While I'll concur that most of Tony's problems lie with Tony, (and within his cranial confines), I also feel it's a bit unfair to assess his performance of late, as he's not been given the tools with which to do his best. A coach's job, among other things, is to put his team in the best position to win, and to maximize the talents of each player ... this hasn't been applied to TA, I feel ... at least not objectively.
Clearly, Tony is not a point guard, and should really not be playing that position extensively, especially where he's struggling with other issues to begin with. He's a shooting guard primarily, that's the position where he thrives, and yet Doc keeps playing him where he really shouldn't be, and where the expectations are beyond what he should be asked to take on. Keep in mind that his injury is one that very often leaves a person permanently disabled, let alone able to play professional sports, and that the emotional scars can be just as permanent, and much more difficult to deal with.
I'm really not trying to pass this off on Doc, or make excuses for Tony - I think he has to step-up a great deal more and get past these emotional barriers ... he's at the professional level afterall, and can't expect the powers-that-be to keep "nursing" him along. But in order to realistically give him the best tools to do his job with, he should be put at the position that he's most accomplished at, and most comfortable with ... it's what a good coach does with every player, and I feel Tony should be given the same consideration.
As another aspect of Doc's head-scratching rotation, he's been using Tony primarily for defense of late, and I think that's certainly where TA is the strongest right now. It's definitely not maximizing what Tony has to offer, however, and that's a shame. Yes, he's a nightmare when it comes to turnovers, but how much of that is just plain attributable to his being asked to handle the ball for the majority of the time, and play a position that's really not his forte?
Many will say I am making excuses for him, but to those I say, ask yourself this: How well would Ray adapt if he were asked to play point for extended periods? Would his turnovers increase, too? I think so .... I think that's just a hazard of playing point guard, no matter who it is. Tony is a pure 2-guard, and that's where he should be. For some reason that eludes me, Doc has seen fit to put this very talented kid in a spot he shouldn't be in, and it's really not the wisest decision, and doesn't play to Tony's strong points. I honestly see no concrete reason why we need four point-guards, even defensively.
Tony's got issues, I think we can all agree on that, and they lie primarily in a place where only Tony can affect them. But despite those problems, his talents and abilities should be maximized and encouraged, and not go the route of the proverbial square-peg-in-a-round-hole. That's what I feel is being done with him right now, and I don't think it's right, for either the player himself or the team. Doc's choice to put a guy who's struggling in the first place, into a position that doesn't play to his strengths, should be getting at least as much scrutiny as Tony is himself, because that's where much of the problem lies.
If I had to make a decision right now based on what TA's present value to this team is, I'd unfortunately have to go along with getting rid of him, and that would bother me a bit ... because I truly like the kid. I think he's a wealth of basketball talent, has a great deal of character, and a great work-ethic. Problem is, that's not enough to cut it at this level, and he's got to find his way out of this "funk" before he goes the way of the Great Auk. I just wish Doc would put him in the best position to be able to do that, and not throw another issue onto the heap by playing him at the wrong spot.
Yes, when you're playing at the NBA level and getting paid this kind of money, you've got to pull yourself up by the boot-straps and push on, regardless of the issues. It seems like Tony can't get out of his own way right now, and the majority of the responsibility should be his, to get past the "head" issues and just play ball at the level he's capable of. But he needs help, too, like we all do at times, and the coaching staff should be the ones that he looks to for that help. When something's not working correctly, you have to use the correct tools to fix it properly, and I honestly don't think that's being done with Tony.
I think the place to start is locking him in at shooting guard, and not asking him to run a team and take on that extra responsibility, when he's having a tough enough time with just getting beyond the trauma and emotional residue left from his injury and the resulting rehab. I personally think we need more "shoring-up" at that position than we do at point guard anyway, and I like the idea of a House/TA or even a Cassell/TA tandem in the regular rotation.
I do think time is running out for Tony, at least here in Boston, so why not utilize that time left in getting a better picture of where he stands, (physically and mentally), and get a more solid, consistent contribution from him in the process? Give the guy a clearly-defined role, obvious responsibilities and assignments, and let him at least get in a groove with a position he knows well. Not only will it strengthen the team, I feel, but it will maximize his talents and make it much easier to assess his weaknesses and address his problems.
What would you do with Tony Allen if you were coach? Is he worth more investment, or is he beyond salvaging?
Late-night Bahku, at his best! Though as you might have seen yesterday, I don't fully line up with everything that's been said here, it's another classically eloquent post and a great thread to start. Might I be correct in wondering if this was at least partially inspired by yesterday's TA discussion late in the comments of the Daily Babble, when an Oklahoma State admissions evaluator took issue with an 'aside' comment in the column about TA's basketball IQ? (
http://www.celticsblog.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3171&Itemid=260)
I would say that I think you may be putting a bit more of this on Doc than I'm comfortable with, but I certainly agree with your acknowledgment that Doc didn't have much choice early in the season when he used TA in spot roles on the occasions on which Rondo was injured. In his last few appearances, I'm not sure how many times we've seen him at the point spot. There have been some times when he has been in the game and the team has cross-switched defensively so that he guards the opposing point guard, but we haven't seen much of his handling the ball over the last half the season and his few minutes in the playoffs.
I'm in full agreement with the overall sentiment, Bahku, that what is most frustrating here is that I really want to see the kid succeed. Like you, I love his athleticism and his effort. I'll stop a bit short of the "great character" label you've bestowed upon him if only because -- as Roy brought up yesterday -- my knowledge of his history with the law, although limited, hasn't left me particularly impressed. I'm going to try to learn more in that regard so I can form as fair an opinion as possible in that department, but I'm not thrilled with what I've learned about him away from the court thus far.
I personally have no real issue with the way Doc has used him thus far in the playoffs. He did an admirable job in spot situations earlier in the season but not a spectacular one, and opportunities granted or not, he simply isn't one of the eight or nine best players on this team. Bringing him in for a few minutes when this team is in need of an energy boost or when Doc just wants to try something different defensively for a few minutes is fine by me. But after that, he isn't at a point yet where he is ready to be someone who can make consistent solid contributions. I think we could definitely be fortunate to catch lightning in a bottle on an occasion (or a few) down the stretch of the playoffs of he happens to get in and make a play here and there at opportune moments, but there is no need to mess with the rotation to start turning him into some sort of mainstay this season.
As I wrote yesterday, as a fan of this team, I'll spend the rest of Tony's tenure in the green rooting as hard as I can for him and continuously talking myself into believing that TA is going to get past the mental issues to become a big-time contributor or at least a dependable rotation guy for the Celts. Because like so many others, that's what I do as a fan: I believe. But in reality, if he ends up leaving, he'll be a player this team can certainly live without in the long run.
Either way, TP for an insightful post and a great discussion-starter, Bahku. Always a pleasure to read your stuff. And to you too, CDawg, for the amusing remote control one-liner.
-sw
Topic: Tony Allen: What's The Answer? (Read 23125 times)