Sullinger is our future

[Smartacus]

Better Throw Rondo, Green, and Bradley in there too.

Hopefully Fab and this 16th pick pan out as well.

That's great! They'll all pan out! And when they do and after Pierce and Garnett retire, we have all the chances to be the Washington Wizards... oh, wait!

The Washington Wizards do not have a core as good as the Celtics do.  They have Wall, Beal and... Valancianus? Seraphin?  Rondo, Bradley, Green, Sullinger is way better than the Washington Wizards. That's not even mentioning the 25 million in cap space freed up when Paul and KG retire.

By the way, the Washington Wizards have a pretty good record with Wall this season even though they lost Beal and other players to injury.

Washington actually may have a better core moving forward than we do scary as that sounds. Aside from the players you mentioned (unfortuatly for them its Vesley not Valancianus) you conviently left out Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza who are at the very least quality role players with Emeka being starter quality.

They also have two more promising young players in Chris Singleton and Trevor Booker. But the key forgotten man here is Nene. Although hovelled all year lets not forget that he played for team Brazil in the Olympics last year. You can bet he's in a hyperbaric chamber right now getting his body right. And when healthy can give you 16 and 8 with strong defence.

Finally they have a top 10 pick in this draft. Which, while not the greatest at the top, is loaded with quality rotation players like Anthony Bennerlt, Alex Len, Cody Zeller and even someone like a Victor Olidipo could shore up they're rotation.

The post all star break sucess was no fluke folks. Randy Whitman has that team running well and they're not just close... they're here to stay.

[LarBrd33]

sully isn't underrated by fans.  At best he'll be a poor man's Carlos Boozer.

A poor man's Carlos Boozer would be somebody who gives you 14-15 points and 8 or 9 rebounds a night while playing solid defense.  So I'd be just fine with that.

Sure... I'd be fine with that too if he's the 6th or 7th best player on your team.

[PhoSita]

sully isn't underrated by fans.  At best he'll be a poor man's Carlos Boozer.

A poor man's Carlos Boozer would be somebody who gives you 14-15 points and 8 or 9 rebounds a night while playing solid defense.  So I'd be just fine with that.

Sure... I'd be fine with that too if he's the 6th or 7th best player on your team.

I don't know if it has to be that extreme.  6th or 7th on most decent teams means a limited role player.  I think Sullinger can be a solid starting PF in the league, or a valuable backup.  Not an All-Star, but solid.  A role player to be sure, but he's already, in my opinion, much better than Brandon Bass and he's pretty young so there's reason to expect him to improve.

Not really all that similar a player, but I think Sullinger can have value similar to what Carl Landry has done for the Warriors this season.

[Smartacus]

What bodes well for Sulley is his mindset and character. Sullinger is used to being the man, he was the man on his AAU teams, he was the man at Ohio State, he just refuses to accept failure.

We knew we were getting a great rebounder. We knew he had a jumpshot could pass and possesed a highly developed post game. But did any of us think his defense would be as good as it was last year?

Marc Gasol won DPOY this year not for his gaudey highlight reel blocks but for his sense of timing and postitioning. We've thrown out a bunch of names in this thread from a rich man's Glen Davis to a poor man's Carlos Boozer. Could fell in the draft, formerly chubby, high iq Marc Gasol be his ceiling?

Jared Sullinger may not be 7 feet tall but he posseses a giant's mindset. Given the right coaching we could have the best all around player from the draft and a top 10 PF/C.

[Celtics4ever]

I think his greatest strength ( which also happens to be Fab's greatest weakness) is he has soft hands.   The ball just seems to be attracted to his mitts.   Rebound vanish, he has a knack for coming up with the ball.

Jared Sullinger may not be 7 feet tall but he posseses a giant's mindset. Given the right coaching we could have the best all around player from the draft and a top 10 PF/C.

Again, blatant homerism and wishful thinking.   Mindset will only take you so far.   I am a tall guy and little guy with a mindset to take it to the hole usually ended up with a blocked shot.  I do think he has willed himself to be a great college player.   I think he will be a good NBA player but the best in his class is insane.  Damian Lillard  is a lot better offensively than Sully.  Anthony Davis is a better defender and rebounder.

