Empty the Bench

I’ve been a huge fan of Sam Cassell since he helped the Houston Rockets win two titles in the mid-90s as a youngster with a number of clutch shots in the playoffs. He’s continued to make a name for himself as a talented scorer with a reputation for making big baskets since. He’s also a steadying, veteran presence on offense.

That is to say: I understand why Doc Rivers has been quick to insert him when the going has gotten tough in these playoffs — I just don’t agree with the decision. There’s a time and a place for Cassell, and it doesn’t make sense to have the newcomer playing such big minutes early in games where his shot isn’t falling. And it hasn’t been falling since he donned a Celtics jersey (Sam shot 38.5% FGs in the regular season for Boston and is shooting 34.7% FGs in the playoffs).

It’s no secret that Sam I Am has never been a great defender, and at this point in his career he’s downright poor. His body is wearing down and he’s not in great shape. But that’s OK, all he’s supposed to do is take care of the ball and hit big shots to take pressure off of the Big Three in key situations. But in the two Boston losses Cassell has yet to hit a field goal, going 0-for-11 with 4 total assists.

Rajon Rondo Photo Credit: Icon SMI

Rajon Rondo is a young kid capable of logging heavy minutes and he’s the guy that got Boston here. His defensive presence and complimentary offensive skill set was a key component of the team that won 66 games in the regular season. When he’s playing well he should stay in the game, but he’s getting yanked. Such was the case last night. Rondo hit an early outside jumper from the baseline and was playing with confidence again. He was being aggressive and taking the ball to the hole in the first quarter, and he was one of the few Celtics generating offense — and then he went to the bench for an extended stretch.

Why Rajon Rondo needs to play more in Game 5 after the jump…

When Rajon leaves the game early a few bad things happen:

- The Cavaliers point guards find themselves open on the perimeter more often and they can get to the lane with greater ease. Not only does this let them score, but it forces all of Boston’s team defense to get bent out of shape and make them work harder and foul more to recover.

- Rondo was one of the best passing-lane vultures in the league this season, and Cleveland can swing the ball around and make passes with much more confidence.

- Paul Pierce and Rondo are the only Celtics who consistently get penetration, and LeBron has been locking Pierce down regularly. When Rondo isn’t on the floor the offense stagnates and Boston settles for bad jumpers late in the shot clock.

- That inability to get the ball to the basket also takes a ton of pressure off of Cleveland’s frontline players in terms of foul trouble and allows them to stay at home on Garnett.

- The Celtics don’t get into their transition offense as quickly, and when they do they don’t finish as well.

- Their rebounding suffers, especially their offensive rebounding, because Rondo is pretty good on the glass for a guy his size and Cassell… isn’t.

On top of all this, the young Rondo’s confidence can really be affected by being taken out of the flow early. That was especially true last night when he had come in and out for Cassell, who wasn’t providing an offensive burst to go with his usual shaky defense. Rondo would repeatedly heat up and then get taken out of the game. He’s a rhythm player whose offense can easily get out of whack and the more minutes he gets the better he plays. Again, I’m a fan of Sam and I think he’s still got some big shots in him for theses playoffs. But given the style of play in this series relying on him so heavily in early situations seems unwise to me.

Last night Rondo managed 15 points to tie for most on the Celts and he was the only starter to shoot 50% FGS (he shot 49.2% on the season). He also tied for the team lead with 4 assists, was one of only two players with a steal and one of only four players with an offensive rebound. He was playing well. Sam wasn’t. That’s gonna happen, and when it does: let the kid play big minutes. He was the starting point guard on the best team in the NBA over the last six months and he’s just 22-years-old. He can handle it.

Tags: Rajon Rondo, Sam Cassell, Boston Celtics