Should Kelly and Lee continue to start?

[kozlodoev]

That quick decision making and a clear understanding of what his (limited) role is in the offense, and an ability to be quite productive within that role, has a lot of value for this Celts team.  Whereas Lee has a tendency to bog things down, Zeller gets his without gumming up the works at all.  He actually creates space for teammates by threatening opponents with his rim running, finishing, and mid-range shot.

That's all nice and dandy. The problem is the starting C job this season was Zeller's to lose, and he not only played himself out of the starting lineup, but also virtually lost all minutes available to a washed-up David Lee (whose best position isn't even C). Given that Zeller will be 26 next month, what you see is (pretty close to) what you get. The team is probably better off letting him go and consolidating his cap hit into an offer for a bigger FA name. The problem is that the market is fairly thin, so that may work in Zeller's favor in the end.

[BudweiserCeltic]

I just wanted to pull this tidbit from Wjsy off the front page because it helps get to why I think Zeller is a much better fit for the team right now than Lee.

Here's why I love Tyler Zeller so much and why I hope that he gets more playing time going forward.  He's really versatile in pick-and-roll/pops because he can hit the mid-range and he's got an assortment of floaters and hooks for finishing around the rim.  That's what won him the starting job alongside Rajon Rondo last year.  However, his biggest strength might be the quickness that he makes decisions in the read-and-react.  If there's any space to get off a shot, he'll take it.

<I can't link the video from the front page because the forums censor part of the URL (g-f-y).  Check out the video in the front page article "Let It Fly">

That quick decision making and a clear understanding of what his (limited) role is in the offense, and an ability to be quite productive within that role, has a lot of value for this Celts team.  Whereas Lee has a tendency to bog things down, Zeller gets his without gumming up the works at all.  He actually creates space for teammates by threatening opponents with his rim running, finishing, and mid-range shot.

All theoretical at this point, so far this season, rather than in reality. Also, it's not like Lee is slow in making decisions, he's quick to make them passes the ball extremely well, etc., etc. He's simply been in a slump around the rim. But even so, Zeller is not offering the clear alternative.

We hope he can be, he certainly has the tools to have more to offer this season, but he simply hasn't done it.

So, we're dealing with our "gut" that things will turn out to the better despite evidence to the contrary. And I'm all for that myself, but the rest of what is being said hasn't been put into practice in reality... and it doesn't differentiate either with what Lee is bringing to the table so far as it is.

What has happened is that Zeller is indeed finishing better and shooting the mid-range better (though he's 2-3 misses away from being in the same position from the mid-range as Lee due to sample size)... but that has yet lead to better performance from our team. I'm hopeful that it will occur, but we'll have to wait and see.

But much is being said and focused on in the offensive end, when the problem lies purely in the defensive end, boxing out, rebounding, etc., etc. He's failed on that regard so far, and considering that's Lee's biggest weakness, yet he's offering a better alternative on that regard than Zeller has so far, should be telling.

[BudweiserCeltic]

I just wanted to pull this tidbit from Wjsy off the front page because it helps get to why I think Zeller is a much better fit for the team right now than Lee.

Here's why I love Tyler Zeller so much and why I hope that he gets more playing time going forward.  He's really versatile in pick-and-roll/pops because he can hit the mid-range and he's got an assortment of floaters and hooks for finishing around the rim.  That's what won him the starting job alongside Rajon Rondo last year.  However, his biggest strength might be the quickness that he makes decisions in the read-and-react.  If there's any space to get off a shot, he'll take it.

<I can't link the video from the front page because the forums censor part of the URL (g-f-y).  Check out the video in the front page article "Let It Fly">

That quick decision making and a clear understanding of what his (limited) role is in the offense, and an ability to be quite productive within that role, has a lot of value for this Celts team.  Whereas Lee has a tendency to bog things down, Zeller gets his without gumming up the works at all.  He actually creates space for teammates by threatening opponents with his rim running, finishing, and mid-range shot.

All theoretical at this point, so far this season, rather than in reality. Also, it's not like Lee is slow in making decisions, he's quick to make them passes the ball extremely well, etc., etc. He's simply been in a slump around the rim. But even so, Zeller is not offering the clear alternative.

We hope he can be, he certainly has the tools to have more to offer this season, but he simply hasn't done it.

So, we're dealing with our "gut" that things will turn out to the better despite evidence to the contrary. And I'm all for that myself, but the rest of what is being said hasn't been put into practice in reality... and it doesn't differentiate either with what Lee is bringing to the table so far as it is.

What has happened is that Zeller is indeed finishing better and shooting the mid-range better (though he's 2-3 misses away from being in the same position from the mid-range as Lee due to sample size)... but that has yet lead to better performance from our team. I'm hopeful that it will occur, but we'll have to wait and see.

But much is being said and focused on in the offensive end, when the problem lies purely in the defensive end, boxing out, rebounding, etc., etc. He's failed on that regard so far, and considering that's Lee's biggest weakness, yet he's offering a better alternative on that regard than Zeller has so far, should be telling.

One thing I will say though is that through the last month, Zeller has been without a doubt the better option. So there's an ongoing tendency on that regard. So with that in mind, the prudent thing to do is to involve Zeller more and at one point have him take all of Lee's minutes. We're already seeing some of that, so I think we might be on track.

Lee is in a bit of a slump lately, so that makes the decision/destinction easier to make. But since he doesn't figure into our long term plans, and there's indication that Zeller should be able to outplay Lee for the duration of the season, then it might be time to make the change at some point soon. And if that's the case, trade Lee ASAP trade value be [dang]ed. Or just Bogans it, and work something in the trade deadline.

Mark Bartelstein is David Lee's agent, and all I've seen and his house (Priority Sports) is that they don't have any clients of consequence... maybe RJ Hunter... but yeah... so if this sours that relationship, so be it. It shouldn't have lasting effects.