Delonte West Needs to Start Against Utah
With one win finally under their belt, the Celtics look to build momentum as they prepare for the Utah Jazz. Utah (4-1) is playing strong basketball right now and finally lost a game on Wednesday night to the New Jersey Nets. In third place in ESPN’s Power Rankings, Utah represents a team and game that the Celtics will struggle to keep competitive.At the point, the Jazz rely on second year starter Deron Williams, a first round and third overall draft pick in 2005. Down low for the Jazz, it’s all about Carlos Boozer - a man that many Celtics fans had spent the off-season fantasizing about. Combined, these two players represent a challenge for a Celtics team that not only struggles to defend point guards, but also finds quick foul trouble down low. Add in the fact that Al Jefferson is out, and we have a blowout in the making.
But I’m being optimistic here… So long as we see more Delonte and Rondo on the floor.
Doc Rivers should realize that if we are going to keep this game competitive, we will need to slow this game down and utilize our more experienced players to compete in a half-court environment. If it were my decision, Delonte West would have to get the start at the point guard position… and here’s why…
1.) Deron Williams is 6′ 3″ and weighs in at 210 pounds, yet is still a quick player. Playing a tiny Sebastian Telfair, who is 6′0″ and 160 lbs., puts us at an immediate disadvantage. Delonte on the other hand maintains defensive pressure better than Telfair and stands at 6′4″ and 185 lbs. - a much closer match to Williams’ size.
2.) This is not a game where small ball will work. Without Al Jefferson’s assistance, the Celtics will have trouble rebounding and moving the ball up court quickly in typical small ball fashion. Then, think about the frequency in which Perkins fouls, combined with the lack of speed from Scalabrine, Ratliff and Olowokandi… it’s just not going to happen. If we know this going into the game, it’s Doc Rivers’ responsibility to plan ahead and make the adjustments.
3.) While everyone wants to consider Delonte a SG, the Celtics and Rivers’ offensive schemes for the past two years have made him into a PG. He lacks the play-making abilities that Rondo has, but he’s familiar enough with the systems to make the offense work. Last night Delonte had the opportunity to return to the point, and despite shooting poorly - he performed well, and for the first time all season - he looked comfortable playing the game.
4.) What are a PG’s primary measurements of success? Assists and turnovers. Through the first four games, Telfair has averaged 27 minutes to Delonte’s 18 minutes. Yet in that time, Telfair has averaged 2.8 assists and 1.5 turnovers to West’s 3.5 assists and 1.4 turnovers. Do the math. Yes, with more minutes Delonte will equate to having more turnovers, but the benefit of the assists will far outweigh that. Especially so when he has the experience to get the ball to Paul and Wally efficiently.
Obviously, I’m pro-Delonte and have been for a long time. At this point though the Celtics organization need to develop the talent they have infested more time in (West, Jefferson, Perkins, Green, etc.) and win games. Putting Delonte on your first unit puts this team in a position to win more games, commit less mistakes, and should open more minutes for Rondo in return. The only competition at the PG spot should be Telfair’s fight to hold the second unit spot with Rajon Rondo showing as much early promise as he already has.
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[...] As I mentioned yesterday, I fully believe that Delonte needs to start this game for the Celtics. With that said, I don’t really expect that to happen — but we can still remain hopeful. [...]