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Post by DERRENMATTS on Aug 4, 2005 2:57:36 GMT -5
First off, let me make it very clear that I'm not a fan of Nick Van Exel, nor have I ever wanted any part of him in connection with the Celtics.
But now that he has been waived by Portland, and with the exemption that we have to burn, he may suit well as our stop gap vet PG for a year.
With a bit of proding, Rivers may be able to coach him into being a fit on an unselfish passing team like the one he'll hope to be coaching. Nick is a solid shooter from the perimeter (especially in crunch time) and he's also a solid ball handler. He's always been cool under pressure and in Dallas, he showed that he can be a running PG. He won't command 25 minutes per game, so we'll still be able to develop our PG's.
Despite being 33 yrs old, he still averaged 4.3 apg for a bad and dysfunctional Portland team. On a passing team who's looking for a PG who can shoot from deep, he may improve upon his stats from last year ( 11.1 ppg, 4.3 apg ).
I look at this as an opportunity to hire a proven veteran PG who's on his last year of his contract, who has a game which could be molded to cater to the development of our younger PG's.
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Post by BCHISTORIAN on Aug 4, 2005 5:29:08 GMT -5
it sems that he's houston bound as of now
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Post by meltinjohn on Aug 4, 2005 5:40:02 GMT -5
Yea, Houston missed out on Damon Stoudamire so they'll grab NVE now.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Aug 4, 2005 23:51:16 GMT -5
Houston will be tough to compete against. They are much closer to contending than we currently are, and that probably weighs heavily in Van Exel's decision where to go.
Oh well, the search for a vet PG continues (and its still a big possibility that Ainge is going after one--the Herald/Globe mentioned it just the other day).
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Post by freshnthehouse on Aug 4, 2005 23:59:20 GMT -5
Yeah, Im sure he wants to play for a winner. And I dont know if Id want him. Im pretty particular on what kind of vets end up on this team. I want good charecter moreso than good talent.
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Post by Celtic17 on Aug 5, 2005 0:11:08 GMT -5
Im pretty particular on what kind of vets end up on this team. I want good charecter moreso than good talent. That's the best place to start building imo too. Good post. |
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Aug 5, 2005 0:25:45 GMT -5
And the great thing about our young guys is that they have good character. They may not be model citizens, but I don't get the sense that any of them will get into bar fights or get wasted the night before a game. All of them appear to be hard workers who don't mind putting their egos away into their back pockets.
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Post by freshnthehouse on Aug 5, 2005 0:28:40 GMT -5
I wish we had an older david robinson type guy on our roster. An older guy who can lead by example. He would also make a good mentor for a guy like AlJeff BC he can help with the pressure of being The Man.
Come to think of it, a younger David Robinson would be very nice as well. Talk about an underrated player. The numbers he put early in his career are phenomenal.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Aug 5, 2005 0:34:43 GMT -5
Exactly, and that's the type of veteran I'm hoping we acquire--both at the Bigs and PG. Had Robinson not been there for Duncan in the early part of his career, I think his growth as a ball player would have been stunted.
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Post by Celtic17 on Aug 5, 2005 0:38:18 GMT -5
Come to think of it, a younger David Robinson would be very nice as well. Talk about an underrated player. The numbers he put early in his career are phenomenal. Ain't that the truth... Flat-out solid, on and off the court (as far as we know). |
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Post by eja117 on Aug 5, 2005 15:37:49 GMT -5
Off court behavior has to be balanced. I didn't have a problem with Barkley throwing that guy through a paned widow when he threw water in his face at a restaurant in front of his 2 dates. That idiot had it coming.
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Post by meltinjohn on Aug 5, 2005 15:43:50 GMT -5
Exactly, and that's the type of veteran I'm hoping we acquire--both at the Bigs and PG. Had Robinson not been there for Duncan in the early part of his career, I think his growth as a ball player would have been stunted. I agree 100%. He would be limited to being like a player a little bit better than Chandler. Robinsons impact made him great while he woulda been good without him. As far as a veteran PG, I hope Danny gets Dickau. Hes the guy I want now. Jaric has too many injury problems. |
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Post by mev17 on Aug 5, 2005 23:58:29 GMT -5
I read that Van Excel has said he prefers to end his career with a Texas team that is a contender. He has three to chose from, so I wouldn't count on him making any visits to Boston.
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Post by meltinjohn on Aug 6, 2005 0:12:19 GMT -5
No way. Anyone that wants to win would not want to go to a youth movement even if the team with the youth movement wouldn't want him anyways.
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