Fishing For A Trade?
Al’s Your Bait
By John Karalis
Al Jefferson, meet Wally Pipp.
Actually, there are two Wally Pipp stories. And really… they both apply.
The first, most widely known story of one Mr. Pipp is the romanticized tale of him telling his manager he had a headache, which lead to Lou Gehrig taking over the first base duties for the New York Yankees. While that account is decidedly false, the legend should still sneak its way into Al Jefferson’s nightmares. Al is, after all, on the verge of starring in the Celtics remake of the story.
Injuries seem to stalk Big Al like a lioness stalks a gazelle. You watch for signs that something is going to happen. Any sudden movements have you fearing the worst. The moment of attack is both shocking and expected.
Now Al is recovering from an appendectomy, the latest in the “what else can go wrong?” string of ailments. And amazingly, his stint on the sidelines coincides with the first three game winning streak in more than a year. In his stead, Leon Powe has shown a propensity for the things that Al seems to lack: pure toughness, tenacity on defense, and the ability to find some space down low for the improbable offensive rebound.
Like Ryan Gomes before him, Doc Rivers seemed content to let
Leon Powe sit on the bench and wile away the hours as
a guy who teetered on the edge of employment.
And like Ryan Gomes before him, Leon Powe is
getting his chance because of a
There’s a joke about a guy on the roof of his house during a massive flood that passes up a canoe, a boat, and a helicopter by saying “God won’t let me die.” And when he dies, he asks God “Why did you let me die?” Then God says “what do you mean? I sent a canoe, a boat and a helicopter.” Maybe the writing has been on the wall when it comes to Al Jefferson all this time. Maybe the bursting appendix is just that last sign we should ignore. Maybe it’s time for the Celtics to do what Miller Huggins did in the Wally Pipp fairy tale... and just move on.
Al has a ton of potential offensively. He’s got enough potential there that he will look good for long stretches of time. But there’s something missing. Is it the injuries? Maybe. Maybe he’s like that gazelle, always nervous about where that next attack will come from. Maybe it’s the situation. Maybe his story will become less Wally Pipp and more Jermaine O’Neal when the final chapter is written. But it doesn’t change the fact that something seems to be holding him back. We’re all waiting for Al to find 5th gear… but maybe it’s time to realize that what we have here is a 4-speed player.
Which brings us to the ACTUAL story of Wally Pipp.
Yankees manager Miller Huggins was sick of watching a bunch of his veterans wallow in their slumps. Huggins decided it was time to “shake things up.” Part of that shake up included benching Pipp in favor of Lou Gehrig. Lou was still a work in progress, but it’s pretty clear what happened in the long run.
Injuries or not, it’s incumbent on Al Jefferson to get the job done. And while we’ve seen flashes of his promise, it’s been too infrequent. Worse, when he’s not scoring in the post, it’s hard to find Al doing much else while his offense comes around. Al’s offense, meanwhile, currently consists of little more than a short jump hook that takes him too long to get off.
The Celtics are clearly a perimeter team. But,
Leon Powe and Ryan Gomes, on the other hand, are guys who get their offense quickly. Gomes is either taking a jumper, or he’s up-faking, taking one dribble, and going to the hoop. Powe is finding his offense on the boards, or as a cutter in the flow of the offense. Neither guy posts up very often, and when they do, it’s usually a quick move or a pass back out.
Leon Powe is clearly still a
project, but he’s a good kind of project.
He’s a guy who, while learning the nuances of the offense and adjusting
to the league, is doing other things like rebounding and defending. Remember,
Al Jefferson still has a ton of potential, but the fact of that matter is he just doesn’t fit in this style. He’s not a rebound, outlet, and fill the lane kind of guy. He’s a rebound, hold the ball until the point guard comes and gets it, then go post-up and make a couple of moves kind of guy. The Celtics aren’t trying to play that game anymore. They had a square hole when they drafted Al. But somewhere between then and now, the edges of that hole were rounded out. But Al is still the square peg.
Al may have a very long NBA career. In fact, I hope he does. There’s no doubt the potential is there. But in reality, the previously untouchable Al Jefferson is now the Celtics most expendable asset. Teams have asked about him in the past and Danny has said “no.” Now it’s time for Danny to say “yes.” Then, for the third time in his career, Al Jefferson’s departure… will be what helps the Boston Celtics the most.