Sullinger Commits to Better Conditioning

http://www.celticsblog.com/2015/2/26/8114179/sullingers-commits-to-better-conditioning



Sullinger commits to better conditioning
By Jack Jemsek  @manchvegasbob on Feb 26, 2015, 10:11a 74





David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
A weighty issue.



Jared Sullinger provided 7 minutes worth of newsworthy information last night, and was totally transparent with regard to his need to get in much better shape.  Then Danny Ainge followed up this AM with a radio interview stating that Jared was the only player on the Celtics that did not meet the strength and conditioning goals that were set for each player.  The conditioning gauntlet has been thrown down and Sully says he's going to take it up to another level.





Jared Sullinger provided an extensive interview last night and fielded all questions regarding his conditioning, or lack thereof. While the foot injury may or may not be related to his being overweight, he is using the injury as perhaps a final warning to shape up or ship out.

This morning, Danny Ainge provided comments on Toucher and Rich regarding his numerous conversations with Sullinger on the topic of conditioning.

Jared and I have talked a lot about [his conditioning] over the past year.  It's something we take great pride in with our players.  Our players have really bought in to our program and a lot of guys - I think every guy has met the goals that they have set in regards to strength and conditioning, and body-fat, and weight, and all the different things our strength coaches do on a regular basis.  Jared just hasn't met his goals.  He's not up to the standards that he wants, and is not up to the standards that we think are in his best interests for the long-term health of his career.  He's not up to par to the standards that we feel are necessary to be a consistent winning player and play with great conditioning.

Sounds like Jared is going to become best friends with Bryan Doo during his recuperation . . . and I suggest he go with the Paleo diet like Ray Allen if he's actually going to slim down and do what's best for him and the team.




bob
MY NOTE:  Last year, Satch Sullinger was asked about his son's weight and he said "it's a good thing he has a few more pounds on him because he is playing center".  Then, Danny promised him and Satch he'd get a player who could play center instead of Sully this year and he did, Tyler Zeller.  It is quite disappointing to find that he is the ONLY player to not make his goals.  And now he has a stress fracture in his foot.

I won't say this is "do-or-die" time for Sully, but this is a critical juncture in his career.  Robert "Tractor" Traylor had talent too.  So did Oliver Miller, Michael Sweetney and Eddy Curry.  He needs to change his lifestyle and not just his exercise routine.


.

I think that Sullenger admitting that he has not done enough to properly condition himself is one of the biggest self embarrassing statements that a third year NBA player can make. If he weighs anywhere near 280 next year he will become somewhat of a bust in my mind.

No one can be sure if the current foot injury is a result of the weight, but it could be. I wrote in another thread that the foot injury was probably not caused by the weight but that was when his weight was listed at 260. The extra 20 pounds raise a much larger question.

I am disappointed that he is not much more chiseled in the upper body since this is his third year. Coach Woo might need to make this guy priority #1 starting right now. I realize that he had a back surgery in his first year that could very well have set his overall conditioning back, but he was injury free last summer.

Also, with guys like Garnett, Pierce and Allen on his team when he was a rookie, was Sullenger just not paying attention?

OK, he is still young and young guys make mistakes of commission and omission. It is not too late to make some changes when you are still only 22, but I fully expect not to see this as a problem when camp opens next Fall.

I wonder when Perk decided to "Commit to better conditioning"? He transformed his body, hopefully Sully can too.

One thing about having a strong father/coach figure in his life is that, when Sully decides to accomplish something, he usually gives it a better attempt than has been the  case with his weight and conditioning.  Whether or not the weight was an actual cause of this injury, it almost surely exacerbated the situation. I hope and expect this commitment on Sully's part is for real.

Sam