Semih Love Thread

[Celtics18]

I've been on board since summer league.  The Semih express keeps rolling.  Woot, Woot!!!

[gar]

He did not change. He has always altered an impressive number of shots. He appears to flailing around at times and will not win many style points on defense; but he can learn to play more effective defense. He is a gifted athlete for his size and saying he is a finished product at 24 is discounting the mastery demonstrated night in and night out by our aging vets.

[guava_wrench]

What I like about him on offense is he always has his hands out for the ball when near the hoop. He also seems confident that he can move the ball around when he has the ball in his hands away from the hoop. Perhaps this leads him to turn the ball over if he decides to put the ball on the floor in those situations, but confidence helps players figure out what works and what doesn't.

He will never have the grace of a wing, but he is a 7 footer. I am happy having him eat minutes.

That being said, I don't have any idea of his future role on a team with less talent. But he should end up one of the most valuable 12th men (he is probably only ahead of Gody, Bradley and Wafer on our depth chart) in the league over the course of the season.

[ballin]

I was the thread starter of "Semih Sucks Bandwagon"

Hes changed, he nearly had a double double tonight with a ton of blocks, the guy is a solid back-up.

Sign me up for the Semih does not-suck bandwagon.

Sorry for going a little out of my way to point this out, but I'm pretty sure the only thing that's changed has been your perspective. But better late than never.

That said, everybody in this thread calling him a future starting center or 6th man or something is completely mistaken. Semih's GOOD FOR A 3rd/4th STRING CENTER. THAT'S IT. Nothing more, nothing less. If he's ever our primary backup big we're screwed.

[Bahku]

At this point, I "like" what I see from Semih, for me, he really hasn't played enough or been called on/answered enough to qualify for a "love" thread ... we'll se what the rest of the season and the playoffs bring.

[Induna]

I was the thread starter of "Semih Sucks Bandwagon"

Hes changed, he nearly had a double double tonight with a ton of blocks, the guy is a solid back-up.

Sign me up for the Semih does not-suck bandwagon.

Sorry for going a little out of my way to point this out, but I'm pretty sure the only thing that's changed has been your perspective. But better late than never.

That said, everybody in this thread calling him a future starting center or 6th man or something is completely mistaken. Semih's GOOD FOR A 3rd/4th STRING CENTER. THAT'S IT. Nothing more, nothing less. If he's ever our primary backup big we're screwed.

Huh?! no one is saying starter not many are sayng back-up even. I was not so much on the bandwagon but on the "Give the kid a chance" push bike. Semih is learning english, learning a playbook in a foreign language, playing with veterans who he probably feels he should defer to even when they probably don't want him to. He is gaining confidence in the league and 24 is by no stretch of the imagination too late to develop. I think Semih will make a good back up centre in the league as he gains strength and confidence and a few post moves.

I hade to chuckle at when the guys calling the game seemed confused at the idea of a 4th string Centre let alone one that could start and contribute, most teams don't even get that from their primary backup

[clover]

I think his potential upside, 3-4 years from now, is as a borderline starter in the league.  That is pretty darn good for a center picked where he was in the draft.  He is also potentially complementary not only to an improving Baby, but even down the road at times to Perk.

[democritic]

Semih's tough, he plays through injury, he's got hustle and drive, he's willing to learn and buy into the team, and he's 7 feet tall. If he can't succeed in the league, nobody can.

I think he's going to be a player in this league. Might not ever be a starter, but I think that's reasonable to guess at. He, at the very least, will be a strong backup if he continues to improve and learn over the next year or two.

[LooseCannon]

I could see Erden developing into the sort of center who would be more suited to a transition offense than Kendrick Perkins (but Perkins, if he recovers fully, would still be the better defender).  Not saying he is certain or even likely to be that sort of player, but it wouldn't shock me.

I do think that he will be a better player on offense than Kendrick Perkins (which isn't exactly that hard).

[Celtics4ever]

His mobility is what impresses me the most but Lord is he foul prone.

