Can Pruitt guard shooting guards?

[Jon]

Keep in mind that things aren't all that much different than last year.  Cassell didn't get here until the last 1/3 of the season anyway, and Pruitt still didn't play that much. 

I don't think we're disagreeing that much.  If we once again win 66 games and we once again win half of them by double digits, well then there should be about 33 minutes where Pruitt gets garbage time in the fourth quarter.  I just find it doubtful that a team that has a strong starting point guard and a decent backup is going to find enough time for a third point guard to get meaningful minutes on a regular basis.

And why should they cut him if they don't plan to use him more?  This isn't Little League; everyone doesn't have to play.  Moreover, this isn't some goodwill charity either.  This is a business of trying to win.  The Celtics need players who aren't going to play on a regular basis that can step in if someone gets hurt.  Pruitt was a second round pick; he should be happy to still be in the NBA at this point. 

  It's not little league, but they don't have unlimited roster spots. If Pruitt's not good enough to get any more than garbage minutes then he's not good enough to be the 3rd pg in the playoffs. Keep in mind tht the 3rd pg isn't a ceremonial position. House played a total of 18 minutes against Detroit even though he'd just taken the job from Cassell, so it's not like we can definitely get through with just House. Pruitt playing 33 minutes of garbage time during the season won't be at all ready to step in and play. We'd need another pg, and we'd need Pruitt's roster spot for him.

The only reasons three point guards got minutes for the Celtics were a) Rondo was very young and inconsistent at times and b) Doc couldn't make up his mind who the backup 1 was.  Normally, in the playoffs, coaches don't go more than 1 deep at a position, and often 1 backup backs up multiple positions (like Posey backing up Allen and Pierce).  No other team did that.  Juan Dixon didn't play at all for the Pistons in the Conference Finals.  Only Jordan Farmar saw minutes behind Derek Fisher for the Lakers.  Damon Jones only saw minutes in the Cavs series after Gibson went down.  I could go on.  No team, under ordinary circumstances, is going to play 3 point guards in the playoffs.  And most aren't going to play 3 on a regular basis in the regular season.  There just aren't enough minutes to go around. 

Pruitt may end up beating out House.  I don't know how anyone can accurately predict anything about Pruitt, though.  All we've ever seen him in are Summer League Games, NBADL Games (which I've never seen, and I'm gathering you haven't either), and garbage minutes in blowout games.  But if he does beat out House, then House is going to be relegated to garbage minutes or an occasional cameo at the end of a quarter for a three point attempt.  There's no way that the Celtics are going to play three point guards in meaningful minutes throughout the season. 

[Evantime34]

Keep in mind that things aren't all that much different than last year.  Cassell didn't get here until the last 1/3 of the season anyway, and Pruitt still didn't play that much. 

I don't think we're disagreeing that much.  If we once again win 66 games and we once again win half of them by double digits, well then there should be about 33 minutes where Pruitt gets garbage time in the fourth quarter.  I just find it doubtful that a team that has a strong starting point guard and a decent backup is going to find enough time for a third point guard to get meaningful minutes on a regular basis.

And why should they cut him if they don't plan to use him more?  This isn't Little League; everyone doesn't have to play.  Moreover, this isn't some goodwill charity either.  This is a business of trying to win.  The Celtics need players who aren't going to play on a regular basis that can step in if someone gets hurt.  Pruitt was a second round pick; he should be happy to still be in the NBA at this point. 

  It's not little league, but they don't have unlimited roster spots. If Pruitt's not good enough to get any more than garbage minutes then he's not good enough to be the 3rd pg in the playoffs. Keep in mind tht the 3rd pg isn't a ceremonial position. House played a total of 18 minutes against Detroit even though he'd just taken the job from Cassell, so it's not like we can definitely get through with just House. Pruitt playing 33 minutes of garbage time during the season won't be at all ready to step in and play. We'd need another pg, and we'd need Pruitt's roster spot for him.

The only reasons three point guards got minutes for the Celtics were a) Rondo was very young and inconsistent at times and b) Doc couldn't make up his mind who the backup 1 was.  Normally, in the playoffs, coaches don't go more than 1 deep at a position, and often 1 backup backs up multiple positions (like Posey backing up Allen and Pierce).  No other team did that.  Juan Dixon didn't play at all for the Pistons in the Conference Finals.  Only Jordan Farmar saw minutes behind Derek Fisher for the Lakers.  Damon Jones only saw minutes in the Cavs series after Gibson went down.  I could go on.  No team, under ordinary circumstances, is going to play 3 point guards in the playoffs.  And most aren't going to play 3 on a regular basis in the regular season.  There just aren't enough minutes to go around. 

