JR Giddens Interview

[DJToLarry]

Anyone catch the JR Giddens interview on Comcast Sports w/ Greg Dickerson? Trying to find the words for it.....but he just is not very likeable. Comes off a little big-headed and know it all type. Just a first impression, hopefully I'm wrong about him.

[SonicYouth34]

Yeah he seemed a little bit like what you said, but most rookies are like that. On the other hand I liked what Walker had to say, I love that kid.

[DJToLarry]

Yeah he seemed a little bit like what you said, but most rookies are like that. On the other hand I liked what Walker had to say, I love that kid.

Same here. That kid wants it, knows he has a long road ahead of him, and will do whatever it takes to get there.

[AlCelticFan]

Some people just don't get it. I didn't hear the interview, but if he is bigheaded, it will take some real life humbling to fix that. Bill walker came in and worked his butt off. J.R. on the other hand missed the summer because of contract stuff. He should know that he is behind the development curve now, and he should know to shut up and work hard hard hard. I hope he snaps out of that mentality, because it will get him nowhere.

I am sure the vets on our team will let him know what is expected of him.

[cmku]

Danny has had a good track record of finding diamonds in the rough, but the drafting of JR Giddens is a big head scratcher and ultimately a HUGE mistake. Of all players to reach on, Giddens should have been one of the last players on the list. At the time, I think DA was looking for someone that they could use in Posey's role and therefore use as a bargaining chip against Posey with the goal being to re-sign him at a discounted rate since they would have a backup plan in place if he didn't re-sign. With that in mind they went looking for a sf with decent size and a good outside shot. JR fit the bill, but the big reason he will be a failure and never match Posey's productivity is because he lacks one of James' greatest strengths: basketball IQ. Posey is one of the headiest and most intelligent players in the league, when hes on the court. Giddens on the other hand, despite his great athletic ability, is what you might call mentally challenged when he is on the court. He does not make good decisions, he is not good at adapting his game for the good of the team and he doesn't have good court sense. These are the same reasons Gerald Green has been unable to find success in the league so far and he has twice the raw talent Giddens has. Green, though, appears to be a good kid, but as a player he is still immature and undeveloped. Giddens, on the other hand, has proven to be fairly arrogant and full of himself and if he hasn't learned better by now, after numerous run-ins with the law and being kicked off one team, it doesn't appear he is ever going to get it through his thick head.

Let's hope DA realizes his mistake earlier rather than later and sends JR packing. We have to pair down to 15 and unless they are able to make a trade, dropping giddens may be the only decent option. Had we not used a 1st round pick on him, this would have been an easy decision. Walker obviously has a much brighter future, plus he's looking like he'll be ready to contribute at this level right away. This combined with the signing of Darius, leaves little reason to believe we'd ever need JR to step on the court, barring multiple injuries. The only other player that might be worth dropping is Scal, but at least down the road, when his contract is expiring, he'll hold some value.

Even if it means proving me wrong, I would like to see Giddens get his act together and do well. But as someone who has followed his career for the last 4-5 years, I think at best he it is going to need a few years to learn and mature; and while boston might be the perfect place for this to happen, I don't see this as a good short-term or long-term strategy for the team, Giddens just doesn't have the upside that someone like Walker has to make it worth while.

[Bad-Thoma]

I'm glad to see both Walker and Giddens have confidence in their games, Giddens did some really nice things last night (blocked a 3 and saved it off of Big Z out of bounds, knocked down a three, dunk and one, pressured the ball really well). He's got the length, athletisicm, and energy to be an excellent defender. He reminds me of Tony Allen when he was a rookie, all athletisicm and enthusiasm, but JR has the added bonus of being taller and longer in the arms. While Walker definitely is the more grounded of the two I think they are both going to be able to contribute this season.

[Bad-Thoma]

Giddens, on the other hand, has proven to be fairly arrogant and full of himself and if he hasn't learned better by now, after numerous run-ins with the law and being kicked off one team, it doesn't appear he is ever going to get it through his thick head.

His last college season was trouble free and he was the Mountain West (co?)player of the year. That seems like getting it though his think skull to me.

[elrod enchilada]

Danny Ainge did not draft JR Giddens as a ploy for Posey negotiations or to fill a need. He is a brilliant GM. He drafted Giddens because he thought JR had the tools to become a quality NBA player. The degree of difficulty at teh end fo the first round is extremely high, to get a good player is unusual. So you take the guy with the best chance to make it. Period.

Giddens has the tools to be an excellent starting caliber two guard. He is long, a great rebounder, good defender, plus athlete, has a decent outside shot and sees the floor well. Sure he has issues; otherwise he would have been picked much higher.

