Per Woj: Celtics sign Lonnie Walker (waived)

[Goldstar88]

The Celtics list Hauser at 6'-7".  At the draft combine, he measured as follows:

Measured 6'-6.75? barefoot, 6'-8.0? in shoes 8'6.0? standing reach, 217.4 lbs, and 6'-9.25? wingspan at the 2021 NBA Draft Combine

He is not even 6'-7" barefoot.  Barefoot is how the league tracks height now and that is how they measure me when I go to the Doctor.  Some players can be not even 6'-7" and play as a big/PF, but Hauser is not one of them.  He does not rebound well enough.  Averaged only 3.5 Rebs/game last season (a career high), and that is on a team that hardly plays bigs.

Gordon Hayward is also listed at 6'-7" but 225 lbs, so he is bigger/beefier than Hauser.  Gordon Hayward averaged 4.4 rebs/gm for his career with seasons as high as 6.7 rebs/gm.  Even Gordon Hayward is a better rebounder than Hauser.  Hayward is a 2/3, just like Hauser is a 2/3.

These days, there isn't all that much difference between a 2/SG and a 3/SF, they are both essentially wings, almost interchangeable.  But there is a bigger difference between a wing/SF and a big/PF.  You can be a 3/4, a SF/PF swing or whatever you want to call it but it requires a greater level of versatility than being a 2/3.  Hauser does not have that level of versatility.

Hauser mostly played in line ups where there were 2 guards (most often Pritchard and Holiday) along with Tatum and a big.  He also played 3rd most with White, Brown, Horford, and Porzingis.  This latter one, you could have Hauser as a guard or a forward.  I know the majority see this differently but I like Hauser as a guard.  His height is an advantage if he plays as a SG, easier to shoot over people.  I like him fine as a SF too.  But I do not like him at all as a PF.

Completely agree.

[No Nickname]

The Celtics list Hauser at 6'-7".  At the draft combine, he measured as follows:

Measured 6'-6.75? barefoot, 6'-8.0? in shoes 8'6.0? standing reach, 217.4 lbs, and 6'-9.25? wingspan at the 2021 NBA Draft Combine

He is not even 6'-7" barefoot.  Barefoot is how the league tracks height now and that is how they measure me when I go to the Doctor.  Some players can be not even 6'-7" and play as a big/PF, but Hauser is not one of them.  He does not rebound well enough.  Averaged only 3.5 Rebs/game last season (a career high), and that is on a team that hardly plays bigs.

Gordon Hayward is also listed at 6'-7" but 225 lbs, so he is bigger/beefier than Hauser.  Gordon Hayward averaged 4.4 rebs/gm for his career with seasons as high as 6.7 rebs/gm.  Even Gordon Hayward is a better rebounder than Hauser.  Hayward is a 2/3, just like Hauser is a 2/3.

These days, there isn't all that much difference between a 2/SG and a 3/SF, they are both essentially wings, almost interchangeable.  But there is a bigger difference between a wing/SF and a big/PF.  You can be a 3/4, a SF/PF swing or whatever you want to call it but it requires a greater level of versatility than being a 2/3.  Hauser does not have that level of versatility.

Hauser mostly played in line ups where there were 2 guards (most often Pritchard and Holiday) along with Tatum and a big.  He also played 3rd most with White, Brown, Horford, and Porzingis.  This latter one, you could have Hauser as a guard or a forward.  I know the majority see this differently but I like Hauser as a guard.  His height is an advantage if he plays as a SG, easier to shoot over people.  I like him fine as a SF too.  But I do not like him at all as a PF.

Completely agree.

I don't know how to find my post from a few months ago, but I found the site that tracks how many minutes a player plays at a certain position, and Hauser played something like 3% of his time at SG last season, and those were almost always end of quarter/half/game scenarios.

[Big333223]

The Celtics list Hauser at 6'-7".  At the draft combine, he measured as follows:

Measured 6'-6.75? barefoot, 6'-8.0? in shoes 8'6.0? standing reach, 217.4 lbs, and 6'-9.25? wingspan at the 2021 NBA Draft Combine

He is not even 6'-7" barefoot.  Barefoot is how the league tracks height now and that is how they measure me when I go to the Doctor.  Some players can be not even 6'-7" and play as a big/PF, but Hauser is not one of them.  He does not rebound well enough.  Averaged only 3.5 Rebs/game last season (a career high), and that is on a team that hardly plays bigs.

