can't trade zeller

[BudweiserCeltic]

Sorry but that's not accurate at all. Maybe with Lee a bit since he's a veteran, but Sullinger was out of the rotation, without complaints, coming into the season. When he was relegated to the bench, he did it without complaints.

He took advantage of a Olynyk suspension to show his value to Stevens, mainly as a big man defender and superior rebounder.

AND THAT'S where Zeller's failure began. It was quite easy to understand. Zeller sucked defending and rebounding, and then couple that with a cold offensive streak to start the season and Zeller was simply out of the top 3-man rotation.

A case can be made that Lee shouldn't have been part of the rotation in favor of Zeller, but it's also true that Lee broke out of his funk sooner. So could go one way or another.

Zeller was taken out of the rotation simply because he's sucked through some games. He's having trouble regaining the coach's trust. But there was a reason was he was taken out of the rotation early on.

I missed where Lee broke out of any funk.

You are probably correct that Sully should not be grouped with Lee as a potential Bogans.

However, it is beyond ridiculous that Sullinger hasn't gotten into shape. This isn't baseball where some fat slob is still able to hit home runs or throw a ball 95 m.p.h..

I also have the opinion that Sullinger is overrated. He's pretty useless as a defender unless he's up against strong bigs.

I'm also of the opinion that Zeller did break out of his funk, but that it didn't mean much to Stevens.

Brad is showing that he is still a rookie coach in regards to allotting minutes. There is no excuse for how he kept plugging in Lee. David Lee is done, period. If he's injured, I missed it. I haven't missed him coughing up the ball, getting blocked, being lame on defense, and ball hogging.

Look at Amir and then look at David Lee. One is still at the top of his game despite having plantar fasciitis.

I see Isaiah Thomas playing some awful games. He never gets benched. That's because there is no one to replace him. Guys like Olynyk and Zeller must be very confused and feel like they are walking on eggshells.

Guess we've reached the root of the problem. Who cares about what's happening on the court, you just don't like fat basketball players. More so that he's outplayed your apparent binky.

All's good then.

[CelticPride2016]

Sorry but that's not accurate at all. Maybe with Lee a bit since he's a veteran, but Sullinger was out of the rotation, without complaints, coming into the season. When he was relegated to the bench, he did it without complaints.

He took advantage of a Olynyk suspension to show his value to Stevens, mainly as a big man defender and superior rebounder.

AND THAT'S where Zeller's failure began. It was quite easy to understand. Zeller sucked defending and rebounding, and then couple that with a cold offensive streak to start the season and Zeller was simply out of the top 3-man rotation.

A case can be made that Lee shouldn't have been part of the rotation in favor of Zeller, but it's also true that Lee broke out of his funk sooner. So could go one way or another.

Zeller was taken out of the rotation simply because he's sucked through some games. He's having trouble regaining the coach's trust. But there was a reason was he was taken out of the rotation early on.

I missed where Lee broke out of any funk.

You are probably correct that Sully should not be grouped with Lee as a potential Bogans.

However, it is beyond ridiculous that Sullinger hasn't gotten into shape. This isn't baseball where some fat slob is still able to hit home runs or throw a ball 95 m.p.h..

I also have the opinion that Sullinger is overrated. He's pretty useless as a defender unless he's up against strong bigs.

I'm also of the opinion that Zeller did break out of his funk, but that it didn't mean much to Stevens.

Brad is showing that he is still a rookie coach in regards to allotting minutes. There is no excuse for how he kept plugging in Lee. David Lee is done, period. If he's injured, I missed it. I haven't missed him coughing up the ball, getting blocked, being lame on defense, and ball hogging.

Look at Amir and then look at David Lee. One is still at the top of his game despite having plantar fasciitis.

I see Isaiah Thomas playing some awful games. He never gets benched. That's because there is no one to replace him. Guys like Olynyk and Zeller must be very confused and feel like they are walking on eggshells.

Guess we've reached the root of the problem. Who cares about what's happening on the court, you just don't like fat basketball players. More so that he's outplayed your apparent binky.

All's good then.

Sullinger is not a good basketball player and it's because he's fat. That's why I mention it. There's also the potential trickle down factor for other players who may start eating more. If Sully can keep on 40 or whatever extra pounds, maybe the locker room will develop into an "I can put on a few and no one will notice" atmosphere?

I am not sure who you think my binky is. Mine is Olynyk, but the thread's on Zeller.

Put a fork in Lee and the problem is solved. Mickey is the rookie with potential behind Zeller, Olynyk, Sully, and Amir.

Go with those four and maybe throw Jerebko and Mickey into the mix.

