Celtics Doom

It just wouldn’t be CelticsDoom without a half-assed analysis of Shira Springer’s interview with our main man Paul Pierce, wherein much is said but little revealed. The only interesting nuggets to be lifted from what amounted to a typical flogging of the company line, were 1) Paul thinks the code of conduct is good for the young players, and 2) that being stabbed in a nightclub doesn’t count as “getting in trouble off the court.”

The whole code-of-conduct thing has been highly abused by those on both sides of the Pierce coin – the haters claim it’s a direct response to Pierce and Ricky’s alleged nocturnal hi-jinks, the Kool-Aid drinkers think it’s Doc Rivers infusing his wonderful “respect of the game” to the emotionally battered but otherwise highly loveable and immensely promising Celtics squad.

Now a third look - taking advantage of the uncertainty swirling around Tony Allen’s future as a man free to walk the streets, our Captain opines that it’s actually all about keeping the young-ins in line. They, after all, are not the mature, multiple all-star, proven veteran blah blah blah that PP views himself as.

The bottom line is, who the fuck knows? Maybe Ricky D gets paged by hookers at 4 in the morning, perhaps Justin Reed pees in the shower, or maybe it’s all part of Doc’s fruitless and reductive head-games. Wherever the truth lies, it points to the dysfunction that surrounds this team that is predictable given their youth/instability, but also worrisome given the lack of direction this mess seems to be heading in (this year). If nothing else, we should all be in awe of the finely tuned double-talk of Doc, Ainge and Pierce that have kept us all debating the most subtle nuances of what amounts to a very obvious train-wreck in the making. Sadly, I’ll be watching every minute of it.

There really hasn’t been anything substantive to discuss in Celtics nation, as evidenced by the increasingly irrelevant postings we’ve seen on many other Celtics sites. Here at CelticsDoom, we subscribe to the notion that personal laziness is a natural defense against blog-irrelevance.

However, it’s always nice to toss out pure speculation.

In that spirit, Shira Springer’s piece on Gerald Green over the weekend seemed to float by without a lot of discussion about the two big glaring bits of news it contained.

1) This idea of Ricky Davis being Gerald’s “mentor” and the subsequent tidbit Gerald drops about other players who are quick to criticize him and don’t offer anything in the way of positive reinforcement. The implication being one of competitiveness and jealousy, etc.

It’s hard not to read Paul Pierce’s name in all of this, whether it is the case or not, simply because it seems reminiscent of the (also under-discussed) anecdote from last year where one of our younger players was surprised that a veteran player from another team acknowledge the presence of his rookie teammate at a restaurant (I think it was Tim Duncan, but I might remember this incorrectly). The Celtics player said something like, “Our veterans wouldn’t do that.”

Obviously, Pierce is not an idiot and understands that the Celtics are at very least hopeful that GG will develop into his replacement over the next few years. Although he didn’t impress in the summer leagues (unlike Al last year), Green is locked, front and center, into the public relations element of Danny’s rebuilding movement. If Danny is going to ship Pierce’s ass out of here before the trading deadline, he’s going to need the “vast untapped potential” of a “Tracy McGrady type” waiting in the wings to make the trade palatable to the Kool-Aid drinkers and season ticket holders. Whether Green develops into anything other than a freakish athlete who doesn’t understand the game is irrelevant at this point. Danny can tell the world that Gerald Green is “a couple years away,” to give him breathing room from angry fans and fickle media types.

Bearing all this in mind, it would be hard to think of PP as being amenable to Green and all he stands for. That Ricky Davis now stands in contrast as the “good teammate” is freaky and weird.

From the Boston Globe, 9/18/05 – Shira Springer
''Ricky Davis, he's cool as a fan," said Green. ''I'm going to try to get on his level. He keeps it real. Most guys, if you do something good, they won't say anything. When you do something bad, they'll be like 'do this, do that.'”

He goes on to say, “off the court he’ll invite you to his crib.”

Now, I love Ricky D and think the trade for him was highway robbery, but this is a bit disconcerting. Sportsguy pointed last season that Celtics brass was still unhappy with how Ricky tended to party too much and stayed out late. That’s his business and he brings it on the court more consistently than anyone else on the team, but the role of a “mentor” seems ill-suited. Frankly, I’d rather see a “Tracy McGrady type” hanging out with bible-quoting Redz West or even the undoubtedly lonely Mark Blount.

2) Gerald and his pit bulls. From the same source as above… said Green. ''I like aggressive, big dogs. My dogs are well-trained, but I want my dogs to be aggressive when it's needed."

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with enjoying the company of pit bulls, rotweilers and mastiffs bred for aggression. Further, I doubt stamp collectors or award-winning guppy-breeders make great basketball players. Nonetheless, who out there didn’t feel a little tinge of “uh-oh” upon reading this?

First of all, the quote reads like classic NBA faux-thug bullshit. Secondly, he named one of the dogs “Joker.” Admit it to yourself, that’s fucked up.

I’m not saying anything other than, this dude slipped far and hard for a reason, and there are enough cautionary examples from the past fifteen years that make GM’s with lottery picks very nervous about off-the-court behavior. Deep down we all knew Tony Allen, with his lack of attention span and general strangeness, was clearly in the running for “Most likely to embarrass the organization” honors. I mean really, was anyone shocked to hear that his posse jacked some dude for disrespecting him? With Gerald Green, I hope I’m wrong, but I’m holding my breath.

Reading several accounts of the most recent athlete in legal trouble scenario, in this case, our own focus-challenged Tony Allen, reminds me of that very mediocre movie Above the Rim, when rapper/actor/soothsayer Tupac Shakur, playing, get this, a drug-dealing gangster (how could he possibly relate to such a role), tells his boy to go shot the star player. If I remember correctly, his boy does so, and them Tupac gets it at the end (as he did in real life).

Now we have reports indicating that Tony Allen told his boy to “Fuck him up.” Him being some assuredly equally scummy dirt bag who had the temerity to have words with a real NBA player. His boy being some unidentified hanger-on who pulls the trigger and actually fucking shots the guy. Fortunately for everyone, the victim survived the assault. Not that Allen would know as he is seen racing from the bar at 3:30 am, takes a flight back to Boston, and is, according to the Herald article today, advised not to cooperate with the police.

What the fuck!

Now, I’m the very definition of white, middle-class suburban dad (accept, perhaps, the fact that I help run a blog with posters named tittyfuck and geeyourtwatsmellsterrific). I have absolutely no understanding or appreciation of living in inner cities, the culture or the mindset. I would like to think that, put in the same situation, I wouldn’t be hanging with guys with guns and getting into fights at seedy bars in the middle of the night/morning. I don’t know that. Disclaimer over.

Seems as if our budding star is a common street thug. Great. A guy who was known for his leadership at Ok State, his defense and dunks for the C’s, turns out to be a guy who tells his entourage to “fuck up” guys he disagrees with. Where was the brain doctor on this one? What a piece of shit. He made it. He got an education because he plays a game well. He gets paid millions because he plays a game well.

For almost a year I have been weighing the potential of the young Celtics, with Allen being the second most talented, with a very high ceiling should he ever get his head in order. Choosing to focus on untapped potential rather than proven mediocrity, I have repeatedly advocated for blowing the team up to let the youngsters play. Now it turns out that one of the core turns out to be an even bigger dick than the one I want gone.

I am profoundly disappointed in Allen, the media for it’s free pass, and idiot posters throughout the Celtic internet community who have made excuses. I trust I will not be disappointed with DA should things shake out the way it looks right now.