Gordon Hayward is also listed at 6'-7" but 225 lbs, so he is bigger/beefier than Hauser.  Gordon Hayward averaged 4.4 rebs/gm for his career with seasons as high as 6.7 rebs/gm.  Even Gordon Hayward is a better rebounder than Hauser.  Hayward is a 2/3, just like Hauser is a 2/3.

These days, there isn't all that much difference between a 2/SG and a 3/SF, they are both essentially wings, almost interchangeable.  But there is a bigger difference between a wing/SF and a big/PF.  You can be a 3/4, a SF/PF swing or whatever you want to call it but it requires a greater level of versatility than being a 2/3.  Hauser does not have that level of versatility.

Hauser mostly played in line ups where there were 2 guards (most often Pritchard and Holiday) along with Tatum and a big.  He also played 3rd most with White, Brown, Horford, and Porzingis.  This latter one, you could have Hauser as a guard or a forward.  I know the majority see this differently but I like Hauser as a guard.  His height is an advantage if he plays as a SG, easier to shoot over people.  I like him fine as a SF too.  But I do not like him at all as a PF.

I'm confused by this conversation. Whatever position you'd like Hauser to play, the reality is he doesn't play SG and almost never has.

I already cited the basketball reference numbers that estimate how much time he spent at each position and he's a SF who plays some PF and rarely plays SG. In the playoffs (with KP missing a lot of time) those percentages shifted to 69% of his time at SF and 30% of his time at PF (1% at center). 

The main concern with Hauser's defensive game is his lateral quickness/ability to stay in front of faster players i.e. guards.

You said, yourself, Hauser typically plays alongside two guards. When he's with Tatum, I think you can reasonably look at them as "the forwards" and break it down whichever way you like. Tatum is the better rebounder but he's also quicker. Take your pick.

20 years ago Hauser probably would've seen minutes at SG (if I remember, Pierce played a lot of SG in that era) but in today's game he's a 3 who plays some 4. Again, whether you like it or not, that's how he's been used.

[Roy H.]

The Celtics list Hauser at 6'-7".  At the draft combine, he measured as follows:

Measured 6'-6.75? barefoot, 6'-8.0? in shoes 8'6.0? standing reach, 217.4 lbs, and 6'-9.25? wingspan at the 2021 NBA Draft Combine

He is not even 6'-7" barefoot.  Barefoot is how the league tracks height now and that is how they measure me when I go to the Doctor.  Some players can be not even 6'-7" and play as a big/PF, but Hauser is not one of them.  He does not rebound well enough.  Averaged only 3.5 Rebs/game last season (a career high), and that is on a team that hardly plays bigs.

Gordon Hayward is also listed at 6'-7" but 225 lbs, so he is bigger/beefier than Hauser.  Gordon Hayward averaged 4.4 rebs/gm for his career with seasons as high as 6.7 rebs/gm.  Even Gordon Hayward is a better rebounder than Hauser.  Hayward is a 2/3, just like Hauser is a 2/3.

These days, there isn't all that much difference between a 2/SG and a 3/SF, they are both essentially wings, almost interchangeable.  But there is a bigger difference between a wing/SF and a big/PF.  You can be a 3/4, a SF/PF swing or whatever you want to call it but it requires a greater level of versatility than being a 2/3.  Hauser does not have that level of versatility.

Hauser mostly played in line ups where there were 2 guards (most often Pritchard and Holiday) along with Tatum and a big.  He also played 3rd most with White, Brown, Horford, and Porzingis.  This latter one, you could have Hauser as a guard or a forward.  I know the majority see this differently but I like Hauser as a guard.  His height is an advantage if he plays as a SG, easier to shoot over people.  I like him fine as a SF too.  But I do not like him at all as a PF.

I'm confused by this conversation. Whatever position you'd like Hauser to play, the reality is he doesn't play SG and almost never has.

I already cited the basketball reference numbers that estimate how much time he spent at each position and he's a SF who plays some PF and rarely plays SG. In the playoffs (with KP missing a lot of time) those percentages shifted to 69% of his time at SF and 30% of his time at PF (1% at center). 

The main concern with Hauser's defensive game is his lateral quickness/ability to stay in front of faster players i.e. guards.

You said, yourself, Hauser typically plays alongside two guards. When he's with Tatum, I think you can reasonably look at them as "the forwards" and break it down whichever way you like. Tatum is the better rebounder but he's also quicker. Take your pick.

