The Time to Experiment is Now

[footey]

This slump has lasted too long to wait it out, and hope that the team and the current rotations fix things. Doc has to mix things up, perhaps radically, to see if something else will work better.  This is what I would do:

1. Insert Patrick O'Bryant in the starting lineup, and bring Perk in off the bench.  O'Bryant played very well with KG on the floor (there were a few articles on this in during the pre-season) and playing with the big 3 would take some pressure of POB and probably leave him with some scoring opportunities.  I am not being critical of Perk on this. This would enable Perk to be used more in the second unit, and provide it with a true big guy who is experienced.  O'Bryant would struggle more in the second unit. By playing with the big 3, he could prosper.

2. Replace Rondo in the starting unit with Pruitt. Let Pruitt play the PG. See how he handles it.  We lose some of Rondo's penetration among the starters, but we gain another very good outside shooter in Pruitt. I think Pruitt can penetrate pretty well, and his outside shooting is a bonus, and would make it more difficult for teams to double off of him than they do with Rondo.  Pruitt's defense is about as good as Rondo's, in some ways better in my opinion, in that he takes fewer chances and has a little more size.  The added bonus is bringing Rondo in off the bench. He could be a great spark plug for the second unit. He could create a more consistent running tempo with the second unit than with the first, because it is much younger and faster.  I still love Rondo, but I think this little shakeup might be what is needed for him.  He could still finish games with the starters (so could Perk for that matter). I just think this would enable us to stretch our lineup better.

3.  Bring up the rookies, one at a time, perhaps, and give them some burn in the second unit.  Give Giddens some of TA's minutes, and see how he handles them. Ditto Walker.  Playing alongside Rondo and Perk, I think there is a potential combination that could work well.

4.  I would play BBD over Powe right now, especially if Perk is moved to the second unit, as BBD can go outside a bit, while Leon and Perk play the same spot on the floor.  I think BBD is playing with more energy than Powe of late. Powe seems to have gotten very frustrated on offense of late. I like Leon, and admire him greatly for what he has done so far with his career. But the shortcomings of his size in the PF position are becoming more and more glaring, especially since he has absolutely no outside game.  Scal can also substitute in here depending on the matchups.

5.  Eddie would be the back up 2 guard.  We could not bench him in this scenario because we need his outside shooting. Of course RA could spell him after 6 minutes or so.

This would be an experiment, of perhaps 2-3 weeks, to see if it can help kick start us out of this slump. If it works, great, if not, then at least we are trying. Repeating the same rotation that no longer seems to work, even against mediocre opponents, is, to paraphrase Einstein (I believe), the definition of insanity.

[wdleehi]

This slump has lasted too long to wait it out, and hope that the team and the current rotations fix things. Doc has to mix things up, perhaps radically, to see if something else will work better.  This is what I would do:

1. Insert Patrick O'Bryant in the starting lineup, and bring Perk in off the bench.  O'Bryant played very well with KG on the floor (there were a few articles on this in during the pre-season) and playing with the big 3 would take some pressure of POB and probably leave him with some scoring opportunities.  I am not being critical of Perk on this. This would enable Perk to be used more in the second unit, and provide it with a true big guy who is experienced.  O'Bryant would struggle more in the second unit. By playing with the big 3, he could prosper.

Why mess with the starting front court that can (and usually does) control the game defensively?

2. Replace Rondo in the starting unit with Pruitt. Let Pruitt play the PG. See how he handles it.  We lose some of Rondo's penetration among the starters, but we gain another very good outside shooter in Pruitt. I think Pruitt can penetrate pretty well, and his outside shooting is a bonus, and would make it more difficult for teams to double off of him than they do with Rondo.  Pruitt's defense is about as good as Rondo's, in some ways better in my opinion, in that he takes fewer chances and has a little more size.  The added bonus is bringing Rondo in off the bench. He could be a great spark plug for the second unit. He could create a more consistent running tempo with the second unit than with the first, because it is much younger and faster.  I still love Rondo, but I think this little shakeup might be what is needed for him.  He could still finish games with the starters (so could Perk for that matter). I just think this would enable us to stretch our lineup better.

Why send Rondo to the bench?  So he can play more with guys that are not scorers?  So he has to try and do more scoring?

3.  Bring up the rookies, one at a time, perhaps, and give them some burn in the second unit.  Give Giddens some of TA's minutes, and see how he handles them. Ditto Walker.  Playing alongside Rondo and Perk, I think there is a potential combination that could work well.

I am fine giving rookies some garbage time to start.   

