Kemba being out is good for the young guys.
Some of the Celtic losses, especially late in the 4th, is due to Kemba's penchant for taking "all in" shots.
I think it's best if the Celts preserve Kemba for the playoffs.
Such as?
Kemba has the tendency to launch 3-pointers, in crunch time, when the Celts really don't need it.
I've also noticed that Kemba makes more 3-pointers early in the qtr. than late in the qtr.
He's shooting 44% from 3pt in crunch time this year, which is higher than his season average of 39% and equal to what he shoots from 3pt in the 4th quarter overall.
https://www.espn.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=401160854
1:44 Kemba Walker misses 26-foot three point pullup jump shot 94 - 90
With the Celts leading by 4, in regulation, why shoot a 3?
Maybe it's the decision making.
That shot and miss led to a Clipper fast break that cut the Celtic lead to 2 points with 1:37 left in the 4th.
Celts ended up losing that game in OT.
Kemba has this knack of going for "all in" shots in crunch time.
I think Kemba needs to learn that he's with the Celtics already, not the Hornets.
So, according to you: "Some of the Celtic losses, especially late in the 4th, is due to Kemba's penchant for taking "all in" shots." and your one example is from November 20th, 41 games ago, half a season back! And it's untrue as Kemba hits threes at an elite level late in close games!
Here's another example.
https://www.espn.com.au/nba/playbyplay?gameId=401160999
1:44 Kemba Walker misses 27-foot three point pullup jump shot 109 - 111
Brogdon just hit 2 FTs to give the Pacers a 2-point lead with 1:59 remaining.
Kemba tried to go all in with a 3-pointer.
When Kemba missed, Justin Holiday makes a 3-pointer at the other end to give the Pacers a 5-point lead.
Game over for the Celts.
Like I said, it's not that we don't want Kemba to shoot, just don't go "all in" all the time.
So your only other example is from 34 games ago? Can you see how your complaint is irrelevant?
I can post more examples if you want.
We can also double check using my League Pass.
The complaint is just to become better with the decision making in crunch time.
I think there's nothing wrong with asking for Kemba to make better decisions in crunch time.
Kemba's not used to winning because he's been with Charlotte most of his career.
With Boston, Kemba has lots of options because he's surrounded by very good players.
That's why he doesn't need to have that "all in" mentality in crunch time.
Kemba just needs to learn to trust his teammates.
He doesn't need to do it all by himself.
This is an odd take. It's the first time I've ever heard Kemba be accused of trying to do it all himself while playing for the Celtics. He's actually been very selfless this year, he was feeding JT when JT was hot. Even at the end of the game. When JB is hot he feeds the ball to JB.
Sometimes we can second guess players too much. Sometimes it's the right shot but he just missed.
TP...could not agree more. Kemba in the last 5 minutes of games in close games hits 3s at an elite rate but somehow is getting criticized for the ones he misses?!?!?! The whole take makes very little sense to me and, IMO, is just not based in reality. Kemba, late in games has been beyond clutch, with his scoring, defense and playmaking...again, just my opinion.
This people who are so stuck with yesterday's basketball and hasnt accepted that the game has evolved are in for a shock. If you are skilled enough to shoot at that high rate, by all means shoot.
If we had the same narrowmindedness governing GSW, Steph and Klay would average way less points. If these people are appalelrd with these few Kemba threes, I wonder how would they feel if they were a fan ofthe Warriors in their championship years?
Theyd probably be leading some campaign against Draymond and say the dubs has to trade iguodala for the likes of Drummond, WCS, Jacob Poetl etc!
If yesterday's basketball is obsolete, why do teams still prefer bigs like Ayton with the #1 pick?
Why didn't Phoenix pick Luka #1?
Because these GMs are godawful. Its the reason why they were picking that high in the first place. Years and years of bad drafting and bad management.
The top 2 picks in that draft class are bigs. There were 2 all-stars from that draft class. Neither of them were bigs. You gonna use that to bolster your argument lol.