20 years ago Hauser probably would've seen minutes at SG (if I remember, Pierce played a lot of SG in that era) but in today's game he's a 3 who plays some 4. Again, whether you like it or not, that's how he's been used.

Agreed.   And I'll add that the coaches use him that way because it's his best position.  Sam has become a solid defender, but does anybody want him chasing around SGs?

[BitterJim]

The Celtics list Hauser at 6'-7".  At the draft combine, he measured as follows:

Measured 6'-6.75? barefoot, 6'-8.0? in shoes 8'6.0? standing reach, 217.4 lbs, and 6'-9.25? wingspan at the 2021 NBA Draft Combine

He is not even 6'-7" barefoot.  Barefoot is how the league tracks height now and that is how they measure me when I go to the Doctor.  Some players can be not even 6'-7" and play as a big/PF, but Hauser is not one of them.  He does not rebound well enough.  Averaged only 3.5 Rebs/game last season (a career high), and that is on a team that hardly plays bigs.

Gordon Hayward is also listed at 6'-7" but 225 lbs, so he is bigger/beefier than Hauser.  Gordon Hayward averaged 4.4 rebs/gm for his career with seasons as high as 6.7 rebs/gm.  Even Gordon Hayward is a better rebounder than Hauser.  Hayward is a 2/3, just like Hauser is a 2/3.

These days, there isn't all that much difference between a 2/SG and a 3/SF, they are both essentially wings, almost interchangeable.  But there is a bigger difference between a wing/SF and a big/PF.  You can be a 3/4, a SF/PF swing or whatever you want to call it but it requires a greater level of versatility than being a 2/3.  Hauser does not have that level of versatility.

Hauser mostly played in line ups where there were 2 guards (most often Pritchard and Holiday) along with Tatum and a big.  He also played 3rd most with White, Brown, Horford, and Porzingis.  This latter one, you could have Hauser as a guard or a forward.  I know the majority see this differently but I like Hauser as a guard.  His height is an advantage if he plays as a SG, easier to shoot over people.  I like him fine as a SF too.  But I do not like him at all as a PF.

I'm confused by this conversation. Whatever position you'd like Hauser to play, the reality is he doesn't play SG and almost never has.

I already cited the basketball reference numbers that estimate how much time he spent at each position and he's a SF who plays some PF and rarely plays SG. In the playoffs (with KP missing a lot of time) those percentages shifted to 69% of his time at SF and 30% of his time at PF (1% at center). 

The main concern with Hauser's defensive game is his lateral quickness/ability to stay in front of faster players i.e. guards.

You said, yourself, Hauser typically plays alongside two guards. When he's with Tatum, I think you can reasonably look at them as "the forwards" and break it down whichever way you like. Tatum is the better rebounder but he's also quicker. Take your pick.

20 years ago Hauser probably would've seen minutes at SG (if I remember, Pierce played a lot of SG in that era) but in today's game he's a 3 who plays some 4. Again, whether you like it or not, that's how he's been used.

While I agree that Sam isn't really a 2 (he's mostly a pure 3), the basketball reference estimates are pretty garbage. They really just tell you relative heights (tallest player = center, shortest = PG) rather than checking who defends who or considering whether someone plays small or big

If Hauser and Brown (listed at 6'6") are the two wings on the floor, who is SF and who is PF? I think most people here would agree Brown is the PF, but basketball reference just says it's Sam because of their heights. That leads to weirdness like Sam being listed at PF 30% of the time while Brown is just 2% of the time, when reality is probably a lot closer to the middle.

[Vermont Green]

The Celtics list Hauser at 6'-7".  At the draft combine, he measured as follows:

Measured 6'-6.75? barefoot, 6'-8.0? in shoes 8'6.0? standing reach, 217.4 lbs, and 6'-9.25? wingspan at the 2021 NBA Draft Combine

He is not even 6'-7" barefoot.  Barefoot is how the league tracks height now and that is how they measure me when I go to the Doctor.  Some players can be not even 6'-7" and play as a big/PF, but Hauser is not one of them.  He does not rebound well enough.  Averaged only 3.5 Rebs/game last season (a career high), and that is on a team that hardly plays bigs.

Gordon Hayward is also listed at 6'-7" but 225 lbs, so he is bigger/beefier than Hauser.  Gordon Hayward averaged 4.4 rebs/gm for his career with seasons as high as 6.7 rebs/gm.  Even Gordon Hayward is a better rebounder than Hauser.  Hayward is a 2/3, just like Hauser is a 2/3.

