It's the Offense, Stupid....

[GreenDreamer]

... to paraphrase James Carville. I'm starting to think that the people that following are suffering from mass hypnosis. The team is leading the league in scoring defense, and is second in defensive rating, but the reason that we have been getting off to slow starts all season, and why we struggled in the last 3 games isur defense? Give me a break.

You have to SCORE points too!!!!! The BS about our defensive rotations vs the Nets really took the cake. We held them to 43% shooting and 76 points, while forcing 23 turnovers, and somehow it was our defense which was part of the problem. 76 points. SEVENTY SIX POINTS!!!!!! The defense WAS NOT the problem. It wasn't ANY part of the problem. Not scoring the ball against one of the worst teams in the league, one which was missing FOUR of its starters was the problem.

Who is slinging this line? Well, that would be Doc, and the people foolish enough to buy his tired line of swill. I would like to point out to you that we are basically RELIVING the begining of last season, when we ALSO got off to a terrible start offensively (much worse that time actually), and were regaled with how our league leading defense was actually the problem, and not our crappy offense.

Well, why would Doc point to the defense? Well, otherwise, he'd have to point to his offense... ya know, the part of the team he is actually in charge of, because anyone with a brain knows that our ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH (how many of those are in the league?) is the one who actually runs that operation. He would have to explain why his beloved offensive system can't efficiently generate points against such defensive powerhouses as the Minnesota Timberwolves and New Jersey Nets.

Albert Einstein said that the definition of insanity is "doing the same thing, the same way, and expecting a different result." Well, according to that limited definition Doc Rivers is insane, because he has REPEATEDLY attempted to shoehorn this team into a style of offensive play which it is NOT conducive to its success. I'm going to post some numbers later in this thread which will help to illustrate how crazy his approach has been, and how CONSISTENTLY ineffective it has been. Seriously, just check out our first quarter numbers throughout the first 8 games. It is like a metronome of mediocrity.

Before our championship season he used to blame the youth of our team in not being able to execute his master plan. If he just had some veterans and talent,we'd would all be able to see its wisdom. Well, he now has a team LOADED with both. Seriously he has one each of the best point guards, shooting guards, small forwards and power forwards in the game, not to mention no dearth of talent at the five, and we come out slowly game, after game after game. Yet we play in this stupid way because he LIKES playing that way. seriously, it really isn't any more complicated than that. He likes it.

It would be like having the Patriots run the ball on 70% of their offensive plays because BB "liked" playing that way. "Yeah, we got Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and an offensive line which is better at pass blocking.... but hey, I like playing this way." That is essentially what Doc is doing. Rondo is one of the best penetrating and passing guards in the business. A true floor general at his position, who happened to CARRY this team after and through KG injury and absence, and his reward has been to be stripped of the ball. This, by the way, on a team which has A LOT of weapons for him to set up at the other 4 positions. Opponents double INFERIOR playmakers, the ball doesn't find its way back to Rondo, and Doc whines about how Rondo isn't Steve Kerr. Why the hell is the ball being taken out of his hands to begin with?!?!?!

I would like for some of you to actually pay attention to how the offenses of other teams are run. You will see that on most teams, the point guard actually has PICKS set for him... even the ones who don't shoot that well. Most plays and sets are predicated with the pick and roll. On our team it is treated as a gimmick, with Rondo basically acting as a "ball valet" for the other three. It is a joke. He is a FAR better playmaker than ANY of them, and they are FAR better scorers than he is.... so Doc's solution is to take the ball out of his hands, and put it into theirs as the BASE OFFENSE of the team. This is the basketball equivalent of having a prime Shaq spotting up in the corner because his coach likes an offense using a "stretch five". There is dumb, and there is stuff like this.

Don't buy into this guy's fantasy. Every frigging year we have to go through this crap.

[Kefa461]

I have thought the C's limit the offense because the coach or the point is limited.....I don't know who was to blame. I figured with a 2nd or 3rd season it would get better.

[leper-con]

This has been my biggest gripe with this team for the last three years. With KG, Allen and PP. The offense should be smooth but it never is.These three guys should be averaging 20 points a piece each every night. They are all certainly capable of it.
they do sacrifice some O for the D. They try to get back and don' offensive rebound with the abandon of other teams but the sheer lack of execution is awful.

They are at there best when Rondo pushes and penetrates and dishes but these aren't half court execution sets. We also often get out shot in games. it should not happen. Against better teams whom can match some of our D but can score consistently better we will not win.

