Sign me up for the Semih Sucks Bandwagon

[Fafnir]

5-man rotation with Semih?

I think you mean four man rotation since we have KG/Shaq/BBD/Semih at the PF/C spots right now. Its impossible to go shorter than a 4 man rotation in the regular season especially when Shaq should only be going 20 minutes in any game as is.

Currently we're missing two other Cs due to injury, that hurts you.

Good catch, I actually had a typo there and meant that Semih shouldn't be one of the 5-players on the court for nearly as many minutes as he is getting.  That's either Danny's fault for not getting enough healthy/reliable bigs, or Doc's fault for playing Semih so many minutes. 

Okay, that makes sense, TP!

I'm completely satisfied with what he's given us, and when he's glued to the bench I'll feel a lot better!

[cajunceltic]

I think giving the history, injuries, and age of some of our big's, I think Semih will get spot minutes no matter if our big's are healthy or not, Doc as much as admitted it. I can easily see him getting some run during the 2nd game of those back to back nights. I am excited to see how much he can improve throughout the course of this year. For me personally, I have seen enough good things out of him already to be positive about his future as a Celtic. For Shaq, KG, AND J.O. to take this kid under their wing says a lot, it is almost impossible not to get better when you have that knowledge base to draw upon.

[thirstyboots18]

I think giving the history, injuries, and age of some of our big's, I think Semih will get spot minutes no matter if our big's are healthy or not, Doc as much as admitted it. I can easily see him getting some run during the 2nd game of those back to back nights. I am excited to see how much he can improve throughout the course of this year. For me personally, I have seen enough good things out of him already to be positive about his future as a Celtic. For Shaq, KG, AND J.O. to take this kid under their wing says a lot, it is almost impossible not to get better when you have that knowledge base to draw upon.

World's best tutors!  And you can bet they wouldn't waste their time if they felt he was not worth it.

[guava_wrench]

Semih does suck.  Below average to terrible in almost all the important big man areas: poor rebounder, poor finisher, terrible awareness in the post, weak defender against face-up bigs, extremely foul-prone and ineffectual help defender.  He can move his feet pretty well on the pick and roll and he makes some nice passes, but overall, he definitely does suck.

Waste of a roster spot, IMHO.  Nothing against the guy and I don't hold anything against his selection at #60, but that doesn't change my assessment.

You need to watch more backup centers across the NBA to understand how low the bar is for backup big men with legitimate height. The league has many clumsy oafs, but they bring enough to the table that they are better than the alternative of small ball.

[Weird Facts]

Hes a waste of minutes- Megatron is right.

Noted: 24 years old - not 20 or 18.

Plays the game with no energy or aggression.
He looks like he has no heart out there.

Sign me up for the bandwagon too.  By the time this guy is even able to contribute - he will be 27 28 years old  IF... he ever gets there.

Sorry guys- I'm not generally negative.  But its tough to watch this kid play.  He has no heart or passion out there.

You would think he would vibe off the rest of the team.  Nope- nothing.  Someone check his pulse! he might be a robot.  A very poorly manufactured robot.

[Fafnir]

I don't get the "no passion" thought. He gets very frustrated with himself when he makes the wrong read, fumbles a dunk, or makes a bad foul.

He's not good, but he appears to care.

[Josh88]

He's also going from averaging 20 minutes in EuroLeague to 12 a night in the NBA for a team which is expected to win every game. He's in a new country, he's still learning the language and he's being asked to come off the bench for a title contender and perform on the high level the Celtics expect.

There's a lot of pressure on him and I'm sure he's nervous and at times lost out there, cut him some slack.

[Shots]

I don't get the "no passion" thought. He gets very frustrated with himself when he makes the wrong read, fumbles a dunk, or makes a bad foul.

He's not good, but he appears to care.

I second that. Additionally, sure he's 24 and there's limited growth potential. I don't think anyone in the Celtics organization expects him to go very much beyond what he does now, but as a 6th big, he's [dang] fine.