These days, there isn't all that much difference between a 2/SG and a 3/SF, they are both essentially wings, almost interchangeable.  But there is a bigger difference between a wing/SF and a big/PF.  You can be a 3/4, a SF/PF swing or whatever you want to call it but it requires a greater level of versatility than being a 2/3.  Hauser does not have that level of versatility.

Hauser mostly played in line ups where there were 2 guards (most often Pritchard and Holiday) along with Tatum and a big.  He also played 3rd most with White, Brown, Horford, and Porzingis.  This latter one, you could have Hauser as a guard or a forward.  I know the majority see this differently but I like Hauser as a guard.  His height is an advantage if he plays as a SG, easier to shoot over people.  I like him fine as a SF too.  But I do not like him at all as a PF.

I'm confused by this conversation. Whatever position you'd like Hauser to play, the reality is he doesn't play SG and almost never has.

I already cited the basketball reference numbers that estimate how much time he spent at each position and he's a SF who plays some PF and rarely plays SG. In the playoffs (with KP missing a lot of time) those percentages shifted to 69% of his time at SF and 30% of his time at PF (1% at center). 

The main concern with Hauser's defensive game is his lateral quickness/ability to stay in front of faster players i.e. guards.

You said, yourself, Hauser typically plays alongside two guards. When he's with Tatum, I think you can reasonably look at them as "the forwards" and break it down whichever way you like. Tatum is the better rebounder but he's also quicker. Take your pick.

20 years ago Hauser probably would've seen minutes at SG (if I remember, Pierce played a lot of SG in that era) but in today's game he's a 3 who plays some 4. Again, whether you like it or not, that's how he's been used.

While I agree that Sam isn't really a 2 (he's mostly a pure 3), the basketball reference estimates are pretty garbage. They really just tell you relative heights (tallest player = center, shortest = PG) rather than checking who defends who or considering whether someone plays small or big

If Hauser and Brown (listed at 6'6") are the two wings on the floor, who is SF and who is PF? I think most people here would agree Brown is the PF, but basketball reference just says it's Sam because of their heights. That leads to weirdness like Sam being listed at PF 30% of the time while Brown is just 2% of the time, when reality is probably a lot closer to the middle.

I agree that Hauser mostly plays as a SF/Wing on this team.  I am fine with that.  It is probably his most natural position.  What I disagree with is any algorithm that says that Hauser is PF or has ever played PF.  Hauser is no more of a PF than Gordon Hayward.  There are always going to be a few odd ball line ups but if we have Hauser as our PF, at any point in a game that matters, we will have created a significant disadvantage for the team.  That would be going way too small.

As to Hauser playing the 2 or SG, I also agree that on this team, he is rarely asked to do that because there are so many guards on the team already.  But I think he could be very affective as a 2.  That is why I say he is a 2/3, he just doesn't get to play much as a 2 on this team, due to how many and how good all the other guards on the team are, as opposed to the limited options we have at SF.

As said above, the algorithms just rank the players.  Say Hauser and Grant Williams were on the floor together.  The algorithm would have Williams as the SF and Hauser as the PF, and the algorithm would be completely wrong.  For example, this was a typical line up from 2022-23:
       
          M. Brogdon
          J. Brown
          S. Hauser
          G. Williams
          R. Williams III

You could argue that Brown is better suited to be the SF and Hauser better suited to be the SG, although I see those two as pretty much interchangeable, but I don't see how you could argue that Hauser is the PF and Grant is the SF (although I am sure some will argue that), but that is what the algorithm would say.

[Big333223]

The Celtics list Hauser at 6'-7".  At the draft combine, he measured as follows:

Measured 6'-6.75? barefoot, 6'-8.0? in shoes 8'6.0? standing reach, 217.4 lbs, and 6'-9.25? wingspan at the 2021 NBA Draft Combine

He is not even 6'-7" barefoot.  Barefoot is how the league tracks height now and that is how they measure me when I go to the Doctor.  Some players can be not even 6'-7" and play as a big/PF, but Hauser is not one of them.  He does not rebound well enough.  Averaged only 3.5 Rebs/game last season (a career high), and that is on a team that hardly plays bigs.

