Gabe Pruitt

[Atzar]

Alright.  It's an off day, and there isn't too much to talk about.  Might as well throw up Prospect Topic #1000001.

What do you all think of Gabe Pruitt's future with this team - or any other, for that matter?  He's now almost two full years into his NBA career, so I think it's fair to try to predict his future now.

Personally, I think he doesn't have much more of a future with the Celtics.  He's had several chances this year to prove his worth and become a fixture in the rotation, but it hasn't panned out.  He'll get one more shot next year if/when Marbury is gone, but I think he won't show anything more than he's shown this year.  I was waiting for his game this year - the one where he breaks out and is an integral part of a win, a la BBD last year vs. Detroit.  It never happened. 

He already looks like a very good defender.  If he ever gets respect from the refs, I think he could make it in the league based on that alone.  I won't draw any conclusions about his scoring ability - his supporters insist it's there, but the numbers say otherwise.  In the end, I think he will no longer wear a Celtics jersey at the end of his contract, but I think somebody else will see a potential lockdown defender and throw him a one- or two-year contract and some consistent minutes.  It just won't be Danny.  He's too far down on the depth list to gain any sort of momentum.

What are your predictions?

[xmuscularghandix]

He's a better player than people/ the league thinks he is, and he still has alot of upside. Gabes shown he can hit an NBA Three but hesitates too much before he shoots. He's also shown he's a good defender who is VERY capable of staying in front of even the above average Scoring PG. I think that he's more valuable to us than anyone else becuase he knows the system, and in all fairness to gabe is basically just a super rookie.

[MVP]

I'm not too high on him. He has the physical tools, but he's missing something...that confidence/swagger/"it" factor, whatever it is. Bill Walker has it, Rondo showed it right away, I don't see it with Pruitt. Maybe he'll get, but the chances are small and if he does get it will probably be with another team. He's still a good role player to have for his salary so I could definitely see the team keeping him for next year as the 3rd pg because he can still give the team good defense especially against bigger pgs.

[cornbreadsmart]

i definitely think he's an nba player but i don't think it will happen here. i think we'll count on next year again as a designated sharpshooter and have a vet backup again at point guard. probably won't mean a good opportunity for gabe here. but who knows. maybe he'll shock people with a big off season improvement. never know.

[cornbreadsmart]

whoops.i meant to type that  we'll count on house.

[ManUp]

I really don't see him sticking with us, but he should be able to stick somewhere. With his talent there's no reason he can't. He's decent prospect just not as a point guard. He's a good shooter, seems to be a solid finisher, and pretty athletic. I think he will do well when he gets to play shooting guard, his more natural position.

[xmuscularghandix]

I'm not too high on him. He has the physical tools, but he's missing something...that confidence/swagger/"it" factor, whatever it is. Bill Walker has it, Rondo showed it right away, I don't see it with Pruitt. Maybe he'll get, but the chances are small and if he does get it will probably be with another team. He's still a good role player to have for his salary so I could definitely see the team keeping him for next year as the 3rd pg because he can still give the team good defense especially against bigger pgs.

agree with you about him missing that swagger, it seems like he only looks from his shot with 4 seconds on the shot clock... and he was a scorer!

[liam]

He needs to go to some crappy NBA team and just get to play through his mistakes and get some  confidence in himself. On a championship squad everything is so magnified. He also needs to be a little more hard nosed. The one time he showed some scrap he got hit with a foul running up the floor after a no call.

[twinbree]

I still have hope for him becoming a solid backup PG. He's a good defender and has length and athleticism. He's a little tentative running the offense but that's something he should be able to work on.

[amenhotep04]

I don't think it's an issue of whether Gabe can play.  He can.  The larger issue is the make up of the team past the starting five. In the preseason Doc played a second unit of Gabe, Eddie, Tony, and some combination of Leon, POB, and BBD. When the season started he shortened the lineup to nine guys with Gabe sitting. This placed Eddie out of position, and usually, especially if Paul was playing created congestion in the paint as Tony would take every ball to the hoop.

So, I would think that Danny and company are looking at Eddie, Tony, JR, Walker, Gabe, and maybe Marbury to see what they can do to improve the continuity of the second unit.  I would be surprised if all of the first five guys on the list are here next year.  I expect there will be some trade.

So I think any movement of a player for next year is not based on the players abilities, but the player's 'perceived fit' on the team. I'm of the opinion that all 15 guys can play in this league.

. . . then there's the issue of Leon and BBD and if they'll be resigned which to me is a much larger issue. KGs been hurt twice the past two seasons.  It might be a sign saying his body is breaking down.

[Brickowski]

He's better than Marbury.

[slamtheking]

He just may stick for one more year.
- the C's have Marbury, Moore, Powe and BBD coming off the books at the end of this year.  M&M figure to be gone. Probably only one of Powe or BBD will be resigned.  Net result of 3 open spots.
- TA, House, Scal, Pruitt and Ray are all expiring after next year.  Ray doesn't figure to go anywhere based on his production this season.  TA, House and Scal provide some value but have weaknesses so they could be used to get a more-productive player.  Possible net result of 1 or 2 more open spots (TA/House/Scal in a 2 for 1, 3 for 1 or 3 for 2 deal-->a deal for Grant Hill would solidify the backup wing position).

If Pruitt is kept at the team's option and not traded
- The C's have their starting 5, JR, Walker, Powe/BBD, Pruitt, the player(s) in the TA/House/Scal deal --> at most 11 players on the roster.
- No 1st round pick next year.
- Erden isn't coming from Europe for next year--too early.
- DA can focus in the offseason on getting the solid 4/5 role player we really need and possibly use some spare MLE or LLE or min vet $ to get a 3rd string backup PG (if House is gone is a trade).
-->Pruitt provides some continuity to the team while DA adds FA.  Pruitt will be a 3rd year player that knows the system and would add stability and in reality provide a decent piece to a youth movement in the 1-3 spots on the roster: Rondo, Pruitt, JR, Walker.

[crownsy]

He's better than Marbury at driving drunk.

fixed

[slamtheking]

just to add onto my original thought.
not that we'd see Doc constantly substituting a whole 2nd unit in a single exchange but a second unit that could run against the other team's 2nd unit/tired 1st unit:
Pruitt, Giddens/Walker/(Hill)--2 of the 3 on the court, Powe/BBD (whichever is resigned), (Sheed or Mcdyess signing with MLE $).

Not a bad 2nd unit at all that could definitely score and play some decent defense.

[Bankshot]

I'm not too high on him. He has the physical tools, but he's missing something...that confidence/swagger/"it" factor, whatever it is. Bill Walker has it, Rondo showed it right away, I don't see it with Pruitt. Maybe he'll get, but the chances are small and if he does get it will probably be with another team. He's still a good role player to have for his salary so I could definitely see the team keeping him for next year as the 3rd pg because he can still give the team good defense especially against bigger pgs.

I agree that he doesn't have that "it" factor.  But isn't that reserved for special players, players that have a chance to be all-star types?  He's just not that "type".  But he can be a decent player in the league.