Say Shaq, JO, and Nenad Krstic. are healthy for the playoffs

[Brendan]

Let's assume a full healthy roster, go from the 1 to 5 as its easier:

PG: Rondo (40) / West (
SG: Ray (35) / West (13)
SF: Pierce (35) / Green (13)
PF: KG (32) / Green ( / BBD (
C: Shaq (20) / BBD (12) / Kristic (16)

I think JO will be odd man out because his D is only really needed in two potential series: versus ORL and LAL. Maybe SAS too. Other than that I don't think his D is superior.

Alternatively Doc could lose faith in BBD, play KG / Green at PF, Shaq / JO at C, then backfill the rest of the minutes with Kristic.

[FatjohnReturns]

If JO is near 100%, Lacerte wins the Nobel Prize in medicine.

haha tp.

 Shaq 25
 Jermaine 10
 Krstic 13

[Greenbean]

fo fo fo fo

[Roy H.]

If JO is healthy, he splits time with Shaq.  He has more then enough offense but is superior on defense.  He could get out and defend the pick and roll.  The other two have shown inability to do that well.

I agree, with Krstic getting spot minutes.  I'm skeptical that J.O. will be 100% healthy, but if his movement and defense unrestricted, then I want JO to be a primary rotation player.

Krstic's offense has been great -- really, top notch stuff -- but he's grabbing 4.8 boards per 36 minutes (a horrific total), and his defense is very spotty.

For perspective on just how bad Krstic's defensive rebounding has been while with the Celtics, he's averaging 3.7 defensive boards per 36 minutes and has a DRB% of 11.9%.  Those numbers are only slightly better than those of Delonte West and Marquis Daniels, and are worse than Paul Pierce's.  Unfortunately, I wouldn't expect him to improve a lot, because he was a terrible defensive rebounder in OKC, too.

[Fafnir]

If JO is healthy, he splits time with Shaq.  He has more then enough offense but is superior on defense.  He could get out and defend the pick and roll.  The other two have shown inability to do that well.

I agree, with Krstic getting spot minutes.  I'm skeptical that J.O. will be 100% healthy, but if his movement and defense unrestricted, then I want JO to be a primary rotation player.

Krstic's offense has been great -- really, top notch stuff -- but he's grabbing 4.8 boards per 36 minutes (a horrific total), and his defense is very spotty.

For perspective on just how bad Krstic's defensive rebounding has been while with the Celtics, he's averaging 3.7 defensive boards per 36 minutes and has a DRB% of 11.9%.  Those numbers are only slightly better than those of Delonte West and Marquis Daniels, and are worse than Paul Pierce's.  Unfortunately, I wouldn't expect him to improve a lot, because he was a terrible defensive rebounder in OKC, too.

Kristic puts an awful lot of pressure on KG to dominate the boards, just as Davis does.

I will feel a lot better about this team once I see either Murphy get into game shape or an O'Neal on the court.

[Roy H.]

If JO is healthy, he splits time with Shaq.  He has more then enough offense but is superior on defense.  He could get out and defend the pick and roll.  The other two have shown inability to do that well.

I agree, with Krstic getting spot minutes.  I'm skeptical that J.O. will be 100% healthy, but if his movement and defense unrestricted, then I want JO to be a primary rotation player.

Krstic's offense has been great -- really, top notch stuff -- but he's grabbing 4.8 boards per 36 minutes (a horrific total), and his defense is very spotty.

For perspective on just how bad Krstic's defensive rebounding has been while with the Celtics, he's averaging 3.7 defensive boards per 36 minutes and has a DRB% of 11.9%.  Those numbers are only slightly better than those of Delonte West and Marquis Daniels, and are worse than Paul Pierce's.  Unfortunately, I wouldn't expect him to improve a lot, because he was a terrible defensive rebounder in OKC, too.

Kristic puts an awful lot of pressure on KG to dominate the boards, just as Davis does.

I will feel a lot better about this team once I see either Murphy get into game shape or an O'Neal on the court.

Let's just hope Doc never goes with a Krstic / BBD combo.  From a morale perspective, the Celts would be better off just letting their opponents score, rather than playing tough defense but repeatedly failing to grab defensive rebounds. 

[wdleehi]

If JO is healthy, he splits time with Shaq.  He has more then enough offense but is superior on defense.  He could get out and defend the pick and roll.  The other two have shown inability to do that well.

I agree, with Krstic getting spot minutes.  I'm skeptical that J.O. will be 100% healthy, but if his movement and defense unrestricted, then I want JO to be a primary rotation player.