Gordon Hayward is also listed at 6'-7" but 225 lbs, so he is bigger/beefier than Hauser.  Gordon Hayward averaged 4.4 rebs/gm for his career with seasons as high as 6.7 rebs/gm.  Even Gordon Hayward is a better rebounder than Hauser.  Hayward is a 2/3, just like Hauser is a 2/3.

These days, there isn't all that much difference between a 2/SG and a 3/SF, they are both essentially wings, almost interchangeable.  But there is a bigger difference between a wing/SF and a big/PF.  You can be a 3/4, a SF/PF swing or whatever you want to call it but it requires a greater level of versatility than being a 2/3.  Hauser does not have that level of versatility.

Hauser mostly played in line ups where there were 2 guards (most often Pritchard and Holiday) along with Tatum and a big.  He also played 3rd most with White, Brown, Horford, and Porzingis.  This latter one, you could have Hauser as a guard or a forward.  I know the majority see this differently but I like Hauser as a guard.  His height is an advantage if he plays as a SG, easier to shoot over people.  I like him fine as a SF too.  But I do not like him at all as a PF.

I'm confused by this conversation. Whatever position you'd like Hauser to play, the reality is he doesn't play SG and almost never has.

I already cited the basketball reference numbers that estimate how much time he spent at each position and he's a SF who plays some PF and rarely plays SG. In the playoffs (with KP missing a lot of time) those percentages shifted to 69% of his time at SF and 30% of his time at PF (1% at center). 

The main concern with Hauser's defensive game is his lateral quickness/ability to stay in front of faster players i.e. guards.

You said, yourself, Hauser typically plays alongside two guards. When he's with Tatum, I think you can reasonably look at them as "the forwards" and break it down whichever way you like. Tatum is the better rebounder but he's also quicker. Take your pick.

20 years ago Hauser probably would've seen minutes at SG (if I remember, Pierce played a lot of SG in that era) but in today's game he's a 3 who plays some 4. Again, whether you like it or not, that's how he's been used.

While I agree that Sam isn't really a 2 (he's mostly a pure 3), the basketball reference estimates are pretty garbage. They really just tell you relative heights (tallest player = center, shortest = PG) rather than checking who defends who or considering whether someone plays small or big

If Hauser and Brown (listed at 6'6") are the two wings on the floor, who is SF and who is PF? I think most people here would agree Brown is the PF, but basketball reference just says it's Sam because of their heights. That leads to weirdness like Sam being listed at PF 30% of the time while Brown is just 2% of the time, when reality is probably a lot closer to the middle.

I don't think it's that simple (which is one of the reasons the NBA is so interesting right now). Brown is the stronger of the 2 but he's also quicker. Brown is a player who actually has played a lot of SG in his career, because of that quickness. So I wouldn't be so quick to label Brown the PF and Hauser the SF. I think it's more malleable than that.

You can't necessarily look at defensive match-ups because there's so much more switching than there's ever been (Tatum started a lot of Finals games on Gafford but none of us think Tatum is the center) but determining position by where someone is on offense doesn't really work either (Porzingis plays on the perimeter and Jrue often works out of the dunkers spot).

So how do we determine these positions at all? And what do they mean anymore, anyway?

I don't have the answer, I'm just responding to the comment that Hauser is a guard, which, in today's NBA, I can definitively say, he is not.

[Roy H.]

If Walker gets waived by the Celts, he might not make it to Maine.  He'd be a good fit in New York with their open roster spots.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

Finally, Brad read my concerns on the other thread about running it back. 

REPEAT!!!!!!!!!

[Vermont Green]

Somehow this deteriorated into a debate about whether Hauser is a 2/3, a 3, a 3/4 or whatever.  I am willing to say he is primarily a 3.  Not willing to say he is a PF.

But the point in relation to Walker is that Walker is a guard and there are not going to be very many minutes available with Holiday, White, Pritchard, and Springer all returning.  That is who I see Walker potentially competing with for minutes.

If you look at the minutes for those 4 last season, adjusting Springer's some to account for him being here all season, it totals 6,859 total minutes or about 84 minutes per game.  That means there would be 36 minutes per game when 2 of these guys are on the floor, and 12 minutes when only 1 of them are.  Even if Walker were to take all of Springer's minutes, there aren't that many for him, and it would be kind of a waste.

That is why I say that Walker doesn't just have to beat our Springer for minutes, he probably needs to be taking minutes from Pritchard too, if he is going to have a regular rotation role.  Maybe they try to give him minutes as a wing, but then he is competing with Tatum, Brown, and Hauser.  If he doesn't have a regular rotation role, he is insurance.  I am not sure that the Celtics will be willing to pay the tax for him to be insurance.

