Celtics Interested In Kendall Marshall

[Lucky17]

How much salary would the Celtics need to clear in order to bring in Marshall on a minimum contract and stay under the luxury tax line?

According to this Lucky the C's are just $175K under the luxury tax line

http://www.celticslife.com/2013/10/celtics-cut-remaining-camp-invitees.html

And I believe every contract they have is guaranteed through the whole year so they would have to shed at least enough salary in a trade to open up a vet min slot to sign someone.

Thanks, nick. TP.

Short of finding a team willing to trade a pick (even one of those top-55 protected 2nd rounders Ainge is fond of) for Brooks or Crawford, I doubt there's anything the Celtics can do in the short term to free up room under the luxury tax line.

[Galeto]

I missed this somehow:

"Celtics Interested In Kendall Marshall
Nov 03, 2013 8:21 PM EST

The Boston Celtics are interested in Kendall Marshall, who was waived after he was traded by the Phoenix Suns to the Washington Wizards.

Marshall is a pass-first point guard that struggled in the Suns' system as a rookie.

The Celtics, however, do not want to be pushed above the luxury tax to become a repeat offender.
Via Gary Washburn/Boston Globe"

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/230557/Celtics-Interested-In-Kendall-Marshall

PS I actually clicked through to the Washburn article, and that's a more tepid, "The Celtics would likely be interested in Marshall if his salary didn’t push them above the luxury tax and make them a repeat offender, something ownership desperately wants to avoid during this rebuilding phase."

Oh great, another PG that can't shoot and is not quite tall enough to guard bigger 2s. Exactly what we need.

But he can pass and handle the ball, which makes him vastly more fit to play point guard than Bradley.  I actually think Marshall's looked kinda of decent in the very limited minutes he's gotten.  Subjectively, based on what I've seen in his D-League stints as well compared to how he looked at UNC, he's improved his quickness and shot, which were his two biggest weaknesses.  While it doesn't look good that Phoenix released him, it doesn't mean he won't be able to salvage a NBA career for himself.

The biggest benefit to signing Marshall is that it would put Bradley in the role he belongs.  I don't get why they're letting Bradley handle the ball at all anyway.  This is like the Spurs letting Bruce Bowen play point guard if all their point guards and Ginobili went down.  There's no excuse for it.  If they're not going to play Pressley or start Crawford next to Bradley, he's a much better option than Bradley because he's a better ballhandler and passer, which just happen to be crucial skills to "running a team."  Just put Bradley in the role his skills are suited for and see if he's capable of being a long-term player for this franchise.

[Lucky17]

I didn't realize: Marshall is listed at 6'4" and 195 lbs, which makes him both taller and bigger than Bradley.

[pearljammer10]

I would give him a shot. On this team whats the worst that could happen? If we could stay under the taxhold then it would be worth giving him a glimpse.

[kozlodoev]

I didn't realize: Marshall is listed at 6'4" and 195 lbs, which makes him both taller and bigger than Bradley.

That's pretty much Jordan Crawford's size. I haven't seen Marshall play, but I can't imagine him being a better that Crawford -- even if Crawford is not that great.

[cavman]

The Suns released him because they already have 2 PGs who could start. They are trying to see if the two of them can play together increasing their pick & roll options.

Doesn't mean that Marshall is good, just that they have a surplus of quality PGs.

[kozlodoev]

The Suns released him because they already have 2 PGs who could start. They are trying to see if the two of them can play together increasing their pick & roll options.

Doesn't mean that Marshall is good, just that they have a surplus of quality PGs.

Well, the fact that he got beaten off for the third-string spot by Ish Smith is not exactly a glowing endorsement.

[hwangjini_1]

"Would likely be interested" = "I'm guessing"

which is what Washburn is known for doing.

as best as i can find out, he is best known for playing poor basketball. but then, maybe that would let him fit on to the celtics right now. 

[greenmountain]

The scouting report on Marshall is that he's slow, can't defend, and that his shot needs much work.  He's basically a project who is gifted in one area but a liability in virtually all others.  I'm rooting for him to get his career back on track, since there aren't that many "pure passers" around, but it's going to take a lot of time and effort on his part.  Playing for the C's would be like throwing him to the wolves--trying to get a stagnant offense moving, often having to look for his own shot since others aren't active in getting their own.  I like the idea of getting a pure point guard, but someone like Marshall requires patience and might not be the immediate upgrade some might expect.

[kozlodoev]

The scouting report on Marshall is that he's slow, can't defend, and that his shot needs much work.

That sounds an awful lot like Orien Greene.

[csfansince60s]

How much salary would the Celtics need to clear in order to bring in Marshall on a minimum contract and stay under the luxury tax line?

this is my question too, and what are their options for clearing salary?

I thought that the date for determining the luxury tax is the last game of the season. I thought this was mentioned when we dumped Melo to get under and that the Melo move was to give Ainge more leverage with teams in negotiations so we wouldn't be perceived as desperate to dump someone, since dumping Fab put us under the threshold.