The point of the game is to run and do all the little things. Sully plays the game the right way, although not for jump shooting. Being a natural is not enough.  Jared is a natural, but one would have to be quite naive to think a fat basketball player fits on a running team whose identity centers around defense.

Sully is this year's Humphries or Bass. Maybe if he wants a Big Baby like second contract, he can come back if he thinks being in shape doesn't matter. He is a million times better than Zeller in natural talent, but because Sully is so unprofessional with his body, Zeller is actually the better long-term prospect.

Olynyk without a doubt is a long-term asset far more valuable than Sullinger. They are both power forwards with completely different games. Too bad Sully can't grow up and get into shape. It is destroying his career. If he was in shape, I'd say he is clearly far ahead of Kelly. Olynyk is young. He is a late bloomer, so he won't be putting in any kind of KG twenty year career. He is no different than Marcus Smart in that they are developing in real time.

If Sully doesn't get into shape, he will have a scrub career like Evan Turner or Big Baby. If Sully lost the weight, I would make him my binky, this word you used. The truth hurts.

[flybono]

It is a mystery to me why Zeller is not playing this season.
He had a good season last year, and this year he went form a starter to DNP within a few games.

He cannot play Defense!

[Surferdad]

Sorry but that's not accurate at all. Maybe with Lee a bit since he's a veteran, but Sullinger was out of the rotation, without complaints, coming into the season. When he was relegated to the bench, he did it without complaints.

He took advantage of a Olynyk suspension to show his value to Stevens, mainly as a big man defender and superior rebounder.

AND THAT'S where Zeller's failure began. It was quite easy to understand. Zeller sucked defending and rebounding, and then couple that with a cold offensive streak to start the season and Zeller was simply out of the top 3-man rotation.

A case can be made that Lee shouldn't have been part of the rotation in favor of Zeller, but it's also true that Lee broke out of his funk sooner. So could go one way or another.

Zeller was taken out of the rotation simply because he's sucked through some games. He's having trouble regaining the coach's trust. But there was a reason was he was taken out of the rotation early on.

I missed where Lee broke out of any funk.

You are probably correct that Sully should not be grouped with Lee as a potential Bogans.

However, it is beyond ridiculous that Sullinger hasn't gotten into shape. This isn't baseball where some fat slob is still able to hit home runs or throw a ball 95 m.p.h..

I also have the opinion that Sullinger is overrated. He's pretty useless as a defender unless he's up against strong bigs.

I'm also of the opinion that Zeller did break out of his funk, but that it didn't mean much to Stevens.

Brad is showing that he is still a rookie coach in regards to allotting minutes. There is no excuse for how he kept plugging in Lee. David Lee is done, period. If he's injured, I missed it. I haven't missed him coughing up the ball, getting blocked, being lame on defense, and ball hogging.

Look at Amir and then look at David Lee. One is still at the top of his game despite having plantar fasciitis.

I see Isaiah Thomas playing some awful games. He never gets benched. That's because there is no one to replace him. Guys like Olynyk and Zeller must be very confused and feel like they are walking on eggshells.

Guess we've reached the root of the problem. Who cares about what's happening on the court, you just don't like fat basketball players. More so that he's outplayed your apparent binky.

All's good then.

Sullinger is not a good basketball player and it's because he's fat. That's why I mention it. There's also the potential trickle down factor for other players who may start eating more. If Sully can keep on 40 or whatever extra pounds, maybe the locker room will develop into an "I can put on a few and no one will notice" atmosphere?

I am not sure who you think my binky is. Mine is Olynyk, but the thread's on Zeller.

Put a fork in Lee and the problem is solved. Mickey is the rookie with potential behind Zeller, Olynyk, Sully, and Amir.

Go with those four and maybe throw Jerebko and Mickey into the mix.

The point of the game is to run and do all the little things. Sully plays the game the right way, although not for jump shooting. Being a natural is not enough.  Jared is a natural, but one would have to be quite naive to think a fat basketball player fits on a running team whose identity centers around defense.

Sully is this year's Humphries or Bass. Maybe if he wants a Big Baby like second contract, he can come back if he thinks being in shape doesn't matter. He is a million times better than Zeller in natural talent, but because Sully is so unprofessional with his body, Zeller is actually the better long-term prospect.

Olynyk without a doubt is a long-term asset far more valuable than Sullinger. They are both power forwards with completely different games. Too bad Sully can't grow up and get into shape. It is destroying his career. If he was in shape, I'd say he is clearly far ahead of Kelly. Olynyk is young. He is a late bloomer, so he won't be putting in any kind of KG twenty year career. He is no different than Marcus Smart in that they are developing in real time.

