Eddie House needs to be benched

[Celts17Pride]

We all know that this team needs a legit backup point guard. Right now we have none and its painfully obvious. We just need someone who can dribble and pass. How difficult is that to find.

Hell, trade for AI (oh **** I said it).

I would trade TA and Giddens to Memphis for AI in a heartbeat. Both TA and Giddens are not going to contribute and AI has the potential to be the backup PG the Celtics need. TA and Giddens make $3.5 mill combined and AI makes $3.0 mill. Let KG, Ray, Sheed and Paul talk him into the role.

If it doesn't work cut him and save $1.0 million ($0.5 mill difference plus $0.5 mill on the lux tax) and open up 2 roster spots for buyouts.

Worth the risk IMO.

[GreenDreamer]

This all boils down to the inconvenience of Eddie House.

We all know what he does well--he spreads the floor and shoot lights out when uncovered. But are those 2 things (which are really one thing with two components) worth the compromises we make with the rest of the lineup in order to put him on the floor? Just think, this is what playing Eddie House makes us give up:

1. Using Rondo as the bridge to the 2nd unit. The no-brainer move designed to keep Ray/Paul from being overplayed, while also keeping our best playmaker on the floor with the 2nd unit that has no point guard--unfortunately, we can't do it because House's presence on the court leaves us too short in the backcourt.
2. Any semblance of play-making on the 2nd unit, leading to contested jump shots and making us perimeter-orientated to the detriment of overall team offensive balance. Of course, House's jack-at-all-cost offensive game itself makes us over-reliant on three pointers, above and beyond what his presence at point does to the offense. Not only do we have an over-abundance of 3 point shooters, we have a bad point guard doing bad point guard things which leads to contested 3s as the clock winds down. It's a feedback loop of perimeter dependence.
3. Solution to House-at-point takes our best backup 2/3 and moves him to the 1. Now, Daniels is MUCH better at point than House, and Daniels does a good job at point relative to House, but in essence we're weakening our 2/3 position in order to find a way to get House on the court, while at the same time increasing the minutes of Ray/Paul. So, yes, we can substitute around House's deficiencies at point, but it makes Daniels/Ray/Paul become facilitators to the detriment of what they do best. Sure, they can play point from time to time, but we've made it the rule all so we can get House on the court.

So, that's what we give up to get House on the floor. Are his floor space-ability and occasional eruptions from deep (when left unguarded) worth the compromises we must make in other areas?

I say NO. I say, we have enough 3 point shooters that we don't need him to space the floor. I say that defense and point guard competence are much more important to the second team than what House brings. We're crippling ourselves in 3 areas all just so we can 'space the floor.' It's (Please Use More Appropriate Word).

Solution: I wouldn't bench House outright, but I'd surely curtail his minutes to specific situations. The way we have it now, he's easy to defend. Limit his minutes a bit, and maybe the other team doesn't game plan for him as much and then perhaps we can spring him on other teams unawares. The reason he's had 5 bad games in a row is simple--he's been given defensive attention. And when the other team scouts him and defends him, he'll be stopped almost every time. That's why he never performs well in the post-season.

In order to use Rondo as bridge to 2nd unit, we're going to need either Hudson, TA, Scal, or Walker step up and fill in at 2/3. So, while limiting House's minutes, I'd give them to that foursome. And, when Rondo needs a break in the mid-2nd quarter, I'd use Hudson for a 3-4 minute stretch, right about the same time the starters come back in.

The thing with Hudson v. House is simple--he can hit the three, and also defend his position, dribble against pressure, create his own shot, and get to the rim. He could probably even defend some twos, depending on the situation. Best of all, his youth would give us a nice jolt of energy, something this team could use right now. Of all the possible moves to get this team on track, Hudson to backup point makes the most sense. I don't expect it to happen with a coach like Doc, but I think it makes sense.

Give this man a cigar

[chakdaddy]

This is the same nonsense that got us in trouble with Cassell; we never got rolling in the playoffs until House got put back in the lineup.

People keep acting like he can be replaced with some random pure PG who can hit an occasional 3, maybe a journeyman like Anthony Johnson (who can hit more than the occasional 3.)

But this is Eddie House, he DESTROYS teams when he gets going and is a major cog to our attack, one of our major weapons. More specifically he's a major cog when our team gets hot and really starts destroying people. I don't think dumping a special shooter in favor of a game manager, or a late 2nd round rookie, is going to change things - we're not trying to stabilize a team, we're trying to maintain an elite team. And Eddie House can be part of an elite lineup when he's getting free - if we put in someone like Lue or Cassell or whatever pure PG everyone is screaming for, maybe we'd have a more consistently 'pretty good' 2nd unit. But that won't help us win a title.

