Celtics are a much younger team in "09"

[JSD]

2009 Team age:

Average age = 26

Starters = 29.5

Bench = 25

2008 Team age:

Average age = 28.8

Starters = 28.5

Bench = 29

* all ages rounded.

Percentage of players with championship experience:

2008 Roster = 13.33%

2009 Roster = 69.23%

* Numbers based on logging minutes in the 2008 NBA Finals

The subject is intuitive to any Celtics fan but still it is worth a discussion. What do you think when you see these numbers?

Anyone else concerned with PP,KG and RA a year older and the rest of the roster a 1/2 decade of experience younger?

Could it be Danny is yet again building up young assets to ship out with RA's expiring deal for a  pass the torch superstar?

The direction this season is interesting so far...

Roster moves involved draft picks, letting Posey go, resigning House/Allen to expire with RA and signing a 22 year old unproven center.

[wdleehi]

I would like to see the bench number go up. 

[Roy Hobbs]

I would like to see the bench number go up. 

Yeah, agreed.  I'm not a huge fan of having so many unproven players on the roster. 

The following players are either not very good, unproven, or inconsistent:  Giddens, Walker, Pruitt, O'Bryant, Scal, BBD.  That's 6 out of 14 players, and I can see where somebody might want to add Tony or Powe to that list due to consistency on at least one end of the court.

[nickagneta]

Jsaad, how much of those numbers include Cassell and Brown. Let's not forget that the Celtics play 75% of their season without those two guys and during that stretch still had a record of 46-12.

The only real difference between the team that played the most of last year's regular season is that Posey is missing and we have replaced Patrick O'Bryant for Pollard's 22 games he played.

Posey's loss in that context is important because he and House were the only real contributing vets that the C's had off the bench until Cassell and Brown entered into the picture.

I think Danny needs to add a vet that is reliable and can be counted on for consistency. I would prefer it at the center spot but even if it is a big(6'10") PF guy that would do too. Just so long as we are still playing large and not going to KG at center with 3 wings or a Powe and Baby combo at the PF and center positions.

[JSD]

Jsaad, how much of those numbers include Cassell and Brown. Let's not forget that the Celtics play 75% of their season without those two guys and during that stretch still had a record of 46-12.

The only real difference between the team that played the most of last year's regular season is that Posey is missing and we have replaced Patrick O'Bryant for Pollard's 22 games he played.

Posey's loss in that context is important because he and House were the only real contributing vets that the C's had off the bench until Cassell and Brown entered into the picture.

I think Danny needs to add a vet that is reliable and can be counted on for consistency. I would prefer it at the center spot but even if it is a big(6'10") PF guy that would do too. Just so long as we are still playing large and not going to KG at center with 3 wings or a Powe and Baby combo at the PF and center positions.

The age is certainly skewed because of Brown and Cassell but the playoffs proved to be a whole different ballgame then the regular season so I don’t put a lot of stock into their REG. season record, without Brown the Celtics could have very well lost to Cleveland in the playoffs.

Your right though, a vet 5 would be huge (no pun intended) but Danny has given some indication that he's content rotating Perk, KG, GD, Powe and possibly Patrick at the 4 and 5. Come playoff time, the lack of a veteran big man could be a disaster.

[jpd985]

Jsaad, how much of those numbers include Cassell and Brown. Let's not forget that the Celtics play 75% of their season without those two guys and during that stretch still had a record of 46-12.

The only real difference between the team that played the most of last year's regular season is that Posey is missing and we have replaced Patrick O'Bryant for Pollard's 22 games he played.

Posey's loss in that context is important because he and House were the only real contributing vets that the C's had off the bench until Cassell and Brown entered into the picture.

I think Danny needs to add a vet that is reliable and can be counted on for consistency. I would prefer it at the center spot but even if it is a big(6'10") PF guy that would do too. Just so long as we are still playing large and not going to KG at center with 3 wings or a Powe and Baby combo at the PF and center positions.

The age is certainly skewed because of Brown and Cassell but the playoffs proved to be a whole different ballgame then the regular season so I don’t put a lot of stock into their REG. season record, without Brown the Celtics could have very well lost to Cleveland in the playoffs.