If Sully doesn't get into shape, he will have a scrub career like Evan Turner or Big Baby. If Sully lost the weight, I would make him my binky, this word you used. The truth hurts.

I agree with BudweiserCeltic: You don't like Sullinger simply because he is fat. Well, being fat is not a good thing for a basketball player, that's true. However, it is really hard to argue with Sully's production. There have been stretches in his short career where he has carried this team. He has good offensive skills (maybe you disagree with that?) and his girth is actually an advantage in that he can get to where he wants to in the low post. Furthermore, it is not at all clear that he is a far better asset than KO. Kelly has had a few good games lately and seems to be coming around, but Sully has been having good games for far longer than KO. To call Sully "not a good basketball player" is going a bit too far, IMO.

To answer the OP, yes we can trade Zeller. We have Jordan Mickey!

[CelticPride2016]

I agree with BudweiserCeltic: You don't like Sullinger simply because he is fat. Well, being fat is not a good thing for a basketball player, that's true. However, it is really hard to argue with Sully's production. There have been stretches in his short career where he has carried this team. He has good offensive skills (maybe you disagree with that?) and his girth is actually an advantage in that he can get to where he wants to in the low post. Furthermore, it is not at all clear that he is a far better asset than KO. Kelly has had a few good games lately and seems to be coming around, but Sully has been having good games for far longer than KO. To call Sully "not a good basketball player" is going a bit too far, IMO.

To answer the OP, yes we can trade Zeller. We have Jordan Mickey!

Thanks for the comment. I do not deny that the only issue I have with Sully is his weight. I also don't like him shooting threes, though if Turner has the green light, everyone must. In that case, that type of issue would be Stevens' fault.

I think Sully would be a good to great shooter if he lost the weight. Yes, his girth enables him to play center, but at what cost?

I do not think Sullinger fits into the Celtics' long-term philosophy. As is for this season alone, he is vital and more so than Olynyk. If Kelly can tighten his game, Sully versus Kelly becomes interesting or it wouldn't even matter if Brad stuck to four guys including both.

Each season is its own story.

I can live with Fat Sully for the now.

I could live with Jordan Crawford.

I was fully on board with play Humphries and go for wins.

I am living in both the present and future especially the latter more so as we wait for the trade deadline to pass.

I'll recant that Sully is not good. I mean he is not that good.

It depends on the opponents. They have two different bodies. I would not call Sullinger and Olynyk redundant.

It's decision time on Sully. I wouldn't get too attached to him. If he loses the weight, I will call him my favorite player. I think the first thread or one of the them that I started was saying Sully is going nowhere. That was when he was carrying the team earlier in the year.

I'd like to know why it's such a mystery what his weight was and is and what his goal is. For this one fan vote I am saying yes, I am guilty of claiming Sully is a long-term problem if he's going to remain fat.

Say we become a running team, who has the skill sets to fit in?

easy check marks:

Isaiah, Smart, Bradley, Rozier, Hunter, Young, Crowder, Amir (if healthy), Zeller, Olynyk, Jerebko and Mickey.

Players who I think do not have skills to match an up-tempo, defensive philosophy:

Sully, Lee, and Turner

My outcasts are proven NBA players. I like Sullinger. I have been following this team very closely.

I disagree with trading Zeller because we have Mickey. Amir is what Zeller should be able to do. I agree it is a bit disturbing Zeller isn't better at defense. Maybe Tyler's trajectory is Nenad Krstic, a good offensive center and weak on defense. He's a back up center.

But if you had a team running non-stop, picture no more Evan Turner/David Lee half-court ballhog. then Zeller might become an all-star on offense and improve at defense. He's still seven feet and extremely coordinated. He just seems as slow on defense as Kelly, yet Olynyk has the BB IQ to get around flaws. He improved his conditioning/training. I don't see Olynyk being benched for a full game any time soon.

The games continue. No one is safe until "Feb. 18 -- The 2016 NBA Trade deadline date, at 3 p.m. ET."

[86MaxwellSmart]

I like Zeller a lot----but the guy needs playing time....no player can just come in and perform well, when minutes are so limited---unless you're Vinnie Johnson from the old Pistons.

[Celtics4ever]

This thread premise is absurd.   Zeller is clearly expendable.

I like Zeller a lot----but the guy needs playing time....no player can just come in and perform well, when minutes are so limited---unless you're Vinnie Johnson from the old Pistons.

McHale could back in the day, too.   There are a lot of guys who can.   It is a mindset.   Right now his mindset does not match his talent level.   He is a bench guy not a starter, at least not on a good team.  A lot of guys wash out because they do not have the proper mindset.  All sports is about producing when you have an opportunity.    Either you do or you do not.   He has had some chances, whether you admit it or not.   We have guys who are better taking his minutes.

