Guerschon Goes to China

nighthob

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I'm hoping that it's next year, as by implication that means a successful trade for a tier one player to add to the roster and a need for further depth.
 

sox311

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That's what she said.
To get him on the roster 17/18 would be difficult and would 100% need a big trade to clear up space like you said. I'm still shocked Danny couldn't have traded those picks to Milwaukee for them to move down to take Maker and we could have gotten Sabonis.
 

southshoresoxfan

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To get him on the roster 17/18 would be difficult and would 100% need a big trade to clear up space like you said. I'm still shocked Danny couldn't have traded those picks to Milwaukee for them to move down to take Maker and we could have gotten Sabonis.
Maybe they didnt want more picks and maybe we didnt want Sabonis.
 

slamminsammya

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Watching the highlights made me seriously question the value of having him in China versus NBDL or Europe. Maybe the talent level with the other teams is much higher, but the opposition consisted of one tall dude who was guarding Yabusele and then four chinese guys whose bodies looked like they belonged in a rec league. Yabusele didnt even need skill, he was just a massive load compared to everyone else on the floor.
 

Cellar-Door

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Watching the highlights made me seriously question the value of having him in China versus NBDL or Europe. Maybe the talent level with the other teams is much higher, but the opposition consisted of one tall dude who was guarding Yabusele and then four chinese guys whose bodies looked like they belonged in a rec league. Yabusele didnt even need skill, he was just a massive load compared to everyone else on the floor.
Pretty good amount of 6'8"+ guys in the CBA, many of them former D-1 and NBA guys.
http://www.asia-basket.com/China/basketball-Players.asp
A quick look showed me more than a dozen big guys who were drafted and I didn't go through all of them.
 

Cellar-Door

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He and Jimmer did work. He needs to stop taking 3's, though.
I think he should take many 3s. That range will be big for him in the NBA. Let him put the work in on it for Shanghai so he can come back at least in the 30s. It is would change his value a lot.
 

HomeRunBaker

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He and Jimmer did work. He needs to stop taking 3's, though.
He projects as a stretch-4 why would you want him to stop taking 3's? That is a large part of his game.

Watching the highlights made me seriously question the value of having him in China versus NBDL or Europe. Maybe the talent level with the other teams is much higher, but the opposition consisted of one tall dude who was guarding Yabusele and then four chinese guys whose bodies looked like they belonged in a rec league. Yabusele didnt even need skill, he was just a massive load compared to everyone else on the floor
The D-League wasn't an option as he'd either count toward our 15 on an NBA rookie deal or he'd be making $25-30k (whatever the max is this year)......good luck convincing a mid-1st round draft pick to forego a $1.5m deal in Shanghai to spend a winter in Maine for $30k.

Europe? China? Does it really matter? The level of competition is relatively similar and Yabusele has every right to sign the most lucrative deal out there. Mudiay played in China and was fine. I wouldn't be overly concerned China presents any inherent risk.
 
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Jed Zeppelin

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Caveats about poor competition aside, he moves really well for his size and has a good feel for the game. In SL he was often the only guy playing real basketball (setting good picks and whatnot). He won't get free lanes to the basket like this but if he can hit threes, drive past over-aggressive close-outs, move the ball well and use his big butt to clear out space on the glass, he's got a place.

If he were American he'd probably be a great defensive end.
 

RetractableRoof

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Question for the crowd...

I've watched this guy and he seems like he is playing as a man among boys. In the Jaylen Brown thread and the draft thread there is commentary about how so many of the kids coming out of NCAA 1 and done appearances have holes in their game, commonly an ability to be a polished shooter. This guy was stashed in China with a high end training program, etc. But if he is a man among boys, how is he going to develop the specific skills to be able to make a difference? Is there a shot doctor on the chinese team he is playing for? Is there someone qualified there working with him (or all the chinese players)? Is his development/minutes in China more valuable than in a Euro league? (Is Ainge maybe also trying to build a chinese connection to get him a future leg up on the next Yao Ming?) Is Guershon better off than in the D League or whatever they are calling it this week?