[mobilija]

Somehow this deteriorated into a debate about whether Hauser is a 2/3, a 3, a 3/4 or whatever.  I am willing to say he is primarily a 3.  Not willing to say he is a PF.

But the point in relation to Walker is that Walker is a guard and there are not going to be very many minutes available with Holiday, White, Pritchard, and Springer all returning.  That is who I see Walker potentially competing with for minutes.

If you look at the minutes for those 4 last season, adjusting Springer's some to account for him being here all season, it totals 6,859 total minutes or about 84 minutes per game.  That means there would be 36 minutes per game when 2 of these guys are on the floor, and 12 minutes when only 1 of them are.  Even if Walker were to take all of Springer's minutes, there aren't that many for him, and it would be kind of a waste.

That is why I say that Walker doesn't just have to beat our Springer for minutes, he probably needs to be taking minutes from Pritchard too, if he is going to have a regular rotation role.  Maybe they try to give him minutes as a wing, but then he is competing with Tatum, Brown, and Hauser.  If he doesn't have a regular rotation role, he is insurance.  I am not sure that the Celtics will be willing to pay the tax for him to be insurance.

I think they need some vet insurance. They should be managing the top 6 players health and minutes played heavily this year. Keeping the core healthy and as fresh as possible should be one of the top coaching priorities on this team this year. They played a long season and half of the top 6 played thru the summer.

 I?m expecting Pritchard, Hauser, Springer and hopefully Walker to play a role in absorbing days off for Jrue in particular (maybe he starts to get the back to back treatment) and the J?s to take a few weeks off here and there for bumps and bruises. The coaching staff should absolutely be finding 5min/game roles (not necessarily every game) for Springer and Walker to rest our main guards and wings, esp the first half of season.

[Roy H.]

Somehow this deteriorated into a debate about whether Hauser is a 2/3, a 3, a 3/4 or whatever.  I am willing to say he is primarily a 3.  Not willing to say he is a PF.

But the point in relation to Walker is that Walker is a guard and there are not going to be very many minutes available with Holiday, White, Pritchard, and Springer all returning.  That is who I see Walker potentially competing with for minutes.

If you look at the minutes for those 4 last season, adjusting Springer's some to account for him being here all season, it totals 6,859 total minutes or about 84 minutes per game.  That means there would be 36 minutes per game when 2 of these guys are on the floor, and 12 minutes when only 1 of them are.  Even if Walker were to take all of Springer's minutes, there aren't that many for him, and it would be kind of a waste.

That is why I say that Walker doesn't just have to beat our Springer for minutes, he probably needs to be taking minutes from Pritchard too, if he is going to have a regular rotation role.  Maybe they try to give him minutes as a wing, but then he is competing with Tatum, Brown, and Hauser.  If he doesn't have a regular rotation role, he is insurance.  I am not sure that the Celtics will be willing to pay the tax for him to be insurance.

I think they need some vet insurance. They should be managing the top 6 players health and minutes played heavily this year. Keeping the core healthy and as fresh as possible should be one of the top coaching priorities on this team this year. They played a long season and half of the top 6 played thru the summer.

 I?m expecting Pritchard, Hauser, Springer and hopefully Walker to play a role in absorbing days off for Jrue in particular (maybe he starts to get the back to back treatment) and the J?s to take a few weeks off here and there for bumps and bruises. The coaching staff should absolutely be finding 5min/game roles (not necessarily every game) for Springer and Walker to rest our main guards and wings, esp the first half of season.

Yeah.  Even if Walker doesn't have a rotation spot immediately, who knows what's going to happen over the course of a year?  The minutes analysis above essentially ignores major injuries.  The idea that one of Jrue, White or Pritchard could get injured and miss 20+ games isn't farfetched.  It doesn't hurt to have good backups to our backups.

[celticinorlando]

I prefer Walker over springer. Springer is not an nba player. Guy can?t shoot.

Trade springer.

Jrue and white have played a lot a basketball lately and I?d love to have Walker to spell one of them for those games vs bad teams.

Just don?t think springer adds much

[Vermont Green]

Somehow this deteriorated into a debate about whether Hauser is a 2/3, a 3, a 3/4 or whatever.  I am willing to say he is primarily a 3.  Not willing to say he is a PF.

