The Legends of Tacko Fall

benhogan

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Because Tacko was recalled from Maine for this game, we've used 1 of the 45 days he's allowed to be on the Celtics roster.
Not true, unless the rules have changed over the last year. The 45-day clock is only applicable when the G-League is in session (which starts a few days later this season compared to last).

But Tacko stills gets paid 1/177th of rookie scale contract for being added last night, so that's nice for Tacko.

https://2ways10days.com/what-is-the-earning-power-of-a-two-way-contract-for-2018-19-a7fb2bdd2459
 
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wade boggs chicken dinner

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Not true, unless the rules have changed over the last year. The 45-day clock is only applicable when the G-League is in session (which starts a few days later this season compared to last).

But Tacko stills gets paid 1/177th of rookie scale contract for being added last night, so that's nice for Tacko.

https://2ways10days.com/what-is-the-earning-power-of-a-two-way-contract-for-2018-19-a7fb2bdd2459
NESN says you are correct and G-League season does not start until 11.8 this year:
https://nesn.com/2019/08/why-g-leagues-2019-20-start-date-will-benefit-celtics-other-nba-teams/.

Tacko's first game is in Wilmington.
 

DJnVa

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Not true, unless the rules have changed over the last year. The 45-day clock is only applicable when the G-League is in session (which starts a few days later this season compared to last).

But Tacko stills gets paid 1/177th of rookie scale contract for being added last night, so that's nice for Tacko.

https://2ways10days.com/what-is-the-earning-power-of-a-two-way-contract-for-2018-19-a7fb2bdd2459
Hmmm. Per some Celtics writers tweets last night, that was Day 1.

I'd certainly prefer your explanation.
 

DJnVa

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NESN says you are correct and G-League season does not start until 11.8 this year:
https://nesn.com/2019/08/why-g-leagues-2019-20-start-date-will-benefit-celtics-other-nba-teams/.

Tacko's first game is in Wilmington.
It was a Forsberg tweet I saw:

View: https://twitter.com/ChrisForsberg_/status/1190377228951011329


Someone in the comments said it starts when Maine's training camp started, which, according to them, was a few days ago. All the articles say he was "recalled", which makes it sound like Maine's season had started.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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It was a Forsberg tweet I saw:

View: https://twitter.com/ChrisForsberg_/status/1190377228951011329


Someone in the comments said it starts when Maine's training camp started, which, according to them, was a few days ago. All the articles say he was "recalled", which makes it sound like Maine's season had started.
Knew I should never trust writers. When in doubt go the source (as most writers do not do): https://cosmic-s3.imgix.net/3c7a0a50-8e11-11e9-875d-3d44e94ae33f-2017-NBA-NBPA-Collective-Bargaining-Agreement.pdf.

From that: "Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a player provides one or more NBA Days of Service before the first day of any NBADL training camp or after the final game of the player’s team’s NBADL Regular Season, such day(s) willnot count toward the 45-Day Two-Way Service Limit."

So it is training camp and NESN (and BenHogan, among others) are incorrect. Tacko has 44 days left.
 

benhogan

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Knew I should never trust writers. When in doubt go the source (as most writers do not do): https://cosmic-s3.imgix.net/3c7a0a50-8e11-11e9-875d-3d44e94ae33f-2017-NBA-NBPA-Collective-Bargaining-Agreement.pdf.

From that: "Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a player provides one or more NBA Days of Service before the first day of any NBADL training camp or after the final game of the player’s team’s NBADL Regular Season, such day(s) willnot count toward the 45-Day Two-Way Service Limit."

So it is training camp and NESN (and BenHogan, among others) are incorrect. Tacko has 44 days left.
yep Drewdawg, Forsberg are correct. I was wrong. Thanks WBCD, it's clearly training camp.

