The Celtics are finally back on track after a spell of
disagreeable basketball.
I say “back on track” because they’ve now lost five in a
row, and I say “disagreeable basketball” because I don’t agree with that
four-game win streak. I mean, what the Hell are they trying to prove, anyway?
This train’s bound for glory and by glory, I mean the NBA Draft Lottery.
Look, I love wins as much as the next guy, but we’re playing
for much more than a handful of W’s. We’re playing for the big picture, and
that doesn’t include making a first-round exit in the Playoffs. Been there,
done that. Now, I’m being a little facetious (emphasis on the
“little”). Of course I want our Celtics to be competitive, which I think they
can be on most nights. And, I’d have to be crazy (or a New York fan) to not
want these guys to start developing a winning attitude so that, when the time
comes and the right team is in place, they know how to win the right way. Tanking
is not an option. It has never worked for the Celtics, and history makes the
strong argument that it hasn’t really helped many other teams, either. That said, the Celtics best chance at near-future contention
is not to please the fairweather fanbase but to draft smartly, trade wisely and
play the style of basketball to match the talents of those wearing the green and
white jerseys.
For those of you who believe that draft picks won’t get the
C’s back into championship contention, that’s just crazy talk. With a draft
that is believed to be as deep as any in recent memory and the Celtics in possession
of six first round picks in the next five years, there is a significant
opportunity to draft a once in a blue moon superstar to pair with Rajon Rondo,
Jared Sullinger, Jeff Green, Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk. Hell, they may
even be able to draft two. And, if Danny Ainge and co. believe that the player
they need is already toiling for the NBA, then he can trade off a combination
of multiple picks and a superfluous player (Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries
and/or Keith Bogans, anyone?) or two (see: “Like 2008 Kevin Garnett and Ray
Allen”).
My point is, as I have said before, true GreenHeadz should just sit back,
relax and embrace the stress-free simplicity of the 2013-14 Boston Celtics. You’ll
be glad you did in about three years.
I know I'm dating myself here (now THAT's true self love!), but I have been a fan of the "Brazilian Bird" Oscar Schmidt since he burst upon the international basketball scene back in the late 1970's and through the 80's. He beat the U.S. entry almost singlehandedly in the 1987 Pan Am Games, scoring a whopping 46 points; he averaged 42.3 in the 1988 Summer Olympics; and he became known well enough around the world to only need one name -- "Oscar." Nuff said!
You can check out his Hall of Fame Induction speech here, and I strongly encourage you to do so. In my humble opinion, his was the most entertaining and heartfelt presentation of the day. Oh, and also...Oscar's sponsor into the Hall was a certain well-known green-teamer who was so aptly described by the honoree thusly: "He doesn't run...he doesn't jump, but he plays the best of everyone here."
But, if you're asking why Oscar's induction is relevant to Greenheadz everywhere, it's not just because his presenter was one Larry Joe Bird (who happened to be one of the three other Celtics hitting the stage in some fashion this year. Bob Cousy, John Havlicek and Bill Walton were the others. Rick Pitino doesn't count cuz he wasn't a "true" Celtic! But, I digress).
Oscar's induction should be relevant to all because he was one of the best, if not the best, shooters the international game has ever seen...reminiscent of our own "greatest shooter ever," #33, and Celtics fans tend to appreciate great basketball players wherever they might come from and whomever they may have played for.
So, check Oscar out and watch as the Basketball Hall of Fame pays tribute to one of the true greats to have ever played the game.
Okay, fine...if you really want to, you can check out Coach Pitino here, but, if you do that, then you should also watch the rest of the festivities here with Gary Payton, Dawn Staley, Bernard King, Richie Guerin and the rest.
According to the latest reports, Celtics Guard Avery Bradley is set to return to the starting lineup tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies (7:30 p.m.).
Whether this is or isn't yet the case, I feel that there are certain things Celtics fans need to get straight before his name is ever announced to take the court for the first time this season since double shoulder surgery sidelined him from the middle of the 2011-2012 Playoffs to the present.
First, here's what Bradley is NOT:
The Messiah, Superman or Harry Potter. He's also not Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson or Larry Bird. He's not even Joe Dumars (yet, though he certainly has the skillset and determination to someday take a seat at the same table). Hell, until he gets his wind back and rust off, he may not even be Tony Allen, who he figures to see some time guarding tonight, if reports are correct.
What I'm trying to say here is that there are many out there who would have you think that the return of Bradley is going to be all it takes for the Celtics to regain last year's Playoff form and as soon as he suits up for the team, it's lights out for the rest of the NBA. That he'll come back and his dogged, tenacious and ferocious brand of defense will somehow erase the fact that there are still 8 new teammates who have never shared the court with him as a Celtic and two more who didn't share much if any significant playing time with him last year, either.
The defensive (and offensive) lapses that the Celtics have suffered that have been costing them a slew of winnable games are attributable to those new players on the team not yet grasping the "Celtic Way." These are things that Bradley can undoubtedly help them with, but not save them from. The work will have to be done on the practice court, in the video room and during games and it has to come from everyone, not just Bradley.
Here is what Bradley IS:
He is a 6' 2" shooting-guard-trapped-in-a-point-guard's body with a career scoring average of 5.6 who also happens to carry a trunkload of that aforementioned ferocious, tenacious, dogged and scrappy energy mixed with tremendous athleticism that allows him to overcome his lack of size against taller offensive players and score against just about anyone who dares guard him with an array of cutting, slashing drives and an accurate 3-point stroke.
Bradley is, to be sure, a major defensive cog in any machine that the Celtics hope to drive through the Playoffs and towards the Finals and his presence will pay major dividends for this team once he gets his legs underneath him and his stroke free from 7 months worth of cobwebs.
That said, the chances of Bradley fulfilling his potential is VERY strong. Based on his track record, he ranks as one of the most mentally tough (he fought through a rookie year filled with adversity that included a broken ankle, a year-long shooting slump and almost zero playing time) and physically toughest (this kid played through not one shoulder dislocation, not two dislocations but three reported shoulder dislocations and played through the playoffs while suffering the injury repeatedly until doctors advised him that he might do lasting damage if he continued to play!!!) players in today's NBA.
The key for everyone to remember is that Bradley underwent 2 shoulder surgeries (each shoulder!) and the jury is going to be out as to whether his physical troubles are behind him until he makes it through the playoffs without incident. Fans have to be patient with him and not expect rainbows dropping Skittles from the skies in his first, fourth, or even fifteenth game back. What we SHOULD all do is savor the fact that he HAS returned and watch him do what he does best -- something that the entire Celtics roster and even those around the rest of the NBA can learn from -- play lock-down, knock-down defense. The individual and team success will come in time.
That said, the Celtics best chance at near-future contention
is not to please the fairweather fanbase but to draft smartly, trade wisely and
play the style of basketball to match the talents of those wearing the green and
white jerseys. 
