This is why we have to let Sully go

[CelticPride2016]

Oliver Miller with Charles Barkley

There's a new Jackie MacMullan article at ESPN.

How Draymond Green and Kevin Love wage war -- on their weight

Sully is mentioned, but the article isn't about him. Yet, to me, it is because everything revolves around the Boston Celtics.

I remember Sweetney who Jackie also mentioned. He had major skills. I wanted him to make the team, but he was too heavy. I also remember Thomas Hamilton who had a monster game for the Celtics and was a natural, but he was too big. I remember Bagley on the team. We were short a guard and he was overweight, so we signed him and he played his way into shape.

Sullinger was very good at the beginning of last year. There was a logjam and I somewhat recall David Lee and Zeller were the opening game starters. How'd Brad go with them in hindsight? Anyway, after the dust settled, Sullinger was the starter with Amir.

There was some good debate over Sullinger during the early months, but by the end of the year, I don't think anyone or only a few were still sticking up for him as a true Celtic.

Sullinger has no one but himself to blame. It is a fact that every pound we lose makes it much easier on our knees and joints. Maybe the eye test is not reliable, but Sullinger seemed to have ballooned by the end of the year.

That article is pretty good. I always enjoy MacMullan. One bit in there showed that even when we think we are adhering to a diet, little things added in can make it all fairly pointless. Fruit, for an example, is a carbohydrate which contains sugar. I recall Sully mentioning last year he was eating better including fruit. He really needed to do what Kevin Love did, hire a cook/nutritionist and really get down to brass tacks for getting into shape.

I like Sullinger's game. But I also liked Thomas Hamilton's game and we all know how that turned out. Or Big Baby. That guy got so huge. Kudos to Charles Barkley, Pierce and all the players who love food but did what they had to in order to maximize their NBA efficiency. Players owe it to their teammates to be in good shape. I imagine not penalizing a guy like Sully for staying out of shape might give other players the idea that they too can let themselves go here and there.

Maybe one can get away with that when they are in their twenties, but it doesn't mean they are working at becoming the best they can be. And then watch out when they hit their thirties with metabolisms starting to slow down. No one can beat Father Time.

[SCeltic34]

I was a Sully supporter over his first two seasons in the league.  He has legitimate NBA skills, and with some dedication he could have solidified his status as a starter or key bench player for many years to come.

Not so much anymore.  One of the major turning points for me was this:

http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/12545144/boston-celtics-forward-jared-sullinger-facing-heavy-burden

"People say, 'Hire a nutritionist,' but it's not that simple,'' he explained. "What people don't understand is after a game, you get hungry. I stay up late, I'm not falling asleep and I want to eat. The hardest calories to burn off are those late-night calories.

"And that's what has been getting me this year. I have to work 10 times, 30 times as hard to keep off those extra 400 calories.

What a bunch of nonsense.  Yes it's true that there are significant metabolic differences between people.  But it's not 10 to 30 times more difficult.  It's not even 2 times more difficult.  I'm a registered dietitian and have worked with many people with weight management problems.  But you don't need any nutrition knowledge to know that what he's saying is completely false.  Sure you get hungry after a game.  That's why you have a meal plan - a flexible meal plan created by someone who knows what they're doing - and you follow it.

His statements simply demonstrate that he's unwilling to hold himself accountable and that he's fine with living by excuses.  And it shows, evidenced by significant weight gain during the past two seasons.  Even his dad had dropped from 390 lbs to 270 lbs or so, and he's much older - and was much fatter - than Sully, who is young and is a professional athlete. 

Besides his excuses and lack of commitment, he just doesn't fit well with the way the Celtics want to play.  The Celtics want players who:
- Are high character, hard workers, and play like they have something to prove. 
- Are able to offer defensive versatility (i.e. switch on pick and rolls, cross-match on other players in transition) and can guard multiple positions.
- Can play effectively in transition.  With regards to bigs, the Celtics like players who can run the floor.
- Can space the floor (although many of our players don't necessarily do this all that well just yet)
- Commit to a team-first culture.