Pruitt may end up beating out House.  I don't know how anyone can accurately predict anything about Pruitt, though.  All we've ever seen him in are Summer League Games, NBADL Games (which I've never seen, and I'm gathering you haven't either), and garbage minutes in blowout games.  But if he does beat out House, then House is going to be relegated to garbage minutes or an occasional cameo at the end of a quarter for a three point attempt.  There's no way that the Celtics are going to play three point guards in meaningful minutes throughout the season. 

I completely agree that we will not need a third point gaurd in the playoffs. However in the playoffs matchups might dictate who the second point gaurd is. If Eddie is struggling, the other team has a taller point or randomly at Doc's discrection Pruitt could see legit minutes.

However I know your point was about third string point gaurds not being needed. In the playoffs this is true but to make it to the playoffs a 3rd string 1 is very valuable. If Rondo, TA, Pierce and Ray (Pruitt can replace TA and Eddy who can spell the wing positions that's why I included PP and Ray) are to be healthy the entire season we need him

[Jon]

Keep in mind that things aren't all that much different than last year.  Cassell didn't get here until the last 1/3 of the season anyway, and Pruitt still didn't play that much. 

I don't think we're disagreeing that much.  If we once again win 66 games and we once again win half of them by double digits, well then there should be about 33 minutes where Pruitt gets garbage time in the fourth quarter.  I just find it doubtful that a team that has a strong starting point guard and a decent backup is going to find enough time for a third point guard to get meaningful minutes on a regular basis.

And why should they cut him if they don't plan to use him more?  This isn't Little League; everyone doesn't have to play.  Moreover, this isn't some goodwill charity either.  This is a business of trying to win.  The Celtics need players who aren't going to play on a regular basis that can step in if someone gets hurt.  Pruitt was a second round pick; he should be happy to still be in the NBA at this point. 

  It's not little league, but they don't have unlimited roster spots. If Pruitt's not good enough to get any more than garbage minutes then he's not good enough to be the 3rd pg in the playoffs. Keep in mind tht the 3rd pg isn't a ceremonial position. House played a total of 18 minutes against Detroit even though he'd just taken the job from Cassell, so it's not like we can definitely get through with just House. Pruitt playing 33 minutes of garbage time during the season won't be at all ready to step in and play. We'd need another pg, and we'd need Pruitt's roster spot for him.

The only reasons three point guards got minutes for the Celtics were a) Rondo was very young and inconsistent at times and b) Doc couldn't make up his mind who the backup 1 was.  Normally, in the playoffs, coaches don't go more than 1 deep at a position, and often 1 backup backs up multiple positions (like Posey backing up Allen and Pierce).  No other team did that.  Juan Dixon didn't play at all for the Pistons in the Conference Finals.  Only Jordan Farmar saw minutes behind Derek Fisher for the Lakers.  Damon Jones only saw minutes in the Cavs series after Gibson went down.  I could go on.  No team, under ordinary circumstances, is going to play 3 point guards in the playoffs.  And most aren't going to play 3 on a regular basis in the regular season.  There just aren't enough minutes to go around. 

Pruitt may end up beating out House.  I don't know how anyone can accurately predict anything about Pruitt, though.  All we've ever seen him in are Summer League Games, NBADL Games (which I've never seen, and I'm gathering you haven't either), and garbage minutes in blowout games.  But if he does beat out House, then House is going to be relegated to garbage minutes or an occasional cameo at the end of a quarter for a three point attempt.  There's no way that the Celtics are going to play three point guards in meaningful minutes throughout the season. 

I completely agree that we will not need a third point gaurd in the playoffs. However in the playoffs matchups might dictate who the second point gaurd is. If Eddie is struggling, the other team has a taller point or randomly at Doc's discrection Pruitt could see legit minutes.

