Lets just trade the whole team for Chris Paul

[PosImpos]

Zach Lowe absolutely nails why the Celtics need Chris Paul (or a player like him) if they want to seriously contend this year:

Boston’s interest in Paul stems from having an offense that has gotten worse in each of the last three seasons, a decline that figures to continue as Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett get a year older and the Celtics find themselves unable to compete in free agency. Boston was an elite offense as recently as 2008-09, when it ranked sixth in points per possession, even though Garnett played just four games after mid-February. The Celtics fell to 15th in 2009-10, undone in Game 7 of the Finals against the Lakers by the sort of prolonged scoring droughts that killed them all season. They finished 18th in points per possession last season, too low to seriously contend for a championship.

Check out the advanced numbers for Pierce, Allen and Garnett, and you’ll see a general trend: They rely more and more on teammate assists to get their buckets. The percentage of Pierce and Allen baskets that come via assists has increased in each of the last four seasons, per Hoopdata. The equivalent number for Garnett jumped dramatically in 2008-09 and 2009-10 before falling a tick last season, when Rondo, the Celtics’ primary distributor, missed major time because of injury. Some of this was inevitable, due to both age and the coming together of stars who used to do much more heavy lifting on their own. Some of it is due to Rondo, one of the game’s great passers, a wizard at finding angles no one else can.

Boston’s Plan A on offense is Rondo passing the ball to great shooters. But NBA teams can stop Plan A quite often, and as Boston’s Big Three lose their ability to create one-on-one, there is really no Plan B. Rondo was supposed to be that Plan B, but he is an unwilling and inaccurate shooter who does not get to the foul line. Plan B has too often turned into an engine stall, with teams mucking up Boston’s spacing by going under screens on Rondo pick-and-rolls, playing several feet off him when he has the ball and ignoring him when he finally gives it up. The Celtics have figured out clever ways to beat these strategies, and Rondo has improved as an off-the-ball lurker along the baseline, but these tricks require so much effort while producing a below-average scoring punch.

On plays Rondo finished via a shot, drawn foul or turnover (a database that is admittedly unfair to a pass-first player) last season, he averaged 0.81 points per possession, a mark that ranked 421st in the league, according to Synergy Sports. You’d be forgiven for being surprised that so many different players even saw the court last season. Even as that number discounts Rondo’s splendid passing, it’s still indicative of a player, and a team, that might struggle to create a Plan B.

For real, this is front-page material.

[Greenbean]

It is entirely possibly that Chris Paul's stats will increase playing with better offensive players in our Big 3.

It is also entirely possible that Chris Paul's already high level efficiency stats will also increase playing along side our Big 3.

There is virtually zero chance that by adding Chris Paul to our team that our team's offense would suffer.

Thank you. I dont care what stats you show me about each player on their respective teams last year.

I expected statistical breakdowns of the differences between the players defense and the effects on the teams but offense? Didnt see that coming.

[BballTim]

I think your over emphasis on shots at the rim is missing the larger picture. For one it could be a deliberate decision of the strucure of the offense by the coaches as much as it is inherent differences in the PGs games.

Another point is that Rondo takes 2 less 3s and 3 less free throws per game than Rondo. That easily accounts for the much of the at the rim difference.

But that's not a bad thing, CP3 is a much more efficient scorer and diverse scoring threat because he can get to the line (and make them at a high percentage) and also hit threes.

  I don't know why a coach would want to emphasize jump shots over shots at the rim, but I suppose anything's possible. And a large amount of CP3's free throws aren't from shooting fouls.

The top ten teams at generating shots at the rim

1. Denver
2. Toronto
3. Memphis
4. Charlotte
5. LA Clippers
6. Chicago
7. Detroit
8. Utah Jazz
9. GS Warriors
10. Boston

I guess there are 9 point guards better than Rondo with the likes of Mike COnley, Chsuncey Billups, Rodney Stuckey, Jerryd Bayless etc...

  Sigh. Rondo's tied for 8th in baskets at the rim and he's 2nd in assists at the rim. The only point guards in the list that are ahead of Rondo in *either* category are Rose and Stuckey, but in scoring at the rim. Stuckey's not among the leaders in assists at all. Rose's combined points and assists at the rim beat Rondo's by .1 per game, but he plays slightly more minutes and at a slightly faster pace so it's a wash.

Also, if you look at shots 3-9 feet (where you can factor in Paul's deadly floater) Paul is in the top ten in makes and attempts while Rondo isnt in the top 30 in either.

Also, if you look at assists of baskets less than ten feet, Paul is in the top 6 while Rondo is 22nd.

Dunks and layups arent the only high percentage shots.

  No, there are also three pointers. NO made 65% of their shots at the rim last year, and 38% of their shots in the 3-9 feet range. I guess we differ on our opinion of what's high percentage and what isn't.

You were correlating point guard play with team makes and attempts near the rim. That was your original argument that if Paul was on the Celts , Boston would be near the bottom of the league in shots at the rim. I am just pointing out that the point guard is not the only indicator of shots at the rim. Look at those teams.
You cant ignore all the other players on the team and the style of offense.

  So. we're going to completely change our style of play after we get CP3 without getting rid of our other players? We're going to add a great low post scorer to our team, or maybe see if PP and Ray can play at the pace the Warriors do? Or maybe we'll tell KG and JO to start playing more like Griffin and Jordan. Yes, that should work.

Further more, shots at the rim is not an indicator of success as Dallas was next to last in the league in that category.
 

  No, but they make a difference in how efficiently you score. But this is much simpler. All we need to do is turn the ball over less often, get a bunch more offensive rebounds and start taking a ton of three point shots.

Did I say that? No I didnt.
Your saying that if you drop Chris Paul on the Celtics, that they would get less shots at the rim and be less efficient. The only evidence you are pointing to is how many shots Chris Paul creates and converts at the Rim playing in NO with sub par teammates and in a slow paced offense that is even slower that the Cletics.

 I'd have to re-check my posts, but I don't think I ever said that the offense would be less efficient with Paul than with Rondo, more that it will be more perimeter oriented. I just don't think that taking a team comprised mainly of jump shooters and adding another jump shooter is the best way to do things. I think, in reality, that the biggest problem with the Celts offense is that the big three can't get open shots with Rondo playing, it's that when they're missing their outside shots there's not much to fall back on. We're "solving" this by bringing in a player that struggles to score in the clutch (compared to his historic levels) and is the focal point of the offense that was last or close to last in the league in fourth quarter scoring.