MVN - Most Valuable Network

Q&A with Steve Weinman

I’m still a little too shocked and appalled to talk about the Bulls season without inserting profanity between every other word. So, while Chris breaks down the Bulls roster, I talked to a guy whose team is still in the playoffs, Steve Weinman.

Steve used to cover the NBA for MVN, and now he’s doing the same thing for CelticsBlog.com. Needless to say, he’s a little happier about the 2008 season than we are.

At the beginning of the season, you said the Bulls scare you more than any other team in the Eastern Conference. Obviously, the Bulls don’t scare anyone anymore. So, is there a team in the East that makes you a little nervous? Any team other than the Pistons?

Call me a copout artist if you must, but I’m refusing to do anything that might endanger this team with the sports karma lords: Every team scares me. We learned last year in Dallas and Golden State that, as tends to be the case with sports, anyone can beat anyone in these games. Yes, I believe that if the Celtics are prepared and focused, they can and will beat all comers. But if they aren’t, all bets are off. This team needs to focus through the Atlanta series and then go from there.

That said, the Pistons are still the Pistons, and both the Wiz and Cavs make me a bit nervous – the Wiz because they have played the Celts very well this year (3-1) and the Cavs because of that gigantic swingman of theirs. LeSomethingorother.

Everyone knew the additions of KG and Allen would make the Celtics better, but did you think they would be this good? Is there a specific moment when you realized that this team could do something special?

I’m a fan – as in fanatic – so I’m always expecting the world from the teams I root for, even when it isn’t justified. That said, when asked for an objective guess early in the season, I projected 50-55 wins for this team. With 66 in the regular season, they have certainly cleared that benchmark by just a tad (you’ll hear no complaints here). Of course, the true expectations are for the playoffs, and how they stack up to those remains to be seen.

Knew they would be special once Eddie House signed. Any situation in which Eddie involves himself (I’m a huge booster) is good enough for me. The immediate pre-season bonding between the three stars with each other and the rest of the team didn’t hurt either. These guys really seem to love each other.

Even the most casual basketball fan knows about KG, Allen and Pierce. But, in my opinion, only the Lakers can argue that they have more depth than the Celtics. Tell me a little bit about the rest of the team’s contributors.

Rajon Rondo, James Posey and Leon Powe are the three most deserving of some love here. Rondo has come a long way from the question mark that he was at the outset of the season. He has become much more confident, both in his jump shot and in his ability to use his quickness to wreak havoc both in driving the lane and on the defensive end.

The undersized Powe is a points and boards machine – check out his per 40 stats: 22 points and 11 boards per 40 minutes of play. He makes power moves and doesn’t back down from anyone on the boards.

Posey has been the consummate sixth man all season. Adds some instant offense with his three-point shooting, is quicker than he looks, defends three positions and does it well, has a bit of a mean streak, loves his teammates and seems to be the sort who would do anything for them. His long pre-game hugs for each starter have become the stuff of legend in Boston, and rightfully so.

I’ve watched my fair share of Celtics game this season. It seems to me the rest of the team will do anything in there power not to let KG down. He’s the leader, and he’s changed the culture of the Celtics. Give me an argument for Garnett for MVP.

I get really annoyed by the folks who suggest that Garnett is ‘merely the best player on the best team.’ Here’s a novel idea: Perhaps sometimes, just every now and then, the best team is the best team because of the impact its best player has on it. That’s certainly the case with Garnett. He has been the force most directly responsible for turning this team into a top-notch defensive unit (and thus title contender). He has made all those around him (particularly Paul Pierce) immeasurably better, and he has been one of the league’s best leaders and most intense players all season. His presence was also largely responsible for five veteran signings: House, Posey, Scot Pollard, Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown. This guy completely turned over the basketball culture in Boston this season, and it doesn’t hurt that he averaged nearly 19 points and 9 boards per game doing it.

You cover the NBA for CelticsBlog and know what’s going on throughout the league, not just the Celtics. Any suggestions for the Bulls in their search for a new head coach?

Somebody not named “Rick,” “Carlisle,” “Isiah,” or “Thomas.” Carlisle because the last thing your team needs is another taskmaster coach – this group had more than its fill of that when Skiles was in town. Thomas because he’s just an unmitigated disaster. So there’s two you don’t need. While you ponder those, I’ll spend some time thinking about someone I do like for your team…

Couldn’t agree more about those two. And here’s a link to Steve’s page on CelticsBlog.com.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 at 1:58 pm and is filed under Scot Pollard, Rajon Rondo, Sam Cassell, Rick Carlisle, Eddie House, James Posey, Rajon Rando, CelticsBlog.com, Leon Powe, Steve Weinman, Ray Allen, Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Isiah Thomas, Washington Wizards, LeBron James, Paul Pierce, P.J. Brown, Kevin Garnett, Chicago Bulls. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.