Random Thoughts (February 6, 2009)

If the game in Los Angeles on Christmas Day did not get the point across to you, than I hope last night was the reality check that Celtics fans needed. Last night proved two things. The Lakers are the better team than the Celtics and the Celtics can not defend their championship. A lot can change between now and June but those are the facts. The Celtics need help inside, that has been obvious since James Posey left as a free agent and P.J. Brown retired. They replaced Posey, a 6-8 small forward, in the lineup with 6-4 Tony Allen. They replaced P.J. Brown, a 6-11 power forward/center, in the lineup with the 6-8 Leon Powe and Glen Davis. Most nights, the height difference makes almost no difference. In games like last night, when the talent level is so high, those two or three inches add up and can be the deciding factor. On the other hand, the Lakers have height all over their roster. They start two 7-footers in Andrew Bynum (who missed last night and is out at least 8-12 weeks with a torn MCL in his right knee) and Pau Gasol. They have 6-10 forward Lamar Odom. Chris Mihm (7-0) and Vladimir Radmanovic (6-10) provide depth up front. Trevor Ariza (6-8), Luke Walton (6-8), and Sasha Vujacic (6-7) give them size on the wing. It is height that the Celtics can not currently compete with. I have been been begging for Danny Ainge to find a way to pry Joe Smith away from the Thunder. Smith is a 6-10 veteran who can defend and rebound inside and is a good mid-range shooter, very similar to Brown a year ago. However, landing Smith only solves one problem. The Celtics still need some height on the wing. Tony Allen drives me crazy with his mental lapses on the floor but I think I could live with his mistakes if he were 6-8 instead of 6-4. The C's options are limited on the trade market because they are up against the salary cap. The only obvious option here is to promote one of the rookies, either J.R. Giddens (6-6) or Bill Walker (6-7), to fill Allen's role. Now don't get me wrong, the Celtics are a very good team that will be heard from in the playoffs. It's just that they need some help if they want to repeat as NBA champions... Now that the Patriots have placed the franchise tag on Matt Cassel and the Chiefs are close to hiring Todd Haley as their offensive coordinator, it's time for Bill Belichick to get on the phone with Scott Pioli and figure out how many good draft picks the Pats can land for Cassel... I can't believe the Red Sox start spring training next week... BC's football team signed 17 recruits on Tuesday. Their most important signing was Jimmy Noel, a 6-3 cornerback from Everett. It was important for new coach Frank Spaziani to land an important recruit from his own backyard as he begins the process of establishing himself as the head guy at the Heights... My first team All-America team for college basketball: C - Hasheem Thabeet/UConn, F - Blake Griffin/Oklahoma, F - Tyler Hansbrough/UNC, G - Stephen Curry/Davidson, G - James Harden/Arizona State... Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin is catching a ton of heat for his claims that Urban Meyer and Florida for cheating in the recruitment process of an athlete that ended up going to Knoxville over Gainsville. I love it. Tennessee-Florida was a great rivalry up until a few years ago when the Volunteers program began to crumble. Kiffin has taken the first (and easiest) step in getting the hatred between the two teams flowing again. The hard part will be getting the players to compete with the Gators on the field and finding a way to outcoach Meyer. Good luck... Enjoy UConn-Michigan tomorrow...