[ParticleMan]

Wow. Your anti-Doc propaganda crap is getting beyond ridiculous.

You might even have some legit points but the way you present them is so out of touch with reality that it's not even worth discussing.

and oh, by the way, your boy Rondo continues to get left completely alone on O, pretty much by every team he faces now. the league has caught on. it's so bad now that he can't even be in the games at the end because it's like playing 4 on 5. you want to know the source of our problems on offense? that's a good place to start.

[GreenDreamer]

I have thought the C's limit the offense because the coach or the point is limited.....I don't know who was to blame. I figured with a 2nd or 3rd season it would get better.

Your language is rather unclear, as to overall meaning, so I'll stick to whether the coach or the point is to blame part.

Rondo was able to get MORE out of this offense with a gassed out Pierce and Allen WITH the ball in his hands last season, than we are getting out of it now with a healthy team. Scoring points was NOT an issue after KG's injury. Those came just fine, Rondo made sure that they did. It was stopping the other team from scoring with 3 of our 4 best defensive bigs out (KG, Leon and Scal).

Somehow, though, the fact that Rondo could get superior production out of less around him WITH the ball, evidently would translate to even BETTER production WITH Garnett and Wallace. No, no, no.... Evidently Big Baby is a better target than either of them, and a healthy Paul and Ray aren't as good for him as the tired out banged up versions.

This is the same Doc Rivers who despite his protestation that he would make sure that Ray got rest this season, is evidently on a mission to run him into the ground again. Yep, Ray needs to be playing 6 minutes of the 4th quarter during 30 point blowouts. its good stuff.... according to Doc that it.

[aboubata]

1. our defense sucked against the Suns
2. our offense didn't struggle against minny,we got our shots, they just didn't go down
3. NJ played an interesting style of D (that the suns used a little), run at shooters and clog the middles when Paul or Rondo have the ball.
4. Doc had no chance of changing any offensive plays against NJ b/c the team hasn't practiced and played 4 games in 5 nights.

We are going to lose stupid games, we are going to struggle, the thing that would make us good is how we come back from all of this. Lets see how they do against Utah and Atlanta.

[GreenDreamer]

Wow. Your anti-Doc propaganda crap is getting beyond ridiculous.

You might even have some legit points but the way you present them is so out of touch with reality that it's not even worth discussing.

and oh, by the way, your boy Rondo continues to get left completely alone on O, pretty much by every team he faces now. the league has caught on. it's so bad now that he can't even be in the games at the end because it's like playing 4 on 5. you want to know the source of our problems on offense? that's a good place to start.

It is like playing 4 on 5.... by design. Take the Minnesota game, for example. People seem to think that Rondo STARTED going to the basket, wide open, in the second half of that game. Hell no!!! He was jumping up an down, underneath the basket, on some possessions. Wide open. Did those wonderful guys see him? Absolutely not. He had to scream "Sheed" to get him to spot him. Seriously, this is the level of court vision these guys have, and Rondo is having the ball taken out of his hands. For what purpose, exactly? So inferior playmakers can make stupid decisions?

They don't look for him, even when he is wide open and could score with ease. THAT is WHY he should have the ball to begin with. If you can't identify the right man, then you shouldn't be controlling the offense. That is what is being handed over to Paul and Ray when Rondo hands the ball off to them. This is by designh, and it is moronic.

Did it ever cross your mind that the lineup that the Nets threw out there against us this weekend was WORSE than the one that Rondo dominated in the preseason? That Rondo, with the likes of Lester Hudson and JR Giddens on the court was able to generate more offense for us, than one with Pierce, Ray and KG? Why was he able to do that?

HE HAD THE BALL

[aboubata]

Wow. Your anti-Doc propaganda crap is getting beyond ridiculous.

You might even have some legit points but the way you present them is so out of touch with reality that it's not even worth discussing.

and oh, by the way, your boy Rondo continues to get left completely alone on O, pretty much by every team he faces now. the league has caught on. it's so bad now that he can't even be in the games at the end because it's like playing 4 on 5. you want to know the source of our problems on offense? that's a good place to start.

It is like playing 4 on 5.... by design. Take the Minnesota game, for example. People seem to think that Rondo STARTED going to the basket, wide open, in the second half of that game. Hell no!!! He was jumping up an down, underneath the basket, on some possessions. Wide open. Did those wonderful guys see him? Absolutely not. He had to scream "Sheed" to get him to spot him. Seriously, this is the level of court vision these guys have, and Rondo is having the ball taken out of his hands. For what purpose, exactly? So inferior playmakers can make stupid decisions?

