Posted By: LYNN WORTHY, Sun Staff

The Lowdown: With Kendrick Perkins and Al Jefferson now down for a little while, the rotation of big men could include Brian Scalabrine, Raef LaFrentz, and fresh out of the developmental league Dwayne Jones. What sort of taste does that leave in your mouth Celtics fans?

If the injuries weren’t enough, the numbers over the course of the last few games haven’t exactly been easy to swallow either. The offensive production has taken a hit since the trade that brought Wally Szczerbiak to town, with shooting percentage and scoring average of the last six games dipping.

Still, in the first few games Doc Rivers and Szczerbiak openly admitted that he was on the court with a very limited knowledge of the offense. Combine learning on the fly with spending time away from the team because of the birth a brand new baby, and there were bound to be some bumps in the road early on. The honeymoon period wasn’t going to last forever.

On the upside, in last three games turnovers were down to 11.7 per game compared to the season average of 16.8. Failure to take care of the ball over has been one of the major problems, and progress in that area is nothing to brush off.

What to look for: The injuries to the front line guys should finally present the opportunity for rookie forward Ryan Gomes to see more time on the court. Danny Ainge and Rivers have both said they like Gomes and want to see more of him and get a good assessment of where he is at in his adjustment to the professional game, but for some reason he’s still riding the pine pony. Since the trade he has played a grand total of 21 minutes. That’s total, not an average.

The reporter in me wants to see if Gomes turns into that feel good story about a Connecticut native who went to Providence College, stayed all four years, and makes an impact in the pros with the team in Boston. Of course, the fan in me says it’s time to see what the guy can do and find out if Ainge and Rivers have just been blowing smoke.

The Celtics head into the break with games against Portland, Orlando, and Cleveland. Win or lose, those games could be beneficial if they serve as an opportunity to evaluate their bench and get the new guys acclimated with the offensive and defensive philosophies as well as their new roles.

Weigh in with your thoughts…