Bench Production....(That is the Question)

[Rtpas11]

  How do we ever get some of that... I know Its only been three games into the playoffs but, I haven't witnessed an ounce of improvement, What needs to be done?

[Jon]

I thought Green took a step in the right direction today.  He took 8 shots in just over 20 minutes and looked fairly aggressive.  Granted, he was far from spectacular.  But the first step was really to have him look for his own shot, which he did do. 

Also, a healthy Shaq will work miracles for the bench, as either he or Jermaine will be playing with them.  And not only will that bring an offensive boost, the Celtics will also not have to overcome the defensive problems that come with playing Green and Baby at the 4 and 5 together (or with Krstic). 

[clover]

I thought Green took a step in the right direction today.  He took 8 shots in just over 20 minutes and looked fairly aggressive.  Granted, he was far from spectacular.  But the first step was really to have him look for his own shot, which he did do. 

Also, a healthy Shaq will work miracles for the bench, as either he or Jermaine will be playing with them.  And not only will that bring an offensive boost, the Celtics will also not have to overcome the defensive problems that come with playing Green and Baby at the 4 and 5 together (or with Krstic). 

Agreed that Green made progress, but I think the idea of a healthy Shaq is fantasy.  Chris Forsberg reported that he was limping today at the shootaround.

[tenn_smoothie]

the bench guys we had in place before The Trade were much more effective than the unit Danny has put together with his "brilliant" personnel decisions that have continued to hurt this team.

Von Wafer was playing better with each passing game, Glen Davis was more effective then, Semih was easily better than Kristic has been, Delonte is a tough call and Marquis was at a minimum, the equal of Jeff Green. i realize Daniels got hurt which started this whole mess, but Danny should have replaced Marquis with a similar guy - and there were a few available at the time (don't get me started).

if we were bringing Jermaine off the bench now along with the aforementioned players, i think we would have a group that could at least maintain a lead the starters had built. inserting the current bunch in the game is like opening the floodgates for the opponent. it's almost become automatic.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

I thought Green took a step in the right direction today.  He took 8 shots in just over 20 minutes and looked fairly aggressive.  Granted, he was far from spectacular.  But the first step was really to have him look for his own shot, which he did do. 

Also, a healthy Shaq will work miracles for the bench, as either he or Jermaine will be playing with them.  And not only will that bring an offensive boost, the Celtics will also not have to overcome the defensive problems that come with playing Green and Baby at the 4 and 5 together (or with Krstic). 

Agreed that Green made progress, but I think the idea of a healthy Shaq is fantasy.  Chris Forsberg reported that he was limping today at the shootaround.

Gary Washburn basically corroborated this story with this tweet:

    Shaq is out for tonight but doubtful for Sun. Painful foot area was stretched during shootaround and Shaq didn't show discomfort

Also, Paul Flannery noted that Shaq is apparently 'not limping', but is 'incognito'.

    Shaq walked out like a 39 year old man. I didn't notice a limp. He did introduce himself as Jermaine O'Neal to an usher.

[celticslove]

fantastic update on shaq. bench need to step up big time so the starters can get some quality rest. Green though improved i think is still playing scared, BBD is really out of synch.

[LilRip]

i agree with the OP. bench hasn't looked good and i don't know why. Is it effort? because on paper, we have one of the BEST benches in the league from top to bottom. we have West (starter quality), BBD (really good 6th man), Jeff Green (starter quality), Wafer (former starter quality), Troy Murphy (a year off a double-double year), and Krstic (poor starter quality). And yet, they are playing less than the sum of their parts.

[tenn_smoothie]

i agree with the OP. bench hasn't looked good and i don't know why. Is it effort? because on paper, we have one of the BEST benches in the league from top to bottom. we have West (starter quality), BBD (really good 6th man), Jeff Green (starter quality), Wafer (former starter quality), Troy Murphy (a year off a double-double year), and Krstic (poor starter quality). And yet, they are playing less than the sum of their parts.

they are soft and they don't mesh. thanks Danny.

[vinnie]

fantastic update on shaq. bench need to step up big time so the starters can get some quality rest. Green though improved i think is still playing scared, BBD is really out of synch.

If true, it is great. However, Forsberg reported that Shaq was limping. So, who to believe?

[RebusRankin]

Green looked better tonight. BBD and Delonte need to step up.

[CelticSooner]

the bench guys we had in place before The Trade were much more effective than the unit Danny has put together with his "brilliant" personnel decisions that have continued to hurt this team.

Von Wafer was playing better with each passing game, Glen Davis was more effective then, Semih was easily better than Kristic has been, Delonte is a tough call and Marquis was at a minimum, the equal of Jeff Green. i realize Daniels got hurt which started this whole mess, but Danny should have replaced Marquis with a similar guy - and there were a few available at the time (don't get me started).

Bench play was just as bad before the trade. C's at least have healthy players to come off the bench. Semih wouldn't be playing right now because he's hurt.

[dlpin]

the bench guys we had in place before The Trade were much more effective than the unit Danny has put together with his "brilliant" personnel decisions that have continued to hurt this team.

Von Wafer was playing better with each passing game, Glen Davis was more effective then, Semih was easily better than Kristic has been, Delonte is a tough call and Marquis was at a minimum, the equal of Jeff Green. i realize Daniels got hurt which started this whole mess, but Danny should have replaced Marquis with a similar guy - and there were a few available at the time (don't get me started).

if we were bringing Jermaine off the bench now along with the aforementioned players, i think we would have a group that could at least maintain a lead the starters had built. inserting the current bunch in the game is like opening the floodgates for the opponent. it's almost become automatic.

I am sorry, but this is nonsense. Now it's Danny Ainge's fault that Von Wafer hasn't played much after his injury? Are we really going to blame the decrease in bench production on missing Semih Erden (who was also injured, by the way)?

The trades might have done many things, but one thing it did not do was weaken the bench.

Whatever struggles the bench is having, it comes from the players and Doc themselves.

[JadeBlack]

Liked Chris Forsberg's comment ..Doc should have sent the Bench to the Locker room to watch the game as punishment.
Bench have to step up for the Heat.

[greenhead85]

Jeff Green did ok. Big Baby was careful enough in his offense. Nenad/Troy need to bang hard to get rebounds. Biggest disappointment so far is Delonte. DWest was too slow in setting up and looking for opportunities. Worse, he was tentative in taking shots. The offensive flow and pattern of the bench players sagged off due to him. Doc had to reinsert Rondo to fix the problem. I guess Doc's next best option at PG will have to be Bradley. Well, it really is risky but he can penetrate, keep the speed in moderate to high gear anytime, stay on his man and able to challenge the tempo the bockers display in court. Of course, DWest must find ways to improve - OMG do I have to use the word improve - since he is a veteran bench guy and is supposed to be the guy next to Rondo.

[GreenFaith1819]

Glen.......we love you, Man..c'mon back to us, please.