Happy that Tacko collected a few more shekels. The compensation for the 2-way player, under $80,000, is way too low IMO.
The NBPA should do a better job for the lower-paid guys, but guys like Chris Paul/Bron could give a rats azz about these guys. It would be nice to see these guys actually try to "spread the wealth". Maybe Jaylen could do something here, after signing a $115MM deal. I'd like to see the two-way min pay up to $250K and increase the # of two-way contracts to 4 players. The extra $1MM/team is worth it to the kids/players and potentially to the teams.

Kendrick Nunn is the poster boy for G'League development this season.

https://www.hothothoops.com/2019/10/31/20942183/kendrick-nunn-miami-heat-listed-top-of-nba-rookie-ladder-tyler-herro-jimmy-butler-bam-adebayo
 
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benhogan

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two-way contracts not necessarily good for the players. Without two-way contracts, they are eligible to be signed by any team. Also, teams that have two-way contracts are limited who they can sign from GLeague.
Players have a choice to sign a two-way or not, right? (ie when Strus was waived he chose to sign a two way with Chicago).
I guess Tacko didn't have a choice after the Exhibit 10 contract he signed, but it would be nice to get him more $$$

Increasing the pay and the number of two-ways probably hurts the NCAA the most since fringe guys that won't get drafted have a way to make a decent wage by declaring.
 

chilidawg

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yep Drewdawg, Forsberg are correct. I was wrong. Thanks WBCD, it's clearly training camp.

Happy that Tacko collected a few more shekels. The compensation for the 2-way player, under $80,000, is way too low IMO.
The NBPA should do a better job for the lower-paid guys, but guys like Chris Paul/Bron could give a rats azz about these guys. It would be nice to see these guys actually try to "spread the wealth". Maybe Jaylen could do something here, after signing a $115MM deal. I'd like to see the two-way min pay up to $250K and increase the # of two-way contracts to 4 players. The extra $1MM/team is worth it to the kids/players and potentially to the teams.

Kendrick Nunn is the poster boy for G'League development this season.

https://www.hothothoops.com/2019/10/31/20942183/kendrick-nunn-miami-heat-listed-top-of-nba-rookie-ladder-tyler-herro-jimmy-butler-bam-adebayo
Who saw Kendrick Nunn as a potential rookie of the year a month ago? Not me.
 

Reverend

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If Tacko dressing for the game the other night counts against the 45, why doesn’t the game he played in on Oct 26 count?

This question was originally answers with the clock hadn’t started, but now this seems confused again.

Or was Oct 26 before the start of training camp and the one the other day was after?
 

benhogan

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If Tacko dressing for the game the other night counts against the 45, why doesn’t the game he played in on Oct 26 count?

This question was originally answers with the clock hadn’t started, but now this seems confused again.

Or was Oct 26 before the start of training camp and the one the other day was after?
Yes.

Last week's game against the Knicks was pre-NBADL training camp.

Last night's game was after NBADL training camp started, so clock has started.

1 of 45 days.

Tacko got paid extra for both games.
 

Koufax

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I really doubt that Tacko will be in Boston for 45 days. Not worried about draining that account.
 

lexrageorge

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He needs to be with the team at least 15 days. Not sure how those days are counted though.

In the unlikely event Fall hits the 45 day limit, the C's could convert his contract to a standard player contract for the rookie min. They would just need to free up a space on the 15-man roster.
 

stepson_and_toe

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Nice article by Jackie MacMullan about Tacko on ESPN..."an inquisitive intellect with an engineering degree who scored so high on his SATs (taken in English, his second language) that he met the qualifications for Ivy League schools."
 

mostman

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I’ve watched that 10 times. Every Hornet is calling for a goaltend. But I’m not sure it was.
 

djbayko

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That’s going to be a revolutionary tool once he perfects it. The other team will be afraid to shoot because it’s an automatic turnover. Guys will have to start shooting moon shots when they play the Celts.
 

sezwho

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That’s going to be a revolutionary tool once he perfects it. The other team will be afraid to shoot because it’s an automatic turnover. Guys will have to start shooting moon shots when they play the Celts.
They are already afraid to shoot. I noticed this during the preseason but players dribble away from the paint when he’s there.
 

