Marc Spears latest thoughts

[celtsrp33]

I'm not so sure that a backup 3 is as much of a concern as some people make it out to be.  Couldn't Ray, Sheed and TA all play "some" minutes at the backup 3?  Ray could spend some time at the 3 when Eddie is at the 2 and there is a quicker guy at 3 on the opposing team.  Sheed could play 3 when Perk and KG are on the floor and there's a bigger guy at the 3 opposing him....they would be HUGE!  Tony could be OK with 10 mins or so.  What do you guys think? 

I am thinking a backup PG is more important to our success at this time. 

couldn't disagree more. Ray is the starting 2, and the oldest player on the team. He needs his own back-up, not to become a back-up himself. TA has not been able to stay on the floor, or hit the rim when he does. Rasheed Wallace is not now nor has he ever been a 3 -- he's a 5 who can play the 4.

The Celtics need a player who can absorb some minutes from both Ray and Paul off the bench. A guy who can defend and hit an open shot without wild drives to the basket and a turnover problem ala TA or Giddens.

I'm not removing the importance of back-up PG, but I do feel that Pruitt's defense is underrated especially considering his size, and I like his upside more than most here. There are also other low cost options who will be available like Ivey and Douby. The priority right now should be someone who can fill Posey's role, or at least 50% of it.

I could see the s&t ideas i've thrown out with NOH for Wright and Posey or Peterson as possibilities, then add a guy like Diogu or Powe as a back-up 4. But short of that the Cs need to get a Q Ross-type -- Bogans, Udoka, Barnes, etc -- into the fold first and foremost.

I'm not saying Ray or Sheed is a 3 - but that they both could provide a mis-match if they did play it for a few mins here and there.  Otherwise you have TA, Scal, Walker as your backup 3's....not good.  Wouldn't you rather see us play small or big ball, creating a speed or size problem for opposing teams?  I agree that backup 3 is a role that needs to be filled on our roster - I just think a backup PG is more important and that we could make it by w/out another 3. 

[celticinorlando]

the nba is all about match ups and specifcally in the playoffs...they need to design a roster to match up with orlando, the cavs and LA....sheed was a good start...now finish the job

[ssspence]

I'm not so sure that a backup 3 is as much of a concern as some people make it out to be.  Couldn't Ray, Sheed and TA all play "some" minutes at the backup 3?  Ray could spend some time at the 3 when Eddie is at the 2 and there is a quicker guy at 3 on the opposing team.  Sheed could play 3 when Perk and KG are on the floor and there's a bigger guy at the 3 opposing him....they would be HUGE!  Tony could be OK with 10 mins or so.  What do you guys think? 

I am thinking a backup PG is more important to our success at this time. 

couldn't disagree more. Ray is the starting 2, and the oldest player on the team. He needs his own back-up, not to become a back-up himself. TA has not been able to stay on the floor, or hit the rim when he does. Rasheed Wallace is not now nor has he ever been a 3 -- he's a 5 who can play the 4.

The Celtics need a player who can absorb some minutes from both Ray and Paul off the bench. A guy who can defend and hit an open shot without wild drives to the basket and a turnover problem ala TA or Giddens.

I'm not removing the importance of back-up PG, but I do feel that Pruitt's defense is underrated especially considering his size, and I like his upside more than most here. There are also other low cost options who will be available like Ivey and Douby. The priority right now should be someone who can fill Posey's role, or at least 50% of it.

I could see the s&t ideas i've thrown out with NOH for Wright and Posey or Peterson as possibilities, then add a guy like Diogu or Powe as a back-up 4. But short of that the Cs need to get a Q Ross-type -- Bogans, Udoka, Barnes, etc -- into the fold first and foremost.