I'm not questioning the placement - he is after all a stashable player. I'm just curious how/where Ainge's blueprint can pay off - or in this case is Guershon really just an asset and any development is enough? If he is merely an asset - is there any value in trying to 'fatten him up' before a sale?

There's nothing negative behind the questions - I'm truly curious about how it works and what the 1/2 year best case scenario is, etc.
 

BigSoxFan

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The China decision was not Ainge's. The Celtics own his NBA rights but they can't control what he does. I believe China offered him more money and he took it. The level of competition obviously isn't great but it's not exactly D3 either. He'll probably have a small bench role next year, if that, so not really concerned.
 

Imbricus

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I've watched some of the Yabusele highlight clips too, and he looks great, but his Chinese defenders also look kind of stiff and slow. He has been putting up gaudy numbers -- when Fredette was injured, he had a couple of 30-point games, back to back. Anyone with ESPN Insider access may want to pull an interesting article (I couldn't get into; it came out a few weeks back) that breaks down how his Chinese stats would translate into NBA "per 36 minutes" numbers -- as I recall, they had his scoring at about 13.6 (this, per a news article that cited the figures then oddly vanished a week later). That seems decent. Still, I'd much rather Ainge dangle him as trade bait than Zizic at this point.
 
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BigSoxFan

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Zizic probably has more value now. He may have had more value on draft night, honestly.
I think Zizic absolutely has more value. Not sure what Yabusele's ceiling in the NBA really is. But based on his limited highlights, I think he looks like a future rotational player. Good shooting form, good athleticism, and strong physique. Looking forward to seeing both of these guys next year.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Excited to see Zizic, who is showing well for an NBA coach in a legit league. More of an interior big man game right now, but he shoots free throws well so I'm curious to see how far he might be able to extend his range.
 

Imbricus

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That story was nice and had the ESPN Insider stats on Yabusele's per 36 minutes that a sportswriter calculated; I assume there was healthy discounting of his inflated China league stats. Still, they came up with this:

Yabusele, per 36: 13.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists.

If that's realistic, that's a really nice bench piece to have. I suspect it's inflated. Right now Jaylen Brown is 13.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists per 36 -- and he's actually playing in the NBA. Still, hoping for good things for Yabusele that should start in D league if his ankle heals quickly, or barring that, summer league.
 

Cesar Crespo

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If you watch footage, he looks robotic in his movement. It works in China, I wonder how it works here.
 

Koufax

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Yes, yes, but will he be in Portland later this month when I make my trek to see the Red Claws?
 

Imbricus

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As somebody recently described the league to me, each CBA team has two imports who essentially play 2-on-2 against the opponent's imports while their teammates act like "traffic cones."
Ha, saw this good quote on the CBA. This pretty much confirms my observations from video clips -- whenever I see Yabusele snake his arm low around a Chinese defender for a layup, while the defender still has his arms way up in the air, I wonder if the defender knows his arms come in a "down" position. A lot of the Chinese players seem slow and not all that agile. Meanwhile, Celtics still talking about evaluating Yabusele's ankle sprain before they make a decision on the D league.
 

cardiacs

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The Chinese players look pretty intimidated. I don't think there is much to go on basis what I have seen for footage.
 

Reardon's Beard

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Sounds like he ends up a back of the rotation guy on the second unit and they see how he does in the NBA. Not sure anyone will know anything else until he sees minutes.
 

RetractableRoof

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Chris Forsberg
ESPN Staff Writer

The Maine Red Claws, D-League affiliate of the Boston Celtics, announced Thursday [3/16] that they have signed Boston stash Guerschon Yabusele. The 16th overall pick in the 2016 draft, Yabusele must apply for a work visa (he's a native of France) and is also rehabbing an ankle injury. The Claws are hopeful he will play this season.

---
Common knowledge perhaps, but I hadn't seen it mentioned.
 

