The Best of Both Worlds For Kris Joseph

http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/8684475/celtics-rookie-kris-joseph-gets-best-worlds




Best of both worlds for Joseph


Rookie forward shines with Red Claws while staying in loop with Celtics




Updated: November 27, 2012, 10:39 PM ET

By Greg Payne | ESPNBostonWhen the curtain lifted at the Celtics' practice Tuesday, the media received a bit of a surprise when rookie forward Kris Joseph was seen sitting on the sideline next to injured guard Avery Bradley.






David Liam Kyle/NBAE/Getty Images

Joseph attempts to block a shot by Kyle Gibson of the Canton Charge.
"It's real good, going there, giving me an opportunity to play and work
on some game-time things, not just practicing," he said of his
assignment to the Red Claws.

Joseph, along with rookie center Fab Melo, was assigned to Boston's D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, on
Nov. 14, and it was thought that the two youngsters wouldn't be seen for
quite some time. But thanks to the Celtics agreeing to a single
affiliation with the Red Claws over the summer, they are free to assign
and recall players as often as they would like.

So, with the Red Claws not playing again until Friday night, the C's elected to
bring Joseph and Melo back up to be around the team.


"They don't have a game, and we don't have a lot of players," coach Doc
Rivers said. "The greatest part about [the single-team affiliation with
the Red Claws] is it's an hour-and-a-half drive, and they can drive up
and practice and go back home -- I don't know what [Joseph] calls home,
Boston or Maine, but it's been a pretty good thing so far for us."


After practice, Joseph emerged to discuss what the process has been like for him so far.


"It's cool, real cool," he said. "It's real good, going there, giving me
an opportunity to play and work on some game-time things, not just
practicing, playing in a real game under the whistle, so it's been a
great experience so far for these past two games.

"I've been through the process of being patient and waiting your turn, and
right now I'm just really learning. I watch every game the Celtics play
when I'm away, and when I'm here, I'm either at a game or here at
practice or just trying to learn and keep getting better."

Joseph played an integral role in leading the Red Claws to victories in their
first two games, averaging 25.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in
39 minutes per game. He opened the season with a game-high 28 points in a
123-115 victory over the Canton Charge and followed that up with 23
points in a 117-112 win over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (and old friend
JaJuan Johnson). Joseph admitted he went in underestimating the talent
that has spread throughout the minor leagues of basketball.





"You know, those guys down there are really
good," Joseph said. "Because even if you think about the guys on my
team, I have Shelvin Mack who played with the Wizards and Chris Wright
who got called to Golden State, Xavier Silas with the Sixers, so there's
a lot of talent in that league, and a lot of people, myself included --
I didn't know how good of a league it was before actually being a part
of it. So, it's been great. Being here and playing against these guys
every day and going there definitely gave me a slight advantage, because
I'm playing against some of the best in the world."


The perception of the D-League has changed, compared with years past,
which is a crucial part of the process for Joseph and Melo. Whereas in
years past, some players, including Bradley at one time, saw trips to
Maine as a demotion, the D-League now seems to be better embraced by
younger players looking for playing time on veteran-laden teams.


"At the end of the day, if anyone had the choice, I'm sure they would
pick to stay up here," Joseph said. "But, at the end of the day, with my
situation, especially, I wasn't getting much time and it was going to
be hard for Coach to find that time for me, so the front office did a
great job of coming to the conclusion of sending me down there and I was
all for it, because I thought it would be beneficial for my game in the
future and in the long run."





Ron Hoskins/Getty Images

"I know that coach Mike Taylor was telling me that the Claws haven't
started 2-0 in a long time, if ever, and he said the fan base is really
great, pretty similar to the Celtics' fans," Joseph said.



In a way, Joseph and Melo should be somewhat grateful the D-League is
even an option for them. It's a stark contrast to what happened last
season to Boston's rookies -- Johnson and E'Twaun Moore.
Because of injuries, the Celtics needed to keep those players around,
but the condensed schedule as a result of the lockout meant practically
no practice time. And because they weren't playing in games on a
consistent basis, they were basically left floundering, and it's not a
stretch to imagine that their individual growth as players didn't reach
its full potential in their first year in the NBA.


So it's with a sense of purpose and a desire to improve their games that
Joseph and Melo will make the trek back and forth between Boston and
Maine. But Joseph joked about the need for the pair to drive separately
in their own cars.


"No, we drive our own cars. We drive separate," Joseph said. "Because
when we're here, I don't want to have to be picking him up when he has
to go places, you know what I mean? So, he drives his own car, I drive
my own."


Tuesday was just a pit stop for Joseph and Melo, who will hike back up
to Maine for practice leading up to Friday's home opener against the Los
Angeles D-Fenders. You won't hear any grumbles out of Joseph about the
car rides. He's excited to have the opportunity to play, and he's
looking forward to the team debuting in front of its home crowd.


"I know that [Red Claws] coach Mike Taylor was telling me that the Claws
haven't started 2-0 in a long time, if ever, and he said the fan base
is really great, pretty similar to the Celtics' fans, and I know they're
looking forward to a winning season, and I'm sure they're looking
forward to seeing us play on Friday," he said.



bob
MY NOTE: That's a pretty gaudy stat line after two games: 25.5ppg, 7.5rpg and 3.5apg. Granted that's in 39mpg, but it's not about the /mpg so much as that he's getting the minutes, period. As he says, game-time timing is different from practice time.


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