Pruitt better have some skills

[wdleehi]

Jason Williams doesn't interest you at all?

God, no. Stick a fork in him.

Really?  I think when he is healthy he can still give you something.  Of course it is all about the right price, but I think Williams is the best actual play maker remaining on the market.  He might be a nice combination with Pruitt (who would play the House role).

Playing part time could help him last the season.


Williams and Arroyo are the best two left. 

[kozlodoev]

Jason Williams doesn't interest you at all?

God, no. Stick a fork in him.

Really?  I think when he is healthy he can still give you something.  Of course it is all about the right price, but I think Williams is the best actual play maker remaining on the market.  He might be a nice combination with Pruitt (who would play the House role).

I didn't think he was very good coming off the bench in Miami, and he was even worse starting. Plus, he seems to be injured all the time. I don't see him as being a better option than Cassell at this point.

Also, didn't he have an issue with changing plays and being generally uncoachable?

[vwoodruff]

I've got to think that House's offer depends upon Posey. If Posey jumps ship b/c the front office isn't willing to give him the contract length he's seeking, I've got to think that the Cs backup plan is resigning House and TA.

As far as Lue goes... House's skill set is better than Lue's and his intangibles are greater than Lue's as well.

I just hope the Cs don't burn a bridge that might screw up a backup plan. I hope Ainge has a good relationship with Bartelstein considering that three unsigned Cs (Posey, House, and Giddens) are clients.

[Who]

Jason Williams doesn't interest you at all?

No, not at all. I'm with kozlodoev, stick a fork in him. Jason Williams looks like he's finished. He was atrocious for Miami last season. He has one acceptable game in 5, that's how inconsistent he's become. I'm not even talking about good games, I'm talking about games where you aren't throwing something at the TV because he's stinking it up so badly.

He's an awful defensive player who can't keep any opposing point guard out of the paint. It doesn't look like he's recovered from his knee injury, his acceleration isn't where it used to be and certainly his mobility and lateral quickness are nowhere near where it used to be. He also did a very poor job of running Miami's offense last year heaping even more burden onto Wade's shoulders and consistently failing to get Shaq the ball in the post prior to Shaq's trade.

One of the big reasons Miami will improve next season is because they're getting rid of Williams.

Williams shouldn't be on a contender next season, he just isn't good enough. Let him attempt to rediscover his game elsewhere next season. If he does get back to a respectable level of performance, then he's worth having a look at next summer. Either way he shouldn't be here next season.

I'd put Jason Williams in that Damon Stoudamire/Sam Cassell group of players. I'd say Sammy is in the best shape because his game is the least reliant on his athleticism.

[zerophase]

For one thing, Lue is actually a better player than House.  He is nearly as good of a shooter, but he is a much better ball handler and defender.

I think the defense thing is greatly exaggerated.  For one thing, Lue has been an average-to-poor defender for at least the past two seasons.  Inversely, Eddie's defense was much better last year than people give him credit for.  At the very least, the two players are even, and I might take Eddie.  Lue has more quickness, but Eddie has more energy and hustle.

Also, Lue hasn't played in more than 56 games in the past three seasons.  He's not a terrible option, but I'd rather have Eddie, who 1) is healthy, and 2) fits well into our system.

i'd also rather have lue than house.. i mean, remind me if i'm incorrect, but the celtics won a ton of games without cassell and even after the addition of cassell, i don't remember him helping us win that many games except the game with the hawks when he did his big nuts, crack 'em gesture.

[Roy Hobbs]

For one thing, Lue is actually a better player than House.  He is nearly as good of a shooter, but he is a much better ball handler and defender.

I think the defense thing is greatly exaggerated.  For one thing, Lue has been an average-to-poor defender for at least the past two seasons.  Inversely, Eddie's defense was much better last year than people give him credit for.  At the very least, the two players are even, and I might take Eddie.  Lue has more quickness, but Eddie has more energy and hustle.

Also, Lue hasn't played in more than 56 games in the past three seasons.  He's not a terrible option, but I'd rather have Eddie, who 1) is healthy, and 2) fits well into our system.

Well either way, neither of them is getting more than the vet minimum for the Celtics.  Neither of them are worth what they would cost in luxury tax otherwise.

Perhaps true, but if I had to pick one play to pay more than the minimum to between Eddie House and Patrick O'Bryant, I'll go with the guy who can actually play at the NBA level.  I understand frugal, but if there's money for projects, I think there's got to be money for guys who were key contributors on a championship team.

[Jon]

Let's remember that Ainge isn't going to show the media his hand, so all of this may just be posturing to let agents know that he isn't panicked and he's not going to give any of their clients some absurd deal.  He was also saying that same things about House/Pruitt and Powe/Davis last year, but that didn't stop him from signing Cassell and Brown later in the year. 

Furthermore--despite being one of the bigger backup PG alarmists over the past year--the backup PG concern isn't as big of a deal as it was last year.  Last year no one was sure if Rondo could handle the PG duties full time or the pressure of the closing minutes of a close playoff game.  Since he's proven he can, all we really need is someone to play 10-15 mpg sometime in the middle of the game: Rondo will certainly be starting and closing most games. 

And if he gets hurt?  Well, more than likely nobody available to the C's is going to be able to make up for his injury if he goes down for the season. 

[amenhotep04]

It's funny because if Pruitt had played in the east, or if the Trojans would have made it to the Final Four, then everyone here would have been screaming for Pruitt to be playing a lot of minutes.  But given the lack of exposure to him, so many people here have huge questions marks about him.  The only need we have at the one is if there is an injury to Rondo.  Other than that, we're solid there.