Sully played lights out after being benched the game prior to last.   I think this may be where his place in the NBA lies.   Budw, is right he has outplayed Zeller by a large margin.   But when he came in the fourth his fire was lit.  I think he can play well in spurts.   I just want him to shoot the midrange.

[rollie mass]

why trade a 7 footer who shot 60% from 16ft and 549% total for 2pters and 83%from foul line
-he runs the court and is a good teamate-your just going to have to replace him-i left out his touch around hoop with flip shots right and left and his pick and roll skills-only 25---i think he has been told 2nd half of season ,didn't brad say he was important part of future
amir showed what he can do last night but zeller flip hooks and 16footer  make him an asset as the logjam clears-his first 10minutes draws out their center and he is a depenable passer-lee is gone,amir is balky,sully gets hurt in 2nd half and kelly is not a center or is a 6-8 rookie on offence-rather have zeller wearing down their centers than amir and sully wearing out

[ssspence]

Sorry but that's not accurate at all. Maybe with Lee a bit since he's a veteran, but Sullinger was out of the rotation, without complaints, coming into the season. When he was relegated to the bench, he did it without complaints.

He took advantage of a Olynyk suspension to show his value to Stevens, mainly as a big man defender and superior rebounder.

AND THAT'S where Zeller's failure began. It was quite easy to understand. Zeller sucked defending and rebounding, and then couple that with a cold offensive streak to start the season and Zeller was simply out of the top 3-man rotation.

A case can be made that Lee shouldn't have been part of the rotation in favor of Zeller, but it's also true that Lee broke out of his funk sooner. So could go one way or another.

Zeller was taken out of the rotation simply because he's sucked through some games. He's having trouble regaining the coach's trust. But there was a reason was he was taken out of the rotation early on.

I missed where Lee broke out of any funk.

You are probably correct that Sully should not be grouped with Lee as a potential Bogans.

However, it is beyond ridiculous that Sullinger hasn't gotten into shape. This isn't baseball where some fat slob is still able to hit home runs or throw a ball 95 m.p.h..

I also have the opinion that Sullinger is overrated. He's pretty useless as a defender unless he's up against strong bigs.

I'm also of the opinion that Zeller did break out of his funk, but that it didn't mean much to Stevens.

Brad is showing that he is still a rookie coach in regards to allotting minutes. There is no excuse for how he kept plugging in Lee. David Lee is done, period. If he's injured, I missed it. I haven't missed him coughing up the ball, getting blocked, being lame on defense, and ball hogging.

Look at Amir and then look at David Lee. One is still at the top of his game despite having plantar fasciitis.

I see Isaiah Thomas playing some awful games. He never gets benched. That's because there is no one to replace him. Guys like Olynyk and Zeller must be very confused and feel like they are walking on eggshells.

Guess we've reached the root of the problem. Who cares about what's happening on the court, you just don't like fat basketball players. More so that he's outplayed your apparent binky.

All's good then.

Sullinger is not a good basketball player and it's because he's fat. That's why I mention it. There's also the potential trickle down factor for other players who may start eating more. If Sully can keep on 40 or whatever extra pounds, maybe the locker room will develop into an "I can put on a few and no one will notice" atmosphere?

I am not sure who you think my binky is. Mine is Olynyk, but the thread's on Zeller.

Put a fork in Lee and the problem is solved. Mickey is the rookie with potential behind Zeller, Olynyk, Sully, and Amir.

Go with those four and maybe throw Jerebko and Mickey into the mix.

The point of the game is to run and do all the little things. Sully plays the game the right way, although not for jump shooting. Being a natural is not enough.  Jared is a natural, but one would have to be quite naive to think a fat basketball player fits on a running team whose identity centers around defense.

Sully is this year's Humphries or Bass. Maybe if he wants a Big Baby like second contract, he can come back if he thinks being in shape doesn't matter. He is a million times better than Zeller in natural talent, but because Sully is so unprofessional with his body, Zeller is actually the better long-term prospect.

Olynyk without a doubt is a long-term asset far more valuable than Sullinger. They are both power forwards with completely different games. Too bad Sully can't grow up and get into shape. It is destroying his career. If he was in shape, I'd say he is clearly far ahead of Kelly. Olynyk is young. He is a late bloomer, so he won't be putting in any kind of KG twenty year career. He is no different than Marcus Smart in that they are developing in real time.

