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Rajon: He is the key. He is not the best player but he sets the best pace for this team. When he's in we are the Champs. No question. A
Ray: Let's trade Ray chants seem to be long gone. It was about time for many people to realize Ray is the BEST fit for this team. His mere presence spreads the floor and, dude, he is a player. A
Paul: I think he is in "Saving energy mode". He is not at his best but he still delivers as against Indy. Plays beyond the stats B-
KG: The emotional anchor. We are not going to give up as long as he is in this team. See Paul.
Perk: He really has improved. A double double for him is not out of anyone's mind. A

Tony: Great. Maybe the best performer so far. A+
Eddie: He is what he is. If the shot is falling, watch out. Streaky even for him. C+
Leon: Sometimes great, sometimes not. Reliable so far. B+
Baby: Good/great D. No O. Can/must/will improve. D+
Scal: Not bad. That´s great from him. D

I really expect something else from POB and maybe Gabe, Bill or J.R.

Overall grade: A+.
Any thoughts? Kind regards.

Rajon: He started the season slowly but made a huge leap in the last 10 games. He still needs to be more consistent. B+
Ray: He is playing like in his best years. Being 100% healthy has really helped his shooting. Hopefully he continues to play like this. A+
Paul: He has had a pretty disappointing season thus far. I think there is something wrong with him, so hopefully he gets back to his old self soon. Of course, he can still take over a game in the end and carry this team. B-
KG: Offensively isn`t doing too much but is superb defensively. B+
Perk: Great improvement by Perk! Especially on offensive end. B+

Tony: Our best bench player. A little inconsistent but hat is normal for him. B
Eddie: His % hasn`t been great but is playing pretty well. C+
Leon: He has been up and down. I think he can play a lot better. C+
Baby: Has had a couple of good games but he just can`t be our back up C. D+
Scal: Well, he has been decent I guess. Actually for what he is capable of, he has been very good.C+

Overall: We haven`t been playing great but we are 20-2! Unbelievable! A

I agree with most of your grades, I expect Paul to get better hopefully soon. I think Eddie should atleast get a B- and Obryant should get a F

Tricky Ricky wrote:I agree with most of your grades, I expect Paul to get better hopefully soon. I think Eddie should atleast get a B- and Obryant should get a F

It´s hard to deliver when you get no time. He has been a disappointment so far but I wouldn't give up on him yet. Still young, raw and huge!!

Rajon: After reverting to old bad habits the first 10 games has come alive. Hope this current trend stays throughout the rest of the year. B+
Ray: On Fire. He's been the best and most consistent member of the Big 3 this season. Has absolutely carried the load thus far...Where are all the haters now? A+
Paul: A low-key season so far, but he's playing good D and rebounding. Scores when we need it, shooting great from the FT line, and hitting clutch shots. When we need him to take over, he does. He will absolutely be in rhythm later on in the season. The beautiful thing about this team is we haven't needed him to be THE MAN that much... B+
KG: Still takes too many jumpers...would like to see him go inside more. But his rebounding, passing, defense, and leadership are second to none A-
Perk: Great rebounding and defense. Still an idiot on the offensive end even though his scoring is up (the same old bad habits we've been harping on the last 2-3 seasons. Needs to shut his mouth and stop getting T's... B

Tony: Best bench player. Realizes he doesn't need to jam home every drive to be successful, and seems confident in his knee. Still makes the numb-skulled play once in a while but rarely, now...and now he doesn't jump for every up-fake! B+
Eddie: Playing really well as the backup PG, spreads the floor with his shooting, a good leader for the young guys in the 2nd unit. B+
Leon: Inconsistent, but still hustles and gets his body in there. Needs a little more refinement on both ends, but overall has been good off the bench. He doesn't HURT you. B
Baby: Horrid. Undersized, no lift, no inside game, no jumper (goes hand in hand with no lift), and his head never seems to be completely in it (and I thought this before the Crying Game) D
Scal: What I expected...some solid D, hustle, hit some shots now and then. Although that ridiculous foul at the end of the Indy game on the inbounds should have earned him a seat on the bench for the next game.C+
O'Bryant: A **** unmitigated disaster. Looks lost, gangly, uncoordianted, and like a **** deer in the headlights out there. No clue on the court. Looks and moves like this weird kid, JTD2 (don't ask) I knew when I was in school. Stories of his lack of endurance BEFORE he got here are only reinforced by hearing how he sucks wind in practice after running a FEW drills! Should never see the light of a game again unless everyone else has fouled out. F-
Pruitt: Too soon to tell...needs more PT. Incomplete
Walker and Giddens: See above. However, I'd like to see all 3 kids get PT ahead of POB. Incomplete

Overall: We've been playing DECENTLY for us...and are 20-2. The defense is ahead of the offense right now, which is where you want to be early in a season. Once we hit our stride, watch out. Hopefully we can pick up some bench help and dump some shite (Davis, POB) in the process. Overall a resounding success thus far. A

Not trying to be smart... How does four As, two Bs, a C and two Ds average out to an A plus?