Why should you expect improvement in his game then? Well, he's new to the NBA and the US. As far as I know, he doesn't even speak English yet. I personally would assume that once he is able to communicate at a 'reasonable level' (I don't expect him to pick up a new language completely in 3-6 months), he is going to be even better - especially defensively.

Look at the Miami Heat centers. There's no one of those that I would pick over Semih, as a third string center.

But I guess haters gonna hate!

[LooseCannon]

People think that Erden lacks emotion?  Are these the same people who thought that Robert Parish was lazy and passionless at Golden State?

[thirstyboots18]

I don't get the "no passion" thought. He gets very frustrated with himself when he makes the wrong read, fumbles a dunk, or makes a bad foul.

He's not good, but he appears to care.

I second that. Additionally, sure he's 24 and there's limited growth potential. I don't think anyone in the Celtics organization expects him to go very much beyond what he does now, but as a 6th big, he's [dang] fine.

Why should you expect improvement in his game then? Well, he's new to the NBA and the US. As far as I know, he doesn't even speak English yet. I personally would assume that once he is able to communicate at a 'reasonable level' (I don't expect him to pick up a new language completely in 3-6 months), he is going to be even better - especially defensively.

Look at the Miami Heat centers. There's no one of those that I would pick over Semih, as a third string center.

But I guess haters gonna hate!

Centers take longer to mature into NBA players than other positions.  Semih can be a good (at least servicable) center...he just needs to add a little muscle.  He does not seem to be intimidated or afraid to mix it up with other centers...and for his slim build he seems pretty strong.  He can shoot free throws, has a nice little hook, can dunk.  I really don't know what you expect from a rookie third string (?) backup center who doesn't even speak English and has never played in the NBA before.  I think he is doing fine, and our record so far supports me...he is learning the NBA game, the Boston Celtics plays and players and the English Language.  Keep up the good work Semih!  You are doing a lot better than some of the higher picks in the draft.  AND you will have a championship ring at the end of the year!

[Who]

As a point of comparison ...

Third String Centers

ATL - Jason Collins and Etan Thomas
BOS - Semih Erden
CHA - DeSagana Diop
CHI - Kurt Thomas
CLE - Leon Powe
DAL - Alexis Ajinca
DEN - Melvin Ely
DET - Chris Wilcox
GSW - Dan Gadzuric
HOU - Jordan Hill
IND - Solomon Jones
LAC - Jarron Collins
LAL - Derrick Caracter
MEM - Hamed Haddadi
MIA - Joel Anthony + Jamaal Magloire + Dexter Pittman
MIN - Kosta Koufos
MIL - Jon Brockman
NJN - Joe Smith
NOH - Aaron Gray
NYK - Eddy Curry
OKC - Cole Aldrich and Byron Mullens
ORL - Daniel Orton
PHI - Tony Battie
POR - Sean Marks
PHO - Earl Barron and Garret Siler
SAC - Hassan Whiteside or Darnell Jackson
SAN - Matt Bonner
TOR - Solomon Alabi
UTA - Kyrylo Fesenko
WAS - Hamed N'Diaye

-----------------------------------------------

At a glance ... I am thinking there about 10 guys on that list that I would rather have than Erden and about 10 more in the same tier as Erden.

A middle of the pack third string center.

[wdleehi]

What do you expect when C number 1 and C number 3 are out?



He is C number 4.


He should be big man number 6 when everyone is healthy. 

[Finkelskyhook]

Centers take longer to mature into NBA players than other positions.  Semih can be a good (at least servicable) center...he just needs to add a little muscle.  He does not seem to be intimidated or afraid to mix it up with other centers...and for his slim build he seems pretty strong.  He can shoot free throws, has a nice little hook, can dunk.  I really don't know what you expect from a rookie third string (?) backup center who doesn't even speak English and has never played in the NBA before.  I think he is doing fine, and our record so far supports me...he is learning the NBA game, the Boston Celtics plays and players and the English Language.  Keep up the good work Semih!  You are doing a lot better than some of the higher picks in the draft.  AND you will have a championship ring at the end of the year!

