The dancing beAR is coming to 'merica

Maine for the rest of the d league season according to this article. -celtics-guerschon-yabusele-ready-nba-year-china

“I was very pleased with the way he played,” said Austin Ainge, the Celtics’ director of player personnel, who traveled to China last December to watch Yabusele play. “I think Guerschon’s strengths right now are his size and ability to play multiple positions, either 4 or 5. His 3-point shooting and passing are wonderful for a big guy.” – via ESPN
Austin Ainge, China, Guerschon Yabusele, Boston Celtics


well then...looks like we already have our next CENTER?

boy am I confused...though that's pretty easy I do admit.

I see Zizic playing a more traditional center role and Yabusele backing up Horford at PF. But in Brad's system they are both "bigs". Let's hope they both play BIG next year. At only 6'8" Guerschon could be our small ball center at 265# lol

He has the size to hold his position against most, if not all bigs in the league. Is he quick footed enough to cover 2s and 3s?

I think if the answer is "Yes", then he fits in quite nicely with the positionless NBA.

gyso

He is 6'8". How can someone who is 6'8" play center. The finesse centers of the NBA (e.g. Olynyk, Hawes, Frye, Speights) might struggle to shoot over him in the low post because he can body them with his 260+# and his lower center of gravity and they struggle with contact, but every other center in the league will be able to shoot over him from down low with ease.


bob


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Matty's link didn't come through right, so here it is:

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/18850442/boston-celtics-guerschon-yabusele-ready-nba-year-china



Meet Guerschon Yabusele, the Celtics' big, French 'dancing bear'





5:00 AM PT


Kevin Wang
ESPN.com



It's tough to pick one word that captures Guerschon Yabusele's game.

There's the force that comes from watching a ton of Larry Johnson tapes growing up. There's the versatility, a must for modern big men in today's NBA. And then there's the creativity. At 6-8, 270 pounds, Yabusele has been known to occasionally throw down a signature Karl Malone hammer dunk to salute "The Mailman."

"I was in a fast break, and all of a sudden it came to me," said Yabusele, who was the Boston Celtics' 16th overall pick in the 2016 draft and just finished a season with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). "I wanted the people to feel the power."

For the 21-year-old Frenchman who grew up as a fan of Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, he is perfectly fine just being Boston's "dancing bear," as Celtics assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry and now many others call him because of his size and quickness.

"That kid is a freak of nature that I had never seen, somebody so big and so mobile," said Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, a friend of Yabusele.

While playing at last year's NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Yabusele quickly impressed two of the Sharks' coaches who were scouting for the team's foreign imports in the upcoming CBA season. Since there wasn't an extra spot on the Celtics' roster for this season, Yabusele signed with Shanghai on a one-year deal, playing alongside former NBA guard Jimmer Fredette and completing the season with averages of 20.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2 assists per game in 43 games.

"I was very pleased with the way he played," said Austin Ainge, the Celtics' director of player personnel, who traveled to China last December to watch Yabusele play. "I think Guerschon's strengths right now are his size and ability to play multiple positions, either 4 or 5. His 3-point shooting and passing are wonderful for a big guy."

"It was my first time playing basketball outside my city in France," Yabusele said, three days after his team got eliminated from the first round of the CBA playoffs. He is slated to fly back to his hometown of Dreux in northern France for a long-overdue family reunion.

Yabusele would relax in Shanghai by dining at Morton's steakhouse and touring the Shanghai Tower, the world's second-tallest building, amid a schedule that includes three games a week, but being thousands of miles away from home for seven months is still not easy.

"You come to a new city and a different culture," Yabusele said. "You are not with your friends and family, and the food is not the same. It's a challenge. Not everybody can do it."

But he did it, and he did it well.

"He is one of the nicest kids with a genuine spirit," said Matt Beyer, Yabusele's agent.

"When I was there, every single person told me what a joy he was to be around," Ainge said. "They love his big smile and happy personality. I thought it was fun walking around in Shanghai with Guerschon where so many people recognized him. They just kept saying, "Yabusele." I think that was fun.

"I was joking with Guerschon that, when he was in France, he never did a lot of celebrations. But in China, after every shot or dunk, he is doing different dances and celebrations."


"That kid is a freak of nature that I had never seen, somebody so big and so mobile," Jaylen Brown, left, said of Yabusele. AP Photo/Elise Amendola


Born in an immigrant family from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yabusele grew up training with his father, a professional boxer who came to France in his 20s.

For Yabusele, who has two older sisters and two younger brothers, his early years were spent in boxing and soccer until he reached age 7.

"I was a big kid already," Yabusele said. "I was playing soccer with my dad, and one day, he said to me, 'You are getting big, really. You've got to try basketball, and you are going to like it.' So from that moment, I started playing basketball."

Yabusele is currently recovering from a sprained ankle in the CBA playoffs. He will stay in France for some time before reporting to the Celtics, where he will get an evaluation on his injury from the team's doctors, and stay with the Maine Red Claws of the D-League for the rest of the season.

