Progress report

Around the time we here at the Green Room were trying to come up with a new way to describe yet another heartbreaking loss like the one the Celts suffered at the hands of the Wizards last week, we decided to turn our attention to our e-mail inbox and take a suggestion from one of our readers:

Hey guys ... keep up the great work! This is a great blog ... hey, I had a story idea. Have you guys thought about doing a midseason Celtics report card? - Raymond

Now, always a good rule: compliment someone before you ask for something. That's solid persuasion right there. How could we say no?

So we went ahead with it, the tried-and-true "grades" column, rating each player on his performance up to the halfway point in the season. We were almost done … but, before we got a chance to post it, Danny traded away four of them. Thanks for nothing, Raymond!

Anyway, Gary Dzen and I pulled ourselves together, and instead of scrapping the whole thing we tweaked it a little bit. Now, finally, we have our "Progress Report" on the remaining C's -- guys who have been in Green from the beginning of the season. The goal is to look at the overall performance of each player based on his stage of "development,” and how they've dealt with our (the fans) expectations.

Because we're dealing with so many young players and the mystical factor of "potential, " we've broken them into groups based upon the amount of time spent in the league. So, the rookies first, and so on.

Kindergarten

The draft class of 2005 is halfway through its first season in the pros.

Orien Greene. Avg. grade: B+ (Globe Staff Photo / Barry Chin)

Orien Greene

Gary: Greene has far exceeded expectations. He's not a great player yet, but he knows his role, which is to guard people and hit the open jumper, and does it well. In time he will learn to be more careful with the ball. B+

Jesse: I actually loved this pick from Danny as soon as he made it, simply because it was a solid gamble -- a guy with an NBA body with point guard skills. Not bad for a mid-second rounder. And as far as I'm concerned, the gamble paid off. Orien has shown stretches of solid basketball, and shoots much better than I anticipated. Sure, the rookie mistakes are still there, but this kid has shown some good court vision, can play defense, and is a good enough ball handler that he can beat many guys off the dribble. From second-round gamble to second-string point guard, he's getting better every time he steps on the floor. B+

Avg. grade: C+ (Globe Staff Photo / Jim Davis)

Ryan Gomes

Gary: Gomes has been relegated to active/inactive limbo, which might be fair given Doc's trouble with establishing a rotation. It's a little disappointing that he has not earned more playing time given what a terrific player he was in college. B-

Jesse: Ryan Gomes is a tricky one. Watching his great career at Providence, I still never got the feeling he'd be a steady rotation guy in the NBA. He just always seemed too inconsistent, especially with his outside shot, and I thought for him to make it in the NBA he'd need to develop some range, and improve his ball handling -- in other words, develop more "small forward" skills. Well, his (short, so far) stint with the C's hasn't changed my mind too much, although he does have an uncanny knack for finding the ball. His college experience has made him "crafty," in that he's a guy who will find ways to score when he's under the basket. Great hands, great hustle. Needs work on everything else. Still, I was hoping he'd have contributed more at this point in the season. C

Avg. grade: B (AP Photo)

Gerald Green

Gary: I apologize to all you optimists out there, but Green is nowhere near NBA ready right now. He obviously has the talent to succeed one day, but his defense will have to improve significantly, and with time there's no reason it can't. He's right where he should be -- the development league. Be patient. B+

Jesse: It's really hard to grade a guy who has yet to play a minute in the NBA. He had some impressive dunks in the summer league, and he's averaging a little more than 10 points a game in the NBDL. Other than that, he's doing what I thought he'd be doing: not much. Frankly, I'd be surprised if we see him on the parquet this year. From the sounds of it, he still has a lot to learn, especially on defense. And with guys like Tony Allen, Orien Green, Pierce, Wally, and Gomes all occupying some time at the wing positions, there's not going to be many minutes for an 18-year-old kid as raw as Green is right now. I also think Danny is being careful not to ruin Gerald's confidence by bringing him up too soon. I'm holding out hope he'll become a serviceable player in a few years, but until that point, I'll remain skeptical. I hope he doesn't become another Kedrick Brown -- an athletic freak who couldn't learn the NBA game. B-

Middle school

The players from the Celts' 2004 draft class no longer have the rookie excuse, and they all play pivotal roles on the team. Yet, they are still learning on the job. Let's see how they stack up after a year and a half in the league.