If anything, a backup PG might be useful in limited situations when nothing is happening. But we're not going to find a 7th man, primary bench scorer that easily.

Like it or not, he's been our 7th guy for 2.5 seasons now, and we're unlikely to be able to scrape up a replacement off the scrap heap. If you are looking for Eddie House with PG skills, you probably need to get Isiah out of retirement or something.

[Wolves2011]

I don't think House needs to be benched, not until he plays badly for much longer than this...

What is wrong with:

5) Wallace
4) Williams or BBD
3) Daniels
2) House
1) Rondo

It would help reduce Pierce and Ray minutes,?

But from Doc's stand point thats also a problem. Ray and Pierce like getting their shots and get many more touches per minute with the 2nd team.

Limiting Ray and Pierce's minutes is smart from a season management standpoint [keeping guys fresh], but it might not work from an "ego" standpoint.

[GuyClinch]

Rondo has been getting warn out chasing other PGs around as is - his PER against is over 20. The guy needs his rest on the bench. This all problems will be solved by Rondo nonsense needs to stop.

[ryaningf]

Rondo has been getting warn out chasing other PGs around as is - his PER against is over 20. The guy needs his rest on the bench. This all problems will be solved by Rondo nonsense needs to stop.

Our pick-and-roll defense has been terrible. If you'll remember, pick-and-roll defense is about the big and little working in tandem to shut down dribble penetration. That hasn't been happening. That's why his PER against is so bad--but it's not a reflection of Rondo necessarily, more a reflection of defensive breakdowns in the pick-and-roll defense. Playing Rondo more would fix a lot of things, mainly what passes for point guard play on the 2nd unit.

[Kefa461]

Shooters shoot their way out of slumps........

[GuyClinch]

Our pick-and-roll defense has been terrible. If you'll remember, pick-and-roll defense is about the big and little working in tandem to shut down dribble penetration. That hasn't been happening. That's why his PER against is so bad--but it's not a reflection of Rondo necessarily, more a reflection of defensive breakdowns in the pick-and-roll defense. Playing Rondo more would fix a lot of things, mainly what passes for point guard play on the 2nd unit.

I hear what your saying but be honest.. Rondo is pretty craptastic at fighting through screens. He has to be held responsible for this as well. Either way I will pass on the idea of a tiny backcourt that will tire him out and IMHO not be that productive a unit.

Pete

[ryaningf]

Our pick-and-roll defense has been terrible. If you'll remember, pick-and-roll defense is about the big and little working in tandem to shut down dribble penetration. That hasn't been happening. That's why his PER against is so bad--but it's not a reflection of Rondo necessarily, more a reflection of defensive breakdowns in the pick-and-roll defense. Playing Rondo more would fix a lot of things, mainly what passes for point guard play on the 2nd unit.

I hear what your saying but be honest.. Rondo is pretty craptastic at fighting through screens. He has to be held responsible for this as well. Either way I will pass on the idea of a tiny backcourt that will tire him out and IMHO not be that productive a unit.

Pete

I thought bad Rondo (on the defensive end) has only been present in one game--Saturday night against Indiana, where he let Watson get by him and then did his patented poke-it-from-behind move to no avail. Other than that, I think he's shown an improvement fighting through picks and staying in front of his man, relative to his performance in those areas last season. I think he has a tendency, however, to junk the team defense principles when he sees his teammates are slipping up too--making him attempt 'home-run' defensive plays instead of staying within the defensive philosophy. He figures he has to 'make up' for other team defensive lapses, but in essence he starts contributing to them himself. But, like I said, I've only really seen that in the Indiana game.

I'm not sure what tiny backcourt your arguing against--I'm arguing solely for limiting House's minutes to maybe 5-10 a night, using Hudson (who's wingspan and height give him a much better chance at defending 2s) more in tandem with Rondo, and using Rondo as the 2nd unit bridge when possible. I see the necessity, sometimes, of using Ray or Paul with the 2nd unit, but not the extent that Doc has so far this season--I think Doc's setting us up for a burn out or injury if he doesn't get a better handle on his substitutions.

Further, I think using Rondo as a true point guard on the 2nd unit (and not the ball caddy he is sometimes on the 1st unit) would go a long ways towards developing his game, his leadership, his jump shot, his confidence, while also increasing the efficiency of the rest of the 2nd unit, getting us in transition, and going a good ways towards limiting the overplay of Ray/Paul. It just makes sense from a variety of angles.