Post by FLCeltsFan on Aug 26, 2016 17:37:49 GMT -5
Thought I'd post my Random Thoughts posts here as well as Lee's Summer Quandaries.
First and foremost, Happy Birthday to the one and only Celtics legend Tommy Heinsohn. To some fans of teams other than the Celtics, Tommy is just the old guy on the Celtics broadcasts who is a big Celtics homer that they love to complain about. But Tommy is so much more to Celtics fans who love him. He is a TEN time champion as both a player and a coach and he knows more about basketball than most people ever will in their lives. I love Tommy and wish him a very happy birthday!!
The big news yesterday was that the Celtics have released Colton Iverson. He was a second round draft pick in 2013 and has been playing in Turkey ever since. He played in two Celtics training camps and made an impression on the fans with his physical style of play and his energy, but obviously he didn't make as big an impression on the Celtics brass. I have to believe that Iverson might have been better than some of the centers that they have had in the past 3 years. Fab Melo, anyone?
There have been several articles about RJ Hunter working hard for that final roster spot. With 19 players under contract for camp, it looks like the final spot could come down to Hunter, Young, Bentil, or Holland. Hunter and Young have guaranteed contracts. Bentil's contract is partially guaranteed and Holland's is nonguaranteed. But that doesn't necessarily mean anything.
If Bentil or Holland out play Young and Hunter in camp, I'd have to think that the player who impresses the most would be the one they keep. But word is that Hunter is very motivated and working hard. He's had several workouts with Jae Crowder, Al Horford, Amir Johnson, and assistant coach Jae Larranaga. The Horford signing is paying off already in that RJ said that he's already learned a lot from Horford, who has been helping him quite a bit.
I was interested to see an article on Knicks Daily about Phil Jackson and what he considers to be his biggest mistake as the Knicks' GM. He had the opportunity to get Jae Crowder from the Mavs when he traded Tyson Chandler and instead settled for a second round pick. Now he is kicking himself for not asking for Jae in the trade. Here's their take on Jae:
Crowder is by no means a star, but he’s become the type of player that all 30 teams would love to have. He does a bit of everything on both ends of the floor and defends at a very high level.
Now a member of the Boston Celtics, Crowder is earning a reputation as one of the better small forwards in the NBA.
Jae is probably my favorite Celtic on the team right now. I love how hard he competes and I love the way he defends. He's definitely the type of player that every team would love to have. I can completely understand why Danny would not include him in trade offers. In 2015-16, he averaged 14.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and made 1.7 3-point field goals per game. He shot 44.3% from the field, 33.6% from beyond the arc, and 82% from the free throw line. And, I expect him to come back even better this season.
Speaking of defense, there was another article with stars giving credit to players who defend them best. Damian Lillard had this to say about Avery Bradley's defense:
“A lot of guys just — people say they’re defenders. They look like defenders on some possessions, but that’s what he does. That’s what he wants to do. He’s there every possession. He doesn’t get screened. He’s tough. You’ve got to give credit where it’s due.”
Also mentioned are Kawhi Leonard, Tony Allen, Michael Cooper and Joe Dumars. I'd also add Jae Crowder to that mix. He does a great job guarding the bigger wings like LeBron and Melo. He irritates them to the point where they simply want to take him out.
As much as I love Perk, I have no doubt that he was sent in there to take Jae out because he was guarding LeBron too well. I love the fact that Jae isn't intimidated by anyone and no matter how big and mean Perk is (He's not really. He's a teddy bear when he's not setting brutal screens on the court.)Jae wasn't intimidated and went hard right back at him. Unfortunately, since Perk couldn't take him out, the Cavs sent JR Smith to finish the job. But you have to love Jae's intensity and energy.
Finally, ESPN Insider ranks the top free agents for next year's offseason and Kelly Olynyk is rated at [HASH]21. Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Paul Millsap and Kyle Lowry lead off the pack. Former Celtic, Jared Sullinger is ranked 13th. Serge Ibaka, Greg Monroe and Pau Gasol are 3 bigs ranked after Olynyk in the top 30. Here is what they have to say about Kelly:
The second-most accurate 3-point shooting 7-footer (minimum 400 attempts) in NBA history behind a certain German who plays for the Dallas Mavericks, per Basketball-Reference.com, Olynyk shot 40.5 percent from beyond the arc last year. He has a chance to emerge as a starter next to Al Horford this season before hitting restricted free agency.
I really hope that Kelly can stay healthy this season and that he will have a break out season and get a contract extension with the Celtics. If he leaves, it will break my grandson's heart. He loves Kelly and even named his goldfish after him. Every day is one day closer to the season.
