IP's Thoughts On The Pick 2 Celtics:
PG: Jeremy Lin/Tyshawn Taylor
SG: Jason Kidd/JR Smith/Alan Anderson
SF: Shane Battier/Jared Dudley/Alan Anderson
PF: Kevin Garnett/Epke Udoh/Shard Lewis
C: Tim Duncan/Chris Caveman
First, am I missing someone or do you only have 12 players? Second, yeah, I used the lineup I like better. Deal with it.
I Love: Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan. What else is there to say? They've both lost a step, that'll happen when you've been making all-star games for longer than Cheers was on television. But even without said 'step', for around 30 minutes a night they are 2 of the top 5 big men in the NBA. They're 2 of the top 3 big man defenders in the NBA. They're both of the top 2 skilled bigs in the league. They are awesome, still. Great leaders, great players, older than crap, but still awesome. Not sure where else to go with this.
I also love JR Smith and Jared Dudley coming off the bench. Arguably, they are the most consistent perimeter scorers on the team, and putting them in against a second unit will be a huge boon for the Celtics, as it keeps the pressure off the starters to do all the heavy lifting.
I like: A Lin/Kidd backcourt. Of course Jason Kidd can't do much but make smart passes and drill 3's, but he doesn't really need to here. Considering that the rest of the starting unit is populated by Battier/Duncan/Garnett, there will be 3 3pt shooters, and 5 midrange shooters on the floor at all times. Couple that with Kidd's floor spacing, and Lin will be allowed to do what he does best, use his dribble and the pick and roll to penetrate and dish. Kidd just has to make smart entry and swing passes, and hit open shots. I also like Alan Anderson, Ekpe Udoh, and Chris Kaman off the bench. I'd be reluctant to start them, and Kaman is not a guy I've ever felt great about giving minutes, but as a second unit? You could do so much worse.
I'm Neutral On: Tyshawn Taylor, don't know a thing about him. He's a guard huh?
I Hate: Shard Lewis being on this team. Don't think he even deserves a NBA roster spot, and I don't see a reason why he needs to be out there. If you needed a sniper, there were others, if you needed a stretch big, give a guy like Anthony Tolliver a shot. Boo shard Lewis.
Actual Success: The two big boys won't be a go every night. When they are a go, they'll be on managed minutes. This is a limiting factor, no matter how sane or insane JR Smith is. A middle-seed team, nightmare playoff opponent, one I'd pick as a darkhorse to get to the conference finals.
Pick Two Success: StartOrien knew he was in trouble as soon as he picked the Celtics. He was originally planning to build around Bradley and Garnett, but with his low draft spot and varying player opinions on Bradley, he quickly had to change his strategy. In the end, he took a regrettable situation into a mid-00's fever dream, and assembled a team that would be easy to root for. Talent, character, pedigree, its got the total package. And, I imagine its better than 4 games above .500, so he also improved on the real life Celtics. Bully.
Previous IP's Thoughts:
ThunderSunsBucksAlso, I'll be at the laugh factory on Sunset Tuesday through Thursday, and I'll be hosting my one-man show "Tell Mee-Maw I'm Sorry I'm Not Sorry" at the Perch Tree Amphitheater on Sunday, March 10th and Thursday, September 19th. Goodnight everybody.