Preseason: Early Insights 9/29/09

Finally!  Finally!  Preseason is upon us!  This is the time when Celtics fans hungrily devour early tidbits from training camp, do some reading between the lines, and err in the direction of optimism when possible.  Let's look at a few tidbits, mixed with a little conjecture that I hope will stimulate some conversation.

• KG has participated in a 5-on-5 pickup game.  It sounds as though they nearly had to pick him up afterwards, but he fought through the rust and competed.  When asked about his program, Kevin joins Danny and Doc in sounding cautious...and that's not a word we're used to associating with him.  But it's a smart word...and it also reflects a growing confidence in the team's depth...a feeling that seems to be pervading everyone in camp.

• Sheed and Perk, never friends when they were opponents, have both gone out of the way to praise one another.  Sheed's personal jury is still out on Perk's role with the team, but Sheed says, "Hanging out with him, and the locker room talk, "Perk's cool."  Perk's more effusive about Sheed's playing abilities: "I like playing with Rasheed.  Great passer.  Obviously we know he can shoot.  He's got great post moves.  Great defender...and he's a great guy in the locker room."  (Will they bond and become known as the "Tech Tandem?"  Stay tuned.)

• Nice article on Scal by Jeff Clark (who?).  He details how Scal was essentially a misfit for his first few years with the team.  He was acquired to be a role player, not a go-to player, and to add experience and maturity to the team.  But, as Clark says, "Whatever maturity he brought to the locker room was far outweighed by the strong personalities on that team."  Then, "on a team of early-twenty somethings, Scalabrine was once again a bad fit."  As I've maintained for a long time, Clark suggests Scal is meant to make good teams better, and the Celtics finally became good enough for him to do exactly that as both a backup role player and an emergency starter.

• Not to belabor the Scal thing, because he won't be part of the team's core, but Clark rather eloquently summarizes the essence of this guy: "Do you want him to be a valuable backup forward?  He can back up Pierce and also give us added depth at power forward.  Do you want him to step aside and give more time to Bill Walker?  Scal will happily tutor the young lad and wave a towel on the bench.  Do you want to use his expiring contract to pick up a player at the trade deadline?  Pair him with Tony Allen and you can swipe a $7M player away from a team hemorrhaging money (call it the Redhead Bailout Plan)...He's also the kind of guy I'd like to see get into coaching when his career is over."  (Sam's comment: I've been saying that for two years.)

• They finally signed Hudson.  (Wasn't tomorrow some sort of deadline for that?)  That would seem to suggest they're somewhat reassured about (1) covering the PG situation and (2) the lack of need for another Perk backup or insurance for KG.  (Or could it be precursor to a 2-for-1 trade?)  They may also be liking the glimmers they're seeing from Hudson in the pickup games.  This guy continues to impress me with his perspectives during interviews.  He says, "Everybody has impressed me with how hard they compete.  When we play pickup, we sometimes have one of our managers play because we don't have enough.  Even then, guys are going after the manager like he's Paul or Ray or KG.  There's no such thing as lackadaisical with these guys."  And he continues, "I'm full of confidence, but sometimes I've been too passive.  Playing with the Big Three and all these other guys you know you can just give them the ball and get out of the way, and something good will probably happen.  But you have to stay aggressive, you have to make sure the defense plays you to make it easier for everybody else.  And the guys all tell me when I'm too passive, when I should take a shot or make a play rather than just swing the ball."  I love those statements.  They reflect precisely the antithesis of what I saw in Pruitt, who always just swung the ball and virtually never advanced it.  Hudson could easily wind up challenging Rondo as my favorite player; despite the fact that he's totally unproven.  I just like everything about him...except a first name that somehow doesn't fit the impression of aggressiveness.  This guy seriously needs a nickname!

• Just now comes the word (from Greg Dickerson) that Tony Allen may not be ready for preseason because he's still rehabbing from June 3rd surgery on a torn ankle tendon.  This news could have more implications than a lot of people think.  (1) I felt Tony was a legitimate contender for the backup SG spot, with the smaller Eddie House being a perimeter-shooting PG and "'Quis" (as KG calls him) functioning as a point forward; unconventional but interesting.  (2) But, in order for this possibility to have a chance of coming to fruition, I felt it was imperative for some exploration of its efficacy to take place right from the start of training camp...not during the regular season, when the team will hopefully be well along in solidifying its combinations and rotations.

• And, on the lighter side, Glen Davis has been annointed by himself and his mates as the best dancer on the team.  (KG claims to be second-best.)  I don't know exactly how they judge such things, but apparently there are some spontaneous breakouts in the training room (which must be dominated by constant music).  The worst dancers?  Apparently Pierce, Ray and Scal.  I don't care so much about the rankings, but it's great news that this team is already loose and bonding...before the exhibition season has even begun.  It's so different from two years ago, when they were getting acquainted in Rome.  I mean, even Lester Hudson weighed in on the "dancing controversy" with his support of Baby.

Best regards,

Sam