Analysis of Celtics Games, '21-'22 Season

Jimbodandy

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Grant has taken a couple that weren't pure catch and shoot too, and more contested ones than usual (eyeball test only). It's continued progress. Between that and the increased switchability due to svelteness, he had been a very valuable player thus far and (as noted) a nice complement to the Jay(s).
 

lovegtm

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Grant was the primary defender on SGA a lot of the time he was on the floor, and it wasn't due to switches most of the time. I'm guessing the idea was to help liberally behind him, but still interesting.
 

Jimbodandy

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Grant was the primary defender on SGA a lot of the time he was on the floor, and it wasn't due to switches most of the time. I'm guessing the idea was to help liberally behind him, but still interesting.
Yeah noticed that too. Wouldn't have been my go-to move, but it was pretty effective.
 

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Have to say that "DORT!" is my new favorite non celt just for the short abruptness of his name.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Grant was the primary defender on SGA a lot of the time he was on the floor, and it wasn't due to switches most of the time. I'm guessing the idea was to help liberally behind him, but still interesting.
I don’t know how many here followed SEC basketball when Grant was at Tennessee but he was essentially the Draymond of that conference who could lock down anyone he was matched up against. Let’s hope last years conditioning issue was an abberation but he could also be one of those guys who get a bigger contract elsewhere.
 

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I don't think he has the lateral quickness to be a defensive stopper on wings, but I agree with HRB that there's some good defensive instincts in there and he looks a lot better this year. If he is able to stay in front of wings, his strength will make him a very interesting defensive option.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Since the Florida/Mavs roadtrip:

Opponent/Celtics FG% against/Opponent season average:

HOU 37.1%/42.8%
OKC 40.7%/40.8%
LAL 46.5%/46.1%
ATL 50.7%/46.0%
CLE 38.6%/44.7%
CLE 38.3%/44.7%
MIL 44.9%/43.9%
TOR 42.9%/43.7%

If a team is playing the '21-22 Cs , they had better play D as well because the Cs are pretty good at not letting teams go off of late. Its still early days but this doesn't seem fluky.
 

lovegtm

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Since the Florida/Mavs roadtrip:

Opponent/Celtics FG% against/Opponent season average:

HOU 37.1%/42.8%
OKC 40.7%/40.8%
LAL 46.5%/46.1%
ATL 50.7%/46.0%
CLE 38.6%/44.7%
CLE 38.3%/44.7%
MIL 44.9%/43.9%
TOR 42.9%/43.7%

If a team is playing the '21-22 Cs , they had better play D as well because the Cs are pretty good at not letting teams go off of late. Its still early days but this doesn't seem fluky.
Yeah, it's not flukey at all. They have a LOT of talent on the defensive end, with Smart and Tatum back in business, young Horford, Rob, and Grant and Romeo improving there.

The big question was whether they could be organized and bring it for 48 consistently. Ime deserves a ton of credit here imo.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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There are plenty of paths that end in tears but there are some that include a team built on defense finding offensive balance with Tatum and Brown carrying the load while the rest of the rotation settles into their roles. If one of the young guys starts to figure it out offensively or they add someone, this team is pretty interesting.
 

lovegtm

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There are plenty of paths that end in tears but there are some that include a team built on defense finding offensive balance with Tatum and Brown carrying the load while the rest of the rotation settles into their roles. If one of the young guys starts to figure it out offensively or they add someone, this team is pretty interesting.
Right, and all those paths require them having a defensive identity *before* they acquire somebody or have a young guy improve, so this is encouraging.

The other thing about a strong defensive identity is that it lets you plug in/acquire some good offensive players who might be more limited defensively, like Schroder.
 

Euclis20

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Right, and all those paths require them having a defensive identity *before* they acquire somebody or have a young guy improve, so this is encouraging.

