Grading The Celtics Offeason: How Did They Do?
The Celtics had an offseason which was productive as well as effective. While they didn’t land any marquee players like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, or Chris Bosh, they were not expected to do so.
However, they could have made runs at picking up guys like Matt Barnes, Steve Blake, Mike Miller, Joe Johnson, or even Mario Chalmers.
I thought Joe Johnson could have been a huge pickup for Boston, but after signing a maximum contract with the Atlanta Hawks it was very clear that he was more interested in a big-contract and staying with his team than finding a place that had more talent or potential to win, which he could have done.
Unfortunately for the Celtics, the Lakers and Heat both have extremely talented rosters. Boston does have a lot of talent, but not the “sexy” talent like Miami or L.A. has with guys like Kobe Bryant, Wade, or James. Because of their current set of players, Miami and L.A. were able to pick up the second-third tier players like Blake and Miller, taking away players who could be pivotal on a Boston bench.
In grading an offseason, the fundamental question that needs to be asked is, did the team improve? Obviously the Cavaliers had a tough offseason…it would be very difficult to support and borderline unrealistic to say that the Cavaliers improved.
The Knicks, on the other hand, landed a very talented Amar’e Stoudemire who could bring some status to New York basketball.
Did Boston improve?
I would say yes, and although they could have done more, they certainly improved enough to keep themselves in contention for a title. Both Jermaine O’Neal and Shaquille O’Neal add depth where they clearly needed it last year, adding two very big bodies inside.
Depth might be an issue towards the end December right before Kendrick Perkins returns, as exhaustion and small injuries may start playing a factor in player performances. Further, without Rasheed Wallace (retiring), the Celtics will eagerly await Perk’s return.
Jermaine O’Neal is a strong offensive player and can get rebounds, something the Celtics sorely needed when Perkins was injured/catching a breather. Shaq is a guy who can clog up the middle of, well, anything, including a basketball court.
The two will create a platoon to allow Perkins and Garnett to rest. While obviously not as defensively minded as Kendrick and KG, they will be able to pull down rebounds and score. Throw Glen Davis into the mix, and, when healthy, the Celtics have a very unique and dangerous combination.
I think the Celtics could have used another scorer off the bench. Right now their major threat is Nate Robinson and a lot may ride on guys like Luke Harangody (impressive thus far), and the oft-injured Marquis Daniels.
The major blow Boston will have to deal with is the loss of Tony Allen. Those who did not watch Tony play throughout the season did not realize his vast improvement, both offensively and defensively. Offensively, he became a guy who could drop some points by slashing to the basket while playing lock down defense on anybody, from LeBron to Kobe.
However, the Celtics drafted Avery Bradley. Although very raw offensively, Bradley is supposedly an NBA-ready defensive player, who should be able to cover one, two, and the smaller-sized combo-guard.
Overall, the Celtics would certainly have benefited from holding onto Allen and/or adding another perimeter scoring threat. The team didn’t have the high-profile pickups like maybe the Heat or even Los Angeles, but they certainly made their team better.
The offseason is not over, and for the Celtics to jump into the A range they’ll need to sign a small forward or shooting guard who can score so that the backup role doesn’t fall completely in the hands of untested players.
Grade: B/B+
Josh Beckett Struggling: Will He Return to Form?
As of now, Josh Beckett’s ERA stands at 6.51, while his WHIP sits at a career worst 1.54. After returning from the disabled list, Beckett seemed to settle into a groove, culminating in a spectacular eight inning performance in which he only allowed one run to the Cleveland Indians.
Since that game, Beckett has thrown 9 2/3 innings while allowing four home runs, 13 earned runs, and 21 hits. Ugly, ugly numbers.
Moving forward, should we expect to see the Josh Beckett who dominated the Cleveland Indians and pitched admirably against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (7 IP, 3 ER)? Or should we get used to him giving up bombs, blowing big leads and leaving fastballs over the middle of the plate?
We’ll look at the teams he has recently faced.
The Angels and Indians have both been weak offensive teams this season. In terms of batting average, the Indians rank 27th in the MLB with a .247 team average, while the Angels stand at 19th, with a .256 team average. Both are in the bottom half of the league in hitting.
On the other hand, the New York Yankees (6th) and Texas Rangers (2nd) are both offensive powerhouses as apparent from their .269 and .271 batting averages. Stepping away from stats, simply look at the players.
Of the 18 starters on the Rangers and Yankees, is there anybody you would LIKE to pitch to?
What I’m saying is that Beckett had great success against weaker hitting teams, but against talented offenses he has struggled. Still, Beckett of old had no problem shutting down any team he faced, and watching him on the mound struck fear into the eyes of opponents.
