Author Topic: Sullinger's Weight as of 2-20-16  (Read 11234 times)

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Re: Sullinger's Weight as of 2-20-16
« Reply #30 on: February 21, 2016, 08:38:03 PM »

Offline crimson_stallion

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I see where you are coming from with a lot of this post but saying Sully is way more skilled than Olynyk is not accurate.  It'd be the other way around if anything.  I think it's rather close, Sully is skilled, but Olynyk is so special because he can pass, shoot, and handle the ball with more skill than just about any 7 foot player you will see.  His issues are defense (which I think he pretty much has answered this year at least as far as a weakness) and then his mentality which still needs work to live up to his high skill level.

So basically I think the Bass/Big Baby thing was way off.

Sorry, that was my bad - I don't think I demonstrated my point very clearly there.

My overall argument was that the two guys (IMHO) are quite close to each other in terms of pure skill and talent level, but that I feel the difference in mentality between the two is the key factor that I feel will determine which one becomes the better long-term player.

My Bass/Big Baby comparison wasn't trying to suggest that on of the guys is much more talented than the other.  It was more trying to demonstrate how much of an impact things like effort, motivation and work ethic can make to a players progress.  In this case Bass was far less talented than Big Baby, but ended up having a significantly better career based purely on the fact that he was more modest, harder working, and had a "pro's pro" attitude.

My point from there is that with Sully and Kelly being so close talent wise, Kelly's superior work ethic and team-first attitude (versus Sully's perceived arrogance and laziness) could be THE factor that determines which of those guys becomes more successful in the NBA.

I didn't express that too clearly, so apologies.


good lord, can people just let this fascination with body shaming go?  only here could you see the same people complaining over and over about his conditioning and yet at this moment in the Denver game he's posted 16 points on 7/12 shooting and 11 rebounds in just 23 minutes.  I swear if he walked on water the same people here would be saying he needs to lose weight so he'd float over the water   ::)

Yet in the previous game he had 9 points and 11 rebounds on 4-13 shooting in 28 minutes. 

That right there is THE problem with Sully - the complete and utter lack of consistency.

Not sure if you watched the Jazz game, but Sully was a major reason why we lost that game.  He took a LOT of really bad shots (most of which he, naturally, bricked) and went through stretches where he played some truly horrendous defense.

The thing he does that I hate the most, is that he forces WAY too many of those fall-away jumpers in the post, and he often does it early in the shot clock. 

He's starting to become like Brandon Bass early in his career, in that once the ball gets in to Sully anywhere near the paint it's like a black hole - he absolutely refuses to pass it.  Just about every single time he gets the ball down there he INSISTS on trying to back down his man and then trying to force either:

1) An awkward falling-back hook shot or
2) An awkward hotly contested fall-away jumper

In either case he almost always misses, and he does it regardless of who he's matched up against.

Watching him against the Jazz, trying to force that hook shot against RUDY FREAKING GOBERT (the very guy who was destoying us ALL GAME with his dominant rim protection) was quite truthfully one of the most embarrassingly stupid plays I've seen from any Celtics player this year.  Seriously, what did he THINK was going to be the outcome of that?!?!?!?

Yet he does stuff like that all the time.

Sully needs to learn that he is NOT a go-to guy on offense, and he needs to stop playing like he's one.  There are going to be games where he's got a matchup advantage that he can make use of, and he'll be able to get some occasional big scoring nights that way - but he needs to do a much better job of reading the opponent and decided when he can/can't get away with that.

As it stands right now Sully is averaging 15 FGA Per 36 Minutes and that is WAY too many attempts for a guy who just isn't a dominant offensive player.  He needs to learn to let the offense come to him and to stop forcing things, and if he can learn that lesson he could be a very, very good player.

Some things I like seeing when Sully is on the court:

1) When he's playing 1-on-1 defense against physical guys in the post
2) When he's spotting up for those 15-18 foot jumpers (he's money from there)
3) When his getting offensive rebounds in the paint and going up strong for putbacks
4) When he's posting up, drawing defense in, then making pinpoint passes to cutting teammates
5) When he's getting easy points in the paint against guys with a size mismatch

When Sully is sticking to doing those things he's great, and at times even dominant.  But he allows himself to stray away from his game too often and starts playing hero ball, and when he does that he becomes a MAJOR liability (as he did for stretches in that Utah game). 

