FYI: Bradley Agreed to 4 Year Extension on July 2

[Gomes3PC]

I am convinced that Bradley is a perfect sscapegoat. People now preferring Thornton and Turner over Bradley. Yikes.

Just because the backup options aren't great doesn't mean we can't criticize AB. He has regressed terribly defensively and only marginally improved offensively.

[greenmachine_2849]

Markieff Morris re-signed for the exact same amount. Wicked depressing.

Ainge got pwned at the negotiation table. Best case scenario is this ends up being just a standard NBA overpay, rather than an obscene one. Worked out with Jeff, so there's hope.

Green is not overpaid, when you check out the ridiculous contracts similar to Green players are getting.... On the other hand, imo, Bradley will have a hard time living up to his contract. And yea it's depressing Kieff re-signed for the same amount...

Green is overpaid to the extent that we could have definitely gotten him for less (still not sure why Ainge declined his RFA option and made him an unrestricted free agent), though I think his production pretty much is in line with his contract.

[FeedReed]

44% from the field, 40% from 3, 80 % from the line in 13-14' . Solid D & a pest on the outside. Still only 23.

Don't you have to sign that guy all night long ? The consistency isn't there yet, but if it comes sooner rather than later ? Watch out !

Can we stop with this myth that Avery is playing solid defense? He's not.

And yes, his 3 point shooting has been good this year. That's the only thing he's doing well offensively. His passing singlehandedly cost them the Phoenix game and has been a disaster generally. He's the worst ball-stopper I have seen in years when he isn't passing though, so your best hope when he gets the ball is he quickly jacks up a shot.

If Bradley were playing the defense we know he can play, I could live with the offensive stupidity, but right now he's basically just a poor man's Jamal Crawford, scoring in volume rather than efficiently and playing no defense.

bbd is giving you last years stats, man. he's shooting 30% from 3 this year, not any good. he doesn't get to the line, so his % there is irrelevent. he does nothing well, and should be relegated to the bench, while thornton, turner(to boost value), and young receive all the minutes at sg.

[ballup]

I am convinced that Bradley is a perfect sscapegoat. People now preferring Thornton and Turner over Bradley. Yikes.

Just because the backup options aren't great doesn't mean we can't criticize AB. He has regressed terribly defensively and only marginally improved offensively.

And you expect him to make leaps over one summer? Come on, he has a lot of work to do, but he has years to do it, not months. Bradley isn't expected to be in a Pat Beverly role in the upcoming years, he's expected to have a bigger role and that comes with a struggle in identity/production.

Did Bradley screw up in the end of the Phoenix game? Sure, but so has Rondo in that Cavs game and Smart in that Raptors game. There's nothing wrong with criticism, but ranking your best 2 as lower than scrub levels is crazy

[ryaningf]

I am convinced that Bradley is a perfect sscapegoat. People now preferring Thornton and Turner over Bradley. Yikes.

Just because the backup options aren't great doesn't mean we can't criticize AB. He has regressed terribly defensively and only marginally improved offensively.

And you expect him to make leaps over one summer? Come on, he has a lot of work to do, but he has years to do it, not months. Bradley isn't expected to be in a Pat Beverly role in the upcoming years, he's expected to have a bigger role and that comes with a struggle in identity/production.

Did Bradley screw up in the end of the Phoenix game? Sure, but so has Rondo in that Cavs game and Smart in that Raptors game. There's nothing wrong with criticism, but ranking your best 2 as lower than scrub levels is crazy

Exactly. A little perspective is in order. We're 1/7th of the way thru the season, and the team is struggling to find the right mix of players, scheme, and attitude. AB's young, has a history of improving, and he's a tireless worker. Throw in his defense, top notch attitude, his teamfirst attitude, and elite long 2-point jump shooting ability, and there's a lot to work with here.

I too am disappointed that he hasn't hit a big chunk of his shots from deep. Green and Bradley shoot the most from deep and combined they're hovering around 28.7% for the year. That has to change if we're going to make a playoff run and I have no doubt that it will change.

The rest of his game is coming along slowly, too slowly for the haters, but it's COMING. His dribble drive game and P&R game, while not yet average for a guard, have improved steadily since he came into the league. I know he'll continue to work and as such I know he'll continue to improve. His defense has been good, not great, but good. Why good and not great? It's hard to make strides on the offensive end when you're putting 110% into defense. The coach and the GM wanted him to put the work in on offense, wanted him to carry a greater weight, and it's impacted his defense. You can agree or disagree with that gameplan, but what you can't do is ignore it when making your evaluation. Once his role on offense solidifies, he defense will return to greatness as well.

FWIW, where the hell is Humblebum? This thread is made for you.