Thinking out loud... I never understood the usage of an A plus grade. I always saw it as a superfluous letter grade that shouldn't exist in reality. I mean that's like saying you'll give it a hundred and ten percent as oppose to hundred percent which is more plausible.

I digress, my opinion is that despite the uncharacteristically low scoring average of Pierce. The starting five are playing as good as one could expect this early in the regular season. Ray Allen is playing well early... Rondo and Perkins are playing bettering and making names for themselves rather than being content with being the "other two" starters. And Garnett's still as tall as a tall ladder. The bench concerns me but not to the extent that you worry, again, with it being this early in the regular season. I'm encouraged by the return this season of a healthy Tony Allen. Well, until he went down recently with a minor injury. He'll be back soon. House doesn't seem as good as he was last season being an impact free agent signing. But, there's a lot more season left. He can still be clutch when he's got it going. On the whole, I'm not going to nitpick but I'll like to see more consistency from the key reserves: Tony, Powe, House and Davis. I mean that defensively as well. I'm somewhat disappointed that O'Bryant hasn't proven the negative critique of him wrong, yet. Ideally, he'll continue to work on his flaws and improve to the point where he's actually playing meaningful minutes and contributing to the outcome of some of these games.

I'm sure Ainge is thinking and waiting patiently for that December fifteenth date to arrive.

Lastly, I can do without the latest trash talkers tag on the Celtics this season. Unless it's merited. I couldn't say that it is for certain.

bonsai, because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, that's why...

Rajon: How great he becomes depends on how consistent he becomes. We know what he can do and while I'd love say he could continue his tear, he already discontinued it against Indiana. He either needs to be consistently aggressive of develop a jump shot, which it's clear he didn't pick up in the offseason. It'd be great to see him get both within his career. Overall though, he's shown he's inconsistent and hasn't gotten over that. He still can impact the game when he's not aggressive, just not nearly as much as he can when he is. B
Ray: He's playing well now, so that's shut a lot of his haters up, but he started relatively cold, especially in comparison to how he started last year. Regardless, he's showing what he can do and he might not be our best offensive option, but it's clear that if his shot is falling, we're nearly unbeatable. A-
Paul: I love how everyone's always so quick to forget. In the first ten games, it seemed like everyone had gone cold, but Paul was keeping us alive through most of it. I agree with what's been said about him above though, in how he's saving up for the playoffs and the rest of his career now. Of the big three, his role and scoring ability requires the most athleticism and physicality, so it's a positive that he's saving his body. A
KG: He's giving us what we expect, superb D, leadership, passing, and perimeter scoring for a big. Not much else to ask from him. A
Perk: The technicals don't bother me as much of him as a player. He's progressed a lot and his intensity inside on D allows KG to do so much more on that end of the court. Would be great if he could play more minutes though, because it's clear we have a hole on our bench after him. B+

