Who should start at shooting guard now?

[edwardjkasche]

Bradley should start and continue to play off the other starters by using his D and quickness.

Allen should finish (and play a majority of the SG minutes) because his shooting is irreplaceable late in games.

[WeMadeIt17]

Yeah I think Avery brings another dynamic to this team with his cutting ablilty. Rondo is getting the ball to him along with two good passers in Pierce and KG. I say keep him with the starting 5 cause think recently Rondo has played with the 2nd unit a lot, that lineup of Rondo,Dooling,Pavs,Bass or KG,and steams. So you throw Ray instead of Pavs or dooling and then you can always bring dooling in to give Rondo a breather. I'm sorry but keep AB in there AMAZING defender and good on O as well. Plus Ray could be very dangerous off the bench with other teams 2nd unit not being able to guard him.

[the_Bird]

I'm coming around to the idea of AB starting, and Ray Allen being the uber-sixth man.  Especially since it looks less and less likely that Pietrus comes back, there are plenty of minutes to be had at the guard spots for all three (and a few spot minutes for Dooling).  

But, the idea of starting games with the blitzkrieg defense of Rondo/AB...  get Ray into the game at the 5/6 minute mark, run more of the offense through him with the second unit, more shots for Ray, more shots against second-unit defenders, and he's still going to be on the floor in the minutes that really count.  Give AB a breather for a few minutes, then he comes back in to finish the quarter off for Rondo (playing with Ray in the backcourt).

But, I like the idea of starting the game with a ferocious, aggressive, desperately-hungry defensive mindset, and you get that with AB.  Ray Allen is the cool assassin who comes in to finish the job.  

Ray has also indicated that he'd be willing to come off the bench; you do need to show some deference to a guy like Ray.

My only concern; Ray is such a creature of habit with his pregame (with what seems to be a literal case of OCD), how will he adapt to a changing role?  Give it a shot, but if it doesn't work - go back.  AB's earned himself a full-time spot in the rotation, whether it's starting or off the bench.

[papa shuttlesworth]

I think Doc will have Ray start for the rest of the season, but it really doesn't matter who starts. Bradley showed that he can play, so he'll get a big increase in minutes and Ray will play less. It will probably make them both more effective.

[Senninsage]

For example, you guys see those bomb passes down the court that Bradley intercepted? No way that ever happens with Ray on the court. You see how far ahead Bradley usually always was on the break when Rondo went on the run with the ball? That's a dynamic this team has honestly never had.

I really think Bradley should start out the games for us, and that Ray should come off the bench. I think he's mature enough and enough of a team player to accept such a role. I say this with Ray Allen being my favorite player of all time behind Michael Jordan himself. We definitely need that speed, energy, athleticism, and all around defensive prowess that Bradley brings to this team when he's on the court.

[the_Bird]

I really think Bradley should start out the games for us, and that Ray should come off the bench. I think he's mature enough and enough of a team player to accept such a role. I say this with Ray Allen being my favorite player of all time behind Michael Jordan himself. We definitely need that speed, energy, athleticism, and all around defensive prowess that Bradley brings to this team when he's on the court.

I don't think it's even a matter of one guy getting more minutes that the other, necessarily - just when they get those minutes.  Start the game with a focus on aggressive D, and let Ray play when the team really needs him (with the second unit, and closing out the end of games).  

There's 96 minutes per game to be had with the two guard spots.  Rondo plays 36, leaving about 30 each for AB and Ray.  AB plays ~12 minutes at the point and ~18 minutes at the 2-guard.  
Ray plays his 30 at the 2-guard, of course; cut his minutes back a little, keep his legs fresh for the postseason.  

Unless you feel really compelled to squeeze Dooling into the mix, that seems about right to me.  

[jbaerg]

I would love to see Avery starting. I kind of felt the same way with Tony Allen two years ago. Typically the 2-guard is one of the primary weapons on offense, shutting that down immediately is great.

[LooseCannon]

There's 96 minutes per game to be had with the two guard spots.  Rondo plays 36, leaving about 30 each for AB and Ray.  AB plays ~12 minutes at the point and ~18 minutes at the 2-guard.  
Ray plays his 30 at the 2-guard, of course; cut his minutes back a little, keep his legs fresh for the postseason.  

If Pietrus is unavailable, I could see Ray Allen taking some minutes as the back-up small forward in place of Sasha Pavlovic (or Marquis Daniels, if he works his way back into Doc's favor).  Not all of them, but perhaps as many as half of them.  In a bench lineup with both Rondo and Pierce sitting, would you rather see Bradley-Dooling-Allen or Bradley-Allen-Pavlovic on the floor for 5-7 minutes per game?

[Celtics18]

I would love to see Avery starting. I kind of felt the same way with Tony Allen two years ago. Typically the 2-guard is one of the primary weapons on offense, shutting that down immediately is great.

I like the TA comparison.  What's even better about Bradley is that, although he's no Ray Allen, he's starting to show that he can knock down the jumper if given a look.

