Re: Celtics
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Paul Pierce is obviously very good, but eventually having to continuously play with young kids who make mistake after mistake after mistake on both ends of the floor has to sap his will.
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He's been looking a bit dejected already. I'm just speculating here, but I think he knows this team is under-performing and the talent is mismanaged. Last year, he was drinking the company Kool Aid and saying the right things. He expected them to be a sub-par team, but he liked what he was seeing in terms of talent and development. Now his team has taken a large step back when they should have improved, possibly fighting for a playoff spot.
Again, I'm putting this on coaching/mngt/team philosophy. First, some of the players (namely Big Al and Perk) are coming along too slowly. Some (if not most) is their fault, and I always thought Perk's ceiling was overrated anyway. But Doc has had a really short fuse with Big Al the past couple of years, after his great rookie season. I know he's had injury issues, but the kid needs minutes, and you need to ride out the highs and the lows. Playing is the best way for young guys to learn.
This brings me to the team philosophy complaint: At some point, they need to decide whether they're developing or trying to win. You can't be in the middle of that and take the worst of both worlds. If you're developing for the future, get guys like Al and Green the minutes they need. Hell, I think they need to do that even to attempt winning. Right now, the minutes everyone is playing is WAY too balanced. Too many mediocre/bad players getting 15-20 a night, sharing minutes with guys like Gomes and Delonte. F that. Scale those minutes back and make sure those guys are on the floor 30+.
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