Semi vs Yabu, should we keep Yabu overseas ?

[Chris22]

1   Brown
2   Crowder
3   Hayward
4   Horford
5   Morris
6   Nader
7   Ojeleye
8   Rozier
9   Smart
10   Tatum
11   Theis
12   Thomas
13   Yabusele
14   Zizic
15   Player to be determined

You can have both.

Semi is outplaying Nader and Zizic makes you wonder why we let Zeller go--Zizic is just not close to being ready to be of use this year.

Zizic is terrible. A wasted pick.
I hope we can find someone better.

You will be proven very wrong I predict.

Zizic is six hard fouls off the bench.
He's got nothing.

[DooVoo]

1   Brown
2   Crowder
3   Hayward
4   Horford
5   Morris
6   Nader
7   Ojeleye
8   Rozier
9   Smart
10   Tatum
11   Theis
12   Thomas
13   Yabusele
14   Zizic
15   Player to be determined

You can have both.

Semi is outplaying Nader and Zizic makes you wonder why we let Zeller go--Zizic is just not close to being ready to be of use this year.

Zizic is terrible. A wasted pick.
I hope we can find someone better.

You will be proven very wrong I predict.

Zizic is six hard fouls off the bench.
He's got nothing.

This is the type of insightful analysis I come to celticsblog for. Um...he stunk in the SL so he sucks and is a bust and wasted pick and Danny Ainge is stupid. Never mind Zizic actually played well at 19(!) against experienced pros in one of the better leagues in the world, which makes him one of the better young bigs in the world, and probably deserves an entire training camp. Nope, let's make snap judgements. 

[EJPLAYA]

Semi has the physical upside/athleticism to be a great player in this league. Yabu will battle weight (see big baby, Sully) his whole career and likely underachieve because of it. No one knows for sure, but I'd put my money on semi if I had to choose one.

[unclebay]

Yabu has the size we need ,

The guy is built like a bull, but he is only 6-8 that is not even remotely elite size.   Another tweener thus far.

Everything I have read has said he will be on the team this year.

He's not a tweener. He's a legit 4 in today's nba. 7'1" wingspan  as well.

[unclebay]

Semi has the physical upside/athleticism to be a great player in this league. Yabu will battle weight (see big baby, Sully) his whole career and likely underachieve because of it. No one knows for sure, but I'd put my money on semi if I had to choose one.

He has yet to battle weight in any way shape or form up to this point. Dude is ripped. Know your personell.

[knuckleballer]

Semi has the physical upside/athleticism to be a great player in this league. Yabu will battle weight (see big baby, Sully) his whole career and likely underachieve because of it. No one knows for sure, but I'd put my money on semi if I had to choose one.

He has yet to battle weight in any way shape or form up to this point. Dude is ripped. Know your personell.

He's going to battle weight issues because he's going to be a step slow due to his size.  That said, Sully is a poor comparison.  Yab is 260-270 pounds of muscle.  Sully is all fat.

[Sophomore]

Semi has the physical upside/athleticism to be a great player in this league. Yabu will battle weight (see big baby, Sully) his whole career and likely underachieve because of it. No one knows for sure, but I'd put my money on semi if I had to choose one.

He has yet to battle weight in any way shape or form up to this point. Dude is ripped. Know your personell.

He's going to battle weight issues because he's going to be a step slow due to his size.  That said, Sully is a poor comparison.  Yab is 260-270 pounds of muscle.  Sully is all fat.

LBJ and Yabu are both 6'8". LeBron is listed at 250 and Yabu at 270. I'm having a hard time believing all of that 20 pound differential is muscle...

Anyway, wherever Yabu is carrying the weight, he's carrying it. And, physics. He moves very well for a man so heavy, but that's not the same as moving well. Too much inertia. I'm hopeful he'll be able to play underneath a lot, because I can't see him being effective switching onto wings on the perimeter. I'm also concerned that he's out now with a foot injury. Carrying all that weight in the open floor can't be easy for a body to sustain.