Sullinger offers none of these things.  It's time to move on, even if we do miss some of his on-floor contributions such as rebounding.  I'd be sorely disappointed if he's back on the C's next year.

[Global Celtic]

His next contract should have a weight-related clause, like Boris Diaw's.

[PhoSita]

Yeah, let somebody else take a risk on him. He's not the answer at PF and he's a bad bet long term.

[Bobshot]

I like Sully--he's still their best 4 all around. But if he doesn't get his weight under control, he isn't worth keeping.

Their weakest suit is up front. They need a complete 4-5 revamping if they are to get to the next level. Just look at the teams above them--they are all better at the 4-5.

In my view, they are strong enough in the backcourt, but Stevens needs better talent to work with up front.

[CelticPride2016]

What a bunch of nonsense.  Yes it's true that there are significant metabolic differences between people.  But it's not 10 to 30 times more difficult.  It's not even 2 times more difficult.  I'm a registered dietitian and have worked with many people with weight management problems.  But you don't need any nutrition knowledge to know that what he's saying is completely false.  Sure you get hungry after a game.  That's why you have a meal plan - a flexible meal plan created by someone who knows what they're doing - and you follow it.

The idea has emerged that sleep is related to weight and I think even a Hillary email mentioned this.

What people don't understand is after a game, you get hungry. I stay up late, I'm not falling asleep and I want to eat. The hardest calories to burn off are those late-night calories.

It might be the combination of bad sleep with bad food that is compounding his failure. Maybe he drinks beer, too? Does he drink sugared soda?

Maybe the Celtics must share some blame for letting him play so much during the year and not putting their foot down that he must work harder at fitness or lose playing time.

The point above by the blogger makes sense. Sully is always making excuses. He could google a lot of this on his own as most of us do, while he is wealthy enough to simply hire a dietitian to take out the guesswork. 

Besides his excuses and lack of commitment, he just doesn't fit well with the way the Celtics want to play.  The Celtics want players who:
- Are high character, hard workers, and play like they have something to prove. 
- Are able to offer defensive versatility (i.e. switch on pick and rolls, cross-match on other players in transition) and can guard multiple positions.
- Can play effectively in transition.  With regards to bigs, the Celtics like players who can run the floor.
- Can space the floor (although many of our players don't necessarily do this all that well just yet)
- Commit to a team-first culture.

Sullinger offers none of these things.  It's time to move on, even if we do miss some of his on-floor contributions such as rebounding.  I'd be sorely disappointed if he's back on the C's next year.

I think we all agree Sully has natural skills that could have led him to at least a borderline all-star status.

I think SCeltic34 wrote a solid post. He covered the nutrition angle, but there is also the question of whether Sully fits into the team philosophy even if he could get within twenty pounds of what he should weigh.

He really can't switch off much and help players on defense. Countless times a Celtic would make a good deflection and Sully wasn't able to corral the turnover.

Sully seems to give off an air of entitlement, perhaps the sort of aura a LeBron James exudes. In contrast, Bradley has to be the most down to earth player I have ever watched. It's as if he has no ego even when he is shooting it a lot. Obviously Stevens wanted him to go with volume.

Avery and Sully are the last two Celtics who played with the Big Three. While Avery keeps pushing forward and adding to his game, it appears Sully is content to think of himself as a top five draft pick who had back issues preventing such a destiny.

I don't mind a bit of cockiness. Pierce had it. Isaiah is ultra-confident. Not every player needs to be 100% selfless like Amir Johnson.

I think Sully could have fit into the above philosophies, but that it was dependent on his getting into shape. Now it is too late and too risky to give him a new contract. I am not sure who is going to want him. Maybe Doc Rivers? Maybe the Brooklyn Nets? He's not that good.

I will also say that I am impressed with Kevin Love's dedication. I know he is fairly useless on defense, but he is the precise sort of underappreciated star we might want to add. We'd need a great center defender to hide him on defense, but maybe with the Celtics he would be amazing on offense and remind people of when he was with Minnesota.

