What is Sullinger's realistic trade value?

[Celtics4ever]

Someone questioned his ceiling. That's odd... don't we question the ceiling of dudes that suck but are super athletic?

Shooting is the big area I see him improving in if does at all.  Athletic ability you either have it or you don't ( he doesn't have it) the improvement there is finite. He is already skilled coming in the league.   He was able to contribute immediately.   His potential ceiling is less than some guys but he was more ready from day one.

[BballTim]

Someone questioned his ceiling. That's odd... don't we question the ceiling of dudes that suck but are super athletic?

Yeah, because we typically don't expect their production to fall off a cliff because their chronic back injury got aggravated by the 30 surplus pounds that they're packing.

  Most people see that as a possibility, I doubt most people are expecting to see it in the foreseeable future.

Most people see upside as a possibility and not necessarily the foreseeable future.

I think it's perfectly reasonable to think that Sullinger can have serious issues by the time he's 27, not sure whether that's foreseeable future for you.

  His per game scoring is over twice what it was last year and his per36 scoring is up over 60% even though he's been bothered by a hand injury. He's been improving as a player thus far and has shown no signs of slowing down in that area. And is there a reason you picked 27 for the time he'll have serious back issues by and not 25 or 29 or 35? It seems to be completely arbitrary.

[BballTim]

Someone questioned his ceiling. That's odd... don't we question the ceiling of dudes that suck but are super athletic?

Shooting is the big area I see him improving in if does at all.  Athletic ability you either have it or you don't ( he doesn't have it) the improvement there is finite. He is already skilled coming in the league.   He was able to contribute immediately.   His potential ceiling is less than some guys but he was more ready from day one.

  He'll also likely improve in finishing around the rim, passing and defense. He's got a fairly high ceiling, especially if you compare it to realistic expectations for other players, and not the "Gerald Green's an exceptional athlete so his ceiling is league MVP" nonsensical ceiling.

[SHAQATTACK]

The celtics are as cold shooting as I've seen all year.

Just nothing from all but Rondo

[jaketwice]

If the 2012 draft were conducted today, I think that the players taken would be taken as follows:

1. Anthony Davis
2. Damien Lillard
3. Andre Drummond
4. Kemba Walker
5/6. Sullinger/Terrence Jones
7. John Henson

I think he is a top five or six player coming out of that draft. He was drafted 21st. So DA's pick was about 14-15 places ahead of where it was. He drafted well.

[tarheelsxxiii]

Someone questioned his ceiling. That's odd... don't we question the ceiling of dudes that suck but are super athletic?

Shooting is the big area I see him improving in if does at all.  Athletic ability you either have it or you don't ( he doesn't have it) the improvement there is finite. He is already skilled coming in the league.   He was able to contribute immediately.   His potential ceiling is less than some guys but he was more ready from day one.

  He'll also likely improve in finishing around the rim, passing and defense. He's got a fairly high ceiling, especially if you compare it to realistic expectations for other players, and not the "Gerald Green's an exceptional athlete so his ceiling is league MVP" nonsensical ceiling.

Your last sentence captures my point - maybe better than I was able to express. The only issues with Sully, as another pointed out, is his back. If someone has a solid understanding of back injuries similar to his, I'd be interested to know what we might expect of him. I guess I jumped the gun by presuming he'll be okay (and I'm not concerned with weight issues, as others said.. simply b/c he seems locked in, motivated.. feel pretty confident he'll do what it takes to be successful).

I'd just place my money on him over an uber-athletic dude with lots of upside and little/nothing to show for it yet. He is a very good basketball player, his size has not proven to be a setback (he's succeeding at center!), and I can only see him becoming better and better as he learns the game. He's both talented and cerebral, motivated, and tough. I'd take that all day.