picks & setting screens all the time), and they need to be rested every so often to stay effective. Doc has proven to be completely incapable of doing that, especially with Ray. Sure, he always talks about getting Ray more rest; every post-game interview I've heard this season, he's mentioned that fact.
Guess what, Doc?
YOU ARE THE COACH.
You're in charge! It's your JOB to rest him, sub for him, and put him back in when he's needed! There's no reason he (or any other one of your vets) should be in there for 40 minutes during a regular season game, EVER.
The big talk over the offseason was the restocked bench, and how it was going to help - not only in the playoffs but during the regular season as well - keep KG, Pierce and Ray fresh during the regular season.
Hmmm. That hasn't happened. Pierce, KG, AND Perk have missed significant time, and Ray's nearly burnt out.
That "Keep the starters fresh" line of logic only works if you use your bench correctly. I've long believed Doc to be one of the worst coaches ever at utilizing his bench. Doc doesn't handle having choices well. I'm a staunch believer that they won in 2008 because he didn't have any choices to make. The bench was razor-thin, even after picking up P.J. Brown. He couldn't screw it up, because he HAD to play the "Title-or-I'll-bust-your-ass" trio of KG, Pierce and Ray as much as possible to win. James Posey was the ultimate 6th man, Eddie House could be your instant offense and bring the ball up in a pinch, too. ANYONE could've coached that team to a title, simply by getting out of their way. In terms of substitution difficulty, it was "Babytown Frolics". Doc couldn't screw it up.
This year? He's screwing it up.
Doc relies too heavily on what he knows, and is a little too scared at trying out new things. Wasn't Nate Robinson brought in to be the backup point guard? Then why is he playing the 2 with Rondo, and then subbing Marquis Daniels in to bring the ball up with Ray?
Yeah, the ultra-small guard/full court pressure thing was a cute novelty at the beginning, but it's not nearly effective enough to institute as much as Doc has. I think Doc's scared to put the ball in Nate's hands, and won't give him a chance. He did this last year too - with Stephon Marbury. He tried him out for a short while, but kept him on a very short leash. By the time the playoffs came around, he pulled the plug on Marbury, and just gave the backup PG duties back to House. That's not going to work this year.
Another problem is that he's playing the wrong guys off the bench. There's absolutely, unequivocably, undebatably NO REASON Brian Scalabrine should ever see the court. It's a complete waste of minutes. Yeah, he's great for idiotic distractions before a big game, but there are (or at least were) better players to give playing time his to instead. Maybe you think I'm being too harsh. To wit:
Really? This jagaloon's a better option than Shelden Williams?
Don't even get me started on Tony Allen.
Scal and Tony are THE two worst plus/minus guys the C's have, followed closely by Glen Davis (I'm not counting Perk, because he's in there mostly for defensive purposes anyway, and it's not like they've got offensive plays drawn up for him).
What does plus/minus (+/-) mean? It means that when they're on the floor, the other team scores more than the Celtics do. They take points off the board, turn the ball over, and waste possessions like Tanguay wastes breaks during his show talking about the weather.
Meanwhile, he's completely forgotten about Shelden Williams, who provided a spark earlier in the season and was a pleasant surprise, once upon the time. What happened there? Doc also never played Bill Walker or JR Giddens (they were traded to the Knicks in the Robinson deal); two young bucks who provided youthful athleticism when they did get a seldom-seen chance to play. It would seem to me like two hungry (if inexperienced) players with fresh unused legs would be perfect to use as a change the pace for a tired, aging core in the middle of a game.
So what if they'd turn the ball over every once in a while on a bone-headed play because they didn't know any better? You're telling me that's worse than leaving Tony Allen in to make an even DUMBER play, or leaving in Sheed to pull up and clang another ill-advised long-range bomb of the rim? At least Walker and Giddens could've possibly learned from their mistakes, where T.A. and Sheed seem happy to keep on making theirs.
