Shelden Williams: The Forgotten Man

[green18!]

So, Shelden Williams is losing minutes to Scal, culminating in last night's DNP for the landlord. Despite all the talk about Scal's intangibles, the 82 games numbers back up what we can see with our own eyes -- the Celts are +.8 with Shelden on the floor and -11.9 with Scal on the floor:
http://www.82games.com/0910/0910BOS.HTM

This is a problem for more than just those two -- if the second unit gets killed, especially on the boards, it puts more pressure on the first unit, they have to play more minutes, etc. Scal is not the only problem with the second unit, but if we remember earlier in the season, the second unit was extending leads -- that's not happening right now.

[EJPLAYA]

100% agree. What the heck is going on. There must be something that we aren't hearing as to him not playing. We could have used him out there banging down low last night. I'd like to hear why he hasn't had as many minutes lately. Conspiracy theory would say it is so that there isn't a controversy when BBD comes back. If they ease him out of the lineup before then it is much easier to argue giving BBD Scal's minutes...

[Redz]

Williams could have banged Blair around a bit last night.  Someone could of!

[footey]

Scal played alot last night to cover Bonner. Agree, however, that Shelden should have gotten some PT against Blair.

Plus/minus is pretty bogus stat IMO.  Frankly, if anyone should be complaining over lack of PT, it should be Scal.  Until last night, when he cooled off, he had a very high FG % from 3, and was solid in all other respects. Yet was only given situational minutes for the most part.

Let's not turn this into a Scal vs. Shelden argument. Shelden has been terrific, and probably should have gotten some burn last night.

[celts55]

Must have been to set up the battle of the red heads. That's all I can imagine because once again, Scal brought nothing table last night. While the Celts were getting their butts kicked on the glass, Scal was doing the same as me, watching.

[Chris]

It was one game.  Scal played because if they had Shelden out there with Sheed, they were liable to see the Spurs redhead put up 30 points from the wide open 3's (I think he put up something close to that the last time they played).  Wallace and Williams have both proven terrible so far this season of sticking with guys on the perimeter, and running them off 3's. 

Ultimately, I think the decision should not have been between Shelden and Scal, but Shelden and Sheed.  They needed Scal to stick with big Red (I am calling him that, because I am blanking on his name, and don't feel like looking it up...you know who I mean), So they had to choose between having Wallace getting destroyed by the much quicker (and harder working) Blair, while hoping he can make up for it by taking advantage of Blair's lack of size on the other end, or putting Shelden in to try to keep Blair a little more in check, but sacrificing even more on the C's offensive end.

Unfortunately, Doc went with Sheed, who kept forgetting that he had a midget covering him.

So what it really comes down to is...we missed Davis last night.  He would have kept Blair more in check on defense, while giving the team a much better option on offense, who could have thrived inside against San Antonio's short bench.

[nickagneta]

I'm not so sure that Sheldon would have made any type of a difference last night because:

1.) Perk, KG and Sheed, Boston's three best low post defenders, couldn't do a thing with Blair last night so a think it foolhardy to believe that Sheldon Williams could have.

2.) There was no way that the Celtics were going to have Rasheed Wallace running around on the outside running Bonner off the three point line while Williams guarded Blair. For that reason, playing Scal made more sense because he's quicker and faster and plays better perimeter defense. Bonner usually averages almost 9 PPG and shoots 48% from the field and 47% from three. Last night he was 1-5 from the field, 0-3 from three and scored over 6 points below his yearly PPG average. Not so coincidentally the C's won by 7.

3.) Williams' recent stretch of games playing single digit amount of minutes has coincided with a rash of close games against Orlando, New York, Philadelphia, Miami and a very bad match up for in in San Antonio. I don't think Scal is being worked in more or there some conspiracy theory going on, just that he is being used less in close games and in one game where the match up for him was especially bad.

