Author Topic: Giddens carries Flash to the D-League Finals  (Read 82987 times)

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Giddens carries Flash to the D-League Finals
« on: April 21, 2009, 12:40:26 PM »

Offline cordobes

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Boston Celtics rookie J.R. Giddens knocked down a game-high 25 points and added 9 rebounds and 2 assists Boston Celtics rookie J.R. Giddens knocked down a game-high 25 points and added 9 rebounds and 2 assists to crash the Dakota Wizards and put the Utah Flash in the D-League Finals for the 1st time in the club history. The Flash host the 14ers in Game One on Wednesday night (can be watched via futurecast ).

For a preview of the Finals, regular checks of Ridiculous Upside  are mandatory.

JR Giddens, from my perspective, is pretty much a known quantity at this point: a very athletic guard, a ferocious open-court player and an amazing rebounder who needs to work very hard on his defensive fundamentals (he has potential but he’s too mistaken prone) and outside shooting, learning to cut and catch the ball with his knees flexed ready to initiate the shooting motion (as he moves very well off the ball) in order to find his niche in the NBA – as a wing defender and modest offensive player who knocks down open shots, cuts to the basket and finishes fastbreaks. I don’t think he can develop as a guard who plays on-the-ball as his ball-handling, decision making and shot-creation skills are far behind the minimum requirements at this level.
« Last Edit: April 21, 2009, 12:48:39 PM by cordobes »

Re: Giddens carries Flash to the D-League Finals
« Reply #1 on: April 21, 2009, 01:06:58 PM »

Offline BudweiserCeltic

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For the most part I agree with your assessment. I think is an above average passer, especially with cutting bigs. I also like his post game, with his interior passing and long arms. He moves the ball well, and is a willing passer.

Smarter defense is a must though, and his fundamentals should improve, but I think overall the talent is there to make it happen. He's a good shot blocker too.

Re: Giddens carries Flash to the D-League Finals
« Reply #2 on: April 21, 2009, 01:10:16 PM »

Offline Chris

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Agree with the assessment.  In a lot of ways, he is very similar to Tony Allen.

I think he will be given every opportunity to prove himself this summer and in training camp next year.  I don't expect them to bring in another wing, unless they get a deal they can't turn down (like Artest for the MLE, or another vet for the vet minimum), and it will be open competition to see who has improved the most of the young wings in camp.

Re: Giddens carries Flash to the D-League Finals
« Reply #3 on: April 21, 2009, 01:58:23 PM »

Offline BillfromBoston

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To take it further - I think he has plus defensive ability, but like many agressive young players, tends to gamble and not pay strict attention to the probabilities on a play or to adequately study his particular match up in order to learn the best defensive strategy for that particular player - this is a common flaw for many young players and we've seen it with a number of our own, including Perk, TA, and Rondo.

I don't think he'll ever be a good enough ball-handler to create iso - but his speed, explosiveness, and length should enable him to attack off screens and spot-up, taking advantage of defenders recovering or generally out of position on him.

He's improved his shooting substantially over the court of the summer and this season, including his FT accuracy,  which was a must.

His ability to read the court and make plays for others is excellent - i'd equate it to Delonte West in terms of him being a 2-guard that can find cutters and kick-out options when he gets himself in trouble - also very adept at dump-off/drop-off passes to bigs when he draws defensive attention from help defenders.

I am sure he'll get the opportunity to spend the summer and TC showing he has learned enough to challenge for minutes - him and TA and Pruitt are all in a mix for minutes at the end of the depth chart.

If Giddens can get a handle on his ADD and assert himself as he has at the D-league level he can make a contribution to this club - but he's got to act like he belongs - something he didnt' do the first time around.

Re: Giddens carries Flash to the D-League Finals
« Reply #4 on: April 21, 2009, 02:30:11 PM »

Offline Chris

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I am sure he'll get the opportunity to spend the summer and TC showing he has learned enough to challenge for minutes - him and TA and Pruitt are all in a mix for minutes at the end of the depth chart.
 

Just to clarify what you mean by this, do you think Walker will be behind those guys, or he will be higher up on the depth chart?

