Boston Celtics All-Decade Teams: The 2010s...so far
Guest post by The Sports Hayes
This
one will be a cramped list and open for debate as there have only been 5
teams and years worth to choose someone. It's completely up in the air
at this point but its worth a shot. So far the decade has been a
disappointment but the good news is there's still time to turn it
around. So let's begin with the most recent team in memory.
The 2010's...so far
Coach - Brad Stevens
Wins by default. After Doc Rivers left town they hired Butler U
coach Brad Stevens to take the reigns. Time will tell if he can win or
not, he's used to dealing with kids but if the Celtics start fielding a
team of vets, will they listen?
Center - Jermaine O'Neal
Despite injuries limiting him to less than 50 regular season games
in two years, J.O wins this one because of his legacy and post-season
performance. After all, Shaq had the better numbers in 2011 but rarely
played in the playoffs. O'Neal in his heyday was a double-double machine
for the Indiana Pacers but just couldn't stay healthy during his
career. Still, an injured Jermaine O'Neal is still a hell of a lot
better than a healthy Vitor Faverini (opinion, not a fact).
Forward - Jeff Green
He can be a difference maker or he can be a non-factor and there's
no in-between. Jeff remains one of the most bizarre players in Celtics
history. Unlike Glen Davis who's a bit of an airhead, Jeff's problem is
desire. He has all the talent in the world but lacks the killer instinct
that all champions have. One night he'll have 30 points and the next
night he'll have 4. He's not a great rebounder (at 6'9 no less) but he
can score when he wants to. As inconsistent as he is, he's still a great
player when he's locked in.
Forward - Brandon Bass
The heist of the decade belongs to Danny Ainge for shipping out
Glen Davis to Orlando for Brandon Bass.
Bass has been a great role
player from 2012-14 and may not wow the stat sheet, but who cares about
the stat sheet. He's been dependable, mostly injury free and was never a
head case. If they could have had him in 2009 and 2011 maybe they could
have went further in the playoffs. As it is, he's another one of the
"right player, wrong era" guys.
Guard - Jordan Crawford
You could pick the name out of a hat for this one. After Ray Allen
left following 2012 you had just two years to pick the shooter. I gotta
give the not to Crawford because, like Green, he can be a difference
maker when he wants to be. Unlike Jeff, its not his desire but his head.
Its a shame because he truly is talented but just hasn't been able to
put it all together.
Guard - Avery Bradley
Another right player, wrong era guy. Bradley is this generation's
lock-down defender but he's been asked to do a lot more the past few
years with injuries to Rajon Rondo and Leandro Barbosa. In 2012, by the
second half of the lockout shortened season the Celtics began to start
Bradley and he put the clamps down on opponents. Unfortunately, double
shoulder injuries wiped him out of the 2012 Eastern Finals when his
defense on Dwayne Wade could have been the difference. If the Celtics
had a functional Rondo, a knock down shooter and a third guard to backup
Rondo...Bradley would be in his element in the defender role.
2nd Team
Center - Kelly Olynyk
Again, Shaq was a shell of himself in his one season in Boston
while Olynyk shows true potential. If someone can teach this kid
defense, he'd be a heck of a player. He put up some 20 point games near
the end of the 2014 season and appears to be prime to become a player in
the future. If he can fill out a bit and pull in more rebounds, it
would be a compliment as the team moves past the "new big 3 era".
Forward - Jared Sullinger
Olynyk's front-court partner in crime has the same potential as
Kelly. He can grab the rebounds and score better than Kelly, but he
can't stay healthy. He missed the entire second half of the 2013 season
and spent time hurt in 2014. If he can put his game together for 35-40
minutes he can be a difference maker as the team moves forward. If
Olynyk and Sullinger can continue to improve and develop into all-stars,
they may have something here.
Forward - Marquis Daniels
Surprised? Compared to Chris Babb, Jerryd Bayless, Troy Murphy,
Michael Finley and Terrance Williams...why not? Daniels had some great
games here and there for the Celtics between 2010-12 but for some reason
Doc just didn't like playing him. He suffered a scary neck injury in
2011 but came back in 2012 to contribute to the Eastern Finals run.
Guard - Mickael Pietrus
Normally wouldn't make a top 10 list of anything but his clutch 3
pointer sank the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the 2012 Eastern Finals (which
led to the "good effort, good job" kid we can all crap on for the end of
time). He had a decent game and could hit the out-side shot, another
one of those "right guy, wrong era" players. If he was on the 2013 team,
maybe they could have beaten the Knicks. Bottom line is he wasn't a bad
player.
Guard - Nate Robinson
Whether it be his clownish antics with Shaq, nearly killing himself
for jumping on Paul Pierce or tag teaming with Glen Davis to be "Shrek
and Donkey", Robinson was always good for a few laughs. He was and is a
heck of a talent though. He's not as consistent as Ray Allen although
he's not afraid to fire away. His play against Orlando in Game 6 and LA
in Game 4 of the 2010 playoffs is partially why the Celtics made it as
far as they did. Even though he may not have been successful in his role
on the Celtics, he was always fun to watch.
Extra - Shaquille O'Neal
If he could have stayed healthy, the Celtics may have won the
championship in 2011. The team was 23-5 and firing on all cylinders when
Shaq was hurt Christmas Day against the Magic. After playing in pain
for a week and a half, he was put on the injury list and never really
got off the rest of the season. To that point he looked like the Shaq of
old and the team really clicked. Still, they didn't waste a lot of
money on him and he produced when he was healthy, just couldn't stay
healthy
12th man - Brian Scalabrine
The lifetime achievement award for 12th man would be a great
competition between Greg Kite, Rick Carlisle and Brian here but since
its this decade's team, gotta go with Brian. He's always been a great
source of entertainment for a guy who clearly understood his role of "if
I'm in the game, somebody is hurt or something's terribly wrong." He
was the unofficial team mascot from 2006-2010 and they've tried
replacing him with Greg Steimsma and Vitor Faverini but neither of them
have the humor or the following. He's also a perennial Basketbawful
Null-Star.
Honorable mention - Phil Pressey, Gerald Wallace, Delonte West, Keyon Dooling, Terrance Williams and Ryan Hollins
That about wraps up this decade team. With only 5 years to work
with it was a bit of a hodge podge but it wasn't a total loss. The team
is clearly at a cross-roads as they have assembled a lot of draft picks
so they can continue to rebuild with younger players or trade their
assets for proven superstars. Whether they go from here is up to them.
Check back in 6 years (if I'm still alive or if the site is still
around) for the completion/revision of this list.