[Chris]

3.) Williams' recent stretch of games playing single digit amount of minutes has coincided with a rash of close games against Orlando, New York, Philadelphia, Miami and a very bad match up for in in San Antonio. I don't think Scal is being worked in more or there some conspiracy theory going on, just that he is being used less in close games and in one game where the match up for him was especially bad.

I also think he is losing minutes because the other bigs (particularly Perk and KG) are playing better than they were earlier in the season, and are playing more minutes. 

Ultimately though, Shelden, like Scal, and like Davis when he returns is a 9th-11th man.  This means that his minutes are flexible.  He is a flawed player that needs to be put in the right situations to succeed.  That is what Doc has been doing.  Doc proved to be masterful at this over the last few years with Powe, Davis and Scal, and I think he will continue to do it this year. 

[wdleehi]

If the Celtics are winning, why are we worried about the minutes of the 4th big man? 


Meaning, if what the coaches are bringing off the bench is being more succesfull, then why worry about a guy, though playing well, when in there, are not creating similiar success.




I don't think play Scali is what is really costing Williams his minutes.  I think it is the increased minute that Perk is playing that is really eating in to Williams minutes.  And that is something I think is great (more Perk).

[moiso]

I definitely would have like to have seen Williams against Blair.  Blair was outworking Sheed and the other C's.  Blair is a beast and other than Perk, Williams is the closest thing we have to a physical presense.  Man, I really love those Blair/Maxiell types.  I was Danny Fortson's biggest fan when he was here.  Williams has at least a little bit of that in him.

[wdleehi]

I definitely would have like to have seen Williams against Blair.  Blair was outworking Sheed and the other C's.  Blair is a beast and other than Perk, Williams is the closest thing we have to a physical presense.  Man, I really love those Blair/Maxiell types.  I was Danny Fortson's biggest fan when he was here.  Williams has at least a little bit of that in him.

Fortson?  A guy that was more worried about being in position to rebound instead of guarding his man?

[Change]

How was Sheldon forgotten? Scal is the forgotten man. He shutdown the red rocket. The rebounding was a team issue not just Scal. We got out-hustled on the boards.

Scal came in and same as always did a stellar job. On the other hand, DeJuan Blair was feasting on our centers. Sheed & KG couldn't keep up with his energy. His their Big Baby. Sheldon will get his minutes, its just last night Scal matched up well against Bonner.

[More Banners]

Good move by Doc.  Bonner is money from 3 and moves well without the ball.  Someone had to keep up with him.  Scal was the best option, setting up the redhead-on-redhead matchup that got the game on national TV in the first place.  That doesnt' happen much in this league.

Like Sheldon's game quite a bit, though, but have to agree with previous posts that we're talking about a set of situational bench role players.  Minutes will flex based on matchups.  Scal did have a nice foul-line fadeaway at the shot clock buzzer, eh?  Scal is CLUTCH!

Nice that we all got to see what an energy guy off the bench looks like, though.  Too bad it was Blair on the Spurs.  Hopefully BBD will come back and get in the rhythm quickly and fill that role for us.

[moiso]

I definitely would have like to have seen Williams against Blair.  Blair was outworking Sheed and the other C's.  Blair is a beast and other than Perk, Williams is the closest thing we have to a physical presense.  Man, I really love those Blair/Maxiell types.  I was Danny Fortson's biggest fan when he was here.  Williams has at least a little bit of that in him.

Fortson?  A guy that was more worried about being in position to rebound instead of guarding his man?

Yeah I know.  He was the Iverson of rebounders- more conscerned with his stats than anything else.  He still fired me up to watch a true Celtics thug operate in the paint.  I liked the hard fouls too, actually.

[twinbree]

Scal on Bonner I had no problem with but I wanted to see Sheldon with him because I didn't think sitting would have hurt much if at all. Scal would space the floor at the 5 and Blair is short enough to still give us the height advantage.
I like Sheldon. Even if he falls out the the rotation it's nice to know the last big off our bench can give solid minutes.