Agree or disgree with the Bobster?
With analysis once deemed "too good to pass up" by Yahoo Sports own Kelly Dwyer, Jack has generously agreed to answer 12 true or false questions,
here after known as the Dirty Dozen. And he followed with comment. Some answers may surprise you, some may not. See if you agree with Jack.
here goes.....the Dirty Dozen:
Q&A for Jack Jemsek
1) The Celtic's season so far is better than expected. T or F
False - Anytime you subtract you star frontline player/defensive player of the year, then the expectations for the team are never going to measure up.
I'm a defensive nut when it comes to basketball as well, so you can imagine that I'm not too happy with the Celtics' performance without Garnett on
the floor. Injuries aside, you have to be elated with the performance of most Celtic players this season, so a true statement would be that the team
"exceeds expectations" when reviewing the Celtics season on a player-by-player basis.
2) Garnett's injury and subsequent Celtic play shows that he is the true MVP of this team. T or F
True - Garnett makes everyone better on the team, and you might as well just amplify that effect by a factor of 10 due to his defense
contribution. Have I stated that I love defense?
3) Rajon Rondo is a bona fide member of the Big Four. T or F
True - Some may say this is premature, as he's only been playing at his current level for one year, but we know what he's done this
season, and can see it continuing in future years to the point where he will be an all-star caliber player for years to come. I think Celtics Central equated
him to a Jason Kidd type of talent, and that could be right on.
4) Tom Thibodeau's 'genius' is directly proportional to the players playing. T or F
True - It appears that Thibodeau caught lightning in a bottle when was paired with a healthy Kevin Garnett last year. But this year,
there's just no disputing it, the record-setting defense was more about Garnett than about Thibodeau.
5) The Celtics broke too fast from the gate. Garnett went too hard too soon. Doc River's should have held the Celtics and KG back a bit early in
the year. T of F
False - I think that everyone of the Big Three were getting a few minutes less than they had the year before. What would have been better was
if Doc would have abandoned the 1st unit and 2nd unit concepts, but from his perspective, maybe he had to play Eddie House, Tony Allen, Brian Scalabrine, Leon
Powe and Glen Davis consistently making for that deep rotation. Otherwise, it would have been a 5-way tie for playing that 6th man. Also, perhaps Garnett's
time had arrived and it was his turn to face a genuine season-ending injury.
6) Paul Pierce is worn down. T or F
False -Pierce appears to have lost his edge, but in reality he's been healthy and plays stronger in the 4th quarter when needed, as
evidenced by his leading the Celtics in points scored in the clutch. He's proven more than anyone that he can adapt his game and give the Celtics what they
need given the players they have on the court. Pierce has made mental adjustments if anything, that allows him to see the game in terms of the winning in the
long run versus the in-the-moment victories that immature players sometimes embrace too tightly.
7) Ray Allen is just a glorified jump shooter. T of F
False - If you are a UConn fan, that's an inflammatory question! Are you trying to stir controversy within your CT-based news blog? Ray
Allen is only a victim of his shooting excellence, and then he is also a victim of his circumstance of playing on a such a well-designed team with so many
stars that he can actually embrace his role as an outside shooter a bit more at this point in his career.
Glen Davis will get richer, but not with the Celtics next season. T or F
False - Glen Davis is a nice complement to Kendrick Perkins and the Celtics should and will keep him at what his market worth will be, which I
estimate to be around the Mid-Level Exception. If he is getting more than that, Davis has hit the jackpot and a.k.a. Big Game James Posey, and the Celtics will
have to bid him adieu. However, I think the Celtics will likely value him more than the other bidders, and forsee him staying, especially with the news that
Leon Powe will need a 3rd ACL surgery on one of his knees.
9) The Celtic bench is over rated. T or F
False - The Celtics bench has always been under-rated because they don't have the pedigree of other benches. The fact is, the way Doc plays his
bench as a dedicated unit, the level of scrutiny is always high because you don't see the bench players benefiting by playing with two or more of the
starters. For instance, Rondo or Perkins rarely play without both Pierce and Ray Allen in the line-up. So to sum up my feelings, the Celtics bench is as
under-rated as the Celtics starters may be over-rated.
10) The Celtics should have kept Sam Cassell, instead of Marbury. T or F
False - That's an easy question - Marbury can still suit up and play, although apparently he can't shoot anymore, he still has the
handles and that's what they needed most in their back-up PG. Cassell has officially played zero minutes for the Celtics and Kings this season. Which would
you choose knowing that?
11) The Celtics should have signed Posey. T or F
False - At this precise moment in time, I think the Celtics can look forward to using that James Posey money next year for Glen Davis. Posey
doesn't appear to have helped the Hornets get over the hump, and has been on the underwhelming side of things thus far in the playoffs, they played as well
without Posey to start the season, due to the continuing improvement of Rondo, Perkins and the younger bench players. Then Eddie House goes and sets the
3-point shooting percentage single-season record for the Celtics.
12) The firing of 'Lucky' was an omen. T or F
False - Lucky who? It was the hiring of the NBA's last "Dance Team" that did it. Anyway, the guy didn't have a strong enough
arm to toss those T-shirts to the balcony seats where I would be sitting - so what good was he?
Great questions - thanks for inviting me Tom!
Thank you, Jack. Some great answers. Though I think we differ about Pierce being tired. Seems very plausible from watching him, in my opinion. Though your
points addressing that are quite cogent, too.
So do you readers agree? You can e-mail me or comment at the end, if you like.