"It will help him learn our system a little bit and get ready for the Summer League," Ainge said.

According to ESPN Insider Kevin Pelton's projection, given Yabusele's CBA figures this season he is expected to average 13.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per 36 minutes in the NBA.

"I'd say the key to his development will probably be improving as a defensive rebounder," Pelton said. "His translated defensive rebound percentage is 16.9 percent, which is below average for a power forward (18.4 percent). But his high-percentage finishing, ability to shoot the FIBA 3 and solid block rate are all encouraging for the Celtics."

When discussing the performance of foreign imports in the CBA, experts often argue that their impressive statistics should be viewed with caution, pointing to the league's lack of competitiveness.

But Ainge, who watched Yabusele closely during the season and spoke with him at least once a week, still likes what he has seen in Boston's young prospect.

"The CBA is the not best league in the world, but it does have very good import players," Ainge said. "The import big men that Guerschon faced included high-level players."


Said Yabusele: "All I am saying is, in every league, you can find people who play defense and people who don't. I think the CBA is a good league. People say they don't play defense and things like that, but think about it -- if you have some players who can accomplish a lot in this league, they can also do it elsewhere. They are just good. It's like when you are guarding Kobe Bryant and he's killing everybody, it doesn't mean the defense is bad. I really think a lot of players here can do the same thing in other leagues where there's definitely defense."

For now, the Celtics are bullish on his return to the NBA.

"He made a lot of friends in the short amount of time in the summer league, and our coaching staff and players really liked him." Ainge said. "We are optimistic. We expect him to be with us next year and help us."



bob
MY NOTE:  "That kid is a freak of nature that I had never seen, somebody so big and so mobile," said Celtics forward Jaylen Brown.  Jaylen Brown said this.  Jaylen Brown, a bit of a freak of nature himself.  For an uber-athlete like Brown to say that about The Dancing Bear is either pretty over-the-top or pretty remarkable.  The comments about defense in the CBA (Chinese Basketball League) is, in my opinion, absolutely spot-on.  I saw Yabusele make some blocks but I did not see almost any defense, not by any definition I would use, by anybody else.  That would explain why Jimmer Fredette is a demi-god there and 40 year old Methuselah Starbury is a full-blown god.  The key, for Yabusele, is for his ankle to heal quickly so he can get a few games in with the Red Claws in the 3 weeks they have left to their season.  At the minimum, he should be in Maine learning the playbook and watching Nader and other Red Claws execute Brad's playbook.  A brief vacation in France to rest up and refresh himself after the CBA season and then get your dancing ass over here!

With Yabusele, Zizic, Nader and a top 4 pick (barring trade) this should be an excellent summer league team for us. Summer League competition is inferior, they are bubble players who are just trying to get an invite to camp, which is the next bubble, and hopefully squeak onto a roster. I try not to read much into those games but these games should be fun to watch!


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Throw Rozier in there with Jalen and this may be the best summer league team in recent memory. And Jackson too.

It will be interesting to get a look at his improvement once he gets a chance to play in Maine. He played out of position and had no plays designed for him last summer. Yet he showed up very well. His highlights from China show the same kind of aggressive player. Now he will be at a higher level in the D-league, perhaps more like France and Euroball. He's going to be special and further advanced than Jaylen in his skills development. The two of them together will be a force that Nader will only complement. I doubt if Rozier plays SL this year. That will be for Jackson and Ball.

I'm excited about the young crop of guys coming in.. yabby (I should copyright that new nickname), Nader and zizic along with our #1 draft pick wI'll help make up a very cheap 2nd/3rd unit and the next generation of Celtics.

Still need a rebounding rim protector who can score- in my opionion that's the missing peice.

Matty wrote:I'm excited about the young crop of guys coming in..  yabby (I should copyright that new nickname),  Nader and zizic  along with our #1 draft pick wI'll help make up a very cheap 2nd/3rd unit and the next generation of Celtics.

Still need a rebounding rim protector who can score- in my opionion that's the missing peice.  

Matty,

Zizic doesn't fit the bill?


bob


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bobheckler wrote:

Matty wrote:I'm excited about the young crop of guys coming in..  yabby (I should copyright that new nickname),  Nader and zizic  along with our #1 draft pick wI'll help make up a very cheap 2nd/3rd unit and the next generation of Celtics.

Still need a rebounding rim protector who can score- in my opionion that's the missing peice.  

Matty,

Zizic doesn't fit the bill?


bob


.

not as a starter Im guessing.. love to be wrong.

Matty wrote:I'm excited about the young crop of guys coming in..  yabby© (I should copyright that new nickname),  Nader and zizic  along with our #1 draft pick wI'll help make up a very cheap 2nd/3rd unit and the next generation of Celtics.

Still need a rebounding rim protector who can score- in my opionion that's the missing peice.  

Matty,

I got you started, above.