It’s clear that Beckett is no longer the ace of this staff, and if he needs a reminder he can just look at his 6.51 ERA. But, will he ever be considered a co-ace once again?
I think yes. In Beckett’s career, his struggles occur due to a lack of control or movement with his curveball. When this occurs, he becomes very hittable.
Generally, he has to rely on his fastball velocity, movement and location. He has historically used his fastball as his “out” pitch.
Against both New York and Texas, Beckett seemed on the money with his curveball. Although one of his curves was taken deep, it still had lots of movement and was not left hanging over the middle of the plate.
His fastball has been giving him issues. His velocity is down from 95 MPH on average to 93 MPH.
There are two major possibilities as to why Beckett is not throwing as hard as he used to.
First, he is still suffering from back pain, and aggravated his injury in a previous start. Beckett has continuously rejected this notion asked about it, so I do not believe an injury is the source of his woes.
Second, he may be trying to “aim” his pitches, as opposed to just “throwing” them. Pitchers are coached to think of pitching as playing catch with the catcher. When a pitcher starts to “aim” pitches, or focus solely on a release point, accuracy and velocity both suffer.
Pitchers fall into this trap when struggling, and Beckett is clearly having trouble right now.
Luckily, this problem is very fixable. All it takes is one or two solid innings of pitching for a pitcher to regain some swagger and be unafraid to challenge hitters.
Hopefully, Beckett is able to make it to that second inning.
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Positional Analysis: Tight Ends on the New England Patriots
Before the draft, the tight end position looked to be a weak point in an otherwise potent offense. Alge Crumpler is a good blocker and receiver. However, he is old and well out of his prime.
After the draft, New England’s tight end core looks intensely dangerous. Aaron Hernandez is a big play threat with speed and a quickness that is rare in tight ends. He ran a 4.58 second 40-yard dash and clocked an impressive 6.83 second 3-cone drill.
For your reference, Demaryius Thomas, a highly ranked wide receiver drafted in the first round, had a 3-cone drill time measured at 7.11 seconds.
Rob Gronkowski, the other tight end the Patriots drafted, is coming off back surgery. He will be a great change of pace paired with Hernandez. Gronkowski is not lacking in the speed department, nor is he flat-footed, but he is not as fast as Hernandez (4.65 40-yard dash) or as quick (7.18 3-cone).
However, he weighs about 20 more pounds than Aaron and his quick burst off the line of scrimmage will create mismatches when he gets himself open in the secondary, as he is larger than all defensive backs.
Aaron Hernandez gives the Patriots strength where the team struggled last season: The Red Zone.
New England scored a touchdown only 52.3% of the time when in the Red Zone, good for the 13th best percentage in the NFL. Despite ranking third overall in trips inside the 20 (65), the Pats only managed 34 touchdowns.
Part of the problem was the running game. Laurence Maroney seemed to catch a case of the drops whenever he was in a goal line situation, and the team does not have a player who can consistently pound the ball into the end zone.
However, Hernandez is a significant threat in the Red Zone, and look for Brady to seek out the young tight end from the start of the season.
Hernandez’s quickness enables him to get open amidst linebackers who are seldom as quick as he, and he possesses the catching and leaping ability to snatch balls through the tight “windows” inevitable in the end zone.
Alge Crumpler is the best blocking tight end New England has, and is already a respected locker room presence. Last season, New England struggled with a lack of leadership, evident in second-half collapses.
Further, Crumpler was a pro-bowl caliber player in his prime, so with his mentoring Hernandez and Gronkowski should improve rapidly over the course of the season.
Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski both pose mismatches for opposing defenses. Hernandez is quicker than most linebackers and is a talented pass catcher, while Gronkowski has the speed to reach the second level where his size can dominant smaller defensive backs.
Grade: B+ (since a lot of weight rides on rookie talent)
For Full Positional, Coach and Player Analysis, check out the FREE Ultimate Guide to the 2010-2011 New England Patriots
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2010-2011 New England Patriots: Positional Outlooks, Player and Coach Analysis, Keys to Winning and Overall Expectations
The Patriots had a fairly successful year last season. Despite a brutal loss in the first round of the playoffs to the Baltimore Ravens, they were able to win 10 games despite injuries to key players, including Jerod Mayo, Wes Welker and Tom Brady. Brady did not miss any games, but was hampered by a broken finger and cracked ribs. A healthy Patriots team will be vastly different this year. I will take you through each position and grade the Patriots, giving you a better understanding of the team as a whole. You will know what to expect for this coming season, and the Patriots “Keys to Victory.”
This 22 page Ebook contains in-depth player, coach and statistical analysis.
You will understand the entire roster, its strengths, weaknesses, and the necessities for the success of the team.
Each position is graded and every key player on the roster is analyzed based on his talents.