Summer Quandaries 18: Big Camp For Sully And Kelly

http://celticsgreen.blogspot.com/2015/08/sq18-big-camp-for-sully-and-kelly.html





SQ18 Big Camp for Sully and Kelly

By Lee Lauderdale









This title is brought to you by Captain Obvious but is true on so many different levels and in so many different ways. For each of these “promising youth” big men, the range of outcome goes from starter to off the team. Although neither extreme is particularly likely, they both will enter camp with a significantly different landscape than each of their prior ones. No longer are they the young “potentials” that have a lot of leeway in the demands that they are expected to meet, or at least approach.

The off season acquisitions of Amir Johnson, David Lee, and draftee Jordan Mickey, along with the resigning of Jonas Jerebko make a strong statement about the young guns either putting up or shutting up. So far each has entered the regular season with a reasonable expectation of 20-25 mpg of playing time, or OJT (on the job training). Seems to me that Danny's off-season moves state pretty definitively that this year playing time (or even a roster spot) will have to be earned. I think this is a good development.

If Sullinger and Olynyk don't arrive for training camp “changed men” and raring to go, they will go from foundational rotation players to afterthoughts in the blink of the eye. That's not to say that either could not climb out of the dog house eventually, I think the coaches and front office are expecting (perhaps demanding) that they hit the ground running, gunning, grabbing rebounds, and sporting reconfigured bodies. I'm not sure if it is just my green-tinted lenses, but I kinda think that S&S (soft and slow) brothers are on the brink of very pleasant change.

Even if I am correct in my optimism, I think the onus on these youngsters will be to fit with the other Celtics' bigs. Perhaps up until this year, other Celtics big men have been employed so as to maximize their fit with Sully and/or Kelly. Now I think the shoe is on the other foot, and the key will be Sullinger and Olynyk to fit with the others.

So will Kelly come in to camp ripped and ready to hold his own in the paint? Do the recent pictures of Sullinger that appear to show an abdomen more definition than pillow, tell a true story? What say ye, prescient green-bloods?

The early returns on this issue may be decisive, which will make the first week of camp pretty riveting.

Only 48 days until camp.



bob
MY NOTE:  Bingo.  The acquisition of Lee for Wallace may have just been a "get whatever you can for a guy who doesn't play and doesn't have much left except a $10M contract" but not the signing of Amir Johnson as a free agent and the re-signing of Jerebko.  The gauntlet has been thrown down by management and that includes Brad.  Danny makes deals to help the team, but I'm sure he listens to Brad.  When Brad pleaded for continuity as we approached the trade deadline, Danny stood pat.  If Danny is bringing in direct competition, especially to Sully with Amir and, perhaps coincidentally, Kelly with Lee a statement is being made.

We need upgrades.  Those upgrades can come from trades, free agency or organic growth or a combination of them (i.e. Sully's new body might up the offers for him and get us that upgrade).  The NBA is a cold Darwinian world.  Sully would have been a top 5 pick if he had come out after his freshman year and still would have been top 10 if it hadn't been for his back.  Kelly was #13.  If the draft means anything, they need to start playing like they deserve those picks.

And Sully, at least, is looking like he realizes it.  Kelly?  Personally, I think it is unfair to expect him to hold his own in the paint against NBA centers.  He's a stretch 4, for better or worse, and playing him out of position doesn't help him nor the team.   Unfortunately, unless David Lee plays center, which he did spot duty playing in the Finals against the MUCH bigger Mozgov, Kelly is Zeller's back up.  At least until Cousins tells Karl to go F--k himself and WCS starts to shine.


.