Well, class is out and the Celtics are going their separate ways. Obviously we would hope to be better next season than this since we didn't make it past the second round. There are some things I would hope that the Celtics will work on over the summer.
First and foremost, Rondo needs to work on his jumper. One of the Celtics' weakness this season was when teams would double off Rondo and dare him to beat them with jumpers. Let's hope that Rondo spends a lot of time in the gym working on that jumper and comes back with a reliable shot from at 15-18 ft. This is from a Foot Locker promo, but sounds like he is gets the need to improve his shooting.
Next, I would give Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Leon Powe and Kendrick Perkins the assignment to get healthy. Pierce was seen grabbing his elbow several times during the playoffs. After the playoffs it was also mentioned that he has bone spurs in his ankles. If they were bothering him during the playoffs, I would hope that he would get them cleaned out over the offseason so they don't flare up again next season. KG's bone spurs were found before the season and they let them go and it came back to haunt them. Ray had a hamstring pull and that will just require rest. KG has had his surgery and hopefully that will take care of the physical problems that kept him out of the second half of the season. With all three of these guys, I have no doubt that once they are healthy they will come into training came in top shape and ready to win another title.
Leon also had his surgery but won't be expected to play until around the All Star break. Hopefully Danny will resign him and he will have the second half of the season to be ready to give the team a boost in the playoffs. Perk once again had some problems with his balky shoulder in the Orlando series. It doesn't appear that he will need surgery but just needs to give it some rest. Perk will be getting married in June and will probably get back to full time training after that. Perk took a big leap in his game after KG went down and another leap in the playoffs. Perk needs to keep working on his post moves and his short jumpers. He's already one of the best defensive centers in the league and he just needs to polish his offense just a little more.
Big Baby needs to realize that he is in a good situation and should re-sign with the Celtics for what they can offer him.
Bill Walker needs to do everything he can to convince Doc to play him more next season. I believe he can be that defensive 3 that this team needs. He has the tools and athleticism and basketball IQ to be a very good player and just needs to get some playing time under his belt to get past all the rookie mistakes.
Eddie House needs to exercise his player option and come back next season. He is instant offense off the bench and proved that he is absolutely deadly from beyond the arc. Plus, in a pinch he can bring the ball up and do a decent job at the point.
Scal won a lot of fans this past season. He stepped in when the team was short handed and produced for the team. First for Scal will be to get some rest and be sure that his head is completely back to normal. After that, he needs to prepare for just about anything to happen. He is now an expiring contract that could be moved this off season or at the trade deadline. He could also stick with the team and continue to do all the little things he does to help the team. We could do a lot worse for a 9th or 10th man than Scal.
After 5 seasons of more of the same, Tony Allen just doesn't seem to get it. Sure, every season is derailed by injury, but he just doesn't seem to improve between the injuries. If he hasn't gotten it by now, unless he gets a brain transplant, I don't see him getting it this season. In my opinion, the best assignment I can give Tony is to get used to playing for a new team. That is, if Danny can find someone who wants him.
Gabe Pruitt has shown flashes of potential but can never quite make it into the rotation. Gabe needs to give Summer League his best shot to show that he can play. If he doesn't impress there, it is doubtful that we will see him on this team next season.
As for Mikki Moore and Stephon Marbury, their best bet is to try to find another team. They didn't quite work out as expected. I think Marbury could help if he is willing to come back as a back up to Rondo and continue to be a team player, but I expect he will be looking for more money and more minutes and a possible starting role. Mikki? Well, he is a great teammate and a good locker room guy but just didn't seem to fit. He has said that he wants to come back but I think Danny would be best to look for another free agent to fill this slot.
For Tom Thibodeau, I would give him the assignment to come back to the Celtics. I know he has paid his dues and really wants a head coaching job, but I'd love to have him for another season to get one more championship. With a healthy team and Thibs' defense, they have a very good shot at it.
As for Danny, he has the biggest assignment of all. He needs to find a back up center, a defensive small forward, and a back up point guard who will fit this team and get them back to the Finals. Since the Celtics' only draft pick is #58, I don't see much help coming from there. The Celtics are already over the cap and have very few assets to deal with in trade. He will need to use the MLE wisely and depend on players signing for the veteran's minimum to fill out the roster. He also must try to re-sign Big Baby and get an extension done for Rondo. Last summer he dropped the ball by signing Patrick O'Bryant and letting Chris Anderson get away. His midseason reinforcements also left much to be desired. This is a make or break season for Danny because the window is getting smaller for the Big Three and if Danny doesn't get them a supporting cast, they could end up playing way too many minutes and run out of gas like they did this past season. Let's hope that Danny is up to the task.
There are a lot to do in this summer,specially to Doc, need to think about the rotation, may be we won't get helps from player signing but we have enough young players who need minutes to play on court.
I agree that we have some good young players. Danny needs to re-sign Big Baby and Powe. Walker and Pruitt can contribute in my opinion, especially Walker. But, I think Danny is going to be looking for veteran free agents to fill some of those spots. We definitely need a back up center with some length, but I'm not convinced that Walker can't be that back up 3 Danny is looking for and Pruitt could be the PG.
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