Official Pierce & KG Thread

[FirstBallotKG]

Kidd has no clue on what he's doing with the minutes. He's doing a piss poor job with KGs minute, he needs to realize that Garnett needs consitency. Doc never jerked him around this much, he had him in for 6 minutes and then took him out and then put him back in 6 minutes.

Right now KG is playing 4 minute stints and 2 minute stints. That's awful for someone who thrives on consitency.

Agreed that KG is feeling quite lost out there - and is playing like that offensively. I have reserved making a mountain out of a mole hill [6 games into an 82 game season] because there isn't anyone in their division that is really likely to win 55 games aside the Brooklyn Nets.

That said, the issue is that Jason Kidd, Lawrence Frank, Deron Williams and the newly acquired vets, KG & Pierce, haven't really been together all at the same time. In my opinion, Deron Williams is playing himself into rhythm given how limited his preseason minutes were. Lawrence Frank was away due to family matters and Kidd had his suspension for the first two games. Consistency is the biggest concern for the Nets. And giving KG longer stretches of 6-8 minutes is better than those spot 2 min spurts. And if they're not allowing KG to play back to backs, then at least one of those games allow him to play 30min. At this point, I have no idea what KG's minutes are like. It's been all over the place. And I can only imagine that the uncertainty regarding minutes is also not helping finding a rhythm.

[MrDollarBills]

KG's minute distro has been atrocious. They need to end the restriction and take it by a case by case basis.

[Lamak]

From the games I've seen KG looks done. Hopefully he'll pick up his game as the season progresses.

[Shameer1016]

The problem with balance is that some players are put into positions they weren't before. Right now KG is last option on offense, and that's when he actually plays. How often do we see a stack starting five like ours in the NBA? Lopez has been the most consistent thus far, along with a efficient Pierce and Joe Johnson. The rest have just been abysmal. No need to stress or panic yet. If its still like this in January, then we might have cause for concern.

[bobbyc]

Did the Celtics call "no take backs"?

[The_Ghost_of_JB]

Going to throw my 2 cents in. KG has been playing center the past couple of season which may have helped mask some of the quickness he has lost. He would stay in or around the paint with the centers, when someone would drive to the hoop he would clog the lane and help out defensively Now that he is back at PF that could be the reasons why he is struggling on defense.

KG is obviously an older player. It may take him a while to warm up or get in a rhythm or flow. If he is getting pulled out at random times or is sitting back to back games then that may explain why he cannot get it going offensively. Perhaps it is just something as simple as this: KG is playing his 19th season in the NBA. Maybe, just maybe he is just done mentally and physically.

[truth18]

Did the Celtics call "no take backs"?

Lol. Havent watched you guys really at all this year but Pierce will do amazing things for your team. Just wait, you'll want to take back this statement. Kg however may break down this year idk, I hope not, if hes healthy, he'll give everything he has post season, I know that.

I mean, still no take backs ! But they will not be your problem once they know the system (if jkidd has one? Heard bad things about his coaching idk).

Enjoy the last of Truth and Kevin's excellence, I miss them and wish them the best

[NyCeEvO]

What's worse is they're beginning to let their offensive woes dictate their defensive effort, which coach Jason Kidd called "unacceptable." Paul Pierce, who pointed to communication breakdowns as one of the Nets' biggest faults, echoed Kidd's thoughts.

"You've got to keep playing the game," Pierce said. "Offensively, shots are there some nights . . . The one thing I've been saying all along is we can control our effort and the consistency we can play on defense. And that's the one thing that bothers me the most, is the defensive end. We just allow time and time again, teams to come in the paint, dunk the ball, getting wide-open threes. There has to be a stand at some point. There has to be a sense of pride from each and every one of us."

Said Kevin Garnett, "It's very disappointing right now . . . All of us have to look ourselves in the mirror and come together and like I said, no one said this thing is going to be easy."

via http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketbal ... -1.6439809

It's truly sad that Pierce seems to be one of the few players that actually care about what's going and are showing it.

He's had 2 monster dunks which would charge up most teams and yet both times that he's had big dunks the OTHER team has gone on a run.

[NyCeEvO]

For as bad as KG has been I still feel like he'll play better as the season goes along. When you've logged as many minutes as he has, I would not be surprised if it would take him a little while to get into the groove of things for the regular season.

It may take him a while to pop the clutch and put the car in gear, but just give him some time and when he finally gets it, watch out for the Oldsmobile. It'll be coming for you.

[MrDollarBills]

For as bad as KG has been I still feel like he'll play better as the season goes along. When you've logged as many minutes as he has, I'm would not be surprised if it would take him a little while to get into the groove of things for the regular season.

It may take him a while to pop the clutch and put the car in gear, but just give him some time and when he finally gets it, watch out Oldsmobile. It'll be coming for you.

I'm not worried about KG in the slightest. People are just being ridiculous.

[BetterCallSaul]

Hey guys, raptors fan here.

I drafted Paul Pierce on my fantasy team and he has been absolutely sucking ****. What's going on? His minutes are down from last year, his shot attempts are down, his assists and most importantly his efficiency have taken huge hits.

WHAT THE ****!?!?!?!

[DarkXaero]

Hey guys, raptors fan here.

I drafted Paul Pierce on my fantasy team and he has been absolutely sucking ****. What's going on? His minutes are down from last year, his shot attempts are down, his assists and most importantly his efficiency have taken huge hits.

WHAT THE ****!?!?!?!

Wasn't he bad last year until the all star break? It was only after Rondo went down that he turned around his season.

[BetterCallSaul]

Hey guys, raptors fan here.

I drafted Paul Pierce on my fantasy team and he has been absolutely sucking ****. What's going on? His minutes are down from last year, his shot attempts are down, his assists and most importantly his efficiency have taken huge hits.

