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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 14, 2006 19:49:23 GMT -5
Well, considering that he didn't get much playing time throughout the summer league to get comfortable on the court (9 minutes in the 1st game, 3 in the second, 9 in the third, didn't play at all in the 4th game, and finally 21 in the final game), I wouldn't expect him to have a big game, though it certainly would have been nice.
I think there's reason to believe that he's being shelved so that other teams won't get a chance to see him. That way, they won't ask for him in trades.
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Post by ferbo on Jul 14, 2006 19:52:48 GMT -5
DM---I wonder if you are hallucinating!
I would just love a little more sign of life and vitality.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 14, 2006 19:57:04 GMT -5
From what I've seen of him towards the end of last season, I'm fairly confident that he is much better than his summer league stats tell. He's an active big man who moves around the court very well (almost like a forward), has a long body with pretty good length on his arms, and he's pretty aggressive going after rebounds.
He led the D-League in rebounds last season and the D-League is probably just as competitive as these summer leagues are.
Don't worry about him. I think Ainge likes him and wants him to be a part of our future.
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Post by ferbo on Jul 14, 2006 20:03:41 GMT -5
From the Celtic's site:
Rousing Comeback Caps C’s Summer Season By Peter F. Stringer Celtics.com July 14, 2006
LAS VEGAS – Despite the threat of a Detroit blowout, the last game of Summer League turned out to be quite a tilt.
The Celtics fell behind early and trailed by as many as 17 in the second quarter, but they chipped with some nice pressure defense in the second half, mostly from Rajon Rondo.
“We knew we didn’t want to go out with a loss, and we stuck with each other and fought back hard,” said Rondo.
Coach Tony Brown credited Rondo with leading the charge.
“Some guys tend to say ‘the hell with it’, and some guys say ‘let’s cut into this lead’ and they change the momentum of the game. I think Rondo is one of those guys,” said Tony Brown.
The comeback was complete when Allan Ray found Dwayne Jones under the hoop for the slam to tie it at 81-81 with 2:36 to play, bringing the Boston bench to its feet. And after a Pistons hoop, Rondo nailed a three to put the Celtics ahead 86-85, and an Allan Ray (26 points) steal and Gerald Green (22 points) free throws secured an 88-85 win at Cox Pavilion.
With the win Friday, the Celtics posted a 3-2 mark for the Summer League.
Ray and Leon Powe got the start instead of Sebastian Telfair and Ryan Gomes. Telfair was in street clothes on the bench (“dehydration cramping” was the official word), while Gomes was dressed but did not see action.
When a fan called to Gomes from the crowd and asked him why he wasn’t playing, Gomes laughed and responded, “I’ll see you in November.”
Wes Wilkinson and Akin Akingbala got some decent audition time in the fourth quarter, but as the Celtics drew closer in the fourth, Green and Leon Powe came back in for the last few minutes as the Celtics looked to steal a victory.
The Celtics once again fell behind early in the first. Detroit jumped out to a 17-9 lead early, and they led 22-14 after the first quarter. The Pistons continued to dictate play and built their 17-point lead with a minute left in the half, and they led 49-34 at the break.
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Post by ferbo on Jul 14, 2006 20:05:03 GMT -5
Cs only show 10 TOs. That's pretty impressive.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 14, 2006 20:20:41 GMT -5
That is excellent news indeed, Ferbo. I mean, the young guys are playing turnover-free basketball. Rajon had a 4:1 assist to turnover ratio, which is really good (2:1 is generally the bar).
I hope the kids can grow off of this summer league showing. We know that Green can score, especially when he's in a rhythm. Hopefully he will continue to be a consistent scorer when the real season rolls around. We need him to be a scoring option off the bench.
Hope Telfair and Rondo can combine to do an admirable job at the Point during the season. I'm feeling that Rajon can earn 10 ~ 12 minutes this year because he's also a defensive presence. Telfair is going to be the opening day starter, barring any major setback.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jul 14, 2006 20:43:29 GMT -5
From one of the reports that I read from Vegas they said that when Jones is playing under the basket, he is like a wall... No one can move him from his position. So it sounds like he is pretty strong and he seems to have good instincts for rebounding and blocking shots. He just hasn't gotten any playing time... When he was in the D league he was leading the league in rebounding.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 14, 2006 20:48:06 GMT -5
I liken Dwayne Jones to Josh Boone when Boone was actually considered a lottery pick back after his sophomore year. DJ is not only quick and mobile, but he is also fundamentally solid, which allows him to use technique as his weapon against bigger and heavier big men. He's my underdog on the team.
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Post by ferbo on Jul 15, 2006 12:44:47 GMT -5
noticed that Powe got a contract out of Vegas.
Still puzzled about Jones and Powe getting such limited time in Vegas.
However, the amount of time Green got would seem to mean that the Cs are counting on him taking a step forward. Could be that Cs are looking at him closely to see how much he could contribute in case Wally gets traded.
4 guys got lots of time: Rondo and ST (new players), Green and Gomes. Looking at how Gomes has changed his game some.
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Post by ferbo on Jul 15, 2006 18:03:25 GMT -5
one of the articles compared Cs defense yesterday to Pitino-era press. Find that hard to believe, given the points allowed, which strikes me as being at least average for the league, if not moreso.
If Rondo was putting on great pressure, was Detroit breaking the press against Ray, who hasn't been touted as having good defense?
Doc may have some interesting options off the bench to impact play. Rondo and SF go in as a team for defensive purposes? Ray comes in at the 2 for some spotup shooting? Ray and Greek together for transitional offense?
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Post by ferbo on Jul 16, 2006 0:16:43 GMT -5
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 16, 2006 2:58:25 GMT -5
I don't know how Gerald Green does not make the 1st or 2nd team. He's certainly had a more exciting summer league than a guy like Shannon Brown (no knock on him--I like Shannon Brown) and put up better stats too. Even Martell Webster, who literally stunk it up in the final game made the 2nd team. Neither of those guys match Green's scoring average or his ability to get the fans up off their seats.
Glad that Gomes made the 1st team--at least we got some recognition.
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Post by Roadrunner on Jul 16, 2006 8:56:17 GMT -5
I think the 'summer league' is an opportunity for new players, as well as old players get use to playing w/ one another, and develop parts of their games in a competitve setting. Since this team is so young, summer league is probably more important to this team, than any other team in the NBA.
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Post by ferbo on Jul 17, 2006 10:16:17 GMT -5
Green averaged 1.4 steals per game, which is .6 more than ST. Rondo was 2.2.
Wouldn't havwe guessed that Green would do better than ST.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 17, 2006 10:23:40 GMT -5
Yeah, Gerald was jumping out at passes and playing like a cornerback. He looked pretty good at anticipating the passing lanes. With his long arms and quickness, he can be a pretty effective ball thief if he puts his mind to it.
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