Danny Ainge may be giving the players some time away from basketball, but we are calling every player on the roster into our Celtics Town offices for their exit interviews for the rest of this week. Here’s the fourteenth in the series: Terrence Williams.

Terrence,

I’m usually supportive of whatever “unknown” is currently languishing at the end of the Celtics’ bench. You came to the Celtics with a bit of a reputation (including the simultaneous compliment/insult of having been dubbed the D-League Oscar Robertson) but like many of those “unknowns” I had irrationally campaigned for before you, we had no idea what you could do on the floor for this team. Then after your nine point, four rebound, four assist breakout game against Phoenix you were no longer an unknown, and if I wasn’t building the Terrence Williams bandwagon I was certainly sitting shotgun. I was completely sold.

Your passing is probably your greatest attribute, especially for a Celtics team that was struggling without anything remotely resembling a true point guard, and in that Phoenix game you showed the ability to consistently make the right play in transition. You’re like a locomotive heading to the hoop with your size and strength, and those same physical gifts help you hold your own on the boards. While you’re obviously not perfect, your all around game shows room for growth and that makes me excited. Your defense has been up and down and your jumpshot could be better, but thats nothing a little hard work can’t fix.

And it’s been your willingness to put in hard work that has me most excited about your future. When Doc Rivers told you you were a point guard, a position you had never really played before, you committed to it. You put in late nights at the gym and your work ethic earned the respect and admiration of the team’s veterans. It’s that attitude that allowed you to grind your way into the Celtics playoff rotation, becoming the team’s seventh man ahead of Jordan Crawford and Courtney Lee.

It’s rare to find a player with both the talent and drive you’ve shown during your short time in Boston. The Celtics have acquired troubled talent in free agency before (including my previous favorite former Nets draft pick, Sean Williams) but that work ethic sets you apart. I’ll admit I may be overselling you a bit, but what we’ve seen from you so far has me optimistic about your future (though perhaps its just the prospect of having a real backup point guard for once) and I’d be shocked if you weren’t back in Boston next year.

Follow Jordan on Twitter: @HiggsOnHoops

Danny Ainge may be giving the players some time away from basketball, but we are calling every player on the roster into our Celtics Town offices for their exit interviews for the rest of this week. Here’s the tenth in the series: Fab Melo.

Fab,

I’ll admit I entered the season with low expectations for you, and 36 NBA minutes later not much has changed. The bulk of my Fab Melo experience came during summer league, where I cringed every time you tried to break the backboard with a jumper and grimaced every time you were half a second too late with a block. There were times when I was afraid that your projected ceiling as a Brendan Haywood-esque player was too high, and your lack of minutes on a team desperate for big men did nothing to allay those fears. I’m also pretty sure you were offered to the Wizards in the trade for Jordan Crawford and that proposal was rejected, which was equally discouraging.

You were every bit as hilarious as I’d hoped however. Whether it was your impressively low-key destruction of a chair, or your epic encounter with a doorway that resulted in a concussion, I wish we could have had more Fab Melo if only for the entertainment value. I can only imagine the adventures you and Jordan Crawford might have together next season.

Your humorous exploits aside, you did make considerable strides in the D-League for a (relatively) new basketball player. In late December you set the D-League record for blocks in a game amidst a monster 15 point, 16 rebound, 14 block triple double. You were named to NBA D-League All-Rookie First team and (more importantly) the All-Defensive First Team as well. The real test will come this summer when you’ll have an opportunity to make a case for yourself during Summer League. Until then, keep practicing that jump shot and watch out for those sneaky doorways.

Follow Jordan on Twitter: @HiggsOnHoops

Danny Ainge may be giving the players some time away from basketball, but we are calling every player on the roster into our Celtics Town offices for their exit interviews for the rest of this week. Here’s the eighth in the series: D.J. White.

D.J.,

Usually I invite people to sit down for these but there’s no need, this’ll be quick. After signing with the Celtics in mid-March, you played a whopping 86 minutes (ahead of only Fab Melo, Jarvis Varnado, Kris Joseph, and Darko Milicic) despite the team being in desperate need of big men. In the playoffs Doc chose to play an out of position Jeff Green and an undersized Brandon Bass at center over you. While it’s true Doc’s rotation is notoriously difficult to crack for newcomers, both Shavlik Randolph and Terrence Williams managed to do it in their two months in the team (the latter doing so in the playoffs).

You played so few minutes the stats are useless in evaluating you. To my eyes you appeared to be a competent offensive player but you couldn’t be relied upon to create your own shot, limiting your contributions to a team desperate for offense. You were a better defender than advertised but a much worse rebounder, and on a team that already struggles to compete on the boards that made you a liability on the floor. Your skillset was ill-matched for a team lacking a point guard to create for you, and that already struggles on the boards. I’m not sure where your next stop will be but I would be surprised if you were back with the Celtics next year. Wherever you end up, I wish you the best of luck.

