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On The Kevin Martin Rumors

February 9th, 2010

I haven’t had time to delve deeply into the Ray Allen-Kevin Martin rumors, but others have done a fine job discussing them.

Start here and here for the views of Tom Ziller, author of the Kings blog Sactown Royalty and a writer for NBA Fanhouse. Ziller is a longtime Martin fan (from the days before the stat gurus made Martin a cult foul-drawing icon) and he says the C’s would be making a great deal in any Allen-Martin trade…. » More: On The Kevin Martin Rumors

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Posted in Commentary, Notebook

Does Daniels Solve the Turnover Crisis?

February 8th, 2010

After the Celtics turned the ball over just three times in the first half yesterday against Orlando, Greg Payne of CelticsBlog tweeted a question: Did the return of Marquis Daniels, the C’s steady back-up point guard/shooting guard/small forward, have something to do with the decline in Boston’s turnovers?

I had been wondering the same thing before the game. Here are the C’s turnover figures in games with and without Daniels, not including Sunday’s loss to Orlando.

With Daniels (19 games): 15.1 turnovers per game

Without Daniels (28 games): 16.1 turnover per game

That’s not much, but it’s also not nothing. If the C’s season-long turnover average were 16.1 per game, they’d be leading the league in turnovers per game despite playing a very slow pace. Cut out one turnover, and the C’s would rank about 20th in raw turnovers per game—still bad, but not far from league average.

Of course, Golden State turning the ball over 15 times per game isn’t the same as Boston turning the ball over 15 times per game; the Warriors play fast and use about nine more possessions than the C’s, so if the teams’ raw turnovers are equal, it means Golden State—Golden freaking State!—takes better care of the ball than Boston. (And they do).

But let’s get back to the Daniels Effect. » More: Does Daniels Solve the Turnover Crisis?

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Posted in Commentary

Orlando: Video Highlights and Lowlights

February 8th, 2010

Ah, the first half against Orlando, when everything was going well and I imagined what I was going was to say 90 minutes later to all the critics who had written the C’s off following the LA loss.

Boston’s offense was humming over the first 24. One reason why: The team (as Doc has implored them to so many times) stuck with their sets and remained active off-the-ball.

Example: They used Rajon Rondo as a screener on several early plays. This is an effective tactic against teams that play off of Rondo when he has the ball, daring him to shoot jumpers and ducking far under screens when the C’s try screen/rolls. A general counter to this strategy: Make Rondo a weapon off the ball. Sometimes that means having him rove along the baseline, waiting to receive quick passes from KG or Pierce on the interior.

Other times, it means getting a bit more creative and using Rajon as a screener. Like this:

» More: Orlando: Video Highlights and Lowlights

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Posted in Commentary, Features

Crisis? Magic Crush C’s in 2nd Half

February 7th, 2010

It’s probably too early to use that word. Right? 

Brian’s going to chime in with full bullets. I just wanted to say one thing:

• Fans always heap blame on their own team, and the Celtics have plenty of blame to go around for this second half dud. Committing eight turnovers in one quarter is inexcusable in a big game.

But there were two teams on the floor today, and you have to give some credit to the Magic. Specifically to Dwight Howard. It is not a coincidence Orlando rallied in the 3rd quarter with Howard finally back on the floor. He completely dominated the interior on defense and had a lot to do with the C’s reliance on jump shots in the 3rd quarter. 

I am about to drink beer and watch football. That is all.

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Posted in Commentary

Brief Sunday Notebook: Changing the League as We Know it, and the Future of the C’s

February 7th, 2010

We’ll keep this notebook brief, because there is a fairly large NBA game today followed by a fairly large game in which large men will attempt to injure each other. 

• Ric Bucher has a bombshell—assuming it’s accurate—on ESPN.com today: The details of an initial proposal David Stern presented to the player’s union as a means of kicking off negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. The current CBA expires at the end of next season, and if you’re one of those people whose eyes glaze over every time someone says “soft cap” or “mid-level exception,” my guess is you’ll still be interested in this description of some of the Stern proposal’s key points:

The total value for a veteran maximum deal would be well under $60 million and for players currently on rookie salary-scale deals well under $50 million, the source familiar with the proposal said. Fully guaranteed maximum deals also could be a thing of the past, with the proposal allowing for less than half of any contract to be guaranteed.

The mid-level exception and other devices that allow teams over the salary cap to sign free agents also would be abolished, several sources said, effectively creating a hard cap.

Let me translate that for you: The NBA owners want to completely change the economics of the league. » More: Brief Sunday Notebook: Changing the League as We Know it, and the Future of the C’s

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Posted in Notebook