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Updated: January 7, 2009, 3:12 PM ET

PER Diem: Jan. 7, 2009

After another Celtics loss, it looks like the champs are in need of the bench performance that they had last season.

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By John Hollinger
ESPN.com
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Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty ImagesDo the Celtics need veteran Sam Cassell to dust off his kicks this season?

With five losses in seven games, the obvious question is "What's wrong with Boston?"

For starters, we shouldn't make a mountain out of a molehill. Six of the seven games were on the road, none of the losses were one-sided, and the two wins were by a combined 70 points. And given that Boston began the season winning an inordinate number of close games, it was inevitable they were going to drop a couple along the way. Comparing 27-2 to 2-5 makes it seem like a stark difference, but the change in scoring margin hasn't been nearly as large.

That said, there is one particular area that has become troubling -- the Celtics' inability to score, and in particular the inability of Boston's reserves to score.

In four of the five defeats the Celtics were held under 90 points -- something that happened only five times in their first 29 games. And while Boston ranks seventh in offensive efficiency on the season, that mark has plummeted since the Celtics' torrid start -- even though only one of their past seven opponents was in the top half of the league in defensive efficiency, and even though they played the three worst defensive teams in the league (Golden State, Sacramento and Washington).

Dig deeper and it's easy to pinpoint where the shortfall is coming from. During the past seven games, Boston's subs are shooting just 39.9 percent, and the bigger picture is that the second unit isn't making up for James Posey's lost production as much as the Celtics hoped it would. Tony Allen has had his moments, but his out-of-control forays to the rim lead to as many empty trips as points -- hence his 12.81 PER. Eddie House is at 13.17, having dropped four points per 40 minutes from last season, and deeper reserves Gabe Pruitt and Brian Scalabrine have shown they aren't ready for prime time.

Up front, Boston no longer has the option of playing small with Posey at the 4, and thus depends on Glen Davis and Leon Powe every night. Davis has been dreadful, unfortunately, with a 7.41 PER that pales beside his output last season. Powe has been the Celtics' one truly productive bench player, but he plays the same position as Kevin Garnett and is too limited defensively to shift to center for more than brief stints.

All of which begs the question -- whither Sam Cassell? On a second unit that seems desperately in need of point production, surely the cagey vet could supply some missing offense, couldn't he? Even last season, at 38, he averaged 19.3 points per 40 minutes, and his dribbling ability can spare House from having to bring the ball up against pressure, a task in which House struggles mightily.

Or maybe there's another veteran waiting in the wings that the Celtics can tap, much as they did with P.J. Brown last season. (Brown is insisting that he's retired, so that option is apparently off the table.) It seems that the Celtics will have to find another source of bench points in order to get another ring. For the moment, the second unit that was so crucial to last season's title run looms as a liability.

John Hollinger writes for ESPN Insider. To e-mail him, click here.