Follow Jordan on Twitter: @HiggsOnHoops

Danny Ainge may be giving the players some time away from basketball, but we are calling every player on the roster into our Celtics Town offices for their exit interviews for the rest of this week. Here’s the fifth in the series: Jared Sullinger.

Jared,

As the draft approached I became increasingly certain you would be a Boston Celtic. Your medically flagged back had caused you to fall out of the lottery, and with consecutive picks late in the first round I knew the Celtics could take a chance on you that other teams couldn’t. When you were selected with the 21st pick I quietly fist-pumped to myself, not knowing at the time that the very same back injury that had caused you to drop out of the lottery would be the same one that would end your season. At the time you took it all in stride saying, “If you consider me landing to the Boston Celtics a drop then I’ll do it all over again without a hesitation.”

You could have come to Boston with an ego and a chip on your shoulder, but instead you were defined by your unselfishness. In summer league there were times when you were clearly the best player on the floor, but instead you chose to play within yourself and focus on keeping your teammates involved. That willingness to fulfill a role would become the key to your success in your rookie season.

In training camp you quickly earned the respect of your teammates and the coaching staff with your tireless work ethic and high basketball IQ. Kevin Garnett took you under his wing and you were an eager and attentive pupil. And it paid off, so much so that Doc Rivers was reluctant to start you not because you hadn’t earned it, but because you were being relied upon to anchor the defense and shoulder the rebounding load while Garnett was on the bench. Your skill at the latter is remarkable, you finished the season with the second best rebounding percentage on the Celtics, trailing only Shavlik Randolph but having a significantly bigger sample size. Your approach to the boards encompasses who you are as a player, a perfect marriage of intellect and grit.

You were easily one of my favorite Celtics this season. I spent the first few months of the season alternating between complaining that you weren’t starting and complaining that the refs were out to get you (I’m convinced that only about half of your 6.2 fouls per 36 were legitimate). I was nearly inconsolable when your back, the very same back that was the only reason the Celtics had the opportunity to draft you in the first place, robbed you of the second half of your rookie season just as you had cracked the starting lineup. Part of me thinks that the Celtics could have scraped and clawed their way into the second round if you were still playing. In fact, with all the brick laying the C’s were doing and your nose for the offensive boards you might have lead the team in scoring. The other part of me is happy that you’ll (hopefully) be able to put this injury behind you. That you’ll be able to fully extend your legs when you sit down again. That you’ll be able to play without needing an epidural for the pain.

But all of me is eagerly anticipating your future, and for a player with your work ethic and intelligence the future is bright. The longer the C’s are off the court the more I can’t wait to see you back on it, and I know when I see you grab that first board in the season opener I’ll be quietly fist-pumping once again.

Follow Jordan on Twitter: @HiggsOnHoops

Danny Ainge may be giving the players some time away from basketball, but we are calling every player on the roster into our Celtics Town offices for their exit interviews for the rest of this week. Here’s the second in the series: Jason Terry.

Jason,

We’ve come a long way since last summer. If you asked me at the beginning of the summer which Celtic was mostly likely to replace Ryan Hollins as the subject of my heckling I would never have dreamed in a million years it would be you (and for a while Bass gave you a run for your money). Reactions to your signing ranged from cautious optimism to giddy hyperbole bordering on the absurd. I was admittedly in the later camp but I wasn’t alone, you inspired Jay to write things like, “JET isn’t going to knock on the door when he subs into a game. He’s going to huff, he’s going to puff, and he’s going to blow that mother-bleeper down.” “Replacing” Ray Allen carried high expectations from a wounded Celtics fan base, and though you were adamant that you were not Ray you guaranteed a championship and labelled yourself a “game-changer.” You also got this silly tattoo.

Instead of meeting my expectations you put me through something that resembles the five stages of grief. At the beginning of this season I was in denial (“JET will get going, he just needs time to get comfortable get in the offense”), followed by anger (“I can’t believe this guy was supposed to replace Ray Allen”), bargaining (“Maybe if we throw in a pick someone will take Terry off our hands at the trade deadline”), depression (“I can’t believe we’re going to be stuck with this crap for two more seasons”), anger a few more times (every time you stepped on the court really), and finally acceptance. The acceptance came about when I realized that the Jason Terry everyone remembers is the one from the magical run the Mavericks made in the 2011 playoffs that was performing way above his regular season numbers. In fact, aside from numbers affected by your drop in minutes, you performed right around your career regular season averages. I know, I was shocked too. It doesn’t explain your inability to grasp the Celtics’ defense, but I could say that about half the roster and the expectations for you on defense were low to begin with.

