Celtics Title Town

Let's run down the list of concerns, or issues with the Celtics this season. Here's number one on the list of concerns.

1) The Celtics have no size.

Collins isn't the answer. He's done a fine job in the last couple of games. But no way can the Celtics win with him as the starting center. And I don't believe the Celtics can win with KG as the center. I do with him at power forward though.  It worked last season out of need. The Celtics had no choice but to pull off the change with KG. This season Danny has time to figure out what he can do to get another big man. The Celtics have a strong rookie in Jared Sullinger, but he's not the answer either. Without a doubt he's a key player, but he's a rookie that makes mistakes.

Bass isn't capable of being a rebounding, or defensive big. The Celtics need someone to intimidate.

2) The Celtics are old.

The core of this team is old. Let's face it. Pierce is 35, and KG is 36. Terry as well is 35. Pierce had back-to-back games last week that made us forget about age. He scored 40 points, and than 35 points.  Despite those two games it's not fair to ask Paul to play like that every night. The same goes for KG, and Terry. Many fans want the 08' Celtics, but that team is gone, and they can't do what they did then.  The youth movement hasn't kicked in like expected. Green has been up, and down which shouldn't be no surprise after returning from major heart surgery. Lee has been up, and down as well. Bass has been a no show this season after he was a key player last season.

3) Avery Bradley is the savior.

Many Celtic players, and fans believe that Bradley will save the day. Without a doubt he'll help, but this team has issues that Bradley can't fix. Rondo is looking at Bradley for help with the pesky points guards that take Rondo out of his groove. But Bradley has more on his shoulders than most third year players. I can't wait for Bradley to come back. But he can't fix the top two issues.

4) The expectations are to high for this team.

Let's be real the Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference Finals because the Bulls lost Rose. They barley beat the 76ers last year in the second round, but they also went all the way to game seven against the Heat, and they held a series lead of 3-2. The expectations were  high after the Celtics almost made it to the finals. The Celtics are playing like last years team that played like the 15-17 team. The Celtics finished last season 24-10 after going into the all-star break 15-17, and many of the fans are looking to that this season. I think the expectations were not fair this season. It's hard excepting that.

5) No heart this season.

Last years team had heart, and Dooling was a big part of that, and hell even Pietrus was as well. At this point why wasn't Pietrus re-signed? Outside of KG this team has no heart. Rondo has heart, but he doesn't channel it enough, and Pierce has heart, but he plays hero ball too much. KG's agenda is the team, and his main focus is defense. You can't say that about Pierce, and Rondo. You can't learn heart, and toughness. The Celtics are screwed in that department at this time.

The Celtics defense isn't the same, and it's the biggest issue for the Celtics. They can't guard the three-point line,and they can't protect the paint. This team is giving up both way to easy, and easier now than anytime in the KG era. Doc seemed to walk into this season with no urgency. He claimed the team was tired, and out of shape, and that was over 20 games into the season. That's a bad sign right there. The Celtics have so many issues, and it's clear the Celtics are not title contenders anymore. The Celtics are on a new level.