DannyDarwinism

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They are already afraid to shoot. I noticed this during the preseason but players dribble away from the paint when he’s there.
Yeah, we talked about it a lot during summer league, but he’s completely in guys’ heads when they get anywhere near the paint. And rightfully so.

I saw a quote from him the other day, basically saying how he wants and expects to be great. It’s was good to see for a guy who needs to put in a ton of work. It’s there though, he just needs to go and get it.
 

TripleOT

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I've seen Tacko in person three times at the Garden, the two pre season game and the Pistons game. He moves pretty well in the halfcourt. After a couple of trips up the court Friday, he looked a bit winded. Maker scored a few times once Tacko came in the game, and that kind of big is who Tacko has to prove he can contain - a three point shooter who can run.

However, once he gets his trunk strong enough to hold low post position, and gets in better game shape, he's going to be a low post beast who will command double teams. Defensively, his long arms and decent foot speed can make him a decent p/r defender with time and practice. Obviously, he will be very difficult to shoot over.

This is a fun team this season, and the love Celtics fans have for Tacko makes it more fun. I don't see it as fans wanting to see him as some kind of sideshow. They want to see him swat shots and dunk the basketball over guys who look tiny in comparison. In very few minutes, he's done all that, joyously.

I don't know if he will ever be a rotation guy here some day, but the idea of a shot erasing behemoth paired will all the excellent young wing defenders could make an amazing defensive team.
 

BigSoxFan

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I've seen Tacko in person three times at the Garden, the two pre season game and the Pistons game. He moves pretty well in the halfcourt. After a couple of trips up the court Friday, he looked a bit winded. Maker scored a few times once Tacko came in the game, and that kind of big is who Tacko has to prove he can contain - a three point shooter who can run.

However, once he gets his trunk strong enough to hold low post position, and gets in better game shape, he's going to be a low post beast who will command double teams. Defensively, his long arms and decent foot speed can make him a decent p/r defender with time and practice. Obviously, he will be very difficult to shoot over.

This is a fun team this season, and the love Celtics fans have for Tacko makes it more fun. I don't see it as fans wanting to see him as some kind of sideshow. They want to see him swat shots and dunk the basketball over guys who look tiny in comparison. In very few minutes, he's done all that, joyously.

I don't know if he will ever be a rotation guy here some day, but the idea of a shot erasing behemoth paired will all the excellent young wing defenders could make an amazing defensive team.
Agreed. I’ve watched as much Tacko as I can get my eyes on and I have yet to see anything that leads me to believe that he can’t at least be a situational player for this team from time to time. His limitations are well known but this guy actually has some basketball skills.
 

tmracht

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Perfect he can self limit himself to 15 minutes til he fouls out but the real question is what's the MVP chant per minute stat. Must be up there with stuck ball smart.
 

joe dokes

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They are already afraid to shoot. I noticed this during the preseason but players dribble away from the paint when he’s there.
I saw that too. Its not always easy to tell from the normal, slightly-overhead broadcast angle, but his towering-ness at floor-level is staggering. I think *every* player that's gotten to the NBA has some innate clue how to shoot over or around a 7-footer. But even just standing there, Tacko overloads the circuitry. Chances are pretty good that no one on the other team has ever gone against someone that tall.

FWIW--I once stood next to Manute Bol. (Bridgeport at Bentley. I was living in Boston and had to check him out. He was at the back of a layup line; I was walking along the side of the floor to walk up the bleachers. I'm 6'3". When my friend turned around to say something to me, his eyes practically looked to the ceiling and the color drained from his face. When I turned, Bol's height was almost disturbing.
 