They don't look for him, even when he is wide open and could score with ease. THAT is WHY he should have the ball to begin with. If you can't identify the right man, then you shouldn't be controlling the offense. That is what is being handed over to Paul and Ray when Rondo hands the ball off to them. This is by designh, and it is moronic.

Did it ever cross your mind that the lineup that the Nets threw out there against us this weekend was WORSE than the one that Rondo dominated in the preseason? That Rondo, with the likes of Lester Hudson and JR Giddens on the court was able to generate more offense for us, than one with Pierce, Ray and KG? Why was he able to do that?

HE HAD THE BALL

Rondo? is that you?

[ryaningf]

... Rondo is one of the best penetrating and passing guards in the business. A true floor general at his position, who happened to CARRY this team after and through KG injury and absence, and his reward has been to be stripped of the ball. This, by the way, on a team which has A LOT of weapons for him to set up at the other 4 positions. Opponents double INFERIOR playmakers, the ball doesn't find its way back to Rondo, and Doc whines about how Rondo isn't Steve Kerr. Why the hell is the ball being taken out of his hands to begin with?!?!?!

I would like for some of you to actually pay attention to how the offenses of other teams are run. You will see that on most teams, the point guard actually has PICKS set for him... even the ones who don't shoot that well. Most plays and sets are predicated with the pick and roll. On our team it is treated as a gimmick, with Rondo basically acting as a "ball valet" for the other three. It is a joke. He is a FAR better playmaker than ANY of them, and they are FAR better scorers than he is.... so Doc's solution is to take the ball out of his hands, and put it into theirs as the BASE OFFENSE of the team. This is the basketball equivalent of having a prime Shaq spotting up in the corner because his coach likes an offense using a "stretch five". There is dumb, and there is stuff like this.

Don't buy into this guy's fantasy. Every frigging year we have to go through this crap.

Yeah, it's frustrating to say the least, GreenDreamer, though I'm not completely convinced that it's all Doc's doing, at least consciously. I do think sometimes Doc directs the ball to the Big 3, and sometimes Rondo thinks that he should direct the ball to the Big 3. I'm talking about all the times when Rondo passes the ball to KG immediately after crossing half court and then goes to the weakside and stands there. We do that A LOT and it's a waste of everyone's talents. Now, maybe Doc directs that sometimes and sometimes Rondo thinks that's what should be done (after hearing Doc tell him to do it a million times). I really can't say.

I put part of the blame on Rondo for the simple fact that he's the one playing. He's not a robot. He's headstrong. He's got a high BBIQ. If he sees a way to exploit the defense, I would assume he's got the green light from Doc to go for it. I've seen him do it before. No matter what Doc says, he's not playing and only Rondo really determines what Rondo's going to do.

I think Rondo feels a lot of pressure from Doc, the Big 3 and himself to get his teammates off every night. He's sees him as facilitator first and foremost and he wants to make the Big 3 look good. He doesn't want to score, he wants to assist. It's in his blood. That's good, very good, that's what PGs should be and should strive for....but no matter how he hard he tries to do that, it can't happen EVERY NIGHT and he has to realize that. There's a line between being a naturally giving person and always trying to ingratiate yourself to everyone in every situation. Rondo has to realize that there are going to be some nights when the only way to get off everyone else is to become the scoring threat first...let the defense adjust to that, and THEN facilitate from there on out, or vice versa, taking on a scoring load down the stretch after the defense has adjusted and is closing off passing lanes. I keep thinking of Chauncey Billups...he's a facilitator first, but he'll score on your all night long if he thinks that's the best way to get a W on a particular night. Rondo hasn't learned that yet. Rondo will still pass up layups to get shots for Ray Allen...that's commendable in a sense, but in another it's dumb--it's not about who makes the assist and who scores the points--it's about who wins and taking easy 2s over harder 3s leads to a better chance of winning. Rondo tends to look to ingratiate himself as PG-at large, provider of all assists, instead of looking at the bigger picture where only Ws matter. That's just my pop pyschology look at things. It could be more simply stated that Rondo is still maturing and figuring out when the pass and shoot, just like all PGs. Billups didn't learn this until his 7th or 8th season. It's not something you're born with, you've just got to play alot to learn when to take over a game and when to lay back and get your teammates going.

