Boston

Delonte West vs. Marcus Banks


Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services 

The Boston Celtics are entering an era where they will have to decide who their point guard of the future is. Whether or not Gary Payton is still here next week, he is a short-term answer that might still be with the team come playoffs, but he is not part of the package that will eventually contend for a title. The big question is who will take the reigns: second-year speedster Marcus Banks or precocious rookie Delonte West?

It should come as no surprise that for an up-tempo team, the most important cog is the point guard. Byron Scott started preaching up-tempo basketball to the Nets as soon as he got there but until Jason Kidd replaced Stephon Marbury, it was a terrible team. The primary difference between Phoenix last year and this year has been Steve Nash: just look at how poorly the otherwise talented Suns fare when Nash is injured. And can you imagine the Wizards without Gilbert Arenas?

So who will lead the Celtics as the point guard of the future? The qualities required for the job are exactly those possessed by Jason Kidd when he is healthy: lock-down defender of the opposing point guard, able to run a halfcourt set, a one-man fast break, and a pass-first mentality.

Currently the Celtics have three point guards on their roster. Far and away Gary Payton is closest to that ideal, the only knock against him being his age and sporadic slowness against quicker opponents. Then it gets tougher.

Delonte West has been praised by Doc Rivers for both his perimeter defense and his pass-first mentality. He clearly seems to be Doc's favorite. Yet when Marcus Banks plays the game the right way, he has earned very warm words of praise as well. Payton has been a huge boon to young Marcus. The number of assists Banks is dishing out has been increasing while his turnovers have been decreasing, for the most part. He is clearly quite capable of making the nifty no-look pass, though it has gotten him yanked by Rivers when it was too flashy and resulted in a turnover instead of two points.

Here's the problem as I see it: to be a Celtic you have to be willing to be coached. To be a Celtic you have to work harder than any other player in the world. How can you do that if you don't listen to the coach?

If you ever see Banks get benched, look at his body language and how he responds to Doc's words. I may be imagining things but it seems as if Banks for the most part ignores Doc. If I'm wrong, great! If I'm right, and he's doing the same pouting that he did under John Carroll, then it's just a question of time before a package gets put together that includes him.

I wrote before the season started that Marcus Banks can be the next Baron Davis without the back problems. It's still possible, and in two ways. One, Banks can become the consummate team player. Once he does that, Rivers has shown no hesitation in playing him extended and crunch minutes. Two, Banks can be traded for Davis. Not one-for-one, of course, it would involve a lot more talent and expiring contracts and possibly picks, but the Hornets would probably love a feisty up-tempo guy like Banks. Byron Scott might see in him similar characteristics that he got out of Jason Kidd.

If that happens, then Gary Payton becomes the second-best point guard on the Celtics, and that means Boston is ready to run.

NEXT GAME
The Boston Celtics (26-26, second in the Atlantic) host the Memphis Grizzlies (30-22, fourth in the Southwest) for their final game before the All-Star break tomorrow night, Wednesday, February 16th, 2005. The game starts at 7:00pm Eastern and will be broadcast on Fox Sports New England and NBA League Pass. Tickets are still available at the FleetCenter. The Celtics will also be selling $2 "I am a Celtic" wristbands before the game to support the children's charities sponsored by the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation. You can rest assured I have already purchased mine here.

TEAM NOTES
The FleetCenter will be renamed every day from tomorrow until February 28. For about $3,000, you can have it named after you. The winner for the big prize -- tomorrow's home game against the Grizzlies -- was the Golden Palace Casino for an astonishing $35,000. Most other days got auctioned off for one-tenth that price, and there are still some dates left.

Check outwww.fleetcenter.com for links to the auction site.

Today it is known as KurtCenter. Seriously. Check out the above site and you will see, if you glance before they remove it. Your naming rights last till about 9am.

INJURY UPDATE
Big Al Jefferson(high ankle sprain) andMichael "Yogi" Stewart ("knee") are on the injured list. Big Al's recovery seemed to have spurts of early rejuvenation but he likely won't play or practice full-strength until after the All-Star break.