Koufax

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Thanks. I have Red Claws tickets for this coming Thursday. I hope they can get the work visa by then.
 

Koufax

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Well I saw Yabusule in Portland, but he was just sitting in the front row in street clothes watching the game. He was probably thinking that he'd better make the big club because the quality of the basketball played by the Red Claws that night was atrocious. We saw Jordan Mickey, Demetrius Jackson and Adbel Nader play, and none of them looked NBA ready. Ashaun Dixon-Tatum was vaguely interesting because he is an athletic 7-footer, but he's been kicking around the D league for three years now without getting picked up by an NBA team, so he must not be very good. He's built like Zizic - a very slender frame. Maybe that's the problem. He probably gets pushed around easily by meatier players.

The highlight was Lucky's guest appearance at halftime when he got his foot locked in the rim attempting a dunk and spilled to the mat.
 

Imbricus

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Playing for the first time since injuring his left ankle in his China finale four weeks prior, [Yabusele] came off the bench for the Red Claws and recorded 17 points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes. In the 122-105 Maine loss to the Swarm, he still managed to be a plus-2.
Good debut for Yabu, considering he must be rusty. Herald article isn't particularly well-written, but it's longish. One prediction as Yabu raises his profile: the "dancing bear" puns will soon fatigue even the hardiest of English manglers.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Good debut for Yabu, considering he must be rusty. Herald article isn't particularly well-written, but it's longish. One prediction as Yabu raises his profile: the "dancing bear" puns will soon fatigue even the hardiest of English manglers.
37-year old Damien Wilkins dropped 40 on the Red Claws. Nice competition lol.
 

nighthob

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Are they changing the name of the league? I'm guessing that they sold league naming rights to someone.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Bit of an improvement, as there's no "bad grade" connotation associated with "G" as there is with "D."

Anyway, here are some highlights:
 

HomeRunBaker

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Are they changing the name of the league? I'm guessing that they sold league naming rights to someone.
PepsiCo going all-in with the NBA since taking over as official sponsor replacing Coca-Cola in 2015. Welcome to The Gatorade League.....The G-League!
 

Imbricus

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Anyway, here are some highlights:
Thanks for the embed. He's got a sweet stroke at the foul line. Will be interesting to see him against NBA-caliber defenders, as the D League defenders seem pretty indifferent at times. Like watching an NBA All-Star game.
 

Jimbodandy

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A month off with a bad ankle, first pro game in this country--pretty damn nice performance. I'm not sure how he fits defensively, but he certainly seems to be pretty savvy offensively.
 

jmm57

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Dude is gigantic. I remember pictures circulating at the draft that showed he was actually very fit, but I can't help but think weight will be an issue as he gets older. I like the player though, the Larry Johnson comparisons make sense with size/style of play.
 

Imbricus

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Definitely huge, but you gotta think a guy who likes to take Twitter photos of himself looking ripped isn't likely to let himself go. Oh, since we're talking about his physical attributes: incredible wingspan of 7' 1". Gotta love that. So he gives up 4 inches to Olynyk but has more than 3 inches on T-Rex's wingspan.

Edited to reflect Olynyk's wingspan is 6' 9 3/4".
 
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Jed Zeppelin

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Game 2 highlights, 20 and 11 on 7-9 shooting including 4-5 from deep:
Very aggressive on the glass, and has a big ole space-clearing butt. Shot looks good to me, not the quickest release but not Amir-slow or anything like that. Will need to be able to pass off the dribble because he won't make it to the rim most of the time on those drives.
 

sezwho

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I'm sure we are all wondering what can Yabu Daba do at the NBA level, but its hard to avoid irrational exuberance watching those clips. I'm not particularly concerned about his bulk as he seems quite light on his feet, even going coast to coast at one point, but I'm having a hard time connecting the guy in those clips with the guy in this picture.

Various articles have had him weighing between 240 and 280...I'm guessing this picture was taken closer to the former and the guy backing people down is the latter. Again, not to worked up about it but its curious.