Is cassell going to start come playoff time?

[jdennis187]

Question from an outsider...


Plus either way, is this a slap in the face to Rondo?

[Dogen]

I don't think he will start. May very well finish though.

[SLCceltic]

rondo is our 1
cassell will take minutes from TA mainly and house some

cassell may end some games if the outcome is determined by fts

sam is here to shore up the bench, he and rondo will play together some

[reggielewis]

http://www.bostonherald.com/

Meanwhile, Rivers made it a point to say the free agent signing is not a statement on Rajon Rondo.

[cloverleaf]

No.

[threrf23]

I hope he will not start. I also hope he will not finish unless he is on fire or Rondo is cold and/or Tony Allen is also in the game defending.

Rondo has been key to our team's success, and will continue to be key to it. Casell is good, but at this point in his career is only slightly if at all better than average IMO. I'd hate to see him take too many minutes away from Tony Allen, let alone Rajon Rondo. IMO most of his minutes should come at House's expense - not that I don't like House, but thats the most fitting scenario.

IMO Doc should play Cassell and House together for at least 3 minutes for so late 1st qtr/early 2nd qtr and whoever is not playing so well should sit for so many minutes throughout the rest of the game.

[celticfan42487]

No, but finishing is one of his greatest strengths so he very well may be closing out the games if he gets used enough to his new teammates.

Everyone is going to start hating Rondo when it comes playoff times and were down 3 with a few minutes to go because all game long they've left Rondo open for 2 and he's converted 4 out of 11 on his shots.

[GreenGrizz]

I wouldn't want to lose Rondo's confidence but I love the way he attacks tiring opponents off the bench. Cassell should start. It is a no-brainer. It is not up to me.

[Prophet_C]

No.

[kmgarnett21]

sam is a true vet. & he's already played & had success playin with KG & ray allen, so i think & hope they wont have any problem meshing.

& i doubt 100% that cassell will start any, unless, God forbid, rondo gets hurt. i'm sure that he will close out the majority of games, thats one of the reasons we got him. we'll have one of the best close out FT teams in the L:

cassell
house
ray allen
pierce
KG

[jdennis187]

115 playoff games

rondo 0

Otherwise even in 25 minutes a game cassell has put up 20 and 8 a few times and no reason to say he couldnt do it in the playoffs when other teams are concentrating on pga.

[sully00]

Sam can't handle the mins to start that isn't why he is here. He is here to take Eddie out of the line up as a PG, which frankly over the last month or two he has started to look like a rec league pg.

And c'mon all of you guys can't be missing the idea that Doc wants to play Rondo and Sam together with Pierce, Ray, and KG.

[celticfan42487]

Rondo,Cassel,Ray,Pierce,KG

do you honestly want to see that lineup?


And I agree with teh minutes, Cassell must of been hit with the injury bug last year but even this year with the Clippers dude isn't getting starting minutes.

I hope he finishes the games. It will just be nice when the ball is in Pierce's hands that at PG we know we'll have someone that can hit down an mid range jumper out there.

[Fencer reregistered]

Rondo's starting job is not up for competition.

The game-ending job is up for open competition.

[hype_2004]

http://www.bostonherald.com/

Meanwhile, Rivers made it a point to say the free agent signing is not a statement on Rajon Rondo.

[cisco]

Rondo,Cassel,Ray,Pierce,KG

do you honestly want to see that lineup?


And I agree with teh minutes, Cassell must of been hit with the injury bug last year but even this year with the Clippers dude isn't getting starting minutes.

I hope he finishes the games. It will just be nice when the ball is in Pierce's hands that at PG we know we'll have someone that can hit down an mid range jumper out there.

Agreed. I don't want, nor do I expect to see that lineup either. I really don't expect Rondo and Cassell to be on the floor together that much, especially not at the end of close games, because that lineup is too small and also Rondo will still be a liability that the defense can sag off of or foul him to put him on the line. I'd rather see the Big 3 plus Cassell and PJ/Perk at the end of games (depends on how well PJ plays).

[sully00]

Rondo,Cassel,Ray,Pierce,KG

do you honestly want to see that lineup?

I don't think it is about what I or you want, it just about what Doc will do. There are going to be match ups were that will be a nightmare for teams to guard against, as well as nights were it would be a disaster. But yes I would like to see it as an alternative to the same line up minus Cassel and with Posey.

As for this:

I suspect Ainge will have the final word on who will take the majority minutes @ the PG, he didn't sign Cassell to sit on the bench for the majority of the minutes come playoff time, KG's boy will get the majority of the minutes.

No offense but you don't seem to grasp the situation. Cassell is here because Doc (as well as KG) wants him here. Danny loves Rondo and loves the team the way it is, he is also not the biggest Sam Cassell fan in the world. He is a slow down, ball stopping pg, attributes Danny hates, but he is a leader and he can make shots and he does like that.

The offense kind of grinds to a hault without Rondo on the floor. We are forced to use either Pierce or Ray as the focus of the offense. Sam will allow Boston to play more at full strength by allowing all 3 to rest some mins together. He was also graciously handling the situation in LAC with Livingston becoming the starter last year and performed well off of the bench until injuries took both out of the line up.

If you have watched Sam this season less is more anyhow. He looks like his old self in the first half and then by the 4th quarter he is invisible. He only has a about 15-20 good mins max in him on a given night. Boston needs 15 great mins hopefully Sam will deliver.

[sully00]

Before put down the lineup I through out there, look at the matchups.

Against ORL, who is already a weak defending team, how do they defend that? While their length is an issue for us in any match up they are jump shooters not post up guys. All 5 guys can get by their man and to the rim forcing Howard to either leave KG and take the contact or just let them go.

CLE is going to go with Gibson/West/Wally/Ilgauskas with LeBron down the stretch of games at least offensively that is why they made the trade. Why let them use West on Ray force them to go with Wally on Ray and LeBron on Pierce.

You are going to sub offense for defense and so are they but for stretches those lineups can work.

We can go big in the same manner with Posey and Pierce on the wing and Sam posting up, that is what these pick ups give Boston the ability to create match ups and not just go on auto pilot. Teams are going to have 82 games of tape on what we have done all season in the crunch now we can throw something different at them.

[lojowo]

Starting is over rated, its all about who plays at crunch time and finishes ( if it close ) out a game.

Both Rajon and Sam will get minutes, whoever is playing well will see crunch time first, if that player isnt playing well, go to option be.

[eitanr]

I forgot who said the quote, but it's not who starts the game...it's who finishes it that is important.

The following lineup would be most frequently seen at the end of a game:
Garnett/Pierce/R. Allen/Posey/Cassell...with Perkins in there sometimes instead of Posey.