Gino's Jungle

Let me start by getting the pleasantries out of the way.  Happy New Year to everyone, I hope you all had wonderful holidays and 2010 brings many good fortunes to you and your families.  Unfortunately you may have noticed that I did not post any power rankings this week.  With the horrible play of the injury-riddled Celtics after Christmas I'm not sure whether I was just too busy or too disgusted to write something up. 

Those rankings will be back next week without a doubt but with the recent losing streak clouding my thoughts I've decided something needs to change.  So please enjoy the following list of New Year's Resolutions for everyone on the Celtics roster, as well as Coach Doc Rivers and GM Danny Ainge. 

Ray Allen SG - Not surprisingly, Ray has been very consistent this year as he has throughout his career.  The problem is, he's being consistently worse from the field than last year.  He's averaging less points (16, down from 18) and ALL of his percentages are significant lower than they were last year.  I don't think Ray has gotten worse - I think his shot selection has. Resolution: Take less contested shots.

Tony Allen SG - Surprisingly (to me) Tony Allen has been much better than expected in his return from yet another lengthy injury.  In the 20 minutes per game he's be getting we've seen the slasher and solid wing defender that Danny Ainge has always thought he had.  Still, Allen's ball handling skills and decision making need some work.  It's difficult to tell him to pass more and dribble less since there are so many injuries right now, but that's exactly what he needs to do.  Resolution: Stop dribbling so much.

Marquis Daniels SG/SF - The versatile Daniels had his season shortened by approximately six weeks with a thumb injury so the obvious answer is to rest up be stay mentally ready to take the court again later this year.  He had been playing well, backing up starters at three positions and playing within his role, but his rebounding numbers are lower than I thought they'd be at this point.  He only gets 20 minutes a game but from what I've seen he could use a jumpstart when it comes to hitting the boards.  Resolution: Be a more active rebounder.

Glen Davis PF - Big Baby hasn't seen much action this year due to being out with an off-court injury but in his very limited minutes since being re-activated he doesn't really seem to have lost a step.  Unfortunately he had a bad step in his 3rd game back and hopefully will be back tomorrow vs. Toronto.  I'm going to mark this one as N/A for now and just say that he needs to keep working.  Resolution: Stay on the court!

Kevin Garnett PF - The Big Ticket had been stellar.  His slow start was a distant memory as he had a stretch of games where he looked like the superstar player we had all hoped he'd be again.  Then, seemingly out of nowhere, KG came down with a "thigh bruise" then a "sore knee" and now he's not practicing.  We can't question his heart, work ethic or the way he had been playing, but we all know that without KG the Celtics have a steep uphill climb if they want to win another championship.  Unlike Big Baby, I'd like to see KG take a seat for once and stop coming back at 85% or worse.  I know that's a tall order but it's starting to look like he's too fragile to stick around for 82 games then a playoff push.  Resolution: Rest until he is 100% ready!

J.R. Giddens SG - Those of you on Twitter know that @jgidd4 is very enthusiastic about playing for the Celtics and the game of basketball in general.  You also know that he wants to win ahead of getting minutes of his own.  He's only averaging four minutes per game this year, and unlike the other young players, he has not spent any time in Maine with the Red Claws.  Doc Rivers has a reputation for playing guys that show him consistent effort and intensity in practice.  That's all J.R. needs to do.  Resolution:  Continue practicing hard no matter how many minutes he gets.

Eddie House PG/SG - I've come to realize that there are two types of Eddie House.  One is in all capital letters ("EDDIE!  EDDIE!  EDDIE!") the other you shake your head at.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we've seen more of that "what are you doing?!" Eddie than the one that causes the Garden to erupt chanting his name.  He had the steal+assist of the year yet other times he's been a very poor shooter that tries to do too much.  Resolution:  Focus on being the scrappy player we saw in the playoffs and bring that every night.

Lester Hudson PG - Hudson has had the luxury of playing a full slate of minutes for the Celtics D-League team up in Portland.  Unfortunately what comes along with that is a lot of traveling back and forth and sitting on the end of an NBA bench.  From what we've seen from Hudson he has the talent, the knowledge and the drive to play well in this league for a long time, he just needs to keep it up.  Resolution:  Make the most of his opportunities in Portland and practice hard when in Boston.

