Rumor du Jour: Humphries Emerging as a Leader

by **bobheckler** Sat Sep 14, 2013 11:25 am

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2013/09/boston_celtics_rumors_2013_kri.html

Print Jay King, MassLive.com By Jay King, MassLive.com
on September 13, 2013 at 5:05 PM

Genuinely curious to know who the Boston Celtics now consider a leader, one reporter Friday asked rookie guard Phil Pressey which veterans have already established their voices in the locker room.

Pressey had already discussed leaning on Rajon Rondo for guidance, so his answer wasn't a knock on the four-time All-Star. But at least one of the names he mentioned might surprise you.

"A lot of (leaders)," Pressey said before getting specific. "Kris Humphries, Keith Bogans, they've been there almost every single day. They've been helping out a lot. They've been in the league for 10-plus years, so I listen to everything they say."

Wait, Humphries? The power forward now on his sixth team in 10 years, who fell out of favor with the Brooklyn Nets last season and actually acted in a spoof video making fun of how much people hate him?

Yeah, that guy.

According to an ESPN New York story by Jared Zwerling published Friday, Humphries worked on skill development this summer with Phil Weber, a respected coach with experience as an NBA assistant. And Weber, not that he would ever badmouth one of his clients, raved about the 28-year old's work ethic.

"Kris had about as hard a working month as I've ever seen. He's in unbelievable shape," Weber said. "He just worked, worked, worked, and the last workout before he went back to Minnesota -- after about five weeks of hard work -- he made 15 (shots) in a row from the elbow and 10 in a row from the corner 3. Kris is transforming his game, and his belief level is starting to soar. He was playing really well over in Clipperland. I went and saw him play one day and he looked great."

The jump shot bit is intriguing. Never known as much of a threat from outside, he's tried to add to his repertoire this summer. As Weber explained things to ESPN New York, "Thinking of his game and the evolution of him, it was a necessity because he's got the quickness and now he can make an elbow jumper at a higher percentage. Once you can make that consistent elbow jump shot and you have quickness on your opponent, you become almost unguardable or you've just become really beneficial to a team."

Almost unguardable? Probably not. Though he's one year removed from averaging double-doubles for two straight seasons, Humphries, especially for a big man not shouldering a heavy offensive load, has never scored very efficiently. His real contributions, at least so far, have come on the glass (where, assuredly, the Celtics can use some help). But it's exciting he's working to expand his impact.

Head coach Brad Stevens noted Friday how offseason training has clued him into which Celtics added aspects to their games. As training camp approaches, players are starting to congregate at the team's facility in Waltham. Stevens didn't mention Humphries specifically, but after reading the ESPN New York story, it's easy to believe maybe Stevens had the power forward in mind.

"You can glean a ton (from workouts)," the coach said Friday at Holland Elementary School in Dorchester, where the Celtics teamed up with the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation for a community event. "Even just a 2-person or a 3-person workout, how quickly things are applied, what kind of condition people are in, what kind of extra work that they've done over the summer. It may not be reflected in their stats in the past, and maybe sometimes you find out something that you didn't know -- you know, a guy who hasn't been much of a perimeter shooter shooting the basketball, or a guy that maybe has shot a better percentage and doesn't shoot it as well. Those things are things you find out in a short amount of time."

And oh, yeah. I know conventional wisdom holds that Humphries probably won't last a long time in Boston. Maybe that's still probable, but Humphries' business manager told ESPN New York his client would like to settle down in New England.

"He wants to get acclimated, he wants to get to know everyone, he wants to really prove to everyone, 'Look, I'm here, I'm devoted, I'm ready to rock and roll,'" said Humphries' manager, Josh Ketroser. "That's where his head's at. He's looking to have a good year and would love to sign a three- or four-year deal and stay in Boston, and be part of them turning around."

bob
MY NOTE: I suspect Hump would like a 3-4 year deal with just about anybody. Still, this sounds good. It can't hurt to have another double-double machine (the other, hopefully, will be Sully) on the team. Added range? That's nice too.

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