Horford FIBA

Al's going to play for the DR in the FIBA World Cup. That's fine, but hopefully we won't hear all that Mazzulla wore him out stuff if he doesn't show up in the playoffs. Zinger's presence, if all goes according to plan, will have him more rested. A healthy RWIII should also lessen his load. With Williams missing a large part of last season and Greg Kite redux ( I mEAN Luke Kornet)  and the ghost of Blake Griffin the only legitimate backup centers, wth was Mazzulla supposed to do ? Neither Muscala nor Grant were actual centers and you can't play small ball all the time. If we are fortunate enough to avoid major injury , our bigs should be well rested come playoff time. Fingers crossed that AH doesn't follow in Gallo's  footsteps.

Foot

AH at his age should not be playing in the FIBA tournament

He missed playing in 14 B2B games last season.

I find it to be a selfish decision on his part.  

He was wore out and worn down last season.  Yes I still believe playing him 30 mpg resulted in diminishing returns.

bOSS, I'm not denying that Horford would have benefitted from playing less minutes. What I'm saying is, the first objective of coaches and players is to win games.Ime , for instance, had one of the shortest rotations in my memory. You weren't going to win games playing Blake or Luke major minutes.I don't like the fact that AH is playing in the FIBA tournament either, but this may well be his last season, and I suppose he wants to squeeze every last drop of enjoyment out of it. This kind of thing might be something teams should consider dealing with contractually, if the CBA permits it. I don't like seeing a lot of restrictions put on players, but contracts do, I believe, sometimes include clauses prohibiting certain dangerous activities. Could playing in international tournaments be one of them? I don't know if it would wash, and I'm not necessarily advocating it. Just thinking out loud.

Al Horford named to Dominican Republic’s extended roster

https://www.celticsblog.com/2023/7/27/23809650/al-horford-named-to-dominican-republics-extended-roster-fiba-world-cup-boston-celtics-brad-stevens

Al Horford could play in the FIBA World Cup.

By AdamTaylorNBA@AdamTaylorNBA Jul 27, 2023, 1:18pm EDT 5 Comments / 1 New

It might be the NBA offseason, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any high-level basketball until October. The FIBA World Cup is scheduled to run between August 25 and September 10. While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will not be making the trip with Team USA, it appears that Al Horford could potentially participate in the tournament.

According to the FIBA website, Al Horford has been named to the Dominican Republic’s extended roster. Horford will be joined by fellow NBA players Karl-Anthony Towns and Chris Duarte as part of their national team squad. While Golden State Warriors two-way player Lester Quinones is also part of the extended roster.



Horford, 37, may yet opt out of participating in the World Cup. Last season, the Boston Celtics ensured their veteran center sat out the second night of back-to-backs, so they could keep him fresh for the playoffs. If Horford does take part in the World Cup, he will likely need rest before the start of the season, as FIBA basketball is very physical in style.

The Celtics have been active this offseason, as Brad Stevens has looked to give Joe Mazzulla a roster capable of winning a championship in 2024. However, should Horford make the trip to Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia, he may not be at his best to during the upcoming season.

Fortunately, Boston has improved their depth at the center position by acquiring Kristaps Porzingis. Horford is firmly in the final stage of his playing career and could want one last shot at winning a medal on the international stage, assuming he doesn’t envision himself playing in the Olympics next year.

Horford participated in 63 regular-season games for the Celtics last season, averaging 9.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3 assists, shooting 44.6% from 3-point range and 53.9% from inside the perimeter. During the postseason, Horford continued to prove his importance to Boston’s rotation, showcasing some stellar defense, especially during the seven-game series against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.

If Horford does decide to play in the FIBA World Cup, Celtics fans will have one of their favorite players to cheer for as the tournament progresses.

jrleftfoot wrote:bOSS, I'm not denying that Horford would have benefitted from playing less minutes. What I'm saying is, the first objective of coaches and players is to win games.Ime , for instance, had one of the shortest rotations in my memory. You weren't going to win games playing Blake or Luke major minutes.I don't like the fact that AH is playing in the FIBA tournament either, but this may well be his last season, and I suppose he wants to squeeze every last drop of enjoyment out of it. This kind of thing might be something teams should consider dealing with contractually, if the CBA permits it. I don't like seeing a lot of restrictions put on players, but contracts do, I believe, sometimes include clauses prohibiting certain dangerous activities. Could playing in international tournaments be one of them? I don't know if it would wash, and I'm not necessarily advocating it. Just thinking out loud.

Foot

Under another thread I mentioned the lack of big man depth as one reason why AH played a lot of minutes last year. So I am with you on that point.

AH has a 2 year deal that he signed so I expect that this will not be his last year (Unless you are referring to his opportunity to play in the FIBA games)

I do not see playing basketball during the off season as a dangerous activity. Risky yes.

A lot of top end players will not play in the Olympics (for example) especially if they have already played in one. Remember JT played in the last one and he seemed to tired in the playoffs. Teams hope that their players use discretion.

Good news

Al will not participate in the FIBA Tournament.

Now if only KP can change his mind we will have one less thing to worry about.

Good for him