Tony: He's definitely stepped up as our sixth man and he's probably our best perimeter defender right now. His ability to handle the ball, though minimal, has helped our bench when House is in at the point too, which is of TA. A-
Eddie: Streaky as always and his handle has shown us why we could use a solid backup point guard. It's been pointed out on the board before, but it's obvious that teams know if they apply the slightest bit of pressure on him, he struggles to bring the ball up. Didn't seem this bad last year. I think he might be overrated due to the lack of what Sam gave us when we got him to give us an actual back up point guard, as opposed to what we were getting with House. C+
Leon: When he's effective, he's good enough to be our sixth man and a starter on a lot of teams. However, he's not always going to be effective and it's shown this year. He'll never win or lose us a game outside of clutch situations, but he's exactly what we can use off the bench. B-
Baby: The only thing that digs him out from a D is that it's clear he knows of something that can help his game and he's obviously worked on it: a jump shot. If he can start hitting that consistently, he'll be a great offensive complement off the bench at C to Powe or at PF to Perk. However, it's pretty clear we need someone bigger than him at the backup C, and although he knows how to defend well, he just can't. We have also completely ignored his ability to score in the post all year. Still has starter potential in my opinion, just probably not here ever in his career. I expect him to be traded to a team that could actually use him. C-
Scal: Can still stretch the floor in a pinch and knows how to defend, it's just he doesn't have what it takes athletically to defend the 3, 4, or 5. Has shown he knows how to give up the ball on offense too. A nice, small surprise from what we had been saying was the worst player in the NBA.C-
O'Bryant: I've been a POB supporter and I'm not going to jump off him just yet. He's done a little bit to surprise me in regards to some of the misconceptions I've had of him, but overall he's just not ready yet. Maybe he never will be, but give him some more time and I think he could be the offensive and defensive complement to Powe that we need... just probably not this year.D-
Pruitt: I haven't seen enough of him, but in his limited time he hasn't done enough to warrant more/any of House's minutes. He's been given an opportunity at least, it's just a matter of time as to if he'll step up or not. D
Walker: Obviously I'm going to base this solely off what we've seen in the preseason and D League, against scrubs mostly, but it's nice to see he's not afraid to ball with anyone. He's done well in the D League and it looks like he could warrant some minutes at the 3 soon. Has shown a lot more than what you usually expect from a second round pick. C-
Giddens: Haven't seen anything from him in a C's uniform, but has torn up the D League along with Walker. Should warrant some PT if TA's going to be down for a while, because it's clear we need an athletic wing on defense. D
Sam: It looks like he's been a vocal leader for this team and it's clear he has a future in coaching here. Let's not underestimate it is for him to not get PT, which he has seemingly had no problem with. Exactly what we need in a 15th man. Would probably have no problem giving up his roster spot if it meant bringing in Brown, Smith, Mourning, or Mutumbo. B

Overall: What the season has told me so far: Our big three can still ball and our young guys have progressed. We're 20-2 and I have no complaints with that. This team has lead me to believe that we are still the favorites if 2/3 are on and the rest is contributing somewhat. However, I believe that no team, in any situation can beat us long as Rondo is aggressive, Ray's hitting his shot, Paul's stepping up, KG and Perk play their games, and the bench is at least healthy. If that was the case for 48 minutes, we'd blowout a team like LA even if they had their A game. A+

Rondo: Overall, shown more assertiveness on the offensive end. Has to do it night in and night out to get to the next level.
Overall grade: B

Ray Allen: Preface this by saying, these grades are based upon how they are performing versus what is reasonable to expect from them in terms of potential or, in the case of veterans, past history. Excellent start to the season because his shots have been falling. Still the most frustrating to watch of the Big 3, for me, because he's a marginal defensive presense and he makes a few more questionable decisions with the ball than one would expect from an All-Star level guard. But his impact as a shooter, as mentioned by others, is pivitol in floor spacing and he's been very assertive.
Overall grade: A

Pierce: Going through a tough stretch offensively and from my perspective seems to be a little less locked in defensively to start the season. Like I said within the Ray Allen commentary, these grades are based on expectation versus performance, not a question of how great or impactful the player is overall. Definitely has had moments where he carried the team in the first 10 games and displays the clutchness he's for which he's known.
Overall grade: B

KG: Only real criticism that jumps out is the reluctance to post-up. Drives me crazy still. But rest of his game has been on par. Ball flows through him and doesn't stick in his hands on offense and has been his usual monster on defense on on the boards.
Overall grade: B+

Perk: Agree with the criticism that he still makes the same dumb mistakes at times when he has the ball on the box. But, he's playing very confidently and his contributions have been quite consistent.
Overall grade: B+

House: Not turning the ball over, but not hitting his shot at his normal clip yet.
Overall grade: B

TA: Excellent job finishing at the tin this year. Still has too many prolonged stretches where he appears disconnected with the offense.
Overall grade: B

Scal: Shots are falling and appears pretty in sync with the second unit.
Overall grade: C+

Powe: Love the game Leon brings to the table. But, his numbers are down from last year and really has blown some defensive assignments. Hitting those free throws would help this grade in an unto itself.
Overall grade: B-

Big Baby: His numbers probably sckew perception a bit, but he's been atrocious as a scoring option. It's important to realize that a much higher percentage of his shot attempts are 14 feet and out this season. In fact the ratio of post vs. perimeter shots are nearly inverse. He's done a good job in moving the ball from the high post and he gives great effort on the boards and in playing physical defense, but he's struggling big time overall.
Overall grade: D+

