Let's gauge the value of the young players for next season

campybatman · Post #1 » by **campybatman** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 3:15 pm

Well, it was said this morning on WEEI that Ainge revealed that Rivers really desired to see House resigned. It makes sense, House provides the Celtics with the perimeter offense that left with Posey. In the same way, you get back some of the man-to-man defense in Tony Allen also lost with Posey leaving. Can you expect these two players to entirely compensate for Posey's clutch shooting and timely defensive plays? Maybe or maybe not. Time will tell. Still, House presents competition for Pruitt. Of these players I've listed. I feel that Pruitt's in the best position to breakout next season only because you know at least Ainge is curious to see what he has in him. Whereas, Rivers probably prefers House backing up Rondo. We'll see... As for O'Bryant, his situation is tougher to figure because there's the likelihood that Davis and/or Powe will see time at center which could keep him on the bench unless fouls become an issue for others. Ditto for Davis. He's in the same boat. He has to contend with Powe for playing time. But, all this will still be determined by Rivers. He effects everyone's opportunity. Players will need to step up in practices. If either Giddens or Walker can someday become a Bonzi Well type threat off the bench. That will be huge in the future. But, right now, I don't see either player having an impact as a rookie. Walker's the more intriguing of the two if he matures into another Gerald Wallace type player. Watch out.

Egregious Blunder · Post #2 » by **Egregious Blunder** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 3:32 pm

-Gabe Pruitt will be 3rd string pg (Rondo-House-Pruitt)
-POB will be 3rd string C (Perkins-Baby-POB)
-Baby will be backup Center, 3rd string PF (Garnett-Powe-Baby)
-Giddens is the 2nd wing off the bench (after TA)
-Walker to the DL

--if your discounting powe, id say baby is the best suited for a breakout

tombattor · Post #3 » by **tombattor** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 3:53 pm

I think Pruitt will have a pretty good season. When he played last year, he wasn't bad and he has the opportunity to get a lot of minutes next year.

Gomes3PC · Post #4 » by **Gomes3PC** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 3:55 pm

With Cassell gone and House a pretty limited player in terms of defense/playmaking, Gabe Pruitt should and will get every opportunity in the world to take over the #2 spot at PG and play 12-15 MPG. If he does I can see him knocking down a trey a game and using his size at that spot to defend the bigger PGs that can give Rondo fits on D.

Al n' Perk No Layups! · Post #5 » by **Al n' Perk No Layups!** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:01 am

Pruitt is gonna breakout. Both his shooting and defensive ability are excellent. His playmaking ability will surprise.

TheSheriff · Post #6 » by **TheSheriff** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:35 am

Judging a breakout is tough because Doc is kinda flaky with guys who he is not familiar with. Look at Ryan Gomes during his rookie year, Leon Powe last year, ect... I think POB is the most likely to breakout because he has the highest ceiling (young, 7 foot, athletic centers have huge upsides), is the only backup true center on the roster (and thus will be forced to guard taller centers when Perk is out), and should have a chip on his shoulder after how he was handled by Don Nelson.

Dogen · Post #7 » by **Dogen** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:58 am

I don't know who will break out, but I hope we have some blow outs next season and have a chance to see a late 4thQ lineup of POB, Baby, Walker, Giddens, and Pruitt. Something tells me that lineup may not be very good at first, but would be very fun to watch.

Post #8 » by **Spin Move** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 3:14 am

The correct answer is Rajon Rondo, he is getting better and better with his range and once its just a tiny bit improved he will be a force, he will improve the most, look for him to look for his own shot more as the big 3 go to the bench.

TheSheriff · Post #9 » by **TheSheriff** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 3:27 am

Spin Move wrote:The correct answer is Rajon Rondo, he is getting better and better with his range and once its just a tiny bit improved he will be a force, he will improve the most, look for him to look for his own shot more as the big 3 go to the bench.

That is a good point, if Rajon can get a consistent 18 foot jumpshot and have enough confidence to take that shot, he really could become a very dangerous point guard.

LongTimeFan · Post #10 » by **LongTimeFan** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:27 am

What is surprising is how young we are. I think the idea of a "breakout" is an instant gratification to our prospects. Rather what we'll get is slow, steady prgress for all eight of them.

TA (26) will finish his rehab on his knee and become a quality rotation player. He'll learn to handle spot minutes.

Perk (24) has gotten over his confidence issues. His play will become far more consistent and his stupid fouls from trying too hard will decrease.

Powe (24) will also become a quality rotation player. He'll seem to improve substantially, because his minutes at backup center will decrease. He might develope a jump shot or passing.

Giddens (22) is a late first round rookie. He has a hill to climb in terms of NBA intensity and NBA defense. He'll get a run to motivate him for next summer.

Rondo (22) has made huge strides. He has so many physical and athletic gifts to leverage. His jump shot is very close. A reliable jump shot would give this kid another weapon. That's the last thing our opponents need.

