Sunday Notebook: KG On Building Chemistry, Krstic’s Rebounding, Golden State Wanted Perk Too?

Posted by Brian Robb on Feb 27, 2011 1707813 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2011%2F02%2F27%2Fsunday-notebook-kg-on-building-chemistry-krstics-rebounding-golden-state-wanted-perk-too%2FSunday+Notebook%3A+KG+On+Building+Chemistry%2C+Krstic%27s+Rebounding%2C+Golden+State+Wanted+Perk+Too%3F2011-02-27+19%3A03%3A34Brian+Robbhttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D17078

A few news and notes from around the web after the first win of the Green/Krstic era.

We’ll start with some reaction in Los Angeles, where locker room captain Kevin Garnett talked about the importance of building chemistry with the new guys, especially his new partner on the backline in Krstic: (Chris Forsberg at ESPNBoston

“It’s just like [Kendrick Perkins] and my first day [together],” said Garnett. “It’s got to be something that both sides want to do and Krstic is open, man. I had a long talk with him [Saturday] when we had shootaround, and just trying to get into his head, teaching him all the schemes and different things. I just need someone to be verbal. I just need someone to communicate. You don’t necessarily [have to] be the loudest, but we need you to know how to communicate and he did a good job of that tonight.

“[Krstic and Jeff Green are] open guys. First thing is you have to be open, too. Obviously, they’re used to a certain something and, obviously, we tend to think we do things a little different here. The winning ways, we’re professional at all times, so a lot of the stuff that we do, a lot of the stuff that we are the examples of, so they’ll see it versus hearing it more than anything.”

And here’s Doc:

“[Defense is] the whole key for us,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “They’ll get it. It might take some time and they’ll make mistakes on defense, but that’s why we’ll have [assistant coach] Lawrence [Frank] met with them [Saturday], then do it again [Sunday] with just them. Defense has to go first.”

Krstic pitched in with nine points and six boards in his Celtic debut, all of the offensive variety, something that Doc and Nets former head coach Lawrence Frank joked about after the game ended, as Frank coached the center for his first four years in the league:

Maybe it’s because the Celtics don’t put too much of an emphasis on offensive rebounding, preferring to fall back on defense rather than chase putbacks, but as newly acquired center Nenad Krstic hauled in offensive carom after offensive carom Saturday night, coach Doc Rivers turned to top assistant Lawrence Frank and asked if this was normal for him.

“I said, ‘Does he do that all the time?’ and Lawrence said, ‘If he did, I’d still be in New Jersey,’” Rivers relayed with a smile. Frank coached Krstic during his four seasons with the Nets at the start of his NBA career.

“But he does do that. He has length and he has the ability to do that, so it was good to see.”

Krstic finished with six rebounds, all of the offensive variety, setting a new single-game high for offensive rebounds by a Celtics this season. Starting in his Boston debut, Krstic added nine points on 3-of-7 shooting over 21 minutes, despite virtually no familiarity with the offensive system.

Finally, an interesting tidbit from Gary Washburn’s Boston Globe Sunday notes, where we learn more about just why those Nate Robinson to Golden State rumors popped up:

The folks who wondered what you’d get if you mixed Nate Robinson’s gunner mentality with Golden State’s no-conscience offense almost got their wish, as the Warriors pursued Robinson and Kendrick Perkins before the trade deadline, but they couldn’t reach a deal with Boston

A quick inspection of the Warriors roster shows that its a good thing this deal never got done, as there was no real match for the Perk/Robinson combo and their reasonable salaries. Golden State’s players either made too much (David Lee, Monta Ellis, etc.) or weren’t worth giving up a guy like Perk (Dorell Wright, Reggie Williams, Udoh) or untouchable by the Warriors (Stephon Curry?). In any case, curious to think about what names were involved in any potential move but good to know Danny made the right move here.

Brendan and Hayes get you caught up with more about last night’s contest later this afternoon.