However I know your point was about third string point gaurds not being needed. In the playoffs this is true but to make it to the playoffs a 3rd string 1 is very valuable. If Rondo, TA, Pierce and Ray (Pruitt can replace TA and Eddy who can spell the wing positions that's why I included PP and Ray) are to be healthy the entire season we need him

But even that's not really true.  The only reason the C's really played House and Cassell at the tail-end of the season was because Doc was trying to figure out who should be the backup PG.  If it was really true that the C's needed three point guards to stay healthy, Gabe Pruitt would've played in more than 15 games for more than an average of 6 mpg before they landed Cassell.  I mean Cassell was there for only the last 17 games of the season.  In the 65 games prior to Cassell coming, Pruitt only appeared in 11 of them (he did appear in 4 games towards the end of the season, when Doc was resting the starters).  So, as can be seen last year, this team certainly did not need a third string PG on a regular basis. 

That's not to say that Pruitt won't see more minutes this year.  I fully expect the Celtics to get a lot of blowouts this year and I expect Pruitt will see time.  However in 95% of close games, barring foul trouble or injuries, Pruitt (or House if you think Pruitt will beat him out) will not see time. 

[BballTim]

Keep in mind that things aren't all that much different than last year.  Cassell didn't get here until the last 1/3 of the season anyway, and Pruitt still didn't play that much. 

I don't think we're disagreeing that much.  If we once again win 66 games and we once again win half of them by double digits, well then there should be about 33 minutes where Pruitt gets garbage time in the fourth quarter.  I just find it doubtful that a team that has a strong starting point guard and a decent backup is going to find enough time for a third point guard to get meaningful minutes on a regular basis.

And why should they cut him if they don't plan to use him more?  This isn't Little League; everyone doesn't have to play.  Moreover, this isn't some goodwill charity either.  This is a business of trying to win.  The Celtics need players who aren't going to play on a regular basis that can step in if someone gets hurt.  Pruitt was a second round pick; he should be happy to still be in the NBA at this point. 

  It's not little league, but they don't have unlimited roster spots. If Pruitt's not good enough to get any more than garbage minutes then he's not good enough to be the 3rd pg in the playoffs. Keep in mind tht the 3rd pg isn't a ceremonial position. House played a total of 18 minutes against Detroit even though he'd just taken the job from Cassell, so it's not like we can definitely get through with just House. Pruitt playing 33 minutes of garbage time during the season won't be at all ready to step in and play. We'd need another pg, and we'd need Pruitt's roster spot for him.

The only reasons three point guards got minutes for the Celtics were a) Rondo was very young and inconsistent at times and b) Doc couldn't make up his mind who the backup 1 was.  Normally, in the playoffs, coaches don't go more than 1 deep at a position, and often 1 backup backs up multiple positions (like Posey backing up Allen and Pierce).  No other team did that.  Juan Dixon didn't play at all for the Pistons in the Conference Finals.  Only Jordan Farmar saw minutes behind Derek Fisher for the Lakers.  Damon Jones only saw minutes in the Cavs series after Gibson went down.  I could go on.  No team, under ordinary circumstances, is going to play 3 point guards in the playoffs.  And most aren't going to play 3 on a regular basis in the regular season.  There just aren't enough minutes to go around. 

  Doc couldn't decide on a backup pg because he didn't get consistent play out of either of them. He started with Cassell and then switched to House when Cassell faltered, but he then switched back to Cassell. It's no coincidence that House played very few minutes against Detroit when everyone predicted that he'd struggle against then.

[Chris]

  Doc couldn't decide on a backup pg because he didn't get consistent play out of either of them. He started with Cassell and then switched to House when Cassell faltered, but he then switched back to Cassell. It's no coincidence that House played very few minutes against Detroit when everyone predicted that he'd struggle against then.

Doc (and Danny) never felt comfortable with House as a PG.  Even from training camp, they were trying to come up with options to get House playing off the ball, including the horrendous idea of playing Tony Allen at PG.

Doc loves House...but not as a PG.  This is why I think we will be seeing a decent amount of Pruitt at the point with House at SG, especially early in the season (and against particular matchups).  That will free up Tony to play more SF.

Here is what I expect to see at some point of this season, before they shorten up rotations:

PG- Rondo 35, House 8, Pruitt 5
SG- R.Allen 33, T.Allen 10, House 5
SF- Pierce 33, T.Allen 10, Giddens (or Walker)5

[Jon]

Keep in mind that things aren't all that much different than last year.  Cassell didn't get here until the last 1/3 of the season anyway, and Pruitt still didn't play that much. 

I don't think we're disagreeing that much.  If we once again win 66 games and we once again win half of them by double digits, well then there should be about 33 minutes where Pruitt gets garbage time in the fourth quarter.  I just find it doubtful that a team that has a strong starting point guard and a decent backup is going to find enough time for a third point guard to get meaningful minutes on a regular basis.

