6. What are the best options going to be in free agency to help us get bigger for better rebounding.
Mike Miller -- The Celtics wings have been poor on the backboards all the season. Miller is an excellent rebounder and would give the team a major boost in that department.
The Celtics could further improve the situation by making Tony Allen the primary backup point guard next season with Miller acting as the primary backup wing. That would give them an elite rebounder at the staring point position + backup point guard position + backup wing position + a serviceable rebounder in Pierce + only one poor rebounding perimeter player (Ray).
Combine that high quality rebounding with two good rebounding big men (Garnett and Perk) + one serviceable rebounder (BBD) and a poor rebounder (Sheed) ... and the Celtics should be a top 8 rebounding team in the NBA next season.
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The second option would be to kick Sheed off the team and replace him with a big man who can rebound. Someone like Amir Johnson.
1. Pierce is a very good rebounder for his position.
2. I totally agree with signing Amir Johnson. I remember Danny wanted to draft him in 2005 but couldn't get around a promise he made to Orien Greene
Pierce was a very good rebounder for his position.
Pierce, today, is now a below average but serviceable rebounder.
Pierce only averaged 4.4 rebounds in 34 minutes a game last year. That is an average of one rebound every 7.7 minutes which is very poor for a small forward (every six minutes is solid).
To double up on the situation, Pierce's team rebounding, his boxing out visibly declined too. Far less often did we see Pierce move down into the paint and box out a big man while KG or Perk provided helped defense. His rebounding has declined hugely over the past 2-3 years.
I think Pierce can still do better than his regular season rebounding numbers (which he did in the playoffs -- 6rpg per 38.8 minutes, one board per 6.5 minutes) which is why I consider him below average but serviceable instead of very poor.
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The lack of rebounding contributions from the wing players as a whole was a major problem for the Celtics last season. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Marquis Daniels were the main offenders.
You make a great, albeit disheartening, point.
Our stars, save Rondo, are in decline. There's been much made of the idea that KG will be better next year, more distantly removed from surgery. However, he'll also be another year older and the decline in his game will continue. Pierce had his worst mid-range shooting year in ages (maybe ever) this year. That's not an aberration. Ray is also in decline.
So, while we can expect continued improvement from Rondo, it will not be enough to offset the aging of the big three.
Which leads to a simple conclusion, IMO.
Danny must be focused on finding a star player to pair with Rondo, regardless of whether it costs him someone else on the roster we consider a core piece. NBA title teams traditionally have two star players, at least one of whom is in the top 5-7 guys in the whole league, and the second of whom is a consistent all-star.
If the goal next year is to win another title, rather than just make a nice run in the playoffs before bowing out, the path is clear. I'm not sure how realistic it is, though perhaps Ainge has his eye on a draft gem and we see a trade Thursday night.
Failing a home run this summer, it might be wise for Ainge to make a move at the trading deadline next year, although there are too many x factors to predict something like that right now.
Topic: offseason questions (Read 3170 times)