Avg. grade: C (AP Photo)

Tony Allen

Gary: Allen is obviously hampered by his knee, and until that heals it is unfair to fully judge him. Let's put it this way: when healthy, in two years he could be Ricky Davis with defense. C+

Jesse: The Tony Allen Show started the season on hiatus, as he battled through a knee injury and legal troubles. In fact, in the preseason, I wasn't so sure I'd ever see Tony back in Green. And since he came back to the lineup in early January, he's still been fighting through the lingering effects of the knee injury. Although at times he's shown flashes, Allen just doesn't have the explosiveness he had last year. The tentativeness has hurt his game, and set back his overall progress slightly. Whether he ever regains it is yet to be determined. He still needs to work on his outside shot. His defense is one thing that has improved as the year has gone on, and he's once again one of the best defenders on the C's roster. He'll be needed more now than ever with the departure of Ricky Davis. C-

Avg. grade: B-/C+ (Globe Staff Photo / Barry Chin)

Al Jefferson

Gary: Maybe we've been unfair to Al, but considering the hype that has surrounded him since last year, he can definitely play better. He has flashes of brilliance, and there's no denying his talent. But until he ceases to be a defensive liability, flashes are all we will see. B

Jesse: In the playoffs against Indiana last year, Al Jefferson showed a glimpse of a very, very bright future. Matched up against Jermaine O'Neal, Big Al showed he belonged with the big boys, playing great defense on O'Neal and displaying his full offensive repertoire. He had high expectations coming into this season, and was pretty much invisible for the first two months. His defense seemed to regress over the summer, and his offensive game made little, if any, improvements. Was it too much to ask of a 20-year-old? Maybe. But fair or not, Al is going to have to live with those expectations. Recently, he has started to show more of that promise we all saw the end of last year. But overall, I've been disappointed with his progress so far this year. C

Avg. grade: A (Globe Staff Photo / Barry Chin)

Delonte West

Gary: Anyone who says that they expected Delonte to play this well in his second season is lying. Over the past month, West has led the NBA in field goal percentage at 57.8 percent, an amazing stat for a point guard. He has handled the transition to point guard better than expected and is now starting to find his shot. A+

Jesse: What can you say that hasn't already been said? I had serious doubts that Delonte could play the NBA point guard position. And I still think he may be an even better shooting guard than a point. But, whatever position he's supposed to be playing, he's doing a hell of a job. His confidence has soared this season and he's playing with that reckless abandon that energizes the whole team. OK, maybe he could have a few more assists. There. That's my one gripe. A

High school

With Marcus Banks getting a ticket out of town as part of the Szczerbiak-Davis trade, and the long-ago departure of Brandon Hunter, there is only one player still on the C's roster from the 2003 draft. The "inexperience" excuses no longer apply; this is a true case study on the overall "rebuilding" effort.

Avg. grade: A- (Globe Staff Photo / Jim Davis)

Kendrick Perkins

Gary: Like Delonte, Perk has come along much faster than I expected. I love his toughness and his rebounding. He's raw on offense (he goes to his right every time), but that will come around. A-

Jesse: Now, here's the biggest surprise of the year for me. From young, uncoordinated rookie, to second-year enforcer, to third-year defensive stopper and legitimate inside presence. Perk's development into a true force at the center position is something I did not anticipate at all. At best, I thought Perk would be a solid career backup. Now, if he keeps up the pace of improvement he's shown this season, I can see him as one of the better centers in the league in a few years. Perk's offensive progress reminds me of Emeka Okafor's improvement from his freshman to junior years in college: I can't believe it's the same player. And even though Perk still has a lot of refining to do on his offensive game, he's playing with a lot of confidence right now. A-

Post-grad

The veterans on the roster right now have been through the ups and downs in the league, and are past the point where "improvement" can be expected. They are what they are.

Avg. grade: B- (AP Photo)

Brian Scalabrine

Gary: Let's make one thing clear: Scal will never put up numbers worthy of his contract. But do we blame him for that? He's had some big moments for this team (shutting down Kevin Garnett, and a big offensive put back against Atlanta, to name a few), and I think that's all we can expect from him. B

Jesse: A favorite target of mine early in the season, I've cooled off considerably on criticizing Scal lately because it seems he's finally found his niche on the team. Is that niche worth five years and $15 million? I don't think so. But if he continues to play his role -- defense, crashing the boards, and setting picks -- he'll make a better case. That said, two weeks of solid play doesn't negate two months of ineffectiveness. C+

Avg. grade: D+ (AP Photo)

Raef LaFrentz

Gary: As much as I want to like Raef, his play this year has not earned him much love. To be fair, he is finally adjusting better to coming off the bench (9-of-16 from beyond the arc in his last five games), and I think he can still contribute if this team is to make a playoff run. C

Jesse: The biggest disappointment of the season, by far. With a huge contract (an average of $12 million a year through 2008-09), he has made himself even more un-tradable than he was in a semi-productive role last year. Unfortunately, the C's will be stuck with him until the bitter end. The only hope is if he gets bionic knee implants. D-

PhD

Only one guy from the Celtics team that made the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals is still on the squad. And thank goodness we still have him. The face of the franchise.

