Semih Erden looks awful

[Global Celtic]

Danny pulled the trigger on this guy but he simply doesn't look good. He doesn't move well on defense and he seemed lost and sloppy on offense. Art Parakhouski did a better job defending Ibaka, got more rebounds (that's what you want from a 7 footer, right?), scored more points and played less minutes.

Erden's stats: 21 min, 2 pts, 4 rebs, 3 fouls, 2 to's, 1 blocked attempt, -7 +/-.

Parakhouski stats: 18 min, 4 pts, 10 rebs, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 fouls, +2 +/-.

PS: I live in Europe and never saw nothing exciting by Erden. It wasn't a smart move to sign him before Summer League.

[Cman]

Danny pulled the trigger on this guy but he simply doesn't look good. He doesn't move well on defense and he seems a little lost on offense. Art Parakhouski did a better job defending Ibaka and got more rebounds (5) in less minutes.
Erden's stats at halftime: 13 min, 2 pts, 3reb, 2 fouls, 1 to, 1 blocked attempt.


PS: I live in Europe and never saw nothing exciting by this guy. It wasn't a smart move to sign him before Summer League.

It was a low risk move.  Nothing to worry about IMHO.  Worse case scenario: he doesn't pan out and the Celtics cut him. 

[fireflighter]

I agree. He does not seem to have any offense. Cannot post and get the ball. AWFUL

[Marqui]

Who cares? They can just cut him.

[celticinorlando]

worse than POB

[CoachBo]

It's one game ...

But that guy doesn't remotely look like an NBA player.

[Change]

He plays basketball for a living.

[fireflighter]

I would buy him a plane ticket to go back to Turkey now!!

[kozlodoev]

I am sure he wouldn't come to play in summer league without a contract, so you can't blame Ainge for taking a look at what he's got.

Most of the game, Erden looked like the game was happening too fast for him. We'll see by the end of summer league whether this is just jitters.

[misha]

Let's give him at least for a few games the benefit of the doubt. The guy just got here from far away and I'm sure needs a week or two to adjust.

[Andy Jick]

Agree...he doesn't look like he has a clue of what he's doing.  But no big deal...

Afterall, from all accounts he struggled (numbers-wise) against lower-tiered competition overseas.  But even if he's kept as a 15th man, I'd be fine with that.

[Surferdad]

He signed a non-guaranteed contract?  Or maybe only guaranteed until Oct 31?

[KungPoweChicken]

Summer League is not the proper venue to judge true seven who play in the post. Summer League has historically made big men look awful.

[Global Celtic]

Semih Erden's stats: 21 min, 2 pts, 4 rebs, 3 fouls, 2 to's, 1 blocked attempt, -7 +/-.

Art Parakhouski stats: 18 min, 4 pts, 10 rebs, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 fouls, +2 +/-.


Art's younger and is now fully adapted to American basketball and culture. I know it's just one game but Erden looks awful.

[LooseCannon]

So, here are a few questions for those who watched him play:

How well does he run the floor?
When he fouls someone, does he foul hard?
If you view him as a project that is not expected to contribute this season, does he look like a guy who has the physical tools to play the serviceable NBA defense that one would expect from a decent backup center?  (If Erden's upside is to be as good as Darko Milicic is now and he realizes that upside, that would be tremendous value for the slot Erden was drafted in.)
How much practice time did he get? How long has he been in the US?  Was he on a plane from Turkey yesterday?