O'Bryant (21) will make the greatest strides, because he is so tall, because Ray will be coaching him, and because he's starting as a practice cone. He'll get a run sometime during the season. He's a long term project, but by the end of the season we'll get a glimpse of his ceiling. Not many practice cones can do that.

Pruitt (21) should make the team and get some minutes. I'd say he gets a run sometime this season.

Walker (20) is another project. Our coaches will work on his conditioning ad training. Can he make it through a season without getting another knee injury?

We may be world champions, but DA has been by stealth rebuilding our young stable of prospects.

Jammer · Post #11 » by **Jammer** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:05 am

The question seems to be who will Improve the Most ??

1. 22 year old Rajon Rondo will continue to get better by becoming more consistent
2. Just turned 22 (June) 7 footer Patrick O'Bryant will add strength to his length
3. JR Giddens will battle Tony Allen for the backup SG job. Tony is a pit bull on defense,
whereas Giddens MAY be more well rounded offensively.

I question how much upside Davis has, he is not a power forward, from what I have seen so far, and his short arms, lack of leaping, limited post game and lack of a jump shot, including a turn around jump shot where he jumps maybe 2 inches off the ground, cause me to see him as a so-so 3rd string center on a good team, with a chance for backup on a not so good team.

Pruitt, his nice defense aside, strikes me as a man without a position.
Pruitt doesn't penetrate the defense to set up angles for teammates to create new opportunities like a classic point guard.
Pruitt jacks up shots at the first sign of daylight (SG mentality).
Pruitt's handles (ball handling) are not so hot, he is especially vulneralble when players sneak up on his "blind" side, and when he does that spin move, the ball gets knocked away easily or outright stolen.

If Pruitt has a break out, I think it would mean that his shot is going in more often, so that he will appear to be a scorer off the bench, rather than a true backup PG.

But Pruitt is still young enough that he might figure out to play a position where he is supposed to facilitate improving the performance of the other 4 players on his team.

The thing that concerned me the most about Pruitt was his rate of jacking up shots, at a faster rate per minute played than Paul Pierce, without the results. That's not the right mentality for a PG.

Dave_From_NB · Post #12 » by **Dave_From_NB** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 1:24 pm

Perhaps this is a vote with my heart and not my head, but the guy I want to have the most value this year is O'Bryant. I absolutely hate Davis as a backup Center, he's either going to be (relatively) short, fat, and with the vertical leap of the average 12 year girl. Or if he has brought himself into shape he's going to be short without the bulk, but hopefully with some better vertical. In either case, we'd never talk about him as a backup Center except in the case of complete desperation.

Using my head, I think Pruitt is going to have the most value. House I believe will play a lot at the 2 with Rondo or Pruitt on the floor with him, and I believe he's just a safety net for the PG. It really wouldn't surprise me if Pruitt starts taking his minutes, and House opts out next year (he has a player option second year).

Luxurytaxlotterybust · Post #13 » by **Luxurytaxlotterybust** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 1:32 pm

Rondo and Perk are more likely for a breakout season.

Rondo played 30 minutes a game. Perk 24. Ainge clearly believes that improvement this year comes from within. If Rondo goes to 35 minutes a game and Perk 30 minutes a game we are getting more run out of our starters.

Still think they need a outside shooter for the 2nd team. Devan George is a waste and hasn't been good for several years now. I would love to see Finley on this team.

campybatman · Post #14 » by **campybatman** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:14 pm

Jammer wrote:I question how much upside Davis has, he is not a power forward, from what I have seen so far, and his short arms, lack of leaping, limited post game and lack of a jump shot, including a turn around jump shot where he jumps maybe 2 inches off the ground, cause me to see him as a so-so 3rd string center on a good team, with a chance for backup on a not so good team.

Me too. But, if he isn't a power forward or lacks enough skills to excel there offensively and defensively. Where best to play him? He isn't a center either. Unlike Okafor, who some will say is more a center than he's a power forward for lack of skills to play the former, Davis isn't a shot blocker and gets position for rebounds with his girth and strength rather than with any leaping ability he has. What happens if the "big baby" slims down to a slimmer baby? Can the skills that he possesses now translate into him being more of a small forward or power three? Can't say... It's like trying to figure out Gomes' true position. Gomes is probably a power forward but has developed some outside range to give himself more offensive opportunities at the small forward.

Dave_From_NB wrote:House I believe will play a lot at the 2 with Rondo or Pruitt on the floor with him, and I believe he's just a safety net for the PG. It really wouldn't surprise me if Pruitt starts taking his minutes, and House opts out next year (he has a player option second year).

I agree what you're saying... There's a part of me that's not understanding the House resigning, though. In my opinion, I think Ainge desired to go in a different direction somewhat and sign a veteran point guard but none would come here or something. In the end, he'd realized that he wasn't going to attract the players he'd liked, so opted to resign House knowing that Rivers wanted him back, anyways.

If Pruitt is going to get a real opportunity next season under Rivers. House must be used as an off guard more and only as a third point guard option in case of injury or fouls.