Kendrick Perkins C - Perk is having a career year offensively and his team defense seems to be even better than last year even though his numbers are about the same.  He's currently averaging a healthy 12 points per game on an eye-popping 64% shooting.  Part of the reason his shooting % is so high is because he's developed a short jumper that a lot of centers are leaving him open for.  As usual, my only knock on Perk is that he talks too much.  At times it seems the refs pick on him (among other Celtics) but he just needs to continue to go to work and not complain.  Resolution:  The refs are going to make bad calls, let them do it and walk away.

Paul Pierce SF - Prior to his recent injury Pierce had been playing fairly well despite his rebounding and scoring numbers being down compared to last year.  He's on fire from behind the arc, shooting 47% but he's been doing it fairly quietly.  We have yet to see a vintage Paul Pierce scoring night, as he's only scored more than 30 points once this season and it was against a team that is notorious for not playing defense (NYK).  Resolution: Once healthy, take over more games in the 4th quarter.

Rajon Rondo PG - I tend to bash Rondo quite a bit.  I've been hard on him for flailing upon being hit, passing up open jump shots, taking contested shots, and of course, free throw shooting.  This is a case of "we criticize because we care."  I love Rondo.  I love the contract extension.  I hope he retires as a Celtic and gets his #9 up there next to Pierce's #34.  I just don't like some of his tendencies and his free throws hurt the team more than anything else.  Resolution: Shoot 1,000 free throws a day if he has to until he's shooting > 70%.

Brian Scalabrine PF - Scal has always been a smart player who thrives in certain systems and within his role.  I am actually having a real hard time coming up with something Scal needs to improve on.  He seems to always be in the right place at the right time and I can't recall him forcing a single shot this season.  You can only play him for 10 minutes or so because eventually his athleticisim catches up to him against most NBA forwards.  Resolution:  Teach some of these young guys about FUNDAMENTALS!

Bill Walker SF - Walker is in the same boat as Lester Hudson in the respect that he's played significant minutes for the Red Claws.  The Celtics were calling it a "rehab stint" but it last a little longer than most rehab lasts.  For whatever reason, Giddens is higher on the Boston depth chart than Bill Walker and I really am not sure why.  Walker seems to be the superior athlete and the better basketball player in general but Giddens is the one that has seen 15 NBA games, and as I write this @jcamerato tweeted that Giddens will be starting tomorrow.  The only thing I can come up with is that Walker slacks on in practice for whatever reason while Giddens busts his ass.  Resolution: Show Doc that he belongs on the court!

Rasheed Wallace PF/C - I've always respected 'Sheed's game.  I just hated seeing it in a Pistons jersey.  Now that he's here he seems to have changed his game a bit.  Recently, Rasheed has gone back to his roots in the paint and his play has improved because of it.  Wallace needs to keep crashing the boards and posting up smaller/inferior defenders.  Resolution: More time in the paint!

Shelden Williams C - Shelden Williams seems to be in Doc's doghouse.  Since Big Baby returned the only action he's seen is six minutes on Christmas and 19 more in the absolute stinker in Phoenix.  I'm not sure what it is because when he's played he's done well, shaking the early uncomfortable look I thought he had at the beginning of the year.  Resolution: Make the most of his minutes when he gets them.

Danny Ainge - Ainge has been fairly quiet this year as far as I'm concerned.  He sometimes comments on injuries or the young players' development but other than that he hasn't been very visible.  I know this is not Ainge's style but perhaps he should put out some sort of motivational statement to his team to show them they need to turn some things around.  He may have already done that, but at times he seems a bit too indifferent to what's going on with his team.  Resolution:  At least pretend to be a bit worried at times!

Doc Rivers - I'll be the first to admit that I was calling for Doc' head after just one season in Boston.  I didn't think he had what it took to lead the young team he inherited and I thought he was over-rated in Orlando.  Since then, he's had a strange ability to get through to the veterans he's been blessed with as well as teach the young players how to win in the NBA.  I'm still not convinced that he could do this without superstars like KG, Ray and Paul but he's definitely making the most of his time here.  My one complaint about Doc still, is that he doesn't really have a consistent rotation and seems to use the "doghouse" I've mentioned above.  Resolution:  Play these guys consistently in the same types of situations.

Now that I've bombarded you with my thoughts for almost 2000 words, feel free to criticize, agree with, or completely denounce what I have to say.  Go Celtics!