Ray 6th Man, Start Marquis

[looseball]

the lack of getting a real #2 Pg this offseason means this cannot happen

Not so.  Teams have won championships without true point guards, as long as you have guards who handle the ball well.  You just need to compensate by having more movement without the ball.

[2short]

Ray's minutes have to come down. period

Ray should not be playing 38-40 mintutes a game at 34/35 years old!

How do you explain Ray's Minutes per game average, increasing every year since he's been in Boston?

That is just ridiculous!

How about keeping Ray as a starter but drastically reducing his minutes to increase Marquis'? It would benefit both of them : Ray would get a much needed rest and would have fresher legs in general and for the playoffs, and Marquis would learn quicker than planned the systems, the defensive and offensive schemes and other stuff that he has missed during his long absence.

Ray at 28 minutes per game and Marquis at 20 minutes or more seems good to me.

This would be nice, but I doubt Doc has it in him. 

I've many times said if Ray is traded we need a sg that will spread the floor.  Obviously this isn't marquis strong point.  BUT I have to say this to me is a great idea.  Add defense, run more and ta has done a good enough job running the point.  Remember come playoffs, rondo is 40 minutes a night.

[dasandruler]

Im all for it, but doc doesnt have the nads to do it.  Hit the reset button, and coach.  This is the second half in the superbowl--he needs to get his coach payton on and start thinking outside the box. forget the safe bet and the safe move.
time to earn dat money doc--

[Change]

I hope this idea catches on. Marquis doesn't necessarily replace Ray, but he can provide a boost to aging starting lineup. He can be the lockdown defender thus it allows Pierce to save his energy defensively. And Rondo get a running-mate on fast breaks. Doubt Doc can pull this off. He can't even reduce lazy Sheed minutes. Being a players coach has its downfall.

[Birdbrain]

They were playing without Marquis for most of the year and all of last year and they were fine with House.  I think it's easiest move to make and would do wonders for the 2nd team.  The first team has enough scoring, IMO.  Doubt Ray would go for it though.  He still thinks he's a big time player in the league.

[Change]

They were playing without Marquis for most of the year and all of last year and they were fine with House.  I think it's easiest move to make and would do wonders for the 2nd team.  The first team has enough scoring, IMO.  Doubt Ray would go for it though.  He still thinks he's a big time player in the league.

Ray would do it he is re-signed, and his future is secured. Moving to the bench could effect his $$$$$ amounts for next season. But if he does accept it. Marquis becomes a bigger part of this team. And it takes pressure of Ray and Pierce to do the heavy lifting. Ray minutes goes down, and he can light up other teams 2nd units.

[snively]

I hope this idea catches on. Marquis doesn't necessarily replace Ray, but he can provide a boost to aging starting lineup. He can be the lockdown defender thus it allows Pierce to save his energy defensively. And Rondo get a running-mate on fast breaks. Doubt Doc can pull this off. He can't even reduce lazy Sheed minutes. Being a players coach has its downfall.

I think you're overestimating Marquis' impact.  While younger than Ray, he hasn't made much of an athletic impact.  He doesn't exactly fly on the break, nor is he much more of a threat than Ray off the dribble.

He's a nice safe option who makes the right decision more often than not, but he doesn't add anything to the starting unit other than more energetic defense at the 2.

I'd rather start TA than Marquis if I was looking for athletic impact with the starters.  His rebounding, ballhawking and attack mentality would at least shake things up. 

Neither of them should be starting over Ray at this point, IMHO.

[Greeny]

Ray is a hall of fame player who still can play.
If the Celts had anyone besides Rondo to pass the ball, Ray would be having a better year.

Ray is the starter.

Trade Eddie House for a PG like Nate Robinson if available, and you would be having tis discussion.

Sheed is the problem, not Ray.

[Birdbrain]

I would like to see less of the "all bench" unit, and more "3 starters mixed with 2 role-players".

That´s all.

Interestingly enough I was thinking about this same thing the other day.  Imagine in 07/08 how often you would have saw no 'big 3' lineups.  Now it happens fairly regularly for long periods of time and it normally leads to big leads being lost.

[Greenbean]

I would like to see less of the "all bench" unit, and more "3 starters mixed with 2 role-players".

That´s all.

Interestingly enough I was thinking about this same thing the other day.  Imagine in 07/08 how often you would have saw no 'big 3' lineups.  Now it happens fairly regularly for long periods of time and it normally leads to big leads being lost.

1000% agree. Ray being a 6th man would really help here. I would want TA to start rather than Quisy though. TA could be our Mo Evans and Ray could be our Jamal Crawford.

Whatever it is, something has to be done to shake things up because it is really stale. Ray to me looks like he's lacking confidence more and more as the deadline approaches. Maybe this could correct him a bit. Physically helooks fine to me which is the only reason I would even hesitate to trade him considering his shooting woes.

[BudweiserCeltic]

I don't like Ray coming of the bench... but if we're going to contemplate doing this, I would start Tony Allen over Marquis. I think Ray and Daniels coming off the bench brings more balance to the equation, and Tony has shown time and time again that he can be quite valuable as a starter.