Why not Pruitt

[Tricky Ricky]

I still want to see what Pruitt can do, why dont we just keep Pruitt? He has to be a better option than Lue...

[Edug27]

Pruitt was given many opportunities to show what he can do, and honestly hasnt shown much other than alot of potential ... Lue is a veteran PG whos been to the playoffs before, and at this point in his career, he can run an offense better than Gabe can ....and I think thats all Boston wants in a Rondo backup

[humblebum]

Pruitt will get a chance to win the backup PG job in camp. Lue or any other vet min addition will be there as an insurance policy in case of injury.

[Edug27]

They will bring in a veteran PG, and of course, him and Pruitt will battle it out for the backup role, but the veteran PG they bring in will be more than just an insurance policy IMO, hes a legitimate contendor for full time backup role behind Rondo ... much like Marbury and Cassell were

[recruiter]

One of the great misconceptions that exists with C's fans who obsess over every Ainge draft pick is that because THEY haven't seen much of a player, the coaching staff doesn't "know what they can do."

Doc and the assistants, along with Ainge, see Pruitt every day in practice. He doesn't get minutes. There's a cause and effect relationship there.

[Edug27]

One of the great misconceptions that exists with C's fans who obsess over every Ainge draft pick is that because THEY haven't seen much of a player, the coaching staff doesn't "know what they can do."

Doc and the assistants, along with Ainge, see Pruitt every day in practice. He doesn't get minutes. There's a cause and effect relationship there.

Agreed, altho, the Celtics did throw Pruitt in the mix acouple times last season, giving him some minutes. But he just seemed tenative and out of place on the court at times.

[BillessuR6]

What frustrates me the most about Pruitt is that he just can`t make a shot. He supposed to be a great shooter, his form looks good but he hasn`t had a good shooting game since he came in the NBA...

[stiles21]

It would be nice if they could give Pruitt some consistent minutes so he can get in a flow, thats when you'll find out what he can really do. He looked pretty good in the summer league. I think right now might be make or brake time for his career and I'd like to see him get a chance.

Worst case - You take his minutes back ( and I'm only talking about 8-12 mins ), pick up a vet at the brake and he hangs up his jersey at the end of the season.

Best case - He's the next Matt Cassel.

[humblebum]

Ya, I don't think there is any question that Pruitt has the talent to play some backup PG/SG minutes in the league. He's on a similar talent level to Delonte West, with similar athleticism. The big difference is that West played tons of minutes on bad Celtics teams in his first few seasons while Gabe has gotten little to no playing time over the past two seasons. The question with Pruitt is his mental makeup. Delonte was a tougher, more fearless competitor while Gabe has some tenativeness and fearfulness in his game. If Gabe can get his mental game together and play alongside some decent bench players and starters he could be an effective role player.

I'd love to see Gabe in lineups that will give him a chance to work his way in to the game:

Rondo
Pruitt
Pierce
Davis
Sheed

Or something similar would be ideal because we wouldn't be asking him to do too much. Then you can slide House in for Rondo a couple of minutes later, while working Perkins, Ray Ray and Garnett back in to the game shortly thereafter.

But if the Celtics continue to put Gabe out there in lineups like he played with last year (Pruitt, House, Ray, Davis Powe.... umm yuck!) then he'll continue to struggle to find his way in this league.

[Edug27]

Yea, I really would not mind going into the season with Gabe as our backup PG, just to see how it all plays out. He can get maybe 13-14 mpg, the same as Marbury saw. I have faith in him, hes a good size PG, and once he gets more confidence in his shot and knocks acouple down, I think he'll be fine. Heres a decent rotation ....

Rondo / Pruitt
Allen / House
Pierce / ??
KG / Wallace / BBD
Perkins / Wallace

I think Gabe can play well in a lineup similiar to:

Pruitt
House
Pierce
KG
Wallace

[Dave_From_NB]

I agree with others who are indicating that bringing in a vet PG and having a battle between Pruitt and that person is the right thing to do. For 2 years now a vet PG hasn't been picked up until buy-out time, and what that has proven to us is that it's too late to bring onboard a PG at that time given Cassell and Marbury really not panning out.

