Celtics Four-Point Play (10/17)

By KC Downey in Celtics ⋅ October 17, 2007 at 8:18pm ⋅ Post a comment

Here’s the Celtics Four-Point Play to appear every Wednesday on Sports of Boston. This is where I will compile four (4) small and related Celtics facts and offer my own spin on a variety of Celtics news stories. The general format will be a short blurb about the story first, then my reaction tabbed underneath it.

1. On Tuesday, the Celtics waived forward Esteban Batista. He’s the first to be cut as the C’s are looking to trim their roster to 15 or 14 by the beginning of the season. Batista played in only one game with the Celtics (the 2nd preseason game), scoring 7 points in 15 minutes.

I found this very puzzling. The C’s are short at the center positon. They have Kendrick Perkins, an injured Scot Pollard, and the undersized duo of Brandon Wallace and Brian Scalabrine. I don’t see Wallace (6’9″) playing center at this level unless they have the very small lineup on the floor. Batista would’ve given the C’s my favorite thing: some muscle on the front court. It’s the biggest hole. I know KG is big and a great rebounder. Don’t get me wrong, he is those things, but I’d like to see more of a bench presence up front, especially with the foot injury to Pollard.
Then again, the C’s know more than I do. Maybe Batista doesn’t speak very much English (haven’t heard a soundbite). Maybe he just didn’t buy into Doc Rivers’ system. Maybe he just isn’t as good as he was in the FIBA tournament.

2. With Batista cut, it also appears that the Celtics have all but assured Brandon Wallace of a roster spot this coming season. This means that Dahntay Jones and/or Jackie Manuel could be cut by the end of the preseason to get the roster down to 15 or 14. Thanks to Celticsblog.com, and according to Steve Bulpett (Herald) and Mark Murphy (Globe), Wallace will be spared from being cut.
Steve Bulpett:

Jackie Manuel and Dahntay Jones remain in the potential line of fire. Meanwhile, from team indications, rookie Brandon Wallace appears to be safe. . . .

This is also an interesting move. Ainge was always high on Wallace from the get-go. As I mentioned in my Brandon Wallace preview, Ainge had the following to say about Wallace:

“He’s a long, athletic kid. He’s a shot-blocker and a rebounder with a high basketball IQ, and those are things we really need. And his length is unique on our team. He just has some things that can really help us, and I think he’s shown more of an offensive perimeter game here than we expected. He won’t be just a defensive player once he develops his offensive game.”

Ainge is definitely excited about Wallace’s potential, so I guess we’ll wait and see. I hope he adds more muscle, because if he wants to be an NBA forward, he needs to add more weight. Maybe not as much as Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis, but enough to be competitive for rebounds.

3. While Kobe Bryant is waiting by his phone to be traded, Sports Illustrated’s Marty Burns went through possible destinations for Bryant. Notably, he said one could be a trade in which the C’s land Kobe Bryant in exchange for Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and other “spare parts.”

Ahem, doesn’t this guy think we’ve made enough colossal moves for one offseason? I would not welcome the selfish Kobe Bryant to the current selfless Big Three we already have. He argues that Kobe provides better perimeter defense, but who is going to play point guard without Rondo? Eddie House and Gabe Pruitt? The Lakers can keep him as far as I’m concerned.
On the Kobe front, one possible destination would be the team that doesn’t have any superstars: the Chicago Bulls. The Baby Bulls haven’t had a superstar since Michael Jordan, and who’s better than Kobe to replace MJ? They also have a ton of talent to trade, namely Loul Deng, Ben Gordon, Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas among them. If I were the Lakers, this would be the most attractive offer, and maybe the only one that will work.

4. Since I’m posting this during the current C’s game, I have to note the dominant first quarter of play in the Garden this season. They outscored the Knicks 30-18, shooting a combined 72.2% from the field.

The Big Three have shared well so far. They each had 7 points in the first quarter, and each took between 3 and 5 shot attempts. Good stuff.
Eddie House has looked really impressive running the point for the C’s. It seems he’ll primarily be there to bring the ball up the court and pass to one of the PGA (Pierce, Garnett, Allen) or shoot perimeter shots.
Perkins had a typical foul in the first quarter, but it looks like he’s gonna let up a little defensively because he knows he has Garnett playing right next to him.
This team is A LOT OF FUN to watch.

About KC Downey

KC is the "head coach" of the Sports of Boston, LLC blog network. Follow him on Twitter: @kc_downey

Tags: Celtics, Four-Point Play

Discussion

One comment for “Celtics Four-Point Play (10/17)”

KC says, “This team is A LOT OF FUN to watch.”

Dave says, “The Knicks will NOT BE FUN to watch on the court. The courtroom is another story.”

Posted by Dave | October 18, 2007, 10:34 am