So, yeah, maybe that's a fault of Doc's because he's not emphasizing the right things. I don't know. I do know that against a bad opponent in the Nets he had a golden chance to grow Rondo's experience and decision-making as it pertains to taking over a game versus getting his teammates involved. But what did he do? He got scared and went for the W now at the expense of knowledge that might lead to a W later against a formidable opponent. If it meant a L to the Nets, so be it. But everybody wins the faster Rondo gets to a Billups level of decision making...yet it seems that Doc is still willing to sacrifice Rondo's growth for a short-term benefit, even if that benefit handicaps the team going forward (playing Pierce at point works against bad teams...but it's fool's gold against the good ones).

[GreenDreamer]

1. our defense sucked against the Suns
2. our offense didn't struggle against minny,we got our shots, they just didn't go down
3. NJ played an interesting style of D (that the suns used a little), run at shooters and clog the middles when Paul or Rondo have the ball.
4. Doc had no chance of changing any offensive plays against NJ b/c the team hasn't practiced and played 4 games in 5 nights.

We are going to lose stupid games, we are going to struggle, the thing that would make us good is how we come back from all of this. Lets see how they do against Utah and Atlanta.

1. Our offense sucked against the Suns as well. A great offense can beat a great defense. That is, it can still score points. The Suns do not sport a great defense. In fact, they are pretty bad at it... yet we could not efficiently score on them.

2. Against Minny we got the shots that we normally get - constested jumpers. That is evidently what Doc likes, and that is what his base offense produces.

3. The Suns and the Nets used an approach which worked OK, for a very simple reason. People were not moving off of the ball. This station to station stuff the Doc likes is basically "moron basketball". It is why this offense "Does not need a point guard". Why? A point guard is actually a shot creator, but it is REALLY hard to creat for 4 guys who stand around like statues. Yeah, Pierce and Ray need stationary targets to pass to... Rondo does not. He can bullseye a guy through traffic with his LEFT hand, at 25 feet. Hell, Paul and Ray aren't anywhere near him in this regard. They aren't just inerior passers, even more important is their ball handling.

4. Changing offensive plays? How difficult is it to say "We are running the Rondo/KG pick and roll from the get go"? They couldn't stop that. Very few team can, with our personnel. Alternate in pick by Paul, Perk and Sheed, with a little intelligent off the ball movement, and Rondo could basically pick them apart at will. Of course, if Doc were serious about this, we would have been doing this all along.

I can't get over how blind most of you people are. Rondo is chasing other point guards on pick and rolls ALL GAME, and doesn't seem to occur to you that they are not set for him. Why? Because "Doc's offense does not need a point guard." We have one of the best point guards in the league, and we run an offense that "doesn't need one".

Idiotic.

[Hemingway]

First off, the O. You always have to try to get the O but sometimes shes just not going to cum. You have to accept that. Lots of factors can be at play, such as fatigue, concern about the period or just not being in the mood. Sometimes you can't be afraid to really go down and work hard for the O. It is a lot of effort and there is always the risk of a next injury but it is worth it. If you go too many nights with out giving an O things will start to fall apart.

[GreenDreamer]

Wow. Your anti-Doc propaganda crap is getting beyond ridiculous.

You might even have some legit points but the way you present them is so out of touch with reality that it's not even worth discussing.

and oh, by the way, your boy Rondo continues to get left completely alone on O, pretty much by every team he faces now. the league has caught on. it's so bad now that he can't even be in the games at the end because it's like playing 4 on 5. you want to know the source of our problems on offense? that's a good place to start.

It is like playing 4 on 5.... by design. Take the Minnesota game, for example. People seem to think that Rondo STARTED going to the basket, wide open, in the second half of that game. Hell no!!! He was jumping up an down, underneath the basket, on some possessions. Wide open. Did those wonderful guys see him? Absolutely not. He had to scream "Sheed" to get him to spot him. Seriously, this is the level of court vision these guys have, and Rondo is having the ball taken out of his hands. For what purpose, exactly? So inferior playmakers can make stupid decisions?

They don't look for him, even when he is wide open and could score with ease. THAT is WHY he should have the ball to begin with. If you can't identify the right man, then you shouldn't be controlling the offense. That is what is being handed over to Paul and Ray when Rondo hands the ball off to them. This is by designh, and it is moronic.