[Gomes3PC]

I am convinced that Bradley is a perfect sscapegoat. People now preferring Thornton and Turner over Bradley. Yikes.

Just because the backup options aren't great doesn't mean we can't criticize AB. He has regressed terribly defensively and only marginally improved offensively.

And you expect him to make leaps over one summer? Come on, he has a lot of work to do, but he has years to do it, not months. Bradley isn't expected to be in a Pat Beverly role in the upcoming years, he's expected to have a bigger role and that comes with a struggle in identity/production.

Did Bradley screw up in the end of the Phoenix game? Sure, but so has Rondo in that Cavs game and Smart in that Raptors game. There's nothing wrong with criticism, but ranking your best 2 as lower than scrub levels is crazy

I do expect him to make improvements, not regress. 23 year old players should not get worse overnight defensively unless they are hurt, and for once in his career, AB is healthy.

I'm not absolving Rondo either - his defense and overall play in that Grizzlies game was embarrassing, and that wasn't the only night he has checked out.

I'm not calling Bradley worse than Thornton or Turner - he deserves minutes over them. That doesn't mean I think he's worth what he's being paid or even close to it. He's playing below-average and being paid like a starter. Couple that with the fact that he's gotten worse from last year in aggregate and that's a problem any way you slice it. We're paying him more this year and getting less.

And please, do not say he's adjusting to a new role. If anything his life is much easier now, as he has a true PG in Rondo to get him open looks, and the team around him as a whole is better in basically every facet. As people keep pointing out - he's 23. Guys at his age should be improving, not regressing.

[Banks2Pierce]

I haven't really seen defensive regression. There was a time last season where he had a 10 game stretch or so where I was starting to worry a bit. I think that was when he was returning from an injury. Constant injuries are the only continued worry I have for his career progression.

[FlatearthZorro]

I haven't really seen defensive regression. There was a time last season where he had a 10 game stretch or so where I was starting to worry a bit. I think that was when he was returning from an injury. Constant injuries are the only continued worry I have for his career progression.

I'm too lazy to dig up his stats on D from last year. They weren't great, he was in the middle of the pack if not worse.... He regressed a lot from the season before. He hasn't been a good defender for good 2 years now..

I am convinced that Bradley is a perfect sscapegoat. People now preferring Thornton and Turner over Bradley. Yikes.

Just because the backup options aren't great doesn't mean we can't criticize AB. He has regressed terribly defensively and only marginally improved offensively.

And you expect him to make leaps over one summer? Come on, he has a lot of work to do, but he has years to do it, not months. Bradley isn't expected to be in a Pat Beverly role in the upcoming years, he's expected to have a bigger role and that comes with a struggle in identity/production.


Did Bradley screw up in the end of the Phoenix game? Sure, but so has Rondo in that Cavs game and Smart in that Raptors game. There's nothing wrong with criticism, but ranking your best 2 as lower than scrub levels is crazy

Bradley is the perfect scapegoat, cause he doesn't play efficient b-ball, imo, and as I wrote up there, his D has been average at best in the last 2 season, also I'm tired of hearing " Bradley will improve, he has time, u can't expect him to improve over 1 summer" ---> he has been in the league for 5 seasons for crying out loud... He wont become any better than what he is now, he's not a rookie or something, he's been around for half a decade... And he hasn't improved anything, but his shot, that's about it, he still has hard time attacking the basket, dribbling, passing...

[Banks2Pierce]

I'm too lazy to dig up his stats on D from last year. They weren't great, he was in the middle of the pack if not worse.... He regressed a lot from the season before. He hasn't been a good defender for good 2 years now..

What stats? No one seems to agree on defensive stats telling any sort of story, and especially for guards.

Think the best all-encompassing one that passes the eye test is ESPN's Real Plus Minus, which rated Bradley very well defensively for last season.

[Ben-N1ce]

Dude has a per of 10 He's out of the top 30 in efficiency at shooting guard and isn't playing lock down D this year. I'm not sure how people justify that at this time

[BannersOnly]

The Bradley hate in this forum is ridiculous. Bradley is a very good young player who is still learning the game. Celtics were lucky to sign him to the contract he has right now.

LOL! Still "learning the game"? The Celtics "were lucky to sign him to the contract he has right now"? Man, pass over what you are smoking..........that must be some helluva stuff! The kid is a JAG and always will be. Dime a effin' dozen.

[Jammer]

I'm too lazy to dig up his stats on D from last year. They weren't great, he was in the middle of the pack if not worse.... He regressed a lot from the season before. He hasn't been a good defender for good 2 years now..

What stats? No one seems to agree on defensive stats telling any sort of story, and especially for guards.

