Who Will Get Cut?

Cuts are coming soon… with my best guess being before midweek.  Asking around this weekend, I was told there were 3 or 4 guys Doc is looking at and he wanted to give the guy who gets cut a chance to hook on somewhere else.  In looking at the roster and preseason performance, I'm thinking Doc's "3 or 4 guys" is just a ruse… and there are really only 2 cuts to be made: Darius Miles and Sam Cassell. 

Darius Miles is the reason I was asking around about cuts this weekend in the first place.  From my perspective, when someone gets a DNP in a game where Doc says he's going to start using more "regular season" rotations… then you're in trouble.  Even in the game before, when the Big 3 got rest, Miles still only played 9 minutes.  Miles was always a long shot for reasons we all know by now.  Maybe he's not physically ready yet.  Maybe that's affecting his ability to grasp important aspects of the offense. 

And most importantly, Miles' contract is not guaranteed.  The Celtics aren't going to throw money away… so letting Miles go to maybe hook on somewhere else makes the most sense.

Sam Cassell hasn't played a minute so far, but he might not need to.  Sam has the advantage of having been here before… so if he actually IS playing, then Doc could be saving him.  That's not likely, though… and all the stuff about Miles applies to Sam when it comes to his contract.  Eddie House is clearly back as Rondo's back up.  Gabe Pruitt has shown enough to stick with the team as the third point guard. 

So I would not be shocked at all to see Sam "cut," then hook on as an assistant coach… only to be signed later in the year if the point guard situation doesn't work out.  BUT… that would mean the C's would need an open spot… which means they'd make two cuts, not one. 

That would leave the Celtics with the following rotations:  Tony Allen and Eddie House as the primary back court bench players.  Patrick O'Bryant, Leon Powe and Glen Davis as the main post back ups.  Your emergency/blow out fill-ins are Bill Walker, Pruitt and Scal.  And JR Giddens seems destined for the D-League. 

That's a 14 man roster… which leaves the C's the flexibility to bring someone in in a pinch.  They'll keep 13 in town to practice (along with assistant coach Cassell… who would almost certainly suit up to stay in shape).  That's my best guess… and that's what makes the most sense to me.  We'll see what happens in the next few days.

Rondo's Blog:  Rondo at the GQ Ball in NYC  |  Herald:  Rondo feeling swell  |  Globe:  Rondo strains to stay healthy  |  Souza:  Necessary Roughness  |  Fox Sports:  Thanks to defense, C's will repeat  |  NY Daily News:  C's face long odds to repeat  |  Patriot Ledger:  Happy new year for Tony Allen  |  ESPN:  Odom, Sheed, Marion on trading block  |  LA Daily News:  Bynum, Lakers still far apart on extension  |  Derron Williams sprains ankle