I've been clamoring for months about Billy Walker being misused on this team, and when they traded him in the Nate deal, I shook my head. It was bad enough we were giving up Eddie, but to throw in Walker AND Giddens?! Seemed like Doc had a little more than something to do with it; you get the feeling he wanted them gone, as if he had no interest or use for them - like he felt they were just taking up space in his locker room and on his bench and had nothing to contribute.
This is the same Bill Walker who had 21 points, 5 rebounds, and a block against the Cavs the other night. I'm not saying the kid's going to be an All-Star; but when's the last time we saw those type of numbers out of Tony Allen, Scal, or Big Baby?
Yet Doc is comfortable with them, so they get the PT, and they unwittingly help let the other team back into the game (or build their lead), which means he's got to put the starters back in before they're rested, reducing their effectiveness, and making it impossible to hang tough for the whole 48. It's a vicious cycle, but wholly preventable.
Am I oversimplifying? Maybe. Some of this falls on Sheed and Q - the two marquee offseason free agent pickups - not being all that effective, either. Marquis has been hurt and is struggling to break back into the rotation, but a lot of people have jumped on Rasheed for showing up out of shape and chucking up threes as often as Adolfo coughs up foul-smelling phlegm.
Well, guess who's job it is to reign him in, get him ready to play, and to make sure he plays effectively and within the system?
I'll give you a hint: It rhymes with "Croc Livers".
Doc's known as a player's coach, sure; but he's got to get on guys who are costing the team wins, and let them know this crap isn't acceptable. Does anybody else wonder if Doc knew Scalabrine was coming into the Sports Hub studios to get a freakin' spray tan before a big game with their biggest conference rival? If he didn't, don't you think he should? Do you think he cussed out Scal when he showed up for the game against LeBron James and the rest of the Cavaliers looking like an Oompa-Loompa? I think it displays a disturbing lack of team-wide focus and determination, and that's the coach's responsibility. What do you think Phil Jackson would've done to Scal when he showed up to practice looking like that? Dear Lord, what would've Red done?
When you take that, and add it to the growlings and rumors of complacency and unrest in the locker room, what exactly is Doc doing to motivate this team? There seems to be an awful lot of distractions, disinterest, and disgust. What's Doc doing to fix it?
I don't think he's doing anything. Any coach worth his salt would've purposefully gotten thrown out of that despicable embarrassment against the Nets, as a last-ditch attempt to fire up his squad. They played like crap, they couldn't have cared less about the game, and Doc just let it happen. If I was the coach, I would have been gone by 5 minutes into the 3rd quarter. I don't care what it would've taken. I probably would've walked out on the court and taken a dump, because that's what the Celtics were busy doing, anyway.
It's been going on for a while now: the late-game collapses, the frustration from players and fans alike; and the slip down the standings. Add it all up. Does Doc have any solutions? Or is he the problem?
This isn't all going to magically fix itself.
I can understand they want to go in to the playoffs as healthy as they can, and there's something to be said for losing in late February as opposed to May & June, but this team isn't going to be able to waltz into the playoffs and then instantly start kicking ass. The East is much better than it has been in years. The Hawks, Magic and Cavs are obviously in much better shape then the C's are right now. Doc says he's not satisfied with the results right now. You know what I have to say about that?
DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
I don't care what it is. Yell. Scream. Bench somebody! Throw a freakin' clipboard! Change up the rotation, or wear different socks! CHANGE IT UP! Whatever it is, do it! Ring the alarm, show some freaking urgency! Stop talking about how much it sucks and TRY & FIX IT!
Coaching an NBA team is an insane juggling act. Think of all the balls you've got to keep in the air: You've got to massage and balance the egos of 12-15 people who were millionaires before they could get a beer at a bar; you've got to scheme and game-plan for 29 other teams; all while battling against a grueling schedule, a relentless media, and certain expectations to succeed and of course: WIN GAMES.
Tell me: Do you think Doc Rivers has a firm grasp on ANY of those right now? Or has he dropped the ball?
