Sam Cassell = Eric Gagne

I feel the same way about Sam Cassell as I felt about Eric Gagne last season when he was on the Red Sox: nothing good can possibly happen when he is in the game. Both were in-season acquisitions that arrived in Boston to much acclaim and aspirations, and both sucked beyond belief. During the MLB playoffs, I nearly threw numerous hard objects at my beloved hi-def TV whenever Gagne entered the game, and Cassell is on the verge of prompting a similar reaction anytime he's on the court. Sam Cassell, a purported point guard, takes a shot whenever he has sliver of an opening, regardless of how much time is left on the shot clock, regardless of what play has been called, regardless if the Celtics are in decent position to rebound if he misses (and he will), and regardless if the Celtics need to kill time off the clock. For a veteran reported to have great basketball IQ and the making of a future head coach, he makes terrible decisions and appears to have no shame about his ball hogging and shot chucking ways. Fortunately, it looks like Doc Rivers has seen the light, given how little Cassell played in the second half tonight. Let's hope that Doc keeps this up and keeps Cassell off the court.