Ivica Zubac: huge miss by the Celtics

[Tr1boy]

We can all agree Yab was an absolute dumb move that made no sense. Also giving up the 31 and 35 was stupid and those 3 picks are basically in the dumpster......you don't rebuild a team by throwing away picks and missing value.

Who would you have rather taken at 16?

Im still bummed out danny didnt trade up to grab Sabonis tbh

Jackson/bentil picks look like a waste while nader pick was a steal

Not alot of options at 31,33. And even if there were we would of had zero roster spots for more than 2 , maybe 3 picks

[Tr1boy]

I believe the rumors Danny was about to take hernangomez until denver took them 1st (those ****)

Didnt they also pick faried, nurkic just before we had a chance

I rather have nurkic now not james young

[Alleyoopster]

We can all agree Yab was an absolute dumb move that made no sense. Also giving up the 31 and 35 was stupid and those 3 picks are basically in the dumpster......you don't rebuild a team by throwing away picks and missing value.

We may not all agree, but I agree. The exception being we really don't know the outcome of the 31 and 35 pick yet.

Yab makes no sense in that we needed a rim protector and a rebounder. Almost everyone on the board is comparing him to Glenn Davis or Sully. Haven't we had enough of this type of player. From the scouting reports he is neither a rebounder nor a rim protector. He is an undersized 4 who will likely be asked to play both the 4 and 5 positions. We don't need that aggravation. Why not get someone who is a true 5 or who has the height of a 4. Also, video clips and SL show he's a pathetic defender.
Many are enamored with the idea of stashing a player overseas for a year because there wasn't enough roster space. So, the answer is draft and stash? Sure, there was/is plenty of roster space. Just cut players who don't contribute. Let everyone compete for a job. Danny did it last year without any problem. The C's are not the D-League proving grounds. 

There was too much talent on the board to waste these picks. The Spurs Championships came about partly because of smart late round picks, e.g., Tony Parker, Ginobelli and later signing players who were late round picks for other teams like Patty Mills and Matt Bonner.

Taking a chance on someone like Zubac would have been better than waiting. What are we waiting for?   

[IDreamCeltics]

I think it's clear that Danny and Brad believe that the big shot blocking center who can't shoot threes is a relic of the past.

Golden State might have thought that too before Bogut went down in the finals.  Of course, they lost three games in a row without him for the first 3-1 collapse in finals history.

In just 12 minutes a night he averaged 2 blocks per game in that series and forced Cleveland to change their offensive approach while he was in. 

[IDreamCeltics]

Are we really calling draft misses based on summer league?  Not to mention that Zizic didn't play, and could very well have done better than Zubac if he had.  It's one thing to say that you really like Zubac and think he'll be a good player, or that you wished we had taken him, but saying that we screwed up by taking Zizic over him makes no sense

I feel totally comfortable pointing out that Zubac is a better player than both Jared Sullenger and Tyler Zeller right now based on his summer league performance as well as his professional career in Europe.  He could step in and play 18 minutes a night as a center for the Celtics immediately.  This is not even a "risky prediction" since we're going to see him do exactly that for the Lakers this year - they currently believe in him so much that they have no plan B at center.

I'm not saying we screwed up by taking Zizic - I'm saying we screwed up by NOT taking Zubac.  Try to wrap your head around the idea that we had eight draft picks and had the opportunity to draft multiple impact players THIS YEAR.  Since the Celtics made repeated claims of exhaustively scouting the Euro prospects I find it hard to believe that they whiffed that badly on a guy who was one of four Euro centers available and lasted into the second round.   

If he was some raw prospect who wasn't going to be ready to play a role in the NBA for several years (think Young, Hunter, Mickey, Yabu, Zizic, Bentel, Jackson) I could understand passing on him to avoid having to keep him on the roster, but this a 7'2 260 lbs shot-blocker with a post-game...  He's NBA ready right now and has a skillset that people on this board have been clamoring for for ages. 

There's not really an excuse available that justifies the Celtics trading their two top second round picks away and missing on a player who would A. Make an NBA impact this year, B. Is 19 and has as much potential to improve as any other 19 year old player. C.  Has more trade value today than he did when he was drafted. 

Furthermore, many people on this board are creaming themselves over the possibility of trading first round picks and prospects for Jahil Okafor who had a similar impact in summer league to Zubac last year.

You just lost your credibility.

BTW, a team can only have 15 players on their roster. You and Future Celtics Owner think the celtics have 20+ roster space.

That was all it took eh?   

Regarding the roster limit: I count 11 guys currently on the roster who I think can play NBA minutes.

1.Thomas
2.Bradley
3.Crowder
4.Horford
5.Amir Johnson
6.Olynyk
7.Marcus Smart
8.Jerebko
9.Rozier
10. Brown
11.Nader

I count six guys who will be all-stars in China within a year.
1. RJ Hunter
2. Young
3. Mickey
4. Bentil
5. Jackson
6. Thorton

I also count two European stashes
1. Yabu
2. Zizic

So passing on NBA players in this draft because we "didn't have the roster space" is not really currently a valid argument in my mind because we have 4 roster spots that are CLEARLY UP FOR GRABS. 