Re: Giddens carries Flash to the D-League Finals
« Reply #5 on: April 21, 2009, 02:34:23 PM »

Offline Atzar

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I am sure he'll get the opportunity to spend the summer and TC showing he has learned enough to challenge for minutes - him and TA and Pruitt are all in a mix for minutes at the end of the depth chart.
 

Just to clarify what you mean by this, do you think Walker will be behind those guys, or he will be higher up on the depth chart?

Different position, I'd imagine - Giddens, TA and Pruitt are all guards, and Walker is a forward.

And then, I may just be sticking my nose where it doesn't belong.

Re: Giddens carries Flash to the D-League Finals
« Reply #6 on: April 21, 2009, 02:44:07 PM »

Offline JAM

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Giddens is 24 years old - very old for a rookie.  He better get whatever "it" is very quickly. 

I just don't think J.R. will prove to be one of Danny's best moments.  Hope I'm wrong, but I think he'll be a scoring SG (at best), and those are a dime a dozen in this league.


Re: Giddens carries Flash to the D-League Finals
« Reply #7 on: April 21, 2009, 02:56:50 PM »

Offline libermaniac

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Out of curiosity, what are you guys basing your assessments on?  Have you watched his D-league games?  (This isn't a sarcastic question).

Re: Giddens carries Flash to the D-League Finals
« Reply #8 on: April 21, 2009, 03:27:22 PM »

Offline ToppersBsktball10

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what are his stats for the post season and regular season in the d league?

Re: Giddens carries Flash to the D-League Finals
« Reply #9 on: April 21, 2009, 03:40:08 PM »

Offline cordobes

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He's improved his shooting substantially over the court of the summer and this season, including his FT accuracy,  which was a must.

He's still subpar.

Quote
His ability to read the court and make plays for others is excellent - i'd equate it to Delonte West in terms of him being a 2-guard that can find cutters and kick-out options when he gets himself in trouble - also very adept at dump-off/drop-off passes to bigs when he draws defensive attention from help defenders.

I don't see this.

Out of curiosity, what are you guys basing your assessments on?  Have you watched his D-league games?  (This isn't a sarcastic question).

In my case, yes, about half a dozen of them.

what are his stats for the post season and regular season in the d league?

http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/index.jsp?player=jr_giddens

Re: Giddens carries Flash to the D-League Finals
« Reply #10 on: April 21, 2009, 07:56:04 PM »

Offline Tr1boy

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I think some of you guys are forgetting giddens was picked up by kentucky after high school and not fresno st. Out of high school he was a blue chip prospect

Even though he was co mvp in his league after kentucky i'm sure that hurt his development to play in a league he was too good to play in

i see the dleague not as good as the nba but on par with college style basketball if not better from what i'm seen on tv

giddens needed the experience and will make the team and big a pretty big contributer next year especially if ray allen is not resigned.

Even though enthuthiasm sometimes can be mistaken for clumsyness and forgetting the small things on the court, i rather have that than getting a player big patrick obryant attitude any day.

Giddens will be good

Re: Giddens carries Flash to the D-League Finals
« Reply #11 on: April 21, 2009, 08:07:12 PM »

Online hwangjini_1

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thanks for the thread. it is a nice diversion from the celtics' version of general hospital.

a question for those who have watched giddens. his d-league stats are good. and from what i read he has lots of physical talent, but is very unpolished, which at 24 does make me wonder about him.

so, do you think his main problem is basic intelligence? that is, while possessing physical talent, giddens just lacks the mental wherewithall to play nba level basketball well?

thanks in advance.
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Re: Giddens carries Flash to the D-League Finals
« Reply #12 on: April 21, 2009, 08:07:59 PM »

Offline CoachBo

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He's improved his shooting substantially over the court of the summer and this season, including his FT accuracy,  which was a must.

He's still subpar.

Quote
His ability to read the court and make plays for others is excellent - i'd equate it to Delonte West in terms of him being a 2-guard that can find cutters and kick-out options when he gets himself in trouble - also very adept at dump-off/drop-off passes to bigs when he draws defensive attention from help defenders.

I don't see this.

Out of curiosity, what are you guys basing your assessments on?  Have you watched his D-league games?  (This isn't a sarcastic question).

