Orlando Summer League - Game 4 vs Detroit Pistons

sam wrote:It's very telling that Sully. rather than John, is defending Drummond. Perhaps it's a matchup experiment by Lue (it's not working, Ty).

sam,

Sully had trouble with Miles Plumlee too. He struggles against greater height. He's a load, but he lacks height. He's showing good back to basket moves against Drummond, he has a very good roll across the lane hook shot, but he's no center.

Hear that, Danny?

Joseph showing he can do it on both ends.

Summer league isn't about winning or losing. It's about seeing what players can and cannot do. We know Moore can shoot, they want to see if he can run the team. He did ok in previous games but is horrible today.

Xmas is a natural point, but he can't shoot reliably from outside.

Sully hasn't come out in this half, has he? The way he plays, he should be running on fumes.

Very nice game by JJJ. Active on both ends.

So what's the over/under on Joseph cracking the rotation before Moore does? (And, yes, I realize I'm talking about different positions).

Off to work. Nice posting with everyone.

Sam

sam wrote:So what's the over/under on Joseph cracking the rotation before Moore does? (And, yes, I realize I'm talking about different positions).

I'd have to go with Moore. Who's in front of him on the depth chart at 2? Bradley. Joseph has Pierce and Green and they will both get heavy minutes at 3 .

Here's the boxscore on this game. http://www.nba.com/summer-league/games/20120712/DETBOS/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore


JJJ with his best game so far. 17 points on 6-12. 6 boards and 3BS.

Sully with a mediocre game. He struggles against greater height. Drummond did a good job against him, as Miles Plumlee did in the Pacer game. HE IS NOT A CENTER.

Moore looked pretty good running the show in the first 3 games but was horrible this one. Horrible. 4 TOs in 16 minutes. Nothing looked smooth when he was in and playing point.

Xmas is a PG. He's not a SG. He's athletic, he can drive with the ball but you don't want him shooting from outside. He's a creator. The Celtics told these two to switch roles (I think it's obvious it was intentional) and both disappointed. Moore's a shooter. Xmas is a PG. Let them be who they are and they'll both do well. 10 points for Xmas on 4-7 but most of his fgm were on drives and not jumpshots. 1-4 from 3, so that means he was 3-3 from inside the arc. 8 boards by him. This is his 2nd game where he excelled on the boards. Even in his weaker rebounding games he garnered 5 or so. A strong rebounding 6'5" PG.

Another good game by Joseph! So far he's 4-0, he hasn't had a bad game yet. He shares honors with JJJ for most points by a Celtic, 17, on 6-16 shooting, but he's smooth as silk, showed he has a good nose for the ball on defense and attacked the basket both fullcourt and on the O boards. He is, by far, the most pleasant surprise this week. 11 boards for Joseph. That's right, he was 17 and 11 in 27 minutes. 4 offensive boards. I am liking this kid a lot. A lot.

Melo looked lost again. Couldn't handle Drummond, even though Drummond is a bit of a project too.

Drummond and Yancy Gates are both loads (and a half, for Gates). BIG beef for Detroit. Yancy Gates, it's what's for dinner.

Great game by Brandon Knight, who ate Moore's lunch, and Austin Daye. 14 assists for Knight, vs 1 for Moore. Yuck.

WE NEED A CENTER. SULLY ISN'T HIM.

bob


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Moore could sneak in there with some minutes at SG. But I think that we're looking at a guard rotation of Rondo, Terry and Bradlee, and perhaps Dooling or someone Danny picks up off the junk heap. That rotation has some flexibility since they can all play at least a little PG (yes, even Bradlee's a better PG—relatively speaking only—than the Moore I saw today). But Moore's smart, and he's a pretty good defender, and maybe his PG skills will catch up with the rest of his game. I hope so.

Sam

The surprise of the Orlando games is Kris Joseph. Once again he played a solid game at both ends of the court.

I think he makes the team. The Celtics are well stocked at the 3 but Joseph can play the position and down the road a bit he may get his opportunity.

JJJ played very well. He is a player that brings athleticism to the team and he can make shots. Not sure how he will be integrated into the rotation this year with KG Bass and Sulliger all available to play PF and we could even see Jeff Green play the stretch PF.

I think the Celtics need to be patient with him and get him some minutes. He could be an important trading chip at some point.

Moore did not have his best game but as Lue juggles the lineup and assignments that is to be expected. Moore can play some PG but he really looks like a shooting guard that has the shooting skills to play off the ball.

We do need another point guard so do not be surprised if Dooling gets a one year deal to return. With Bradly sidelined for a few months into the season Moore's value as an off guard is enhanced.

The rest of the summer league roster are pretty good players but they are not going to make the team.

When I look at Fabrico Melo I keep thinking about Perkins and how raw he was as a rookie. If Melo has the same work ehthic as Perk he can develop into a solid center. The Celtics made a good decision in drafting him for the future.

But his lack of basketball knowledge serves notice that we need another center.

The more I watch Sullinger the more he looks like a non center. Of course we need to understand that he is going to learn a few things about playing that position just like Big baby did. But he really has no length to defend that position in the post. I sure hope KG is willing to play the 5 spot whenever needed. It is starnge that he does not like playing that position given his advantage against other centers.

Overall I am pleased with the 5 draft picks from last year and this year and I think all of them can contribute at some point or allow Danny to pull off another big deal down the road.

dboss