Last year, KG was the hardest to replace because we didn't have a player of Rasheed's defensive ability to step in. Plus KG has slowed down a bit. He's still a very good defender but no longer the elite defender he once was.
Pierce on this team, this year, is irreplaceable. Marquis, Tony, Ray, whoever gets minutes at the three on this team is a significant downgrade from Pierce. Tony has done an admirable job in his absence, but when it gets down to the nuts and bolts I don't know if we could win a playoff series with everyone else healthy and Paul out.
bonsaiflipflops wrote:I sure miss the old Ray. The Milwaukee and Seattle version of Ray could take over as the primary scorer. Boston certainly need him to assert his will whether it's shooting from the perimeter or occasionally driving to the basket. You know, it's ironic... Ray needed to make the biggest adjustment between he and Garnett to complement Pierce and what Rivers wanted from the team. Now you're dealing with a situation where you've Pierce, Garnett and Rondo on the shelf indefinitely. And Ray's... Well, Ray isn't doing what I'd expected from him in their absence scoring wise. Pierce hasn't played since the Indiana game. In five games, Ray has averaged 18.6 PPG. What stands out to me is the amount of shot attempts by Ray. He must be more aggressive... Rivers should find more ways to get him shooting opportunities. Why is your point guard averaging 20.0 PPG by comparison? Taking individual match-ups into account, your scorers need to score. Rondo shouldn't be made to be the leading scorer.
I want at least a 25+ PPG average from Ray while Pierce is out. Because I know better than to ask more scoring from Garnett. I think he left his phenomenal statistics in Minnesota knowing he doesn't have to be that player with Boston. Well, Garnett... You're one of the league's best players. It sure would help... You know... Immensely.
TOR@BOS - Ray - 8-13 23 points
BOS@PHO - Ray - 4-13 15 points (Rondo - 5-12 13 points)
BOS@GS - Ray - 10-21 24 points (Rondo - 11-18 30 points; Garnett - 7-14 16 points)
BOS@LAC - Ray - 6-12 13 points (Rondo - 9-16 20 points; Garnett - 5-13 12 points)
BOS@ORL - Ray - 5-12 18 points (Rondo - 7-18 17 points; Garnett - 3-9 10 points)
You're on the right track in noting that Ray isn't the same player he was in his prime. But then to say you want him to average 25ppg with Pierce out? I haven't seen anything to suggest he's capable of that anymore. He can get hot and have a big scoring night on relatively few attempts, but that has turned into the exception rather than the norm.
It's not reflective in the box score, but that first game against the Clips when Paul was out, Ray didn't look like the kind of guy who can or should be looking for his own offense except for when it presents itself. He forced some shots, pounded the ball way too much and didn't seem all too interested in involving his teammates. It appeared to me that Ray decided he was and should be the number one scoring option in that game, only he's just not at that level anymore and it showed. It was actually the first time I've seen any player on this team play selfishly in a long time, and it did not look good.
At this point in their respective careers, it's a lot easier for Rondo to find 20 good looks at the basket than it is for Ray.