I'm not saying Ray or Sheed is a 3 - but that they both could provide a mis-match if they did play it for a few mins here and there.  Otherwise you have TA, Scal, Walker as your backup 3's....not good.  Wouldn't you rather see us play small or big ball, creating a speed or size problem for opposing teams?  I agree that backup 3 is a role that needs to be filled on our roster - I just think a backup PG is more important and that we could make it by w/out another 3. 

i don't see these as mutually exclusive. adding a compitent wing player will only increase the Cs options for combinations and mismatches. not having those options last year proved to be our undoing, as teams used their own versitility to mismatch us (read: big baby on rashard lewis).

[KJ33]

Ainge will address the backup SG/SF before the offseason is done.

He has talked about the different waives in FA.  Maybe, the swingmen he is interested isn't in the price range of the current range.


And as for Davis' 4th big man spot, it will be filled.  Either by Davis or another player that will be fine in a 10 minute a game role.

i thought that last year when posey and pj left. i expected those two spots to be addressed during the summer but they never were. danny's solution was tony resigned to play the wing and POB...he can't afford to do that again this summer...standing pat with what they have right now won't get it. i hope you are right that he is going to be eventually proactive..just seems they aren't right now

The big difference of course, is that the pool is much deeper this summer.  One can't just superimpose this year onto last year, they are entirely different.  Nobody was too thrilled with POB and TA, and although there are a few names that could be thrown out that were available, none were of the ilk still available this year.  As the offseason moves on, free agents demands will go down, and someone will eventually take the LLE or Vets min, it is too early for that to happen now.

As already referenced by another poster, DA has mentioned the July 1, Aug 1 and Aug 15 free agents, some were confused about the latter 2 dates as if they were official.  Those were merely picked by Ainge as dates by which the guys left have fewer and fewer options, putting the Celts in play with what limited money they can offer.  Had they done too much last year, the money would not have been there for Sheed, and whatever else they do (resigning Baby, or others). 

While DA was not giving up on '09, he knew this summer was going to yield a better crop, and there was enough hope that with TA, House, BBD and Powe, they could have at least a decent bench backing up the best starting 5 in the league.  TA and Powe got hurt, not to mention KG, and it is easy to look back in a vacuum and just say they didn't do anything to get better last summer.  You can only work with what is available in terms of players and money.

By the start of the season, the Celts will have a solid 4 off the bench, with Sheed, House, and whomever they choose to be a backup 2-3 and 1 or4/5.

[Coach]

my biggest fear is this come the season that this is our roster

rondo
ray
PP
KG
Perk
Sheed
eddie
tony
walker
giddens
scal
swift
pruitt

if that is our bench...boston is in trouble

Why the panic?  This team, minus the best FA this season, and without KG, and a banged up Pierce, took the NBA finalist to 7 games?  How exactly are we in trouble?

[indeedproceed]

Even if a new small forward is not brought in, Boston has two young players in J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker who have the talent to fill the void. Ainge said guard Tony Allen, who could play some small forward, should be recovered from ankle surgery in August.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juqtcsHlKzs

[jambr380]

I'm not so sure that a backup 3 is as much of a concern as some people make it out to be.  Couldn't Ray, Sheed and TA all play "some" minutes at the backup 3?  Ray could spend some time at the 3 when Eddie is at the 2 and there is a quicker guy at 3 on the opposing team.  Sheed could play 3 when Perk and KG are on the floor and there's a bigger guy at the 3 opposing him....they would be HUGE!  Tony could be OK with 10 mins or so.  What do you guys think? 

I am thinking a backup PG is more important to our success at this time. 

couldn't disagree more. Ray is the starting 2, and the oldest player on the team. He needs his own back-up, not to become a back-up himself. TA has not been able to stay on the floor, or hit the rim when he does. Rasheed Wallace is not now nor has he ever been a 3 -- he's a 5 who can play the 4.

The Celtics need a player who can absorb some minutes from both Ray and Paul off the bench. A guy who can defend and hit an open shot without wild drives to the basket and a turnover problem ala TA or Giddens.

