Doc Has Got To Go!!!

[indeedproceed]

I don't think any coach can come in with 25 games or whatever left and be successful on a level we would be pleased with. I also don't think the going forward, Doc is the issue. I do think he should be re-evaluated at the end of the season, but I don't think a change now would be beneficial on the same level of risk you're taking by replacing a firmly entrenched coach.

[PosImpos]

Doc- A coach who has won a championship a couple of years ago and follows it up with a semi-final exit during the playoffs. I don't think the management is going to fire him anytime soo.

But I agree, his rotations are baffling at times.

He's been handed 2 new players and has 0 practice days in March.

This thread should be locked and all who support the OP should be banished forever.

This thread wreaks of what Simmons was saying from 2003-2005 - blame the GM/Coach....then Ainge's plan comes to fruition and Simmons is riding in the glory. Pathetic.

Last time I checked losing on the road by 2 to a playoff-bound team doesn't indicate "failure".

Losing to a team that isn't a contender is a failure, playoff bound or not. How many HOF do the Bucks have again? There is no reason fpr this team to lose to a team that has to pay its fans to come to the game and cheer.

Wildly underestimating the Bucks.

The Bucks have a top 5 center in the league, a ROY candidate at point guard, and a slew of effective role players who can shoot pretty well and are all very solid defensively.  They match up very well with the Celtics.

In the second half of the season, the Bucks have been not much worse than the Hawks - the team that swept us 4-0 this season.

The bucks have a good team, I don't disagree with that. But they are not anywhere near an elite team yet. I know good teams will lose to lesser ones on any given night. But losing to this kind of team has happened a few too many times this year. Had they not dropped so many of these, they would in the race for the number one seed.

The Bucks aren't an elite team, no.  But neither are the Hawks - not really, given their inconsistency - and they trounced the C's four times.  

Honestly, the Celtics aren't exactly an 'elite' team this season, either.  If you gave every player on the Celtics a different name and looked at their stats and the way they've played this season, you wouldn't conclude so easily that the Celtics are a great team.  The whole "elite" aura that some people still think the Celtics have comes mostly from occasional flashes of brilliance and name recognition.  

Teams like the Hawks and the Bucks show similar flashes of brilliance; they just don't have the "future HOFer" name recognition that the Celtics do.

[PLamb]

Doc- A coach who has won a championship a couple of years ago and follows it up with a semi-final exit during the playoffs. I don't think the management is going to fire him anytime soo.

But I agree, his rotations are baffling at times.

He's been handed 2 new players and has 0 practice days in March.

This thread should be locked and all who support the OP should be banished forever.

This thread wreaks of what Simmons was saying from 2003-2005 - blame the GM/Coach....then Ainge's plan comes to fruition and Simmons is riding in the glory. Pathetic.

Last time I checked losing on the road by 2 to a playoff-bound team doesn't indicate "failure".

Losing to a team that isn't a contender is a failure, playoff bound or not. How many HOF do the Bucks have again? There is no reason fpr this team to lose to a team that has to pay its fans to come to the game and cheer.

Wildly underestimating the Bucks.

The Bucks have a top 5 center in the league, a ROY candidate at point guard, and a slew of effective role players who can shoot pretty well and are all very solid defensively.  They match up very well with the Celtics.

In the second half of the season, the Bucks have been not much worse than the Hawks - the team that swept us 4-0 this season.

The bucks have a good team, I don't disagree with that. But they are not anywhere near an elite team yet. I know good teams will lose to lesser ones on any given night. But losing to this kind of team has happened a few too many times this year. Had they not dropped so many of these, they would in the race for the number one seed.

The Bucks aren't an elite team, no.  But neither are the Hawks - not really, given their inconsistency - and they trounced the C's four times.  

Honestly, the Celtics aren't exactly an 'elite' team this season, either.  If you gave every player on the Celtics a different name and looked at their stats and the way they've played this season, you wouldn't conclude so easily that the Celtics are a great team.  The whole "elite" aura that some people still think the Celtics have comes mostly from occasional flashes of brilliance and name recognition.  

Teams like the Hawks and the Bucks show similar flashes of brilliance; they just don't have the "future HOFer" name recognition that the Celtics do.

Agree 100% with this

Say what you want but due to age, declining games, inconsistency and chemistry and effort issues the Celtics are not a top 5 team(Cleveland, orlando, Denver, Dallas, LA) in this league this year

They are amongst a group of 6-8 other teams with a chance if...

And they aren't at the top of that group of teams

Boston
Utah
Phoenix
Atlanta
San Antonio
Oklahoma City
Milwaukee
Portland

[PosImpos]

They are amongst a group of 6-8 other teams with a chance if...

And they aren't at the top of that group of teams

Boston
Utah
Phoenix
Atlanta
San Antonio
Oklahoma City
Milwaukee
Portland

Fair assessment, I think.

I'd rank them as follows:

Utah
Boston
San Antonio
Atlanta
Phoenix
Milwaukee
Oklahoma City
Portland

None of those teams is a true "contender" at this point in the sense that they are clearly one of the top teams, but if they get hot and if they put it all together at the right time and if they get lucky with matchups and injuries to opponents, they have a decent chance of at least getting to the conference finals and maybe the finals.

[rav123]

The Pierce iso on the wing is the worst possible play to run on our last possesion of the game. If any team did any scouting to how the Celtics close quaters since 1998 they would know the Pierce iso on the wing.

