Poll: Does Tacko make the 15 man roster this year

[Erik]

Tacko needs to go to the D league. He's good vs college kids, but the NBA is entirely different.

He has some poor fundamentals for big men that will get trashed in the NBA like bringing the ball down before going up. He's going to get the ball swiped.

The hope is that he learns how to play against NBA caliber players in the D-League and makes his mistakes there before costing us games.

[PhoSita]

No.

I don't think he's going to be able to play in the NBA.  Just too slow.

[tonydelk]

I can see the C's releasing Max Straus from his 2 way contract and giving it to Tacko.  So IMO it's a yes he will be a two way player. 

[KG Living Legend]

Tacko needs to go to the D league. He's good vs college kids, but the NBA is entirely different.

He has some poor fundamentals for big men that will get trashed in the NBA like bringing the ball down before going up. He's going to get the ball swiped.

The hope is that he learns how to play against NBA caliber players in the D-League and makes his mistakes there before costing us games.

 Wrong IMO. Guy's. He the longest player ever that moves better than any True Giant we have seen.

 Shaqs standing reach was 9'5" that's incredible.

 Of course Shaq was a much better athlete. But what was his vertiyjump?
 Does anyone have that figure?

 Tacko has a 26" vertical. Which is amazing considering.

 I'm giving Tacko a half inch here.

 His standing reach is 10 feet 3 inches!

 That's not gonna change people!
 

[slamtheking]

Tacko needs to go to the D league. He's good vs college kids, but the NBA is entirely different.

He has some poor fundamentals for big men that will get trashed in the NBA like bringing the ball down before going up. He's going to get the ball swiped.

The hope is that he learns how to play against NBA caliber players in the D-League and makes his mistakes there before costing us games.

 Wrong IMO. Guy's. He the longest player ever that moves better than any True Giant we have seen.

 Shaqs standing reach was 9'5" that's incredible.

 Of course Shaq was a much better athlete. But what was his vertiyjump?
 Does anyone have that figure?

 Tacko has a 26" vertical. Which is amazing considering.

 I'm giving Tacko a half inch here.

 His standing reach is 10 feet 3 inches!

 That's not gonna change people!
 

need more than height to play in the league.   I'll go so far as to say he isn't the novelty act I thought he was when he was brought in but he's in no way good enough to be in the NBA getting minutes.  on a 2-way contract, sure, worth seeing what he can do in Maine and under the C's control but I wouldn't tie up a guaranteed roster spot for him.

he's slow.  he's relying on his size/length to bother shots when his man goes by him because he's too slow.  he's not exactly a rebounding machine even with that height.  his team D is almost non-existent -- again, relying on his size to make up for his lack of speed and positioning mistakes.

[bellerephon]

Tacko needs to go to the D league. He's good vs college kids, but the NBA is entirely different.

He has some poor fundamentals for big men that will get trashed in the NBA like bringing the ball down before going up. He's going to get the ball swiped.

The hope is that he learns how to play against NBA caliber players in the D-League and makes his mistakes there before costing us games.

 Wrong IMO. Guy's. He the longest player ever that moves better than any True Giant we have seen.

 Shaqs standing reach was 9'5" that's incredible.

 Of course Shaq was a much better athlete. But what was his vertiyjump?
 Does anyone have that figure?

 Tacko has a 26" vertical. Which is amazing considering.

 I'm giving Tacko a half inch here.

 His standing reach is 10 feet 3 inches!

 That's not gonna change people!

The GMs in the NBA are aware of all of those things and not one of them thought it was enough to warrant even a late second round pick. It doesn't mean they are right and you are wrong, GMs make mistakes and Tacko could be more than they think. But it should be acknowledged that he is a long shot to make the NBA and an even longer shot to be more than a role player if he does make it.

He is better than I expected and I am happy the Celts are giving him a chance. I hope he proves his doubters wrong. Yes, his height and reach can cause problems, but there are ways to deal with that. I could see NBA teams punishing him in the pick and roll and with stretch bigs. I also foresee foul trouble for him. Again, let's give him a chance and see what happens, but let's also be realistic. Comparing him to a hall of famer and one of the greatest players of all time is not a fair comparison.

[Erik]

I didn't say that he cannot play in the NBA -- a judgement that I have only reserved for Markelle Fultz, in recent memory. I said that he needs to go to the D-League for 1-2 years to learn proper fundamentals, team defense, NBA positioning. He's just way too raw to put into a live NBA basketball game. It would be complete garbage time, and it would be doing Tacko a disservice as he wouldn't be learning anything.

[boscel33]

Tacko needs to go to the D league. He's good vs college kids, but the NBA is entirely different.

He has some poor fundamentals for big men that will get trashed in the NBA like bringing the ball down before going up. He's going to get the ball swiped.

The hope is that he learns how to play against NBA caliber players in the D-League and makes his mistakes there before costing us games.

 Wrong IMO. Guy's. He the longest player ever that moves better than any True Giant we have seen.

 Shaqs standing reach was 9'5" that's incredible.

 Of course Shaq was a much better athlete. But what was his vertiyjump?
 Does anyone have that figure?

 Tacko has a 26" vertical. Which is amazing considering.

 I'm giving Tacko a half inch here.

 His standing reach is 10 feet 3 inches!

 That's not gonna change people!

