I Believe in Time Lord...Why Can't You?
- Thread starter Bernie Carbohydrate
- Start date
Perhaps the damage is done and Time Lord won't be available for any part of the series, but the games are spaced out nicely, and hopefully he's benefiting from the break.
Even if he's not available on Saturday nite, Game 2 isn't until Tuesday, which is a full week after the play-in game. Maybe the C's will catch a break on the health front for once.
Even if he's not available on Saturday nite, Game 2 isn't until Tuesday, which is a full week after the play-in game. Maybe the C's will catch a break on the health front for once.
Bill Walton with the Clippers. He may be like a starting pitcher much of his career where the coaches decide which days he plays, and when he is healthy is just a bonus.
Sadly, that's where I am, and I've loved watching him develop in Boston. He just can't stay on the court.
I remain torn. He has played the most games of his career this year, and the most minutes: he appeared in 52 games this season, nearly as many as TT. He managed to hold up pretty well under the 25 mins a game he was being asked to play the last couple of months until the turf toe injury, and when he was on the court, the Celtics were great. He managed to up his minutes and his minutes per game all while dealing with a compressed schedule. The injuries he's had so far this year haven't been major, either.
I think we'll see a bunch of him in the playoffs, barring a more serious reaggravation of his turf toe. Hopefully, with the time between games, that won't be the case.
He may be like Nerlens Noel: a big with a great defensive reputation who's never more than a back-up playing ~20 or so minutes a game because he's only intermittently healthy.On the other hand, he's got a documented vascular injury, seems to tear ligaments easily, and therefore could wash out very suddenly with the wrong injury.
I'd guess the Celtics explore trade options with him, but probably end up keeping him. He's only got one more year on his deal, he's cheap as hell next year, and the upside is so incredibly tantalizing.
A side note... I'm not sure he gets signed for four years, or for a lot of money. I think ultimately the injury concerns keep him from getting a big contract, and may actually give the Celtics the opportunity to keep him around for cheap, which would in turn allow the Celtics to pursue other options at the 5 and give the Celtics a terrifying back-up option.
Maybe they even sign him to an cheap-ish extension this summer. Williams is aware of his injury history and may be reluctant to wait to sign an extension. Somewhere in the range of 6 to ten million a season for between 2-4 years, betting on his continuing improvement in his ability to manage his own health just as Smart is coming off the books. You end up with the upside of a 5 providing great offense and defense who may even one day be healthy, instead of a great defensive guard who can't shoot who's also liable to get injured. And if he washes out, the money you've committed isn't totally debilitating.
On the other hand, maybe not the sort of bet a great GM makes.
It's worth noting though that while they played nearly the same amount of games, there is a significant gap in minutes (over 30%), because they got TL to those games played numbers by limiting his minutes.
TT also missed his games due to covid. TL is missing games due to actual injury.
Time Lord missed though for COVID-related reasons, I think, though he may not have had any symptoms.
It absolutely is worth noting, I agree. The fact that Williams has never played even 20 mins a game per season is a major knock against him, and against an extension. It's really hard to impact a game when you can't even play half of it. That he manages to do so despite those limited minutes is majorly in his favor.
If the Celtics think they can bet on him becoming a 30 mpg player in his fourth or fifth season, you may have the opportunity to lock up a great young player for part of his prime at cheap money. That's all I'm saying. I don't feel qualified to say if he'll meet those criteria for the front office.
Wouldn't that depend on for how much? I'd certainly gamble on his health at 6-8M/yr. 15M, not so much.
Let’s not forget that if not for being medically red-flagged prior to the draft.....TL would never had been available to us to begin with. It’s like Blazer fans complaining about the “bad luck” they had with Brandon Roy’s knees.....this isn’t “bad luck”, it was well documented that TL had artery issues in both legs as well as hip and knee problems which is why he slid.
Was the hip stuff known pre-draft? That's the one I'm most worried about long term but I dont remember hearing about that until his "bone marrow edema" injury.
The popliteal artery entrapment can be treated if becomes a major problem (maybe it already has?). The turf toe sucks and might make him out/not himself the rest of the playoffs, but doubtful to be a major long term thing.
I recall the red flags for two issues. One was def the artery issue and the other I thought was the hip but it could have been the knee. It was whatever caused him to miss summer league practice and games that year. Either way the poor kid is made of glass.
