| Boston's Bench Not Up To Par Authored by Stephen Lars Aaron - February 9, 2009 - 11:33 am
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Last year's team had the best sixth man in the game, in these eyes anyways, in James Posey, who gave them a tough defender, another three-point shooter (Remember Game 4 in L.A. when the Celtics trailed by 25 points and Posey was one of the reserves who came into the game and allowed them to spread their offense out?), and just a tenacious attitude in general.
When Posey wanted a four-year deal in the offseason, most scribes and fans felt that it was a bit too much for a role player. However, when you look at Boston's history, the sixth man has been a very key component to their success.
Remember John Havlicek, Bill Walton, and Kevin McHale (before Maxwell was traded)?
Now watching this current club, I think they should've just ponied up the extra year for Posey and retained him. Let's not forget they also had P.J. Brown coming off the bench as well last year, and he too played a key role in the playoffs for them last year, hitting a big shot against Cleveland to help stamp a victory.
I'm afraid Glen Davis and Tony Allen won't cut it for me if the Celtics are forced to go with them in a big game. The names mentioned lately are Stephon Marbury, Joe Smith, and J.J. Redick.
I like the Marbury addition because they don't have any true point guard off the bench, and if anything happens to Rajon Rondo, they're in deep trouble. It also allows them to utilize Eddie House at the two spot where he excels. Joe Smith would be another great addition as he would give Boston some size off the bench along with a decent shooting touch.
The problem there is that they really don't match up salary-wise to make a deal for him. Danny Ainge is still holding out hope that Brown will come out of retirement again, but it doesn't sound like a possibility this time as he is happily retired. They've even inquired about Reggie Miller coming back. The one that I was hoping for just announced his retirement, Alonzo Mourning, who I think would have been a great addition in Beantown.
The one thing that general manager Danny Ainge does is think outside the box, something his mentor, Boston legend Red Auerbach did, so you know he'll look at every angle possible in terms of adding to this team's roster. A great example of that is asking Reggie Miller if he still has interest in coming back and playing again in a reserve role.
Once again, Boston papers have noted that Ainge has kept in touch with other retirees like Robert Horry, Mourning, and Brown. One more name I'll add to that list, and for all we know maybe Danny has contacted him as well, is Chris Webber. They flirted with Dikembe Mutombo before he signed with Houston, and he claimed that the Celtics did not go all out in pursuing him because he felt they were waiting on somebody else, specifically Smith or Mourning.
Again, Mourning would be the one I'd heavily recruit to come back and play. All they need is a quality veteran who has been around and knows the league and how to make a play in a crunch time situation. With the starting unit they currently have, they really don't have to rely on a Horry or Mourning to carry the team, just simply spell the starters 10-12 minutes a night.
If they don't add to this team, they may not even finish the regular season with the best record in the conference, and without that, I just don't see them beating Cleveland in a seven-game series, yet alone, L.A., who has already beaten them twice this year.
I guess we'll just have to see what tricks Ainge has up his sleeve come the trading deadline. Hey, I wonder what Scott Wedman is up too these days? |
