Rolling the dice on Yabu

[hpantazo]

I have no problem with him except for his stupid hair. Looks like a [dang] fool!

Seems to be a euro trend. Capela and Schroder also have some yellow highlights in their hairstyles, and came from european countries.

At least Giannis doesn't have it ...yet.

[SHAQATTACK]

I have no problem with him except for his stupid hair. Looks like a [dang] fool!

Seems to be a euro trend. Capela and Schroder also have some yellow highlights in their hairstyles, and came from european countries.

At least Giannis doesn't have it ...yet.

he is old school ,  doesn't like the type for all that non sense

[PAOBoston]

Probably his best game as a Celtic. Not really high on the guy. I will admit, the affection he receives from Cs fans for his arrow dab antics and huge his rump is amusing. I consider him the Cs victory cigar much the same way I considered Scalabrine.

Don’t think he’s on the roster next year.

[slamtheking]

he played well.  hoping this is a trend for him where he's very productive in the minutes he gets.  certainly something the C's could use. 

[GreenWarrior]

dude's horrible. we should strive for better instead of settling for below average.

[Celtics4ever]

ut wish he would attack more to the hoop; when he does, he seems to finish at a very high rate.

We have several guys like Yabu and Tatum that are too passive at times.

[tarheelsxxiii]

I have no problem with him except for his stupid hair. Looks like a [dang] fool!

Seems to be a euro trend. Capela and Schroder also have some yellow highlights in their hairstyles, and came from european countries.

At least Giannis doesn't have it ...yet.

That was by choice?  Yikes. I assumed it was just standard 'chubby role player' hazing.   

[Roy H.]

Just to add some balance:

3 points, 33% shooting, 4 fouls and 2 turnovers in 16 minutes.

The defensive energy is nice, but I don’t want Yabu anywhere near the rotation on a consistent basis.

[mr. dee]

Just to add some balance:

3 points, 33% shooting, 4 fouls and 2 turnovers in 16 minutes.

The defensive energy is nice, but I don’t want Yabu anywhere near the rotation on a consistent basis.

Draymond Green isn't exactly a great shooter either. Yabu's defense is much more needed at times than his scoring. Leave the scoring to the main guys.

[footey]

Just to add some balance:

3 points, 33% shooting, 4 fouls and 2 turnovers in 16 minutes.

The defensive energy is nice, but I don’t want Yabu anywhere near the rotation on a consistent basis.

We have little choice if Al’s minutes are limited, Baynes is out and Theis gets pushed around like a rag doll.

[PAOBoston]

Just to add some balance:

3 points, 33% shooting, 4 fouls and 2 turnovers in 16 minutes.

The defensive energy is nice, but I don’t want Yabu anywhere near the rotation on a consistent basis.

At this point I just hope he shows some positive value so could be useful in a trade.

[spikelovetheCelts]

brad loved him some yabu tonight.   praised him after the game.

Showing to scouts for a trade. I cab't see us paying him his salary next year. We needs to keep Morris IMO.

[PhoSita]

I've long thought that if Yabu will find a place in the league, it will be as an undersized center.  Now seems as good a time as any to give him a chance to prove he can fill that role, albeit in very limited minutes.


Nothing I've seen from Yabu over his whole career has given me any reason to change my initial reaction to the pick --- Ainge reached, big time, to select a player who would be stashed overseas for at least a season.

It worked out, I suppose, since the Celts had cap space to use on a max guy that summer. 

Still, it's tough throwing away the #16 pick on a fringe-NBA player like that.

You won't be able to convince me there was any genuine belief that Yabu had the talent to be taken at that part of the draft.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

I've long thought that if Yabu will find a place in the league, it will be as an undersized center.  Now seems as good a time as any to give him a chance to prove he can fill that role, albeit in very limited minutes.


Nothing I've seen from Yabu over his whole career has given me any reason to change my initial reaction to the pick --- Ainge reached, big time, to select a player who would be stashed overseas for at least a season.

It worked out, I suppose, since the Celts had cap space to use on a max guy that summer. 

Still, it's tough throwing away the #16 pick on a fringe-NBA player like that.

You won't be able to convince me there was any genuine belief that Yabu had the talent to be taken at that part of the draft.

Of the guys taken after him, only Lavert, Siakim, Murray, and Brogdon have proven to be legit NBA players. Wallace, Baldwin, and Beasley are all fringe guys trying to carve a role in the league.

Lavert had (has?) serious injury problems and he was college senior. Brogdon's upside seemed capped for the same reason. No one thought Siakim had the potential he's been showing this year, and frankly, he may have developed differently outside of Toronto.

Skipping Murray was a bit of a head-scratcher for me. He had a lot of talent/athleticism/potential, but he kept falling. That probably means there is something medically or character-wise that NBA fans aren't privy to.

I like Yabu a lot in that draft. I still like him. Guys as strong as he is shouldn't be able to move like he moves. That's something that you can't teach. When you combine his unique athleticism with a good touch from 3, you have the outline of a very unique NBA player. The problem has always been consistency and his all-around game.

I agree with those who say he needs to lose some weight. I think he could be one of the better all-around athletes (strength, quickness, agility, hands) in the NBA at 250-260 instead of 280-290.

However, I'm still a believer in Yabu. He has a unique offensive feel that many guys don't have. He'll be in the NBA a long time, and he might end up being really good if he loses some weight.

[PhoSita]

Malik B is playing 20 minutes a night for a good Nuggets team, scoring 9 pts a game on nearly 40% from three.  He looks pretty well established as an NBA player, especially since he's got a fairly traditional NBA wing body.

Brogdon is a key player on one of the best teams in the East.


The inherent ceiling for a wing or combo guard is much higher in today's league than the ceiling for a beefy, undersized center (or oversized PF). 

Taking a chance on a guy like Murray or LeVert, character or physical issues aside, would make more sense than taking a flier on a foreign big with an unconventional body like Yabu.

Yabu would have made a lot of sense as an early 2nd round pick, which is where I assume he would have been drafted if not for Ainge reaching on him.


Again, I think the pick had everything to do with the plan for that summer, but in that case they ought to have tried to trade the pick for a future 1st, or multiple future 2nds.


It's a minor gripe, to be sure.  But I bristle at what seems to me to be a waste of a 1st rounder.  Sustained success in a league with stringent luxury task is often dependent on finding useful supporting players with picks in the mid-late 1st round.  Indeed, in the past that was the part of the draft where Ainge had found some of his best draftees.