The other thing about a strong defensive identity is that it lets you plug in/acquire some good offensive players who might be more limited defensively, like Schroder.
Additionally while Schroder is just another defensively limited point guard (it's now a proud tradition, from IT to Kyrie to Kemba to Schroder), degrees matter and Schroder is significantly longer than those guys (IT had a wingspan of 6'2, Kyrie and Kemba were both 6'4, Schroder is 6'8). In a relatively small sample size (that counts for almost nothing before the playoffs when teams will attack relentlessly), it does seem like it's slightly harder to take advantage of Schroder than it was for the others. While he seems more likely to get caught flat-footed or out of position compared with Kemba, his length and quickness do seem to make up for it, relatively speaking.
 

lovegtm

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Additionally while Schroder is just another defensively limited point guard (it's now a proud tradition, from IT to Kyrie to Kemba to Schroder), degrees matter and Schroder is significantly longer than those guys (IT had a wingspan of 6'2, Kyrie and Kemba were both 6'4, Schroder is 6'8). In a relatively small sample size (that counts for almost nothing before the playoffs when teams will attack relentlessly), it does seem like it's slightly harder to take advantage of Schroder than it was for the others. While he seems more likely to get caught flat-footed or out of position compared with Kemba, his length and quickness do seem to make up for it, relatively speaking.
Definitely. This was always an issue I had with people comparing Kemba/Kyrie to IT--sure, they were all bad defenders, but the different degrees of bad matter a lot. Schroder is closer to the degree of limited I'd prefer to see going forward.
 

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If one was looking for an axe to grind against the C's after yesterdays game, it would be that they took their time getting their act together and dispatching the lowly Rockets. They were up by 1 after 1 and by 5 after 2, before blasting the Rockets 34-16 in the third.

Tatum struggled from 3 (1-9), but had as high efficiency a game as one could possibly have while bricking 8 of 9 threes. he shot 10-22 overall and was a perfect 9-9 from the line for 30 points.

Brown came back, looked out of sorts at the start of the game, hit a couple of baskets in the second, and then exploded in the third. 6-13 overall, 3-6 from three, 4-4 at the line, and 19 points in 23 minutes. The bad news with Brown: after the game he said he felt tightness in the hamstring. So this is looking like it is going to be a long-term issue Brown needs to deal with.

Also coming back is Rob, who only scored 2 points (a Smart lob) in 28 minutes, but ripped down 15 boards, 3 offensive. Added an assist and a block. The assists was a great one in the 4th where he grabbed a rebound and quickly swung it to a wide open Langford for a three.

Al was Al: double double (11-11), 4 assists, 2 steals.

Smart and Schroder (who didn;t start) were not at the level they had been over the previous 7 games or so. Smart was 7 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal, and 2 turnovers in 33 minutes. Schroder had 18 off the bench, but did not shoot well (6-15) and had no assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal against 4 turnovers. At one point it looked like Ime might have pulled him out for a talking to before quickly getting him back in.

Grant had 25 off the bench, during which he shot 1-2 and missed his only three. Added 5 rebounds and 4 assists. (The Celtics had only 19 assists today, Smart leading the way with 5, followed by Al and Grant with 4, and Tatum with 3).

Langford had a decent game. 10 points in 20 minutes, on 4-9 from the field, 2-4 from three, both makes in the 4th protecting the big lead. One could call this garbage time, except that the Celtics have let some of these big 4th quater leads vanish. Also 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and an assist. He is clearly working on driving more but not finding great success.

Nesmith came in midway through the 4th with Houston looking like it might make a run and quickly buried 2 threes.
 

MyDaughterLovesTomGordon

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That Rockets team was the first truly "bad" NBA team I've seen the Cs face this year. Generally, the league seems pretty balanced to me, with every team having at least a couple of decent threats and playing hard, but that Rockets team was an embarrassment - Augustin on multiple occasions just gave the ball away for no discernible reason, Scal commented, "I've seen coaches defend harder than the Rockets," and they hoisted up 3s seemingly at random.

It was hard to tell why Schroder and Augustin were jawing at each other at one point, but it sorta seemed like Schroder was pissed he had to even play them, they were so lousy.
 

Light-Tower-Power

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That Rockets team was the first truly "bad" NBA team I've seen the Cs face this year. Generally, the league seems pretty balanced to me, with every team having at least a couple of decent threats and playing hard, but that Rockets team was an embarrassment - Augustin on multiple occasions just gave the ball away for no discernible reason, Scal commented, "I've seen coaches defend harder than the Rockets," and they hoisted up 3s seemingly at random.

It was hard to tell why Schroder and Augustin were jawing at each other at one point, but it sorta seemed like Schroder was pissed he had to even play them, they were so lousy.
One of my favorite Mike Gorman lines in recent memory, after Christian Wood threw up an ugly shot off the side of the backboard: “oof. You could hurt somebody with that shot.” Not sure they win 10 games.
 

lovegtm

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It's weird, because they have some decent-ish talent; it's not a G-League team. They're bad, but shouldn't be historically bad. Just not much cohesion and probably a bad culture.
 