As I've said before, this is the thing that bothers me most with Sully.  It's not even the physical conditioning - it's the mental discipline and the (at times) severe lapses in basketball IQ.  He needs to learn to stick to the thing he's good at, rather than trying to be a star and force things.

I honestly don't care if Sully is 250 pounds or 300 pounds, as long as he plays the game intelligently on a consistent basis.  You can't always control whether your shots fall, but you CAN control your decision making and the type of shots you take, and he needs to do a better job at that.

Sully is a consistently excellent rebounder, and that is one thing I cannot take away from him.  But if he wants to help the team win he needs to consistently contribute in more ways than just rebounding.  A guy who gets you 11 rebounds means little if that guy is also shooting you out of games.

Re: Sullinger's Weight as of 2-20-16
« Reply #31 on: February 21, 2016, 08:57:56 PM »

Offline guava_wrench

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The weight issue is a lost cause because Sully doesn't care. He likes basketball but loves eating. We have to accept it and move on.
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Re: Sullinger's Weight as of 2-20-16
« Reply #32 on: February 21, 2016, 09:00:10 PM »

Offline guava_wrench

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Sullinger's weight is a testimony to how talented he is. He is able to contribute despite having little discipline when it comes to taking care of himself.

We just have to accept that Sullinger isn't concerned about being the best Sully he can be.

Re: Sullinger's Weight as of 2-20-16
« Reply #33 on: February 21, 2016, 09:08:47 PM »

Offline GreenFaith1819

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good lord, can people just let this fascination with body shaming go?  only here could you see the same people complaining over and over about his conditioning and yet at this moment in the Denver game he's posted 16 points on 7/12 shooting and 11 rebounds in just 23 minutes.  I swear if he walked on water the same people here would be saying he needs to lose weight so he'd float over the water   ::)

This.

We no longer have the "R" guy nor the lovable Uncle Jeff, so Sully is the new whipping boy.

Or ET phone home.

CelticsBlog has them lined up!

Re: Sullinger's Weight as of 2-20-16
« Reply #34 on: February 21, 2016, 09:35:56 PM »

Offline Snakehead

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My point from there is that with Sully and Kelly being so close talent wise, Kelly's superior work ethic and team-first attitude (versus Sully's perceived arrogance and laziness) could be THE factor that determines which of those guys becomes more successful in the NBA.

I didn't express that too clearly, so apologies.


Ah okay, no worries.  On the importance of the mental game I am very much in agreement.  When it comes to guys at the pro level, especially the NBA which is so hypercompetitive for less available positions than other pro sports, a players mental make up is a huge amount of separation between players.  I think to many it is underrated how mental make up can be the difference between a guy who attacks the rim with abandon and a guy who simply will not, for example.  Both could but only one sees and wants to take the openings.  Or even thinks he can make or take certain shots.

Sullinger can have it on the court many times but clearly does not off.  I think Olynyk has the hesitant issue but is such a huge positive and game change that even with that (which I see slowly going away as well) he is the superior of the two I believe.

Anyways, as far as people saying Sully is the whipping boy, he may be.  I am not saying he is worthless or shouldn't play this year.  However his attitude is disappointing because he could be better and I personally would not want to be the team that gives him his next sizable contract.  If it is reasonable, sure, but I think he may be asking for bigger money and some team may give it to him.
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Re: Sullinger's Weight as of 2-20-16
« Reply #35 on: February 21, 2016, 09:49:04 PM »

Offline Ed Hollison

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I personally think there is way too much moralizing about Sullinger's weight on this site. By that I mean that we too often extrapolate from his inability to lose weight to what it must mean about his work ethic, character, etc.

There are some people in this world who have addictions. Food is one of them. You may not like to think of this subject in such a way, but this is a clinical issue for many people the same way that alcoholism or drug addiction are clinical. Of course there is a moral component to addiciton, but "try harder" or "care more" don't do it on their own.

Other than his weight, I don't see any issue with him. He's put up a lot of 3s, fine, but his coach likely encouraged them. In any case, he's cut that back and settled into a good looking midrange jumper. Otherwise he gets in the paint and gets dirty. He rebounds like hell. He sacrifices his body for charges. He doesn't strike me as a ball hog. He doesn't get a lot of technicals. And off the court, I can think of that one thing with his girlfriend when he was 21 I believe, but other than that we've heard nothing.

