Doc Rivers comments on Austin on WEEI

[lightspeed5]

I see Austin being a monta ellis type player. Undersized 2 who can handle the rock and be able to dish out 4-6 APG. High volume scorer who will get to the rim with his speed. Could be a very scary combo with Rondo if he is willing to accept working off screens. If he comes off screens with rondo setting the table for him to be able to catch and go at Defenders hips and get to the rim! Whew that would be very scary for opposing teams.

how is austin undersized? he was 6'5 at the kevin durant skills academy. that already taller than shooting guard d-wade

[Chris]

I see Austin being a monta ellis type player. Undersized 2 who can handle the rock and be able to dish out 4-6 APG. High volume scorer who will get to the rim with his speed. Could be a very scary combo with Rondo if he is willing to accept working off screens. If he comes off screens with rondo setting the table for him to be able to catch and go at Defenders hips and get to the rim! Whew that would be very scary for opposing teams.

how is austin undersized? he was 6'5 at the kevin durant skills academy. that already taller than shooting guard d-wade

Not sure what the deal is with Durant Skills Academy, but by most accounts I have heard he is actually 6'4", which is right on the border of being undersized for a shooting guard...at least by traditional standards.  The ideal size for a SG is closer to 6'6". 

And D-Wade is absolutely an undersized SG.  One of the reasons he was a sleeper in the draft is because teams thought he had to play PG in the NBA, because he was too small to play SG. 

Now, Wade has shown that his athleticism allows him to play bigger than he is (and Wade is significantly more athletic than Rivers...and just about everyone else in the league).  But the league has also changed since Wade entered the league.  He was near the beginning of the comboguard movement in the league, and over the last few years, more and more teams have begun using undersized SGs, who can use their quickness to take advantage of the handcheck rules.

Now, it is still an advantage to have a 6'6" SG, which is why I think Rivers would be a top 5 pick if he were 2 inches taller, but 6'3"-6'4" has become a lot more acceptable for a SG than it was 10 years ago. 

[CFAN38]

Would really enjoy seeing a 3 guard rotation of Rondo, Bradley, and Austin. A lot of speed, versatility, and athleticism. Kind of reminiscent size wise of the Pistons back in the day with Thomas, Dumars, and Microwave.

I feel the same way, think of the speed on the court. With the NBA preventing physical perimeter D those 3 would be very tough to stay in front of.

yeah lets draft another combo guard.

we're too deep at center and PF anyway.

If the Cs can draft a guard who could possibly be the starting SG and possible star for the next 12-15 years they have to take him. Drafting for positional need is what causes players like Kwame Brown and Olawakandi to make big money as 1st picks and never amount to more then role players.   

[the_Bird]

Would really enjoy seeing a 3 guard rotation of Rondo, Bradley, and Austin. A lot of speed, versatility, and athleticism. Kind of reminiscent size wise of the Pistons back in the day with Thomas, Dumars, and Microwave.

I feel the same way, think of the speed on the court. With the NBA preventing physical perimeter D those 3 would be very tough to stay in front of.

yeah lets draft another combo guard.

we're too deep at center and PF anyway.

If the Cs can draft a guard who could possibly be the starting SG and possible star for the next 12-15 years they have to take him. Drafting for positional need is what causes players like Kwame Brown and Olawakandi to make big money as 1st picks and never amount to more then role players.   

I would just add that I think a scoring wing IS a positional need for this team.  Ray Allen's likely gone.  The only real go-to scorer that's likely going to be on the team next year is Pierce, and he's probably only going to play another two years.  We're going to see someone who can make some shots, who can create some shots.  I love Bradley, I hope he sticks around for a long time but ultimately he's a sixth-man combo-guard; having Bradley around does not keep you from drafting a guy that at least has the potential to be a dominant scorer. 

Draft Austin; Doc seems to be OK with that.  Let Pierce take the kid under his wing.  Bring back Pietrus for a year, maybe sign a guy like CJ Miles, so that Rivers isn't forced to play big minutes immediately.  He's young, there's going to be a transition period for him.  He's modeling his game after Kobe; Kobe didn't play much his rookie year.

And yes, we need a big man...  but that's not the only thing we need.  We're not going to solve the big man problem immediately through the draft.  Re-sign KG for a year and explore some trades.  We've got two picks that should be pretty close together, the second one should be a project big of some kind.

[KG_ended_Bias]

Don't be surprised if Rivers suffer a injury that limits him from working out with several teams. A undisclosed (fake) so called questionable injury that hampers his draft status just enough to fall to his dad's team. I'm just saying I said it here 1st!

[Eja117]

I'd like to think Austin could adapt fairly well to the team. I think it would add a cool chapter to the Celts history.   Austin could end up coaching some day.  I know if my kid was good and I was a coach I'd want him.

I bet Doc loves all his guys. I bet he wants the best for Avery too and JJJ and Steams. I wouldn't blame Etwaun Moore for shaking in his boots, but he was a deep 2nd rounder. He should be shaking in his boots anyway. He has a lot of work to do.

I just think this could work a lot better and be a lot better fit than Myers Leonard or something

[clover]

Sounds like the feeling (and hope) is mutual:

http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/this-just-in/21188126/austin-rivers-i-would-love-play-cs

[the_Bird]

Don't be surprised if Rivers suffer a injury that limits him from working out with several teams. A undisclosed (fake) so called questionable injury that hampers his draft status just enough to fall to his dad's team. I'm just saying I said it here 1st!

I think we may hear some rumors from teams picking in the 10-15 range that they are strongly considering drafting Rivers, just to see if they can get the C's to call up and offer both picks to move up.  I'm not sure if Rivers will fake an injury (seems like people would see right through that), but I'd expect SOME kind of gamesmanship to occur.

[Galeto]

Not sure what the deal is with Durant Skills Academy, but by most accounts I have heard he is actually 6'4", which is right on the border of being undersized for a shooting guard...at least by traditional standards.  The ideal size for a SG is closer to 6'6". 

It's not just the Durant Skills Academy.  Draftexpress came out with a database of the measurements from the various camps, Lebron's, Paul's, Pierce's, Durant's, etc and there are big fluctuations in height and wingspan.  I put it down to the camps not putting too much of an emphasis on it and not caring to be precise.

I doubt Rivers in 6'5.  He looks in the 6'4 range with a 6'7 or so wingspan.  Like you said, he's not undersized in the current NBA.  Not sure it's because of the combo-guard trend as is it due to the lack of 6'6 guards available. 

With Wade, along with being one of the very best athletes the league has ever seen, he also boasts a wingspan a hair short of 6'11 even though he stands only 6.375 in barefeet.  That's another advantage he has, something which Austin can't match.