[hwangjini_1]

Are we really calling draft misses based on summer league?  Not to mention that Zizic didn't play, and could very well have done better than Zubac if he had.  It's one thing to say that you really like Zubac and think he'll be a good player, or that you wished we had taken him, but saying that we screwed up by taking Zizic over him makes no sense

I feel totally comfortable pointing out that Zubac is a better player than both Jared Sullenger and Tyler Zeller right now based on his summer league performance as well as his professional career in Europe.  He could step in and play 18 minutes a night as a center for the Celtics immediately.  This is not even a "risky prediction" since we're going to see him do exactly that for the Lakers this year - they currently believe in him so much that they have no plan B at center.

I'm not saying we screwed up by taking Zizic - I'm saying we screwed up by NOT taking Zubac.  Try to wrap your head around the idea that we had eight draft picks and had the opportunity to draft multiple impact players THIS YEAR.  Since the Celtics made repeated claims of exhaustively scouting the Euro prospects I find it hard to believe that they whiffed that badly on a guy who was one of four Euro centers available and lasted into the second round.   

If he was some raw prospect who wasn't going to be ready to play a role in the NBA for several years (think Young, Hunter, Mickey, Yabu, Zizic, Bentel, Jackson) I could understand passing on him to avoid having to keep him on the roster, but this a 7'2 260 lbs shot-blocker with a post-game...  He's NBA ready right now and has a skillset that people on this board have been clamoring for for ages. 

There's not really an excuse available that justifies the Celtics trading their two top second round picks away and missing on a player who would A. Make an NBA impact this year, B. Is 19 and has as much potential to improve as any other 19 year old player. C.  Has more trade value today than he did when he was drafted. 

Furthermore, many people on this board are creaming themselves over the possibility of trading first round picks and prospects for Jahil Okafor who had a similar impact in summer league to Zubac last year.

You just lost your credibility.

BTW, a team can only have 15 players on their roster. You and Future Celtics Owner think the celtics have 20+ roster space.

That was all it took eh?   

Regarding the roster limit: I count 11 guys currently on the roster who I think can play NBA minutes.

1.Thomas
2.Bradley
3.Crowder
4.Horford
5.Amir Johnson
6.Olynyk
7.Marcus Smart
8.Jerebko
9.Rozier
10. Brown
11.Nader

I count six guys who will be all-stars in China within a year.
1. RJ Hunter
2. Young
3. Mickey
4. Bentil
5. Jackson
6. Thorton

I also count two European stashes
1. Yabu
2. Zizic

So passing on NBA players in this draft because we "didn't have the roster space" is not really currently a valid argument in my mind because we have 4 roster spots that are CLEARLY UP FOR GRABS.

isnt the key to counting roster spaces tied to the number of contracts? not a blogger's opinion on who is nba quality or not?

[kozlodoev]

So passing on NBA players in this draft because we "didn't have the roster space" is not really currently a valid argument in my mind because we have 4 roster spots that are CLEARLY UP FOR GRABS.

Right, except you'll still have to cut or renounce someone, because we currently hold the rights to 16 players and only have 15 spots.

I don't see what's so hard to grasp about the fact that in these circumstances it's better to give up two lesser players now for one better player in the future. It's not rocket science.

[hwangjini_1]

We can all agree Yab was an absolute dumb move that made no sense. Also giving up the 31 and 35 was stupid and those 3 picks are basically in the dumpster......you don't rebuild a team by throwing away picks and missing value.

We may not all agree, but I agree. The exception being we really don't know the outcome of the 31 and 35 pick yet.

Yab makes no sense in that we needed a rim protector and a rebounder. Almost everyone on the board is comparing him to Glenn Davis or Sully. Haven't we had enough of this type of player. From the scouting reports he is neither a rebounder nor a rim protector. He is an undersized 4 who will likely be asked to play both the 4 and 5 positions. We don't need that aggravation. Why not get someone who is a true 5 or who has the height of a 4. Also, video clips and SL show he's a pathetic defender.
Many are enamored with the idea of stashing a player overseas for a year because there wasn't enough roster space. So, the answer is draft and stash? Sure, there was/is plenty of roster space. Just cut players who don't contribute. Let everyone compete for a job. Danny did it last year without any problem. The C's are not the D-League proving grounds. 

There was too much talent on the board to waste these picks. The Spurs Championships came about partly because of smart late round picks, e.g., Tony Parker, Ginobelli and later signing players who were late round picks for other teams like Patty Mills and Matt Bonner.

Taking a chance on someone like Zubac would have been better than waiting. What are we waiting for?

i believe the general opinion is that you draft for talent, trade for need. ainge took the player he thought was bpa at that time.

and please keep in mind that zubac was not picked by every single GM in the league during the first round. obviously, many basketball professionals throughout the league did not hold zubac in the same light as some posters here.