InstaFace

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This is a fun team this season, and the love Celtics fans have for Tacko makes it more fun. I don't see it as fans wanting to see him as some kind of sideshow. They want to see him swat shots and dunk the basketball over guys who look tiny in comparison. In very few minutes, he's done all that, joyously.
He doesn't see it that way. He knows he's a circus freak and the cheering colosseum wants its bread-and-circus. That's why, when Brad was asked after the game about putting him in, he said "at first, I was embarrassed for him". Both know that Tacko being cheered for, when he hasn't done anything to deserve it with his play... well, he knows why he's being cheered for. And it's to make a spectacle of him. Now maybe they're not laughing at him, but as a bunch of local articles have detailed, he's spent a lot of his life trying to become more than a circus freak, trying to be known for something other than being freakish. The crowd cheering for him before he deserves it for anything other than "being freakishly tall" frankly isn't helping, even if he's good-natured enough to say the right things afterwards.

Read that Jackie Mac article again...

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27933993/center-attention-where-tacko-fall-stands-basketball
...and then tell me the cheering at the Garden was something he ought to be proud of, or even just take in good humor. He knows. And it kinda sucks.

I want him to deserve the cheering too. I want to have him contributing on the floor in a way that nobody 7'2"+ has ever done, to be more athletic than Shaq, more court vision than Bol, better shooting than Shawn Bradley. He could get there, he's saying all the right things and he's 24 years old without a history of injuries, which at that height is extraordinary all on its own. But until he's there, the cheering is, frankly, patronizing.
 

lovegtm

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He doesn't see it that way. He knows he's a circus freak and the cheering colosseum wants its bread-and-circus. That's why, when Brad was asked after the game about putting him in, he said "at first, I was embarrassed for him". Both know that Tacko being cheered for, when he hasn't done anything to deserve it with his play... well, he knows why he's being cheered for. And it's to make a spectacle of him. Now maybe they're not laughing at him, but as a bunch of local articles have detailed, he's spent a lot of his life trying to become more than a circus freak, trying to be known for something other than being freakish. The crowd cheering for him before he deserves it for anything other than "being freakishly tall" frankly isn't helping, even if he's good-natured enough to say the right things afterwards.

Read that Jackie Mac article again...

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27933993/center-attention-where-tacko-fall-stands-basketball
...and then tell me the cheering at the Garden was something he ought to be proud of, or even just take in good humor. He knows. And it kinda sucks.

I want him to deserve the cheering too. I want to have him contributing on the floor in a way that nobody 7'2"+ has ever done, to be more athletic than Shaq, more court vision than Bol, better shooting than Shawn Bradley. He could get there, he's saying all the right things and he's 24 years old without a history of injuries, which at that height is extraordinary all on its own. But until he's there, the cheering is, frankly, patronizing.
This.
 

Kliq

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He doesn't see it that way. He knows he's a circus freak and the cheering colosseum wants its bread-and-circus. That's why, when Brad was asked after the game about putting him in, he said "at first, I was embarrassed for him". Both know that Tacko being cheered for, when he hasn't done anything to deserve it with his play... well, he knows why he's being cheered for. And it's to make a spectacle of him. Now maybe they're not laughing at him, but as a bunch of local articles have detailed, he's spent a lot of his life trying to become more than a circus freak, trying to be known for something other than being freakish. The crowd cheering for him before he deserves it for anything other than "being freakishly tall" frankly isn't helping, even if he's good-natured enough to say the right things afterwards.

Read that Jackie Mac article again...

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27933993/center-attention-where-tacko-fall-stands-basketball
...and then tell me the cheering at the Garden was something he ought to be proud of, or even just take in good humor. He knows.
Eh, this is a pretty cynical take on it.

In the Jackie Mac piece he definitely points out that the people wanting to take photos with him and such are doing so not because he has proven to be a good NBA player but because of his extreme height. At the same time, I think that is different than the crowd in garbage time wanting to see him actually play basketball; if they just wanted to gawk at his height they would be fine just showing him standing up during timeouts. When he gets into the game he almost always delivers slam dunks and blocks, which are two things the crowd is going to pop big for regardless of who does it. There have been a number of fringe NBA players, Scalabrine, Boban, Nick Young, Jeremy Lin, etc. that have attained kind of a cult status with fans and would get unusually cheered for routine plays.