Eddie Jurak

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They are paying John Wall over $90 MM over this season and next to NOT play for them. He is healthy and could play but, similar to OKC with Horford last year, they want to develop young players (and, presumably, lose games). Trust the process.
 

Jimbodandy

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I don't think he has the lateral quickness to be a defensive stopper on wings, but I agree with HRB that there's some good defensive instincts in there and he looks a lot better this year. If he is able to stay in front of wings, his strength will make him a very interesting defensive option.
It's what he has been doing. He was matched up on SGA a lot, who was settling for step backs.

It is hard to believe, but he's there now. Skepticism about whether he stays there is fair.
 

Jimbodandy

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That Rockets team was the first truly "bad" NBA team I've seen the Cs face this year. Generally, the league seems pretty balanced to me, with every team having at least a couple of decent threats and playing hard, but that Rockets team was an embarrassment - Augustin on multiple occasions just gave the ball away for no discernible reason, Scal commented, "I've seen coaches defend harder than the Rockets," and they hoisted up 3s seemingly at random.

It was hard to tell why Schroder and Augustin were jawing at each other at one point, but it sorta seemed like Schroder was pissed he had to even play them, they were so lousy.
There was a good amount of chippiness last night. Guys were getting pretty handsy and physical, and the refs were not very whistle happy.

I think that we're going to see a lot more fights this year than the last few years. I prefer a more physical NBA (and fewer FTA), but chippy play comes with it.
 

bakahump

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It's weird, because they have some decent-ish talent; it's not a G-League team. They're bad, but shouldn't be historically bad. Just not much cohesion and probably a bad culture.
But but but they have John Lucas II as a coach.

IDK probably a great guy. Probably helped dozens if not hundreds of players with their substance abuse issues but it always annoys me how sainted he is.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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It's what he has been doing. He was matched up on SGA a lot, who was settling for step backs.

It is hard to believe, but he's there now. Skepticism about whether he stays there is fair.
I don't know if that's hard to believe as one of the reasons people were excited about GW was that was able to stay in front of some guards during the bubble.

But as noted above he likely benefits from having lost weight. He also likely benefits from having a strong defensive core surrounding him plus knowing other players' moves better.
 

Just a bit outside

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I don't know if that's hard to believe as one of the reasons people were excited about GW was that was able to stay in front of some guards during the bubble.

But as noted above he likely benefits from having lost weight. He also likely benefits from having a strong defensive core surrounding him plus knowing other players' moves better.
Grant is also benefiting from the the way the game is being officiated. The combination of getting a little quicker and not calling the fouls when the offense initiates contact has Grant down to 2.8 fouls per 36. For reference he was 5.6 as a rookie and 5.1 last year.
 

Van Everyman

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The other thing about a strong defensive identity is that it lets you plug in/acquire some good offensive players who might be more limited defensively, like Schroder.
Additionally while Schroder is just another defensively limited point guard (it's now a proud tradition, from IT to Kyrie to Kemba to Schroder), degrees matter and Schroder is significantly longer than those guys (IT had a wingspan of 6'2, Kyrie and Kemba were both 6'4, Schroder is 6'8). In a relatively small sample size (that counts for almost nothing before the playoffs when teams will attack relentlessly), it does seem like it's slightly harder to take advantage of Schroder than it was for the others. While he seems more likely to get caught flat-footed or out of position compared with Kemba, his length and quickness do seem to make up for it, relatively speaking.
Definitely. This was always an issue I had with people comparing Kemba/Kyrie to IT--sure, they were all bad defenders, but the different degrees of bad matter a lot. Schroder is closer to the degree of limited I'd prefer to see going forward.
Is Schroder really a defensively limited player? I know you said degrees matter. And I'll admit that the rather large chip he seems to always have on his shoulder may be affecting my perception of his whole game. But the eye test doesn't tell me he's limited so much as maybe more of a gambler (ie, going for balls and getting beaten when he loses) -- which maybe makes sense given how many other defensively minded players they have that he can rely on to pick up the slack.

I'm not looking at numbers -- but compared to Kemba and IT4, who were partly picked on bc they were short, I feel like the only comparison here w DS is that they all play PG. But maybe I'm missing something.
 

