Celtics making promise to Royce White at 21? (rumor)

[sofutomygaha]

(Every time I read "bbiq" it makes me hungry. Happy weekend, everyone)

Fafnir- I was generalizing; you were right to point out that my post didn't refute your specific argument. I still think it was important to point out. Glen Davis stock has been plummeting on this board ever since I started following it, and I think it's important to remember the value that he delivered and frame our expectations for picks in this range.

[Yogi]

Why do people feel that Royce is not an athlete.  He's a freak athlete from every thing I've seen.  He already weighs almost as much as Glen Davis and he's throwing down dunks even from standing still.

[LooseCannon]

Exactly. If Royce can be eventually a Boris Diaw or Big Baby type player then he is a pretty good pick. I don't know what people are expecting at #20.

Rondo-level talent.  Or at least a player who is better than every single player drafted after him.  A good GM probably has a much better chance than pure random luck in terms of getting a player who can contribute, but getting the absolute best player available is a pretty tough thing to do.

So this is just a question. Who do you think is better than White with the 21st or 22nd pick?

I have no idea.  I don't like college basketball.  I just think some people have ridiculous expectations.

[ummidkme]

LooseCannon I agree with you on the level of expectations in these forums. Even more so to the point when people compare picks unrealistically to proven NBA players. Any pick you're taking a chance on, even the #1 pick. Getting Rondo in the 20s was the exception not the rule anyways. I for one like White and think he has potential. I think people are expecting a franchise player with our picks and that's just nonsensical. SMH.

[Chris]

Let me be clear that I do not have unreal expectations for the #21 pick.  I am not saying White won't be a good pick because he will only be as good as say, Glen Davis.  I am saying he won't be a good pick because I think he will be out of the league as fast as you can say "Marcus Fizer".  Headcase tweener who can't shoot the basketball and throws it all over the court?  No thank you.

[CoachBo]

Let me be clear that I do not have unreal expectations for the #21 pick.  I am not saying White won't be a good pick because he will only be as good as say, Glen Davis.  I am saying he won't be a good pick because I think he will be out of the league as fast as you can say "Marcus Fizer".  Headcase tweener who can't shoot the basketball and throws it all over the court?  No thank you.

No argument here.

I think this discussion is irrelevant, however, because I don't expect Ainge to keep both picks.

[Celtics4ever]

Watching that video just confimed what I have been saying.  He is just not athletic and quick enough to do that in the NBA.  He couldn't get separation with his first step against college big men.  He is not going to do it against NBA big men and wings on a regular basis.  The pivots and up and unders are nice, but in the NBA, that will be too slow, and will just get swatted back at him, and the passes won't be there, because teams will know they don't have to help on him.

Did you watch him dominate KY in an losing effort and go coast to coast on them.


You do realize he had 23 points and 9 boards against Terence Jones and Anthony Davis?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdYRh5oEJ4U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KrohpovR68

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI4zkFEP7D0

Yes, that was Anthony Davis the number one pick and best defensive player in college.   Confirm that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dMWH4RCk-4&feature=related

Wow, he sure struggles on this one.

I think he will be ok.   Sure he is not a high jumper but he has great Basketball IQ, he is wide as a truck and nifty with the ball.  He moves the ball a lot when he shoots which makes it harder to block and can dribble in traffic.  Is he can't miss?  Nope.  No one is at 21+!

I don't see Marcus Fizer, I see Anthony Mason.   All we needed was a guy who board at the four and it would have been us in the finals.  This guy can board.

[LooseCannon]

In the 20s, I think there's probably about a 10% chance of drafting a player who will eventually deserve a contract that pays at least $10m/year.  The supposed depth of this draft suggests that the possibility is probably greater than 10% and if Ainge is an above-average talent evaluator, there could be a 25% chance that the Celtics draft at least one such player if they use both picks.

Ainge could come away with two guys who are borderline starters of the same caliber as Brandon Bass, but if there is a future near-max guy (who deserves the money) who slides to an even later draft slot, Ainge will be criticized by some people around here for missing a potential building block when he should be praised for exceeding expectations.

On an unrelated noted, ESPNBoston is reporting Atlanta as a possible team that may have promised to draft Royce White, but the link is to an Insider article.