I think there is certainly some awkwardness in the MVP chants for him; but I think it is hard to say that he didn't take the chants for him during the Detroit game in good humor. The way Brad played up the crowd before putting him in and the way his teammates react to him all seemed overwhelmingly positive. He also was reportedly standing up and sitting back down shortly before he went into the Detroit game to troll the fans.

View: https://twitter.com/ChrisForsberg_/status/1208214309194600449?s=20
 

InstaFace

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How was my post cynical in any way?

I don't think the crowd was cheering for him sarcastically or anything. They weren't being deliberately mean. But by making him a cult-status player when he's had to run from just being a figure of fascination his whole life, they're not making it any easier for him to relax and just focus on basketball. Yeah, calling for him to go out and play some ball is better than asking him stupid questions on the street, but given the context, it's still patronizing.

Scalabrine, Nick Young... any attention they got was good attention, because other than having cult status they were not particularly remarkable NBA players. I'm sure they cultivated it because them even having cult status is flattering. For them. As already-established NBA players. Tacko is an entirely different situation right now, and for that reason we ought to consider his feelings too. Because they kinda matter, for young players. He's not some cocky superstar who welcomes taking on the world and thinks everyone ought to be cheering for him, and if they're not, they will soon enough... he's a guy getting a chance to play NBA ball because of his height, despite not having played much of it at all, and knows he's not really supposed to be out there yet. I'd prefer that we see some empathy for that situation, especially since it could benefit our team in the long run.
 

amarshal2

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There’s definitely some novelty there but i also agree that take is overly cynical. I do think a lot of fans just think he’s going to be awesome (because he’s tall) and want to see him play. I don’t think he’s going to be awesome but I’d cheer for him if I were there just because he seems like a great person and I’m rooting for him personally.

You also have to consider the kid angle. Every time I update my five year old on the latest game she asks about Tacko. If the Celtics won but Tacko didn’t play it’s always, “and the Celtics would’ve won by more if Tacko played daddy. He helps them win.” I’ve explained many times that Tacko isn’t the best player on the team. Doesn’t matter. She believes in Tacko.
 

TripleOT

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Agreed. I’ve watched as much Tacko as I can get my eyes on and I have yet to see anything that leads me to believe that he can’t at least be a situational player for this team from time to time. His limitations are well known but this guy actually has some basketball skills.
He doesn't see it that way. He knows he's a circus freak and the cheering colosseum wants its bread-and-circus. That's why, when Brad was asked after the game about putting him in, he said "at first, I was embarrassed for him". Both know that Tacko being cheered for, when he hasn't done anything to deserve it with his play... well, he knows why he's being cheered for. And it's to make a spectacle of him. Now maybe they're not laughing at him, but as a bunch of local articles have detailed, he's spent a lot of his life trying to become more than a circus freak, trying to be known for something other than being freakish. The crowd cheering for him before he deserves it for anything other than "being freakishly tall" frankly isn't helping, even if he's good-natured enough to say the right things afterwards.

Read that Jackie Mac article again...

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27933993/center-attention-where-tacko-fall-stands-basketball
...and then tell me the cheering at the Garden was something he ought to be proud of, or even just take in good humor. He knows. And it kinda sucks.

I want him to deserve the cheering too. I want to have him contributing on the floor in a way that nobody 7'2"+ has ever done, to be more athletic than Shaq, more court vision than Bol, better shooting than Shawn Bradley. He could get there, he's saying all the right things and he's 24 years old without a history of injuries, which at that height is extraordinary all on its own. But until he's there, the cheering is, frankly, patronizing.
I agree that the cheering isn't necessarily a good thing, and the MVP chant was ridiculous. I also agree that in the exhibition season, the cheering was because the crowd wanted to see the tall guy. But, since he produces every single time he steps on the court, I've seen a different feeling at the game. In my section Friday, the chatter going into the fourth was in the vein of "When do we get to see Tacko block shots and dunk" instead of "when do we get to see the sideshow freak."

