Blakely's Mid-Camp Grades

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Post by bobheckler Tue Oct 14, 2014 7:11 pm

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/blakelys-celtics-mid-camp-report-card#slide-1



Mid-camp report card



WALTHAM, Mass. -- In less than a week, the Boston Celtics have breezed through half of their preseason schedule.

While additional practice time would have certainly been a good thing, having a chance to evaluate players in games has a tremendous amount of value for a Celtics squad with so many question marks.

So, as the Celtics spend the next couple of days looking ahead to second half of their preseason schedule, we'll take this moment to reflect upon how players have performed thus far.



Blakely's Mid-Camp Grades Gallery_celtics_olynyk_sullinger_turner_101314
Credit:
AP IMAGE



HIGH HONOR ROLL

JARED SULLINGER: The 14.5 points in less than 25 minutes a game is nice, but within that he's shooting better than 58 percent on 3s. His low-post game, coupled with shooting the ball so well from deep range, will make him a tough cover this season. GRADE: A

EVAN TURNER: Versatility has been a strength of his game for years, and it certainly has benefited the Celtics thus far. His numbers -- 11.8 points, 6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game -- speak to how the 6-foot-6 wing has the potential to rack up triple-doubles at a Rajon Rondo-like rate. GRADE: A


Blakely's Mid-Camp Grades Gallery_celtics_evan_turner_101314
Credit:
USA Today Sports Images



HONOR ROLL


MARCUS THORNTON: His defense can be suspect at times, but he gets buckets. His game is really that simple. GRADE: A-  

PHIL PRESSEY: It has been a numbers game with Pressey, who has had limited opportunities to play but has made the most of the them consistently. GRADE: A-  

AVERY BRADLEY: He continues to look for his offense early and often, but Bradley's defense still rates among his NBA brethren. GRADE: A-  


Blakely's Mid-Camp Grades Celtics_marcus_thornton_101314
Credit:  USA Today Sports Images



MERIT ROLL


MARCUS SMART: His shooting needs some work, but the defensive impact he brings is undeniable. His physical strength and lateral quickness have been tremendous so far, and will only get better in time. GRADE: B+

BRANDON BASS: After spending most of his time in Boston as a starter, Bass has shown the ability to impact the game as a reserve, too. GRADE: B+

KELLY OLYNYK: Strength is still an issue for him when playing center, but he has the ability to affect the game in multiple ways. GRADE: B+



Blakely's Mid-Camp Grades Gallery_celtics_bass_smart_101314
Credit:
USA Today Sports Images




HONORABLE MENTION


TYLER ZELLER:After a slow start, Zeller is starting to contribute in ways that will not only help the Celtics but also secure a spot in the regular playing rotation. GRADE: C+

JAMES YOUNG: The 19-year-old wing has been the ultimate tease on the floor. He misses all of Summer League, shows a nice, well-rounded game in the preseason and now he's out again. So far, staying healthly appears to be his biggest hurdle. GRADE: C+

GERALD WALLACE: His minutes have been limited throughout the preseason, a good precursor for how things will be when the season starts. Grade: C

JOEL ANTHONY: Even with a clear opening at center, look for Anthony to spend most of his time on the bench. His offensive game has never been very good, and defensively he doesn't impact the game the way he did with the Miami Heat. GRADE: C-


Blakely's Mid-Camp Grades Gallery_celtics_gerald_wallace_101314
Credit:
USA Today Sports Images




NEEDS IMPROVEMENT


DWIGHT POWELL: After spending most of his career in the post at Stanford, the Celtics are converting the 6-foot-11, 240-pound rookie into a small forward. His length is a major asset in the position, but his footwork and timing aren't anywhere close to where they need to be for him to be effective. GRADE: C-


Blakely's Mid-Camp Grades Gallery_celtics_dwight_powell_101314
Credit:
USA Today Sports Images



PASSING


TIM FRAZIER, ERIK MURPHY, RODNEY McGRUDER and CHRISTIAN WATFORD: They have no realistic shot of making this team, with most likely playing for the Celtics' Development League team in Portland, Maine, or taking their talents overseas. GRADE: N/A


Blakely's Mid-Camp Grades Gallery_celtics_rodney_mcgruder_101314
Credit:
AP Images



NO GRADE


RAJON RONDO, VITOR FAVERANI and JEFF GREEN: All three have not played a single game in the preseason because of injury, with Green being the only one who will see action before the preseason ends. GRADE: N/A


Blakely's Mid-Camp Grades Gallery_celtics_rajon_rondo_101314
Credit:
USA Today Sports Images







bob
MY NOTE: Blakely never ceases to amaze me. He managed to turn baby food into garbage. Setting aside the individualness of this grading...

He gives Anthony a C- even as he says he'll have no impact, while giving him "Honorable Mention"? He gives James Young a C+ based upon one game, against the worst team in the league? He gives a "Passing" to 3 players that haven't play and won't make the team and then says their grade is "N/A"? HUH? If they're passing, that means they got at least a D, right? Dwight Powell "needs improvement". Don't stretch yourself there, Blakely. I like Phil, I really do, but he gets a higher grade than Kelly? In case you missed it, Blakely, our offense tanked in the games Kelly wasn't in. It isn't his points we missed, although we could have used them, it's that he touches the ball so much he impacts the game.




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Post by kdp59 Tue Oct 14, 2014 8:33 pm

Bob,

I'd like to see you and others from the board do your mid-camp rating on our players too.

