Celtics shore up guard rotation with Barbosa
After the release of Celtics hopefuls Dionte Christmas and Jamar Smith it was reasonable to expect Danny had another trick up his sleeve, and I don’t mean to toot my own horn but I speculated on this possibility yesterday after the cuts came out:
Speculated might be a strong word.
Barbosa will shore up the guard rotation in Bradley’s absence and then function as a quality reserve at the guard spot, filling in the rotation in the event of injury. While Barbosa hasn’t spent much time at point since his days under Mike Dantoni in Phoenix, and I don’t expect he’ll be holding down the backcourt alone in Boston either. One of the arguments for Bradley coming off the bench this season is that he could share ball handling-duties with Terry as neither is a true point. I can’t comment on Bradley, but I expect Barbosa to do exactly that, giving both he and Terry the opportunity to function as scorers and distributors depending on the circumstances. Like Terry, Barbosa has always been more of a scorer, but I’m confident the two can find a rhythm coming off the bench together.
Defensively Barbosa isn’t any great shakes, but he’s not horrendous either. The past three years Barbosa has hovered around 106 DRTG, a mark comparable to (actually slightly better than) Jason Terry’s over that period. I wouldn’t expect Barbosa to see a lot of playtime without being paired with another defensive minded guard (Lee or Bradley) or Garnett behind him, but he shouldn’t compromise the teams defensive integrity while he’s on the floor.
Barbosa is a low-risk high-reward option for the Celtics all around and will provide some nice insurance at the guard spot. Adding two former 6th men of the year to your bench is rarely a bad thing. Barbosa will likely play around 12 minutes a game until Bradley’s return.
Follow Jordan on Twitter, where he’ll probably make a few more lucky calls because a broken clock is right twice a day: @OffensiveG.
Related posts:
Celtics Blog | Jordan Higgs | October 17, 2012
Like I said, he’s a guy who can light it up with reserved minutes. He and terry would be a starting backcourt on about 20 teams in this league, yet they’re backups for us. And to Ien, what exactly did Jamar Smith and Xmas average as far as assists per game again?? Just asking.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
WHOOO Celtics KILLIN ITT!! Backcourt rotation of Rondo, Bradley, Lee, Terry and now Barbosa! YESSIR! ALL BOUT 18
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I hate not to join the chorus, but this is a risky move, and basically means that Lee is meant to spend significant time at the 3 in a small lineup with Green at the 4. Otherwise, there are not enough minutes to play 4 guards and a PG, especially whena AB is back. A pure backup PG or antoher big man would have been a much more sound choiche. Well, at least Danny boy will have a lot of toys to play with at the trade deadline.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Don’t expect this roster to be the same at the trade deadline. Bradley and Bass look like trade chips right now.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
absolutely. Still, the trade deadline is deep into the regular season. I’d rather get there with the best record and the best team possible, instead with a multitude of clones. Of course, unless AB gets healty deep in the season.
Wait, could this be the case? AB is not ready and won’t be anytime soon? Don’t want to think about that.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I wouldn’t count on AB going anywhere for the next decade plus. Look-down defenders with his skill set are so very rare and I see him as a lifelong Celtic, as with Rondo. And what exactly would you trade these guys for? A center? PP’s future replacement? Another SG? We are loaded and I believe we’ll have these 15 into the playoffs barring any serious injuries. Go Cs…
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Sorry, meant ‘lock-down’ and missed it when I proofread. Go Cs…
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[...] Town Celtics shore up guard rotation with BarbosaGreen Street Irish Coffee: Jason Terry, Courtney Lee still searching for magic potion in [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0