And why should they cut him if they don't plan to use him more?  This isn't Little League; everyone doesn't have to play.  Moreover, this isn't some goodwill charity either.  This is a business of trying to win.  The Celtics need players who aren't going to play on a regular basis that can step in if someone gets hurt.  Pruitt was a second round pick; he should be happy to still be in the NBA at this point. 

  It's not little league, but they don't have unlimited roster spots. If Pruitt's not good enough to get any more than garbage minutes then he's not good enough to be the 3rd pg in the playoffs. Keep in mind tht the 3rd pg isn't a ceremonial position. House played a total of 18 minutes against Detroit even though he'd just taken the job from Cassell, so it's not like we can definitely get through with just House. Pruitt playing 33 minutes of garbage time during the season won't be at all ready to step in and play. We'd need another pg, and we'd need Pruitt's roster spot for him.

The only reasons three point guards got minutes for the Celtics were a) Rondo was very young and inconsistent at times and b) Doc couldn't make up his mind who the backup 1 was.  Normally, in the playoffs, coaches don't go more than 1 deep at a position, and often 1 backup backs up multiple positions (like Posey backing up Allen and Pierce).  No other team did that.  Juan Dixon didn't play at all for the Pistons in the Conference Finals.  Only Jordan Farmar saw minutes behind Derek Fisher for the Lakers.  Damon Jones only saw minutes in the Cavs series after Gibson went down.  I could go on.  No team, under ordinary circumstances, is going to play 3 point guards in the playoffs.  And most aren't going to play 3 on a regular basis in the regular season.  There just aren't enough minutes to go around. 

  Doc couldn't decide on a backup pg because he didn't get consistent play out of either of them. He started with Cassell and then switched to House when Cassell faltered, but he then switched back to Cassell. It's no coincidence that House played very few minutes against Detroit when everyone predicted that he'd struggle against then.

Right.  But my point is that it's not happening this year.  Cassell has consistently been a borderline All Star who had historically come up big in the big game.  That can't be said about Pruitt.  Doc didn't utilize him last year when he didn't have a third string PG for the first 65 games of the season.  And while he may have improved this offseason, Rondo is going to get even more minutes this year and House has further cemented himself as a part of the C's rotation. 

As I've said a lot of times: he'll continue to get minutes in blow out games and he may actually make an appearance in a meaningful game if Rondo or House get into foul trouble.  However, unless he a) beats House out, b) Rondo or House gets hurt, or c) Doc decides to go really small in his rotation and uses Pruitt as the backup 2 and Allen as the backup 3, he's not going to see meaningful minutes this year. 

[Jon]

  Doc couldn't decide on a backup pg because he didn't get consistent play out of either of them. He started with Cassell and then switched to House when Cassell faltered, but he then switched back to Cassell. It's no coincidence that House played very few minutes against Detroit when everyone predicted that he'd struggle against then.

Doc (and Danny) never felt comfortable with House as a PG.  Even from training camp, they were trying to come up with options to get House playing off the ball, including the horrendous idea of playing Tony Allen at PG.

Doc loves House...but not as a PG.  This is why I think we will be seeing a decent amount of Pruitt at the point with House at SG, especially early in the season (and against particular matchups).  That will free up Tony to play more SF.

Here is what I expect to see at some point of this season, before they shorten up rotations:

PG- Rondo 35, House 8, Pruitt 5
SG- R.Allen 33, T.Allen 10, House 5
SF- Pierce 33, T.Allen 10, Giddens (or Walker)5

Maybe.  But what is Gabe Pruitt (or anyone for that matter) going to prove in 5 minutes per game?  Plus, does it hurt House's effectiveness if he only plays 13 minutes per game rather than 18? 

[BballTim]

I completely agree that we will not need a third point gaurd in the playoffs. However in the playoffs matchups might dictate who the second point gaurd is. If Eddie is struggling, the other team has a taller point or randomly at Doc's discrection Pruitt could see legit minutes.

