With Danny Green's performance in the NBA Finals, I want to talk about his career path. Come on, it's a thread not about Doc and the Clippers.
Green's career has a few features that some dismiss:
-He was a second-round pick. Some people treat second-rounders as worthless.
-He was cut by a team. The Cavs cut him in training camp before going 19-63. The Spurs actually waived him six days after signing him before bringing him back a few months later. Some fans want the Celtics to acquire proven talent and look down on picking up another team's castoffs.
-He was a D-Leaguer. After the Spurs waived him, he went to the D-League. Some people think the D-League doesn't have talent who aren't assigned there by an NBA team.
-Green doesn't have the elite athleticism that some people covet. I think players sometimes get underrated if they have solid but unspectacular athleticism.
-Green shot 38.5%, including 27.3% from three, in 20 games as a rookie. Some people will instantly dismiss a shooting guard that is that poor from beyond the arc, as if it wasn't a small sample size and rookies can't improve.
Why did Green succeed?
His top skill was defense. He was considered to be one of the better perimeter defenders in his draft class. I feel much better about players with an NBA-ready defensive skill-set who need to work on their offense rather than NBA-ready offense from a defensive liability. I'd prefer a player who is intelligent and hard-working and has the mechanical form on his shot to make you think he has a chance of developing rather than a completely raw offensive player who needs to learn everything.
He went through a humbling period. The Spurs cut Green because Popovich didn't like his practice habits. He went to the D-League, improved himself, and eventually called the Spurs back, begging for a job. Instead of the usual veteran journeymen to fill out a bench, I am in favor of checking overseas and in the D-League for talented players who were held back by their mental state to see if being out of the NBA forced them to re-evaluate and fix themselves. It might not be DJ White, Shavlik Randolph, or Terrence Williams, but I think eventually we're going to see someone plucked from the Chinese league in the next few years who ends up being a solid contributor to some legitimate contender.
So, where can you find players like Green? I think Ainge's willingness to seek roster solutions in China was a step in the right direction. Maybe that back-up PG that the Celtics need can be found in the D-League, if Ainge can get over his aversion to back-up PGs who are not combo guards. There are a lot of athletic wings in the D-League, so if you wanted a taller backup SG behind Bradley, you might find one there.
Topic: Danny Green As an Example of the Type of Player the Celtics Should Look For (Read 2084 times)