So I found this link which shows Shaq had a 32" vertical jump.  That seems amazing until you see Ralph Sampson was even 4" more than Shaq!

https://www.topendsports.com/testing/results/vertical-jump.htm

[libermaniac]

I don't think his game translates to the NBA.  Way too slow, and athletic bigs can easily defend his standing dunks. So, if he stays with Boston it will be the D-League.

If I'm Tacko's agent, I would investigate him signing overseas.  Have you guys heard/seen how crazy the fans are to watch him play in summer league?  He'd have the same hype/buzz overseas where the objective is to sell tickets, more than to just win (in the NBA).  I honestly think it would be worth some overseas team to pay him close to $1 million per season.  He can't get that here.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

I'm guessing he will be around the NBA for a long time. I think he could get spot minutes like Boban did. He could be instant offense for a team.

He's kinda' gimmicky. He's the type of player you could throw out there for a few minutes just to get opposing teams off rhythm defensively and offensively.

But NBA teams are smart. All you have to do is put a stretch big in the game (something pretty much every team has), attack him laterally, and drive his closeouts. Those are rhythm things that NBA talent and offenses do regularly, but aren't as apparent in summer league, where offenses aren't exactly running on all cylinders.

Still, I will agree with some of the hype. He's far more athletic than I thought he was. And he has a good touch and good hands. Imagine if Vogel or Thibs had him in the ice era, before teams figured out how to attack that scheme. He could be a better Hibbert with crazy verticality.

[Alleyoopster]

We don't know how teams will adjust to Tacko. But from little we've seen, there are intangibles we've never witnessed in Boston before.

For example, a high pass close to basket doesn't require a lob. It's just a pass. He turns to the basket and if the defender is 6'7" or less it's an automatic bucket or foul. Even taller players seem to have problems timing to block his shot.

And, if the hook shot he took the other night from 5 feet from the basket is legit, he'll spell nightmares for opposing defenses.

Many times when he's close the hoop he doesn't even shoot the ball, he simply puts it in the basket or dunks it practically standing on his tippy toes. It's incredible... maybe I'm too naive thinking that he'll be able to do this against better players. In the meantime I'm a believer!

As for his defense, on a few occasions, guards would dribble close to the foul line then retreat when he came out. He doesn't need to block shots. Just raising his arms is a distraction.
 
It's possible his effectiveness will take a major hit when competing against better players. I'm taking a wait and see attitude. However for now, I'm not buying the feeling that, "he's too slow" or "needs 2-3 of G- League training." I'll trust the old coaching adage, 'you can't teach height'.

[DrinkinCelticKool-Aid]

Let Tacko ride the end of the bench.
 Danny is probably starting to think what if he was to not lock up Tacko , and he was to get picked up by another team and make it some where else.
I'm sure he realizes that would not be a good look...

[bellerephon]

I also think he's worth rostering over Yabu basketball-wise, but Yabu's $3m in salary in a trade is likely more valuable.  I think he could be rostered over Semi, but we may already have enough bigs even if only 1 of them is any good.

My question is, can we dump Strus or Waters and give Tacko a 2-way contract?  I think he's easily worth keeping over either of those 2.

Yes

[action781]

I like Tacko a lot and would like for him to find a place on our 15 man roster... but there's no room.

1. Kemba
2. Tatum
3. Jaylen
4. Smart
5. Kanter
6. Hayward
7. Grant Williams
8. Robert Williams
9. Theis
10. Semi
11. Langford

None of those 11 players are going anywhere to sign Tacko.

12. Wanamaker - Clearly can play some NBA rotational minutes at the point guard position where we are low in depth at.
13. Poirier - An unknown, but already agreed to a contract.  Probably movable if needed though I suppose?
14. Yabusele - We'd have to get rid of him for nothing to bring in Tacko, which I'm sure people would support and I would from a purely basketball perspective, but Yabu has a salary that will be valuable to include in a trade down the road.  Its a possibility, but I think Yabu's salary is potentially more useful than Tacko's play.

15. This is the only spot really up for grabs and I think Carson Edwards is more likely to get it.  We have enough young "upside" centers already on the roster and we could use another shooter and ball handler.

[ozgod]

I like Tacko a lot and would like for him to find a place on our 15 man roster... but there's no room.

1. Kemba
2. Tatum
3. Jaylen
4. Smart
5. Kanter
6. Hayward
7. Grant Williams
8. Robert Williams
9. Theis
10. Semi
11. Langford

None of those 11 players are going anywhere to sign Tacko.

12. Wanamaker - Clearly can play some NBA rotational minutes at the point guard position where we are low in depth at.
13. Poirier - An unknown, but already agreed to a contract.  Probably movable if needed though I suppose?
14. Yabusele - We'd have to get rid of him for nothing to bring in Tacko, which I'm sure people would support and I would from a purely basketball perspective, but Yabu has a salary that will be valuable to include in a trade down the road.  Its a possibility, but I think Yabu's salary is potentially more useful than Tacko's play.

15. This is the only spot really up for grabs and I think Carson Edwards is more likely to get it.  We have enough young "upside" centers already on the roster and we could use another shooter and ball handler.

I think Yabu is on the roster this season strictly for salary, for a trade. I agree with you that that would be much more valuable then the 3-5 garbage time min that a No.14 on the roster would give the team, whether it be Tacko, Yabu or anyone else.