Bulked Up Bradley Ready To Play Point

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/bulked-bradley-ready-play-point-cs


Bulked-up Bradley ready to play point for C's
August 27, 2013, 5:45 pm
A. Sherrod Blakely


BARRINGTON, N.H. — Injuries made it far from a given that the Boston Celtics were going to pick up the options on Avery Bradley's contract early in his career.

Heading into his fourth NBA season, the 6-foot-3 guard is eligible for a contract extension. If one is not reached, he becomes a restricted free agent next summer.

There are many things that Bradley is thinking about heading into this season, but his contract status apparently isn't one of them.

"I really don't focus on that," Bradley said. "I just focus on winning games, doing what I can do for my team."

And just as quickly as he forces ball-handlers to change directions, he soon did the same with questions regarding his contract.

"I can't wait for the season start," said Bradley who helped congratulate the winner of the Re/Max of New England "Home Court" makeover program in addition to leading a basketball clinic in Barrington. "I'm in the gym every day trying to get better. I can't wait until training camp."

Indeed, Bradley is no different than many of his Celtics teammates who are back from last season's squad which was knocked out of the postseason in the first round by the New York Knicks.

Forget about getting past the Knicks or any other team in the first round of the playoffs.

Just getting to the postseason will be challenging for a Celtics squad that traded away Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets, as well as former head coach Doc Rivers who is now the head coach and Vice President of basketball operations with the Los Angeles Clippers.

In exchange for letting Rivers out of his contract which had three years and $21 remaining, the C's received a future first round pick from the Clippers.

"It was hard," Bradley said of seeing his former teammates and head coach leave all at once. "We are all like a family. It was hard on everybody. All we can do is wish the best for each other and just move on from there. When we see each other, there's always going to be love."

And for those who love Bradley's physical brand of play, there's literally more to love these days.

Two-a-day (and sometimes three-a-day) workouts this summer in addition to more weightlifting and a modified diet, has resulted in Bradley adding significant bulk to his frame.

"My body, I feel a lot stronger," said Bradley who now weighs 196 pounds which is the most he has ever weighed. "Sometimes when I'm walking down the streets of Boston, people say, 'Man you look a lot bigger.' "

Bradley, who has weighed around 180 pounds most of his career, said he hopes to go into the season weighing about 188 pounds.

Not only will the added weight allow him to be an even more physical defender than he is now, but it should also result in his body being more sturdy for the rigors of this upcoming season.

There were a number of Celtics players that seemed to struggle at times late in the season for a variety of reasons; Bradley was among them.

"Towards the end of the season, my body was kind of breaking down on me," he admitted. "I was getting a little sick and stuff so I wasn't eating. But I feel a lot better now."

And he feels a lot better about the Celtics' chances for success this season than many anticipate.

Along with the trades that have clearly made the C's a weaker team on paper, Boston also has to deal with the possibility that their best player Rajon Rondo will not being ready to play at the start of the season.

While the Celtics remain hopeful that his torn right ACL injury will heal in time for him to start the season, all indications are that Rondo's return will most likely be sometime in December.

That means Bradley may once again find himself having to play more at the point guard position than off the ball, which is a more natural spot for him to play.

"Whatever my role is, whatever I can do to help our team out, that's what I'm going to be open to doing," Bradley said. "Rondo will still be there to play that leadership role and help everybody out. Even if I'm not playing point guard, whoever it is, I'm pretty sure whoever is, Rondo is going to be there in his ear to try to help us be the best team we can be and win a championship."

Yes, Bradley said the 'C' word in relation to this team.

"I consider us an underdog team," Bradley said, adding, "a lot of people counting us out."

The Celtics' naysayers and critics, much like Bradley's contract status, are not pressing matters for him heading into this season.

"I've just been focusing on my game, just getting better and being the best I can for this team," he said.



bob
MY NOTE:  Is it just me, but do I not see anything in this column that suggests that Bradley is better prepared to play point?  To be honest, I have serious reservations about the entire concept of teaching someone to be a point guard.  You either have that court sense and vision or you don't (which is one of the reasons I'm feeling good about KO, he was a point guard until his junior year in HS, when he went from 6'3"-6'10". So, he'll still have some of that skill).  If all it took was to learn the plays, Bradley would have been a point guard last year.  Other than that, it sounds like Bradley is very serious about having a good year, that's the word that's been circulating all summer, and that's a very good thing.  Hopefully, Pressey will be able to get the job done at backup point.

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ESPN's Chris Forsberg wrote an article with almost the same title, published the same day.  So, here's his article.  Let's have some fun and compare.  


http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4706641/beefed-up-bradley-ready-for-new-season



Beefed-up Bradley ready for new season
August, 27, 2013
AUG 27 5:15PM ET
By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com


Chris Forsberg/ESPN Boston




Cedric Maxwell and Avery Bradley with the Barker-Jobin family.


BARRINGTON, N.H. -- Beefed up Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley said he's taking full advantage of his first true NBA offseason and, despite a summer of changes for his team, the fourth-year guard gushed with anticipation about the upcoming season.

