I am, admittedly, a Celtics fan. A big fan. It can be scary at times. When Orlando knocked the Celtics out of the playoffs in 2009, I couldn't bring myself to turn the television off until it was finally over, but not being able to bear watching, I sat in the hall away from the screen and blocked my ears. That would be embarrassing if it hadn't been a playoff loss. Most Bostonians have the Red Sox first and foremost, but the Red Sox are not at the top of my list. The Celtics and Patriots tie the top of my chart, and so, there can be some extra emotion involved.
I do not consider myself an unrealistic fan however. I always thought they had the talent to get to the title game last year, but did not actually expect them to do it. Once they get into a series though, I have enough faith to believe they can beat anyone. That leads us to the point.
Last year the Celtics put together a mediocre regular season in opposition to their assemblage of talent, which would indicate a great regular season, as would the post season results. There were two messages there, the first being that luck plays a factor. They had some unlucky moments in the season, but also were lucky enough to make the playoffs despite a so-so year. Then their talent, experience, and determination took over and led them to the Finals. As much as it pain's me to say it, they lost to the better team. When the Celtics and Lakers played in 2008, the Lakers were not battle hardened. Their loss to the Celtics in that title series propelled them to develop their mental game, and led to the team that has won back to back titles. The Lakers and Celtics were both experienced winners last year, but the result came down to talent, and it was close enough that the absence of Kendrick Perkins and the great efforts of Pau Gasol decided the contest.
The Celtics were thisclose to winning, despite being nowhere near the team the Lakers were throughout the regular season, and an ineffective Kevin Garnett. Now, KG was still better to have than not to have, but as time has proven to us, many players that do return to the majority of their athletic ability after sustaining major injuries, do not do so quickly. Even in Boston, we saw how it truly took Tony Allen years to shed his doubts about injury concerns. I am no medical expert, but my following on sports has shown me that getting over an injury physically is a piece of the process. Working it back into the same shape, if possible, and trusting it the same are a different step.
Multiple reports this offseason have indicated that Kevin Garnett looks older...than 2008, yet younger than the KG 2009 and 2010 that we have seen. Consider that if his injury was still healing, playing upon it would have slowed the rest of the healing process. Also consider the trust and explosion factor, those concerns would not be eased upon his return, but upon gradually building himself back up. The rumors indicate that he has done that after a fully healthy offseason. Now, in thinking about having a KG closer to 2008 than '09 and '10, even just having that defensive presence, if the offense isn't the same, would be enough to make the Celtics a considerably better team than the one that played the Lakers in June. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen may be older, but Rajon Rondo is older and that is a plus. Rondo has stated to the media that his personal goal is to prove he is the best point guard in the league. Kendrick Perkins will return to health, and Glen Davis continues to mature. Nate Robinson and Marquis Daniels are back with more clearly defined roles and a sense of familiarity in the Boston structure.
In looking at the 2010-2011 roster, we must turn to what is different. Von Wafer, Mario West, and Stephane Lasme are all unknowns and may or may not make the roster, so we will put aside any ruminations on these players for now. The key perimeter additions to discuss are Delonte West and Avery Bradley. Bradley has been injured, and only played on year in college. The best insight on the rookie at this moment is that the kid has got some tools. He can shoot, he can really defend, and he is a good athlete. He is a huge unknown at the moment, but absolutely a player to watch and with considerable upside. Delonte West is a familiar face in Boston as he started his NBA career here and was a fan favorite almost instantly. D-West proved to us in his first stint that he is not truly a point guard or shooting guard, but an effective combination of skills held by both positions. He is a tough player to start because he does not excellently fill either of those jobs, but as a bench player he brings a lot to the table. There is no reason to doubt Delonte's basketball skills. Now is not the time to discuss his off the court issues, focusing instead on what he can bring, he is a gamer. He is a great competitor, plays tough defense, will go all out on every play, can hit the open jumper. Fortuitously, in addition to being a solid option at either guard spot, he is developing a good chemistry with Nate Robinson, also the possessor of a useful but somewhat eclectic skill set. Their games seem to mesh well and balance each other, indicating Boston could have a versatile dynamic duo of back up guards to help keep the pressure on opponents when Rondo sits.
