Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
A couple of observations while waiting for Celtics defensive stopper Tony Allen to actually stop somebody:
-With or without Kevin Garnett, the Chicago matchup was going to be tough on the C's. The Bulls are young, athletic and very talented. You knew the light was going to click on at some point and as with the Hawks last year, that point came when they qualified for the playoffs. That the KG-less Celtics happened to be first up was simply a stroke of misfortune for Boston.
While Boston is still likely to advance, the opening round is showcasing the main weakness in the defending champs, a weakness that even Garnett's presence wouldn't be enough to overcome: The C's simply don't have a shutdown defender to slow down shooting guards or small forwards. (If I see Tony Allen play the role of matador to Ben Gordon one more time, I'm going to hurl!)
Paul Pierce is being asked to do the job right now, but chasing the likes of Gordon is killing his offense. The Captain looks more gassed than Pontiac late in tight games. He's getting his jumper blocked by guys half a foot smaller. (When did you ever see that happen before?) Just imagine what will happen when/if he's asked to cover LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
(Repeat after me...James Posey should have been re-signed)
-Can't really find fault with the Patriots draft strategy. They obviously weren't enamored with any of the options available at the bottom half of the first round, or at the very least, correctly figured the players they wanted would be available in the second round anyway. So why pay first round money?
The other thing the Pats accomplished by hording second and third round picks is they gave themselves some developmental depth in case players like Vince Wilfork opt for greener pastures in the coming years. One of Ellis Hobbs' comments after learning of his trade really caught my eye.
"I think with that situation [in New England] there are a lot of guys that are coming up that are going to need to be paid. I think it has kind of moved from that echelon where there is a lot of guys out there who are not going to take the [bottom] dollar for the win. Guys really want to get what they deserve and each one of those guys that are coming up in the next year or so deserve every dollar they are going to get."
In other words, if you think people are willing to take home town discounts or less money to play for the Patriots, think again.
Now, maybe Hobbs is just upset about being traded. However, his words echo what Mike Vrabel said about the players not seeing any money from the construction of all those shops that make up Patriots Place. Vrabel was, perhaps not coincidentally, shown the door soon thereafter.
Vrabel was a respected locker room presence who didn't complain for the sake of complaining. I'm willing to bet he was speaking for many of his teammates when uttering those words. Perhaps Bill Belichick realizes the same thing, hence the need to load up on players who might be more likely to contribute in 2010 than 2009.
That's the view from here...how do you see things?