Avg. grade: A (AP Photo)

Paul Pierce

Gary: It's no secret that this is Paul's best all-around season. He's ninth in the league in points per game, and is shooting a career best 48.4 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three-point range. Fourth-quarter free throw shooting is the only thing keeping Paul from getting an A. A-

Jesse: He is having the best year of his career. He knows this is a rebuilding season, and has accepted it not by pouting (a la Vince Carter in Toronto), but by turning his game up a notch. He has become one of the truly elite players in the NBA. And unlike Kobe, who could hoist 40 shots a game and people wouldn't bat an eyelash, Pierce has made a concerted effort to get his younger teammates involved, to boost their confidence and allow them to contribute, while at the same time carrying them on his back for stretches. It's been something truly special to watch. I am now confident that Pierce will remain a Celtic for life, and that makes me happy. The free-throw troubles, yeah, they can be frustrating, but guys like Tim Duncan or Shaquille O'Neal have always been horrible at the line, and they've won MVPs. I'm willing to overlook the one blemish on an otherwise phenomenal season. A+

Teacher

In his second year with the team, and already facing heat from the fans.

Avg. grade: C (AP Photo)

Doc Rivers

Gary: It took Doc too long to realize that Blount and Lafrentz were not getting it done, but overall he has done a nice job with a tough situation, getting a lot out of the young guys. He needs to do a better job with late-game strategy; all of those close losses aren't just a coincidence. C+

Jesse: I have made a spirited defense as to why Doc Rivers should not be fired this year, and have defended his "breaking in" of the young guys, but that doesn't mean I still don't have my issues with him. Only recently has the defense improved, but the C's were lacking in such fundamentals earlier in the season, and for that Doc had to take some blame. Also, a lack of communication on the court has been a problem, as has his late-game managing. In fact, his late-game managing has probably cost the team a few wins (not guarding inbounders, not knowing timeout situations, setting up horrible last-second plays). But, it seems like most of the players like playing for him, and he really takes the heat off of the young guys. Would Perk and Delonte have made such progress under another coach? I don't know, but Doc does seem to handle the mix of veterans and rookies pretty well. Still, there's room for lots of improvement in his coaching. C-

Principal

The man with the plan?

Avg. grade: C+ (Globe Staff Photo / Matthew J. Lee)

Danny Ainge

Gary: Ainge has made some great draft choices in West, Perkins, Jefferson, and Green. The results of the most recent trade are still undetermined, but with that core of young players in place, I can't knock Danny too much. B

Jesse: Danny, Danny, Danny. He remains one of the biggest enigmas in town. For every great draft pick he makes (Delonte, Big Al, Greene, etc.), he undoes it with a questionable free-agent signing (Blount, Dickau, Scalabrine). For every bad trade he makes (taking on Raef's albatross contract), he make a genius move (getting Ricky Davis for pennies on the dollar). And there's the good moves he didn't make (dumping Paul Pierce for lesser talent). Now, we have the Wally-for-Ricky swap, which I'm slowly growing on, but am still not sure where it takes the direction of the franchise. Is he still rebuilding, or is he trying harder to "win now"? It's the same question we've asked the past three years, and one I don't see changing one way or the other in the near future. I'm trying to be patient, and think he deserves at least another year to see how this works out, but I'm still skeptical of the "plan," whatever that is. C-

Cheerleader

Just because.

He's so cocky, he's so cool, He's just a disco dancing fool. - Disco Fever

Gino

Jesse: I have to say, this has been a down year for Gino. For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, I explained the Gino Experience a couple of months ago. He's the guy with the beard, bellbottoms, and WAY-too-tight t-shirt with GINO written across the front that the Celts sometimes show on the Jumbotron at the Garden during timeouts in the fourth quarter. Quite simply, he's the coolest disco dancer ever. In fact, I think the C's should get rid of Lucky the Leprechaun and hire a guy to dress like Gino to be the C's mascot. Can you imagine Gino flying off the trampoline for those NBA Jam-style dunks? That would be unbelievable. Anyway, I still question the assertion by some readers that Gino is the equivalent to Red's "victory cigar." At Friday's game against Minnesota, the C's had the game firmly in hand in the fourth quarter, yet Gino never showed. Up by double-digits with less than two minutes in the game, Red would have had that cigar lit. In fact, I've only seen Gino twice this year (in at least five victories I've attended). Very disappointing. If there's a mathematical formula that dictates when Gino shows up, I'd love to see it. Because in my opinion, it needs to be tweaked -- heavily. Note to Celtics: We need more Gino. Please. A++