Sorry it is on Doc.

The "give the ball to Kobe and let him take a fadeaway covered by three defenders" or "give the ball to Lebron and let him run through 5 defenders to manufacture a shot" are also well-used last-possession plays. They still work a lot.

The thing is, superstars will get the ball in the bucket however well the defense predicts what they are going to do. I think the problem is that Pierce is not a superstar anymore. It's not Doc, and it's not the play. It's the player.

[PosImpos]

The Pierce iso on the wing is the worst possible play to run on our last possesion of the game. If any team did any scouting to how the Celtics close quaters since 1998 they would know the Pierce iso on the wing.

Sorry it is on Doc.

The "give the ball to Kobe and let him take a fadeaway covered by three defenders" or "give the ball to Lebron and let him run through 5 defenders to manufacture a shot" are also well-used last-possession plays. They still work a lot.

The thing is, superstars will get the ball in the bucket however well the defense predicts what they are going to do. I think the problem is that Pierce is not a superstar anymore. It's not Doc, and it's not the play. It's the player.

Yes.  The Celtics no longer have a go-to guy who can transcend opposing defenses and get baskets when the going gets tough.  That alone makes them a less than elite team.

[xmuscularghandix]

Paul Pierce still makes that shot, he just missed it, Paul doesn't shoot of screens, your not going to run a pick and pop with Paul. Paul is a HOF player and that's HIS shot... get over it.

But i think Doc does have to adjust his regular offensive mindset, theres something about it that just doesn't work anymore. Maybe that "shoot in the first 10 seconds" strategy needs to be re-applied.

[PLamb]

After watching last night debacle I need to amend my opinion

If the Celtics lay an egg to finish this season and bow out in the first round, say in 4-5 games, Doc is gone

I don't think it will be the right move

I don't think it will be his fault

I don't think Danny will want to make the move

But I think he will have to

And I think sweeping changes in the locker room will come right behind it

[2short]

After watching last night debacle I need to amend my opinion

If the Celtics lay an egg to finish this season and bow out in the first round, say in 4-5 games, Doc is gone

I don't think it will be the right move

I don't think it will be his fault

I don't think Danny will want to make the move

But I think he will have to

And I think sweeping changes in the locker room will come right behind it

I believe this or even if they make the 2nd round but play just good enough to win.  Changing the coach is a lot easier than moving 1/2 a team.  Bring in a completely different type of coach, to bad carlisle found a home.

[FatjohnReturns]

At this point whats the downside to letting him go now? This year is over without a coaching change. Doc should resign and Danny should finish coaching the year.

[guava_wrench]

At this point whats the downside to letting him go now? This year is over without a coaching change. Doc should resign and Danny should finish coaching the year.

How would a coaching change help this year? I don't see the logic in that. Perhaps if we had an Averu Johnson who was being groomed or Pat Riley upstairs, but we don't have either.

Danny coaching after his heart issues last year? I don't see him embracing the stress. Anyway, that is a move for a mismanaged team like the Knicks or Minny. We knew this window would close eventually.

[radiohead]

I have a feeling Doc is gonna stay on as coach of the Celtics for as long as Danny is head of basketball operations. He may very well be our version of Jerry Sloan.

[CoachBo]

At this point whats the downside to letting him go now? This year is over without a coaching change. Doc should resign and Danny should finish coaching the year.

How would a coaching change help this year? I don't see the logic in that. Perhaps if we had an Averu Johnson who was being groomed or Pat Riley upstairs, but we don't have either.

Danny coaching after his heart issues last year? I don't see him embracing the stress. Anyway, that is a move for a mismanaged team like the Knicks or Minny. We knew this window would close eventually.

While there's some truth to the maxim that players stop listening after awhile, Rivers isn't the reason this team got old and unathletic. To use a poker analogy, Danny decided to throw in a pair of jacks and draw, and he ended up with a pair of sixes.

You have to play your hand, and we simply don't have a hand that matches up - at all - with the elite teams in the league.

[slamtheking]

After watching last night debacle I need to amend my opinion

If the Celtics lay an egg to finish this season and bow out in the first round, say in 4-5 games, Doc is gone

I don't think it will be the right move

I don't think it will be his fault

I don't think Danny will want to make the move

But I think he will have to

And I think sweeping changes in the locker room will come right behind it

I believe this or even if they make the 2nd round but play just good enough to win.  Changing the coach is a lot easier than moving 1/2 a team.  Bring in a completely different type of coach, to bad carlisle found a home.

I agree Doc should be let go after this year if they don't get past the second round.  he's not the one playing but he's apparently not getting the players to play for him.  Need someone to come in and light a fire under these guys.  

It is much easier to change the coach than the players but the once benefit this offseason is that Danny can change over half the roster.  Maybe not change it for the better, but he definitely has the opportunity to make changes with over half the roster on expiring deals.  

[clover]

After watching last night debacle I need to amend my opinion

If the Celtics lay an egg to finish this season and bow out in the first round, say in 4-5 games, Doc is gone

I don't think it will be the right move

I don't think it will be his fault

I don't think Danny will want to make the move

But I think he will have to

And I think sweeping changes in the locker room will come right behind it

I don't think Doc will want to stay around for another rebuilding.  It'll actually be more him wanting out than getting kicked out.