Getting into the top 10 this year

[DERRENMATTS]

I'd really like to get into the top 10 this year. There are a bunch of players in this draft who I think can literally change the dynamics of our team for the better.

A guy who won't go in the top 5, but can probably be had in the top 10 is Adam Morrison. He's not a guy who will carry a team on his shoulders, nor is he the savior for a poor NBA franchise. But on our team, he can change us radically. In our offense, being smart, having creativity, being able to knock down open shots from the paint and perimeter, being able to move the ball around the floor, and being able to keep your motor moving to get open shots are keys to helping us win. Morrison fills the bill (though he may not be the best defensive SF around). If we get this kid, I lock him in as our future starting SF, even though there may be more talented and athletic SF's on the team (such as Gomes and Reed). He's exactly the type of old school player who can bring Celtics basketball back to prominence. Making him the SF will push Gerald Green to SG, which puts Tony Allen onto the bench. Though this doesn't exactly make me jump for joy because I think very highly of Tony. But Allen can be productive off the bench, and this will make Ricky Davis expendable (or make Tony Allen expendable, depending on which way Ainge and Rivers want to go).

[meltinjohn]

I can't really see Ricky leaving either though.

[freshnthehouse]

Ive heard that the draft to get into will be the 07 draft. Score in the top 2 and you got yourself a phenom(Oden or Mayo).

[Celtic17]

Derren-
I tend to believe Ainge has Green pegged for the 2 regardless. He wants tall athletic players in the back-court, making GG a perfect fit at SG.

As for Ricky-
We need some veterans to help bring the kids along. Since RD is a younger vet and flexible enough to start or come off the bench, his value is high IMO... Not to say TA has any less value, we just need some seasoned vets as well.

[BCHISTORIAN]

morrison at 3 and green at 2 would be terrific in the future, and imagine the bench - davis, gomes, allen. that's one hell of a wing rotation. i can bet that all those won't be here.
;)the most probable is morrison at this stage


and just for the record - mayo can enter draft 2008 since he graduates high school 2007.

[freshnthehouse]

are you sure? i thought he graduated this year (06), making him eligable for the 07 draft.

[DERRENMATTS]

I'd love to get Oden, but it'll be extremely difficult. I don't even know if dangling Pierce would be enough to get a team to forfeit Gred Oden. Physically dominant Centers are like gold.

Getting Morrison is going to be easier. But more than that, I just like the idea of having a smart, old school basketball player like Morrison in the starting rotation.

As for who'd make the better 6th man--Ricky or Tony--its tough to say. Overall, I think Tony is going to prove to be the better player because he already is a better slasher, a better athlete, a better dribbler, and probably a better defender. But Ricky is a better shooter and for a guy coming off the bench, being able to hit jumpers is key because you won't be playing a lot of minutes like a starter does. I like Tony better, but Ricky could end up being the player who stays if only one can be kept on the team. We'll let Ainge decide what to do ;D

Back to Morrison--I think this kid can fit in very well with our flowing offense. I hardly ever compare anyone to Larry Bird, but so far, he's the closest I've seen. He's a player who looks to pass the ball around the floor as much as he does for his own shot. He's not a pure shooter, but he is a good scorer who can hit buckets in a lot of ways. He can do it with his feet set or on the move. He's good at pulling up for a jumper and he's very capable of penetrating with either his left or right (although he does seem to prefer his left, which is a good thing for a right handed player). He's also got very good hands, which makes him a solid rebounder. I've seen him grab rebounds one handed where he has to stretch his body out of his comfort zone. Ask Mark Blount how difficult this is.

He's a team player all the way. And if he needs to score, he is more than willing to look for his shot. He won't wow you with great passes all the time, but he is constantly making the right passes, even if its just passing the ball quickly to the nearest open teammate. What lot of players nowadays don't realize is that a simple, but quick, pass to an open teammate next to you helps the ball move in rhythm a lot more than if you just hold on to the ball waiting to make a spectacular pass. A quick pass results in another quick pass to another teammate, which in turn gets the ball moving around the court in flow.

Morrison is quicker than most (including myself) think. He's also a better athlete than most think. He can do a lot on the floor, including ball handling duties, as well as leading the fast breaks. He ain't a terrific defender, but neither was Bird.

[freshnthehouse]

THis may sound weird, but the closest resemblence to larry bird that Ive ever seen in the league is Michael Jordan. I know that their games couldnt be more different, but they were very simuliar in other ways. THey both were practice machines, both had an almost unnatural will to win, neither of them were afaid to tell their teammates off, and both demanded the final shot. And those are the things that remind me most of Larry Bird. Man I miss him.

[DERRENMATTS]

Not surprising, Fresh, is that both Jordan and Bird have the same brain typing. Lot of people think Dr. Brain is a nut, but I firmly believe that he is on to something. I'm also very interested in human behavior and I think he has a very good sense of what characteristics can be categorized into.

I've got a Gonzaga game on tape where they beat USF, and Morrison had a career night. He hit the game winning shot and going off that single game, you can see that he has the same type of killer instinct that guys like Jordan and Bird have. Of course, he's not in the same category as those two (they also had much higher talent and skills to go along with their killer instincts). But throughout the entire sequence heading up to that final shot, you could see it in his body language that he was going to make it happen, or die trying. He's not the most athletic or talented player in college, and there are tons of players with higher ceilings than him. But for our team, I think he could be be a very good fit.

[BCHISTORIAN]

i would be glad if ONE of our youngsters had the same drive to win as mj and lb had

[Celtic17]

bchistorian said:

i would be glad if ONE of our youngsters had the same drive to win as mj and lb had

West might be the closest we have in 'drive to win'. Not to put him anywhere near Bird or MJ in talent, but Ainge has made note about his desire to win over need of stats. To me that's a good start. Bball IQ and a drive to win are needed in our rotation. I hope we have more guys step up and show these same intangibles.

[meltinjohn]

So does this mean Dirk is halfway to being a Larry Bird? Dirks D isn't that great but he rebounds and Bird did that and he finally is telling his teammates off when something goes wrong. I think he developed it due to learning english better also. Dirk just has one thing missing that he would be another Larry Bird if only he had just that something. From missing that key part, he will probably be losing in round 1 each year now.
And about Oden or Mayo, I think one of our picks (laker pick which goes unprotected in 08) will land most likely Mayo if Danny uses this option in 08 IF LA is a lottery team. The cavs pick is in 07. I wonder what their chances are to drop to top 5 status in 07 will be. Even with Hughes and Lebron there, theres a chance they won't win in 07. This coming year for the cavs yes, I see a playoff appearance but in 07, maybe not. Thats a ways down the road and Hughes and Lebron could be having problems with one another.

[Roadrunner]

If P2 goes down or 'kids' take a while to develop this year, our pick maybe in the top 10. I think it would take a R Davis or perhaps T Allen to snag a top 10 pick. I don't think Danny would trade P2 for only a draft pick.

Morrison has alot of upside. Haven't started thinking about this year's draft yet.

[DERRENMATTS]

Ainge could move Pierce for a draft pick, if he felt that unloading Pierce is better for the team (and it would have to be for a player like Oden). It all depends on how Pierce's attitude is this year. If he's not running hard on breaks, or moving the ball around the court, his attitude will cause friction. We can go far if Pierce is determined to play how the system is designed.

[freshnthehouse]

I think the cavs pick is top 10 protected in 2007.