The unfortunate thing about TA was that starting him alongside Rondo would have been a really difficult proposition as it really would have limited the shooting ability on the floor.

A lot of this also depends on who else is healthy, and how it affects Doc's overall rotation.  If Pietrus and Ray both return relatively soon then Doc's got a lot of decisions to make. 

One of the other big reasons for keeping Avery in the starting lineup is that if the Otter doesn't return, then Doc doesn't have a regular rotation guy off the bench who can guard the three position.  I like Sasha, but I just don't see him getting into Doc's regular playoff rotation.  His D is stellar, but his confidence is too lacking on the offensive end. 

Although, I don't love Ray defending small forwards, he may be needed to fill that role as a backup 2/3 swing man.

If Pietrus looks like he'll return soon and be able to work his
way right back into the swing like nothing happened, then I can
see putting Ray back into his starting position, and having Avery and Mickael coming off the bench. 

This, of course, leaves out Dooling's place in the rotation.  And, we know Doc's going to try to find some minutes for Keyon.

Decisions, decisions.  No matter which way Doc goes, there's no
question he'll get his share of boos from the peanut gallery from those whose preferred rotation he didn't go with.

 

[jsingh1699]

is it written in any article/interview what ray allen thinks of AB's recent performance? he has expressed in the past (last year i think) he would not be opposed to coming off the bench if it helps the team. wonder if he still feels that way?

[green7]

bradley should start 

[the_Bird]

There's 96 minutes per game to be had with the two guard spots.  Rondo plays 36, leaving about 30 each for AB and Ray.  AB plays ~12 minutes at the point and ~18 minutes at the 2-guard.  
Ray plays his 30 at the 2-guard, of course; cut his minutes back a little, keep his legs fresh for the postseason.  

If Pietrus is unavailable, I could see Ray Allen taking some minutes as the back-up small forward in place of Sasha Pavlovic (or Marquis Daniels, if he works his way back into Doc's favor).  Not all of them, but perhaps as many as half of them.  In a bench lineup with both Rondo and Pierce sitting, would you rather see Bradley-Dooling-Allen or Bradley-Allen-Pavlovic on the floor for 5-7 minutes per game?

I'd rather see the latter.  Bradley and Dooling are somewhat redundant - both being essentially combo guards who are mostly known for their defense, but can also hit a jumper enough to keep defenders honest.  But, everything that Dooling can do, Bradley seems to do a little bit better - he's a much better defender, he's looking better handling the ball, he's hitting his jumpers at a respectable clip, and he's playing off the ball quite well (cutting to the basket, etc). 

I'd rather see Bradley get those minutes, alongside Ray Allen (superior shooting, of course) and Sasha, who's pretty quietly been an effective bench option.  Sasha's got much better size to match up with small forwards than Ray, Dooling, or AB. 

I know Dooling's been playing better as of late, but I'm not sure there's a spot for him in the regular rotation once Ray Allen's healthy. 

[bdm860]

I would at least be interested in trying Ray Allen off the bench.  Whenever Ray plays again, since he's coming off an injury, it's the perfect excuse to bring him off the bench with the PR spin that it's just to allow him to shake off the rust, get him back in the flow of things, etc.

Bring Ray Allen off the bench for the first game or two when he comes back.  If it works out well, continue with it.  If it bombs miserably, then move him back to the starting lineup, and everyone can save face saying they were just trying to bring him back from injury slowly.

[ThaPreacher]

The "out with the old, in with the new" argument seems to be consistent with people's constant complaining that Doc doesn't play rookies and so forth. (Calling Ray 37 when he's 36, etc.)

Bradley's done great in place of Ray, but that doesn't mean that Ray's suddenly not better. Doc will probably give Ray fewer minutes to get him back in the flow, but that doesn't mean he'll come off the bench, or should.

Teams are willing to double Ray because of his shooting ability. Are they gonna do that to Bradley? Like I said in the previous topic, people get caught up in saying that they're tired of seeing Rondo wait for Ray to get open, when the thing is, defenses practically go outta their way to make sure he isn't, and everything else opens up based off that. A lotta people wanna pretend it's not a big deal to hype up the new kid on the block. That's not due diligence for Ray.

Find me ONE poster who said AB is better than Ray, I'll wait...


They are saying he is better defensively at this point (true) and he should start to help get the defense clicking early... then let Ray play his usual minutes just not at the start of quarters (1st and 3rd really)!

Nicely said!

It's not about who starts.  Its about how you utilize players talents and fit them into roles.
Ray helps coming off the bench because he adds firepower (great shooter) as the go to option.
This offsets the loss of Pierce on the floor.
Bradley-Rondo as a unit with Pierce-Garnett allows for the back-cuts!

Its not about who starts.  Its about the style of play and the advantages a team can create!

Ray Ray for 3!  Coming off the bench!

[clover]

I'm not counting on either Ray or Pietrus being back this year, so Dooling and Sasha could both end up being very important.