Can someone please explain the what the issue is with Sully?

[djsway104]

I've always been happy with Sulllinger's play. He's a good passer, he boxes out, grabs boards, plays decent man D... Why are people so concerned with his weight? I've seen, "he's playing his way out of the league, he's seriously gotta lose weight, etc." But if he's producing, what's the issue?

By the way, I'm not attacking anyone, instead just trying to understand alternative viewpoints.

[Jailan34]

Sully dropped in the draft because of injury concerns, the more out of shape you are as a player the more likely you are to get injured. All of this extra weight isn't going to help his back, and frankly he should be able to properly diet with everything that is available to him.

[coffee425]

more than anything, it's as simple as conditioning. You just can't maintain 30 minutes of solid play a night at that body weight. Not to mention, will he ever even average 30 minutes

[D.o.s.]

Right -- he's handicapping what he can actually produce by apparently not taking care of his body.

[Csfan1984]

People don't want to see Sully develop to be a smarter Big Baby. They want the guy to be Antwan Jamison. The weight scares people because it will hinder his play.

[BitterJim]

I don't get it either, his weight hasn't been a detriment in his career so far, so why would it suddenly be one now?

And that's not even mentioning the fact that there's pretty much no way he can come into camp in worse shape than last season, when he had to spend most of the offseason not working out to recover from the surgery.

I don't know, I guess I just don't see the weight as a huge detriment to his game (which isn't based on athleticism), especially since the offseason isn't over and he still has a lot of time to finish his conditioning

[BballTim]

I've always been happy with Sulllinger's play. He's a good passer, he boxes out, grabs boards, plays decent man D... Why are people so concerned with his weight? I've seen, "he's playing his way out of the league, he's seriously gotta lose weight, etc." But if he's producing, what's the issue?

By the way, I'm not attacking anyone, instead just trying to understand alternative viewpoints.

  It's the offseason. The hyperbole you hear this time of year is a lot more effective when people can't just turn on the tube and watch the player in a game that night, and plenty of people here's opinions are easily influenced by what they read.

[hpantazo]

People don't want to see Sully develop to be a smarter Big Baby. They want the guy to be Antwan Jamison. The weight scares people because it will hinder his play.

I don't want him to be an Antwan Jamison either. Sullinger has the skills to be better if he gets in shape. He can be a Kevin Love type of player, but he needs to work hard. I agree that with all the resources at his disposal and the fact that this is his full time job, there is no excuse for him not to get in shape and stay in shape.

[LooseCannon]

I don't want him to be an Antwan Jamison either.

Antawn Jamison was a two-time All-Star.  Sullinger is probably more likely than not to never be an All-Star, so reaching Jamison level would be a satisfactory outcome.

[jambr380]

I've always been happy with Sulllinger's play. He's a good passer, he boxes out, grabs boards, plays decent man D... Why are people so concerned with his weight? I've seen, "he's playing his way out of the league, he's seriously gotta lose weight, etc." But if he's producing, what's the issue?

By the way, I'm not attacking anyone, instead just trying to understand alternative viewpoints.

  It's the offseason. The hyperbole you hear this time of year is a lot more effective when people can't just turn on the tube and watch the player in a game that night, and plenty of people here's opinions are easily influenced by what they read.

That seems a bit dismissive - do you truly believe that Sully is doing everything he can to be the best basketball player possible? We all realize that he is an effective player, as is, but that doesn't mean he can't be an all-star caliber player. A 6'8" guy weighing in the 280s isn't doing himself any favors - especially with an injury history. He could have gone either way with his weight comin into the league and he seems to be showing that has the opposite work ethic of a Ray Allen - also not good for a team full of young players.

I agree that we need to give him a chance to prove himself and hope that he can come into camp a much more in-shape player.

[LooseCannon]

I don't get it either, his weight hasn't been a detriment in his career so far, so why would it suddenly be one now?

If you look at players who had weight issues early on, how many of them continued to improve without addressing those issues?  It's possible that Sullinger's development will plateau around the level he played last season unless he gets into better shape.

I'm worried that Sullinger will play just well enough to earn a big multi-year contract with the Celtics, then eat his way out of the starting lineup.

[kozlodoev]

The weight scares people because it will hinder his play.

The weight scares people, because chronic back issues and extra weight don't mix very well. The effect on his play is only secondary.

[DraftSmart33]

Sully struggled at times in the regular season with his conditioning.  He also has recent history of injury problems and his excessive weight gain could further put him at risk.  Did Sully put up decent numbers last season? Yes, but I think we all want him to take the next step and decisively take the 4 spot. 

On a rookie contract in which he only makes 2 mil a season Sully is a steal..when his contract is up and he wants the pay of a more established player you have to have concerns about a player who has such a clear risk of injury and is unwilling to do the preventative work of keeping his body in shape. 

In college I was undersized to play my natural position of power forward and decided to put on mass rather than work on my handle. At 6'4 235 my left knee couldn't hold up to the added weight.  Two knee surgeries since and I now keep my weight around 195-200.  Sully's back may have held up this season but I can almost guarantee you that something is going to give...be it back, ankles, or knee's

[Tr1boy]

The issue is he has to stop eating fried chicken and pizza.

[Csfan1984]

Antwan Jamison wasn't a bad player. 6'9 good passing, shooting, post play, speed. He didn't make more Allstars because there were better Fowards in his time. From 00-10 he was pretty much a 20/8 guy shooting 45% (and 34% from 3).