One of Jim O'Brien's first orders of business when he took over for Rick Pitino as Celtics coach last season was to shorten the rotation. Roles were well-defined, playing time more consistent.

O'Brien loosened the rotation somewhat as last season wound down, but he has gravitated back to his original game plan. Twenty-three games into the season, the Celtics are essentially a nine-man operation, featuring Antoine Walker, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, Kenny Anderson, Tony Battie, Eric Williams, Vitaly Potapenko, Erick Strickland and Milt Palacio.