Doc, have we finally seen the last of 0-14 Cassell?

[winsomme]

I think Doc has to handle Sam the exact way he did tonight every game. Sam missed his shots but they were in the offensive flow and he was moving the ball and not delaying the offense. Not even once. But if Sam doesn't hit his shots, he needs to get out quick.

I don't want Doc pulling Sam every time he misses two shots. It's a recipe for further unneccessary difficulties. I don't want Sam thinking about being pulled every second on the court, I want him playing freely.

but Sam playing or not playing in this series actually isn't really about hitting shots or not hitting shots, it's about staying with CLEs shooters....certainly House can do a better job of that...

[EJPLAYA]

I think Doc has to handle Sam the exact way he did tonight every game. Sam missed his shots but they were in the offensive flow and he was moving the ball and not delaying the offense. Not even once. But if Sam doesn't hit his shots, he needs to get out quick.

I don't want Doc pulling Sam every time he misses two shots. It's a recipe for further unneccessary difficulties. I don't want Sam thinking about being pulled every second on the court, I want him playing freely.

but Sam playing or not playing in this series actually isn't really about hitting shots or not hitting shots, it's about staying with CLEs shooters....certainly House can do a better job of that...

I agree with the defense part... If Sam was taking shots within the flow and hadn't missed 21 in a row over three games I'd agree with it not being about his shots. When the only reason you are in the game is to score though it has to be about that as well...

[Bahku]

Rondo should be playing as many minutes as possible ... he's young and athletic, and can easily handle at least 40. Eddie should be the first in the PG rotation, as the change in tempo is just too drastic when Sam comes in. I think Sam can contribute in games with teams like the Pistons, but even then on a much limited basis. I actually like Sam best as the two-guard, when Rondo is in, too.

[nickagneta]

Let this be very clear. When Sam steps out on that floor I hope he kills them every time. I don't cheer for him to do poorly. It just happens most of the time. If you go back and look at House's stat lines though from the entire year, House plays well most of the time. He is a better all around player also, so even if he misses the same amount of shots Sam does, then he still brings something to the floor. Sam brings nothing if he isn't hot.

If House missed 21 in a row I'd be saying the same thing. No one should be allowed to do that out there.

There is absolutely no reason though that Rondo can't play 48 minutes out there. It's playoff time. If it is a crucial game and the game is tight then he shouldn't be resting much at all.

Well, you already know that I don't think that Eddie brings more to the table than Sam. Besides, put a fork in House, he's done as far as this coach and team is concerned and no amount of complaining about him not playing is going to do anything about it at this point in time, but that's not what I want to comment on.

Rondo can and should play as many minutes as humanly possible. And that goes for some of the other starters as well.

If Kobe, LeBron, DHoward, CP3, Pau, and Deron Williams can play over 40, there's no reason to think that a 22 year old Rondo, a genetic freak like KG, and a warrior like Paul Pierce can't do the same thing. They are our three most important players and need to be on the floor for extended minutes for every game from here on out.

 I agree. I still can not understand how he shouldn't be playing 42-44 minutes a night. I am fine with House sitting if it means Rondo is out there.

It doesn't make any sense however why House is not playing though. It's almost as if he got in their dog house. Right before he stopped playing at the end of the year he was getting big minutes and playing very well. Enough so that many people felt the rest that he got at years end was because Doc had seen enough to know he was the backup... Crazy.

Actually the numbers say that over the last six weeks of the season(22 games) Eddie averaged only 1 minute less per game than his season averaged and had a severe drop in his shooting accuracy shooting around 35% from the field.

But your point about Eddie being in a doghouse makes the most sense. I think you're right and during the summer word will leak out what it was all about. But that's all pure speculation. Either way, Eddie isn't playing and it doesn't appear that he will be anytime soon.

So let's hope Doc keeps Sam's minutes down to an absolute minimum and have Rondo play the minutes he richly deserves.

And if Sam can hit a shot or three we'll be that much better off.

[winsomme]

I think Doc has to handle Sam the exact way he did tonight every game. Sam missed his shots but they were in the offensive flow and he was moving the ball and not delaying the offense. Not even once. But if Sam doesn't hit his shots, he needs to get out quick.

I don't want Doc pulling Sam every time he misses two shots. It's a recipe for further unneccessary difficulties. I don't want Sam thinking about being pulled every second on the court, I want him playing freely.

but Sam playing or not playing in this series actually isn't really about hitting shots or not hitting shots, it's about staying with CLEs shooters....certainly House can do a better job of that...

I agree with the defense part... If Sam was taking shots within the flow and hadn't missed 21 in a row over three games I'd agree with it not being about his shots. When the only reason you are in the game is to score though it has to be about that as well...

well for me, i was arguing that we should go to House even when Sam was hitting his shots and helping us win games 1 and 2 because CLE thrives off those shooters (especially in CLE) and he just couldn't keep up with them.

this point might be moot if Gibson is really hurt...i think Sam could stay with Damon Jones better than Gibson.

but all in all, if we want to take this thing in CLE, i think Eddie is the right call for whatever backup PG mins there are (whether it be 10 or 2)...

and this should have no effect on what happens in any future series should we be fortunate enough to get there.

[Who]

I think Doc has to handle Sam the exact way he did tonight every game. Sam missed his shots but they were in the offensive flow and he was moving the ball and not delaying the offense. Not even once. But if Sam doesn't hit his shots, he needs to get out quick.

I don't want Doc pulling Sam every time he misses two shots. It's a recipe for further unneccessary difficulties. I don't want Sam thinking about being pulled every second on the court, I want him playing freely.

I don't want Rondo looking over at Sam every time he makes a bad play. The only thing that Sam should be playing freely with is his warm up sweats wondering why he hasn't played the rest of the year...