If Sully doesn't get into shape, he will have a scrub career like Evan Turner or Big Baby. If Sully lost the weight, I would make him my binky, this word you used. The truth hurts.

I agree with BudweiserCeltic: You don't like Sullinger simply because he is fat. Well, being fat is not a good thing for a basketball player, that's true. However, it is really hard to argue with Sully's production. There have been stretches in his short career where he has carried this team. He has good offensive skills (maybe you disagree with that?) and his girth is actually an advantage in that he can get to where he wants to in the low post. Furthermore, it is not at all clear that he is a far better asset than KO. Kelly has had a few good games lately and seems to be coming around, but Sully has been having good games for far longer than KO. To call Sully "not a good basketball player" is going a bit too far, IMO.

To answer the OP, yes we can trade Zeller. We have Jordan Mickey!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fee9zb-YCTA

[CelticPride2016]

Zeller does seem to accept his benching without any gripes. So perhaps Brad told him to be patient and wait for the second half of the season or for any unforeseen situations, to be ready.

We won in 2008 not because we had KG, Ray, and Paul. It was because of the rest of the roster. You need both leaders (stars) with talent and a ten man rotation.

Zeller could be the next P.J. Brown or his equivalent, give you 20 minutes of quality rotational play.

He's not going to develop or increase his trade value sitting on the bench, anyway.

It looks like Lee is finally done in regards to Brad playing him. With small ball, Jerebko will see more power forward minutes. Against teams with bigger bigs, Zeller will get his chances. Or it will be Mickey. But more likely Tyler Zeller because he is proven.

It's all about the trade deadline, imho. If Danny can trim and fine-tune the roster, pruning as Rollie said, the second half should go much smoother and be like last year. I wouldn't be surprised if we still won 50-55 games. It wouldn't take much improvement to win 45 for that lower seeding area, but I expect us to pile up a lot of wins at any point and especially if Danny does well. Tweak it or set some fireworks, one or the other. We are set up good, so don't light firecrackers unless it's a smart deal.

If we get a top three pick, you know that player will be an important part of next year's rotation. The guys we keep will be one year older. I prefer slow and steady. It is the most dependable route. We got too good, too soon, and the expectations are giving some fans ulcers. Not me.

[Jon]

Is this really a thread? 

Of course he is tradable, as is every other big on this roster (and likely every player altogether).

While it is somewhat true that it is "unfair" to guys like Zeller and Lee that we have so much front court depth, it's hardly like they are being blocked by the '86 Celtic frontline of Parish, McHale, and Walton. To me, all of our bigs are fairly mediocre and if guys can't seize a spot in the rotation here, they probably don't deserve to be in anyone's rotation.

[CelticPride2016]

It's not clear cut what's going on with Zeller. It is unfair to lump him in with Lee. He has the potential to fill a need for a rotational center. All those things Rollie says is true. He's tall, sturdy, fast, and efficient. He's a good teammate. He's also a good trade piece. I admit it. But not if you let him collect dust.

For the running team I'm seeing tonight, Zeller would fit right in. Olynyk is on fire, though, and Sully is displaying his natural talents, though he does look heavier.

Amir Johnson is very good.

This is a solid win against a pitiful team, Phoenix.

Isaiah getting it done.

Zeller is not the problem.

[hagar55voa]

Zeller is getting screwed big time...Should be playing at least 20 minutes per game...I hope he goes to another team and gets to play the minutes he deserves...Stevens has stuck it to him good...What a shame...

[SHAQATTACK]

It is a mystery to me why Zeller is not playing this season.
He had a good season last year, and this year he went form a starter to DNP within a few games.

He cannot play Defense!

Ding ding ding......we have a winner!

[CelticPride2016]

It is a mystery to me why Zeller is not playing this season.
He had a good season last year, and this year he went form a starter to DNP within a few games.

He cannot play Defense!

Ding ding ding......we have a winner!

He's not that bad. I think people are prematurely judging young players as scrubs. Sullinger slows us down. Maybe a team would like Sully and Turner with David Lee's contract bought out? Where's Phil Pressey? Ainge loves to bring back players.

I'm going to put my newbie reputation on the line and say Sully's Boston days are numbered. He looked humongous tonight, as if he downed a large pizza right before the game. No way in hell will Danny give a team Olynyk instead of Sullinger unless it's for some big star or close.

Turner, Lee, and possibly James Young are the only scrubs on the team. Then there is the enigma which is Fat Sully. He needs to be trim. Wasn't Barkley in shape? How does being fat help a basketball player? I'm pretty sure he can lose the weight and put on muscle becoming faster and the same strong guy. It's ridiculous. I'm extremely disappointed in Jared Sullinger.