The non-casual fan in attendance knows that he isn't ready for rotation minutes, but want to see Tacko and support him. The cheering could be a bad situation, but the way Tacko, his teammates, and Brad has handled it has been good. His teammates wildly cheering for him, and stuff like Wanamaker taking a foul to get him into the game with Detroit after two minutes of uninterrupted play while Tacko waited at the scorer's table, then feeding him the ball in both appearances, is great. It shows us fans that this team is together, unlike the clusterfuck last season.
 

Minneapolis Millers

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He doesn't see it that way. He knows he's a circus freak and the cheering colosseum wants its bread-and-circus. That's why, when Brad was asked after the game about putting him in, he said "at first, I was embarrassed for him". Both know that Tacko being cheered for, when he hasn't done anything to deserve it with his play... well, he knows why he's being cheered for. And it's to make a spectacle of him. Now maybe they're not laughing at him, but as a bunch of local articles have detailed, he's spent a lot of his life trying to become more than a circus freak, trying to be known for something other than being freakish. The crowd cheering for him before he deserves it for anything other than "being freakishly tall" frankly isn't helping, even if he's good-natured enough to say the right things afterwards.

Read that Jackie Mac article again...

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27933993/center-attention-where-tacko-fall-stands-basketball
...and then tell me the cheering at the Garden was something he ought to be proud of, or even just take in good humor. He knows. And it kinda sucks.

I want him to deserve the cheering too. I want to have him contributing on the floor in a way that nobody 7'2"+ has ever done, to be more athletic than Shaq, more court vision than Bol, better shooting than Shawn Bradley. He could get there, he's saying all the right things and he's 24 years old without a history of injuries, which at that height is extraordinary all on its own. But until he's there, the cheering is, frankly, patronizing.
I agree with you that this is an issue for him, obviously. But he's never going to be able to change his height. He's freakishly tall. It's a fact, and it will draw attention and, in a basketball setting, cheers because people want to see what that height helps him do in a game. And I think most Celtics fans certainly want to see him succeed, short and long term.

As an aside, Ralph Sampson was 7'4", had well-rounded skills, and was pretty successful.
 

DJnVa

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How was my post cynical in any way?

I don't think the crowd was cheering for him sarcastically or anything. They weren't being deliberately mean. But by making him a cult-status player when he's had to run from just being a figure of fascination his whole life, they're not making it any easier for him to relax and just focus on basketball.
And yet 2 games ago Brad was egging the crowd on. As were his teammates. Seems like if this was making it harder on him they wouldn't be doing that.
 

lovegtm

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And yet 2 games ago Brad was egging the crowd on. As were his teammates. Seems like if this was making it harder on him they wouldn't be doing that.
I think what Insta is getting at is that it feels icky to take a bright, hard-working kid at the “trying to make it” stage of his career and turn him into a human victory cigar.

(I’m sympathetic to the “kids love him” angle though.)
 

DJnVa

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I think what Insta is getting at is that it feels icky to take a bright, hard-working kid at the “trying to make it” stage of his career and turn him into a human victory cigar.

(I’m sympathetic to the “kids love him” angle though.)
I would think that if this was a big issue, Brad wouldn't be imploring the crowd to cheer louder.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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He doesn't see it that way. He knows he's a circus freak and the cheering colosseum wants its bread-and-circus. That's why, when Brad was asked after the game about putting him in, he said "at first, I was embarrassed for him". Both know that Tacko being cheered for, when he hasn't done anything to deserve it with his play... well, he knows why he's being cheered for. And it's to make a spectacle of him. Now maybe they're not laughing at him, but as a bunch of local articles have detailed, he's spent a lot of his life trying to become more than a circus freak, trying to be known for something other than being freakish. The crowd cheering for him before he deserves it for anything other than "being freakishly tall" frankly isn't helping, even if he's good-natured enough to say the right things afterwards.

Read that Jackie Mac article again...

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27933993/center-attention-where-tacko-fall-stands-basketball
...and then tell me the cheering at the Garden was something he ought to be proud of, or even just take in good humor. He knows. And it kinda sucks.

