CELTICS GREEN BLOG by and for boston celtics fans: Fiddlin' and Diddlin' on 4/22

by FLCeltsFan 10:15 AM

I expect the Celtics news to taper off from now until the lottery and then there will be more. There is still some news out there to talk about now, though. The Herald discusses Ainge's upcoming make or break off season. Ainge accepts the blame for the fact that things haven't worked out as he had hoped.

Those who have worked with Ainge here and elsewhere will tell you one of his major assets is he will not let the rantings of fans and media deter him from what he believes is right.

I think it is good that he has stuck with the young talent on this team this far. Hopefully, he should have a very good idea of who is going to be capable of getting to the next level by now and won't make the mistake of trading away another Chauncey Billips, Ben Wallace, or Joe Johnson.

Peter May has a rambling column in the Globe this morning touching on everything from the refs to coaches on the move. He agrees with the assessment that Telfair is on his way out the door and he refutes the fact that injuries is what put the Celtics at the bottom of the league. He also discusses Crawford's suspension and other refs who have been in hot water over the years.

Sports Illustrated brings up the problems of trying to trade a player like Telfair who has courted trouble off the court and has shown marginal talent on the court. I don't believe he will be back with the Celtics, but will he be out of the league completely?

Scott Souza addresses several subjects in his column today. Danny is sticking to his plan, even though it is taking longer than he hoped. Wyc is standing behind both Danny and Doc, even though early on, he seemed to agree with the fans and was ready to see Doc gone.

"Doc will be coaching here next year," Grousbeck said this week. "I am very impressed with the work that he has done and I look forward to talking with him after the season, and with my partners, and seeing if we can work out a long-term deal.

"I think if people like the way Al Jefferson has been playing then you have to look at who coached him the last three years," he added.

Wait a minute here!! Doc is responsible for Jefferson's improvement? Not likely. The finger should be pointed toward Clifford Ray when discussing Big Al's improvement. Doc doesn't have a clue how to develop, let alone use a big man. His ideal big is Raef who stands out on the 3 point line and "stretches the defenses." I am very concerned that Wyc is talking about giving Doc a long term deal. The only way Doc should even come back is if we add a very good defensive assistant and maybe even a good X and O coach to help him. Maybe somehow, Doc will be convinced that he needs to spend more time with his family and will step down and Danny can bring in Rick Carlisle when Larry cans him. Also in this article is the fact that Green, Rondo, Powe and Ray all are planning on playing on the Celtics Summer League team. Ray would have to have his option picked up before June 30 to play, however.

The Enterprise reports that Doc and Danny had a free pass last season due to the youth and injuries but that free pass is now over. Whether Doc gets an extension or not, if he starts off slowly, I expect him to be gone. By then it would be obvious even to Danny that the coach is the problem and not the team. I have seen so many writers say something to the effect that Danny has accumulated a talent laden team but they just can't put it together. We have seen individual improvement in most of our young players, but haven't seen team improvement. This has to be the fault of the coaching. The Sun Sentinel has a good article on the struggles of Ainge, Bird and McHale in their roles as GM. All are on the hot seat and all have big summers ahead of them and will need to make moves to improve their teams. I honestly feel that of the 3, Danny has done the best job. We do have a lot of talent on the team and a lot of options. Now, if only we had a coach who knows what to do with all that talent. Bird has the coach, but not the players. McHale doesn't have much of anything except Garnett. I have a feeling that it is going to be a very interesting and active off season.

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