P.S. - Missed this column on Rajon Rondo, and this freakin' piece of work from Tuesday. Let me sum that latter column for you:
Blah blah blah - The Celtics are old - blah blah blah.This is perfect column fodder for Shank; old team, bleak future - great Shank columns!
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Unfortunately I was unable to watch the game last night so to read Shank and cross reference his viewpoint is difficult.
However, he does state in article that “There is no guarantee …..” – isn’t that the beauty of life.
But no, to Shank admitting that would be sacrilegious to his negativistic mantra. He demands guarantees from everyone … just like any righteous bastard would.
It’s obvious the Celtics are aging. Could they have won another … yes. They needed to be more flexible to increase their odds. They needed Green to assert himself. Unfortunately, Pierce stunted Green’s growth.
To insinuate that Ainge mismanaged the team by dealing away Perkins demonstrates Shank’s ignorance to the current state of the sport of basketball. The game is no longer about the “the big man” – it has changed to a league of super athletes. Ainge had to get the franchise (the business model) ready for the next 5 years.
Why build a franchise around athleticism? … because defense rules championships. The swarming defensive pressure in today’s game of basketball creates a counter strategy of taking three point shots. Reliance on the “Big Man” strategy is one dimensional. Athletic flexibility will rule the NBA during the next 10 years = Durant, Rose, Rondo, James, et.al.
Rondo is the ideal starting point for a team of super athletes. Perkins was the only bargaining chip Ainge had to get more athletic. Perkins was an important cog but not an engine.
Pierce is also problematic for the Celtics. He has a selfish streak that is unhealthy to the team. He has been the Celtic’s best athlete for years but he has not developed into a multidimensional player ala a trimmed down LeBron.
The Celtic’s season is highlighted by the events that closed out game 4 and 5 of the Heat series.
At the end of Game 4, Pierce had the ball while looking at the game clock. To me, he intentionally mistimed the multi-option play in order to guarantee himself the last shot. How selfish! How passé!
At the end of Game 5, the Celtics were overtaken by monster athletes LeBron and Wade. Pierce was overmatched paid the price for taking Green under his wings sooner to get him ready. Green represents the next wave Celtic players. Ainge is on the right track.
But Shank wants us to believe that Green is soft and the Celtics future is bleak. Perhaps Shank is rigid and blinded by his righteousness.
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