WHAT THE ****!?!?!?!

Wasn't he bad last year until the all star break? It was only after Rondo went down that he turned around his season.

Not really, aside from January.

[exculpatory]

Hey guys, raptors fan here.

I drafted Paul Pierce on my fantasy team and he has been absolutely sucking ****. What's going on? His minutes are down from last year, his shot attempts are down, his assists and most importantly his efficiency have taken huge hits.

WHAT THE ****!?!?!?!

Wasn't he bad last year until the all star break? It was only after Rondo went down that he turned around his season.

Not really, aside from January.

You happen to have the fiercest supporter of Paul Pierce on the planet available for clarification. :0)

He was very good in November & December 2012, & then had the worst month of his brilliant HOF career in 1/2013 - due to a pinched cervical nerve on the right which severely limited him.

As I have posted ad nauseum, after Rondo went down in late 1/2013/after the ASG, Paul's numbers were literally All Pro - 19 PPG - 48.5% - 42.5% - TS% 61% - eFG% 56% - 6.2 RPG - 5.6 APG - PER 23-24?- 3 Trip Dubs. Only freaking LeBron clearly exceeded those numbers. As a result, the Celtics had close to the best record in the NBA between late 1/2013 & late 3/2013 (when KG got hurt).

This season, he was solid (not exceptional - solid) during the first 8 games (14 - 46% - 6 - 3 on limited FGAs [9] & minutes [30]). Then he missed the Clips game with a groin pull & has shot horribly & looked out of sync during the last 2 games earlier this week. Why? Is he hiding an injury (as he has in the past cause he is a tough as nails baller)? It is very hard to believe that he was capable of All Pro numbers after the ASG last season at age 35, & suddenly age has caught up to him at age 36. I am baffled. Hopefully, he will rejoin the elite SFs in the NBA as the season progresses.

[BetterCallSaul]

Wasn't he bad last year until the all star break? It was only after Rondo went down that he turned around his season.

Not really, aside from January.

You happen to have the fiercest supporter of Paul Pierce on the planet available for clarification. :0)

He was very good in November & December 2012, & then had the worst month of his brilliant HOF career in 1/2013 - due to a pinched cervical nerve on the right which severely limited him.

As I have posted ad nauseum, after Rondo went down in late 1/2013/after the ASG, Paul's numbers were literally All Pro - 19 PPG - 48.5% - 42.5% - TS% 61% - eFG% 56% - 6.2 RPG - 5.6 APG - PER 23-24?- 3 Trip Dubs. Only freaking LeBron clearly exceeded those numbers. As a result, the Celtics had close to the best record in the NBA between late 1/2013 & late 3/2013 (when KG got hurt).

This season, he was solid (not exceptional - solid) during the first 8 games (14 - 46% - 6 - 3 on limited FGAs [9] & minutes [30]). Then he missed the Clips game with a groin pull & has shot horribly & looked out of sync during the last 2 games earlier this week. Why? Is he hiding an injury (as he has in the past cause he is a tough as nails baller)? It is very hard to believe that he was capable of All Pro numbers after the ASG last season at age 35, & suddenly age has caught up to him at age 36. I am baffled. Hopefully, he will rejoin the elite SFs in the NBA as the season progresses.

Right, well let's hope so cuz I need his production!


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[MrDollarBills]

Both of these dudes are washed up.

[NyCeEvO]

I don't think they're washed up yet.

As bad as they're playing right now, they're slow starters and I'm not surprised that they're playing the way they're playing right now. I'd expect them to finally hit their stride 25-30 games into the season.

They were brought in to be role players and with Lopez and especially D-Will missing so much time, I don't think it's they're fault for us losing so much.

However, I will say this that KG is done guarding PFs, so whatever you can do try to mask Brook and KG's slowness on the defensive end without killing us must be done.

[FirstBallotKG]

I disagree regarding KG's defense of the power forward spots. Reasons are: the PF position isn't a stacked position in 2013 as it was a decade ago; Garnett is adjusting to Deron Williams & Shaun Livingston's defense to pick-n-rolls despite injuries to that position [PG]; and most importantly, he's playing less than half the game's minutes at 22.5 mpg yet is the only Brooklyn player in the top 40 of rebounds after 11 games.

http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/playe ... vgRebounds

My contention w the Nets is how they've handled minutes w KG - it's been bizarre, to say the least. I understand the fear of injury given the wear and tear that Garnett has. But they've panicked to the other side of that equation of playing him at minimum minutes, despite being a rhythm player. Garnett at 30min is tremendously more impactful than the 22 min currently given - especially while Deron, Brook & Kirilenko are out of the lineup.

The beginning of the season would be the time that KG could play the longer minutes, yet they've kept him on the sidelines longer than any time on the court. I would love to see just 5 games where Garnett plays 28-32min and see if that helps the team, instead of the 22min. I suspect that it would.

Anyways, I agree that once the rash of injuries comes to an end [hoping that they do at least], that the Nets will play significantly better. Health is always a wildcard in sports, the Nets are dealing w that now, obviously.

[Elements]

I concur with KG05-21: his minute allocation in games is too bizarre in games. I remember when he was on fire in the first five minutes in a 1st quarter and then the coaching staff yanked him out for the rest of the quarter (I don't just blame Kidd). Later he comes in the game shooting the same shots but they miss. You don't pull a player in rhythm unless he's in foul trouble, playing poor defense on his assignment, or is too tired. KG was not doing any of those.

For Pierce, he is shooting at an abysmal rate but I expect that to pick up, as well as playing with Johnson, who is a very similar player.

[MrDollarBills]

I repeat: both of these players are washed up.