Is this accurate ?..and if so,then we have some flexibility to maneuver and dump salary later?

I, for one, would be all for giving Marshall a try. Watching Bradley play the point is painful. Last night's two TOs toward the end of the game were pitiful.

[csfansince60s]

 We know marshall's weaknesses: not a great athlete, shooter finisher.

Some interesting positive stuff from last year on nbadraft.net that it sounds like we can use:

"Strengths: A brilliant, "natural" floor general ... Understands how to control the flow of the game ... Makes his teammates better ... Has the height and offensive awareness to see the entire court at all times ... Always dribbles with his head up ... Rewards teammates when they run the court ... Makes throwing outlet passes look effortless ... Has a very advanced sense of timing ... Understands when to slow or speed up the tempo of the game ... A creative passer that also manages to be efficient ... Low turnover rate ... Operates equally well when running or playing in half-court sets ... Already knows the nuances of making good post-entry passes ... Can throw a highly accurate lob pass from anywhere on his team's half of the court ... Handles the basketball very well ... Wastes no movement and doesn't over-dribble (which is rare in young point guards) ... Is a good penetrator, despite his average speed ... Great reaction time and anticipation allows his to see plays before they develop ... Extremely high basketball IQ ... Smart defender that is capable of staying in front of his man ... Great size for a point guard, standing 6'4" ... Might be the best passer in the college game ...:"

http://nbadraft.net/players/kendall-marshall

[indeedproceed]

We know marshall's weaknesses: not a great athlete, shooter finisher.

Some interesting positive stuff from last year on nbadraft.net that it sounds like we can use:

"Strengths: A brilliant, "natural" floor general ... Understands how to control the flow of the game ... Makes his teammates better ... Has the height and offensive awareness to see the entire court at all times ... Always dribbles with his head up ... Rewards teammates when they run the court ... Makes throwing outlet passes look effortless ... Has a very advanced sense of timing ... Understands when to slow or speed up the tempo of the game ... A creative passer that also manages to be efficient ... Low turnover rate ... Operates equally well when running or playing in half-court sets ... Already knows the nuances of making good post-entry passes ... Can throw a highly accurate lob pass from anywhere on his team's half of the court ... Handles the basketball very well ... Wastes no movement and doesn't over-dribble (which is rare in young point guards) ... Is a good penetrator, despite his average speed ... Great reaction time and anticipation allows his to see plays before they develop ... Extremely high basketball IQ ... Smart defender that is capable of staying in front of his man ... Great size for a point guard, standing 6'4" ... Might be the best passer in the college game ...:"

http://nbadraft.net/players/kendall-marshall

I've had the opportunity to read a lot from Bright Side Of The Suns (the SB Nation Blog), and Kendall Marshall is their version of Fab Melo. And nobody wants Fab Melo. I'd disregard those draft reports.

[nickagneta]

We know marshall's weaknesses: not a great athlete, shooter finisher.

Some interesting positive stuff from last year on nbadraft.net that it sounds like we can use:

"Strengths: A brilliant, "natural" floor general ... Understands how to control the flow of the game ... Makes his teammates better ... Has the height and offensive awareness to see the entire court at all times ... Always dribbles with his head up ... Rewards teammates when they run the court ... Makes throwing outlet passes look effortless ... Has a very advanced sense of timing ... Understands when to slow or speed up the tempo of the game ... A creative passer that also manages to be efficient ... Low turnover rate ... Operates equally well when running or playing in half-court sets ... Already knows the nuances of making good post-entry passes ... Can throw a highly accurate lob pass from anywhere on his team's half of the court ... Handles the basketball very well ... Wastes no movement and doesn't over-dribble (which is rare in young point guards) ... Is a good penetrator, despite his average speed ... Great reaction time and anticipation allows his to see plays before they develop ... Extremely high basketball IQ ... Smart defender that is capable of staying in front of his man ... Great size for a point guard, standing 6'4" ... Might be the best passer in the college game ...:"

http://nbadraft.net/players/kendall-marshall

Don't draft reports become obsolete once a player gets into the league and GMs and scouts can see what his skills are like versus actual pros?

Marshall got in a bunch of games last year and got some decent minutes. There's lots of film on him playing against pro players and his GM decided he wasn't good enough to make the Suns. He hasn't exactly had suitors lining up for his services since being released so maybe most of the rest of the GMs and scouts across the league feel the same way about him as the people in Phoenix, that being that he just isn't that good.

[Galeto]

The scouting report on Marshall is that he's slow, can't defend, and that his shot needs much work.

That sounds an awful lot like Orien Greene.

No it doesn't. Orien Greene was not slow or hindered from playing good defense by a lack of athleticism.

Kendall is a very good passer and a subpar athlete who can't finish in the paint and is an erratic shooter from outside. Orien was a great athlete who was a subpar shooter and passer.