Doc's contradictions

[Chris]

Powe should play 2-3 more minutes per half at the expense of Allen and Pierce. Rivers needs to have more trust in Powe (and he is capable of providing offensive punch while the Big 3 are on the bench) so that the starters can get rest during the course of a game and be fresh at crunch time.

Powe is not a SF.

True, but you know what.....just find the minutes for Powe by shuffling the rotation so he gets a few more minutes and Allen/Pierce get a few less. I'm sure it can be done! 

Powe is getting plenty of minutes.  He is at his best when he is filling his role of rebounder/scorer off the bench, coming in with a ton of energy. 

16.5 minutes when the Celtics are at full strength?  If that keeps up, we're not going to have this discussion next year, that's for sure!   

Considering he is playing behind one of the best PF's EVER, and a guy who has been mentioned by opposing coaches as a potential all-defensive team Center, that's not bad...especially when you consider he was not playing great early in the season, and then had a terrible slump in January.

I know you seem to think that he needs to go to another team to get more minutes...but I really wonder whether that is what Powe wants.  He certainly is not going to get much bigger a role on any contender.  So the question will come down to whether he wants to be a starter on a bad team, or be a major rotation player on a championship team...and if he would choose more minutes on a crappy team, then good riddance.

I have a feeling he would love the return to the C's though, as long as the money is there compared to other offers (which may not be there).

[expobear]

Powe should play 2-3 more minutes per half at the expense of Allen and Pierce. Rivers needs to have more trust in Powe (and he is capable of providing offensive punch while the Big 3 are on the bench) so that the starters can get rest during the course of a game and be fresh at crunch time.

Powe is not a SF.

True, but you know what.....just find the minutes for Powe by shuffling the rotation so he gets a few more minutes and Allen/Pierce get a few less. I'm sure it can be done! 

Powe is getting plenty of minutes.  He is at his best when he is filling his role of rebounder/scorer off the bench, coming in with a ton of energy. 

16.5 minutes when the Celtics are at full strength?  If that keeps up, we're not going to have this discussion next year, that's for sure!   

Considering he is playing behind one of the best PF's EVER, and a guy who has been mentioned by opposing coaches as a potential all-defensive team Center, that's not bad...especially when you consider he was not playing great early in the season, and then had a terrible slump in January.

I know you seem to think that he needs to go to another team to get more minutes...but I really wonder whether that is what Powe wants.  He certainly is not going to get much bigger a role on any contender.  So the question will come down to whether he wants to be a starter on a bad team, or be a major rotation player on a championship team...and if he would choose more minutes on a crappy team, then good riddance.

I have a feeling he would love the return to the C's though, as long as the money is there compared to other offers (which may not be there).

Somebody will pick Powe up and you're right, the money may not be what Powe will want.
That said, unless Powe does some crazy stuff over the next week or so, I think the writing is on the wall for Powe anyway.  He is basically the 9 or 10 guy anyway when the Celtics are at full strength, so if it comes down to who the Celtics keep between Davis and Powe, it seems obvious to me. 

It's a long season, Chris, and players will go through slumps, for whatever reason. For the most part, I think Powe has played reasonably well given the amount of time he plays.  I know he's backing up Garnett but does Rivers have to have such a rigid system where Powe can't sub for somebody else or have a slightly different combination than some of his current rotations?

I also know you tend to downplay and overlook Powe's strengths by looking at his perceived weaknesses on defense, BBIQ, passing etc. Perhaps we should examine what Powe does bring to the table and if that can benefit the Celtics?  I don't expect Powe to go for 23/13 every night but for some reason, I would expect somebody capable of doing that one night deserves more than 16 minutes a game as the 9th man on the team. The same probably goes for Walker too, if we're looking to decrease minutes for the starters.
 

[crownsy]

Powe should play 2-3 more minutes per half at the expense of Allen and Pierce. Rivers needs to have more trust in Powe (and he is capable of providing offensive punch while the Big 3 are on the bench) so that the starters can get rest during the course of a game and be fresh at crunch time.

Powe is not a SF.

True, but you know what.....just find the minutes for Powe by shuffling the rotation so he gets a few more minutes and Allen/Pierce get a few less. I'm sure it can be done! 

Powe is getting plenty of minutes.  He is at his best when he is filling his role of rebounder/scorer off the bench, coming in with a ton of energy. 

16.5 minutes when the Celtics are at full strength?  If that keeps up, we're not going to have this discussion next year, that's for sure!   

that leaves 34 for KG, when he's around.

I love powe, but as chris said, where do you think these minutes are going to come from when he can't really play center?

