Excellent stuff. TP, libermaniac.
Some things I found interesting.
Tacko Fall:
“The favorite player in Vegas! (laughs) I mean who didn’t love Tacko out here? He’s a worker. He’s got a long way to go to be an NBA player. But he’ll work for it for sure. A year or two in the NBAGL would do him wonders. The biggest thing for Tacko is adding strength. He can do a lot with that size, but he gets moved around too easily. NBA guys will power right through him. And he just needs to learn how to play our game. But he’s worth working with.”
1-2 years in the NBAGL. That does not sound to me like someone that will be making the 15 man roster anytime soon.
Gordon Hayward:
"We think he’ll be back in a big way. Brad (Stevens) has some cool wrinkles on how Hayward will be used this year on both ends of the floor.”
"Gordon is going to be the dude who unlocks everything. He’s so skilled in all facets of the game. I saw him before we left to come here and he was kicking everyone’s ass in the gym. He wants to prove he’s still that dude.”
I think Utah Hayward will be back. Sounds like team coaches and execs think it too.
Robert Williams:
“We knew he was a project when we drafted him, but a worthy one. Sometimes a project gets tossed early, but Robert is a guy we’ll go the distance with. Word of warning: Don’t put too much on this kid too early. We signed a lot of bigs for a reason.”
Maybe some are going to be majorly disappointed because this doesn't sound like someone destined to be a rotational player this year.
Jayson Tatum:
"He’s going to be an All-Star. If his numbers were down, it’s only because no 19-year-old had been at that level before. Kemba (Walker) is a great addition and (Gordon) Hayward is going to be better, but Tatum is the franchise in Boston.”
That from an opposing team exec. Awesome.
Jaylen Brown:
“I think last year showed that Jaylen is a guy who will do whatever it takes to win. We had to move him to the bench and he did it. Then he played like a rocket whenever we put him in. He’s a tough kid too. Some guys think he’s ‘too smart’, whatever that means, but he’s tough and a worker.”
So per a Celtic coach, Brown adjusted and played great last year is tough and a great worker and he doesn't care about the whole "Too smart for his own good" crap. So much for the whole "Brown is lazy and doesn't work hard enough" BS that some Brown detractors love to spread around the blog.
“All-Star. Multiple times. Just like Jayson (Tatum). Everyone loves Kawhi (Leonard) and PG (Paul George) as a wing duo. We think we have our own version growing right here in Boston. It’s gonna take a couple more years, but those guys are stars. And neither has an ego. They just want to play and win.”
This from a team executive. Clearly the team has decided they are building around the Jays. For that reason, I won't be expecting a trade of either or either not being signed long term.