The point is: give this kid a break. He is what he is. Don't assault his character for it.
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Re: Sullinger's Weight as of 2-20-16
« Reply #36 on: February 21, 2016, 10:13:12 PM »

Offline tomrod

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I just find it odd that he is so efficient yet he only plays 24 minutes a game. Is that because of his conditioning? Same with Olynyk playing 20 minutes but in his case I think it's fouling and inconsistency. Can they be efficient playing 30 minutes per game?

Re: Sullinger's Weight as of 2-20-16
« Reply #37 on: February 21, 2016, 10:38:29 PM »

Offline GreenFaith1819

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Are we going to track his weight like we're tracking BKN's losses?

So what if he starts losing weight and BKN starts winning?

Re: Sullinger's Weight as of 2-20-16
« Reply #38 on: February 21, 2016, 10:48:53 PM »

Offline Celtics4ever

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He played decent tonight in spurts.  Some nights he has it and some he does not, he always rebounds.   To the guys who say it is ok, do you think it will provide a longer career ?

Quote
Other than his weight, I don't see any issue with him. He's put up a lot of 3s, fine, but his coach likely encouraged them. In any case, he's cut that back and settled into a good looking midrange jumper. Otherwise he gets in the paint and gets dirty. He rebounds like hell. He sacrifices his body for charges. He doesn't strike me as a ball hog..

I call BS.  He has shot 105 threes this year.   He is shooting 26% from downtown.   He is shooting  43% from the field and  .63% from the line which is a career low for him.   His shot selection is good some games and bad the next.   Do you really think the coach tells him to shoot a shot that is that bad at?  CBS wants to win, early on they may have said that, but this year, I bet they have realized and face it, people in the media say it now, Olynyk is our only stretch four.

Good Jared, Bad Jared on the shooting and shot selection, but as you say he always boards.

http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/6624/jared-sullinger

Do you folks ever notice the conditioning stuff, I think it has improved but early in the second half he did not run the floor and in came, Jonas.   You can bet CBS notices it.  We get Okafor and his days are numbered.  He can do every thing Sully can and is younger, bigger, etc.

Re: Sullinger's Weight as of 2-20-16
« Reply #39 on: February 21, 2016, 10:52:40 PM »

Online slamtheking

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good lord, can people just let this fascination with body shaming go?  only here could you see the same people complaining over and over about his conditioning and yet at this moment in the Denver game he's posted 16 points on 7/12 shooting and 11 rebounds in just 23 minutes.  I swear if he walked on water the same people here would be saying he needs to lose weight so he'd float over the water   ::)

Yet in the previous game he had 9 points and 11 rebounds on 4-13 shooting in 28 minutes. 

That right there is THE problem with Sully - the complete and utter lack of consistency.
well that right there is the problem WITH THE WHOLE TEAM.

Everyone on this team is inconsistent regardless of their conditioning.  what irritates the hell out of me is the constant harping about this guy's conditioning as if that were the only reason he was inconsistent.   if the point is he's inconsistant, then stick to that while being sure to point out the same issue with all those 'well conditioned' players on the C's.

just tired of hearing it.  the guy is what he is and for the most part, he produces as well as anyone else on this team.  no one rebounds like him on the team.  he hustles, he passes and he finishes well around the basket and for that matter, some nights even his shot is falling like tonight.

Re: Sullinger's Weight as of 2-20-16
« Reply #40 on: February 21, 2016, 10:54:16 PM »

Offline PhoSita

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Sully is talented enough and strong enough to have good games with relative frequency despite his poor conditioning.  Even when he's playing poorly, he usually helps on the boards or on defense.  At the least, he does a good job keeping the ball moving.

Still, I don't trust him to stay on the floor, and it's frustrating to know that he'd probably be a really nice 16-8 type of player if he were in really good shape.  His overall offensive efficiency is pathetic for a big man with his skill and strength.

Oh well.  I hope they don't commit a lot of money or years to him this summer, but since they didn't trade him away at the deadline I'm afraid he will get re-signed.  I be he'll be on the trade block next year at the deadline, regardless.
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Re: Sullinger's Weight as of 2-20-16
« Reply #41 on: February 21, 2016, 11:05:24 PM »

Offline crimson_stallion

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I personally think there is way too much moralizing about Sullinger's weight on this site. By that I mean that we too often extrapolate from his inability to lose weight to what it must mean about his work ethic, character, etc.

