In the frenzied summer of 2010, the Celtics very quietly had an active offseason. We're counting down the 10 most important developments.
No. 8: The remaking of the bench
When free agency began in July, the Celtics bench had exactly one veteran player under contract who was not contemplating retirement: Glen Davis.
Everyone else, from Nate Robinson to Michael Finley, entered July as an unrestricted free agent and it was not entirely clear how many would return.
This wasn’t so bad when you consider that during the playoffs the Celtics had three players getting regular rotations minutes – Davis, Rasheed Wallace and Tony Allen. By the conference finals, Robinson had made it four.
Still, there was no denying that the Celtics bench, while not quite a liability, was thin in spots and unpredictable in others.
With Wallace presumably retired and Allen off to Memphis, Danny Ainge was left to fill in the gaps even after he had done the heavy lifting of re-signing Paul Pierce and Ray Allen and inking Jermaine O’Neal for the full mid-level exception.
Tony Allen’s departure paved the way for Robinson and Marquis Daniels to return and then Ainge reached out to sign Shaquille O’Neal, Von Wafer and Delonte West to contracts for the veteran’s minimum with the latter two only partially guaranteed.
What’s left is in an intriguing mix of players who have certainly added depth, but also bring along an unpredictable element.
Rivers knows that he can’t wear out his vets during the long grind of the regular season, but there is still the matter of winning games. Minutes aren’t the only thing that takes its toll. Too often last season the starters had to work extra hard to get leads, and on the nights when things weren’t clicking, the bench rarely was able to give them a lift.
Robinson is set as the team’s backup point guard, a position that has been unstable since Rajon Rondo took over the starting job in 2007. Robinson can provide instant offense, but he didn’t earn Doc Rivers trust until he committed to playing pressure defense.
Davis has a chance for a breakout season provided he continues to embrace the role that he played during the playoffs, giving the Celtics energy, points and offensive rebounds.
This is a huge season for Davis, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. If he plays up to his potential, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him in the running for the Sixth-Man award.
Shaquille O’Neal seems likely to come off the bench and he would give Rivers a go-to presence on the low block, a luxury for the second unit.
That leaves Wafer, West and Daniels to fill in behind Ray Allen and Paul Pierce and in recent years finding capable backups to the veteran stars has been an issue.
Wafer has shown he can score, but his defense needs work as he acknowledged earlier this summer.
West can play both guard spots, but he will serve 10-game suspension to start the season and his problems last season have been well-documented.
Daniels, meanwhile, is capable of doing a lot of things, and he is just as capable of merely filling space while he is out on the court. Of the three, Daniels might be the biggest X-factor.
If the rookies can contribute that would add even more depth to the equation, but it is hardly a given.
If nothing else, the Celtics new-look bench offers more answers to the same old questions. Whether they are the right answers remains to be seen.
Up next: Perk’s knee and Sheed’s retirement.