Perfectly put, MS Boots

As a point of comparison ...

Third String Centers

ATL - Jason Collins and Etan Thomas
BOS - Semih Erden
CHA - DeSagana Diop
CHI - Kurt Thomas
CLE - Leon Powe
DAL - Alexis Ajinca
DEN - Melvin Ely
DET - Chris Wilcox
GSW - Dan Gadzuric
HOU - Jordan Hill
IND - Solomon Jones
LAC - Jarron Collins
LAL - Derrick Caracter
MEM - Hamed Haddadi
MIA - Joel Anthony + Jamaal Magloire + Dexter Pittman
MIN - Kosta Koufos
MIL - Jon Brockman
NJN - Joe Smith
NOH - Aaron Gray
NYK - Eddy Curry
OKC - Cole Aldrich and Byron Mullens
ORL - Daniel Orton
PHI - Tony Battie
POR - Sean Marks
PHO - Earl Barron and Garret Siler
SAC - Hassan Whiteside or Darnell Jackson
SAN - Matt Bonner
TOR - Solomon Alabi
UTA - Kyrylo Fesenko
WAS - Hamed N'Diaye

-----------------------------------------------

At a glance ... I am thinking there about 10 guys on that list that I would rather have than Erden and about 10 more in the same tier as Erden.

A middle of the pack third string center.

I don't.

[thirstyboots18]

As a point of comparison ...

Third String Centers

ATL - Jason Collins and Etan Thomas
BOS - Semih Erden
CHA - DeSagana Diop
CHI - Kurt Thomas
CLE - Leon Powe
DAL - Alexis Ajinca
DEN - Melvin Ely
DET - Chris Wilcox
GSW - Dan Gadzuric
HOU - Jordan Hill
IND - Solomon Jones
LAC - Jarron Collins
LAL - Derrick Caracter
MEM - Hamed Haddadi
MIA - Joel Anthony + Jamaal Magloire + Dexter Pittman
MIN - Kosta Koufos
MIL - Jon Brockman
NJN - Joe Smith
NOH - Aaron Gray
NYK - Eddy Curry
OKC - Cole Aldrich and Byron Mullens
ORL - Daniel Orton
PHI - Tony Battie
POR - Sean Marks
PHO - Earl Barron and Garret Siler
SAC - Hassan Whiteside or Darnell Jackson
SAN - Matt Bonner
TOR - Solomon Alabi
UTA - Kyrylo Fesenko
WAS - Hamed N'Diaye

-----------------------------------------------

At a glance ... I am thinking there about 10 guys on that list that I would rather have than Erden and about 10 more in the same tier as Erden.

A middle of the pack third string center.

Then list the ten guys...
Are they rookies?  Do they speak English?  Were they drafted as high in the draft?  If you are going to make a list, make a comparable list, and make it meaningful.  Who else could we have gotten  as good, and at the same price, as semih...who would be content to sit on the bench all season unless injury got him time?  Tony Battie was one of my favorite Celtics...but really, we have to start developing young players both for the front line when the time comes, for the bench, and for possible trade.   I think Danny shopped the bargain basement and came up with designer models, who are going to take us to the Championship round again this year.  Remember, Semih was a late draft pick who was left in Europe to develope skills...he did not play college ball in the U. S. and has not played in the N. B. A. 


I am glad Semih is getting playing time...Doc doesn't often play rookies...and his game will improve.  He may not turn into another Hakeem Olajuwan but I do think he will be a very servicable center.  It is certain that he is being tutored by the best.

And don't say the Euros are soft.  Semih Erden is playing injured with surgery to be performed at the end of the season.

[Megatron]

I saw this in another thead, his new nickname should be "Semih the "And One" Erden. He gave up 4 or 5 And 1's in the Toronto game.

Guess he doesent know what "wrap him up" or "no layups" means in english.

The guy is just frustrating to watch.