I think it would be great if Pruitt won the job, but I think he needs to win it, not be given it.

[C-West]

I think Gabe is more than capable of being our backup point guard. One of the main reasons is that toward the end of last season when Marbury was here, the job of "backup point guard" for the Celtics actually became easier, IMO. With House switched to full time shooting guard, all Marbury did was essentially dribble up the court and find House off a screen. If the play broke down, the ball would usually end up back in Marbury's hands and he'd have to create something - with mixed results - which Gabe is more than capable of doing. Every time Marbury was in there, I would think to myself, "heck, Gabe can do that." Also, with Gabe being about 6'4" and able to reasonable guard the other teams' shooting guard, this is a perfect match with House.

[humblebum]

The big problem with Pruitt/House as a pairing though is that neither are natural playmakers or floor generals. So you're going to need to play some inside-out offense which hopefully the Celtics will have with Sheed, KG, and Perk all being decent to good back to the basket players.

[sully00]

Pruitt has only gotten 460 mins in 2 seasons that is not being given a shot. Delonte was hurt as a rookie and played 500 mins in one season, Tony Allen played over 1200 mins as a rookie. That was on a playoff team. I am not saying Pruitt is worth that maybe he isn't but you have to actually give him some real burn to find out if he can play.

[Cyclical]

Seems to have a Kedrick Brown like personality. Not sure that would bode well for him as a PG. The mental side may be liking something. No toughness and tenacity. On top of that, his outside shooting seems very inconsistent, despite the very nice looking shooting form. Still seems like a better PG than House (not a better shooter) but that's not saying much.

[Celts17Pride]

Real GM posters with no patience for young players. I find that hard to believe.

Pruitt, Giddens & Walker will be given every chance in training camp and preseason to be the backup PG, SG & SF respectively. It's up to them to seize the moment. If they don't it's another year in the D-League.

[MVP16]

What frustrates me the most about Pruitt is that he just can`t make a shot. He supposed to be a great shooter, his form looks good but he hasn`t had a good shooting game since he came in the NBA...

Yep. That's the biggest problem with Pruitt. Last season, he showed that he can be a pretty good defender at the pg position and can also defend some smaller sgs. But he is absolutely brutal offensively. I don't think he'll ever be able to break down the defense and get to the rim consistently like Rondo can do. And he's not really a true pg. But he has to hit his shots - at least 35% from 3-point range and then he would become a decent backup pg. Him shooting 31% from the floor and 29% from the 3 makes him a big liability offensively.

[Rocky5000]

He can't really shoot that well and he doesn't have the court vision or aggressiveness to make up for it.

[TheOGJabroni]

Like everyone else, I don't fully understand why his shooting percentages are so low. I really hope it has been his lack of PT and not being able to get a good flow going. I hope that changes this year. He has shown some very solid defensive abilities and can be great in the backcourt with Eddie off the bench similar to Steph last year. Let's hope he can break out this year and be a solid backup for Rondo.

[captain green]

Strengths: Has great size and quickness at the point guard position ... Very athletic, plays above the rim, real bouncy ... Smart player with a good understanding of the game ... Has nice offensive skills with the ability to drive or pull up ... Has range on his shot and is an excellent 3 point shooter ... Good defender with quick hands and nice anticipation ... Excellent balance and agility ... Clutch player who steps up in close games ...

Weaknesses: He's been more of a scorer than a distributor throughout high school and to this point. Still becoming a true point guard, learning the nuances of the position: getting everyone involved, dictating tempo, etc. Must become better at protecting the ball ... Must gain more consistency on his jumpshot ... Can get caught up trying to do too much, but stays under control most of the time ...

so far his weaknesses have out shined his strengths. And the dui( I'll never understand rich sports stars driving when they can limo) although we drafted Hudson to put some fear in him he's all we have right now. I'm not happy he's not shown to handle it. Get some one else please!!