Babb is back?

just heard a blurb that Babb was signed and Randolph released?

Babb?

really...why?

http://www.nba.com/celtics/news/pressrelease/boston-celtics-sign-babb

Sam

ahhh...having Babb as a non -guaranteed deal for next year is purely for possible trade options.

guess with Sully back and since Randolph never played anyway, it does make sense.

And ever since Shav whacked Kelly in the eye with his elbow in pre-game warmups full contact warmups have been banned.  One week later, Shav's gone.  


bob


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Kelly's tough, he can take it...LOL.

kdp59 wrote:Kelly's tough, he can take it...LOL.

kdp,

You know, if you had said that last week I'd think you were joking, but after watching him take 4 stitches to the eyelid and then play that night looking like Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull or Sly Stallone in Rocky and play a good, aggressive game I'm not sure it would be a joke...


bob



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One thing I like about this signing is the message it sends to agents and players.  If the coaching staff of the Red Claws see something in you they tell Danny and, if Danny sees it too, he will give you a shot.  Maybe even multiple shots, like Babb and even Randolph, if you keep working hard and have a good attitude.

The Red Claws are our farm club.  Having them nearby, wholly owned by the Celtics and playing Stevens' playbook nightly gives a positive spin to players who are talented enough to be bubble players who didn't get drafted high enough to get a real shot at the NBA but maybe should have and are choosing where best to hang their hat and hope for a call up.

Congrats to Chris Babb.  He can now claim to have signed an NBA contract.  He's a big, strong 6'5", 225# defender with a 6'9" wingspan who can hit 3s (37.5% with Maine).  He might have added to his game in Maine, but I don't remember him as a penetrator or as a player who can create his own shot or shooting off the dribble, he's a face up shooter only.  His defense, though, is solid and quite physical.  6'5" 225# is an inch taller, but as heavy as, Marcus Smart.  Smart has a 6'9 1/2" wingspan.



bob


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I suspect we'll see increasing defensive orientation as the Celtics continue to acquire players.  This doesn't mean they'll sign only defensive specialists.  But I bet they won't sign offensive specialists who lack defensive skills.  As it is, Isaiah Thomas and James Young come close to being defensive liabilities on the pathway to contention.

Sam

Hey Bob, HE'S BACK!!!! You have liked this kid for over a year.

As far as Shav is concerned, I do not think Kelly's accident had anyrhing to do with his departure. What did he get 4 - 6 minutes of playing time?

This was probably a no-brainer for Babb to sign with the Celtics.
He's going to earn over $31,000 over the next week and a half. Way more than playing in the D-League.
He will earn more money if the Celtics make the playoffs.
He gets the experience of being in a playoff atmosphere for an NBA team.
I'm kind of surprised he hasn't landed an NBA job up to this point.
He definitely has some skills, and is a hustler on the court.

RosalieTCeltics wrote:Hey Bob, HE'S BACK!!!!  You have liked this kid for over a year.

As far as Shav is concerned, I do not think Kelly's accident had anyrhing to do with his departure. What did he get 4 - 6  minutes of playing time?

Rosalie,

Yep, I did like him.  Wasn't crazy about his set offense since it seems to be heavily 3pt fga oriented, but I loved his defense.  

I also love his wingspan.  I've become pretty committed to the idea that wingspan is more important for defense than even height or bulk.  Let me give you a couple of examples to support my view:  

1.  Avery Bradley, 6'2", 180#, 6'7" wingspan.  Can be an elite defender of PGs as well as much taller SGs despite being undersized.  Shot blocking/altering ability
2.  Kelly Olynyk, 7'0", 240#, 6'9 1/2" wingspan.  NOT a good defender, NOT good shot blocking/altering ability man-to-man or weak-side help but is 7'0" so he has the height.
3.  Brandon Bass, 6'8", 250#, 7'2" wingspan.  Good defender, good shot blocking/altering ability even against taller players man-to-man or help.
4.  Bismack BiYOMMMMBOOOO!!!, 6'9" - 6'10", 245#, 7'6" wingspan.  Good defender, excellent shot blocking/altering ability (not much else, but...) despite being a couple of inches shorter than a lot of his opponents.

This is one of the reasons I keep harping on Porzingis.  He's a toothpick but he is loooong.  He's 7'0" with a long, long wingspan.  Sure, he can't play low post defense against Howard or Pekovic or any of those behemoths, they'd turn him into Euro-jam, but my money is on him becoming a very good weak-side help defender because he is very mobile and can reach over players to get a piece of the ball.  I see length as being our biggest single deficiency at center, more so than beef.  We can throw Zeller and Sully at those mastodons in the low post, but when they spin around them you want someone who can swat at the ball and that means height.

Back to Babb, he has length for his position and he's built like protoplasm laid over a steel infrastructure.



bob



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Danny sending a message to the team and to agents? I think so.
Don't get too comfortable, you never know when you could be gone. I know this is a late season move that was easy to make, but it sends a message for the off season.