Strike4

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Grant is also benefiting from the the way the game is being officiated. The combination of getting a little quicker and not calling the fouls when the offense initiates contact has Grant down to 2.8 fouls per 36. For reference he was 5.6 as a rookie and 5.1 last year.
Whatever it is, it's been a pretty noticeable change. I keep waiting for him to pick up three fouls in two minutes when he's in the game, and have been pleasantly surprised.
 

Jimbodandy

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I don't know if that's hard to believe as one of the reasons people were excited about GW was that was able to stay in front of some guards during the bubble.

But as noted above he likely benefits from having lost weight. He also likely benefits from having a strong defensive core surrounding him plus knowing other players' moves better.
I was high on Grant after year one. It's not difficult for me to believe.

But as shitty as he looked last year, it's completely understandable to be that some folks might have a hard time adjusting to good Grant.
 

Jimbodandy

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Whatever it is, it's been a pretty noticeable change. I keep waiting for him to pick up three fouls in two minutes when he's in the game, and have been pleasantly surprised.
Some of it might be loose reffing, but most of it is Grant not being woefully out of position anymore. He was chasing last year, and the fouls come with that.
 

Devizier

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Schroeder reminds me a bit of Rondo defensively. The physical attributes are there, and the effort is often there too, but the freelancing and risk taking is pretty deleterious to team defense. Looks great when he picks pockets though.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Is Schroder really a defensively limited player? I know you said degrees matter. And I'll admit that the rather large chip he seems to always have on his shoulder may be affecting my perception of his whole game. But the eye test doesn't tell me he's limited so much as maybe more of a gambler (ie, going for balls and getting beaten when he loses) -- which maybe makes sense given how many other defensively minded players they have that he can rely on to pick up the slack.

I'm not looking at numbers -- but compared to Kemba and IT4, who were partly picked on bc they were short, I feel like the only comparison here w DS is that they all play PG. But maybe I'm missing something.
Schroder is definitely not a limited defensive player. I specifically posted one game where he was switched into a wing scorer and locked him down on consecutive crunch time possessions in a game we won. He’s always been polarizing on that end as he does take plays off during the course of the game as well as winning his gambles that can lead to transition the other way. When he’s focused on a singular possession however he can play excellent both positionally while pressuring the ball as well as being switchable.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Some of it might be loose reffing, but most of it is Grant not being woefully out of position anymore. He was chasing last year, and the fouls come with that.
Yes I’d say it’s a combination of the new officiating as well as his first retreat step coming back. This goes back to the whole “stars get the calls” topic……stars get the calls bc they are typically best at getting to their spots offensively with the ball. Defensively it works the same way…..if you are in position the ref isn’t going to bail out the offensive player and he’s been quicker this year to be able to be in position. This is the player I saw at Tennessee…..not the Sullinger wannabe at the food court of last season.
 

benhogan

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Yes I’d say it’s a combination of the new officiating as well as his first retreat step coming back. This goes back to the whole “stars get the calls” topic……stars get the calls bc they are typically best at getting to their spots offensively with the ball. Defensively it works the same way…..if you are in position the ref isn’t going to bail out the offensive player and he’s been quicker this year to be able to be in position. This is the player I saw at Tennessee…..not the Sullinger wannabe at the food court of last season.
You don't even need to go as far back to Grant's SEC days, where he rarely shot 3s

He's actually the player we saw in the Orlando bubble/playoffs in high leverage situations. His weight is back to normal and he's moving better now. A lot of his fouls are the "transition" foul, which is actually a smart (annoying and will be changed) foul

I have to give IME credit for trusting in Grant as a WING. He was miscast as a BIG last season, which according to Grant led him to add bulk. UGH. IME has stopped using Grant as a 5 since the Toronto/smurf disaster.

IME also gets credit for sticking with/using Romeo, whose 3pt shot is looking more real every game. If Romeo and Grant can hit Corner3s at a 40-45% clip they become very valuable 8/9, rotational players. I'd also wager that Romeo improves on his drive conversions with added floor time.

One more prop for IME from last night's game. He has nailed Jabari Parker's butt to the pine. Kudos for not tolerating the CAVs game disgrace. Slowly walking back on D, barking at teammates, and an inability to defensively rebound won't be tolerated. I always felt CBS let some of that go, new voice indeed, IME isn't having that Parker crap.
 
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Fishy1

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Yeah, I remember that Grant Williams block on FVV too. He had his moments his rookie year.