However I know your point was about third string point gaurds not being needed. In the playoffs this is true but to make it to the playoffs a 3rd string 1 is very valuable. If Rondo, TA, Pierce and Ray (Pruitt can replace TA and Eddy who can spell the wing positions that's why I included PP and Ray) are to be healthy the entire season we need him

But even that's not really true.  The only reason the C's really played House and Cassell at the tail-end of the season was because Doc was trying to figure out who should be the backup PG.  If it was really true that the C's needed three point guards to stay healthy, Gabe Pruitt would've played in more than 15 games for more than an average of 6 mpg before they landed Cassell.  I mean Cassell was there for only the last 17 games of the season.  In the 65 games prior to Cassell coming, Pruitt only appeared in 11 of them (he did appear in 4 games towards the end of the season, when Doc was resting the starters).  So, as can be seen last year, this team certainly did not need a third string PG on a regular basis. 

  The issue isn't whether we'd need a 3rd pg during the season, it's whether we'd have one ready to step in during the playoffs. If Pruitt's the 3rd pg and he never gets meaningful minutes during the season then he won't be prepared to play during the playoffs, where we clearly needed a 3rd pg last year.

[Chris]

  Doc couldn't decide on a backup pg because he didn't get consistent play out of either of them. He started with Cassell and then switched to House when Cassell faltered, but he then switched back to Cassell. It's no coincidence that House played very few minutes against Detroit when everyone predicted that he'd struggle against then.

Doc (and Danny) never felt comfortable with House as a PG.  Even from training camp, they were trying to come up with options to get House playing off the ball, including the horrendous idea of playing Tony Allen at PG.

Doc loves House...but not as a PG.  This is why I think we will be seeing a decent amount of Pruitt at the point with House at SG, especially early in the season (and against particular matchups).  That will free up Tony to play more SF.

Here is what I expect to see at some point of this season, before they shorten up rotations:

PG- Rondo 35, House 8, Pruitt 5
SG- R.Allen 33, T.Allen 10, House 5
SF- Pierce 33, T.Allen 10, Giddens (or Walker)5

Maybe.  But what is Gabe Pruitt (or anyone for that matter) going to prove in 5 minutes per game?  Plus, does it hurt House's effectiveness if he only plays 13 minutes per game rather than 18? 

What does he need to prove?  Its not about proving anything, it is about playing a role on a team, and being effective.  If he is effective in 5 minutes, he will have a chance to earn more.  If he can't make good use of his minutes, then he will likely be cut or traded, because he is a waste of a valuable roster spot.

And House can be just as effective playing 2 minutes per game as he can be in 18. 

I hate this "you need to give players X minutes for them to be effective".  These are role players on a championship team.  If they can't be effective in short minutes, or only playing in certain matchups, then they can't be on this team.

[BballTim]

Keep in mind that things aren't all that much different than last year.  Cassell didn't get here until the last 1/3 of the season anyway, and Pruitt still didn't play that much. 

I don't think we're disagreeing that much.  If we once again win 66 games and we once again win half of them by double digits, well then there should be about 33 minutes where Pruitt gets garbage time in the fourth quarter.  I just find it doubtful that a team that has a strong starting point guard and a decent backup is going to find enough time for a third point guard to get meaningful minutes on a regular basis.

And why should they cut him if they don't plan to use him more?  This isn't Little League; everyone doesn't have to play.  Moreover, this isn't some goodwill charity either.  This is a business of trying to win.  The Celtics need players who aren't going to play on a regular basis that can step in if someone gets hurt.  Pruitt was a second round pick; he should be happy to still be in the NBA at this point. 

  It's not little league, but they don't have unlimited roster spots. If Pruitt's not good enough to get any more than garbage minutes then he's not good enough to be the 3rd pg in the playoffs. Keep in mind tht the 3rd pg isn't a ceremonial position. House played a total of 18 minutes against Detroit even though he'd just taken the job from Cassell, so it's not like we can definitely get through with just House. Pruitt playing 33 minutes of garbage time during the season won't be at all ready to step in and play. We'd need another pg, and we'd need Pruitt's roster spot for him.

The only reasons three point guards got minutes for the Celtics were a) Rondo was very young and inconsistent at times and b) Doc couldn't make up his mind who the backup 1 was.  Normally, in the playoffs, coaches don't go more than 1 deep at a position, and often 1 backup backs up multiple positions (like Posey backing up Allen and Pierce).  No other team did that.  Juan Dixon didn't play at all for the Pistons in the Conference Finals.  Only Jordan Farmar saw minutes behind Derek Fisher for the Lakers.  Damon Jones only saw minutes in the Cavs series after Gibson went down.  I could go on.  No team, under ordinary circumstances, is going to play 3 point guards in the playoffs.  And most aren't going to play 3 on a regular basis in the regular season.  There just aren't enough minutes to go around. 