4.  I would play BBD over Powe right now, especially if Perk is moved to the second unit, as BBD can go outside a bit, while Leon and Perk play the same spot on the floor.  I think BBD is playing with more energy than Powe of late. Powe seems to have gotten very frustrated on offense of late. I like Leon, and admire him greatly for what he has done so far with his career. But the shortcomings of his size in the PF position are becoming more and more glaring, especially since he has absolutely no outside game.  Scal can also substitute in here depending on the matchups.

The key is not to play them together.  Both are undersized PFs.  They need a taller body next to them.  As for who to play, Powe is the better player right now when he is playing next to KG.

5.  Eddie would be the back up 2 guard.  We could not bench him in this scenario because we need his outside shooting. Of course RA could spell him after 6 minutes or so.

He is a SG.  The problem is there isn't a PG with enough size to allow him to play that roll (except Cassell)

This would be an experiment, of perhaps 2-3 weeks, to see if it can help kick start us out of this slump. If it works, great, if not, then at least we are trying. Repeating the same rotation that no longer seems to work, even against mediocre opponents, is, to paraphrase Einstein (I believe), the definition of insanity.

The Celtics need an experiment.   Lets see if Cassell has anything left in the tank.  See if he can provide the leadership and scoring that could help the bench. 

[Fan from VT]

4.  I would play BBD over Powe right now, especially if Perk is moved to the second unit, as BBD can go outside a bit, while Leon and Perk play the same spot on the floor.  I think BBD is playing with more energy than Powe of late. Powe seems to have gotten very frustrated on offense of late. I like Leon, and admire him greatly for what he has done so far with his career. But the shortcomings of his size in the PF position are becoming more and more glaring, especially since he has absolutely no outside game.  Scal can also substitute in here depending on the matchups.

I'm a little sick of the BBD over Powe talk. Maybe BBD is better at defensive rotations than Powe, but not enough to overshadow the glaring disparity on offense. People seem to think that BBD is more of an "outside threat" than Powe. I would argue that BBD is absolutely atrocious from the outside, and the only reason that people think he is an outside threat is because he is so bad from the inside that he HAS to shoot from outside, so he does so more often than Powe. At least Powe is basically the only player on our roster who shows a willingness, nay, a desire, to work inside and draw contact for some tough points.

[CoachBo]

If Doc EVER starts Paddy O'Blount, it's time for the boys in the white coats to come take him away.

NOTHING is ever that bad.

I can't say there's a single thing in the OP that I agree with.

[Redz]

[jdub1660]

I just don't see this roster working in the Playoffs, and I don't think there is enough time to waste. Get the big experiment going so we can clinch home court..otherwise the Finals will be Cleveland and LA. Cassell is good and all, but if he has to sit half the season b/c Doc didn't want wear him out before the playoffs, then he's clearly too old to make a difference for us. We lost Posey and PJ - 2 key parts to the bench. There is no answer for Posey on our roster, and there's no answer for PJ on our roster. Tony can't play SF, and BBD/Powe aren't long enough to be PJ, and Pat0 is a bust. I am begging for Danny Ainge to make a trade or two or 3 fast!! Get Joe Smith. Get Tim Thomas. Starbury. Antoine! Whoever it takes to make our bench better, b/c Cleveland has done nothing but make perfect upgrades to the team. And The Lakers are playing great with a stacked and healthy team.

[Toine43]

You lost me at "1. Insert Patrick O'Bryant in the starting lineup". You then proceeded to, rather than trying to find me, run as far as you possibly could away from me with "2. Replace Rondo in the starting unit with Pruitt".

[cordobes]

 

[QuinielaBox]

Oh Man, Redz!!!!! 

That was freakin hilarious. In All seriousness, using a lineup of Pruitt, Walker, Giddens, BBD, and Patricia O'Bount would make us the 1st team to go from 27-2 to 30-52 in NBA history. For that to happen, Perk, KG, PP, RA, Rondo, TA, House, Powe, and Scalabrine would all have to suffer season ending injuries up in Toronto tomorrow (or they all had their passports stolen and could not get back in the States).

[footey]

Look fellas, I knew I was setting myself up for major criticism by suggesting such a radical change by inserting POB and Pruitt in the starting lineup, but what are your ideas? So far the only suggestion I have heard is Sam Cassell. I guess the rest of you believe that everything will just right itself if we leave them alone.  I hope you are right, but rather doubt it.  This team is in a serious 2-7 rut, without sustaining any major injuries.  You guys can fantasize about the (mostly) silly trade ideas that will never happen, or you can take what we have, and see what we can do about it. 