I'd do one, but I don't have much energy right now I am afraid.
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Post by bobheckler Tue Oct 14, 2014 9:02 pm

kdp59 wrote:Bob,

I'd like to see you and others from the board do your mid-camp rating on our players too.

I'd do one, but I don't have much energy right now I am afraid.



kdp,

Afraid of what?  Ain't nobody here but us chickens.

1.  Mid-camp means nothing, it's Blakely filling column inches.  End of camp means nothing.  These games mean nothing, the minutes the players are playing are not necessarily indicative of what they'll be playing next month.  Stevens is experimenting.  He's playing Evan Turner with a lot of different lineups.  There's a good chance he'll be on the court with Jeff Green Wednesday.  Will he be on the court with Green when Rondo comes back?  It's experimentation.  Should players be graded based upon the coach's experiments?

2.  My problem with Blakely's piece, aside from the fact that he is the most boring sportswriter covering the Boston sports scene, is that he was inconsistent.  As I pointed out, he's giving scores to players that I don't believe make sense in context.

I'm not Sam, who says "See me in April", but I'm not going to do a snapshot of a team that has just played 4 games together after a couple of days of stretching and conditioning drills.  Zeller looked better in the 3rd game and much better in the 4th game.  That's what camp is for, it's to integrate the players and ensure their conditioning.  If I thought one of the players was poorly conditioned, that would be something I'd comment on because it's an individual short-coming, unrelated to the team and Brad's strategy, but I'm not going to comment on an individual's team play other than game-to-game.  
Yet.  The stew needs to cook some more before I'm going to taste it.  That's what pre-season is, it's the very unfinished beginning of cooking.


If someone wants to do mid-camp grading, that's fine. I will guarantee you any member of this board will produce at least as good an analysis as Blakely and almost certainly more consistent than the one he did. People can disagree about the grades, that's what sports boards are for, but he's a pro. I expect more from him.

Besides, I think I do plenty of "grading" when I write my post-game opinions.  As the season progresses those opinions reflect the greater body of work to judge those players on.  I was not kind to Kelly in the first half of last season, because he wasn't doing well, but gave him credit when he played better and explained, to the best of my ability, what those changes were.  These are 4 games, 3 of which were against poor teams, and key players sat out. Last game we played without 3 of our likely starting players (Kelly, Rondo, Green).



bob



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Post by dboss Tue Oct 14, 2014 11:15 pm

Individual assessments is the real problem with the article.

The more interesting evaluation should focus on how the team is playing at both ends.

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Post by Sam Tue Oct 14, 2014 11:43 pm

Really?  Seriously?

I'm glad I never had Blakeley as a teacher in school.  After the first day of the year, he'd be issuing grades on our toilet techniques.

Give me a break!

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Post by gyso Wed Oct 15, 2014 7:18 am

The first time I read this, I thought it said, "Blakely's Mid-CRAMP Grades".

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Post by kdp59 Wed Oct 15, 2014 7:51 am

Bob, I meant I was afraid I didn't have enough energy....LOL.

I didn't agree with everything in the piece, but I still don't see all the hate for the writer myself.

he got more right than wrong in the article to me, about what I expect from sportwriters....but maybe I have very low expectations.
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Post by sinus007 Wed Oct 15, 2014 8:35 am

Hi,
I always thought Blakely is an insider not a writer. Well, at least it's how he's always introduced. I guess it is done for reason...

AK
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Post by bobheckler Wed Oct 15, 2014 10:18 am

kdp59 wrote:Bob, I meant I was afraid I didn't have enough energy....LOL.

I didn't agree with everything in the piece, but I still don't see all the hate for the writer myself.

he got more right than wrong in the article to me, about what I expect from sportwriters....but maybe I have very low expectations.



kdp,

Blakely bores me.  He writes to fill a column and not because he has something to say or report, and he does it with a toneless style.  I don't always add my comments to the end of articles for one reason or another but, if you'll notice, I often have some dissenting perspective in my comments when I do.  That doesn't mean I disrespect the author, it just means that I'm not a clone.  Difference of opinions are what makes for interesting sports boards.  Probably the only writer that has gotten pretty much of a pass from me is Lee Lauderdale.  The reasons for that are:  I tend to agree with his conclusions; his conclusions, even when I disagree with them, seem to be well founded; I find his style more interesting and, lastly, because he shouldered the responsibility of coming up with 2 months worth of topics during a period where stories weren't being created and fed to him. (and he didn't cop out by following the herd by short-stroking the "Rondo's going to be traded" rumors to death)  He didn't hit a homerun every day, some days were eye-rollers, but he got more hits than misses and I respected his effort.  He didn't write tripe like Blakely, nor did he just assemble a circle jerk of bloggers and ask their opinions like Forsberg did, he dug down and actually came up with at least 45-50 interesting topics and, by doing so, kept momentum going on this board (as well as his own).  I'll check my fire if I think an honest effort is being delivered and may not be so inclined when I think a person who is paid to entertain and inform is just punching the clock and going through the motions.


I think Sinus summed it up well:  Blakely is an insider more than a writer.  If he were to cite a trade rumor I'd be more inclined to give it more weight.



bob




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Last edited by bobheckler on Wed Oct 15, 2014 10:19 am; edited 1 time in total
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Post by beat Wed Oct 15, 2014 10:18 am

About the only grade I can see is that of incomplete......until we get all the parts together (Rondo & Green) we really just don't know.

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