Sullinger attitude

[SHAQATTACK]

I didn't expect much .....I don't think he and IT even got to play in a game before he got hurt. 

But ....he could be useful and back into game form for latter ...should we some how beat the Cavs ....face palm


They needed to activate him to ramp up.

[apc]

Is it too late to send sullinger to the D league? He needs to get in game shape.

[biggs]

I really have no qualms with either Sully being moved or taking a hike after next season. 

Maybe he gets his act together on all fronts but I'm fine with the Celtics going forward without Sully being a part of their long-term future.  I don't think he's the long term answer at PF to begin with.

As long as he gets his act together long enough for him to raise his trade value then I will be happy.

I've Been beating that drum for a while.  Kind of a sad outcome for him, but it seems like the most logical one for us.  Wonder if ET follows him out the door, or if they get packaged together?  Seems like both of them are buy low sell high projects, and if we make the playoffs, they have experience, and may increase their value with a strong playoff performance.

[saltlover]

Sully has averaged 18 and 11 vs. the Hawks this year.  He went for 17 and 15 in our win against them.  I would like a healthy Sullinger if we see the Hawks in the first round.  I would like a healthy Sullinger in general.  He's not there yet (obviously).

[Alleyoopster]

I find Sully to be a bit of an enigma.  Part of the time I say to myself, this guy stinks.  Why is he taking all these ill-advised 3 pointers... he's gotta go.  Then, other times I see him grabbing rebound after rebound and/or successfully defending centers 6-7 inches taller than himself.  (I would not have said that last season.)  And, I say, wow...he's one of the most valuable players on the team.

As for his weight problems I have some sympathy.  I used to think controlling one's weight was easy.  And, that it was simply a matter of burning off more calories than one consumes. Then (years ago), I did some research on the topic and found that it's far more complicated for some people to lose weight than I had ever imagined. 

Realistically, there are a lot of variables that come into play that make it extremely difficult for some people to lose weight and to keep it off.  I am afraid Sully may be one them.  Some factors could be;
1. he's physically predisposed to gaining weight (for instance, more fat cells than the average person.  You are stuck with these cells for life.)
2. researchers have found that the nervous system and the digestive system are  linked together.  Thus, he may be getting more impulses to eat even when he is full. 
3. the psychological aspect of this problem can be monumental to overcome...anxiety, fears, emotional attachment to food, childhood trauma, etc. 
4. His metabolism may be low.  (Contrary to this, my metabolic rate is quite high.  The average person would gain weight on the amount of daily calories I consume.  I have trouble keeping weight on.)
5.  Yes, I know he could or does hire trainers and/or dietitians.  However, they will only take you so far.  He still have to deal with psychological issues, physical predisposition to weight gain and who knows what else.   

I am not saying that Sully's weight isn't an issue.   It's just that the cure isn't as simple as having an "attitude" change.  It's likely there are physical and psychological factors he's struggling against that almost none of us would find easy to overcome even with support.

[TheFlex]

When's the last time _anyone_ from the Celtics brass had a glowing endorsement for Sullinger? He'll be gone as soon as they can get anything substantial for him.

What a joke. They get calls all the time about Sullinger and have yet to deal him.

If it seems like you have to bend logic to make your point work ("well sure he's in his early 20s averaging 14/8 at one of the most important positions in today's game, but he takes off some plays so he's only worth a 2nd rounder!"), your point probably doesn't make much sense. Though I guess that's the theme of many of the comments on this thread.

[Joe Green]

For all the Sully haters out there. Yes, his weight is an annoying problem that boggles the mind for some of us but here are some things to consider:

* Sully is an ELITE rebounder, grabbing 20% of available rebounds puts him in the top 10 in the NBA
* Sully has been playing center for most of his career - battling guys who are much bigger than him
* His 3pt shooting is not a "whim" - it is something the coaching team asked him to do to spread the floor and even with the shot being very unreliable, he has over 50% TS%
* Even in a "down year" he is posting moderately better numbers than last year when people considered him our best player

The dude is only 23 years old. He is a low 1st round pick who is playing MUCH better than most of his peers. He is committed to losing weight. Why is everyone so desperate to shove him out the door?\

[konkmv]

we must calm down with sully... ainge will not trade him unless he gets enormous value back... i think they will make him lose weight and then see what happens

[2short]

He has all the tools.  Good mid range game, very good rebounder, good passer.  His defense has been horrible this year.  For all the flack KO takes for not being a good defender I'd say Kelly has had a better year.  Bass isn't the rebounder sully is but besides that he gives us more when he is on the floor.
Like sully or not we all know we have WAY too many pf on the roster.  Even if you consider KO backup center there are still a group of guys, none outplaying the others enough.  someone is gone from that group

[Old Wine]

It was not an injury, it was a suspension. DA has been trying to deal the pile of lard since June 2014 and no one wants this guy. This could be his last chance as a Celtic

[Celtics4ever]

He has all the tools.  Good mid range game, very good rebounder, good passer

  I consider a lot of those skills which he does possess.   His hands are superb and he is a good rebounder.