There are some people in this world who have addictions. Food is one of them. You may not like to think of this subject in such a way, but this is a clinical issue for many people the same way that alcoholism or drug addiction are clinical. Of course there is a moral component to addiciton, but "try harder" or "care more" don't do it on their own.

Other than his weight, I don't see any issue with him. He's put up a lot of 3s, fine, but his coach likely encouraged them. In any case, he's cut that back and settled into a good looking midrange jumper. Otherwise he gets in the paint and gets dirty. He rebounds like hell. He sacrifices his body for charges. He doesn't strike me as a ball hog. He doesn't get a lot of technicals. And off the court, I can think of that one thing with his girlfriend when he was 21 I believe, but other than that we've heard nothing.

The point is: give this kid a break. He is what he is. Don't assault his character for it.

First of all, I do see the conditioning thing as a reflect of his character - even if you feel otherwise.

You need to remember that Jared Sullinger is a professional athlete

Think about that for a second.  We are all basketball fans and enthusiasts so I think it's easy for us to think of Basketball as that thing we do for fun, for exercise, and for social purposes.  I think some people associate with that and as a result come to the conclusion that we are being too harsh on Sully for his conditioning.

But this isn't a hobby for Sullinger, this is his career.  This is his job.  As a professional in any industry where career progression matters, it is absolutely critical that you put in the extra effort outside of work to develop your skills and to put yourself in the best possible position to excel in your role.

I am an IT person.  I can come to work, do my job, go home, and never thing about it again.  But I know that there are other guys out there who are willing to work harder than that - guys who are willing to do extra study in their own time, invest in extra training courses, spend extra time expanding their knowledge to improve their value on the market.  I know that if I don't do the same, then I am holding myself back from every becoming great, or getting the best and highest paying jobs.

To a potential employer, that gives the impression that I am a man who isn't motivated, who isn't going to work hard, who isn't going to be willing to ever put in more than my minimal required workload.  No employer wants to hire somebody like that.

Sully is, again, a professional athlete.  Maybe he loves his cakes and chocolate, maybe he just hates exercise and loves sitting down playing xbox all night.  Maybe he's just plain lazy.  Whatever it is, his body is the tool of his trade, and if he's not keeping his body in top condition then that impacts on his ability to do his job to the best of his ability.

If I have managers hounding me every day to get trained up in different IT technologies, and I refuse to do it and ignore them, how does that make me look?  If Sully has managers pushing him to improve his conditioning and he does nothing, then it's the same thing.

Now once again, none of this bothers me if Sully can be consistently excellent at his job despite his conditioning issues.  If his conditioning isn't having any affect on his ability to perform, then that's fine.  But I think it's pretty obvious that it does impact his ability to perform, and that's the problem.

Anyway, regardless, I would excuse that IF he didn't have any other flaws..but he does.  As I mentioned earlier, he plays far too much Hero ball which he really needs to stop. 

His defense is extremely inconsistent and can vary from outstanding one quarter, to god-awful the next.  I'd much rather somebody who could just be consistently 'ok'. 

His shot selection has improved since he's cut down on the threes, but it's still at times really, really poor.  He should NEVER be attempting to post up on a guy like Gobert - that thought just shouldn't cross his mind, period.

Sully isn't a Rookie anymore.  He's been in the league for 4 years now, and he's played with future Hall of Famers, and under two of the best coaches of the past 10 years.  We all know he has good basketball IQ.  There is just no excuse for his atrocious decision making outside of ego (i want my numbers, don't care about the team) and arrogance (I can score on this guy, I don't care if he's the best rim protector in the NBA). 

For a guy who was praised coming in to the league for his outstanding BBIQ, he makes far too many inexcusably dumb plays.

Re: Sullinger's Weight as of 2-20-16
« Reply #42 on: February 21, 2016, 11:22:08 PM »

Offline crimson_stallion

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good lord, can people just let this fascination with body shaming go?  only here could you see the same people complaining over and over about his conditioning and yet at this moment in the Denver game he's posted 16 points on 7/12 shooting and 11 rebounds in just 23 minutes.  I swear if he walked on water the same people here would be saying he needs to lose weight so he'd float over the water   ::)

Yet in the previous game he had 9 points and 11 rebounds on 4-13 shooting in 28 minutes. 

That right there is THE problem with Sully - the complete and utter lack of consistency.
well that right there is the problem WITH THE WHOLE TEAM.