I just don't want to trade any of our assets when free agents are free in that respect. Plus, we can't be sure if Danny will be able to make moves that put us close to or ahead of Cleveland. He may be forced to go with draft picks and a more slow and deliberate approach to the future. I saw that Danny said it's a shame the rookies didn't play more last year because when the injuries piled up and they were needed, they were still too raw to put us over the hump with Atlanta.

[PaulP34]

Sully reminds me of Big Baby in a sense. Heavy kid who slowed down but you can't move him in the paint. Sully is not that bad but he could of done much better for himself if he kept his weight off.

[BornReady]

Yeah I think Sullys gone
If ainge picks a front court player in the draft
Which he most likely would with all our picks

Sully is a good rebounder and post scorer and can pass out for fast breaks
But doesn't really fit with us as he doesn't stretch the floor and his conditioning hampers him

I think teams looking for a backup PF would want him
Like the nets,
maybe clippers (as doc was fond of him as a rookie)

I think the depth of PF in the league will lessen his price

[CelticPride2016]

Sully reminds me of Big Baby in a sense. Heavy kid who slowed down but you can't move him in the paint. Sully is not that bad but he could of done much better for himself if he kept his weight off.

It could be a replay of Big Baby. It seemed a lot of people thought we wouldn't be able to resign him, but when free agency arrived, he wasn't valued that much around the league. We signed him and eventually we all know he got swapped for Bass.

There is a chance Danny strikes out on finding a ready made center and like you say, Sully is an immovable object in the paint. There is a worth to him. Too bad he didn't do much in the playoffs. He wasn't even as good as the Sully we had during the season.

But if it goes like Big Baby, maybe no one will want him and he comes back to Boston on a modest contract.

Say we opt in on Amir, roll some dice with Olynyk providing a bit more center, and let Sully have the contract Zeller let slip out of his grasp, a relatively modest salary but an opportunity to stay in the league.

Now maybe Sullinger isn't near that sort of point yet. Whether we resign him or he goes elsewhere, we are invested in his whole career. Same with Rondo or Tony Allen. It's like that with me anyway. I wasted a lot of time following Sullinger and I demand some closure.

[Chris22]

Cookies taste good.

[Celtics4ever]

The ship has sailed and took on water.   This year was disgraceful gaining weight during the season and rendering himself useless to the team in the playoffs.

GOOD RIDDANCE!  Get rid of him because he sets a bad example to the whole team.

[Tr1boy]

I could be Sullys nutritionist

Young man, fine eat after games.  But since it takes you time to sleep.  Just end the night with a 40 stationary bike workout.

Also learn to workout on an empty stomach. Wake up , have a cup of black coffee or green tea and do 40 min cardio.  You will lose weight for sure


Workout smarter

[mctyson]

Yeah, let somebody else take a risk on him. He's not the answer at PF and he's a bad bet long term.

Only at a high price.  He is still arguably the most overall talented player on the team. You don't let talents like that just walk because you think they might be too fat years down the road.

Look at his stats this year:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sullija01.html

He had his best defensive year by far.  Of all the regular players, he had the best defensive rating.  He also posted career highs in assists and steals.

His offense went down but his rebounds went up almost 3 total per 36 minutes. 

I understand the concerns that Cs fans have about his weight and health.  The Atlanta series exposed him quite a bit, and we should expect more teams to give him that problem.  That's why you don't go anywhere over $10M per year for him.

But less than that, for 3-4 years?  Absolutely.  His rebounding talent is not easy to find and if he can just stay in his current relative shape, he will only get better at that.  We just need him to be better at knocking down shots on the perimeter.

[kozlodoev]

Also learn to workout on an empty stomach. Wake up , have a cup of black coffee or green tea and do 40 min cardio.

Not to sidetrack this, but this is a good way to get yourself gastritis or ulcers.

[PhoSita]

Also learn to workout on an empty stomach. Wake up , have a cup of black coffee or green tea and do 40 min cardio.

Not to sidetrack this, but this is a good way to get yourself gastritis or ulcers.

Yeah man.  Have some toast with peanut butter or a hard boiled egg.