Bradley, who has spent much of the summer out of the public eye while immersing himself in basketball workouts, emerged Tuesday for the first of three court renovations as part of a contest sponsored by RE/Max of New England. Bradley and Celtics legend/broadcaster Cedric Maxwell unveiled the first of three driveway makeovers Tuesday with the Barker-Jobin family.

Looking fit and noting he's bulked up to 196 pounds, Bradley admitted his body broke down at the end of the 2012-13 season, one in which he missed the first two months while rehabbing from double shoulder surgery, and he's utilized his first uninterrupted offseason as a pro to prepare his body for the 82-game grind.

"Every summer for me has been just watching film, just going to watch people play," said Bradley, whose rookie season was stunted by a chipped bone in his ankle from a predraft workout. He lost his sophomore offseason to the lockout and last year he was recovering from surgery on both shoulders that had ended his 2011-12 season early.

"This whole summer, I’ve bee playing every single day. I think I took like maybe three weeks off. My girlfriend kept telling me, 'You need to rest, you need a break.' But I was so excited to get back on the court and I’ve been here in Boston for maybe like two months, working out every day. Two a days. Me, Jared [Sullinger] and a few of the younger guys."

It's funny to hear the 22-year-old Bradley refer to "younger" players, but he'll be an elder statesman on next year's overhauled roster (only Rajon Rondo will be longer tenured in Boston). Bradley knows he'll have a bigger role and is ready to shoulder it.

"I feel a lot stronger, sometimes even when I’m walking down the street in Boston, people will say, 'You look a lot bigger now.' And I laugh," Bradley said. "I’ve been eating a lot different, I’ve been lifting every single day, I weigh the most I ever weighed -- like 196, that's a lot for me and I’m hoping I can stay like 188 throughout the season.

"I feel a lot better. Toward the end of the season, my body was kind of breaking down on me. I was getting a little sick and stuff, so I wasn’t eating. But I feel a lot better now."

Bradley endured a lackluster postseason, getting bullied at times by New York's Raymond Felton, who proved to be the X-factor for the Knicks that Boston had hoped Bradley would be for the Celtics. It's clear the added bulk is designed at improving his ability to muscle up with his All-NBA defense, but also could aid him on the offensive end.

"I feel like it makes me stronger. I feel stronger," Bradley said. "When I’m working out with my teammates, they feel me. It’s a difference, and I can tell because the coaches tell me that I look a lot bigger than I was last year."

Bradley said he doesn't ask Rondo about his health when they correspond during the offseason, but acknowledged the team might not have its All-Star point guard at the start of the season. Bradley is willing to help with ball-handling duties if asked.

"I’m not sure what position I’m going to play, whatever I can do to help our team out, that’s what I’m going to be open to doing," Bradley said. "Rondo will still be there to play that leadership role and help everybody out. Even if I’m not playing point guard, I’m pretty sure whoever is, Rondo is going to be there in his ear, trying to help us become the best team we can be."

Bradley said he's settled into a two-a-day routine in Boston as other players start trickling in (MarShon Brooks and Kelly Olynyk among the recent arrivals, with Vitor Faverani and Phil Pressey before them). Bradley admitted the departure of coach Doc Rivers, as well as veterans Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, was "hard" because "we were all like family." But he heaped praise on new coach Brad Stevens and a remodeled coaching staff.

"[The coaching staff is] amazing," Bradley said. "It’s different after being with the same coaches for three years, it was hard for me. But our new coaching staff is amazing. Every single coach. I’m enjoying being around them every single day. I learn from them every single day."

Bradley, who ran youth camps back in his native Tacoma this offseason, said he's also enjoyed diving into some community work in recent days. A young child breathlessly announced Bradley's arrival while running down the Barker-Jobin's driveway, to the amusement of those in attendance.

"It means a lot," Bradley said. "Me, personally, I never got a chance to meet any NBA players growing up. For me to put a smile on a kid’s face, that makes my day. I love doing this. I did an event, kind of similar to this yesterday, and I just love doing things like this, especially when it involves kids. Seeing the smiles on their face, cracking jokes. They are just so friendly."

Then someone noted how Bradley lost to a group of teen girls in a game of knockout.

"Yeah, the girls beat me at knockout," Bradley said. "That’s OK. I’m not used to this hoop."

He'll be ready for the 10-foot NBA versions when the season tips in late October. One thing Bradley isn't worried about at the moment is his contract as he's set to be a restricted free agent next offseason if not extended by the Halloween deadline this year.

Bradley said he's only focused on what he can control. And his face lights up when he talks about next season, even as he admitted Boston will be an underdog with people counting them out.

"I can’t wait until the season starts," Bradley said. "I’ve been in the gym every single day, trying to get better, now that I can. I’m just excited, I can’t wait for the first preseason game, I can’t wait for training camp."



bob
MY NOTE:  Apparently, "beefed up" is a term that can be universally applied to Bradley, since both writers used it. A lot of overlap in the two articles, but this one offers more beef, no pun intended, by talking about the 2-a-days and which other players are involved. I do like that Faverani and Pressey and KO and Sully are in there working with a month before camp starts. It'd be nice to have some vets show up too, but we don't have many that aren't coming off of ACL surgery.