You mentioned Anthony Davis. We faced them the last game, he shot an awful FG from the field being guarded by 6 foot 6 Jaylen Brown mostly and Theis who you usually malign. The easiest points he got? From the 3 point line. Something the likes of your WCS, Drummond, Poetl cannot do. Anthony Davis is also one of the best defenders in the league if you go with Bigs. He was nowhere near stopping Tatum. What more can slower than Molasses guys like WCS, Drummond, Poetl do in that situation? The Spurs boast of a huge frontline with Aldridge and your Poetl. Are they in the playoffs? Drummond who you value so much got traded for a bag of peanuts. The same Drummond who regularly got killed by Joel Embiid.
If they're so awful then why are you here on this forum and the GMs are out there running an an NBA team?
Because I am not a GM. And neither are you.
You dont have to be a GM to know that they are awful. Just look at their track record. Absolutely hilarious that you use these GMs as an example to bolster your claim and defend them while at the same time disagree with a top tier GM like Ainge is building.
If in your own world things done by guys like Divac are examples of what a GM should do, then be my guest. Useless trying to argue with someone who thinks like that. 
What is Ainge building?
How many championships did the Celts win after the Big 3 era ended?
Ainge drafting a lot of guards and wings?
I'm a Danny Ainge fan, but Ainge is not perfect.
Like I said, let's wait a couple of months and see if Ainge not making any moves at the trade deadline was the right move.
Also, if small ball is so great then why are the #1 teams in the east and west are big teams?
The Lakers have AD, Howard, and McGee.
Milwaukee has the Lopez brothers, Ilyasova, and Giannis.
If small ball is so great then Boston should be #1 in the east and Houston should be #1 in the west.
I'm not a purist, I'm not asking for a superstar big man.
All I was asking for was an upgrade over Theis.
But since Ainge didn't make a move, in a couple of months we'll know if Ainge made the right move.
Ainge admitted that he made a mistake by not making a move at the trade deadline last season.
I hope he doesn't have to say that again after a few months.
This reeks of winning bias lol, using only W/L record and volatile playoff results to judge the quality of a team is outdated and archaic.
The point is GSW succeeded because Klay and Steph are the two greatest shooters in NBA history.
Add a Kevin Durant to the mix and the team becomes unbeatable.
So to copy the GSW model, you have to have great shooters.
The Celtics are not yet an elite 3pt shooting team.
That's why it's more important for the Celts to have balance.
This team does have pretty good balance. It's rather apparent. You're not going to be elite in every aspect of the game. It's just not feasible.
That's your opinion.
If the Celts are #1 in the east and I'm still criticizing the Celts, that means something's wrong with me.
But right now the Celts are not on the same level as the Bucks and maybe just as good as a Toronto team without Kawhi.
Right now Celts are winning games because Jayson Tatum is playing like a 1st tier NBA superstar.
Also, a lot of Celtic fans here are complaining about how weak the Celtic bench is.
That alone is proof that the team is not balanced.
This team is 40-17. That's a .702 winning percentage. That's good. Really good.
Fans complaining really isn't proof of anything. It's opinion, not fact.
For the record, you're saying that the Celts bench is not a problem?
Just like the big man "issue" being that was being spewed earlier this season, I think its greatly exaggerated.
Also, come playoff time, the rotation is going to be shorter and you'll see more minutes out of the Big 4 (Kemba's health god wiling). This should help mitigate many concerns about lack of depth. You don't need to roll 11-12 deep come playoffs.
I totally agree.
For me, the big man issue was more of a concern.
The bench is not really a problem because like what you said, the rotation will be shorter in the playoffs.
But here's the thing, the Celts will not be able sign all the 1st round picks this year.
So why not trade two of the picks for Bertans?
Having Bertans instead of two late 1st round picks would've been better.
Right now Theis is doing fine, he's exceeding expectations.
But what if he gets hurt?
That's why moving one of the picks and Poirier for another big would've been a good move.
Topic: NBA 2019-2020 season thread (Read 399102 times)