One more comp. Draymond Green is an inch shorter than Yabu at 6'7", and listed *forty pounds* lighter, at 230. Draymond is not a skinny guy. 

[tarheelsxxiii]

Whether or not Yabu is fat is irrelevant -- he plays like he's fat.  I don't see how he can be anywhere near passable enough on defense to earn rotation minutes.

[footey]

Whether or not Yabu is fat is irrelevant -- he plays like he's fat.  I don't see how he can be anywhere near passable enough on defense to earn rotation minutes.

This does not jibe with the guy I have watched play last summer, in China, and D League play-offs.The irony is that while he is very thick, like Barkley was in the NBA, he plays anything but fat (which I take it you mean slow).  He is quite quick and nimble, thus the dancing bear nickname earned from the Celtics coaches last summer.  If his defense lacks, I would think it has less to do with his physical limitations and more to do with lack of coaching. NBA team defense is difficult to master, most guys don't get it right away.  I am confident he will learn.

[unclebay]

Whether or not Yabu is fat is irrelevant -- he plays like he's fat.  I don't see how he can be anywhere near passable enough on defense to earn rotation minutes.

If you legitimately think this I'm just gonna have to assume you have never actually seen him play and are in fact referring to some other guy and not the Yabusele we drafted 16th last year. It's just a wildly inaccurate description.

[tarheelsxxiii]

Whether or not Yabu is fat is irrelevant -- he plays like he's fat.  I don't see how he can be anywhere near passable enough on defense to earn rotation minutes.

If you legitimately think this I'm just gonna have to assume you have never actually seen him play and are in fact referring to some other guy and not the Yabusele we drafted 16th last year. It's just a wildly inaccurate description.

He's not a horrible defender? Call me crazy, then. Look forward to seeing him play 20 mins/game.

Where have you seen him play?  The Chinese league is equivalent to HS competition.

[Darío SpanishFan]

Whether or not Yabu is fat is irrelevant -- he plays like he's fat.  I don't see how he can be anywhere near passable enough on defense to earn rotation minutes.

If you legitimately think this I'm just gonna have to assume you have never actually seen him play and are in fact referring to some other guy and not the Yabusele we drafted 16th last year. It's just a wildly inaccurate description.

He's not a horrible defender? Call me crazy, then. Look forward to seeing him play 20 mins/game.

Where have you seen him play?  The Chinese league is equivalent to HS competition.

This is not remotely true. Not just a matter of opinion. Many good players from Europe are going to play there because they are better paid.

[beantownboy171]

So long as Yabusele has his cap hold for us we can sign him and bring him over at any point next year. I'm t may be beneficial for us to wait and not sign him officially until his rehab is completed. This may not be until after the start of training camp or a month into the season idrk..

We may prefer to keep a roster spot available for someone else until we know Yabu is ready to contribute. We could also sign Yabu to a Maine contract while he plays himself back into shape. We may also find that while he's doing this the other players (Morris, Baynes, Zizic , Ojele) have earned minutes. If we don't feel like we will need Yabu at this point we may try to keep Yabu in Maine for the whole year to save us another year before he hits RFA.

Ainge and co. Are in wait and see more at this point which explains no news on Yabu through the media

[kozlodoev]

Whether or not Yabu is fat is irrelevant -- he plays like he's fat.  I don't see how he can be anywhere near passable enough on defense to earn rotation minutes.

If you legitimately think this I'm just gonna have to assume you have never actually seen him play and are in fact referring to some other guy and not the Yabusele we drafted 16th last year. It's just a wildly inaccurate description.

He's not a horrible defender? Call me crazy, then. Look forward to seeing him play 20 mins/game.

Where have you seen him play?  The Chinese league is equivalent to HS competition.

This is not remotely true. Not just a matter of opinion. Many good players from Europe are going to play there because they are better paid.

Oh, it is quite true. The CBA is decidedly and objectively horrible.

That's the league where Jimmer Freddette and MarShon Brooks averaged 37 ppg, and Hamed Haddadi pulled 16 rpg.