I personally like House, and I'm still holding out hope that we resign him, but Pruitt can play.

[orrzor]

I think Ainge is thinking Cassell as backup point. Haven't both sides said they want Cassell back next year? and he could be had for cheap and might be better with a training camp, at least I guess that is the logic.

[moskqq]

Let's be candid about one thing...Pruitt is not a PG and would be a marginal 3rd string PG at best.  It isn't that Pruitt isn't skilled, it's that his skill set suits him more at the SG position.  He neither has the handles, the mindset nor the leadership ability to man the point for a championship team.  He has difficulty creating offense for himself let alone setting the table for his teammates.

Pruitt was advertised as a skilled defensive player.  In limited PT I failed to see that skill in evidence.  I don't dislike Gabe, I just question whether he would be a better option than the "untested" Giddens at the backup PG position.  So far I only have seen excellent athleticism, a smooth shooting stroke, good PG size but little else.  If Gabe EVER develops into a quality PG, it will take years (if ever).

[Jon]

Let's be candid about one thing...Pruitt is not a PG and would be a marginal 3rd string PG at best.  It isn't that Pruitt isn't skilled, it's that his skill set suits him more at the SG position.  He neither has the handles, the mindset nor the leadership ability to man the point for a championship team.  He has difficulty creating offense for himself let alone setting the table for his teammates.

Pruitt was advertised as a skilled defensive player.  In limited PT I failed to see that skill in evidence.  I don't dislike Gabe, I just question whether he would be a better option than the "untested" Giddens at the backup PG position.  So far I only have seen excellent athleticism, a smooth shooting stroke, good PG size but little else.  If Gabe EVER develops into a quality PG, it will take years (if ever).

Kinda sounds a bit like Eddie House, and that didn't stop Doc from playing Eddie at the PG position last year. 

In a perfect world I'd prefer a pure backup PG and someone with a bit more experience than Pruitt; however, it's hard enough to find a starting point guard like that, let along a backup at the minimum.  As long as Rondo stays healthy, it shouldn't be a big deal who backs up the PG spot.  He played around 30 mpg last year, and should probably get even more time this year.

[Roy Hobbs]

Let's be candid about one thing...Pruitt is not a PG and would be a marginal 3rd string PG at best.  It isn't that Pruitt isn't skilled, it's that his skill set suits him more at the SG position.  He neither has the handles, the mindset nor the leadership ability to man the point for a championship team.  He has difficulty creating offense for himself let alone setting the table for his teammates.

What is this assessment based upon?  He only played about 100 minutes last season, so I'm not ready to write off his career as a point guard just yet.

I ask you:  would people have thought Chauncey Billups had the "handles, the mindset []or the leadership ability to man the point for a championship team" in his first 100 minutes of NBA action?

[BballTim]

Let's be candid about one thing...Pruitt is not a PG and would be a marginal 3rd string PG at best.  It isn't that Pruitt isn't skilled, it's that his skill set suits him more at the SG position.  He neither has the handles, the mindset nor the leadership ability to man the point for a championship team.  He has difficulty creating offense for himself let alone setting the table for his teammates.

  You could have written the exact same post about Eddie House a year a ago. And people throw around the "not good enough to play on a championship team" like it means something. How many times did people state that Perk would never be good enough to be a starter on a contending team like it was a fact last year?

[moskqq]

While you may not be mixing oranges with apples (re: Hobbs) let's not confuse the differences in TALENT between Pruitt (a "second-round" selection) and Billups (the 3rd pick in the draft).  Star players usually get that designation because they can excel when required to learn a new position.  Are you suggesting that Pruitt's skill level compares with Billups even remotely?  I understand what you're suggesting but I strongly disagree about Pruitt's potential to "suffice" at the PG position.  There are so many better options (by the way, House has an "extremely" quick release on his shots as opposed to Pruitt's more methodical release).

One could make a similar comparison (re Pruitt vs Billups) between Patrick O'bryant and KG by suggesting that both have "skill" and it's only a matter of time before Patrick establishes himself as a KG "clone".  Will he ever compare with KG? Will Pruitt ever compare with Billups?

[Roy Hobbs]

While you may not be mixing oranges with apples (re: Hobbs) let's not confuse the differences in TALENT between Pruitt (a "second-round" selection) and Billups (the 3rd pick in the draft).  Star players usually get that designation because they can excel when required to learn a new position.  Are you suggesting that Pruitt's skill level compares with Billups even remotely?  I understand what you're suggesting but I strongly disagree about Pruitt's potential to "suffice" at the PG position.  There are so many better options (by the way, House has an "extremely" quick release on his shots as opposed to Pruitt's more methodical release).

One could make a similar comparison (re Pruitt vs Billups) between Patrick O'bryant and KG by suggesting that both have "skill" and it's only a matter of time before Patrick establishes himself as a KG "clone".  Will he ever compare with KG? Will Pruitt ever compare with Billups?

I'm saying it's silly to make statements like "this guy is a marginal 3rd string PG at best", if you haven't studied his game or given him a chance to succeed.  While the deck may be stacked against him as a second rounder, there are plenty of second rounders who have succeeded (Boozer, Arenas, Ellis, Ginobli).  I'm not placing Pruitt into that category, but I am saying give him a chance before writing him off.

I don't get the KG / O'Bryant comparison at all, by the way.  People used the exact same arguments about Billups that you're using against Pruitt now.  He'd never be a point guard, he was too much of a scorer, he didn't have the instincts to be a point guard, etc., etc.  Was KG ever criticized for the same things O'Bryant was?  I certainly don't think so.