Love leon, but to give him any more minutes when everyones healthy, you'd have to drop KG below 32 minutes or so, which is riculous.

[cordobes]

Powe should play 2-3 more minutes per half at the expense of Allen and Pierce. Rivers needs to have more trust in Powe (and he is capable of providing offensive punch while the Big 3 are on the bench) so that the starters can get rest during the course of a game and be fresh at crunch time.

Powe is not a SF.

True, but you know what.....just find the minutes for Powe by shuffling the rotation so he gets a few more minutes and Allen/Pierce get a few less. I'm sure it can be done! 

how?

I'm also curious to read expobear answer to this one.

[expobear]

Powe should play 2-3 more minutes per half at the expense of Allen and Pierce. Rivers needs to have more trust in Powe (and he is capable of providing offensive punch while the Big 3 are on the bench) so that the starters can get rest during the course of a game and be fresh at crunch time.

Powe is not a SF.

True, but you know what.....just find the minutes for Powe by shuffling the rotation so he gets a few more minutes and Allen/Pierce get a few less. I'm sure it can be done! 

how?

I'm also curious to read expobear answer to this one.

Well, if the point of giving the big 3 less playing time down the stretch to save them for the playoffs or so they don't burn themselves out with 3 or 4 minutes left in a game, then the minutes have to obviously come from Pierce or Allen.

If it's ok to play Pierce and Allen 40+ minutes, then it's between Powe and Davis as to where Powe's minutes will come from, once the team is at full strength. Most seem to prefer Davis, I prefer Powe. 

[cordobes]

Powe should play 2-3 more minutes per half at the expense of Allen and Pierce. Rivers needs to have more trust in Powe (and he is capable of providing offensive punch while the Big 3 are on the bench) so that the starters can get rest during the course of a game and be fresh at crunch time.

Powe is not a SF.

True, but you know what.....just find the minutes for Powe by shuffling the rotation so he gets a few more minutes and Allen/Pierce get a few less. I'm sure it can be done! 

how?

I'm also curious to read expobear answer to this one.

Well, if the point of giving the big 3 less playing time down the stretch to save them for the playoffs or so they don't burn themselves out with 3 or 4 minutes left in a game, then the minutes have to obviously come from Pierce or Allen.

If it's ok to play Pierce and Allen 40+ minutes, then it's between Powe and Davis as to where Powe's minutes will come from, once the team is at full strength. Most seem to prefer Davis, I prefer Powe. 

Well, that's the why, not the how. I also prefer Powe to Davis, but I can't see how can play Powe more minutes can help to keep Pierce and Allen minutes lower. Powe can't play the 2 or the 3, and we don't have a big who can play those positions - if Scal was healthy or we still had Posey, maybe that could happen, but with our current roster, I fail to see your point.

[Chris]

He is basically the 9 or 10 guy anyway when the Celtics are at full strength, so if it comes down to who the Celtics keep between Davis and Powe, it seems obvious to me. 
 

This is where we don't agree.  I think Powe and Davis are on pretty even footing, and when the team returns to full strength, they will both be used, and the only difference in minutes will depend on matchups, and what is needed for that particular game.

Davis got the starts, because he was a better fit with the starters, while Powe was more valuable to the bench. 

Yes, Davis was getting more minutes earlier in the year, but that is because Powe was struggling.  Powe has been a completely different player over the last month or so, and he has been essentially their 6th man since then (granted some of that time Davis has been starting).

Personally, I think there is much more of a chance that they keep Powe, since his skillset is harder to replace. 

[expobear]

He is basically the 9 or 10 guy anyway when the Celtics are at full strength, so if it comes down to who the Celtics keep between Davis and Powe, it seems obvious to me. 
 

This is where we don't agree.  I think Powe and Davis are on pretty even footing, and when the team returns to full strength, they will both be used, and the only difference in minutes will depend on matchups, and what is needed for that particular game.

Davis got the starts, because he was a better fit with the starters, while Powe was more valuable to the bench. 

Yes, Davis was getting more minutes earlier in the year, but that is because Powe was struggling.  Powe has been a completely different player over the last month or so, and he has been essentially their 6th man since then (granted some of that time Davis has been starting).

Personally, I think there is much more of a chance that they keep Powe, since his skillset is harder to replace. 

That's a TP. First positive thing I heard you say about Powe! 

Seriously, all I want is for Powe to get a 3MM/yr contract for a few years. Powe will play hard regardless of the number of minutes he gets and that's another reason why he would be a valuable asset to any team he plays for.