First and foremost, Happy Birthday to the one and only Celtics legend Tommy Heinsohn. To some fans of teams other than the Celtics, Tommy is just the old guy on the Celtics broadcasts who is a big Celtics homer that they love to complain about. But Tommy is so much more to Celtics fans who love him. He is a TEN time champion as both a player and a coach and he knows more about basketball than most people ever will in their lives. I love Tommy and wish him a very happy birthday!!
The big news yesterday was that the Celtics have released Colton Iverson. He was a second round draft pick in 2013 and has been playing in Turkey ever since. He played in two Celtics training camps and made an impression on the fans with his physical style of play and his energy, but obviously he didn't make as big an impression on the Celtics brass. I have to believe that Iverson might have been better than some of the centers that they have had in the past 3 years. Fab Melo, anyone?
There have been several articles about RJ Hunter working hard for that final roster spot. With 19 players under contract for camp, it looks like the final spot could come down to Hunter, Young, Bentil, or Holland. Hunter and Young have guaranteed contracts. Bentil's contract is partially guaranteed and Holland's is nonguaranteed. But that doesn't necessarily mean anything.
If Bentil or Holland out play Young and Hunter in camp, I'd have to think that the player who impresses the most would be the one they keep. But word is that Hunter is very motivated and working hard. He's had several workouts with Jae Crowder, Al Horford, Amir Johnson, and assistant coach Jae Larranaga. The Horford signing is paying off already in that RJ said that he's already learned a lot from Horford, who has been helping him quite a bit.
I was interested to see an article on Knicks Daily about Phil Jackson and what he considers to be his biggest mistake as the Knicks' GM. He had the opportunity to get Jae Crowder from the Mavs when he traded Tyson Chandler and instead settled for a second round pick. Now he is kicking himself for not asking for Jae in the trade. Here's their take on Jae:
Crowder is by no means a star, but he’s become the type of player that all 30 teams would love to have. He does a bit of everything on both ends of the floor and defends at a very high level.
Now a member of the Boston Celtics, Crowder is earning a reputation as one of the better small forwards in the NBA.
Jae is probably my favorite Celtic on the team right now. I love how hard he competes and I love the way he defends. He's definitely the type of player that every team would love to have. I can completely understand why Danny would not include him in trade offers. In 2015-16, he averaged 14.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and made 1.7 3-point field goals per game. He shot 44.3% from the field, 33.6% from beyond the arc, and 82% from the free throw line. And, I expect him to come back even better this season.
Speaking of defense, there was another article with stars giving credit to players who defend them best. Damian Lillard had this to say about Avery Bradley's defense:
“A lot of guys just — people say they’re defenders. They look like defenders on some possessions, but that’s what he does. That’s what he wants to do. He’s there every possession. He doesn’t get screened. He’s tough. You’ve got to give credit where it’s due.”
Also mentioned are Kawhi Leonard, Tony Allen, Michael Cooper and Joe Dumars. I'd also add Jae Crowder to that mix. He does a great job guarding the bigger wings like LeBron and Melo. He irritates them to the point where they simply want to take him out.
As much as I love Perk, I have no doubt that he was sent in there to take Jae out because he was guarding LeBron too well. I love the fact that Jae isn't intimidated by anyone and no matter how big and mean Perk is (He's not really. He's a teddy bear when he's not setting brutal screens on the court.)Jae wasn't intimidated and went hard right back at him. Unfortunately, since Perk couldn't take him out, the Cavs sent JR Smith to finish the job. But you have to love Jae's intensity and energy.
Finally, ESPN Insider ranks the top free agents for next year's offseason and Kelly Olynyk is rated at [HASH]21. Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Paul Millsap and Kyle Lowry lead off the pack. Former Celtic, Jared Sullinger is ranked 13th. Serge Ibaka, Greg Monroe and Pau Gasol are 3 bigs ranked after Olynyk in the top 30. Here is what they have to say about Kelly:
The second-most accurate 3-point shooting 7-footer (minimum 400 attempts) in NBA history behind a certain German who plays for the Dallas Mavericks, per Basketball-Reference.com, Olynyk shot 40.5 percent from beyond the arc last year. He has a chance to emerge as a starter next to Al Horford this season before hitting restricted free agency.
I really hope that Kelly can stay healthy this season and that he will have a break out season and get a contract extension with the Celtics. If he leaves, it will break my grandson's heart. He loves Kelly and even named his goldfish after him. Every day is one day closer to the season.