Finally, there are "big" (pun intended) changes inside. This is, to me, the Celtics greatest improvement because I watched the Celtics struggle when KG and Perk were in foul trouble, and even Rasheed Wallace became important despite having a disappointment of a season. The Celtics have brought in much needed reinforcements, and may have really hit a home run with the effort. When last year there was only Glen Davis after the three aforementioned big men, the Celtics have four additional options this year. Yes, twice as many.
Youngsters Semih Erden and Luke Harangody wouldn't likely be much on their own, but have promise. We all know it can be tough to find decent big men, especially ones that are truly big, so all Celtics fans should be encouraged by the addition of Erden. Semih has been a topic of conversation in some of the Celtics fan basketball circles I've been trhough since he was drafted. The Turkish league is well established but remains a bit of a mystery to us. I have seen some Turkish fans believe Erden would struggle to be an NBA role player, but also some who felt he was the best young Turkish big man. Be prepared to be disappointed or surprised depending on what your hopes for him are. To me he looks like a solid contributor with a chance to develop into starting material. He is active and physical, with decent athleticism. He looks to be decently skilled, and a big man who can play like a big man but still has skill in his game is truly a rare commodity. Stardom is unlikely for Semih, but he can truly add to this team, especially if there is no rush for him to do so and he can just play a few minutes here and there. The desire is there for him, he gave up money to come to Boston, and it looks like their patience will pay off with Erden. Harangody is a tricky projection, but has exceeded expectations thus far. A great college player, there were questions about how his game would adapt. He is not the greatest athlete for a power forward, almost undersized, and many teams were unsure where he would fit. I see a guy who fits on the court. He may never score in the NBA like he did at Notre Dame, but he as more skill than many glue guys could ever hope to, and he seems to be excelling at doing the little things it takes for a tweener to fit in. He can rebound, and shoot, and has shown a willingness to play tough. The C's will take it.
Finally, the most significant additions. The Celtics are already bigger than they were last year. Harangody is only 6'8 but he is a burly man, and Erden is a legitimate seven footer. Kevin Garnett (secretly a seven footer is a mere .02 m shorter than Semih). The Celtics other two additions that beef up the front court are superstars Jermaine O'Neal (the same 6'11 as KG) and Shaquille O'Neal, a true monster addition at 7'1 and 325. Glen Davis and Kendrick Perkins are the next two heaviest Celtics, at 289 and 280 respectively. No one in their right mind will tell you that these are the O'Neals of their peaks, when JO was one of the most versatile bigs and Shaq was THE MAN in the NBA, and crushed all comers. These two men are still good basketball players however, and joining the C's both limits the weaknesses that have developed in their games and maximizes the pros of their games because they join a strong team and don't need to play alpha dog. JO has played with nagging injuries the last few years, a combination of reduced workload, claimed better health, and more talent around him means, if nothing else, he will be a far greater value for the Cs at the MLE than he was as a max player in recent seasons.
Shaq is the real wild card. This man is easily among the best players the NBA has ever seen. He is one of the greatest centers of all time, and must be included with the absolute best players like Russell and Chamberlain. They may in fact be the only two better players, there is some debate here, but not a lot. O'Neal's career has been that good. He is a lot older now than he was in his glory days, so obviously those kinds of games are not expected out of him. The word of caution here is, though, don't be surprised by O'Neal. He has never played on a team with this kind of talent. There is something to the fact that all this talent is accumulated in Boston, even if it is all dusted with age. He may have more fun this season than ever before, because of the fellows he is playing with in Pierce, KG, Allen, and JO, guys who were big stars in O'Neal's hey day, and he will have the least weight on his shoulders he has ever had. It may just be speculation on my part, but the general feeling is that Shaq has big shoulders, if all the weight that has been on them is taken off, he may be able to produce more than with the extra weight there. Also, expect motivation from Shaq due to his long running legendary personal feud with Kobe Bryant. Now Kobe has more rings than Shaq and whispers are that it doesn't sit well with the big fella.
This Celtics team has added both youth and experience. On paper it is deeper and far more balanced. The true story will be told on the court, but don't sleep on these Celtics. They went about as far as possible with less ammunition last year.
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