I want him to deserve the cheering too. I want to have him contributing on the floor in a way that nobody 7'2"+ has ever done, to be more athletic than Shaq, more court vision than Bol, better shooting than Shawn Bradley. He could get there, he's saying all the right things and he's 24 years old without a history of injuries, which at that height is extraordinary all on its own. But until he's there, the cheering is, frankly, patronizing.
I think this is a better article on Tacko's feelings: https://nesn.com/2019/10/tacko-fall-has-mixed-feelings-about-constant-chants-but-appreciates-fans/. In short, he understands both the pros and cons of it. He told Amanda Pflugrad: "It’s very motivating, but at the same time, it does make you feel a little uncomfortable sometimes. I don’t want to take away too much attention from what’s really important. Sometimes I do feel bad for coach Brad. But at the same time it’s a blessing and I’m really thankful that I have so many people cheering me on and rooting for me to be successful.”

He's a pretty special person to be able to deal with all of that attention successfully. I remember reading something during the Summer League about how teammates want him to say "No" more often because he feels obligated to the people cheering him on.

BTW, if he took it as completely patronizing, would he have played with the Garden fans against DET by getting up and pretending to go into the game but just sitting down again?
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,667
I also think there is a big difference between people taking photos with him outside of the court or gawking at him in public because of his height, and fans cheering for him when he is actually playing basketball. Fans want to see him produce on the basketball court, just like any other player. They have a particular attachment to him because he is unique due to his name, his backstory and yes his height but by extension of that, his game. I'm sorry, but when you block shots by catching them right out of the air, the fans are going to want to see you play basketball.

I have plenty of sympathy for him always being the center of attention due to his height, but I think it is really cynical to suggest that the crowd support is a negative for him.
 

HomeRunBaker

bet squelcher
SoSH Member
Jan 15, 2004
30,096
He doesn't see it that way. He knows he's a circus freak and the cheering colosseum wants its bread-and-circus. That's why, when Brad was asked after the game about putting him in, he said "at first, I was embarrassed for him". Both know that Tacko being cheered for, when he hasn't done anything to deserve it with his play... well, he knows why he's being cheered for. And it's to make a spectacle of him. Now maybe they're not laughing at him, but as a bunch of local articles have detailed, he's spent a lot of his life trying to become more than a circus freak, trying to be known for something other than being freakish. The crowd cheering for him before he deserves it for anything other than "being freakishly tall" frankly isn't helping, even if he's good-natured enough to say the right things afterwards.

Read that Jackie Mac article again...

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27933993/center-attention-where-tacko-fall-stands-basketball
...and then tell me the cheering at the Garden was something he ought to be proud of, or even just take in good humor. He knows. And it kinda sucks.

I want him to deserve the cheering too. I want to have him contributing on the floor in a way that nobody 7'2"+ has ever done, to be more athletic than Shaq, more court vision than Bol, better shooting than Shawn Bradley. He could get there, he's saying all the right things and he's 24 years old without a history of injuries, which at that height is extraordinary all on its own. But until he's there, the cheering is, frankly, patronizing.
Meh, I dunno. Celtics fans have a long standing history of cheering loudly for a deep bench player regardless of said freakiness. There was nothing freaky about Terry Duerod or Conner Henry in the 80's, or Scalabrine, or the fans fondness for the Sichting's and Walter's of the team. Whenever there is a "fun" team wearing green the Celtics fans have historically selected a guy that they want to see on the floor at the end of blowouts regardless of freakishness level. Aside from the obvious height, Fall has the charisma to attract a cult following.
 

NomarsFool

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 21, 2001
8,156
I think Tacko has a chance to be an elite shotblocker and a competent rim runner with some more development. I think that's enough to be a 10 minutes a game situational player in the NBA. I don't think he's there yet, and I think I'd rather he play more basketball in the G-league than playing for 5 minutes every once in awhile in the NBA for right now.