Random Thoughts and Game Preview
October 09, 2008
by FLCeltsFan 11:19 PM
While watching the Celtics' first preseason game, I was quite amused by the shots of a very exuberant JR Giddens jumping up and down and yelling whenever a teammate made a good play. He just seemed so excited and genuinely happy for his teammates. He may be struggling to learn the plays, but he has cheerleading down pat.
Doc at first said that everyone played well but then singled out Big Baby as a player who didn't play well. Uh... did Doc see Scal out there? Scal was terrible. Scal's fumbles in the last 2 minutes may very well have cost them the game. Maybe Doc is using the criticism to motivate Big Baby to play better and he figures there is no hope for Scal. But, the opener did reinforce my opinion that Scal is the player the Celtics should cut. The other players are young and have potential and all have a place in the future of this club. Scal doesn't on all counts.
Quick trivia question: Who got the very first Tommy Point of the the 2008-09 preseason? Answer: Big Baby Davis. Tommy awarded him the first Tommy Point for diving out of bounds for a loose ball. Let's not dwell on the fact that it almost took out Paul Pierce when he landed on him. With 9:56 in the 3rd period, Patrick O'Bryant got his first ever Tommy Point when he forced a jump ball with some good hustle. If he continues to play like he did in his first game, it will be the first of many.
Speaking of Tommy, the Celtics have released that Tommy won't travel with the club this season because of health reasons so Donny Marshall will be doing the away games. I like Donny alot, but there is only one Tommy. Tommy will still be calling the home games and will be in studio for the road games. Also, Bob Cousy who has been a guest commentator for somewhere around 10 games a season will not be doing that this season. Sadly, we are seeing the end of an era.
Perk has been cleared for contact and plans to practice full force on Monday. Perk wants to play on Tuesday, but Doc, ever the cautious one, is saying it will be more like Thursday. I love Perk. I also like what I saw from O'Bryant in the first game and if he shows any consistency, we will have a great 1-2 punch at the center position.
My favorite players have been Perk, Leon and Rondo but I may have to add a 4th player in there. I love Bill Walker. The kid is aggressive and coachable and a hard worker. I think he will be the steal of the draft and will be even bigger than Danny's steals in Ryan Gomes and Leon Powe. He is going to help us this season. I love that he doesn't back down from anyone and the fact that he wants to be a good defender and is willing to work hard to make it happen. We have gotten excited about athletic players before who never seeemed to get it (see Green, Gerald). But Walker is different. He has the work ethic and mindset to take his potential and make it work on the court. He has also come through tough times with 3 knee surgeries in 5 years and has come out stronger because of it.
Speaking of Gerald Green. He is off to a good start in Dallas. He had 18 points,1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal with only 2 turnovers in 19 minutes off the bench in his first preseason game. But, this is preseason and we know what he is capable of, but the question is, will he find any consistency and has his head caught up with his talent?
Doc is talking about having to make a cut. He said it will be a difficult decision and that he will wait as long as possible to make the decision but realizes it will be better for whoever gets cut if it is sooner. Doesn't sound like he expects a trade. I don't want to see any of the young guys cut. We need to think of the future and I think they all have potential. The logical choice would be Scal. The second most logical choice would be to cut Sam and add him to the coaching staff now. But I imagine it will end up a business decision to give them the least impact financially rather than a basketball decision based on logic.
Boston Celtics (0-1) vs Cleveland Cavaliers (0-1)
Friday, October 10
Dunkin' Donuts Center
Providence, Rhode Island
7:30 PM
TV: CSN
Radio: WEEI
Tonight the Celtics take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. It won't be anywhere near what we saw in the playoffs last year as neither team will play their stars for big minutes and both teams will be looking at combinations and fringe players. But, no matter how briefly they are on the court together, LeBron James vs Paul Pierce is always a great matchup.
Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Rajon Rondo vs Mo Williams
SG: Wally Szczerbiak vs Ray Allen
SF: Paul Pierce vs LeBron James
PF: Kevin Garnett vs Ben Wallace
C: Patrick O'Bryant vs Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Players to Watch
Celtics
Bill Walker, Darius Miles, Patrick O'Bryant, Tony Allen, Gabe Pruitt
These are the players that the Celtics need to step up. They need POB to fill PJ Brown's roll and Tony to step up to help fill the void left by Posey. Walker and Miles, and Pruitt need to show they belong on the team.
Cavaliers
Daniel Gibson, Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, Sasha Pavlovic
The Cavs have a real battle going at the shooting guard position and these four are fighting it out for the starting position. One of the 4 will likely move to the end of the bench.
[Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!]
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