Fortunately (for your career and my sanity) you stepped up during the playoffs (though you spent the first three games warming up), including an insanely clutch performance during the overtime of game four. Because I’m easily swayed by recency bias you convinced me that you were alright, instead of the most untradable albatross of a contract since Jeff Green had an untradeable albatross of a contract. I even find myself inexplicably attached to you, probably because with Kevin and Paul’s futures up in the air you might be the only returning vet next season. While I’m fearful of what kind of influence you might have on an already excessively eager shooter like Jordan Crawford, the locker room will need a veteran presence. Rondo could certainly provide some of that (depending on what happens with Paul and Kevin) but I’m sure you’ll do enough talking for both of you.

Ultimately this wasn’t a great season for you JET. I’m not sure how much of this has to do with how the Celtics chose to use you, how much this has to do with tired legs, and how much has to do with impossible expectations. I hope next season will be better, for both of us, and I’ll try not to watch Game 6 of the 2011 Finals too many times between now and then. Through all the ups and downs you’ve been a great teammate, always willing to shoulder the blame and eager to deflect praise. You know how to say the right thing, Jason, even if you say it too much.

I had a recap written, a morose send off to a lost season, but like so many times before the Celtics made me tear the whole thing up. When Avery Bradley stole the ball and cut the lead to four I believed, in that moment I doubted the obituary I had resigned myself to writing and though the C’s came up short I wonder what comes next. When the Knicks’ lead ballooned to twenty I thought I knew, now I’m not so sure. I’ll need to think on it for a while. What I do know is that in the fourth quarter the Celtics refused to lay down and die, and if this is the end of an era at least it ended with a tremendous display of Celtic pride. “We came together and said ‘If we’re going to go out, we’ve got to go out fighting.’” Green said afterward. Let’s run through the bullet points one last time:

• Kevin Garnett played his heart out tonight. One of the few Celtics to play a competent offensive game through the first three quarters, Garnett finished with 15 points on 7-10 shooting and 10 rebounds. I’m not sure what comes next for KG, when he was asked about it after the game Garnett didn’t have answers either, “I haven’t really thought about it, to be honest with you. I’m kind of digesting , obviously, the current, and Doc came to me, pulled Paul and I to the side and all three of us agreed to speak later — too emotional. Obviously, it was a big game, tough loss, especially at home. But more importantly in the future, it’s a different day for that conversation.”
• Coming off a team-high 44 minutes in game five, a fatigued Paul Pierce struggled all night long, calling his performance poor would be kind. Pierce finished with 14 points (dreadful 4-18 shooting), seven rebounds, five assists, and (of course) five turnovers. “I didn’t perform at my best,” Pierce conceded. “I really struggled the last couple games offensively.” At 35 Pierce can’t bear the load he used to, his body can’t take it, but Pierce said he’s not done, “I definitely expect to play next season.”
• Jason Terry showed up for the third game in a row, scoring 14 points on just six shots. Like Pierce, JET said retirement was not on the table, “I have to get back to Sixth Man of the Year form,” said Terry after the game. I think that’s Terry language for “man, I was pretty bad all season.” That said, Terry was also one of the only reasons the Celtics had a chance in this series so I think he’s growing on me, like some sort of incessantly talking fungus. On the other hand, Jordan Crawford and his magic socks played three minutes and scored zero points. Remember when I was advocating Crawford over Terry? Yeah let’s all pretend that never happened.
• Avery Bradley was the catalyst for the Celtics’ late game surge, with all 10 of his points (and all three of his steals) coming in the fourth quarter. Bradley isn’t a point guard and he probably never will be, but in those final minutes it was great to see him look like himself again.
• Jeff Green played 43 hard minutes, ultimately fouling out while running on fumes during the Celtics’ comeback bid. Green did most of his damage from the line (11-14 there) and finished with 21 points on 12 shots. Green has come a long way since his early season struggles, and was arguably the Celtics’ best player in the series.

“If I had a wish, everybody would be back. Healthy, like the way we started.” Green said after the game. That might be the sentiment we’re left with in a lost season. Even when the Celtics were healthy this team never showed enough for C’s fans to feel that the Basketball Gods had wronged them, but on a night like tonight you can’t help but wonder what might have been. I’ll leave you with these words from Doc Rivers:

“I couldn’t be more proud of a group of guys who went through (so much) adversity. They never didn’t think they could (do it).”

Follow Jordan on Twitter: @HiggsOnHoops