Searching for a silver lining in KG’s absence
Posted by Brian Robb on Apr 3, 2009
I consider myself a very optimistic person. I like to look for the bright side of things and this can become dangerous when dealing with the teams I follow. When someone goes out for 3-6 weeks, I usually am hopeful and confident the player will be back in 21 days, healthy and fully rested to boot, instead of worrying about the possibility the injury will linger all year long. I’m not saying that’s a smart way to think. Throughout my childhood, this kind of philosophy has burned me when dealing with school, sports, girls, you name it. It’s how my mind works though, for better or worse.
With that disclaimer out of the way, barring the possibility that KG’s injury/soreness is much worse than the Celtics are letting on, I have a positive outlook on how the C’s are handling the situation. In fact I have been looking at some potential benefits the C’s could stand to gain in his short term absence. It sounds crazy I know, and yes I probably should be more worried than I am, but try to stick with my thinking here. First though let’s discuss how KG’s injury will affect the team and its seeding the rest of the way
In my opinion, the Celtics have nothing (significant) to play for these last six games. The bottom of the Eastern Conference is so unsettled, the Celtics won’t know who they are playing until the last couple games of the season most likely and these are all teams the Celts should be able to beat even if KG is not at 100 percent.
As far as earning the 2nd seed for a potential showdown with Orlando, yes it would be nice to have home court advantage but I do not believe it will be a deciding factor in that series. If the Celtics are playing well and have Garnett at full strength or close to it, they should be able to dispatch the Magic regardless of where the games are played.
The absence of Garnett here becomes a positive in a sense for me because it allows for another extended stretch where Doc Rivers will have to give more playing time to Glen Davis and Mikki Moore.
Big Baby averaging 12 points and 7.5 rebounds a game since his returning from a sprained ankle. The increased playing time clearly has a lot to do with those numbers as he is averaging 33 minutes a game in 7 games since his return. However those numbers are still a big improvement over his production per 36 minutes for the entire season.
In my view, Big Baby is clearly a different player offensively from the start of this season’s campaign and the more he plays right now, the more confidence he gains in his game for the playoffs. Davis has also stepped up his offensive rebounding in the absence of KG and Leon Powe by hanging around the glass more and pulling down 14 offensive rebounds in his last 3 games. This development comes as drastic change from earlier this year, when it was common for Davis to go 5 games without pulling down that many rebounds on either end of the floor.
Mikki Moore also stands to benefit from KG’s absence for a few more games. With the uncertainty surrounding KG and Leon Powe’s knee, the Celtics will need him to play well to be able to make any kind of playoff run. Moore had an extremely ugly go of it in most of his first 10 games with the team. He has shot well but has struggled trying to learn the Celtics defensive schemes and has been prone to foul trouble almost every time out while working through the growing pains.
As Moore has played more games and minutes with the Green, it is evident some progress has been made, especially in the past few games. Mikki posted a double-double against the Thunder, with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and shot jumpers assuredly within the flow of the offense. He also has shown the willingness to bring some energy to a sluggish starting unit lately in recent games, by getting out and beating opposing big men down the floor. The center has been rewarded for this effort with a number of easy dunks that Doc Rivers I’m sure has taken note of.
Defensively, the 7 footer has finally begun to find his sea legs in the C’s system as he has been making fewer mistakes with rotations and weak side help. He still has been foul prone, especially when trying to defend pick and rolls, but has managed to stay on the floor despite it, going nearly 30 minutes in 2 of his last 3 games. It may not see like much, but it is a big improvement considering Moore fouled out in a pathetic 17 minutes against Miami 2 weeks back.
I guess my whole argument here could be seen as grasping for a sliver lining when there might not be one there. I am adamant though that both of these big guys are putting up more consistent performances in the majority of their recent games. KG returning to the lineup obviously improves the team exponentially but it also reduces the playing time of Moore and to a lesser extent Davis. Both of them have been playing starter-like minutes lately and shown significant strides in their game and confidence because of it.
KG’s absence for the much of the remainder of the regular season will allow both of them to continue to build on this consistency and hopefully give them more confidence that will made the big guys more likely to contribute come playoff time. The C’s will likely need significant help from both Moore and Davis off the pine, even if KG makes it back to 100 percent if they hope to make it back to the promise land come June.
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