  Doc couldn't decide on a backup pg because he didn't get consistent play out of either of them. He started with Cassell and then switched to House when Cassell faltered, but he then switched back to Cassell. It's no coincidence that House played very few minutes against Detroit when everyone predicted that he'd struggle against then.

Right.  But my point is that it's not happening this year.  Cassell has consistently been a borderline All Star who had historically come up big in the big game.  That can't be said about Pruitt.  Doc didn't utilize him last year when he didn't have a third string PG for the first 65 games of the season.  And while he may have improved this offseason, Rondo is going to get even more minutes this year and House has further cemented himself as a part of the C's rotation. 

  How has he further cemented himself as a part of the rotation? Are his flaws going to disappear? If Doc was concerned about House in the playoffs last year why won't that be the case this year?

[Who]

It looks like Lindsey Hunter is going to retire .... there's not a lot of guys out there that single handedly can pressure the ball well enough for it to be a concern.

Plus it's a very simple problem to work around. Just slap KG in at center court, pass it ahead to him and he can pass ahead to a wing. Then setup the offense. No need for Eddie dribbling against pressure when there's an easier way to advance the ball.

It also didn't cost the team anything significant against Detroit when Eddie was on the floor. Doc lost confidence in him (which absolutely makes it a problem) more than Eddie's flaws hurt the team.

[Jon]

Keep in mind that things aren't all that much different than last year.  Cassell didn't get here until the last 1/3 of the season anyway, and Pruitt still didn't play that much. 

I don't think we're disagreeing that much.  If we once again win 66 games and we once again win half of them by double digits, well then there should be about 33 minutes where Pruitt gets garbage time in the fourth quarter.  I just find it doubtful that a team that has a strong starting point guard and a decent backup is going to find enough time for a third point guard to get meaningful minutes on a regular basis.

And why should they cut him if they don't plan to use him more?  This isn't Little League; everyone doesn't have to play.  Moreover, this isn't some goodwill charity either.  This is a business of trying to win.  The Celtics need players who aren't going to play on a regular basis that can step in if someone gets hurt.  Pruitt was a second round pick; he should be happy to still be in the NBA at this point. 

  It's not little league, but they don't have unlimited roster spots. If Pruitt's not good enough to get any more than garbage minutes then he's not good enough to be the 3rd pg in the playoffs. Keep in mind tht the 3rd pg isn't a ceremonial position. House played a total of 18 minutes against Detroit even though he'd just taken the job from Cassell, so it's not like we can definitely get through with just House. Pruitt playing 33 minutes of garbage time during the season won't be at all ready to step in and play. We'd need another pg, and we'd need Pruitt's roster spot for him.

The only reasons three point guards got minutes for the Celtics were a) Rondo was very young and inconsistent at times and b) Doc couldn't make up his mind who the backup 1 was.  Normally, in the playoffs, coaches don't go more than 1 deep at a position, and often 1 backup backs up multiple positions (like Posey backing up Allen and Pierce).  No other team did that.  Juan Dixon didn't play at all for the Pistons in the Conference Finals.  Only Jordan Farmar saw minutes behind Derek Fisher for the Lakers.  Damon Jones only saw minutes in the Cavs series after Gibson went down.  I could go on.  No team, under ordinary circumstances, is going to play 3 point guards in the playoffs.  And most aren't going to play 3 on a regular basis in the regular season.  There just aren't enough minutes to go around. 

  Doc couldn't decide on a backup pg because he didn't get consistent play out of either of them. He started with Cassell and then switched to House when Cassell faltered, but he then switched back to Cassell. It's no coincidence that House played very few minutes against Detroit when everyone predicted that he'd struggle against then.

Right.  But my point is that it's not happening this year.  Cassell has consistently been a borderline All Star who had historically come up big in the big game.  That can't be said about Pruitt.  Doc didn't utilize him last year when he didn't have a third string PG for the first 65 games of the season.  And while he may have improved this offseason, Rondo is going to get even more minutes this year and House has further cemented himself as a part of the C's rotation. 

  How has he further cemented himself as a part of the rotation? Are his flaws going to disappear? If Doc was concerned about House in the playoffs last year why won't that be the case this year?

I'm no fan of House.  I'd prefer a purer point guard.  However, he played a role in the championship run, which is something that Pruitt can't say.  Thus, I'd say he's the incumbent backup that Pruitt has to beat out.  That's what I meant by cemented himself. 