[CoachBo]

Watching that video just confimed what I have been saying.  He is just not athletic and quick enough to do that in the NBA.  He couldn't get separation with his first step against college big men.  He is not going to do it against NBA big men and wings on a regular basis.  The pivots and up and unders are nice, but in the NBA, that will be too slow, and will just get swatted back at him, and the passes won't be there, because teams will know they don't have to help on him.

Did you watch him dominate KY in an losing effort and go coast to coast on them.


You do realize he had 23 points and 9 boards against Terence Jones and Anthony Davis?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdYRh5oEJ4U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KrohpovR68

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI4zkFEP7D0

Yes, that was Anthony Davis the number one pick and best defensive player in college.   Confirm that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dMWH4RCk-4&feature=related

Wow, he sure struggles on this one.

I think he will be ok.   Sure he is not a high jumper but he has great Basketball IQ, he is wide as a truck and nifty with the ball.  He moves the ball a lot when he shoots which makes it harder to block and can dribble in traffic.  Is he can't miss?  Nope.  No one is at 21+!

I don't see Marcus Fizer, I see Anthony Mason.   All we needed was a guy who board at the four and it would have been us in the finals.  This guy can board.

Single dunks and single games tell me nothing. Anyone can dunk the basketball - see Green, Gerald, and you'd think people would realize that by now around here - and anyone can have a great game. I certainly wasn't a great high school player, but I dropped 42 on Darnell Valentine.

An athlete's entire body of work is the predictor of his success, not a couple of carefully chosen film clips.

I don't like White's lack of athleticism. I don't like his off-floor issues. I don't think he's good enough to warrant keeping the pick, and I don't think Ainge will. He's reloading for next year, not collecting rookies.

[Who]

I don't think Royce White is ready to be a positive contributor next season but I'd happily take a player with his raw/unrefined talent and try to develop him. With strong coaching and player development, he'll have a 12+ year NBA career and be a long time starter for most of it.

[SHAQATTACK]

Why do people feel that Royce is not an athlete.  He's a freak athlete from every thing I've seen.  He already weighs almost as much as Glen Davis and he's throwing down dunks even from standing still.

I totally agree, much better athlete than big gravy davis.   I think he already will out rebound most if not all the Celtic team as it is.  We need rebounding help .

[Neurotic Guy]

A quick non-scientific look at the past 15 drafts suggests that next week's draft could be unusual.  1st rounds tend to produce as few as 7 or 8 solid or better NBA players (starters or 6/7 men) and the best drafts may produce 12-14.   Pushing 50% in a 1st round is hallowed ground.  It appears that this draft is going to make 'geniuses' out of some GMs and dopes out of others -- even though it is not much more than a crap shoot to accurately predict the NBA career of 19-20 year olds (except for the precious few prodigies).

Yet, as a guy who knows almost nothing about college basketball, I can't help but look at the mock draft boards and think wiEdited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline.lly about players 'falling'.  It's a dance I do every year, but this year seems different -- more exciting due to the supposed depth and our 2 picks.  Anyway, every time I hear about a 20-something projection possibly moving up or given a rumored promise by a higher selecting team, all I think is great -- someone projected higher is going to fall.  That gets me excited even though history says that probably is meaningless.  After pick 12 or so, it seems luck is always the most relevant variable.

[rickyfan3.0...]

Last time Ainge made a promise, it cost us Monta Ellis...

[slamtheking]

Let me be clear that I do not have unreal expectations for the #21 pick.  I am not saying White won't be a good pick because he will only be as good as say, Glen Davis.  I am saying he won't be a good pick because I think he will be out of the league as fast as you can say "Marcus Fizer".  Headcase tweener who can't shoot the basketball and throws it all over the court?  No thank you.

I have similar opinions on White.  I think he'll do better than Fizer but I think his inability to shoot as well as inability to make FTs will be his undoing. 

I don't have high expectations for whoever they get at 21 and 22 but I think Danny can come away with a couple of guys that could be rotation quality within a couple of years.  The key skill the picks need to have is the ability to score.  This team has way too much trouble scoring as it is and I don't think White fixes that problem.  Nicholson and Harkless are a couple of players that may not have White's physical skills but they are more than likely to be better scorers.

[Eddie20]

Experts discussing him at the combine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9JXQuPPSl8