Sorry, but this is one of the reasons I loved Green. He is doing so well in Memphis (and I do not mean scoring every night), but he fits. I know I am alone here, and I will admit that Crowder brings that edge that I wish Green had, but he was exciting to watch at times. Oh well, that was then, this is now.
Don Chaney had arms that reached past his knee caps, he was something to watch on defense.

Rosalie

I don't think this signing sends a message to anyone.
Randolph didn't want to be tied to the Celtics with a non-guaranteed contract for next year.
Babb was fine with that, because teams have not been knocking down his door.
He just wants to be on a roster.
This was about Boston wanting to gain another asset via a very trade-able, non-guaranteed contract.
Plus, they get to take another look at Babb in Summer League and Camp.

Bob, Biyombo is a borderline NBA player in my opinion.
He just has no offensive game and is short for a center.

I would agree that this is much more of a Danny Ainge move to make for possibly a better trading situation in the summer much more than sending any messages to any of his current players.

Babb is a hustling player, but he will not find much more playing time than Randolph would have this season or next season either.

tjmakz wrote:I don't think this signing sends a message to anyone.
Randolph didn't want to be tied to the Celtics with a non-guaranteed contract for next year.
Babb was fine with that, because teams have not been knocking down his door.
He just wants to be on a roster.
This was about Boston wanting to gain another asset via a very trade-able, non-guaranteed contract.
Plus, they get to take another look at Babb in Summer League and Camp.

Bob, Biyombo is a borderline NBA player in my opinion.
He just has no offensive game and is short for a center.

TJ,


I know Biyombo is a borderline player.  I know he has no offensive game.  I know he is short for a center.  He is also averaging 2.5 blocks/36 minutes of play.  By comparison, 6'11" Dwight Howard is averaging 2.1/36, 6'11" Joakim Noah averages 1.7/36 and 6'10" Andre Drummond is averaging 2.1/36.  My whole point was that wingspan and length is more important than height.  By pointing out that Biyombo is short for a center, and those other well-regarded defensive intimidators are taller, only proves my point.


bob


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bobheckler wrote:

tjmakz wrote:I don't think this signing sends a message to anyone.
Randolph didn't want to be tied to the Celtics with a non-guaranteed contract for next year.
Babb was fine with that, because teams have not been knocking down his door.
He just wants to be on a roster.
This was about Boston wanting to gain another asset via a very trade-able, non-guaranteed contract.
Plus, they get to take another look at Babb in Summer League and Camp.

Bob, Biyombo is a borderline NBA player in my opinion.
He just has no offensive game and is short for a center.

TJ,


I know Biyombo is a borderline player.  I know he has no offensive game.  I know he is short for a center.  He is also averaging 2.5 blocks/36 minutes of play.  By comparison, 6'11" Dwight Howard is averaging 2.1/36, 6'11" Joakim Noah averages 1.7/36 and 6'10" Andre Drummond is averaging 2.1/36.  My whole point was that wingspan and length is more important than height.  By pointing out that Biyombo is short for a center, and those other well-regarded defensive intimidators are taller, only proves my point.


bob


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http://www.basketballinsiders.com/randolph-wants-guaranteed

It's amazing how often Gerald Wallace's name keeps popping up as a positive force, even when he isn't a member of the rotation.  Yes, I know cynics will issue the trite reminder that he's making loads of money so why shouldn't he be happy.  However, he'd be making the same money if he were a sullen malcontent who would save his energy for self-sereving pursuits.  And we've seen that he's not bashful in expressing his feelings.

So electing the positive path has obviously been a purposeful choice on his part.  And the relatively few floor minutes he gets have been earned by his top efforts when he's in there.

It would be difficult to identify any other current Celtic who has demonstrated a more professional demeanor this season.

Sam

You know Sam, I was one of the biggest complainer's about Wallace, his $, the spot he takes on the bench, and for a while, his criticism of the team. Whether it be that Brad has worn off on him, or Danny has told him basically where he stood on the totem pole, Wallace has gracefully become the true voice of reason and the tutor many of these young guys needed. The fact that Shav mentioned how much he would miss is friendship kind of turns your head. Not that we should worry about what he has to say about the team, but, a person like Shav has been around, seen alot and been around.

I am impressed by the way Wallace has carried himself the second half of the season. Maybe he has learned enough about how to treat players to get the most out of them This certainly has to be from what he learned from Brad. Maybe there is a future coach in the making

Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
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The Denver Nuggets have claimed free agent forward Shavlik Randolph off waivers, league source tells RealGM.
1:43 PM - 8 Apr 2015
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Marc Stein ✔ @ESPNSteinLine
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Denver still $1.9M below salary floor. Claiming Randolph would add $1.2M salary to books while in reality owing him mere pro-rated pittance
10:39 PM - 7 Apr 2015
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bob
MY NOTE: The Nuggets get an almost free look at him, just like Danny did with Gigi and Jonas. I hope it works out just as well for him.


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Good luck to Shav.

Sam