Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
“Jeff’s fine,” Stevens said. “We’re not going to start Jeff tonight, but that has nothing to do with Jeff. It has everything to do with what we want to tinker with. We’re asking him to do a lot. We probably have to simplify it and keep it at one of two spots instead of three spots. I don’t think it’s been determined which ones yet.”
Green claims not to be bothered by what some will read into the sight of him coming off the bench. Last night he responded by scoring 10 points in 21 minutes on 4-for-10 shooting, including 2-for-6 from 3-point range. He played most of the game at shooting guard.
“There’s no need to even worry (about the starting lineup),” he said. “I know people are going to make an assumption, but the coach is the coach. He made sure that the media and everyone else knew that we were going to play different lineups before (the start of exhibition games). You can listen to him or you can’t, but people are still going to assume that something’s wrong.”
…
“Most definitely it’s been more difficult,” he said. “There’s so many schemes that you have to know. We talked, and I told (Stevens) I still want to take on that challenge, because with my versatility, I can create mismatch problems and put the advantage on our side. It’s all a work in progress. This is our second preseason game. It’s not like we’re 50 games into the season. We just have to keep working.”
Not only does Jeff Green have to learn a new offensive system, but he has to learn three positions. That’s a heavy load for anyone not named LeBron James.
If the Celtics are going to have any success this season (defined by a playoff berth), Green must have a career year. That means consistently scoring 20-24 ppg while shooting at least 45%. Without the need to get Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett 30 shots a game, there should be ample opportunity for Green to achieve those numbers.
Since Green arrived in Boston, his inconsistent performance has been excused for many reasons. Some more legitimate than others:
- He arrived midseason
- He’s coming off major surgery
- It’s hard to be assertive playing with future HOFers
My point is.. there always seems to be a reason why Jeff isn’t playing to his potential. After two underwhelming preseason performances, I can already see the latest excuse.
Yes, I realize we have 3 weeks to go before the season opener. Go ahead and blast me for the “premature speculation.”
The rest of the links:
ESPN Boston – Pressey makes push at point | Babb makes most of minutes | CSNNE – Faverani impresses | Rondo assists from bench | Players 1st impressions of Stevens | Game recap: Celtics fall to Knicks | Pressey has point covered in Rondo’s absence | Globe – Knicks top Celtics in preseason thriller | Herald – No end to fervor on Cs bench |
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
