Doesn't seem to be a lot of Courtney Lee excitement here: there should be.

[Boris Badenov]

Lee is strong, plays tenacious D and has a very solid mid-range game, especially with his ability to hit that stop on a dime, 4ft pullup jumper in the lane.

I've seen a few people say this. What's the evidence for it? Synergy Sports had Lee in the 37th percentile last year, which means he's below average.

Similarly, his on-court/off-court numbers in Houston are not great either - and he was subbing for Kevin Martin, who is by most accounts a pretty poor defender.

Don't get me wrong, I love the pickup. I just don't know why anyone would assume that Lee is a great defender.

[gotjoker?]

I'm thrilled about the acquisition of Lee.  I'd wanted him for some years now.  I just didn't know whether or not Ainge liked him too.

I remember thinking: Orlando shouldn't have traded him.  He never wanted to go...  Both Vince Carter and Jason Richardson are gone.  Wow.

Personally, I want him to be the permanent starting shooting guard.  I believe he's a better player than Bradley and Bradley should come off the bench and be similar to Tony Allen when he'd came off the bench as a key role player.

I like Lee's size, shooting range, free throw shooting, perimeter defense, offensive potential, playoffs experience (he started in the NBA Finals), character and attitude.

He and Rondo will be the Kentucky Connection, UK and WKU.

[Moranis]

It's not even close to pre-season. There's nothing to be excited about at the moment.

Ok/good young role player who generated far too much excitement when he was signed...he does nothing elite, Avery Bradley is an elite defender and if healthy a better player

I agree.  Lee is a 26 year old journeyman.  If he is Boston's starting SG, Boston is in trouble.

He may be a "journeyman" in the literal sense, but definitely not in the figurative sense.

He was valued highly by Orlando and the Nets. Houston in effect gave up Ariza to get him (even though, granted, it was partly done for financial reasons). The Nets gave up Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson for him (and Rafer Alston).

In Houston, he played in Kevin Martin's shadow.

If you define journeyman as someone who has played on numerous teams, then that he is, but he does not have journeyman's skills and talents. Those are more of the starter variety.

He was valued as a journeyman.  Neither team would have let him go if they felt he was a player to build around.  Same thing with Houston.  Lee is a solid role player.  Great 6th man, spot starter type potential.  Players have made many a career out of that, but that is what Lee is destined for. 

[Chris]

I am very excited about Lee.  He has been a longtime binky of mine, and I think he is a perfect fit for the C's system.  He is a 2-way player, who is a very good spot up shooter, but who also has decent ball skills.  He should really thrive playing next to Rondo, and be able to step right in running the same plays as Ray Allen. 

He may not be a superstar, but he is the type of player any great team needs.

[LooseCannon]

He may not be a superstar, but he is the type of player any great team needs.

He's also the sort of player who is worth $3-5m per year but sometimes gets something more like $6-8m from poorly run teams such as Denver and Sacramento that amass mid-priced, mid-level talents.

I think Ainge understands that.  Lee's a useful player, but he's not better than Brandon Bass or Jeff Green.

[Who]

I like Courtney Lee. He is a really good role player.

However, I think his role here in Boston should be fairly small since there are three superior guards here already in Rajon Rondo, Jason Terry and Avery Bradley. So not particularly excited about Lee. Happy to have him but not overly excited. Small bit worried about Doc taking minutes away from better players and giving them to Lee too.

I actually would have liked to have seen Courtney Lee find himself a better home than Boston. He is too good a player for the role Boston will be asking him to fill. He deserves a bigger role than that. I think C-Lee should have gone elsewhere. Did himself a disservice coming here. Should have gone somewhere where he could get 30-35 minutes a night as a starter on a quality playoff team / title contender.

[Chris]

He may not be a superstar, but he is the type of player any great team needs.

He's also the sort of player who is worth $3-5m per year but sometimes gets something more like $6-8m from poorly run teams such as Denver and Sacramento that amass mid-priced, mid-level talents.

I think Ainge understands that.  Lee's a useful player, but he's not better than Brandon Bass or Jeff Green.

I actually do think he is better than Bass, but not Green.  But again, he is a binky of mine (as is Green), so I am biased.

I also have much more confidence in Lee than Bradley, who I think a lot of people are expecting a bit too much from.  Beyond the injury concerns, Bradley is still very undersized for the SG position, and still has a ton to prove.

[Who]

Lee's a useful player, but he's not better than Brandon Bass or Jeff Green.

I actually do think he is better than Bass, but not Green. 

I am going back and forth on this one. I think Courtney Lee is a better starter than Bass but Bass is a better bench player.