[pablohoney]

I think it's clear that Danny and Brad believe that the big shot blocking center who can't shoot threes is a relic of the past.

Golden State might have thought that too before Bogut went down in the finals.  Of course, they lost three games in a row without him for the first 3-1 collapse in finals history.

In just 12 minutes a night he averaged 2 blocks per game in that series and forced Cleveland to change their offensive approach while he was in.

Bogut was drafted #1 in a draft with Chris Paul and Deron Williams.   I just don't see the comparison at all.   You are comparing an elite talent to rotation guys off the bench.

[hwangjini_1]

We can all agree Yab was an absolute dumb move that made no sense. Also giving up the 31 and 35 was stupid and those 3 picks are basically in the dumpster......you don't rebuild a team by throwing away picks and missing value.

Who would you have rather taken at 16?

Im still bummed out danny didnt trade up to grab Sabonis tbh

Jackson/bentil picks look like a waste while nader pick was a steal

Not alot of options at 31,33. And even if there were we would of had zero roster spots for more than 2 , maybe 3 picks

i am not sure if second round picks are ever a waste. if you get a player who plays at all in the nba, you have made a good second round pick.

besides, how many posters here cheered the selection of jackson and bentil when it happened? different opinions and not all of them are right all the time. 

[uconnceltic]

We can all agree Yab was an absolute dumb move that made no sense. Also giving up the 31 and 35 was stupid and those 3 picks are basically in the dumpster......you don't rebuild a team by throwing away picks and missing value.

No and your premise is ridiculous going off what we know so far. Sometimes people should just push themselves away from the keyboard before making statements like this

[Alleyoopster]

We can all agree Yab was an absolute dumb move that made no sense. Also giving up the 31 and 35 was stupid and those 3 picks are basically in the dumpster......you don't rebuild a team by throwing away picks and missing value.

We may not all agree, but I agree. The exception being we really don't know the outcome of the 31 and 35 pick yet.

Yab makes no sense in that we needed a rim protector and a rebounder. Almost everyone on the board is comparing him to Glenn Davis or Sully. Haven't we had enough of this type of player. From the scouting reports he is neither a rebounder nor a rim protector. He is an undersized 4 who will likely be asked to play both the 4 and 5 positions. We don't need that aggravation. Why not get someone who is a true 5 or who has the height of a 4. Also, video clips and SL show he's a pathetic defender.
Many are enamored with the idea of stashing a player overseas for a year because there wasn't enough roster space. So, the answer is draft and stash? Sure, there was/is plenty of roster space. Just cut players who don't contribute. Let everyone compete for a job. Danny did it last year without any problem. The C's are not the D-League proving grounds. 

There was too much talent on the board to waste these picks. The Spurs Championships came about partly because of smart late round picks, e.g., Tony Parker, Ginobelli and later signing players who were late round picks for other teams like Patty Mills and Matt Bonner.

Taking a chance on someone like Zubac would have been better than waiting. What are we waiting for?

i believe the general opinion is that you draft for talent, trade for need. ainge took the player he thought was bpa at that time.

and please keep in mind that zubac was not picked by every single GM in the league during the first round. obviously, many basketball professionals throughout the league did not hold zubac in the same light as some posters here.

After reading a lot of post on CB I got the impression that Yabu was selected more for his draft and stash status than being the BPA. And, judging from the pre-NBA-draft boards...Yabu should have been a second round selection.

[Celtics4ever]

. And, judging from the pre-NBA-draft boards...Yabu should have been a second round selection.

I thought that from his play but there is some potential there, too.

[IDreamCeltics]

So passing on NBA players in this draft because we "didn't have the roster space" is not really currently a valid argument in my mind because we have 4 roster spots that are CLEARLY UP FOR GRABS.

Right, except you'll still have to cut or renounce someone, because we currently hold the rights to 16 players and only have 15 spots.

I don't see what's so hard to grasp about the fact that in these circumstances it's better to give up two lesser players now for one better player in the future. It's not rocket science.

That's fair.  I didn't realize the concept of renouncing some of the cheapest contracts on the roster (of guys who can't play at this level) would be so baffling to some people.

Also, I don't see trading 2 second round picks for a lottery protected first that could become a second round pick under certain conditions to be the slam dunk you do.

I'd rather just draft the 19 year old 7'2 center who's going to play in the NBA this year.

[kozlodoev]

I didn't realize the concept of renouncing some of the cheapest contracts on the roster (of guys who can't play at this level) would be so baffling to some people.

Yes, it's completely baffling why a team would choose to carry dead cap space to upgrade someone like James Young with some random second round pick. It's the definition of poor team management.

Also, I don't see trading 2 second round picks for a lottery protected first that could become a second round pick under certain conditions to be the slam dunk you do.

Yes, having a better player that you can keep always beats having worse players that you have to cut.

I'd rather just draft the 19 year old 7'2 center who's going to play in the NBA this year.

By exactly the same token, Zizic could play in the NBA today if they wanted him to. He played in the same league that Zubac did and his performance was vastly superior.