Is This Year's Celtics Bench Better Than In 2008?
In 2008 the skill set coming off the bench was perfect for what the team needed, locked down wing defense from James Posey, sniper 3 point shooting from Eddie House, energy and athleticism from Tony Allen and Leon Powe, veteran smarts and toughness from Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown, token Celtics white guy from Brian Scalabrine.
Last week Pierce referenced the versatility that the 2008 bench had with guys playing multiple positions, but we won't be able to see the plan for this year’s bench come to fruition until Avery Bradley returns from his shoulder injury and guys settle into their intended roles.
It’s obvious the skill sets that Courtney Lee and Jason Terry bring will outweigh what Ray Allen would have brought to this years' team, usually two is better than one, but in this case it will bring a whole new offense to this team instead of the bogged down, slow offense getting set for a guy running through screens to get an open 3 pointer it will be a faster up tempo run and gun offense that Rondo has always wanted to play. Whoever isn't running with number 9 in the backcourt (until Avery gets back who presumably would be the starter), will provide athleticism and fast break scoring coming off the bench. Also Lee could potentially spell Pierce at times for a smaller lineup.
Whether it's Bass or Sullinger starting at power forward next to KG, the other guy will bring energy, scoring, and rebounding coming off the bench. Jeff Green is going to need to wear multiple hats, if he backs up Pierce or Bass/Sullinger he'll need to adapt to his matchups at small forward or power forward.
The big three question marks for this team is 1) who is going to backup Rondo? 2) Can Darko seriously back up KG? 3) Can Chris Wilcox stay healthy enough if Darko can't hang with the big boys? These questions will be answered soon enough, but the comparison to the 2008 bench is arguable. The guys on this year bench offer versatility that would make even Belichick fantasize about, and it's going to be fun to see how Doc uses all his new toys; however no matter how good the bench is banner number 18 won't be hanging in the rafters without Rondo, Pierce and KG leading this team, just like the "old" Big Three led the 2008 team.