Wow, not much to add other than my letter grades, since this post is so damn great But here goes:

Paul Pierce: Definitely in a slow patch after a good start (remember those fourth quarter heroics?). He's still doing what it takes to help his team win by rebounding, playing defense, passing, and letting his game come to him. I'm not worried. I would call this "incomplete," but that's a cop out. B+

Kevin Garnett: If Paul is the captain, then KG is the floor general (sorry Rondo!). The guy doesn't need to stuff the stat sheet to have an impact on the game, but he can score if the team needs. Rebounding and anchoring the defense are his fortes, and we have him to thank for this team's dominance. A

Ray Allen: Wow. What a season this supposed has-been is having so far. I guess those ankles must be feeling fine, but the amazing thing is how well he played when he finally got out of his shooting slump last year with the ankle pain. And he does more than just shoot the three ball. Ray has one of the must underrated all-around games I've ever seen, and I've been a fan of his since his days in Milwaukee. A+

Rajon Rondo: Someone's been eating his Wheaties. Passing, stealing, scoring, defense...once he stopped being afraid to take it to finish his drives, he's become a Nate Archibald-type of point guard (I know I'm reaching for a Celtics player to reference, bear with me). He's pesky on defense and explosive on the offense, and if his shot's not there, he'll kill you with a deadly accurate pass to a teammate. I love watching Rondo get his teammates open looks in their spots. After a slow start, Rondo has continued to improve. A

Kendrick Perkins: I love the big guy but, damn son! Keep that mouth shut! His rebounding and scoring is much improved, and he's not afraid to bang, which I love. He still has the bad habit of putting the ball on the floor all the time in the post, but it's easy for me to nitpick: I'm not out there with 6'10" dudes covering me. Still not in love with the ticky-tack fouls, but I love his intensity. B

Tony Allen: Ahhh, what a pleasant surprise! It's great to see what an injury-free, confident TA can do with a full injury-free championship season under his belt. His drives are still a little wild and the circus shots are a bit frustrating, as is his tendency to lose focus once in a while, but he makes up for that with his defensive ability, hustle, and heart. MVP of the bench. B

Eddie House: You know, he's doing what he was brought to do: shoot the three. And he's hitting some big shots, picking up where last year left off. I love this guy--a real sparkplug off of the bench. And much like last season, while Eddie is no defensive whiz a la Rondo or Chris Paul or some other top PGs, he's trying his damndest, and coming up big from time to time. B

Leon Powe: I love this guy, but he's been a bit inconsistent this year, coming up big for a while, and then disappearing or getting into foul trouble. But he's a solid role player off the bench who's not afraid to push the other teams bigger--and taller--guys around. He'll pick it up. B-

Glen Davis: Biggest disappointment of the year. Big Baby came back to the Cs still out of shape, and under the delusion that he can hit the jumpshot. He is still hustling and doing the Big Baby thing, but the second unit just sort of stalls out when he's playing. Not a good sign. I really hope he can channel his emotion, shed a few pounds, and work on what we loved about him last year: rebounds and opportunistic garbage points. C-

Gabe Pruitt: Um, he hit a few shots in garbage time. INCOMPLETE

Brian Scalabrine: He is what he is: a solid veteran who knows his role and is very fundamentally sound. It was really surprising, actually, when he committed that dumb dead-ball foul against Indiana the other day. But he's also come up big with some threes, timely rebounds, and hustle. Love him or hate him, I'm giving him a C

Patrick O'Bryant: I was going to do an in-depth analysis, but I realize the sample size is too small, and too awful. D-

Doc Rivers: I love this guy. Always have, always will If you don't, get bent. A+

Overall: A baby! And that's an A with room for improvement 8)

Rondo: A-
Ray: A-
Paul: B-
KG: B+
Perk: B

Tony Allen: B
Eddie: C-
Leon: B+
Baby: C-, woudl get a D if it wasn't for improvement of the jumpshot.
Scal: C+

Jury is out: POB, Pruitt, Giddens, Walker N/A

Overall grade: A-

A to the whole team since I'm in a cheerful mood. Yes, even you Big Baby. Even you.

idrinkrootbeer wrote:A to the whole team since I'm in a cheerful mood. Yes, even you Big Baby. Even you.

Glen says