With the two Allens Giddens is not getting on the floor much this year. But that does not mean he was a bad pick.

That Walker is shining more than Giddens is not a reflection on Giddens. It is a reflection on Walker and what a great deal Danny made to get him.

[hiphop1]

He wouldnt seem as big headed if he was doing as well as Walker. Walker is doing GREAT so he just sounds confident. There is a difference between cocky and confident and they are both just confident in ther skills.

[billfromBoston]

There was nothing wrong with JR's interview, he is a good kid and his enthusiasm and confidence in himself will pay dividends as he endures his learning curve in the NBA...the idea that JR should be cut and was a mistake as a pick is not one of the smartest things i've heard on this board, to put it mildly.

Walker is an accelerated learner, who spent an extra 2 months working with the team staff in Healthpoint, so its no surprise that he is ahead of JR at this point. Walker was also a much more highly regarded prospect for most of his career, before injury curtailed some of that perception.

Rookies typically do not step into playoff teams and contribute right away-especially late first rounders on championship teams with depth at his position...if Giddens was drafted by Memphis he'd be getting serious burn and making some highlight plays himself...

..speaking of which, Giddens has been very solid in the first two preseason games, so people may want to pay a little more attention to the defensive side of the ball and see how intuitive his reads are and how nicely he's cutting off driving lanes, denying the ball, and harassing his assignment. Once he feels more comfortable, he'll start bringing that energy to the offensive side of the floor, where he was a serious playmaker in college - Paul Pierce-esque one might say...

...he'll be fine...

[cmku]

At New Mexico, JR was in an ideal situation. He was easily the best player on his team and nobody has ever doubted that he could put up good numbers (and frankly, considering the situation his numbers weren't all that impressive. Walker put up very similar numbers in less minutes playing second fiddle to Beasley, as a freshman, in an elite conference. Giddens was a 5th year senior on a mid-level team in a mid-level conference and was their only legitmate scoring threat) . The problem is Giddens is not the type of player that is going to win you games. He doesn't have the intangibles that it would take to make him a difference maker in the league. His defense has gotten better, but he is still a ways off from being a good on the ball defender in the pros. On offense, he needs to be the man to be able to excel and in the nba, there is no new mexico lobos he can go to that is going to make that happen.

Finding quality players at the end of the first round is not extremely difficult, especially this season. We found a better player in Walker who was drafted in the middle of the second round and guys like Chris Douglas-Roberts and Mario Chalmers are twice the players Giddens will ever be. Plus Darrell Arthur and Donte Green were selected only a few pick before JR, so its obvious that this year excellent players could be had at a bargain basement price, which is what Danny has been so good at in the past. To bad, this year, he ends up spending double the retail value on a player we could have got a garage sale.

[cmku]

Once he feels more comfortable, he'll start bringing that energy to the offensive side of the floor, where he was a serious playmaker in college - Paul Pierce-esque one might say...

...he'll be fine...

Giddens is NOT a playmaker and comparing him to Pierce makes me sick to my stomach. I don't know how I can take anything you say seriously after that comment.

If you think he has played good so far, you must have low standards for judgement. Playing good defense off the ball is far from enough to warrant him seeing playing time on our championship level team.

And my judgements of Giddens and Walker have little to do with their productivity thus far with the celtics. The fact of the matter is, Walker is the superior player and I understand there were injury concerns that caused his stock to drop, but Giddens had character and intelligence issues, and overcoming an injury is a little easier than overcoming stupidity.

[avi623]

I think we all need to take a step back and chill out on the Giddens pick. We are a week into the preseason of his rookie year. The reason why DA drafted him was because we are already deep, and he felt he could take a flier on a guy who has the tools. He is athletic and can shoot from outside. GIve the kid some time. He may pan out he may not, but it really is not fair to make sweeping generalizations about a guy this early, just because there is another rookie who has impressed more so far.

Furthermore, there are guys who say and do all the right things but do not pan out because they cannot play. There are also knuckleheads who end up sticking because despite their attitude, they can play somewhat. (See Davis, RIcky) So ultimately time will tell if this was a good pick, and Giddens may end up making it, despite being somewhat of a bonehead.

[Pogue Mahone]

Perhaps the KU at the end of the poster's name has a bit to do with his dislike of Giddens. Personally, I thought Giddens has played very well so far, all things considered. If (big if) he can achieve similar off the ball rate stats as he did his senior year, discounted for strength of competition, Giddens would not only be a "good" pick--- he would be an out-freakin-standing pick.

