Jared Sullinger Medically Red Flagged

[arambone]

If this guy is sidelined for any length of time his weight will balloon, which will only make his back issues worse, which will make his weight balloon even more.

If he doesn't get picked ahead of the Celtics, that means we will miss out on another good player who otherwise would have dropped to the Celtics.

Bad news.

[sofutomygaha]

I'm trying to decide if I think this is bad news for us.

On the one hand, if Jared Sullinger is undraftable, that bumps someone up and out of our slot. That sucks.

On the other hand, that means we might have a shot at the next Dejuan Blair.

[Dchuck]

I think Sullinger is a triple dog dare RED FLAG.

Yes!

If this guy is sidelined for any length of time his weight will balloon, which will only make his back issues worse, which will make his weight balloon even more.

If he doesn't get picked ahead of the Celtics, that means we will miss out on another good player who otherwise would have dropped to the Celtics.

Bad news.

Yes!

I would not touch him with a ten foot pole.   No explosion and plays below the rim.   I think he is vastly over rated.

....and Yes!

Please I hope is not wearing green!

[Yoki_IsTheName]

If he slips. Take him. Want to know who he measured out almost exactly like? (With slightly better speed and strength) Al Jefferson. Lots of folks would take Big Al again. Sullinger does not have to be a a freak athlete because he is a load down low and plays with a crazy motor. No other PF at 21 or 22 would be a better pick. Even with whatever back issue he has.

This. Lest we forget that this kid was a dominant force in college and still is being looked like he could translate that game to the NBA. Unathletic and back issues and all, and 21 or 22, that's a talent too good to pass.

[Change]

Are you sure there wasn't a typo? It should've been Medically Red Flagged for being fat. Jared Sullinger can't jump over piece of paper.

[Atzar]

If he drops to us, I'd take him in a heartbeat and take one last shot at contending next year.  I wouldn't draft him for his upside, but I certainly like his ability to contribute right away.  I think we could effectively rent him for a couple of seasons and then trade him when we decide to rebuild (unless he exceeds expectations, of course).

I see him as an excellent big off the bench.  He could possibly serve as a mediocre starter in the same way Bass did for us this year (although I wouldn't want to see this), but because of his limitations I don't see him being much more than that.  Having said that, there is a precedent for solid starters with his skillset and limitations (Scola, Millsap, Glen Davis this year, etc.) so maybe he'll surprise.

tl;dr - Yeah, if he falls to us then I'd draft him.

[ctrey]

First of all, let us wait and see what the real issue is. If it is what has been reported, then it is no big deal. I love how all the people on this board rip Sullinger for not having great combine jump and sprint numbers. Meanwhile the best Celtic since Larry Bird, Paul Pierce has never been a great athlete, never made the Sportcenter highlight reels much but is going to Springfield on the first ballot. Here is some film from his days at Kansas:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BAzagOYYP0

Meanwhile Vince Carter was leaping all over the place at UNC. Who would you have rather had in Celtic Green for all these years?

[Galeto]

Pierce wasn't an elite/great athlete on the order of Lebron but he was a very good athlete.  He didn't "look" athletic in the sense that he didn't have much muscle tone and his hips were wide which is unusual for a perimeter player but he had a great first step and excellent lateral quickness.  His lateral quickness is something I don't think has gotten enough credit or any credit in fact over the years.  Up to the completion of the 2008 season, Pierce could contain every single player off the dribble with his side to side quickness.  That's the aspect of his game I've always been most impressed by.  Watching him contain Lebron off the dribble in isolations in the 2008 playoffs was amazing to see.

But anyway, Pierce had great "phone booth" athleticism and yeah, he could throw the hammer down over guys as well.  Meanwhile Sullinger's margin for getting shots off in the paint in college was razor thin.  I like Sullinger, I like his footwork, his touch, his basketball IQ but comparing his athleticism to Pierce's is really really unjust to Pierce.

[arambone]

I'm pretty sure Vince Wilfork looked better doing agility tests at the NFL Combine than Sullinger looked doing his agility drill at the NBA Combine.

He's not a little slower than every other power forward in the league. He's orders of magnitude slower.

There's a reason many people list him as a center only.

[The Walker Wiggle]

Nah, a player as successful as Jared Sullinger isn't falling to 21, short of an actual injury between now and the draft.

I would not touch him with a ten foot pole. No explosion and plays below the rim. I think he is vastly over rated.

Largely aesthetic concerns, given Sullinger's level of production. Okay, college success is no guarantee of NBA success. But the safest draft bet is that poor college players make poor NBA players, and all the standing reach and vertical inches in the world won't change that. Give me Sullinger over Andre Drummond or Perry Jones without qualification.

[CFAN38]

definitely worth the risk, even worth the risk of trading up to get him.

If sullingers back causes him to have a shorter then projected career he still has a lot of value to the Celtics. As much as Doc doesn't play rookies I feel sullinger would get immediate minutes because his game fits so nicely along side KG (assuming he is back).

[Chris]

This could be great news for the C's.  If Sullinger falls to the late teens, or even to their pick, that could be the type of thing that could really help this team stay at the top. 

I would be shocked if he fell to 21, even with this red flag, but this could be just enough to let him fall far enough that they can trade up for him using just one of their picks and some cash.

[sofutomygaha]

Players who are that good tend to succeed despite lacking athleticism. Kevin Love and Dujuan Blair are very good examples of this. Sullinger will score and rebound in the pros. Chances are he won't be elite, but we're talking about picking in the 20s here when there are no real guarantees in the whole freaking draft after Davis.

Sullinger is a good value at 10, where he was projected before this red flag thing. If prospects were only judged on production, he would be the second pick.

[Dchuck]

I don't think anyone is questioning his talent or skillset.  He does bring a certain toughness and the ability to bang down low.

HOWEVER....

Athletic deficiencies aside, the dude has a messed up back.  On top of that he is overweight.  I like his game, but when you add it all up;  a non-athletic, overweight big, with a bad back, it doesn't look promising.  Coming from someone who has back issues, simply overlooking his back problems is a very bad mistake!

[sofutomygaha]

I'm not sure everyone realizes what a force Sullinger has been in college. There is no player I saw double-teamed more, but ohio state still ran practically all of their offense through the post. In spite of this, he shot about 60% and had an extremely low turnover rate.

He also can't be pushed out of the paint. Sullinger makes defenses collapse with his power, which makes room for his perimeter players to operate. He would be a very good fit for us.