Interior play is the problem

[Celticjay]

Our team defense is great.  Our offense is offensive.  We need 1-2 low post players.  If we had anyone who could command a double team we would get open looks for Ray, Pierce and Pietrus.  I just watched an old game of the 87 Celtics and they were soooo slow but they just kept throwing it into Chief, Mchale or Bird and then they would get a look close to the basket or find and open man when the double team came.  

With the celtics we have now they have Nobody who can command a double team.  It makes our offense infinitely harder.  I just wonder if we got Kaman and another big how good could they be?  

Kaman is no chief, but he would totally change the offense.  say we trade Rondo (I know I will get killed for this) for Gasol and then pick up a player like Hinrich or sessions.

We a lineup of bigs like KG, Gasol and Kaman we would have a huge advantage and if we we still have Pierce and Allen the offense would be transformed for one last run..   We would lose Rondo and a pick for Kaman, but it would at least give this team a shot this year and next year we'd have Gasol, and Pierce and still enough room for 1 quality free agent.  

Trade isn't key, just filling that glaring hole in the middle.  We need some LOW POST PLAY and some OFFENSIVE BOARDS

[thestackshow]

Interior play has been a problem since the Big 3 was brought here, we have never had interior presence on the offensive end until Shaq came here, and the team exploded and was the favorite to win the championship.

Even our championship year, we had little to no offensive presence within the interior, the difference is teams we were like Miami's big 3 to the league back then, our talent alone made up for our lack of interior play and we were still able to win.

[ballin]

Interior play has been a problem since the Big 3 was brought here, we have never had interior presence on the offensive end until Shaq came here, and the team exploded and was the favorite to win the championship.

Even our championship year, we had little to no offensive presence within the interior, the difference is teams we were like Miami's big 3 to the league back then, our talent alone made up for our lack of interior play and we were still able to win.

I agree, except for the fact that KG went down on the block a LOT more than he does now. He used to get double teamed down there constantly.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I agree with your basic premise. Outside of certain favorable situational matchups (such as when Pierce has a smaller 3 guarding him), the only guys on this team who have ever been good post players are KG and (I think) JO, but KG is almost exclusively a jump shooter now, and JO's offensive game is nearly nonexistent. And when you look at the recent title winners, you see that interior size is the primary factor: the Celtics had KG and Perk; the Lakers had Odom, Gasol and Bynum; the Mavs had Dirk and Chandler; the Spurs had Duncan (and Robinson as well in '99). Having a solid-to-dominant interior presence is a huge plus in itself, plus it opens up the perimeter guys. If Boston had a legit post presence—just one guy, even—it would make, I believe, a world of difference. Boston would get more high-percentage shots, more easy baskets, and more rebounds, and Pierce, Ray and Pietrus would get a lot more open looks. Unfortunately, there are like 3 good low-post players in the league, and they may all be out of Boston's reach (although that Rondo-for-Gasol idea is awful tempting to me).

Sadly, the low-post game is a dying art form that's nearly gone. Oh, to have another Kevin McHale- or Hakeem Olajuwon-like player! There are some guys playing now who have the strength for a low-post game, but they've got no moves, mostly because they've been able to get by, their entire lives, on brute strength and alley-oops—think Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard. Heck, even Shaq had a limited repertoire, usually just using his immense girth to back guys down and dunk over them. I mean, that's effective, and I wouldn't turn down such a player, but those guys could be so much better if they had actual moves. Just imagine how good Howard would be if, say, he had a good up-and-under move. He'd be unstoppable.

Then again, a lot of the fundamentals are lost on today's players. Paul Pierce rightfully gets a lot of credit for his effective use of head and ball fakes—so why don't we see lots of other players emulating that? We all know how devastating McHale was on the block—so why don't today's tall, lengthy players emulate him?

Perhaps this is the downside of having so many highly athletic players: after all, if you can get out and run and play above the rim, you don't need to be able to do anything other than pass and/or catch an alley-oop. Trouble is, if a running team goes up against a good defense that keeps it from running, they've got no options besides jacking up threes (something else most players today don't do well). It seems like not a lot of guys want to put in the time to develop a multifaceted game that would make them truly dangerous, which I guess is why the league has a lot of players who are fantastic on the break but pretty inept in the half-court.

[bostonpatriot]

Kaman isn't much of a low post presence. He relies a lot on 10-20 ft jump-shots, especially since the injuries. Kaman is a very inneficient scoring big. He wouldn't change an offense for the better, not even a mediocre one like Boston's. 

[thestackshow]

Kaman isn't much of a low post presence. He relies a lot on 10-20 ft jump-shots, especially since the injuries. Kaman is a very inneficient scoring big. He wouldn't change an offense for the better, not even a mediocre one like Boston's. 

Kaman is a jump shooting center. He doesent have athleticism, or defense and doesent play in the paint.

Not what we need.

[Celticjay]

Kaman isn't much of a low post presence. He relies a lot on 10-20 ft jump-shots, especially since the injuries. Kaman is a very inneficient scoring big. He wouldn't change an offense for the better, not even a mediocre one like Boston's. 

Kaman is a jump shooting center. He doesent have athleticism, or defense and doesent play in the paint.

Not what we need.

He's 7 Feet and can block someone out.  He has to be accounted for and would allow KG to be himself. He's not mchale but he is an above average player around the basket.  We need height and rebounding.  He wouldn't cost too much..

[guava_wrench]

We have a lot of problems

[xmuscularghandix]

I would say inconsistency is our problem. Inconsistencies from lack of focus, age catching up in back to back's, and just not being as aggressive against lesser opponents... that's the problem.

[CelticG1]

I would say inconsistency is our problem. Inconsistencies from lack of focus, age catching up in back to back's, and just not being as aggressive against lesser opponents... that's the problem.

Same problems as the past couple years. Add to that rebounding, turnovers, and lack of 4th quarter offensive execution