He had tendonitis in his knee but he missed SL when his knee was hit during a game where his tendonitis was: https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2018/07/sources_boston_celtics_rookie.html
https://celticswire.usatoday.com/2018/07/06/robert-williams-iii-forced-out-of-first-summer-league-game-knee-contusion-boston-celtics/
Also one big reason he slipped is because some teams didn't have his medicals as TL had switched agents before the draft.
I mean, given where he was drafted, Williams is already a pretty big success.
The question is the second contract. My feeling is that other teams can see the same flags the Celtics can and that he could be re-signed for less than people are expecting.
The question is the second contract. My feeling is that other teams can see the same flags the Celtics can and that he could be re-signed for less than people are expecting.
Thanks, I was wondering about that. Vaguely recall turf toe being a chronic condition for NFLers, and the last thing he/we need is for TL to be managing another chronic problem...as it seems (most of?) his other problems are too.
View: https://twitter.com/RedsArmy_John/status/1395474716459159561
This was from Thursday. I'm guessing we won't see Time Lord until Game 2 at the earliest.
This was from Thursday. I'm guessing we won't see Time Lord until Game 2 at the earliest.
It can be on rare occasions, particularly if someone doesn't have surgery. But if the ligament is torn I would assume he will have surgery in the offseason.
I'd be surprised if it's a major career altering issue for him. The hip and knee on the other hand....
Career game for Rob Williams last night.
He only played 23 minutes because of his turf toe, and I'm skeptical that he'll be able to even give the Celtics that much per game over the rest of the series. He's clearly limited - Karalis has this to say pregame:
View: https://twitter.com/RedsArmy_John/status/1396241092660678656?s=20
John Karalis: Williams is certainly moving a lot better... however all of his layups/dunks here are jumping off the right foot, so he's clearly trying to figure out how to play a little differently
BUT, the numbers were impressive. 23 minutes, 11 points (5-8 from the field), 9 rebounds, 9 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal, no turnovers, and only 2 fouls. And he was a +5. Thompason, who played all of the other minues at C, was a -16. In this particular game, the plus minus numbers are reflective of Williams' play.
And some of the actual play was more impressive than the numbers.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfIPMLYNusk
At about 2:15 in the above video, Williams is switched on to Harden on the perimeter. Harden tries to drive and Williams stops him. Harden brings the ball back out and attempts a step back 3 and Williams blocks it.
I think the Nets are probably an ideal matchup for Rob Williams. Older and less athletic team powered by 3 stars. But if he's 100% the C's maybe have a longshot chance in this series.
He only played 23 minutes because of his turf toe, and I'm skeptical that he'll be able to even give the Celtics that much per game over the rest of the series. He's clearly limited - Karalis has this to say pregame:
View: https://twitter.com/RedsArmy_John/status/1396241092660678656?s=20
John Karalis: Williams is certainly moving a lot better... however all of his layups/dunks here are jumping off the right foot, so he's clearly trying to figure out how to play a little differently
BUT, the numbers were impressive. 23 minutes, 11 points (5-8 from the field), 9 rebounds, 9 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal, no turnovers, and only 2 fouls. And he was a +5. Thompason, who played all of the other minues at C, was a -16. In this particular game, the plus minus numbers are reflective of Williams' play.
And some of the actual play was more impressive than the numbers.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfIPMLYNusk
At about 2:15 in the above video, Williams is switched on to Harden on the perimeter. Harden tries to drive and Williams stops him. Harden brings the ball back out and attempts a step back 3 and Williams blocks it.
I think the Nets are probably an ideal matchup for Rob Williams. Older and less athletic team powered by 3 stars. But if he's 100% the C's maybe have a longshot chance in this series.
+/- also reflective of TT's problems. BRK strategy apparently consists of finding one of KW, TT, or Parker and going 1 v 1 against that person. Kind 9f amazing that of the 3, Parker probably did the best.
I mean...that strategy didn't work great. The Celtics did about as well as you're going to defensively against Brooklyn, even when 3s started falling for the Nets. Getting them to iso repeatedly while being ready to help was a big part of that success.
I've given Brad some shit, so I was happy to seel Playoff Brad back in business. Cs had a good, well-executed defensive gameplan and just couldn't find enough offense.
They don't seem to have developed any cohesion (any more than say the Celtics on offense). My turn, your turn... 3 stars, give the ball up to the person with the biggest mismatch - or seek out a particular mismatch. They aren't interested in rocket science, they've got 3 hammers. It is going to take a team with either equal star power, or enough athletes to expose them on defense - and even then the refs will protect them by not calling fouls.
