JARED SULLINGER HAD A LEGIT INTERVENTION

WEEI

BEN ROHRBACH

Jared Sullinger got a wakeup call this summer. Again.

As was the case at Tuesday’s charity golf event, the first questions posed to Danny Ainge on media day were, “Have you seen Jared Sullinger? How does he look?"

“I don't know,” the Celtics president said, “I haven't weighed him yet.”

Whispers around the team’s Waltham practice facility were that Sullinger hadn't lost much weight, despite a summer spent posting pictures of his workout routine to social media. And when the fourth-year power forward who Ainge has oft criticized for his lack of conditioning finally took the stage, the whispers turned questions.

How much weight did you shed? “Ah,” said Sullinger. “I can’t really say those things. You might not get a story from me on that one, but it was a good amount.”

Sullinger was listed at 260 pounds at the start of 2014-15 and somehow gained weight throughout. The result was a stress reaction in his left foot that threatened to end a second season since being drafted in 2012. Bigs with back and foot problems at age 23 don’t tend to age like the cheese they’re not supposed to be eating.

Things got so bad that Sullinger’s family, friends and agent gave him an intervention.

“They came to my apartment in Columbus,” Sullinger explained from the podium, “and next thing you know it’s my mom, my dad, my brother Julian, (agents) David Falk, Danielle Cantor, and this bald-headed guy whose name was John Lucas.”

Lucas, of course, battled alcohol and cocaine addiction while bouncing around from team to team during his 14 NBA seasons from 1976-90. Since his retirement, he’s dedicated his life to rehabilitating and training athletes in need of a sponsor of sorts.

Lucas flew from Texas to Columbus just to tell Sullinger, “You have all the talent in the world, but you forgot what working hard is.” And that resonated with Sullinger.

“I think John’s biggest thing is, being the first NBA player to get kicked out with drugs, I think John’s biggest focus was to not let me make a mistake,” he said. “Sometimes it’s not always drugs. It can be other things. And he wanted to just clear my mind and understand that, you know, I can be whoever I want to be. I’ve just got to make the right choices, and being down there with John really helped me out.”

Sullinger made four separate trips to Houston and spent a total of 11 weeks with Lucas. Meals were prepared for him. “It was really ease for me to make the right choice,” said Sullinger. And his training sessions featured a variety of athletic activities, including boxing, swimming, track and, yes, even some basketball.

“It’s funny,” said Sullinger. “John cussed me out -- big-time.” During a pickup game at Houston’s Fonde Recreation Center, Sullinger kept firing outlet passes to former Maine Red Claws point guard Tim Frazier, who would then feed the trailing big man for 3-pointers. “I shot it four times in a row, made all four, and John stops the whole open-gym process ... and says, ‘Get your big (expletive) on the block. Stop trailing for jump shots and get on the block.’ That right there was my biggest wakeup call.”

Let's not forget that Sullinger’s wakeup calls are now approaching double digits.

Dropping to 21st in the NBA draft was the first.
His season-ending back surgery as a 20-year-old rookie was the next.
Then, there was his domestic violence arrest in 2013.
Uncle Gerald Wallace reaming out the young Celtics for their lack of effort.
A benching for tardiness twice in the span of three games.
And, finally, the stress reaction in his left foot.
If Sullinger doesn’t hit the snooze button on this one, it could mean a career year, and not just because he’s (supposedly) lost weight. He ranked among the league’s worst 3-point shooters last season, shooting 28.3 percent on 3.2 attempts per game. Moving his big (expletive) to the block would put him in position to do what he does best -- bang the boards and use his impressive footwork to score around the basket.

Practice begins Saturday, so Sullinger has another month to get into better shape before the season, because even he admits he hasn’t reached his fitness goals.

“No, not really,” he said. “You can’t really say I’m where I want to be, as far conditioning-wise, because I haven’t played five-on-five in three weeks, so you never know. There’s a difference between being in the best shape you can be practice-wise, and then there’s game shape. We’ll see when that happens. But as far as me being where I want to be, I’m not there yet, but I’m closer than you’d imagine.”

For the past month, many Celtics have been working out together in Waltham. Sullinger hasn’t been one of them. Keep in mind, this is his contract year. Ainge has now seen Sullinger, as we all have, and the answer to how he looks remains unclear.

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Sully hasn't spent much time (any time?) in Waltham with the rest of the team this summer. That troubles me. What does he have to hide?

My guess is that he is still fat.

Mind telling me what the heck he was doing all summer during this "intervention"? My guess is he is giving alot of lip service to make himself look good. If he thinks he is going to fool anyone he is crazy. Ainge, to this day, keeps himself in good physical condition. Look at Stevens, thin and trim.
If he is not in good condition he will be gone in no time.

This has been a big disappointment to me. The Celtics gave him a shot when alot of teams steered clear of him. Intervention? Making the kind of money these kids make, he has to be encouraged to get into shape? Give me a break.

I hope he shocks us all, he has such talent. Time is running out on him.

Rosalie