[Birdbrain]

I like What Tommy mentioned towards the end of the broadcast about Semih regarding his play around the hoop.  He often gets in a rush (common for rookie) and doesn't actually look at the hoop while attempting to finish.  He did a better job of it last night.  The thing that impresses me the most as mentioned previously are both his athleticism for a 7 fter and his BBIQ.  He's also a fairly good passer.  I can imagine playing with a team full of great passers with great BBIQs will only help in those departments.  The team appears to love playing with him. (especially KG who doesn't he love..).  Probably due to his non stop hussle and ability to take instruction and learn from his mistakes.  He's got to add some strength obviously but, as I said for a rookie he's nothing to sneeze at. 

[billysan]

If Semih were 20 and not 24, we'd all be ecstatic.  But he is 24 and I think that makes many folks wonder how close he is to being a finished product. There is no way of knowing, but he has sure exceeded expectations.  

I hope what we are seeing is a young guy with good big man skills who still has a ton to learn about playing in the NBA. Also I hope that, like many NBA big men, he needs some time to grow into his body -- develop more strength and coordination.  It's impossible to know his ceiling, but he's shown me nothing that says that it can't be reasonably high.

I think you are on to something with regard to Semih. He certainly has reached most of his potential physically even though he can get a lot stronger. His coordination is probably at its natural peak by now. We dont want him much heavier so that he sacrifices what speed and mobility he does have.

I do think as you stated, that when he learns the NBA game and our system he will be much more productive. The guy is playing on 75% instinct now but if he listens and buys into the team then he can improve a good bit just by being at the right place and doing the right thing.

I think he will improve mentally as long as he is treated ok. This team with especially Shaq, KG, and Baby seem to be willing to work with him. He is eating up the attention and above all having fun. Nothing like proven players and teammates that are in your corner helping and encouraging every day.

[twistedrico]

Semi is giving us important minutes and this is going to really matter come the Spring.

[BostonTR]

As a Turkish fan of both Celtics and Semih, I have to admit that I am really surprised and impressed with his recent performance with Celtics. Before the start of the season, I gave him zero chance to play more than 2 minutes in a game. It is not because he is a bad player but he is a rookie (+ a European rookie), he has a shoulder injury, he doesn't know English and lastly he doesn't know the defensive and offensive sets of NBA well and it will take some time to adapt it. As you know, European and NBA basketball is far away from each other.

However, he got the chance to play significant minutes in last games as most of the C's bigs were not available. I can't say he was the star of the games, he made lots of mistakes (especially at the first quarters) since he had the pressure of "what if I can't succeed" and the fear of getting early fouls in the defence. When he got used to play more minutes and concentrate the game without the pressure and fear I mentioned above, he showed that he can be a good backup player in short run especially for a 4th (or 5th big) and 2 round 60th pick. 

It is too early to make keen judgements about him. I think he deserves a chance to show herself. He is a raw player, have lots of things to learn. He will be better within  1-2 years in my opinion.

Note : Sorry for the bad English, I'm not a native speaker. I hope I can express myself clearly. 

[Birdbrain]

As a Turkish fan of both Celtics and Semih, I have to admit that I am really surprised and impressed with his recent performance with Celtics. Before the start of the season, I gave him zero chance to play more than 2 minutes in a game. It is not because he is a bad player but he is a rookie (+ a European rookie), he has a shoulder injury, he doesn't know English and lastly he doesn't know the defensive and offensive sets of NBA well and it will take some time to adapt it. As you know, European and NBA basketball is far away from each other.

However, he got the chance to play significant minutes in last games as most of the C's bigs were not available. I can't say he was the star of the games, he made lots of mistakes (especially at the first quarters) since he had the pressure of "what if I can't succeed" and the fear of getting early fouls in the defence. When he got used to play more minutes and concentrate the game without the pressure and fear I mentioned above, he showed that he can be a good backup player in short run especially for a 4th (or 5th big) and 2 round 60th pick. 

It is too early to make keen judgements about him. I think he deserves a chance to show herself. He is a raw player, have lots of things to learn. He will be better within  1-2 years in my opinion.

Note : Sorry for the bad English, I'm not a native speaker. I hope I can express myself clearly. 

Crystal clear in fact.  I love reading the view of fans outside the US.  Thanks.

As Tommy would say " I love Semih "