Krstic's offense has been great -- really, top notch stuff -- but he's grabbing 4.8 boards per 36 minutes (a horrific total), and his defense is very spotty.

For perspective on just how bad Krstic's defensive rebounding has been while with the Celtics, he's averaging 3.7 defensive boards per 36 minutes and has a DRB% of 11.9%.  Those numbers are only slightly better than those of Delonte West and Marquis Daniels, and are worse than Paul Pierce's.  Unfortunately, I wouldn't expect him to improve a lot, because he was a terrible defensive rebounder in OKC, too.

Kristic puts an awful lot of pressure on KG to dominate the boards, just as Davis does.

I will feel a lot better about this team once I see either Murphy get into game shape or an O'Neal on the court.

That will be the first challenge.  As Murphy gets into game shape and learns the system, can Kristic hold him off?


I don't think so.  Murphy is the better shooter and rebounder.  Neither is known for defense.


If all healthy, I can see Shaq and JO manning the C spot with Murphy and Davis fighting over the backup PF spot.  

[droponov]

Krstic has been playing far far better than Jermaine played all season.

Doc would be foolish not to play him the majority of backup center minutes in the playoffs, unless there's a really unfavorable matchup that Jermaine could deal with better (e.g. Dwight).

On one side of the floor. Defense is more valuable from our back-up big anyways.  That 2nd unit is very vulnerable defensively without KG.

Krstic has been providing us with very valuable offense.  He's been getting use points down low where we otherwise couldn't get them.  That's important whether he's out with the starters or with the 2nd unit.

Also, from what I've seen of his defense, it really isn't that bad.  I'm skeptical that Jermaine would be that much better except in 1:1 post-up situations against bigger centers (e.g. Dwight, Bynum), especially with decreased mobility from his injuries.

I think you underestimate how important offense is to our second unit.  At times our second unit has really ground to a halt offensively and it's resulted in more than a few blown leads.

That's because Doc uses 2 units with 4 or 5 bench players. You wont' see that in the playoffs.

Plus there's enough offense in the rotation without Krstic. In the starting 5 everybody scores, West can score, Green can score, Davis basically does nothing besides scoring (Murphy scores and rebounds).

O'Neal is a vastly superior shot-blocker and help defender relatively to Krstic. Better rebounder too.

In the playoffs, you have to value possessions more. Slower paced games, more defensive intensity that makes it difficult to open the 10% gaps in efficiency that helped Boston to get the win in Wisconsin last night. Plus, scoring role-players like Krstic are less valuable in the playoffs, there are less shots to distribute.

No reason whatsoever to play him ahead of Jermaine O'Neal except injuries.

[BballTim]

Davis basically does nothing besides scoring.

  Don't forget those charges he takes...

[bbd24]

The defensive scheme for this team over the years has always taken time to get use to. Guys like Krstic, Green, and Murphy dont get this overnight, or in 5 games. Takes time. It's a rotational defense so they'll get better with more games and experiences/situations. I don't judge Krstic or any of them on defense for now. No point.  Just like Semih started getting it with time, I see no reason that Krstic can't do the same if not better on the defensive end. He's a veteran and will get it down.

Krstic should be the backup for shaq, while JO sees spot duty occasionally . JO for KG at times, after Baby. Murphy behind them. Murphy more often then not will be down the depth chart , depending on health (BBD/JO) and matchups. For the playoffs, I envision our bigs being merely Shaq, Krstic, KG, and BBD. With BBD or Green closing the games, depending on matchups. JO and Murphy don't see much pt unless foul trouble or injury come about.

[droponov]

Davis basically does nothing besides scoring.

  Don't forget those charges he takes...

Yeah, Davis is solid defensively. That's why he has a very good chance of keeping his spot in the rotation.

[guava_wrench]

Even if JO is healthy, I seem him getting games off because I expect some swelling and we are deep.

JO's potential to contribute defensively is big, and matchups will be a significant factor in deciding who plays unless someone sets themselves apart.

I feel our defensive rotations are pretty bad right now with the bench. Milwaukee shed defenders pretty easily with picks and ball movement. The new guys are still not cohesive. For that reason, I don't think we can approximate how they will play defense in 2 months.

[RebusRankin]

JO for 10-12 minutes would be huge. Remember when he did play this year his O was putrid but his rebounding, shot blocking and defensive presence were very good.

[mgent]

Shaq: 20
JO: 20
flying pigs: 8

[Roy H.]

Shaq: 20
JO: 20
flying pigs: 8

Ha.  Funny, but I'm still irrationally holding out hope.