Your right though, a vet 5 would be huge (no pun intended) but Danny has given some indication that he's content rotating Perk, KG, GD, Powe and possibly Patrick at the 4 and 5. Come playoff time, the lack of a veteran big man could be a disaster.

Actually, Danny has said he is not currently satisfied with the 5 spot for the playoffs.

[xmuscularghandix]

out of all the young guys (1st and 2nd year players) do you think will take the biggest strides this year, not neccesarily be the best but have the most improvement from 07-09 or in the rookies case beginning to end? i think its gonna be Baby cause if he can work that jump shot like in college hes gonna be a mess to cover.

[Evantime34]

out of all the young guys (1st and 2nd year players) do you think will take the biggest strides this year, not neccesarily be the best but have the most improvement from 07-09 or in the rookies case beginning to end? i think its gonna be Baby cause if he can work that jump shot like in college hes gonna be a mess to cover.

I think it will be Pruitt. He did not show much last year so any improvement in him would be a monumental step.

[jdub1660]

With Cassell most likely gone, Pruitt is bound to step up. He will be given the minutes and opportunity to play, and if he fails, that's why we have House to pick it up. I like the idea of picking up an experienced 5, but I don't like the idea of keeping both BBD and Powe. They're too similar is playing styles, and one of the two should be traded along with Scalabrine to a team that can utilize their skills more than we did. Minus lets say BBD and Scal we have...

Rondo, House, Pruitt
Ray, Tony, Giddens
Pierce, BWalker
KG, Powe
Perk, O'B

With that I'd say the best way to fill out roster would be to add 3 vets(C, SF/PF, SG/SF)Versatile players are what we need, so I'd go for Theo Ratliff and Darius Miles to fill the C and SF positions. Both would work for the minimum. The last thing we could use is an offensive talent for SF position that could float to PF. I know everyone hates #8 Walker, but he will probably get bought out and can play backup SF and PF to spread the floor. Another option would be trading BBD/Scal to New Jersey for Keith Van Horn, in hopes that he would play for us. He too fits the role of an offensive talent at the SF/PF position.

Rondo, House, Pruitt
Ray, Tony, Giddens
Pierce, BWalker, Miles
KG, Powe, Antoine(or Van Horn)
Perk, O'B, Ratliff

[KJ33]

With Cassell most likely gone, Pruitt is bound to step up. He will be given the minutes and opportunity to play, and if he fails, that's why we have House to pick it up. I like the idea of picking up an experienced 5, but I don't like the idea of keeping both BBD and Powe. They're too similar is playing styles, and one of the two should be traded along with Scalabrine to a team that can utilize their skills more than we did. Minus lets say BBD and Scal we have...

Rondo, House, Pruitt
Ray, Tony, Giddens
Pierce, BWalker
KG, Powe
Perk, O'B

With that I'd say the best way to fill out roster would be to add 3 vets(C, SF/PF, SG/SF)Versatile players are what we need, so I'd go for Theo Ratliff and Darius Miles to fill the C and SF positions. Both would work for the minimum. The last thing we could use is an offensive talent for SF position that could float to PF. I know everyone hates #8 Walker, but he will probably get bought out and can play backup SF and PF to spread the floor. Another option would be trading BBD/Scal to New Jersey for Keith Van Horn, in hopes that he would play for us. He too fits the role of an offensive talent at the SF/PF position.

Rondo, House, Pruitt
Ray, Tony, Giddens
Pierce, BWalker, Miles
KG, Powe, Antoine(or Van Horn)
Perk, O'B, Ratliff

I don't agree that Powe and Big Baby have similar playing styles at all.  Powe has serious ups and can finish with authority filling the lane on the break or rolling on the high pick and roll, but he struggles to finish under the basket against taller players.  Big Baby on the other hand is rooted to the ground, isn't filling lanes on the break, and unlike Powe, has a remarkable ability to find space underneath, even against taller players.  I do think they have filled similar roles for the C's as one of the bigs off the bench, and perhaps that is what you meant, but their styles of play are very different in my opinion.