I liked Hunter and thought he might have made his case for that 15th spot in the preseason, but I guess not. Young is almost 2 years younger but has one more season of experience. Both showed some signs of improvement through the preseason. Young is more athletic and possibly has a higher upside than Hunter and that could be what they made the decision on.
Truthfully, I don't think Young has shown all that much in his two years with the Celtics and Red Claws. Hunter, in one year appeared to pretty much be even with him. I have to believe that Young's hold on that 15th spot is tenuous at best and he needs to continue to work hard and improve or he, too, could be out the door. There was that one save, diving into the stands, during the preseason that perhaps shows his effort. I hope to see a lot more of that from him.
It's sad that Hunter was waived on his birthday. What a crummy birthday present from Danny. I really hope that the rest of his birthday goes really well for him. I wish Hunter luck catching on with another team. He seems like a really good kid. Also in birthday news is the fact that Jaylen Brown is no longer a teenager as he is celebrating his 20th birthday today. Happy Birthday to Jaylen!
Believe RJ Hunter is first NCAA 1st round pick to be waived prior to Year 2 of rookie deal since Fab Melo in 2012.— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) October 24, 2016
Ben Bentil was cut by the Celtics also and it didn't take long for him to catch the eye of another NBA team. The Pacers signed him today but, like the Celtics, they don't have room on their 15 man roster to keep Bentil. Bentil refused the opportunity to play as an affiliated player on the Celtics D-League team and now it seems that he will be headed to the Pacers D-League team. The Celtics are pretty deep at the power forward position and perhaps Bentil sees more of an opportunity at that position on the Pacers. I wish him the best of luck.
The Celtics have broken ground on the new Red Auerbach Center, which will be a 70,000 sq. ft. state of the art practice facility that could entice more top free agents to take a look at the Celtics. It will include new and expanded strength and conditioning, training and recovery facilities. It will also include leading edge audio-visual technology and best in class locker rooms and players lounge. It is set to open prior to the 2018-19 season.
Jared Sullinger has missed most of the preseason with a foot injury and now they have announced that he will have surgery on the foot and be sidelined indefinitely. Tough luck for both Sully and the Raptors. Unfortunately, this is what has happened to Sully in past years as well. He would come into camp in good shape and then an injury would hit and he'd be sidelined and unable to work out and the weight would get the best of him. I really like Sully and I'm pulling for him to come back strong, even if he does play for a rival now.
Kelly Olynyk has been cleared for full contact practice now. He is still targeting mid November for a return to playing. Avery Bradley has been mentoring him somewhat on his recovery from shoulder surgery. Avery knows what he is talking about, having recovered from double shoulder surgery a couple years back. Kelly was near the top of the league in 3 point percentage before his injury and I hope it doesn't take him too long to get back there. I also hope that he will be more assertive this season and not as tentative to shoot as he has been in the past.
Nerlens Noel was the topic of much trade speculation this off season. The Sixers have a plethora of bigs on their roster with the return of Joel Embiid from two seasons of foot injuries. With Embiid ready to play and Dario Saric finally coming over from Europe to play, the Sixers had a surplus of bigs and Noel and Okafor were the players said to be on the trading block. Noel is now on the injured list after knee surgery so I guess we can put the trade rumors to rest for a bit.
I can't believe that the season starts already tomorrow with 3 games on the schedule for opening night. Knicks/Cavs and Spurs/Warriors will be on TNT while Jazz/Portland will be on League Pass. I'm glad that there is a game on League Pass before the Celtics open their season on Wednesday against the Nets. I fought with Comcast throughout the preseason because I wasn't getting any preseason games and so I am not taking for granted that I will get the games once the season starts, even though I have been signed up for LP since October 11. Go Celtics!!!!!!!!
[Discuss on CG Forums!]
I hope one of the many journalists that cover the Celtics actually does some investigating (instead of just taking the easy path of just asking questions at Celtics' locations when players/coach/Danny/etc. are made available) and picks up the phone and calls Bentil to explore / find out why he turned down Celtics but accepted Pacers.
ReplyDeleteI am wondering the same thing about Bentil. I have no access to the players so will never be able to clear that up but hopefully someone will ask him. My guess is that the Celtics are pretty deep at that position and he didn't see a way to break into the rotation with so many ahead of him while the Pacers may not have quite as many at power forward and he sees a possibility of getting a chance there.
DeleteYes, that's the theory, but -- if true -- it seems shortsighted. There is a good chance Amir, Jonas, and Tyler will all be gone next year (and maybe even Kelly, though I hope not) to free up cap space for a max free agent (and possibly also to match salaries in a trade), which will open up a lot of front court slots.
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