It's been an interesting couple of nights. Despite the lackluster competition (and that's using the term lightly for the guys the Sixers and Nets have thrown at the C's the last two nights), we've had some nice extended glimpses at all of the key new members and returning vets except for J.O, that rookie they drafted in June (what was his name again?
). and an injured Perk.
My first and, ahem,
biggest curiosity was seeing Shaq in a Celtics uniform. Say what you want about Shaq at this stage of his career, but he is one of the All Time Greats and he came here to finish his career as a champ. It's pretty cool to see him in green.
As for his performance, what you saw is what your gonna get, and it's not so bad. He can still grab boards, and be a presence on the post. He doesn't have the powerfully athletic offensive skills any longer, yet he can work his way to layups with sheer massiveness and strength.
So, besides the novelty of seeing Shaq in green, no big intrigue there.
After the big guy, I was most excited about seeing what Delonte brought to the mix. Preseason is huge for Delonte to establish his role, so that he'd be ready to roll when his 10 game forced hiatus has expired. Heck, that rest might do his back well. He's always had tweaks here and there with back, hopefully not a big nagging thing this year.
I thought Delonte looked stiff, in both his back movement and his guard play in game 1. A little tentative. Game 2, despite his back still looking tight, his game loosened up significantly. Really nice to see Delonte hitting jumpers, controlling the offense, and being a pest on defense.
I'm sold on Delonte. Really happy to have him back, and hopefully he comes back ready to play in Game 11.
Shaq and Delonte were the guys I was looking forward to seeing the most. I also want to see how the returnees looked. You've got to feel good about all of the starters. Garnett's looked rusty with the J, but no worries there. KG will hit those, and he should have plenty of them to shoot this year. A good chunk of Shaq'a assists this year will be fed KG's way out of the post.
Off the bench Big Baby & Robinson appear to be relishing their roles. Daniels looks o be playing his way into some minutes.
The potential of the Celtics bench being one of the best benches ever doesn't seem too far fetched by season's end. It will be interesting to see how much slicing and dicing Doc will have to do this year to keep that mix involved and effective.
Lots to be intrigued by, mostly though you need to be truly interested in just what Semih Erden's ceiling is. The guy has looked pretty comfy out there, and has done an awful lot more right than wrong. Yes, it's 2 days into the preseason. Yes, the C's were playing scrubbish opponents. But, wow! Already a whole lot more from the Istanbulian. He gives the Celts even more depth where they were so sorely lacking in last year - SIZE!
I'm excited about this team. It should be a fun year. Keep healthy, and they'll be beasts.
Topic: 2 Preseason Games Who Are You Most Intrigued By? (Read 4249 times)