Copyrights exist in perpetuity, forward and back to the original, with the person who first claims it, until or unless sold.  Start putting the copyright symbol after Yabby©.  Record the date and place you first used it, and you can file the paperwork for the copyright later.

If it becomes as big as "3-Peat," you can owe me a beer.

Regards

bobheckler wrote:He is 6'8".  How can someone who is 6'8" play center.  The finesse centers of the NBA (e.g. Olynyk, Hawes, Frye, Speights) might struggle to shoot over him in the low post because he can body them with his 260+# and his lower center of gravity and they struggle with contact, but every other center in the league will be able to shoot over him from down low with ease.


bob


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Admittedly they were exceptions, but Wesley Unseld  and , dare I say it , Cowens come to mind. You wouldn`t want him guarding Boogie Cousins in the low post, but true centers who can shoot in this era are few and far between. Sullinger played quite a bit of center in Boston and I have a feeling Yabusele is going to be considerably better than him. When a bigger lineup is called for , he can slide to the 4.

Yes Bob, for Jalen to call Yabu a freak of nature is the ultimate compliment, coming as it is from Brown.

I think the kid could side to #3 SF position and not feel out of place. he has both an inside - outside game and no one is stopping the guy if he drives to the basket.

Like the Lotto saying......HEY YA NEVER KNOW!

112288

NYCelt wrote:

Matty wrote:I'm excited about the young crop of guys coming in..  yabby© (I should copyright that new nickname),  Nader and zizic  along with our #1 draft pick wI'll help make up a very cheap 2nd/3rd unit and the next generation of Celtics.

Still need a rebounding rim protector who can score- in my opionion that's the missing peice.  

Matty,

I got you started, above.

Copyrights exist in perpetuity, forward and back to the original, with the person who first claims it, until or unless sold.  Start putting the copyright symbol after Yabby©.  Record the date and place you first used it, and you can file the paperwork for the copyright later.

If it becomes as big as "3-Peat," you can owe me a beer.

Regards

Hey thanks.. so a Sammy Adams Boston lager would be most appropriate I'm assuming..

So Rembert it here folks... "yabby" and "belichick bowl" are my creations.

Matty wrote:

NYCelt wrote:

Matty wrote:I'm excited about the young crop of guys coming in..  yabby© (I should copyright that new nickname),  Nader and zizic  along with our #1 draft pick wI'll help make up a very cheap 2nd/3rd unit and the next generation of Celtics.

Still need a rebounding rim protector who can score- in my opionion that's the missing peice.  

Matty,

I got you started, above.

Copyrights exist in perpetuity, forward and back to the original, with the person who first claims it, until or unless sold.  Start putting the copyright symbol after Yabby©.  Record the date and place you first used it, and you can file the paperwork for the copyright later.

If it becomes as big as "3-Peat," you can owe me a beer.

Regards

 Hey thanks.. so a Sammy Adams Boston lager would be most appropriate I'm assuming..

So Rembert it here folks... "yabby" and "belichick bowl" are my creations.

But you don't get to own 'Hooter'.

bobheckler wrote:

Matty wrote:

NYCelt wrote:

Matty wrote:I'm excited about the young crop of guys coming in..  yabby© (I should copyright that new nickname),  Nader and zizic  along with our #1 draft pick wI'll help make up a very cheap 2nd/3rd unit and the next generation of Celtics.

Still need a rebounding rim protector who can score- in my opionion that's the missing peice.  

Matty,

I got you started, above.

Copyrights exist in perpetuity, forward and back to the original, with the person who first claims it, until or unless sold.  Start putting the copyright symbol after Yabby©.  Record the date and place you first used it, and you can file the paperwork for the copyright later.

If it becomes as big as "3-Peat," you can owe me a beer.

Regards

 Hey thanks.. so a Sammy Adams Boston lager would be most appropriate I'm assuming..

So Rembert it here folks... "yabby" and "belichick bowl" are my creations.

But you don't get to own 'Hooter'.

"Hooter Rooter" was actually Sams creation as i recall

time for some wings, nachos and a fried grouper sandwich

cowens/oldschool wrote:time for some wings, nachos and a fried grouper sandwich

Cow the grouper is my go to meat at hooters nowadays

Matty wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:time for some wings, nachos and a fried grouper sandwich

Cow the grouper is my go to meat at hooters nowadays

been eating that and the crab legs for years with curly fries, I only have one friend that can out eat me, everyone else I've destroyed them all LOL

"Cow the grouper is my go to meat at hooters nowadays..."

Cow, hooters are my go to meat in groups nowadays...

Went here last night. For what it's worth, there are two within easy walking distance of each other. This was the smaller one.














bob


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On my way

Ktronic1 wrote:On my way

Hey Ktronic!  Thanks for stopping by the other side of the fence.

For those who don't join us on the Game On thread (go to the Home page, click on 'Game On! 2016-2017') Ktronic is a regular there, joins us for just about every game.  He is now sharing his BB insights on the main board.  I've been asking him to do this for a while but I think I finally planted a hook in the GSW game that caught.


bob


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