And as I showed above and as others have agreed on, we certainly don't need a third point guard in the playoffs.  If there's any time we may need a third point guard, as others have pointed out, it's in the regular season.  In the playoffs, you play your best players as many minutes as possible.  It was totally a fluke situation that allowed for Rondo/House/Cassell to all get minutes.  No other playoff team had a three man rotation at the point. 

[Chris]

It looks like Lindsey Hunter is going to retire .... there's not a lot of guys out there that single handedly can pressure the ball well enough for it to be a concern.

Plus it's a very simple problem to work around. Just slap KG in at center court, pass it ahead to him and he can pass ahead to a wing. Then setup the offense. No need for Eddie dribbling against pressure when there's an easier way to advance the ball.

It also didn't cost the team anything significant against Detroit when Eddie was on the floor. Doc lost confidence in him (which absolutely makes it a problem) more than Eddie's flaws hurt the team.

To be honest, I think their dislike for House at the PG spot has less to do with dealing with pressure (because that is relatively rare), but more to do with how he actually runs the offense.  House simply does not know how to run an offense.  Although he does not turn the ball over much, he also does not make anything happen.  And I am not just talking about breaking your man off the dribble, or making a flashy, no-look pass. 

I am talking about making passes that have a purpose.  Making moves with the ball to set up a passing lane to get the ball in the post.  Moving the ball to the right man at the right time. 

When House is running the offense, it generally comes to a standstill, because all he does is hand the ball off, or pass it to someone out of position. 

Pruitt on the other hand showed (in very short minutes I know, so its not enough to really go on) the ability to get the team into the offense, and the ability to direct the offense.  He is not Jason Kidd, or even Rondo, but he is a decent enough passer.  But more importantly, he understands how to direct an offense, and how to use his skills to make a play progress.

This is why I think Pruitt will be playing some minutes at the Point this year.  House will play more off the ball, and they will allow Pruitt to prove that the flashes he showed last year were more than just flashes.

[Jon]

  Doc couldn't decide on a backup pg because he didn't get consistent play out of either of them. He started with Cassell and then switched to House when Cassell faltered, but he then switched back to Cassell. It's no coincidence that House played very few minutes against Detroit when everyone predicted that he'd struggle against then.

Doc (and Danny) never felt comfortable with House as a PG.  Even from training camp, they were trying to come up with options to get House playing off the ball, including the horrendous idea of playing Tony Allen at PG.

Doc loves House...but not as a PG.  This is why I think we will be seeing a decent amount of Pruitt at the point with House at SG, especially early in the season (and against particular matchups).  That will free up Tony to play more SF.

Here is what I expect to see at some point of this season, before they shorten up rotations:

PG- Rondo 35, House 8, Pruitt 5
SG- R.Allen 33, T.Allen 10, House 5
SF- Pierce 33, T.Allen 10, Giddens (or Walker)5

Maybe.  But what is Gabe Pruitt (or anyone for that matter) going to prove in 5 minutes per game?  Plus, does it hurt House's effectiveness if he only plays 13 minutes per game rather than 18? 

What does he need to prove?  Its not about proving anything, it is about playing a role on a team, and being effective.  If he is effective in 5 minutes, he will have a chance to earn more.  If he can't make good use of his minutes, then he will likely be cut or traded, because he is a waste of a valuable roster spot.

And House can be just as effective playing 2 minutes per game as he can be in 18. 

I hate this "you need to give players X minutes for them to be effective".  These are role players on a championship team.  If they can't be effective in short minutes, or only playing in certain matchups, then they can't be on this team.

What does he have to prove?  Well, I think he has to prove whether he's capable of being the backup point guard in playoffs.  You claim that Doc isn't comfortable with House at the point.  If that's true, Pruitt needs to "prove" to him that he can be the new backup.  If he's truly only going to get 5 mpg, I think that might be tough to do. 

As for the minutes argument, I don't totally agree.  I think some role players are pretty good at playing a couple minutes here and a couple minutes there; however, I think most players play better when they get more minutes, especially more minutes in a row.  I think it's human nature that when you have a limited time to prove your worth, you exert more energy.  I think that accounts for at least part of the reason Cassell jacked up so many shots last year.  He was going from playing 30 mpg, to less than 10, and he was trying to make his mark.  I think Pruitt would be in the same boat.  True, he's not used to playing 30 mpg; however, he would be trying to prove to the coaching staff that he could be a difference maker, and thus try to do to much.