Think the best all-encompassing one that passes the eye test is ESPN's Real Plus Minus, which rated Bradley very well defensively for last season.

I read the original articles on Real Plus Minus several years ago when they were posted on 82game.com

Thought it was the biggest bunch of crap I'd seen - completely unrelated to reality.

Now ESPN is posting that "analysis", but if you look at how they arrive at it, I just don't believe that the numbers have any relation to reality. As far as I am concerned, it's the most useless b-ball stat on the internet.

[Banks2Pierce]

I read the original articles on Real Plus Minus several years ago when they were posted on 82game.com

Thought it was the biggest bunch of crap I'd seen - completely unrelated to reality.

Now ESPN is posting that "analysis", but if you look at how they arrive at it, I just don't believe that the numbers have any relation to reality. As far as I am concerned, it's the most useless b-ball stat on the internet.

From the poster famous for constantly trumpeting Net PER and listing player's heights without shoes, that is priceless.

[FlatearthZorro]

Dude has a per of 10 He's out of the top 30 in efficiency at shooting guard and isn't playing lock down D this year. I'm not sure how people justify that at this time

They justify it with " he will improve, you can't expect him to do so in 1 summer", which I have been reading in connection to Bradley for the past 5 years.

[irie]

I'm too lazy to dig up his stats on D from last year. They weren't great, he was in the middle of the pack if not worse.... He regressed a lot from the season before. He hasn't been a good defender for good 2 years now..

What stats? No one seems to agree on defensive stats telling any sort of story, and especially for guards.

Think the best all-encompassing one that passes the eye test is ESPN's Real Plus Minus, which rated Bradley very well defensively for last season.

I read the original articles on Real Plus Minus several years ago when they were posted on 82game.com

Thought it was the biggest bunch of crap I'd seen - completely unrelated to reality.

Now ESPN is posting that "analysis", but if you look at how they arrive at it, I just don't believe that the numbers have any relation to reality. As far as I am concerned, it's the most useless b-ball stat on the internet.

I'd go with "per 36" as the most useless stat in basketball. It's an agenda-driven stat that serves little purpose when actually evaluating talent other than to overvalue bench players and "prospects," in my opinion.

As to the topic of Bradley, I'm not giving up on him as many seem to have. My real concern for him is health. I think that really has slowed down his development, and obviously if he keeps getting hurt he will never really reach whatever ceiling he has.

[ryaningf]

Dude has a per of 10 He's out of the top 30 in efficiency at shooting guard and isn't playing lock down D this year. I'm not sure how people justify that at this time

They justify it with " he will improve, you can't expect him to do so in 1 summer", which I have been reading in connection to Bradley for the past 5 years.

To be fair, Bradley's had exactly 2 summers in which to work on his game. The rest of the summers he's been rehabbing.

[Slartibartfast]

I'd like AB better if he wasn't so prominently featured on the team. As a 2nd option, he's hard to watch.

[Bad-Thoma]

Every year people seem to need to find someone to hate on. This year it seems to be largely Bradley's role. I don't know what people were expecting, the team just isn't that good overall yet. Bradley would be fine as a 4th offensive fiddle for spot up shots and cuts to the basket while concentrating more on defense. On a team with few players that can create their own shot he has found room to get his shot off, just not efficiently. He is trying his ass off to fill a role that isn't natural to him and putting himself right in the cross hairs of a notoriously critical fan base. I'm just glad someone on the team has the balls to do it, even if I too cringe when he jacks up jump shots off the dribble.

As for his contract I think (hope) it'll look a lot better in a couple years when the team is more competitive and Bradley is a really good role player rather than a sub-par primary option. He'll be in his prime with a lot of meaningful minutes under his belt, hopefully we'll have a go to scorer and some protection at the rim to go with him and whoever else is still here.

[Kids Are Alright]

Too small to play d on 2s in the half court....can't create a shot....must have been no other options for DA this summer

[celticfan42487]

Listen, on the general board Bradley was consistently ranked as one of the worst off season signings.

As was Jeff Green when he was signed.

Ainge is horrific at signing free agents, and seems to bid against himself. Maybe he just falls in love with players during drafts and can't let it go for "free" in free agency.

That said, Bradley is a SG that defends PGs extremely well. So if you put him next to a PG/SG hybrid that happens to have Rondo's talent with ball handling and controlling the game... well yeah that's rare but that's the best scenerio to get the most out of Bradley.

Maybe next to someone like Westbrook. Who is big enough to guard 2 guards about as well as he does 1s. And then you can reap the benefit of Bradley's defense on PGs which is ALL-NBA level. Whereas on 2 guards he's merely a plus defender.