With Little To Work With Ainge Builds A Decent Bench

Danny Ainge, who so far has had an amazing offseason bringing in two of the top 20 players in the NBA to a team that finished last season with the second worst record in the NBA, found himself with very little depth and very little to spend or trade to add additional depth to a bench that had been wiped out in the Kevin Garentt trade. However with the very limitted assests that Ainge has had to use to bring in the additional depth needed, he has done an amazing job, and in this article I will review Danny’s offseason moves, potential moves that have been rumored to happen, and the Celtic’s bench as it looks now.

1.) Scott Pollard (C/PF) - This signing had many Celtic fans wondering why on earth Danny would use his veterans minimum to sign a player like Scott Pollard, but to understand what Pollard brings to a team you need to look beyond his stats. He’s always had the reputation of being a great motivator and locker room presence, and he has always accepted his role in the NBA as being strictly a hustle player who is usually put on the court to simply add tougness and rebounding, and with Pierce, Allen and KG, the Celtic’s won’t need any scoring from him for him to be a contributer. He’s also a guy who has always been friendly with the media and could easily become a fan favorite here in Boston.

2.) Eddie House (PG/SG) - Well probably not the veteran point guard that most Celtic fans were hoping for, but he will add some decent scoring off the bench for the Celtic’s, and didn’t cost the team too much. House who is more of a shooting guard trapped in a point guards body averaged almost 9ppg for the New Jersey Nets lasts season, and most of those points came from shooting three’s. Now the biggest complaint I’ve heard from Nets fans is that his shot selection isn’t all that great, and his playmaking abilites are virtually non existent, but he will add some scoring to our bench, but I don’t see him being the type of PG that would be able to mentor Rajon Rondo and assist him along with his development, but best case scenario would be that Eddie House could maybe help Rondo develop some form of a consistent jump shot.

3.) Jackie Manuel (SG/SF) - Jackie Manuel who went undrafted in the 2005 NBA Draft after having been a tri-captain of the UNC Tarheels National Championship team gained a reputation in college as being one of the best defenders in UNC history and earned All-ACC Defensive Team Honors in 2003-2004, 2004-2005. The problem with Jackie Manuel however is that he has no offensive game to speak of and has really no natural position. In his 2 years in the NBDL he played very limited minutes due to inury, but if his defensive abilities can translate into the NBA, then he could be a solid lockdown defender off the bench for the Celtics.

4.) Brandon Wallace (PF) - Wallace who played at The University Of South Carolina has gone done in history as one of the best defenders and shot blockers to ever play SEC basketball, infact he is ranked ninth all time in blocked shots in SEC, and led his team in rebounding and dunks, and as a senior averaged close to a double/double per game, but was not selected in the 2007 NBA Draft. He is a lockdown defender and an explosive dunker, a bit undersized and no real core offensive game was probably the main reason he was undrafted, but after a strong showing playing with the Celtic’s in the Las Vegas Summer League it didn’t take long for the C’s to offer him a rookie contract, and he’ll be fighting for a roster spot come this preseason.

5.) Leon Powe - By far my favorite Celtic’s player, and with his strong performance with extremely limited playing time last season, expect Powe to see consistent minutes and maybe even the occasional start this coming season. Listed at 6′9, Powe plays like a 7′2 center. He’s as tough as they come, a real great rebounder, and an explosive player, with a vastly under-rated offensive game, look for Powe to have a breakout season this year.

6.) Tony Allen - I’m worried about Tony Allen. All reports say that his rehab is going extremely well, but if you can remember following Tony’s first knee injury he came back and looked like an extremely different player. Now some of that may have had to do with Doc trying to develop Tony into a PG, but Tony whose game is all about explosiveness can’t afford to be the Tony Allen we saw the year following his first surgery, otherwise he might just loose his roster spot on the Celtics.

7.) Brian Scalabrine - To this day I still ask myself why the hell Danny Ainge signed Scal to a long term deal, but he does contribute in some small ways. He’s decent when it comes to help defense, and setting picks, and every now and then he’ll hit a few three pointers, but other then that I don’t expect much from him.

8.) Glen Davis & Gabe Pruitt - The Celtic’s draft picks this year, neither of which have yet to be signed. Glen Davis who seems to have finally shed the extra fat that had him suspended from playing for LSU for a period of time showed great promise in the Las Vegas Summer League, he has great touch around the basket, and even when he was borderline obese he was quick, so I can only imagine that he’s even quicker now that he looks to be in great shape, if it comes down to Pruitt or Davis, my money is on Glen “Big Baby” Davis to get a roster spot.

Now onto Gabe Pruitt, from what I’ve been hearing he has shown in workouts that he is the most gifted athlete on the Celtic’s squad. He has some natural PG skills, but he is more of a shooter, I’d compare him to Delonte West except with more potential and more of a natural PG, but that’s not really saying much. He may find himself starting off the season in the NBDL but I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him develop his game and become a solid NBA player someday.

The Reggie Miller Rumors - “I’ve had some breif conversations with Danny [Ainge] but right now I’m enjoying my time as a broadcaster” So for anyone out there that thinks Reggie is just making a desperate attempt to finally win a ring, their wrong. The Celtic’s contacted Miller and asked if he would consider returning for 1 more season and a run at a championship. Now Im usually not a fan of teams pursuing retired players, but Reggie Miller may be the exception as far as I’m concerned. Miller is arguably one of the best shooters to ever play the game, and with opposing defenses mainly focusing on the Celtic’s “Big Three” Miller would see plenty of open shots, and adding another veteran hungry to win a ring definitley wouldn’t be a bad thing. And Reggie Miller could provide some consistent offense to a bench that is still questionable offensively.

So if the Celtic’s were to sign the rookies that would leave them with 14 players on the roster, only allowing them to carry one more player on the teams roster (15 being the max, only 12 can be active to play) so it seems that Danny still has some decisions to make, but with the little he has had to work with as far as building a bench, Id say he’s done a pretty good job, and I’m confident in saying that the Boston Celtic’s are now contenders for the NBA Championship!!

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