Bird or Nader?

Now with Smart re-signed, the last part of the roster could come down to Jabari Bird or Abdul Nader.

I say that the Cs should go with Bird as Nader seems to have topped out in what he can do as an NBA player.

Also, I think that Bird is much more likely to become a better trade chip by the trade deadline if necessary.

Your thoughts.

I'll go with Bird. He could have helped last season during the playoffs, not a lot but perhaps some.

Nader showed me nothing all last season that would make me think he could improve enough this season to matter. He was a good soldier by going to the D-League one season and Danny fulfilled his promise that Nader would get a chance in the big league. Now, Danny owes him nothing.

Ideally, I'd put Bird on a 2way contract. We'd release Nader and begin the season with 14 players. We'd then use 10 day contracts for the spot starting January, eventually make an opportunistic signing to the finish year. The mid-level and strong season should hopefully be able to draw a quality midseason player.

Bird already has a two way contract..

In either case I'd rather give him a shot. Nader looks lost all the time and doesnt fit with how the offense works.

KJ

Bird

he has more defensive and ball handling upside than Nader

I doubt that Bird will settle for another two way contract. What little I've seen of him is superior to Nader, but summer league play is often a mirage. If it boils down to those two, Bird, for sure, but I strongly suspect it will have to be a standard NBA rookie contract or its bye bye Birdie.

Shams Charania
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The Boston Celtics have waived swingman Abdel Nader, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.



bob



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Hopefully, Nader can catch on somewhere else in the NBA, but as a very late second round pick and after two years of trying to get minutes it may be tough for him. He may have to go overseas to keep playing as a pro.

He apparently gave it his best, but not many guys picked as late as he was end up even becoming "rotation" players in the NBA.

I predict that Yabusele is the next guy to go this same route (lose his Celtics roster spot) although probably not until the trade deadline.

I am not giving up on Yabusele yet. He has talent , but needs to get in shape.  Playing in  China did nothing to make him a better player.

jrleftfoot wrote:I am not giving up on Yabusele yet. He has talent , but needs to get in shape.  Playing in  China did nothing to make him a better player.

JR,

I agree.  He has talent, he has amazingly quick feet for a man his size, a 7'1" wingspan and he can shoot 3s well.  Brad and Danny also talk up his passing.  Playing in China got him minutes but that's all.  You don't develop your game by playing against a bunch of chairs and traffic cones, which is what defense in the Chinese League is.

I believe that decision was pushed by Danny.  Maybe he was thinking of Yabby coming back by playoff time, in case of injuries on the roster?  Probably the biggest plus for the Chinese League is that their season ends sooner than Europe and players can get on an NBA playoff roster.  If that was the strategy it was a flawed one.


bob


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I have to agree that Yabusele doesn't look like a keeper.

a 6-7 "big Man" with no hops is a usually a dead man in the NBA.

I guess thee is a chance he might some day be a poor mans Anthony Mason...but I doubt it at this point. Bot to mention Mason would likely have major issues in today's NBA.

it wouldn't surprise me If Danny tries to find someone to give him a bag of chips to take on Yabusele's contract at some point this year.

I just do not see Yabusele figuring out how to play defense in the NBA.  He is just too big to play against smaller guys and too small to play against bigger guys.  His defense was fine in club ball in France and also in China because it is likely that no one really plays defense in either country.  His NBA defense is certainly still not up to even 'slightly below average'. And, so far, his offense cannot 'carry' him like a guy like Carmello Anthony did for so many seasons.

Guys with offensive flaws can work on their handle or their shot a zillion times and perhaps get better at such weaknesses.  Handling the ball can be done against a chair and you can shoot over your mom holding a broom. I like to use Avery Bradley as such an example as he found ways to improve offensively in each of his years in Boston. However, guys who don't have the "it" to play defense do not get the same reps to get better.

I`m not sure where the Anthony Mason comparison is coming from . He was a completely different player than Yabusele. HE took a TOTAL OF 12 3 point shots his entire career and made 2. Guerschon may or may not make it in the NBA,  but it certainly won`t be as an Anthony Mason clone.

they could be twins in size and appearance. Mason was a good  ball handler for a wide body, but not the best defender and certainly never a shot blocker (like the dancing bear).

no one wanted big men shooting 3's back in the day. so kinda hard to compare I think.

I'd be happy as a all get out if Yabusele could be half as good as  Mason ( Mason had a 13 year career with averages of 10.9 pt., 8.3 reb and 3.4 assists per game.


I will note draftnet NBA player comparison for Yabusele when he was drafted was Gary Trent Sr.....maybe I think too highly of Yabusele myself.

wideclyde wrote:I just do not see Yabusele figuring out how to play defense in the NBA.  He is just too big to play against smaller guys and too small to play against bigger guys.  His defense was fine in club ball in France and also in China because it is likely that no one really plays defense in either country.  His NBA defense is certainly still not up to even 'slightly below average'.  And, so far, his offense cannot 'carry' him like a guy like Carmello Anthony did for so many seasons.

Guys with offensive flaws can work on their handle or their shot a zillion times and perhaps get better at such weaknesses.  Handling the ball can be done against a chair and you can shoot over your mom holding a broom.  I like to use Avery Bradley as such an example as he found ways to improve offensively in each of his years in Boston. However, guys who don't have the "it" to play defense do not get the same reps to get better.

Very astute post Clyde, it reminded me of a sign my juco coach had on the wall of his office. "If you can't play defense you won't play, if you won't play defense you can't play"!

Mason made at least one all defensive team and his shot mechanics were atrocious. Sure there were fewer threes taken back then , but 16 taken in a relatively lengthy career? I suppose we will have to agree to disagree,kdp. I still  maintain that there are few , if any , similarities in  their games and that Yabu is far better suite to today`s game than Mason would have been. Celtics coaches asked him to work on driving and praise his passing ability, both of which he showed to good advantage late in the summer league. As bobheckler pointed out , he is just 22 years old, and the best competition he has played against was in the G League. I believe the skills are there if he can get in shape and harness them.