Blake Griffin to Celts

Mooch

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OK, I guess. Not exactly what I had in mind for a Gallo replacement though. He's a body.
 

Light-Tower-Power

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Eh, bench big who can rebound a little and hopefully hit a few threes. He’s pretty cooked but I don’t hate him getting 15-20 minutes a game during the regular season.
 

snowmanny

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I remember that game in the playoffs where he hit a couple of shots and the announcers went on and on about how amazing it all was while some other guys were dribbling past him as much as they pleased.
 

Eddie Jurak

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BigSoxFan

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Eh, whatever. He's a name who might hit a shot or two. Pretty sure I could put up 30 on him though.
 

Light-Tower-Power

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Seriously hope he never sees the court aside from garbage time
Later in the season, with TL hopefully back healthy and playing regular minutes, I would tend to agree. Out of the gate? I don’t see how Kornet et al are much better options. He’s going play real minutes in October and November.
 

mcpickl

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Ugh

At best he can set some picks on the perimeter with the aid of that giant fork sticking out of his back.

he’s toast
 

Cellar-Door

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He can play a little 5 against backup bigs and he's a little bit less toast than Carmelo, so... sure, perfectly fine signing.
 

RorschachsMask

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According to bball index, Blake was still a pretty good interior defender last year.

Rim contest rate: 83rd percentile
Rim protector: 81st percentile
Post defense: 86th percentile
Screener rim defense: 80th percentile
 

jmcc5400

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According to bball index, Blake was still a pretty good interior defender last year.

Rim contest rate: 83rd percentile
Rim protector: 81st percentile
Post defense: 86th percentile
Screener rim defense: 80th percentile
Yeah, he'll get cooked on pick and rolls, but he's a pretty good banger inside and he's a good passer with a credible three point shot. He's fine as a regular season bench piece.
 

Mugsy's Jock

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I'll assume that his coming on board at the vet minimum means that he understands he's likely to have a limited role on the team, and thus won't be a distraction if his minutes are limited.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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I'm shocked; I guess Brad thought highly enough of Blake for some reason that he wanted to lock Griffin up before he signed with another team. Blake will count $1.8M against the salary cap but will earn $2.9M. As mentioned in the other thread, if the Cs cut Griffin before the year is out, he'll count the entire $2.9M so they'd likely have to attach a draft pick to him if they want to get rid of him for any reason this coming year.

Maybe the thought is that he can bang against the bigger Cs out there (Embiid, etc.) in a way that no one currently on the roster can.
 

Just a bit outside

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That is some thin gruel. Is he any better than Begarin or Kabengele?
Begarin is in France and plays a different position and they don't know if he is better than Kabengele.

I would think they talked with him and he is ok with whatever playing time he gets and they trust that Griffin will know where to be on offense and defense. This is a regular season signing to eat some minutes. If Blake or any of the guys mentioned are seeing significant time in the playoffs we are toast anyway.
 

lexrageorge

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That is some thin gruel. Is he any better than Begarin or Kabengele?
With R Williams expected to miss at least 2-3 months, Blake is probably better fit for the team's bench needs than Begarin, who really still needs some developmental minutes.

The question is whether he's a better fit than last year's Enes Kanter. And I don't see the Celtics surrendering a first to dump him; they would take the cap hit if it came to that. But there's probably no need unless there is a major mid-season trade; the 15th spot on the roster isn't going to be a worry in the playoffs.
 

BaseballJones

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There will be times when Griffin sucks. There will be times when he makes a nice contribution. He's a bench guy, nothing more, nothing less. Hopefully he is useful but obviously I don't see him getting any real minutes - barring emergency - in the playoffs. Which is just fine.
 

Cellar-Door

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That is some thin gruel. Is he any better than Begarin or Kabengele?
Begarin is a guard who is signed to a contract in France.
Kabengele... yeah Blake is probably better.. also Kabengele is on a 2 way so they can have both.
 

Minneapolis Millers

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There will be times when Griffin sucks. There will be times when he makes a nice contribution. He's a bench guy, nothing more, nothing less. Hopefully he is useful but obviously I don't see him getting any real minutes - barring emergency - in the playoffs. Which is just fine.
Right. You need minutes and bodies to fill those minutes throughout the regular season. Some games he won’t play. Some 20+ minutes. He’s fine given the team’s needs and injuries.
 

mauf

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I don’t understand the hate for this signing. Of course Griffin is a shadow of his former self, and was overrated at his peak. But Brad isn’t paying for that guy; he’s paying for a big who’s available for the league minimum. Is Blake better than, say, Enes Kanter? In my view, very much so. It’s a problem if Blake is playing significant playoff minutes, but this is a nice depth signing.

Edit: I left this post open in draft form for a while before posting, and several other posters weighed in during that time. Turns out I wasn’t pushing back on the main narrative in the thread as much as I thought.
 
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DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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This transaction probably has more potential consequences for the Boston stand-up comedy community than for the Cs title hopes.

That said, Griffin can still be useful in spots as noted upthread. Some of the pushback here seems a bit surprising. Griffin is effectively extra NBA paper towels.
 

Fishy1

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I'll give him this: he played super fucking hard in the Brooklyn series even though he was getting roasted in the pick and roll. Fine bench piece, good to have him to shore up the backup position given our depth issues there. Will either be really interesting or a little depressing seeing him battle it out with Kabengele and Kornet.
 

8slim

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If we signed a rando named Griffin Blake with the exact same stats and scouting report, I doubt people would be as hot with their takes.
 

67YAZ

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Blake's also long been a decent secondary playmaker. There might be a second team package where Blake bangs down low on defense and helps run the offense from the wing, dragging his defender out to open the lane. That's all matchup dependent, but a useful arrow to have in the quiver.
 

mcpickl

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What are the odds he's still a Celtic come playoff time?
I’d guess 25% maybe?

i think he’s in a trade by the deadline, whether as part of ballast to upgrade a spot, or dumped with a second round pick or swap to save on the luxury tax bill and/or clear a roster spot for a buyout guy.
 

RG33

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Totally fine signing for the 10-15th roster spot.
Let’s go!
 

Cellar-Door

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I’d guess 25% maybe?

i think he’s in a trade by the deadline, whether as part of ballast to upgrade a spot, or dumped with a second round pick or swap to save on the luxury tax bill and/or clear a roster spot for a buyout guy.
I think this part is doubtful unless we make several trades, we only have 12 fully guaranteed deals, plus a partial in Kornet. Doubt that 2 of the camp deal guys make it past the guarantee date.
 

jasail

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With Gallo's injury, this is a decent pick up. They sorely need the big man depth and he's a fine regular season bench depth at this point in his career.
 

cardiacs

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I know I have mentioned this a few times in the game threads but I used to run into him occasionally when he was in college and I worked in Norman and I couldn't fucking stand being in the same room as him. I really hate this move even when thinking objectively as possible. Sorry.
 

128

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I know I have mentioned this a few times in the game threads but I used to run into him occasionally when he was in college and I worked in Norman and I couldn't fucking stand being in the same room as him. I really hate this move even when thinking objectively as possible. Sorry.
Maybe he's matured. I'm guessing he has a rep as a good guy in an NBA locker room, or else the C's wouldn't have made this move.
 

jasail

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Also Kornet's injury! Although that sounds like a short term thing.
Ya, that's looking like 1-2 weeks.

I know I have mentioned this a few times in the game threads but I used to run into him occasionally when he was in college and I worked in Norman and I couldn't fucking stand being in the same room as him. I really hate this move even when thinking objectively as possible. Sorry.
Hmm, that's counter to most everything I've heard about him as a pro.