David Lee is in the way

After three straight DNP's, Brad Stevens dusted off David Lee and played him for fifteen minutes last night. The Celtics were 1-2 in Lee's absence, and had some pretty disappointing efforts. Maybe Stevens thought he was the spark the Celtics needed?

Well, he wasn't, isn't, and won't be.

Last night, in only 15:36 of playing time (the least amount of time any Celtic who got into the game played), Lee netted a +/- of -12, shot 2-12 from the field, and just looked in the way. He hasn't been finishing at the rim like the old David Lee, and without that (or the threat of that) there isn't much he can bring to the table.

This experiment seems to have become an unquestionable failure, and it's time for him to stop getting minutes (free Jerebko!). If he is only playing because Danny Ainge went out and got him, well then that's a shame. If he is playing as a showcase for a potential trade he is just hurting his already low stock. Unfortunately, Lee never played for Doc Rivers, so finding a team with interest in him will be near difficult.

His biggest transgression to me was buying Powerball tickets and telling us about it. You're making $15 million this season, David. HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU NEED TO STEAL?!?

Beyond being in the way offensively (and out of the way defensively), he is in the way of other Celtics who would do more with his minutes, and/or use them to develop. I'd much rather see those minutes go to Jonas Jerebko, Tyler Zeller, or D-League phenom Jordan Mickey.

So what to do with Lee? Shop him around and hope to get anything for him? It'll be tough since it's a half season rental of an overpriced, underperforming player.

Bench him and give away his minutes? I like it, but you don't want him poisoning the locker room with negativity. It's one thing to take a backseat to a team on a championship run, like last year's Warriors. It's a totally different thing to take a backseat to a young, unproven .500 team trying to make the playoffs.

I think you sit him and expect him to act like an adult making $15 million. There will still be spots for him to come in and contribute, but I'd like to see it on a MUCH smaller scale, if at all. If he has a problem with that, time to go hang out with Keith Bogans.



Photo Credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images



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