Summer Quandaries 5: Joel Embiid???

http://celticsgreen.blogspot.com/2015/07/sq5-joel-embiid.html



SQ5: Joel Embiid??

By Lee Lauderdale







Just a question (or six) today:
Would you trade James Young, Evan Turner and our 2016 #1 for Joel Embiid?
How about Perry Jones III rather than Turner (I suspect Philly would resist taking Turner back)?
Sullinger or Olynyk rather than Turner?
Throw in a couple of seconds?

Big men and foot problems are a dangerous mix but would Danny take the chance while waiting another year for Embiid? Obviously Joel would not be available for these assets if he were healthy now, but would Philly pass the gamble off to another team while recouping young player(s) and our #1? It would solve our roster glut and give us a shot at that “franchise” center. It is risky but I rather think that poker player Ainge would pull the trigger and take the chance that our training/medical staff could revive Embiid's career. Any draft (or youth development project) is a gamble and this one might have an acceptable risk/reward ratio. The Jones version would have to be in December and while it wouldn't solve the roster crowding, Brad/Danny should have a pretty good read on his viability by then. I would do the Turner version eagerly, the others with more hesitation. What say ye?

61 days until camp


bob
MY NOTE:  I wanted Danny to take Embiid, had he fallen to #6.  In fact, I wanted him to move up so he could take him.  Now, I'm not so sure.  Two straight years with the same bone broken?  Are Philly doctors really that bad, or is it his feet that aren't getting the job done?  Big scary, BIG scary, but his talent oh my God...  Another question is "would Hinkie trade him for that?".  Sam Hinkie thinks his s--t don't stink, and for him to trade away a draft pick that high without getting high quality in return would be an acknowledgement of a mistake (Danny, on the other hand, has no problem recognizing something isn't working out and flipping that deal into the next one).  I also don't think there's any way Evan Turner would be in the deal.  To Philly?  Lee must have forgotten they are the ones who drafted him #2 (not by Hinkie, though.  2010 draft for Turner, hired in 2013 for Hinkie), so would they really take him back as part of a trade?  That would shock me.



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I regret what amounts to a "reach" by Lee so early in his "Summer Quandaries" series. And the main reason is NOT my considerable doubt that Embiid will ever be able to demonstrate his skills over a protracted span of time in the NBA. My concern is momentum. Whether by design or by luck (or a combination of the two), the development of the Celtics suddenly gathered momentum during the last one-third of the 2014-15 season. The team that ended the season certainly was nowhere close to what is needed to become a contender. However, they quickly developed an identity and did a remarkable job of learning how to play together. That represents momentum in my book.

I’d hate to see the team marking time, for at least an entire season, just to see if Embiid could be counted on to comprise the (arguably) most important building block for the future. The only thing worse than giving up on a failed one year experiment would be having him show signs of just enough greatness—interspersed with periods of physical relapse—to string the Celtics along for yet another season, or possibly tw or three.

What this team needs is players who display not only high levels of ability but also players whose health history does not include clouded long-term potential.

Sam

sam wrote:I regret what amounts to a "reach" by Lee so early in his "Summer Quandaries" series.  And the main reason is NOT my considerable doubt that Embiid will ever be able to demonstrate his skills over a protracted span of time in the NBA.  My concern is momentum.  Whether by design or by luck (or a combination of the two), the development of the Celtics suddenly gathered momentum during the last one-third of the 2014-15 season.  The team that ended the season certainly was nowhere close to what is needed to become a contender.  However, they quickly developed an identity and did a remarkable job of learning how to play together.  That represents momentum in my book.

I’d hate to see the team marking time, for at least an entire season, just to see if Embiid could be counted on to comprise the (arguably) most important building block for the future.   The only thing worse than giving up on a failed one year experiment would be having him show signs of just enough greatness—interspersed with periods of physical relapse—to string the Celtics along for yet another season, or possibly tw or three.

What this team needs is players who display not only high levels of ability but also players whose health history does not include clouded long-term potential.

Sam

sam,

I agree, but 4-1 isn't a bad start, and it's a 65 game season for him.


bob


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Bob,

Not bad at all. More than a year's worth of entertaining articles submitted by some scribes we could mention.

I hope Lee will be contributing to our enjoyment well into the regular season.

Sam

He was a player I really wanted because he is a legit center with skills on both sided of the court.

But now we have seen the injuries and his future is very much in doubt.

I would not touch him with the broken end of a coke bottle right now. His value has diminished considerably and unless experts can examine him and deem that his long term health will allow him to play I, see no good reason to even think about trading for him.

The Celtics are well on their way to becoming a very competitive team. Yes we have a lot of assets but there is no good reason to take an expensive flyer on a broke down player.

IMO

dboss

Let's see if Philly will take nine second round draft picks for him?

I've heard there's something about the African diet Embiid grew up on that could be tied to how poorly his foot is healing.

I don't know if he grew up on a lack of calcium or protein or something, but I think that might be part of this Embiid foot situation.

bobc33 wrote:Let's see if Philly will take nine second round draft picks for him?

I like that lol

dboss

rambone wrote:I've heard there's something about the African diet Embiid grew up on that could be tied to how poorly his foot is healing.

I don't know if he grew up on a lack of calcium or protein or something, but I think that might be part of this Embiid foot situation.

African diet?

really. The diversity of food consumed on the continent of Africa varies so much that there is no such thing as an African diet.

Maybe the problem with his feet or foot or the issue with his back is genetic. Some people have bad feet (Sam Bowie comes to mind) And a lot of people have bad backs.

Nevertheless he is not a player that the Celtics should trade for unless as Bobc suggested, we give them a ton of 2nd rounders

dboss