Does Anyone Miss TA Getting Minutes?

Posted by Brian Robb on Mar 23, 2010 696338 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2010%2F03%2F23%2Fdoes-anyone-miss-ta-getting-minutes%2FDoes+Anyone+Miss+TA+Getting+Minutes%3F2010-03-23+21%3A44%3A08Brian+Robbhttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D6963

This is a school of thought that came up on the podcast Sunday night with Zach and Paul Flannery. Michael Finley has essentially replaced TA in the 10 man rotation since his arrival, leaving Tony limited to garbage time minutes. This move in itself, I don’t have any kind of problem with. Finley has looked better than worse in the majority of his games in Green, and has given the 2nd unit another shooter on the floor in place of TA.

This has been crucial, in my opinion, in keeping Paul Pierce and Ray Allen’s minutes down this month. With Finley stretching the floor as a shooter, there is less of a need for those guys to anchor the bench, giving Doc an excuse to give them more rest, which right now is a very good thing.

Let’s get back to TA though. I don’t see him earning back Finley’s minutes, since well, he can’t shoot and Finley can. That’s not going to change. However, there is one guy’s minutes that I wonder if Allen will get a crack at getting some of, especially if he doesn’t step it up soon, and those are Marquis Daniels.

Now, before we go any further, calm down a little bit. I’m not saying for Doc to bench Quisy. The guy is a good player, and was a great value signing by Danny Ainge this offseason for 1.9 million. However, Daniels has really struggled this month. Take a look at his numbers per game in March thus far.

20 minutes, 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 40% FG, 60% FT

Those are pretty dismal. Doc even called out Marquis last week directly, before the Detroit game, noting he has to play better and be aggressive. He did well that night, but has consistently up and down since. A closer look at this situation, after the jump

Let’s compare those recent Quisy numbers to TA’s. We all know the pros and cons with the guy. Great defender and athletic on the one hand. Makes stupid plays, can’t shoot from the outside and turns the ball over too much on the other hand.

It’s safe to say Tony has been a pleasant surprise this year on a whole. No one was expecting much out of the guy, given his recent history. Let’s look at his season numbers per game.

17 minutes, 5.9 pts, 2.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.3 turnovers, 1.1 steals, 49% FG, 60% FT

Those are virtually the same as Marquis’ season numbers with a few clear differences. Daniels averages less turnovers (1.0) while also getting fewer rebounds (2.1). Everything else is within a couple tenths of a point, with Daniels averaging 4 more minutes per game.They are also much better overall than Quisy’s March numbers.

So is Tony Allen better than Marquis Daniels? I’m not saying that. However, Daniels has been consistently inconsistent right now. So what would I like to see? I wouldn’t mind TA getting a few of Daniels minutes in these games, especially if Quisy is looking passive early on in his outing.It’s a criticism that Doc has laid upon him recently.

TA is generally been the opposite of passive. He is also a great defender, better than Quisy for sure. With the playoffs just 12 games away, does it make sense for him to rot entirely on the bench, especially with some offensive powerhouse coming into town for the next 2 weeks? I’m not so sure. I’d like to keep TA a little run at least, maybe 5-10 minutes a game, since chances are, his services will be of use, especially on the defensive end, come playoff time.

So I ask you Celtics fans, what do we make of TA? Am I out of line for asking to bring the frustrating Allen back into the fold? And what about Quisy? Is this just a bad stretch of games for him, or is there a bigger problem there. He clearly has had to adjust to a lot of new personnel and roles within the last month. Will he be able to get comfortable in time for the postseason?