In my case, yes, about half a dozen of them.

what are his stats for the post season and regular season in the d league?

http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/index.jsp?player=jr_giddens

Cordobes quoted for truth.

Two words for JR: Bench fodder.

And for the record, if Ainge fails to bring in a quality wing in the off-season who can defend and shoot from the perimeter, it'll be time to seriously ratchet up the discussion about his job performance. That failure would be inexcusable. Veteran wing help is a top off-season priority, along with an end to Danny's collection of 7-foot stiffs - oops, "low risk, no upside" bigs, and, again, a veteran point off the bench.
« Last Edit: April 21, 2009, 08:15:09 PM by CoachBo »
Coined the CelticsBlog term, "Euromistake."

Re: Giddens carries Flash to the D-League Finals
« Reply #13 on: April 21, 2009, 08:23:36 PM »

Offline xmuscularghandix

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He's improved his shooting substantially over the court of the summer and this season, including his FT accuracy,  which was a must.

He's still subpar.

Quote
His ability to read the court and make plays for others is excellent - i'd equate it to Delonte West in terms of him being a 2-guard that can find cutters and kick-out options when he gets himself in trouble - also very adept at dump-off/drop-off passes to bigs when he draws defensive attention from help defenders.

I don't see this.

Out of curiosity, what are you guys basing your assessments on?  Have you watched his D-league games?  (This isn't a sarcastic question).

In my case, yes, about half a dozen of them.

what are his stats for the post season and regular season in the d league?

http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/index.jsp?player=jr_giddens

Cordobes quoted for truth.

Two words for JR: Bench fodder.

And for the record, if Ainge fails to bring in a quality wing in the off-season who can defend and shoot from the perimeter, it'll be time to seriously ratchet up the discussion about his job performance. That failure would be inexcusable. Veteran wing help is a top off-season priority, along with an end to Danny's collection of 7-foot stiffs - oops, "low risk, no upside" bigs, and, again, a veteran point off the bench.

   so when do we develop young talent to replace our current starters? do we just ignore that and just keep signing 30+ year old backup bigs instead of trying out young talent (who by the way is just as good as the one we traded him away to make space for)

   I hate the idea that becuase he didn't sign particular people in th off-season means he did a good job, your off your rocker if you think this team wasn't well constructed when they win 60 despite all of the injury issues.


Re: Giddens carries Flash to the D-League Finals
« Reply #14 on: April 21, 2009, 08:31:28 PM »

Offline Scalablob990

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He's improved his shooting substantially over the court of the summer and this season, including his FT accuracy,  which was a must.

He's still subpar.

Quote
His ability to read the court and make plays for others is excellent - i'd equate it to Delonte West in terms of him being a 2-guard that can find cutters and kick-out options when he gets himself in trouble - also very adept at dump-off/drop-off passes to bigs when he draws defensive attention from help defenders.

I don't see this.

Out of curiosity, what are you guys basing your assessments on?  Have you watched his D-league games?  (This isn't a sarcastic question).

In my case, yes, about half a dozen of them.

what are his stats for the post season and regular season in the d league?

http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/index.jsp?player=jr_giddens

Cordobes quoted for truth.

Two words for JR: Bench fodder.

And for the record, if Ainge fails to bring in a quality wing in the off-season who can defend and shoot from the perimeter, it'll be time to seriously ratchet up the discussion about his job performance. That failure would be inexcusable. Veteran wing help is a top off-season priority, along with an end to Danny's collection of 7-foot stiffs - oops, "low risk, no upside" bigs, and, again, a veteran point off the bench.

   so when do we develop young talent to replace our current starters? do we just ignore that and just keep signing 30+ year old backup bigs instead of trying out young talent (who by the way is just as good as the one we traded him away to make space for)

   I hate the idea that becuase he didn't sign particular people in th off-season means he did a good job, your off your rocker if you think this team wasn't well constructed when they win 60 despite all of the injury issues.


Ghand, even I think Danny has no clue yet what to do involving replacing the Big 3. None of our bench are starter worthy. If I was him I would solely focus on finding the next Paul Pierce for this team  :-\, that's going to be the biggest hole to fill.
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