Are the Celtics better off with a few injuries?

Imagine a scenario in which everyone on the Celtics’ roster was healthy and ready to play. Who would not play? Allan Ray is a given. But after that it’s a bit tricky. Based on the first few games of the season I would say Leon Powe and Michael Olowokandi sit. Ryan Gomes, Al Jefferson, and Brian Scalabrine get minutes over Powe while Kendrick Perkins and Theo Ratliff beat out the Kandi man. In fact Powe only saw time after Jefferson’s appendectomy and foul trouble to Gomes and Scalabrine. So in this hypothetical situation Doc could give minutes to Tony Allen, Gomes, Green, Jefferson, Perkins, Paul Pierce, Ratliff, Rajon Rondo, Scalabrine, Wally Szczerbiak, Sebastian Telfair, and Delonte West.

Unfortunately I don’t trust Doc to establish a rotation. For example he’ll let Allen dribble and shoot 3s, which should never happen. Now if you remove Olowokandi, Jefferson and Ratliff from the mix it definitely makes the Celtics a small team. But it also makes the rotation a little clearer as there are now 2 rotation guys in civilian clothes and Allan Ray is probably not going to play. In this new scenario, which is currently being played out, Doc gives major minutes to the starters (Pierce, Gomes, Perkins, Szczerbiak and Telfair) and the 6th man (West). After that Rondo plays solid minutes while Allen, Green, Powe and Scalabrine get time based upon necessity or situations. This occurred against the Knicks on Saturday (see the hard to read box score below). In conclusion, barring a trade, injuries seem to be the best way to get some semblance of a rotation for the C’s.

Believe it or not there was a point in time when that post made sense to me. Alas.