The rate stats are way up, as was noted up-thread. He also hasn't played less than 20 minutes since the game against Milwaukee. Even with everyone back, he logged 25 minutes. In that stretch, he's only had more than two fouls once (against Atlanta).

I love this version of him: tweener defensive swiss-army knife, floor general, three point sniper, screen-setter, and he's making the right plays all over the court (turnovers are way down).

It strikes me this team has surrounded Tatum and Brown with a bunch of players who do a lot of things well. Richardson, Smart, Schroder, Grant Williams, Al Horford, Rob Williams -- all of these guys bring length and defensive acumen, BBIQ, some sort of shooting, and a willingness to play together. It's made for a very fun team in the last couple of weeks, and I'm not at all surprised to see them surging.

I'm interested to see what they do against Brooklyn. Smart has had Harden's number in years past, and the Celtics have a lot of length to throw at Durant. Brooklyn has had a good defense so far, but I'm not sure I buy it's real: Bruce Brown and Harden are pretty good pick-pockets, and Durant can be a monster, but Joe Harris, Blake Griffin, and even Aldridge all seem like guys you can take advantage of. So far they've really limited opposing team's 3-pt shooting, and I wonder how much of that is luck. We'll see what happens.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Yeah, I remember that Grant Williams block on FVV too. He had his moments his rookie year.

The rate stats are way up, as was noted up-thread. He also hasn't played less than 20 minutes since the game against Milwaukee. Even with everyone back, he logged 25 minutes. In that stretch, he's only had more than two fouls once (against Atlanta).

I love this version of him: tweener defensive swiss-army knife, floor general, three point sniper, screen-setter, and he's making the right plays all over the court (turnovers are way down).
One other thing about GW that I don't think is used enough (or Smart) - he seems to be able to finish down low over guys who are the same size as him or smaller with regularity. I can see why he scored so much in college.

IME also gets credit for sticking with/using Romeo, whose 3pt shot is looking more real every game. If Romeo and Grant can hit Corner3s at a 40-45% clip they become very valuable 8/9, rotational players. I'd also wager that Romeo improves on his drive conversions with added floor time.
It will be interesting to see who gets the biggest second contract - GW, RL, AN, or PP. I know at one point last season it seemed that PP would get the most money because people pay for shooting. But both GW and RL are making themselves a lot of money this season.
 

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Yeah, I remember that Grant Williams block on FVV too. He had his moments his rookie year.

The rate stats are way up, as was noted up-thread.
His steals are actually way down--from 1.0 per/36 to 0.4 per/36. Gambling less and staying home I would assume.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Yeah, his rate stats are about the same or worse outside of shooting, TO%, and Fouls/36. That's not a bad combo and I think he may be cheap enough that the C's actually bring him back on a 2nd deal. I guess there's an outside chance someone offers him like 4/40 or he takes a step or leap.
 

benhogan

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It will be interesting to see who gets the biggest second contract - GW, RL, AN, or PP. I know at one point last season it seemed that PP would get the most money because people pay for shooting. But both GW and RL are making themselves a lot of money this season.
It's so long until we need to figure out $$$, RFA is very team-friendly (see Ball / Collins deals, not that these 4 are anyway in that league).

Good to hear that GW/RL have moved into 2nd contract conversation without much pushback. I'm leaning more towards trade value for these four anyways. Christian Wood is rotting away in Houston
 

lovegtm

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It's so long until we need to figure out $$$, RFA is very team-friendly (see Ball / Collins deals, not that these 4 are anyway in that league).

Good to hear that GW/RL have moved into 2nd contract conversation without much pushback. I'm leaning more towards trade value for these four anyways. Christian Wood is rotting away in Houston
Not really too soon--GW and RL are pretty good candidates to get very team-friendly extensions, since neither will probably be thaf inclined to bet on himself, for different reasons.
 

Cesar Crespo

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It's so long until we need to figure out $$$, RFA is very team-friendly (see Ball / Collins deals, not that these 4 are anyway in that league).

Good to hear that GW/RL have moved into 2nd contract conversation without much pushback. I'm leaning more towards trade value for these four anyways. Christian Wood is rotting away in Houston
You'd get plenty of pushback if anyone thought they'd be getting paid.
 

benhogan

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You'd get plenty of pushback if anyone thought they'd be getting paid.
Most of the Grant hate has ended, people were apoplectic about his play last season (which was rotten)

I suspect the Romeo hate will also subside if he stays healthy and continues to play D

4yrs for $40MM talk a month ago, for either player, would have been heavily derided, right? or was that floated?