Ultimately, I'd continue to give House all the minutes until Pruitt clearly starts outplaying him in the preseason or in practice during the season.  This is a championship team; we don't need to be that worried about developing a second round combo guard.  Rondo's young and is going to be in the fold for a long time.  Best case scenario, Pruitt becomes an effective backup.  But that certainly wouldn't be any revelation.  Those can be found on the free agent market.  Plus, if House really isn't cutting it at the PG spot, Pruitt doesn't have to be the answer.  The C's can certainly look to make a trade or pickup a FA or a buyout. 

[Chris]

  Doc couldn't decide on a backup pg because he didn't get consistent play out of either of them. He started with Cassell and then switched to House when Cassell faltered, but he then switched back to Cassell. It's no coincidence that House played very few minutes against Detroit when everyone predicted that he'd struggle against then.

Doc (and Danny) never felt comfortable with House as a PG.  Even from training camp, they were trying to come up with options to get House playing off the ball, including the horrendous idea of playing Tony Allen at PG.

Doc loves House...but not as a PG.  This is why I think we will be seeing a decent amount of Pruitt at the point with House at SG, especially early in the season (and against particular matchups).  That will free up Tony to play more SF.

Here is what I expect to see at some point of this season, before they shorten up rotations:

PG- Rondo 35, House 8, Pruitt 5
SG- R.Allen 33, T.Allen 10, House 5
SF- Pierce 33, T.Allen 10, Giddens (or Walker)5

Maybe.  But what is Gabe Pruitt (or anyone for that matter) going to prove in 5 minutes per game?  Plus, does it hurt House's effectiveness if he only plays 13 minutes per game rather than 18? 

What does he need to prove?  Its not about proving anything, it is about playing a role on a team, and being effective.  If he is effective in 5 minutes, he will have a chance to earn more.  If he can't make good use of his minutes, then he will likely be cut or traded, because he is a waste of a valuable roster spot.

And House can be just as effective playing 2 minutes per game as he can be in 18. 

I hate this "you need to give players X minutes for them to be effective".  These are role players on a championship team.  If they can't be effective in short minutes, or only playing in certain matchups, then they can't be on this team.

What does he have to prove?  Well, I think he has to prove whether he's capable of being the backup point guard in playoffs.  You claim that Doc isn't comfortable with House at the point.  If that's true, Pruitt needs to "prove" to him that he can be the new backup.  If he's truly only going to get 5 mpg, I think that might be tough to do. 

As for the minutes argument, I don't totally agree.  I think some role players are pretty good at playing a couple minutes here and a couple minutes there; however, I think most players play better when they get more minutes, especially more minutes in a row.  I think it's human nature that when you have a limited time to prove your worth, you exert more energy.  I think that accounts for at least part of the reason Cassell jacked up so many shots last year.  He was going from playing 30 mpg, to less than 10, and he was trying to make his mark.  I think Pruitt would be in the same boat.  True, he's not used to playing 30 mpg; however, he would be trying to prove to the coaching staff that he could be a difference maker, and thus try to do to much.

Ultimately, I'd continue to give House all the minutes until Pruitt clearly starts outplaying him in the preseason or in practice during the season.  This is a championship team; we don't need to be that worried about developing a second round combo guard.  Rondo's young and is going to be in the fold for a long time.  Best case scenario, Pruitt becomes an effective backup.  But that certainly wouldn't be any revelation.  Those can be found on the free agent market.  Plus, if House really isn't cutting it at the PG spot, Pruitt doesn't have to be the answer.  The C's can certainly look to make a trade or pickup a FA or a buyout. 

Sorry, we are talking about two different things here.  I am not talking about the playoffs yet.  I am just saying that Pruitt will get his chance to play in the rotation this regular season. 

The point is, right now, Pruitt is the 3rd string PG.  Last year, that was Tony Allen, with Pruitt as a development project.  Pruitt needs to prove in the preseason, and whatever minutes he gets that he can handle that role.  If he is going to make excuses (or people make excuses for him) that he isn't getting enough time to prove himself, than he doesn't deserve a roster spot, and they will need to bring in a new 3rd string PG.

This whole "certain guys need more minutes thing" really drives me nuts though.  I still remember people saying Marcus Banks never got a chance, when he played between 15 and 20 minutes per game.  This isn't little league.  You need to take advantage of any minutes you get, and prove you deserve more.