Everyone on this team is inconsistent regardless of their conditioning.  what irritates the hell out of me is the constant harping about this guy's conditioning as if that were the only reason he was inconsistent.   if the point is he's inconsistant, then stick to that while being sure to point out the same issue with all those 'well conditioned' players on the C's.

just tired of hearing it.  the guy is what he is and for the most part, he produces as well as anyone else on this team.  no one rebounds like him on the team.  he hustles, he passes and he finishes well around the basket and for that matter, some nights even his shot is falling like tonight.

Did I say he's inconsistent because of his weight?  No.

I said multiple times that i do not care about his conditioning/weight IF he uses his brain when he's out there on the court and plays like a member of the team, rather than some renegade who thinks he's a hero. 

That has ALWAYS been my biggest criticism of Sully, not his weight.

Weight does concern me because I do feel his game tends to slip more and as he gets tired late in games and late in quarters.  His shots become flatter, he gets slower on rotations, he becomes more prone to watching on D and more prone to giving up rebounds, and his decision making tends to get worse.  My only explanation for that is fatigue as a result of poor conditioning, I can't think of any other explanation. 

I'm a fatass myself and that's the same thing that happens to me when I play - I start off strong, then as the game goes on my shots get flatter, my muscles get fatigued (so I lose the 'spring' in my step and miss defensive rotations) and I don't think as clearly so I become more prone to making mental errors and settling for bad shots. So considering my poor conditioning seems to affect me in all the same ways as Sully drops off late in games, I can only conclude that he probably has the exact same issue.

Difference is that I am 32 years old, I play as a hobby in friendly pickup games (it's not my career), and I don't get paid millions to make those games competitive.  I don't keep in shape because I have an actual career that takes precedence, whereas for Sully basketball IS his career.

But anyway my biggest problem with Sully's consistency (vs other guys on the team) is that in Sully's case it all seems to be mental. 

If Sully shoots well one night, and shoots poorly the next then I don't care about that. As long as he's taking good shots (and smart shots) then I don't care whether those shots fall or don't. 

Avery Bradley is the perfect example.  He takes almost the exact same shots every night - usually always pretty good shots.  Some nights they fall, some nights they don't. I'm fine with that.

What I do care about is that it's not Sully's shooting so much as his SHOT SELECTION that varies from one game to the next.  When he is taking good shots, he tends to almost always have good offensive games.  When he starts forcing stupid shots, that's when he tends to have quite poor offensive games. 

That's something he can control, but he doesn't, and that's that part that is extremely frustrating.

Also you say he finishes really well around the basket, but he doesn't. He's shooting 57% inside three feet, and his career number (61%) isn't that much better.  He's a very mediocre fnisher around the basket and that is TERRIBLE for a Power Forward.

In fact, Jared Sullinger ranks 9th on the Celtics this season in terms of FG% inside three feet.  The only players above 6'8" who rank worse are:

- RJ Hunter
- David Lee
- Jonas Jerebko
- Marcus Smart
- James Young
- Terry Rozier

only two guys on that list are over 6'7" and only three of them have played over 500 minutes this year.

Sully is actually quite a poor finisher around the basket by NBA PF standards. 
« Last Edit: February 21, 2016, 11:30:26 PM by crimson_stallion »

Re: Sullinger's Weight as of 2-20-16
« Reply #43 on: February 22, 2016, 12:35:40 AM »

Offline GC003332

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If a player can't keep the weight off playing pro ball and all the financial gains that can be made to maximise their financial position.
Got to question how they will live after their career is over.
Guys like Kevin Duckworth,Anthony Mason, Robert Traylor dropped dead way too young in large part due to their massive weight gains.
I guess if Sullinger drops dead well before he is 50 no one would be overly surprised by it.


Re: Sullinger's Weight as of 2-20-16
« Reply #44 on: February 22, 2016, 01:15:10 AM »

Offline chambers

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His conditioning isn't perfect, but he's pretty much our best advanced statistical player this year.
If he could ever hit the 3 ball and shoot 85%+ from the line he'd be in All Star territory like a poor man's Kevin Love.

Right now it appears he won't ever reach that level and it's such a shame.

I will say he doesn't appear that much bigger to me.

Conditioning doesn't seem to be a factor in most games. ie Denver tonight- he killed it in the high altitude.
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