Not really too soon--GW and RL are pretty good candidates to get very team-friendly extensions, since neither will probably be thaf inclined to bet on himself, for different reasons.
put me down for team-friendly deals for both, makes them even more valuable/tradeable

I recall you making a good call on TL's price/team-friendly deal last year. What do you think the price is on RL/GW?
 

Cesar Crespo

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Most of the Grant hate has ended, people were apoplectic about his play last season (which was rotten)

I suspect the Romeo hate will also subside if he stays healthy and continues to play D

4yrs for $40MM talk a month ago, for either player, would have been heavily derided, right? or was that floated?
It wasn't really floated. I said maybe some other team offers 4/40 and the C"s pass. Especially if they decide to keep Romeo. They probably aren't keeping both unless both come back at very team friendly deals.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Not really too soon--GW and RL are pretty good candidates to get very team-friendly extensions, since neither will probably be thaf inclined to bet on himself, for different reasons.
I wouldn’t accept a team-friendly extension if I were them and continued my progression through this season unless it was in the Huerter/W.Carter range ($50-65m) which is very unlikely from Boston and our top-heavy roster. Even Shamet got $42m and I don’t see us going that high. I don’t know what your definition of “team-friendly” is but if it presumes them taking a discount to not have a larger role elsewhere I wouldn’t think that would occur.
 

HomeRunBaker

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It's so long until we need to figure out $$$, RFA is very team-friendly (see Ball / Collins deals, not that these 4 are anyway in that league).

Good to hear that GW/RL have moved into 2nd contract conversation without much pushback. I'm leaning more towards trade value for these four anyways. Christian Wood is rotting away in Houston
Ugh, I look at Christian Wood and it’s like I’m watching Hassan Whiteside after he signed his $100m deal with Miami. Keep me away from headcase bigs who admittedly need motivation to be pushed after they get paid.
 

benhogan

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Ugh, I look at Christian Wood and it’s like I’m watching Hassan Whiteside after he signed his $100m deal with Miami. Keep me away from headcase bigs who admittedly need motivation to be pushed after they get paid.
He does have a checkered past but thought he turned it around? I see talent stuck in an awful situation. BUT haven't watched many Rocket games this season. I'm not a fan of KPJr. but thought Woods was OK. Liked that signing last year (3yrs for $41MM)
Houston is a tire fire and should be motivated to sell Gordon, House, Wood (before they turn into mush)

The Celtics need to combine assets (young guys, draft picks, cheap controlled players) and land a cusp All-Star from a tanker at the trade deadline or this Summer. Woods talent is undeniable.

I'd defer to our Rockets experts: @nighthob & @Apisith to render a final Woods opinion
 
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HomeRunBaker

bet squelcher
SoSH Member
Jan 15, 2004
30,026
He does have a checkered past but thought he turned it around? I see talent stuck in an awful situation. BUT haven't watched many Rocket games this season. I'm not a fan of KPJr. but thought Woods was OK. Liked that signing last year (3yrs for $41MM)
Houston is a tire fire and should be motivated to sell Gordon, House, Wood (before they turn into mush)

The Celtics need to combine assets (young guys, draft picks, cheap controlled players) and land a cusp All-Star from a tanker at the trade deadline or this Summer. Woods talent is undeniable.

I'd defer to our Rockets experts: @nighthob & @Apisith to render a final Woods opinion
Every Rockets game I’ve seen he’s loafed and content to take lazy 3’s when left unguarded. He’s still putting up numbers as one of their only bigs on the floor when opponents aren’t defending hard bc they are the Rockets and it usually isn’t a competitive situation.
 

Jimbodandy

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 31, 2006
11,356
around the way
Ugh, I look at Christian Wood and it’s like I’m watching Hassan Whiteside after he signed his $100m deal with Miami. Keep me away from headcase bigs who admittedly need motivation to be pushed after they get paid.
Christian Wood looked like a bum at last viewing. The only effort I saw out of him was one nice block and a ball punch to Grant.

A bunch of his numbers are trending the wrong way.
 

Cesar Crespo

79
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
21,588
Ugh, I look at Christian Wood and it’s like I’m watching Hassan Whiteside after he signed his $100m deal with Miami. Keep me away from headcase bigs who admittedly need motivation to be pushed after they get paid.
He should be in line for a huge season next year, though!