[nickagneta]

Powe's minutes right now can't effect Pierce or Allen unless Doc is willing to go with a lineup of Moore, Perk and Powe up front with Powe having to defend the wing forward and Mikki the PF. That's just a recipe for disater right now.

When the team is healthy again the lineup could be any combo of Moore and/or Perk and/or Davis at center with Any combo of KG/Davis at PF and putting Powe on the wing defender again.

Those are the ONLYways that Powe's minutes will help to get Pierce and Allen some down time and all those situations have Powe guarding people like LeBron, Turkoglu, Granger and the like on the wing and having to switch to guarding the occasional SG on switches. hat's just insane.

[Chris]

He is basically the 9 or 10 guy anyway when the Celtics are at full strength, so if it comes down to who the Celtics keep between Davis and Powe, it seems obvious to me. 
 

This is where we don't agree.  I think Powe and Davis are on pretty even footing, and when the team returns to full strength, they will both be used, and the only difference in minutes will depend on matchups, and what is needed for that particular game.

Davis got the starts, because he was a better fit with the starters, while Powe was more valuable to the bench. 

Yes, Davis was getting more minutes earlier in the year, but that is because Powe was struggling.  Powe has been a completely different player over the last month or so, and he has been essentially their 6th man since then (granted some of that time Davis has been starting).

Personally, I think there is much more of a chance that they keep Powe, since his skillset is harder to replace. 

That's a TP. First positive thing I heard you say about Powe! 

Seriously, all I want is for Powe to get a 3MM/yr contract for a few years. Powe will play hard regardless of the number of minutes he gets and that's another reason why he would be a valuable asset to any team he plays for.

Yeah, see, I think I have been labeled as a "Powe hater" for no reason. 

I'll admit that I am a Davis fan, but only so much.  I think he has helped this team win a lot of games this year, so I feel the need to speak up when people go over the top bashing him.  It was the same way with Scal.  I never thought he was a great player, but I felt the need to defend him when people went overboard in their criticisms.

So of course most of my posts about Davis ended up sounding overly possitive, just because I was trying to explain why the overly negative posts were so over the top.

I am actually a HUGE Powe fan.  He is one of my favorite players on the team.  He is tremendously fun to watch, and plays the game it is supposed to be played.  But that doesn't mean he is free from criticism. 

I just think they are both very valuable players who have contributed a lot of positive things to this team.  They are both role-players with flaws and strengths, and when it is all said and done, they both are pretty irreplacable on this team right now.  And whether they will be replaced next year will have to do with who is available to replace what one of them brings to the table.

I think with stars, its easy to argue about who is "better", since generally they all have pretty well-rounded games, and can fit into any team.  But when you are talking about role players, it has much more to do with the role and fit than who is "better".

[xmuscularghandix]

if you are IN a game, you owe it to your team and your fans to put out your best lineup and go for the win.

[expobear]

Powe should play 2-3 more minutes per half at the expense of Allen and Pierce. Rivers needs to have more trust in Powe (and he is capable of providing offensive punch while the Big 3 are on the bench) so that the starters can get rest during the course of a game and be fresh at crunch time.

Powe is not a SF.

True, but you know what.....just find the minutes for Powe by shuffling the rotation so he gets a few more minutes and Allen/Pierce get a few less. I'm sure it can be done! 

how?

I'm also curious to read expobear answer to this one.

Couple more games like the last 4 by Powe and I'll be more curious as to how Rivers will answer his critics when Powe sees the bench again.   

After tonight's game, I think Powe just played himself off the Celtics.  Some second tier team will offer Powe more money than the Celtics are going to be willing to offer Powe, the number nine guy on the team.

[RAcker]

I'm proud of Leon, but I have to think...hmmm...as soon as everyone gets healthy, imagine where we'll be with the maturation of Leon and BBD to go along with KG, Perk and Mikki into the playoffs.  Exciting stuff.

I still wonder about TA and Scal's availability, but imagine what Doc could do with all of that.  You literally could play them all or just let matchups decide.  We're going to be in much better shape than I think we all would have imagined just 2 months ago come playoff time. 

As for home court...screw it. We're going to have to win big ones on the road...period.

[Drucci]

Well, Doc's management of Ray and Paul's minutes against Memphis was just great! Plus, he let Walker play for a long time and Powe was just destroying the Grizzlies, so it was a perfect game in terms of resultats (rest for the stars and a win).

I wish it could be like this every night! Walker really deserves to play more.

[Fafnir]

I wish it could be like this every night! Walker really deserves to play more.

Deserves? I'm not sure how much more he can play. He picked up five fouls in very limited minutes. He's still a rookie warts and all. He gave us quality minutes against one of the worst teams in the NBA, let us not go crazy.