But the point in relation to Walker is that Walker is a guard and there are not going to be very many minutes available with Holiday, White, Pritchard, and Springer all returning.  That is who I see Walker potentially competing with for minutes.

If you look at the minutes for those 4 last season, adjusting Springer's some to account for him being here all season, it totals 6,859 total minutes or about 84 minutes per game.  That means there would be 36 minutes per game when 2 of these guys are on the floor, and 12 minutes when only 1 of them are.  Even if Walker were to take all of Springer's minutes, there aren't that many for him, and it would be kind of a waste.

That is why I say that Walker doesn't just have to beat our Springer for minutes, he probably needs to be taking minutes from Pritchard too, if he is going to have a regular rotation role.  Maybe they try to give him minutes as a wing, but then he is competing with Tatum, Brown, and Hauser.  If he doesn't have a regular rotation role, he is insurance.  I am not sure that the Celtics will be willing to pay the tax for him to be insurance.

I think they need some vet insurance. They should be managing the top 6 players health and minutes played heavily this year. Keeping the core healthy and as fresh as possible should be one of the top coaching priorities on this team this year. They played a long season and half of the top 6 played thru the summer.

 I?m expecting Pritchard, Hauser, Springer and hopefully Walker to play a role in absorbing days off for Jrue in particular (maybe he starts to get the back to back treatment) and the J?s to take a few weeks off here and there for bumps and bruises. The coaching staff should absolutely be finding 5min/game roles (not necessarily every game) for Springer and Walker to rest our main guards and wings, esp the first half of season.

Yeah.  Even if Walker doesn't have a rotation spot immediately, who knows what's going to happen over the course of a year?  The minutes analysis above essentially ignores major injuries.  The idea that one of Jrue, White or Pritchard could get injured and miss 20+ games isn't farfetched.  It doesn't hurt to have good backups to our backups.

I agree, like I said, he is insurance.  Even if Springer is traded, Walker would still be mostly insurance.  Insurance is not a bad thing.

[Big333223]

Somehow this deteriorated into a debate about whether Hauser is a 2/3, a 3, a 3/4 or whatever.  I am willing to say he is primarily a 3.  Not willing to say he is a PF.

But the point in relation to Walker is that Walker is a guard and there are not going to be very many minutes available with Holiday, White, Pritchard, and Springer all returning.  That is who I see Walker potentially competing with for minutes.

If you look at the minutes for those 4 last season, adjusting Springer's some to account for him being here all season, it totals 6,859 total minutes or about 84 minutes per game.  That means there would be 36 minutes per game when 2 of these guys are on the floor, and 12 minutes when only 1 of them are.  Even if Walker were to take all of Springer's minutes, there aren't that many for him, and it would be kind of a waste.

That is why I say that Walker doesn't just have to beat our Springer for minutes, he probably needs to be taking minutes from Pritchard too, if he is going to have a regular rotation role.  Maybe they try to give him minutes as a wing, but then he is competing with Tatum, Brown, and Hauser.  If he doesn't have a regular rotation role, he is insurance.  I am not sure that the Celtics will be willing to pay the tax for him to be insurance.

I think they need some vet insurance. They should be managing the top 6 players health and minutes played heavily this year. Keeping the core healthy and as fresh as possible should be one of the top coaching priorities on this team this year. They played a long season and half of the top 6 played thru the summer.

 I?m expecting Pritchard, Hauser, Springer and hopefully Walker to play a role in absorbing days off for Jrue in particular (maybe he starts to get the back to back treatment) and the J?s to take a few weeks off here and there for bumps and bruises. The coaching staff should absolutely be finding 5min/game roles (not necessarily every game) for Springer and Walker to rest our main guards and wings, esp the first half of season.

Yeah.  Even if Walker doesn't have a rotation spot immediately, who knows what's going to happen over the course of a year?  The minutes analysis above essentially ignores major injuries.  The idea that one of Jrue, White or Pritchard could get injured and miss 20+ games isn't farfetched.  It doesn't hurt to have good backups to our backups.

Holiday and White are going to be on the cover of Slam magazine this month, which is pretty cool. I don't know what kind of cache that sort of thing still has but it might get me to buy a magazine which I haven't done in a few years.

So what we seem to all agree on is that Walker's competition for minutes is going to be with Pritchard and Springer, which is interesting because he's a better offensive player than Springer and he might be a better defender than Pritchard (although I think PP's defensive limitations are overstated).