I'm not removing the importance of back-up PG, but I do feel that Pruitt's defense is underrated especially considering his size, and I like his upside more than most here. There are also other low cost options who will be available like Ivey and Douby. The priority right now should be someone who can fill Posey's role, or at least 50% of it.

I could see the s&t ideas i've thrown out with NOH for Wright and Posey or Peterson as possibilities, then add a guy like Diogu or Powe as a back-up 4. But short of that the Cs need to get a Q Ross-type -- Bogans, Udoka, Barnes, etc -- into the fold first and foremost.

I'm not saying Ray or Sheed is a 3 - but that they both could provide a mis-match if they did play it for a few mins here and there.  Otherwise you have TA, Scal, Walker as your backup 3's....not good.  Wouldn't you rather see us play small or big ball, creating a speed or size problem for opposing teams?  I agree that backup 3 is a role that needs to be filled on our roster - I just think a backup PG is more important and that we could make it by w/out another 3. 

Thank you for that. I was at Dave and Busters about a year ago and the question, 'what position does Rasheed Wallace play?' during the trivia game. I know he obviously used to be a forward, but with Big Ben's departure, I assumed he was a Center (with McDyess as the forward). I was the only one out of the six people that got the question wrong, and the only one who probably knew Sheed's current situation...I mean, why would they use him (somebody that truly plays both positions) for that question???

[winsomme]

Ainge will address the backup SG/SF before the offseason is done.

He has talked about the different waives in FA.  Maybe, the swingmen he is interested isn't in the price range of the current range.


And as for Davis' 4th big man spot, it will be filled.  Either by Davis or another player that will be fine in a 10 minute a game role.

there is reason to think that we could have more success filling spots during the season this year than we did during the last.

this year, we actually have expiring contracts that could be moved to facilitate a trade if needed. last year we really didn't....

[BballTim]

Ainge will address the backup SG/SF before the offseason is done.

He has talked about the different waives in FA.  Maybe, the swingmen he is interested isn't in the price range of the current range.


And as for Davis' 4th big man spot, it will be filled.  Either by Davis or another player that will be fine in a 10 minute a game role.

i thought that last year when posey and pj left. i expected those two spots to be addressed during the summer but they never were. danny's solution was tony resigned to play the wing and POB...he can't afford to do that again this summer...standing pat with what they have right now won't get it. i hope you are right that he is going to be eventually proactive..just seems they aren't right now

  Last year the top 4 big men were Perk, KG, Powe and Davis, not POB.

[BballTim]

i prefer

rondo
ray
PP
Perk
KG
Sheed
eddie
baby
signed wing
scal
signed PG
giddens
Signed cheap big

adios tony. gabe and walker

  Why are you getting rid of 3 people and leaving 2 empty roster spots?

[JHTruth]

LOL at trotting Tony Allen out there again to fill in as a PP, Ray Allen back-up. Please don't insult us Celtic fans anymore with this nonsense. It was a disaster last year and will be a disaster this year.

Get someone in here. Pull a trade for a Nocioni/Butler/Posey/Akikibuke? ASAP..

[celticinorlando]

i prefer

rondo
ray
PP
Perk
KG
Sheed
eddie
baby
signed wing
scal
signed PG
giddens
Signed cheap big

adios tony. gabe and walker

  Why are you getting rid of 3 people and leaving 2 empty roster spots?

hopefully they can trade those 3 for something to fill out the roster

[JHTruth]

Put Scal in a package and it has wings..

[Birdbrain]

my biggest fear is this come the season that this is our roster

rondo
ray
PP
KG
Perk
Sheed
eddie
tony
walker
giddens
scal
swift
pruitt

if that is our bench...boston is in trouble

That team would win 60 games easy.  I would suspect you could add BBd to that list and remove swift.

[JHTruth]

I think the point is that although that team might win 60, PP and Ray will be so gassed by game 3 of the first round we can't get past Cleveland or Orlando..