[Smartacus]

I think his greatest strength ( which also happens to be Fab's greatest weakness) is he has soft hands.   The ball just seems to be attracted to his mitts.   Rebound vanish, he has a knack for coming up with the ball.

Jared Sullinger may not be 7 feet tall but he posseses a giant's mindset. Given the right coaching we could have the best all around player from the draft and a top 10 PF/C.

Again, blatant homerism and wishful thinking.   Mindset will only take you so far.   I am a tall guy and little guy with a mindset to take it to the hole usually ended up with a blocked shot.  I do think he has willed himself to be a great college player.   I think he will be a good NBA player but the best in his class is insane.  Damian Lillard  is a lot better offensively than Sully.  Anthony Davis is a better defender and rebounder.

I hear you and thanks for the response. I definitely admit to some blatant homerism in that post, that was written in hour 12 of a 13 hour shift and I kind of get a bit loopy toward the end.

But I will not throw out best player in this class quite yet. Damien Lillard was drafted into the perfect situation, a young team where he could start and already featuring top 6-8 PF. How much better will he become though. He has average measurements for point guard and has done so well thus far, where is the room for improvement? I'd argue that Sullinger's defensive potential gives him a higher ceiling and it will show when he becomes our unquestioned starting big man.

I am one of Anthony Davis' biggest fans. I love the idea of a fringe prospect shooting up in height, retaining his guard skills and rising to dominance. Sports Illustrated ran an excellent article about how his offense projects to be something like Tyson Chandler with handle and a jump shot. A fine player but it's a bit premature to automatically anoint him a better rebounder.

Honestly it's an awkward thing to talk about but Sullinger has quite possibly the best butt since Charles Barkley. He has he ability to create space and box out against taller longer players much in the same way Sir Charles did by throwing his posterior out to allot himself enough space to either coralle a rebound or let loose a shot. 

Finally on offense he just has an ease about him. He simply knows how to use his body to score and I can think of no better explanation than David Thorpe at about 26:00 into this podcast. He considered Sully to be the best offensive play in the draft and I can't say that I disagree.

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=8112547

I don't think David even realized his potential as a position defender though. Again that is where I really see Sully pulling away from his peers and yes becoming the best player from this draft class.

[BballTim]

sully isn't underrated by fans.  At best he'll be a poor man's Carlos Boozer.

A poor man's Carlos Boozer would be somebody who gives you 14-15 points and 8 or 9 rebounds a night while playing solid defense.  So I'd be just fine with that.

Sure... I'd be fine with that too if he's the 6th or 7th best player on your team.

  I'd be thrilled if that was the case. Start naming teams with 6 players better than a pf that gives you 15-9 and plays solid defense. Go back as far as you like in league history.

[PhoSita]

sully isn't underrated by fans.  At best he'll be a poor man's Carlos Boozer.

A poor man's Carlos Boozer would be somebody who gives you 14-15 points and 8 or 9 rebounds a night while playing solid defense.  So I'd be just fine with that.

Sure... I'd be fine with that too if he's the 6th or 7th best player on your team.

  I'd be thrilled if that was the case. Start naming teams with 6 players better than a pf that gives you 15-9 and plays solid defense. Go back as far as you like in league history.

Yeah, that's basically what I was thinking, too.

[wdleehi]

I am wondering if it is in the best interests to give Sully 30+ minutes a night in the future. 


Not because of his talent but because of his back. 


Could it give his career as a strong contributor to the Celtics more longevity if he played under 30 minutes a game because of his back?




I don't think he is ever going to be the center piece or top three player on a contending Celtics team.  Just an important role piece.

[PhoSita]

I am wondering if it is in the best interests to give Sully 30+ minutes a night in the future. 


Not because of his talent but because of his back. 


Could it give his career as a strong contributor to the Celtics more longevity if he played under 30 minutes a game because of his back?




I don't think he is ever going to be the center piece or top three player on a contending Celtics team.  Just an important role piece.

