Von hearts Boston

Peeping in from Florence and saw this on redsarmy.com

"Von would love to be back [with Boston]," Doyle said of the 6-foot-5 swingman who has played for seven teams since being drafted by the Lakers in the second round (35th overall) of the 2005 draft. "He's never gotten that opportunity to go back with a team."

While Boston's first-round draft pick JaJuan Johnson snagged Wafer's No. 12 at last Monday's rookie introductions, Wafer remains a potential free agent option for depth at the swingman spot. Boston's desire to keep him might depend on whether the team can re-sign combo guard West, and whether Gilbert Brown, the undrafted shooting guard out of Pittsburgh who's also represented by Doyle, can earn a spot on the team once the lockout is over.

Doyle said Wafer has a better idea of what's expected of him after last season and stressed that Wafer learned a lot from Boston's veteran leaders. Wafer will draw interest from teams hoping he can rekindle what made him an effective bench presence in Houston during the 2008-09 season, when he averaged 9.7 points over 19.4 minutes per game. Wafer shot only 26.9 percent from beyond the arc last season, down from 39 percent in Houston, and coach Doc Rivers worked hard to get him to buy into the defense-first system. Even still, Wafer showed glimpses of what makes him an intriguing depth option.

bob

.

Bob,

I thought Wafer showed a lot of instincts that, if integrated well into the system, could make him a valuable backup. His explosiveness to the hoop was particularly impressive. Unfortunately, in the last one-third of the season, which might have been when his tenure with the team might have paid off, it seemed that he was once of several guys who were all looking at one another with a "you or me?" expression. This would have been a great summer for a lot of them to come together (informally, in summer leagues, whatever) and develop some mini chemistry. Oh well!

Hope you're still enjoying the vagabond life.

Sam

I have previously posted about Von.

last year during preseason he appeared to be uninterested and disconnected from the team.

After watching him play I frelt he played pretty good defense, passed the ball and got to the rim with a lot of explosiveness. At the end of the season he twisted the ankle and was not a factor at all in the playoffs.

I would like to see him come back for another year because he will already have a better feel for how the Celtics do things. And if there was a major factor in the way Boston finished up it had to be related to all the new players that had yet to find chemistry with the team.

The Celtics already will add two rookies to the team with their 1st and 2nd choices. Adding a third rookie to me is not the right way to go. The more young players added next year the bigger the problems will be.

And Wafer's value should not be related to D West coming back because West is really the only reliable BU to Rondo, West can play the 2 but he is not a pure 2 man. Wafer is a pure two and he is athletic.

The Celtics unfortunately have a lot of decisions to make. With the starting 5 plus Green and Bradley and the two rooks the Celtics will have 5 roster decisons to make.

dboss

Peeping in again, this time from Siena.

I was down on Von Wafer early and then came to appreciate his game. He will always be a shooter, but I saw him step up his defense during the year and started playing smart and at multiple speeds. He has good size and now has considerable veteran experience, just not in one system for very long.

I agree with Dboss, his competition should not be with Delonte West UNLESS we pick up a new backup point guard. Then, much of West's duties will be shifted to the 2-spot and that would take time away from Wafer.

Wafer knows our system and has experience playing with our roster. The rookie Danny drafted is comparable in size and will have chemistry with his first round compadre, but is that enough to offset Wafer's experience? Knowing Danny and Doc's preferences for vets, I'd say no. Second rounders are looong shots to make a team anyway, so I wouldn't be surprised if the rook gets some pointers from Bradley on the best places to eat in Maine are, and that frees up the slot for Wafer. Let's also not forget that Von Wafer himself might have aspirations that are beyond what he can expect to achieve here, like Tony Allen and, perhaps, Glen Davis.

bob

P.S. Vagabonding in Europe is, in some ways, harder than doing it in Asia. The improved infrastructure here channels you into their preferred lifestyles. Finding internet cafes is harder here because everybody has DSL or WiFi. Siena, for example, bans all cars from the city center overnight. This means you either leave your rental car in a pay lot, like I've done, and walk OR you arrive by train/bus and are a longer walk from the stazione to where the action is. On the other hand, compared to Nepal, at least there are designated bus depots with published schedules, as opposed to just a general "everybody knows where and when to go" situation. Who's "everybody"?...

.

hey Bob

sounds like you are having a wonderful time.

dboss wrote:hey Bob

sounds like you are having a wonderful time.

dboss,

I am, but every day is colored with the thought of Jeb.

bob