Did it ever cross your mind that the lineup that the Nets threw out there against us this weekend was WORSE than the one that Rondo dominated in the preseason? That Rondo, with the likes of Lester Hudson and JR Giddens on the court was able to generate more offense for us, than one with Pierce, Ray and KG? Why was he able to do that?

HE HAD THE BALL

Rondo? is that you?

You know what I really like. Snarky comments from people who don't think for themselves. Rubes. Marks. The type who think that what they hear on the news is actually the unvarnished truth, and repeat what they hear as if they actually thought of it themselves.

We have the league's best defense. Why is it being blamed at all? Seriously?

Have you ever heard Doc Rivers make a comment that could be construed as self critical? I can think of one or two that COULD be thought of that way. I hear plenty of criticism coming from him directed at others.

He has A LOT of talent to work with, offensively. As much as ANY other team. Why is our offense so crappy then?

[darrendaye]

Agree with some of the sentiments offered by the OP (in moderation) though his presentation could lower the pompous level a little. I don't agree that Rondo should control the ball as much as Paul or D. Williams, because you simply CANNOT gloss over the residual effect Rondo's terrible outside shooting presents in the offense. However I agree he should have more control than he has the past 2-3 games.

On the offense as a whole, I have long found fault with the execution when there are long stretches when the focus goes away from inside-out basketball. I am not as omnipotent as some to know for certain if it is design or execution. But I share the frustration when it occurs.

But, to overlook the defensive deficiencies that have surfaced recently and to ignore the part Rondo has played in those issues, is being obtuse.

[SonicYouth34]

No offense, but its less than ten games in and its way too early to read into out stats and such.

[Celts17Pride]

The opposing team shot as follows:

Phoenix & Minny (a game the Celtics should have lost) - Opposing Team FG Pct = .510

The other six wins - Opposing Team FG Pct = .392

Seems like the defense is slipping to me.

[Hemingway]

I think Doc's mentality is if we play great D we will beat anyone in a series. I think he is right too. The Offense will come and go. Some things, like shooting you just can't control. You know how it is if you play, some nights you can't miss and others you can't hit. A few off games is to be expected.

These guys are real pros. They don't need their offensive efforts nit picked. They know when they are not playing well. Its really only time for concern when the D lets down.

[aboubata]

you really want to get into it?

if I were any coach I would blame the defense night in and night out. Players don't need a reason to give more effort on offense, they would love to practice offense, they want to have fun out (ask amare) but at the end of the day it is your defense.
Against the nets the Cs stole the ball, for defense (to me) it is like shooting 3s on offense.
We allowed way too many layups for a team with 3 shotblockers in the rotation

As for Rondo and your beloved offense, well you could either have him get killed by driving to the basket possession after possession or you could have wonder around and get easy baskets. I would much rather him save his body to the playoffs.

The Nets game was a perfect game for them to user it as a practice and see what they can do with the Ball in Sheeds hands or Perks. Read this http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/bask ... 7-1_start/

Finally, when he said it is the defense, it doesn't by no mean point to his assistant coach who I am sure doc, danny and the rest of the Cs know he is doing one of the best jobs in the league. The coach does tell players what to do, but at the end of the day they have to do it (and do the right thing), so when he blames it on D, it could be more of players sleep walking than defensive sets and rotations.

[SichtingLives]

I agree for the most part with the frustration of the head-pounding style of offense we run, and how it is run. However, to ignore or downplay the significance of our defensive effort needing to be 100% every night in order to achieve the goal this team is playing for, and in the same breath call others "blind" is not going to help make your point.

Doc isn't a great offensive coach. We've known for 3 years now that this teams success is predicated on defense first, not the other way around. I have many of the same problems with the offense that you do, although I'm not going to lose as much sleep over it. I don't mind as much if our offense sucks some nights, that's a byproduct of our coaching and the players we have in place. BTW, that's not just the way Doc likes it, that's the way the team likes it as well. They are the guys running those plays (if you can call them that) 95% of the time, and I haven't seen a whole lot of complaining about offensive roles on this team. However, I do care when our defensive communication, rotations and effort are as piss poor as they have been in the last three games, particularly vs. the Suns. Besides the decimated team we ran out there in the playoffs last year, I haven't seen this team play defense that bad since pre-KG/Ray Allen, and that is something to be alarmed about more than problems with the offense. But given the circumstances, I agree with aboubata as to why that may have been happening, and we'll certainly find out Wednesday.

