There are five unknown (to a greater or lesser degree) quantities on the roster, and if this team is going to be championship-level, they're going to have to develop. Only Doc can develop them, and now's the time to do so, but he's retreating to his known quantities, which is not going to be enough to pass the Heat as well as whoever emerges from the West. Who gives a rip if these guys win a playoff round?
The five players he should be focusing on figuring out the first half of the year are:
Rondo
Green
Sullinger
Milicic
Bradley (injured)
It's a real question to me whether Rondo is best served by rebuilding this offense to play faster. If Jeff Green is ever going to be a super sixth man challenging LBJ, it'll be because Doc threw him out there, then threw him out there again to shake the rust off, the fear, the deference to the vets - whatever. Same with Darko - I think the guy could be KG's last, best reclamation project, but Doc's consistently throwing known quantities out instead.
Everybody else is what they'll be as a player, for better or worse. I just don't understand it - he's got the respect of the locker room. He has job security. This is the perfect time to try to bump up the ceiling of the squad.