I'm not going to speak for Chuck here, but the more I read about the guys we picked up, the more I like what Danny did. Maybe part of it is "In Danny I Trust"… because I know I didn't watch any New Mexico games last season.
But to hear the JR Giddens story told… he's got lottery pick talent with a questionable attitude. Well, we've got 3 superstar veterans, which include one of the greatest players of all time, of the most respected players of this generation, and a stud who survived his own "off-the-court" mess and turned himself into the Finals MVP. If there's ANY team that can take a flier on a kid with that kind of talent, its the Boston Celtics.
First, if these veterans can't whip that kid into shape, no one can. And that's not to mention guys like Posey (who, for my own health, I'll just assume is coming back) and Kendrick Perkins… who will take absolute zero crap from anyone. Even Rajon Rondo, as the leader of the offense, will make sure this kid flies right. Remember… Rondo has no qualms about yelling at our megastars if they're not in the right place. There's no way this rookie is coming in and messing with our flow.
Secondly, the Celtics don't need him to contribute. Obviously, it would be great if he did. But as currently constituted, he's going to fight for whatever minutes he gets. And if Tony Allen comes back, he'll fall further back on the depth chart.
So you've got a kid with lottery-pick talent… with a ton of veteran leadership and no pressure to be the team's savior. I'd say that's about as good a situation as you can get.
As for Billy Walker and the Turkish kid… I don't think Erdin is leaving Turkey right away. It's minimal risk. And Walker is being talked about as the classic second-round Ainge steal. If this kid gets meaningful minutes, then we need to name the second round of the draft the "Danny Ainge Round"… because he owns it. I want Walker to stick round just to see if he truly is the dunker he's made out to be.
The one thing this draft leaves us with… is a hole at back-up center. It makes you wonder if all these guys are sticking around. If Tony Allen re-ups, then we've hot him, Rondo, Pruitt, Giddens and Walker at guard. That's too much. My first reaction is sign-and-trade involving Tony Allen for a back up big.
Regardless… I like where we ended up in the draft. Chad Ford gave the Celtics a B for the draft… which is about where I'd put them too. Maybe a B+.
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