Either do I. I don't think it's happened either, Sammy hasn't gotten enough minutes for that.

[Bahku]

I think Doc has to handle Sam the exact way he did tonight every game. Sam missed his shots but they were in the offensive flow and he was moving the ball and not delaying the offense. Not even once. But if Sam doesn't hit his shots, he needs to get out quick.

I don't want Doc pulling Sam every time he misses two shots. It's a recipe for further unneccessary difficulties. I don't want Sam thinking about being pulled every second on the court, I want him playing freely.

but Sam playing or not playing in this series actually isn't really about hitting shots or not hitting shots, it's about staying with CLEs shooters....certainly House can do a better job of that...

I agree with the defense part... If Sam was taking shots within the flow and hadn't missed 21 in a row over three games I'd agree with it not being about his shots. When the only reason you are in the game is to score though it has to be about that as well...

well for me, i was arguing that we should go to House even when Sam was hitting his shots and helping us win games 1 and 2 because CLE thrives off those shooters (especially in CLE) and he just couldn't keep up with them.

this point might be moot if Gibson is really hurt...i think Sam could stay with Damon Jones better than Gibson.

but all in all, if we want to take this thing in CLE, i think Eddie is the right call for whatever backup PG mins there are (whether it be 10 or 2)...

and this should have no effect on what happens in any future series should we be fortunate enough to get there.

I agree, W ... though the problem now is his lack of recent play time. If he does get minutes, here's hoping the rust comes off quickly, (I think it would).

[crownsy]

in the run down on boston.com, which im far to drunk to go back and link to, doc said if rondo haden't destroyed the universe, eddie was next off the bench, went as far to say that sam on gibson was "a nightmare"

mabey doc IS learning!

eddie house for game 6!

[get_banners]

i think its largely a match-up issue. cassell cannot keep up with gibson and west running off screens on the defensive end, and his running after them tires him out, affecting his offense. if we beat cleveland, sam matches up well with billups, so i could see him playing more and playing more effectively against detroit.

[get_banners]

doc confirms the match-up issue w/ sam. looks like house might be rondo's sub next game, unless gibson is out. from the globe: Rivers called Cassell’s matchup with Cavs guard Daniel Gibson a “nightmare”, and said Eddie House was the next guy off the bench if Rondo had struggled.

[Bahku]

doc confirms the match-up issue w/ sam. looks like house might be rondo's sub next game, unless gibson is out. from the globe: Rivers called Cassell’s matchup with Cavs guard Daniel Gibson a “nightmare”, and said Eddie House was the next guy off the bench if Rondo had struggled.

Interesting, although he's probably the last person to see it ... how could he not, with the rest of the world shouting it? Despite, it's still a good sign ... here's hoping.

[pearljammer10]

I sure hope Cassel moves to third string. During the season Eddie House was the energy spark off the bench. He might not be as skilled as Sammy but he certainly plays his role better and fits in better with the team. I mean House has played with these guys all year he knows their court moves better and can really get into a rhythm with them. The Celtics are a team thats best when they move the ball, Cassell is slow and short first, hes really distrupting the chemistry on the court i feel.

[kenmaine]

TP to EJ- I also don't understand why Rondo can't play 48 minutes, or at least 40 every night. It's the playoffs, he's 22, he's our best pg, there are countless timeouts and halftime to rest, and he does much more than just shoot. End of discussion IMO.
The unconditional love here for Sam is incomprehensible- yeah, he has two rings- from 43 years ago!
That said, I still don't really mind him playing for 6 or 7 minutes, or more if he's getting anything done. He WAS a very good player, and he did have one big quarter recently, and the strange thing is, I still feel like it's going to go in whenever he takes a shot.
But I still would rather see Eddie House out there if Rondo needs a break or is in foul trouble.

[EJPLAYA]

I think Doc has to handle Sam the exact way he did tonight every game. Sam missed his shots but they were in the offensive flow and he was moving the ball and not delaying the offense. Not even once. But if Sam doesn't hit his shots, he needs to get out quick.

I don't want Doc pulling Sam every time he misses two shots. It's a recipe for further unneccessary difficulties. I don't want Sam thinking about being pulled every second on the court, I want him playing freely.

 

I don't want Rondo looking over at Sam every time he makes a bad play. The only thing that Sam should be playing freely with is his warm up sweats wondering why he hasn't played the rest of the year...

Either do I. I don't think it's happened either, Sammy hasn't gotten enough minutes for that.

You don't think that 18,26, and 18 minutes in the first 3 games of this series is "not enough minuutes" to have him thinking?! Rondo only played 29,23, and 24 minutes in those games. No question he is looking over his shoulder. What message does it send that Sam comes in and makes absolutely nothing in those games but Doc still pulls Rondo. The best game he played was game 5 when Sam had 5 minutes. He is thinking about it and it is affecting his play.

[RonJohn]

I was dancing in the streets when Sam Cassel came on board. I had been a fan of him in the past and an avid supporter of him. I have found myself making excuses for him time and time again in these playoffs.

Although I am not crazy about Eddie House, these last three games, I dread when Sam comes in instead of Eddie. Sam digs the team into such a hole and funk out there that the starters take five minutes to pick up the tempo when they are back in there.

Sam gives them ZERO defense. A little bit of defense? ZERO.  He cannot guard young athletic guards aka Danny Gibson. At that point, I would have rather seen Tony Allen running the point. At least we would have seen an intensity on Defense.

Rondo can play 40 minutes. He's 22, athletic and has the legs. As much as I hate to see it, Sam should not play another minute in this series. He doesn't even learn the basic plays! Every offensive set is a breakdown. The other 8 minutes can be split between Eddie House and Tony Allen. Anything has to be better than Sam Cassel at this point.