He lacks athletic ability which is talent.  He lacks willpower to push himself away from the table.  I am concerned with his ethic, I don't think he has lost 25 lbs looking at him last night.  He is concerned more with himself than the team, practically admitted he likes hero ball.

They get calls all the time about Sullinger and have yet to deal him.

  Prove it.   I think they are going to take those calls now if this is the case.

Here is a guy with talent who ate himself out of the league and recently passes may he RIP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KbAR3u0XaY

It reminds me a lot of Sully, on D.

1. he's physically predisposed to gaining weight (for instance, more fat cells than the average person.  You are stuck with these cells for life.)
2. researchers have found that the nervous system and the digestive system are  linked together.  Thus, he may be getting more impulses to eat even when he is full. 
3. the psychological aspect of this problem can be monumental to overcome...anxiety, fears, emotional attachment to food, childhood trauma, etc. 
4. His metabolism may be low.  (Contrary to this, my metabolic rate is quite high.  The average person would gain weight on the amount of daily calories I consume.  I have trouble keeping weight on.)
5.  Yes, I know he could or does hire trainers and/or dietitians.  However, they will only take you so far.  He still have to deal with psychological issues, physical predisposition to weight gain and who knows what else.   

This can all be true, but at some level one has to take responsibility for eating unhealthy and shoving food in one's mouth.

To the guys who said he has lost 25 lbs, I thought he looked the same he has said he lost weight before and did not and I think that is the case again here.   With  him coming back it hurts our rotations and quite frankly it hurts his value. 

At times last night, I thought  he looked in quicksand on his defensive rotations.   The other team attacked the rim with vigor with him down low.

Sully has averaged 18 and 11 vs. the Hawks this year.  He went for 17 and 15 in our win against them.

  So what?  Horford had 22 and 12 and shot .73% that game and had a 33 PER against him and your acting like Sully had a good game?   Perhaps on one end of the court which is usually the case (sadly it is not the case now even which is while we should have kept  him shelved).   Classic example, how his folllowers tout his stats and ignore his glaring lack of defense.  Please not these are stats, not opinion.

http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball/fantasy/nba/boston-celtics/players/jared-sullinger/comparison/15/2/25/5

[jambr380]

This thread seems to be turning into another, "Sullinger is fat," thread and I guess I'll agree. After watching him last night, he clearly hasn't lost any weight and, in fact, seems to have added a number of pounds. I know he is coming back from injury, but he has looked absolutely horrible lumbering up and down the court. He has one basket in ten shot attempts since his return and every miss seems to barely graze the front of the rim. Let's hope he can get his legs back for the playoffs, for the future, and/or for trade value.

[Chris22]

He has all the tools.  Good mid range game, very good rebounder, good passer.  His defense has been horrible this year.  For all the flack KO takes for not being a good defender I'd say Kelly has had a better year.  Bass isn't the rebounder sully is but besides that he gives us more when he is on the floor.
Like sully or not we all know we have WAY too many pf on the roster.  Even if you consider KO backup center there are still a group of guys, none outplaying the others enough.  someone is gone from that group

Bass is gone. KO and Sullinger are good and cheap.

[kozlodoev]

I am not saying that Sully's weight isn't an issue.   It's just that the cure isn't as simple as having an "attitude" change.  It's likely there are physical and psychological factors he's struggling against that almost none of us would find easy to overcome even with support.

No, it's actually very simple. You have millions of dollars and a NBA-sized support network behind your back. If you can't figure it out, that's on you.

[Evantime34]

Sully has averaged 18 and 11 vs. the Hawks this year.  He went for 17 and 15 in our win against them.  I would like a healthy Sullinger if we see the Hawks in the first round.  I would like a healthy Sullinger in general.  He's not there yet (obviously).

In the win against the Hawks, they struggled to rebound out of their small lineup and our work on the glass kept us in the game until we won it at the end.

Rebounding is probably Atlanta's biggest weakness, so I think working Sully back into shape for that series is a must.

Our play since the all star break shows that this team's best lineups feature 4 perimeter players. I expect them to try to find a 4 who can stretch the floor, rebound and guard multiple positions in the offseason. A player like that would fit what Stevens wants to run a lot better than Sullinger.