My understanding of the surgery and everything is that it should be dealt with in a way that hopefully it won't cause further problems -- at least in the sense  of reinjuring it if he plays starter minutes.

I expect he'll take some time to get back to form -- just look at Dwight Howard this season -- but I expect he'll be able to play 30+ minutes if he can keep from fouling out.

[wdleehi]

I am wondering if it is in the best interests to give Sully 30+ minutes a night in the future. 


Not because of his talent but because of his back. 


Could it give his career as a strong contributor to the Celtics more longevity if he played under 30 minutes a game because of his back?




I don't think he is ever going to be the center piece or top three player on a contending Celtics team.  Just an important role piece.

My understanding of the surgery and everything is that it should be dealt with in a way that hopefully it won't cause further problems -- at least in the sense  of reinjuring it if he plays starter minutes.

I expect he'll take some time to get back to form -- just look at Dwight Howard this season -- but I expect he'll be able to play 30+ minutes if he can keep from fouling out.

Except he has a history of back issues.  It is why he dropped to the Celtics.

[PhoSita]

I am wondering if it is in the best interests to give Sully 30+ minutes a night in the future. 


Not because of his talent but because of his back. 


Could it give his career as a strong contributor to the Celtics more longevity if he played under 30 minutes a game because of his back?




I don't think he is ever going to be the center piece or top three player on a contending Celtics team.  Just an important role piece.

My understanding of the surgery and everything is that it should be dealt with in a way that hopefully it won't cause further problems -- at least in the sense  of reinjuring it if he plays starter minutes.

I expect he'll take some time to get back to form -- just look at Dwight Howard this season -- but I expect he'll be able to play 30+ minutes if he can keep from fouling out.

Except he has a history of back issues.  It is why he dropped to the Celtics.

He doesn't have a history of back issues . . . he had a red flag: a bulging disc in his back.  They hoped he could play a full season before dealing with it, but it turns out it became a problem sooner rather than later.

[BballTim]

I am wondering if it is in the best interests to give Sully 30+ minutes a night in the future. 


Not because of his talent but because of his back. 


Could it give his career as a strong contributor to the Celtics more longevity if he played under 30 minutes a game because of his back?




I don't think he is ever going to be the center piece or top three player on a contending Celtics team.  Just an important role piece.

My understanding of the surgery and everything is that it should be dealt with in a way that hopefully it won't cause further problems -- at least in the sense  of reinjuring it if he plays starter minutes.

I expect he'll take some time to get back to form -- just look at Dwight Howard this season -- but I expect he'll be able to play 30+ minutes if he can keep from fouling out.

Except he has a history of back issues.  It is why he dropped to the Celtics.

  Does he really have a history of back issues? He doesn't seem to have lost much (if any) time to injury in college.

[wdleehi]

I am wondering if it is in the best interests to give Sully 30+ minutes a night in the future. 


Not because of his talent but because of his back. 


Could it give his career as a strong contributor to the Celtics more longevity if he played under 30 minutes a game because of his back?




I don't think he is ever going to be the center piece or top three player on a contending Celtics team.  Just an important role piece.

My understanding of the surgery and everything is that it should be dealt with in a way that hopefully it won't cause further problems -- at least in the sense  of reinjuring it if he plays starter minutes.

I expect he'll take some time to get back to form -- just look at Dwight Howard this season -- but I expect he'll be able to play 30+ minutes if he can keep from fouling out.

Except he has a history of back issues.  It is why he dropped to the Celtics.

  Does he really have a history of back issues? He doesn't seem to have lost much (if any) time to injury in college.

His back was red flagged and he didn't make it through a single season before it became a season ending issue.




Players and back issues...  terrible thing when it give out.  (see Bird, Barkley)


I am just wondering if it fewer minutes in the regular season, fewer minutes of banging bodies 82 times a year, may help him have a longer, more productive career for the Celtics.

[Monkhouse]

From what I've heard this surgery is supposed to help eliminate these issues.

Hopefully, if everything goes well, Sully can come back and play at least 25 minutes. I don't mind if he starts PF, but as long as Bass or someone else is there to back him up. I don't think he should be getting 35 minutes until he's been healthy for 3 months straight.