Post by DERRENMATTS on May 9, 2007 4:22:10 GMT -5
It just dawned on me today that we could really help our goal of having a new Celtics dynasty by drafting Corey Brewer in this year's draft. I'm already pegging Greg Oden as a Celtic (optimistic thinking), and if he's our lone 1st round pick, I'd be ecstatic. But hear me out as I explain why Corey Brewer would be a tremendous pick for us.
First of all, let me be honest here and tell you that I have not been a fan of Corey Brewer. Whenever I watched Florida play, it was to scout Noah and Horford, while Brewer was just an afterthought. I was never fascinated with his game, and I still don't believe he's a special player. I don't think he has any All-Star selections in his future.
But the reasons I would want Ainge to acquire another lottery pick to grab Brewer are 1) he's an excellent defensive wing player, and 2) he's a player who excels in the uptempo game. These are 2 key factors we need help in, and getting a player who can fill both bills will help our weak perimeter defense and our non-existent running game.
Standing at 6'8" ~ 6'9", and with a freakishly long wingspan, he's a player who can disrupt opposing wing players. His height will allow him to guard SFs and SGs.
Brewer likes to get out and run, and he also helps his own cause by taking it the length of the court after swiping the ball away on defense. Rajon will have a running mate to set up on the breaks, and between the two of them, we'll have a lot of steals and fastbreak points. We will be more of a running team when Rajon has players who are willing to run with him.
What about Tony Allen?--isn't he a defensive guard who likes to run?
Yes he is, and he happens to be one of my favorite players because of those traits. But Brewer happens to be 5 inches taller than him, with a longer reach, and this makes him a better candidate to guard opposing SFs. Tony is a fine defensive player, but when he has to guard SFs and players who are much taller than him, he's at a disadvantage. Brewer will likely be taller and longer than most SFs he'll face.
In addition, he has a slightly steadier jumper than Tony. Brewer is not as developed or diverse on offense as Tony is, and he still has a lot to work on, on the offensive end (dribbling needs improving, among other things). But its not his offensive game that I want--its his skills on defense and his desire to get out and run. His offense will come with development and maturing, but his defense will be his primary value.
Anyone one who watches the games knows that we constantly get burned by perimeter players, even average perimeter players. Its not a surprise when players like Matt Carroll and Sasha Pavlovic burn us for 20+ points--it gets pretty common after awhile. While a lot of it has to do with how our defense is orchestrated (we sag a lot to help out our interior defense), overall, we still are a poor defensive team when guarding the periimeter. We don't do a good job of keeping guards and SFs from penetrating into the lanes. Brewer may not be the next Bruce Bowen, but he'll be a big help for us.
Ainge has talked about getting us to be an uptempo and running team since he first stepped in as our GM in '03. Attempts have been made, but we are still not anywhere near being a running team yet. For one, Pierce isn't always looking to run, and also, Tony Allen has had leg injuries to battle the past 2 years. Gerald will be a threat on the breaks soon, but for now, he's still trying to find consistent minutes on the court. Corey Brewer has had a lot of experience running the breaks at Florida, and because of this, he may be more advanced than Gerald in this department. Gerald is still about the highlight dunks when he's trailing on the breaks, while Brewer takes whatever is available.
Like I stated at the top, I'm not expecting Brewer to be an All-Star in the NBA--I just don't think he's a special player in that regard. But I do expect him to shore up our perimeter defense and running game, and for these reasons, I want Ainge to go out and get another lottery pick so that we can land Brewer.
First of all, let me be honest here and tell you that I have not been a fan of Corey Brewer. Whenever I watched Florida play, it was to scout Noah and Horford, while Brewer was just an afterthought. I was never fascinated with his game, and I still don't believe he's a special player. I don't think he has any All-Star selections in his future.
But the reasons I would want Ainge to acquire another lottery pick to grab Brewer are 1) he's an excellent defensive wing player, and 2) he's a player who excels in the uptempo game. These are 2 key factors we need help in, and getting a player who can fill both bills will help our weak perimeter defense and our non-existent running game.
Standing at 6'8" ~ 6'9", and with a freakishly long wingspan, he's a player who can disrupt opposing wing players. His height will allow him to guard SFs and SGs.
Brewer likes to get out and run, and he also helps his own cause by taking it the length of the court after swiping the ball away on defense. Rajon will have a running mate to set up on the breaks, and between the two of them, we'll have a lot of steals and fastbreak points. We will be more of a running team when Rajon has players who are willing to run with him.
What about Tony Allen?--isn't he a defensive guard who likes to run?
Yes he is, and he happens to be one of my favorite players because of those traits. But Brewer happens to be 5 inches taller than him, with a longer reach, and this makes him a better candidate to guard opposing SFs. Tony is a fine defensive player, but when he has to guard SFs and players who are much taller than him, he's at a disadvantage. Brewer will likely be taller and longer than most SFs he'll face.
In addition, he has a slightly steadier jumper than Tony. Brewer is not as developed or diverse on offense as Tony is, and he still has a lot to work on, on the offensive end (dribbling needs improving, among other things). But its not his offensive game that I want--its his skills on defense and his desire to get out and run. His offense will come with development and maturing, but his defense will be his primary value.
Anyone one who watches the games knows that we constantly get burned by perimeter players, even average perimeter players. Its not a surprise when players like Matt Carroll and Sasha Pavlovic burn us for 20+ points--it gets pretty common after awhile. While a lot of it has to do with how our defense is orchestrated (we sag a lot to help out our interior defense), overall, we still are a poor defensive team when guarding the periimeter. We don't do a good job of keeping guards and SFs from penetrating into the lanes. Brewer may not be the next Bruce Bowen, but he'll be a big help for us.
Ainge has talked about getting us to be an uptempo and running team since he first stepped in as our GM in '03. Attempts have been made, but we are still not anywhere near being a running team yet. For one, Pierce isn't always looking to run, and also, Tony Allen has had leg injuries to battle the past 2 years. Gerald will be a threat on the breaks soon, but for now, he's still trying to find consistent minutes on the court. Corey Brewer has had a lot of experience running the breaks at Florida, and because of this, he may be more advanced than Gerald in this department. Gerald is still about the highlight dunks when he's trailing on the breaks, while Brewer takes whatever is available.
Like I stated at the top, I'm not expecting Brewer to be an All-Star in the NBA--I just don't think he's a special player in that regard. But I do expect him to shore up our perimeter defense and running game, and for these reasons, I want Ainge to go out and get another lottery pick so that we can land Brewer.