NEWSLINES

Mark Murphy ofThe Boston Heraldwrites: The question is whether, after 1 years in the NBA, Banks can finally learn to look for open teammates first and his own shot second. ``That's the old argument,'' Rivers said with a shrug. ``Right now nobody knows. ``The problem is that he is still trying to make the play for himself. The easiest play would be for him to take the ball and get it ahead to someone. I told the guys that I averaged 10 assists one year, but I could have averaged 15. The reason I didn't is because so often I just got the ball ahead to Dominique (Wilkens) and the other guys, and they created off of it for easy baskets.'' West, on the other hand, has already shown more promise in the same situations. ``Delonte has that part down - the part about getting the ball up the floor,'' Rivers said.

Michael Muldoon ofThe Lawrence Eagle-Tribunewrites: He has observed less athletically gifted forwards like Larry Bird and Karl Malone, and taken from their games. Stealing from a Mailman might be a federal offense, but Webber has already proven he knows his way around a courtroom. "I'm a thief, man. I steal as much as I can," he said, breaking into his trademark Hollywood smile. He used to steal your breath, now he's content stealing a couple of wins. That was the case yesterday. "This was one of my most fun games as a player," beamed Webber.

Mike Fine ofThe Patriot Ledgerwrites: It took many years for the Sacramento Kings to even approach NBA respectability, but once they did, they became one of the league's perennial powerhouses. Don't think the Boston Celtics haven't taken notice.

The Evansville Courierwrites: Walter McCarty pushed hard for the trade that brought him to Phoenix, and he says he is ready to fill whatever role the Suns require, even if he seldom leaves the bench."I'm a great team player," said McCarty, who hit a 3-pointer in limited action in his first game with the Suns on Friday. "If I have to be a cheerleader and supporter, that's what I'll do. I'm here just to add to what they've already done. I'm not going to complain about minutes."

Shira Springer ofThe Boston Globewrites: For every fourth quarter in which the Celtics falter, as they did against the Kings Sunday night, coach Doc Rivers can point to a recent game in which they finished strongly. Chicago. Orlando. Minnesota. So when the pressure mounts for a playoff push after the All-Star break, Rivers won't exactly know how his players will respond, especially the younger ones. But he looks forward to seeing the Celtics tested during a run that will likely translate to Atlantic Division title or bust... In fact, he scheduled a workout yesterday precisely because he didn't want the players taking a mental break before the All-Star break. He had what he termed a "mental practice," with lots of film and about five minutes of walking through plays. For a change, Rivers emphasized offense, especially proper spacing. He thought poor spacing led to offensive inefficiency down the stretch against Sacramento. 

Chris Tomasson ofThe Rocky Mountain Newswrites: [Adrian] Smith is asked often where he got the car. He's always happy to say. Smith played in one NBA All-Star Game and it just so happens he was the Most Valuable Player. Playing for the Cincinnati Royals at his home arena, the unheralded Smith was honored with the car after he scored 24 points to lead the Eastern Conference to a 137-94 rout of the Western Conference... Smith easily is the most obscure All-Star MVP. He is the only player so honored who never has been first- or second-team All-NBA... But no one-time All-Star other than Smith has been an MVP. And doing it on his home court made it more memorable. In Smith's era, writers selected the starters and three reserves on each team and the coach of each team got two wild-card selections. Smith can thank legendary Boston Celtics boss Red Auerbach for picking him.

Milan Rozcanek ofPA Internationalwrites: All started well on their home court in September with an 82-57 thrashing of Poland, an outcome which suggested they would be just fine without their star player Jiri Welsch. Welsch, who turned 25 in January, was busy in the United States getting ready for the NBA season with the Boston Celtics when the qualifying games were being played. How important was he to the Czechs? Very.He had averaged 22 points a game for the national side in their encouraging Eurobasket 2003 qualifying campaign when they showed signs of becoming a power.

The Associated Press writes inThe Boston Globe: A bidder identified as "Golden Palace Casino" has offered the high bid for single-day naming rights for the FleetCenter, putting up $35,099."Golden Palace Casino," which is the name of an online casino, beat the nearest bidder on eBay by $100 in the first auction to name the sports arena for a day. The bidding ended at 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday.