Luka’s Corner

I was on vacation the past month, after the Boston Celtics had beaten LA in the NBA Finals. Some critics of the Celtics may think that this past year was a fluke, where everything went right for the champions. Some may think that the aging Big Three will not be able to conjure the magic of their 66-win season this time around. Or that the Celtics will have lost too many of their key role players (James Posey in free agency, P.J. Brown most likely due to retirement) from their title year to win it all again. I, however, think differently. There are three reasons why the Celtics will be even better this season than they were last season. I am not saying that they will win more than 66 games in the regular season, since that is a difficult mark to reach, but I am saying that they will have more options offensively and will appear even fresher in 08-09. Here are the three reasons:

The Improvement of Rajon Rondo

Although Rondo showed loads of potential as the starting point guard for the team, he still needs to improve his perimeter shooting (both off-the-catch and off-the-dribble). There were times throughout the past postseason where Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett had so little space to work that it seemed they would not score a single point. This was due to Rondo’s inability to consistently shoot the jumper, as opposing teams doubled Boston’s stars off of him. While he was not a prolific shooter in 07-08, he had improved tremendously from 06-07, and I believe that he will improve even more this summer. If he does, that will give the Celtics a (reliable) fourth scoring option down the stretch of close games. It will also give the Big Three more room to operate if opposing teams have to worry about leaving Rondo open on the perimeter.

Young Acquisitions

The Celtics drafted J.R. Giddens with the 30th pick and received Bill Walker from the Washington Wizards on draft night. Then, during free agency, Boston acquired former 9th overall pick Patrick O’Bryant from the Golden State Warriors. These three players not only fill much-needed reserve spots for the defending champions, but they also give the Celtics athleticism off the bench (athleticism that they lacked at times in the postseason). J.R. Giddens is a freak athlete and defensive specialist out of New Mexico who will fill the void left by departed James Posey. Giddens has even more potential then the coveted Posey, since he is a better all-around scorer with the ability to attack the rim. Walker is also a gifted athlete who shined at times during his college year behind Michael Beasley at Kansas State University. Like Giddens, he is a player who can attack the rim and get to the foul line.The Celtics’ signing of O’Bryant not only fills the need for a backup center to Kendrick Perkins, but he also provides the Celtics with a more dangerous offensive threat than P.J. Brown. While there are doubts about not only O’Bryant’s work ethic, but also about Giddens’ attitude and Walker’s health, I believe that none of these will pose a problem. It will be tough for the young center to show up lazy at practice when he sees Kevin Garnett in the weight room or when he sees Ray Allen taking hundreds of jumpers each day. It will also be tough for Giddens to show up with a big ego when he talks to the intense KG or professional Allen at practice. With Bill Walker’s knee problems, most people forget that Leon Powe had similar knee problems when he was drafted by Boston in 2006. A 21-point performance in the Finals later and nobody even remembers Powe’s injuries. My point is that, because of their surroundings, these problems will not apply to Boston’s young trio in this upcoming season.

Improved Chemistry

After an entire regular season and postseason together, the Boston core of Pierce, Garnett, Allen, Perkins, Rondo, Powe, "Big Baby", Tony Allen, and Eddie House have gained valuable experience as one unit. This year, they will not have to enter the Playoffs not playing one postseason game together and will have already learned each other’s tendencies on the court. The improved team chemistry will also help the team integrate new pieces such as J.R. Giddens and Patrick O’Bryant, which will pay dividends in the postseason.