[xmuscularghandix]

they're experimenting already... its this thing called losing.

[Rondo_is_better]

You lost me at "1. Insert Patrick O'Bryant in the starting lineup". You then proceeded to, rather than trying to find me, run as far as you possibly could away from me with "2. Replace Rondo in the starting unit with Pruitt".

LOL, TP Toine. I literally could not continue after I read "Insert POB".

Losing brings about wild changes in sentiment.

[JBcat]

Look fellas, I knew I was setting myself up for major criticism by suggesting such a radical change by inserting POB and Pruitt in the starting lineup, but what are your ideas? So far the only suggestion I have heard is Sam Cassell. I guess the rest of you believe that everything will just right itself if we leave them alone.  I hope you are right, but rather doubt it.  This team is in a serious 2-7 rut, without sustaining any major injuries.  You guys can fantasize about the (mostly) silly trade ideas that will never happen, or you can take what we have, and see what we can do about it. 

I would start with some more subtle changes.   First in the second quarter when the reserves are in I would make sure 2 out of the big 3 are playing with them as we seem to lose some momentum in that quarter.  In fact as most as possible I would try to keep at least 2 of them in there at all times.  Someone pointed out in another thread that when we have 1 out of the big 3 with all reserves it is a very bad lineup statistically so the rotations would need to change.

Let's see Doc likes to keep KG playing in 8 minute intervals and I would stay with that.  Maybe take Ray out or Paul depending who is playing worse/foul situation at the same 8 minute mark in the first quarter.  Put who you took out between Ray and Paul back in the game at the start of the second quarter so  your back to 2 out of the big 3 in the game.  When KG comes back in with 8 minutes left in the second quarter take out the member of the big 3 that has been in the entire game.  Say it's Paul for example and you have Ray and KG in the game with the second unit.  Put Paul back in there for Ray at the 4 minute mark.

Using this type of rotation you have at least 2 out of the big 3 in there for the entire second quarter and the only 4 minutes where you have only 1 of them is at the end of the first quarter where maybe you leave Perk and Rondo in there for the entire first which I think is better than our second unit playing with only 1 out of the big 3.

The total minutes would look like this.  KG will get his 16 minutes in a half, Paul 20, and Ray 16.  Maybe reverse the minutes for Paul and Ray in the second half for they even out of course at the end of the game if it's close you want to alter the rotation and make sure all of the big 3 are in there. 

The benefit of this is I think House, TA, Powe, BBD, and the rest of the bench will play better when there is 2 of the big  3 in the game and only 2 members of the bench will play with only 1 member of the big 3 for the last 4 minutes of the first quarter but will also have Rondo and Perk in the game at that time.   

It might balance the talent we have on the floor at any given time. 

[PRIDE]

We all saw how much this team suffered when Perkins missed the GSW game. Theres no way you put in POB who is esentially a rookie. However, I think Doc needs to give him some more minutes off the bench to get in the heads of BBD and Powe. While POB is much weaker than the two, he already has a better jumper than BBD and he provides some length in the middle.

Leon Powe should be the first big man off the bench. He was for most of last season and I'm not sure why BBD is getting more minutes when Powe puts up a better statline and seems to have more of an effect on the game despite his shaky defensive rotations. Powe should be playing next to KG, not BBD.

With TA out with an injury and his confidence shaken, we have no one off the bench that can step in and guard the wing. We need some fresh legs from a guy like Bill Walker. He is  physical player thats plays with some intensity. We need that spark off the bench.

I thought Gabe Pruitt played very well in the Cavs game even though the box score doesn't show it. He made some nice plays and seemed like the only bench player that was a factor. I don't think he ever got back in the game after playing well though. I think he needs to get some extended minutes. He keeps his man in front of him, he can spread the floor and he can use his quickness to make plays.

[kenmaine]

Wow-
I disagree with every single point!
The only "experiment" I'd make is to use Pruitt a whole lot more. Bench TA when he comes back and see if Pruitt is up to playing significant minutes.
As for Cassell or Marbury, I hope not, but I understand peoples frustration. Well, actually, I really don't. If House and Ray Allen had shot a normal percentage, the C's would have won two or three of these past games. So my question is- are Ray and Eddie over the hill? Of course not, but maybe tired or hurt.
Off topic- does anyone else get annoyed when one of our announcers, and they all do it, says that Big Baby has been making his outside shots consistently this year? NO, he hasn't! I don't mind him taking it occasionally, but he seems to be a little too much in love with it.