Courtney Lee being the more cerebral player who has a very easy game to play alongside. Intelligent two way player. No-pass Bass who misses defensive rotations is less capable of fitting into that starting lineup but more capable of creating matchup problems for opponents as a backup PF (scoring/shooting, athleticism, energy, physical). More of a game-changer off the bench than Lee is.

Said differently, ranking wise, I'd consider Lee around late teens early twenties amongst starting two guards but around 8th-12th amongst backup SGs. I'd have Bass lower down around 25th amongst starters but higher around 5th amongst backup PFs.

Not sure who I would say is better. Maybe similar overall value (that $4million range) that could veer in either direction depending on role (starter = Lee or reserve = Bass) being asked to fill.

I would +1 that Jeff Green is better than both.

[Interceptor]

I actually would have liked to have seen Courtney Lee find himself a better home than Boston. He is too good a player for the role Boston will be asking him to fill. He deserves a bigger role than that. I think C-Lee should have gone elsewhere. Did himself a disservice coming here. Should have gone somewhere where he could get 30-35 minutes a night as a starter on a quality playoff team / title contender.

Well, he wanted to play for Boston, as he basically took a paycut to come here, and Terry is not going to be around forever. I'm assuming that you are OK with Lee being our starting 2-guard of the future next to Rondo and mebbe Green? Lee might be thinking the same thing.

No-pass Bass who misses defensive rotations is less capable of fitting into that starting lineup more capable of creating matchup problems for opponents as a backup PF (scoring/shooting, athleticism, energy, physical). More of a game-changer off the bench than Lee is.

I think that this is a little bit unfair to Bass. He was a half-step slow all the time at the start of the season, but he improved greatly by the end. Bass was a part of the best defensive five-man units, I can't believe that's ALL coincidence/circumstance/KG. Surely he's improved by virtue of getting used to the system.

And he never has to pass the ball ever if he keeps hitting that mid-range shot of his, IMO. So deadly, so money.

[j804]

I actually would have liked to have seen Courtney Lee find himself a better home than Boston. He is too good a player for the role Boston will be asking him to fill. He deserves a bigger role than that. I think C-Lee should have gone elsewhere. Did himself a disservice coming here. Should have gone somewhere where he could get 30-35 minutes a night as a starter on a quality playoff team / title contender.

Well, he wanted to play for Boston, as he basically took a paycut to come here

who was tossing more money at Lee and wanted him?

[Interceptor]

who was tossing more money at Lee and wanted him?

Who knows? His S&T here was broken by his cousin's twitter feed. He's worth more than he got if he's a starting caliber two-guard, though.

[gotjoker?]

Lee's steal in this game is similarly impressive as when Rondo stole the ball from Jason Williams.  An incredible effort.

I can't wait to see these two as a starting tandem.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KnbfSQHbU8

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

[mgent]

There have been multiple interviews where they will talk about the additions of Terry/Sullinger and the return of Green/Bradley from injury, but no excitement about Lee or any indication that he's going to make a difference.

I think Celticsblog has likewise given this signing the appropriate excitement.  With Bradley and Terry each playing 25 minutes and Rondo getting 35 (40+ in the playoffs) and Green's ability to go big at SG, there's very little minutes for Lee.

[BballTim]

I like Courtney Lee. He is a really good role player.

However, I think his role here in Boston should be fairly small since there are three superior guards here already in Rajon Rondo, Jason Terry and Avery Bradley. So not particularly excited about Lee. Happy to have him but not overly excited. Small bit worried about Doc taking minutes away from better players and giving them to Lee too.

  He'll get plenty of minutes while Bradley's out, I would think that how well he does then would determine how many minutes he gets when all four of them are available.

[billysan]

I like Courtney Lee. He is a really good role player.

However, I think his role here in Boston should be fairly small since there are three superior guards here already in Rajon Rondo, Jason Terry and Avery Bradley. So not particularly excited about Lee. Happy to have him but not overly excited. Small bit worried about Doc taking minutes away from better players and giving them to Lee too.

  He'll get plenty of minutes while Bradley's out, I would think that how well he does then would determine how many minutes he gets when all four of them are available.

So the real questions are, does Courtney Lee have what it takes to play the starting SG for us and how long is Avery Bradley going to be relegated to the bench in a 'recovery' role?

For me I will be watching to see if Lee can pick up our defense and perform adequately. I already think he is a much better shooter/scorer than Bradley.

I do not have a problem with a healthy Bradley starting at the SG if his performance is comparable to last seasons peak. Lee would be just fine coming off the bench IMO. We will need his scoring on the second unit either way.

Both of them better be at the top of their game because they will be losing minutes to Jason Terry if not. There will only be a 3 Guard rotation with decent minutes IMO with Rondo and likely Jet sewing up two of the spots.