This team has never been an unstoppable offensive juggernaut, despite the personnel. Blame whoever you want, I'm just stating a fact. The efficiency has been pretty good the last 2 years, but we're not the team to play banjo defense and trade buckets. We'll never win a damn thing with that style of play. Slowing it down, using that ugly, deliberate half-court offense and playing lockdown D has been our calling card for success, and that will not change this year. It's not pretty, it's not sexy, but that's where it's at for this team and this franchise at this point in time. What's the cliche? You gotta take the good with the bad and hope for the best, screw all the haters and sleep with the rest. Ok, I made that last part up.

[Wolves2011]

1. our defense sucked against the Suns
2. our offense didn't struggle against minny,we got our shots, they just didn't go down
3. NJ played an interesting style of D (that the suns used a little), run at shooters and clog the middles when Paul or Rondo have the ball.
4. Doc had no chance of changing any offensive plays against NJ b/c the team hasn't practiced and played 4 games in 5 nights.

We are going to lose stupid games, we are going to struggle, the thing that would make us good is how we come back from all of this. Lets see how they do against Utah and Atlanta.

1. Our offense sucked against the Suns as well. A great offense can beat a great defense. That is, it can still score points. The Suns do not sport a great defense. In fact, they are pretty bad at it... yet we could not efficiently score on them.

2. Against Minny we got the shots that we normally get - constested jumpers. That is evidently what Doc likes, and that is what his base offense produces.

3. The Suns and the Nets used an approach which worked OK, for a very simple reason. People were not moving off of the ball. This station to station stuff the Doc likes is basically "moron basketball". It is why this offense "Does not need a point guard". Why? A point guard is actually a shot creator, but it is REALLY hard to creat for 4 guys who stand around like statues. Yeah, Pierce and Ray need stationary targets to pass to... Rondo does not. He can bullseye a guy through traffic with his LEFT hand, at 25 feet. Hell, Paul and Ray aren't anywhere near him in this regard. They aren't just inerior passers, even more important is their ball handling.

4. Changing offensive plays? How difficult is it to say "We are running the Rondo/KG pick and roll from the get go"? They couldn't stop that. Very few team can, with our personnel. Alternate in pick by Paul, Perk and Sheed, with a little intelligent off the ball movement, and Rondo could basically pick them apart at will. Of course, if Doc were serious about this, we would have been doing this all along.

I can't get over how blind most of you people are. Rondo is chasing other point guards on pick and rolls ALL GAME, and doesn't seem to occur to you that they are not set for him. Why? Because "Doc's offense does not need a point guard." We have one of the best point guards in the league, and we run an offense that "doesn't need one".

Idiotic.

I agree with virtually everything you said above.

But the problem is the egos of the Big 3 and now maybe even Wallace. If the Celtics played in the Nash/Chris Paul style which is essentially what you are saying above, he would quickly become the biggest star on the team. Doc has to keep KG, Pierce, Ray and now Wallace happy.

Do I think the Celtics would score more if they played, the style you describe? Yes absolutely. And guys would get easier shots.

And everything else equal, they should win more, if they score more and play the same defense they win more right? But will they all play the same defense if their ego's aren't being stroked.

I always thought Doc and Ainge wanted to hold back Rondo offensively for contract reasons. But he's now signed for five more years. So now I seriously believe that Doc fears "losing" the Big 3, if they aren't the "stars" of the team. Rondo can't become too big a star.

Doc was a point guard. He knows what good point guards can do. He could create much better offense for this team as you describe. But will the Big 3 EGO's be happy if Rondo becomes the "big star". If he becomes the Nash or Chris Paul of this team?

I believe and I'm guessing you would agree that Rondo would get others better and easier shots than they get now in this offense. But he would become THE STAR and thats the "problem", I think in Doc's mind. How to keep the Big 3 happy?

Doc needs to convince the Big 3 that another championship is more important than who gets the credit. Can Doc sell that? I hope so. If he does then we'll see more driving to the hoop like Rondo did in big games last spring after KG went out.

Doc needs to let "Rondo be Rondo". As Tommy would say, ATTACK OFFENSE!! He just has to manage the egos of the Big 3.

[floyd]

The problem with our offense is that we've been missing wide open shots. I'd love to give the ball to Rondo all game for layups too. Unfortunately we don't play Chicago every night. How about we Keep It Simple Stupid.