[sam_I_am]

JR Giddens may or may not be good for all I know. I would like to see more of him before I judge him because I haven't seen enough one way or another. However, his career is already starting like a guy who will be a disappointment. The only guys in recent times to get so little buzz out of training camp are Jerome Moisu, Gabe Pruitt, Kedrick Brown, and Joe Forte. Does that mean anything? Who knows. Hopefully he is just getting overshadowed by Walker and that Walker is going to be really really good.

[ryaningf]

It's pretty crazy how people's interpretation of JR's interview can vary so wildly. I thought he showed a very winning, personable attitude towards life. Sure, he's a little cocky, but athletes are cocky, people. They need to be cocky to maintain the edge necessary to compete successfully. I thought the very end of his interview, where he told Greg that he wanted to be a 'puzzle piece to the [Cs] masterpiece,' was downright poetic and showed a great amount of humility and imagination. This kid is going to be fine.

I agree with BillFromBoston: peoples should watch him on the court. He has fantastic defensive instincts. He's a great rebounder. He's a total scrapper too; he's going to lay it on the court every night. And if he doesn't make the court, he's going to give that energy from the bench. I think he'll be another fine pick for Danny. Walker's going to shine quicker and perhaps brighter as well, but JR is going to be a very very good player for us.

[ParticleMan]

LMAO @ writing off JR Giddens because he sounded bad in an interview.

and LMAO @ that guy who claims to have followed Giddens' career and has already labeled him as a low BBIQ, low character guy. I live in AZ and I got to see Giddens play a fair bit. He does not have a low BBIQ. He is not a playmaker, but that's not his role. He is a scorer. He is also an amazing rebounder and a quality defender. He's got an NBA body. And he genuinely seems to have put his character issues behind him. He wouldn't be the first kid to get some maturity with age.

He's behind the curve because he didn't come in early. And Walker has looked surprisingly good. But JR is doing fine. He is anything but bigheaded at this point. He is an eager, enthusiastic kid who likes to play basketball. He has a lot to learn, coming from a small program, but I don't see any reason to doubt that he will pick it up.

At the end of the day we've got two very good rookie swingmen. I still think in 3 years Giddens will be a better player than Walker. But I think both of them will contribute this year at some point. That's a great sign for two late picks.

[humblebum]

I just want to agree with the people who are saying we need to chill out on criticizing JR. He's definitely done some boneheaded things in the past, seems a little cocky, and frankly he just strikes me as a jerk-type dude but those same things could be said about lots of successfull NBA players.

In terms of the impressions he's made on the court, I agree that he seems to have nice instincts on the defensive end. I like his positioning man on man, his rotations, as well as his anticipation in terms of going for blocks (see Wally) and steals.

What really jumps out at me is how freaking long this guy is!! If he is able to develop a solid outside shot he could fill a Bowen-esque role for the Celtics in the future. It's scary to think about how long and athletic a team of Rondo-Giddens-Pierce-KG-Perkins (or POB) is. That team could potentially devastate opponents while reaking havoc on the defensive end.

With that said, it's clear that Walker is further along and is closer to being able to fill a regular role with this team.

[armageddon]

I still wish we knew what happened during the draft. It was obvious that DA was trying to trade the pick, probably to get out of the first round. Was JR taken for someone else and the trade fell apart? Was JR the guy DA wanted, but was trying to get him as a second rounder? Was he trying to move up?

[cmku]

I agree that JR is a good player and has definite strengths to his game, but we are talking about the nba and there a lot of really good players that never make it in this league. I don't dislike Giddens, although my words may suggest otherwise, but really I'm upset with Danny for this pick. I really feel like he didn't do his home work on this one, because he doesn't fit the bill as the type of player we should take at that position in the draft. He might help our team potentially as being a good spot up shooter and off the ball defender, but that certainly doesn't warrant a 1st round pick, especially with much better players on the board. He just doesn't have the high upside ceiling that other player might have and he doesn't fit the mold of a good heady role player as he is too one-dimensional. Posey is such a good role guy because he can do so many things and play multiple positions. If Giddens can commit himself to being that type of player, he might find success in this league, but right now, he's along way from that happening.

I also think, had we snatched him up in the 2nd round or off waivers, he would have had added motivation since he wouldn't have had a guaranteed contract and wouldn't have been rewarded for his sub-par college career (considering his potential and his many mistakes). I think he did learn from some of his early mistakes and grew as a player at new mexico but I think he's got a long way to go and he doesn't realize it. Had he been a second round pick, I think there would be a lot more motivation there for him to prove himself.