Marquis Daniels, whats next?

by Zak B on Aug 5, 2010 11:35 PM EDT

Haven't seen 'Quis looking this happy in a while.

Remember last year when the Celtics signed Marquis Daniels? I'm sure like me, everyone rushed and immediately searched him on YouTube, and saw what a unique player he was and is. But I never expected how well he would fit with the Celtics. He seemed to fit in perfectly with the second unit, as a 6'6 point forward he could handle the ball which left Eddie House free to roam and get open shots, and he would slash to the basket smoothly and completely under control putting up strange looking shots that always seemed to find their way into the basket. The thing that surprised me most about Daniels was his defense. He was not extremely quick or athletic, but Doc always trusted him guarding the other teams best player, and it worked. Everything seemed to be going great for Marquis Daniels, he got a fresh start on a championship caliber team, he was getting good minutes and performing well, but it wouldn't last. Marquis Daniels suffered and injury to his thumb and wouldn't bounce back all season.

People seem to forget how good Daniels was for us because of how good Tony Allen performed. I'm not saying Tony Allen's comeback wasn't great, but the bottom line is that Tony Allen is no longer part of the Celtics, but Marquis Daniels is.

I don't know what to expect from Marquis Daniels this season, but here are a few possible scenarios.

1) Marquis returns to full form and becomes a great bench player.

I'm really hoping this will happen. I think he would fit great with the second unit this year. He can be the slasher and defender that we need at the back up SF. I don't think he will be our scoring leader off the bench, but I think he can be a solid 5-7ppg. guy who can handle the ball when Nate wants to shoot (ala last year with Eddie House). Marquis Daniels also has an extremely high basketball IQ, he always seems to make the right decisions whether it be making the right pass, or cutting to the basket at exactly the right time.

2) Marquis becomes slightly(yet noticeably) less affective.

Daniels won't have as many opportunities to score and be as affective as he was at the beginning of last season now that the Celtics have a stronger bench (Shaq or Jermaine, Nate, Glen Davis, Von Wafer). To me, Marquis Daniels is more affective with the ball in his hands, last year he was the 2nd option off the bench when he played (remember, we didn't have Nate, and Davis was injured) so he might just be a spot up mid range shooter, and slightly above average defender.

3) Marquis completely falls out of the rotation. (knocking on wood as I type)

Whether it be because of a free agent pick up, trades, or just lack of production, Marquis might just not be able to crack the rotation this year, his thumb might still be injured, or he may re injure it (once again, I am knocking on wood as I type). I hope this does not happen because he has shown he can be a productive member of the Celtics, and he is a great guy who just wants to win.

So what do you think about Marquis Daniels? Leave your comments, be polite.

Poll

What will happen to Marquis Daniels this year?

He will return to full form and be a productive bench player

106 votes

He will be slightly less productive, but stll our backup SF

43 votes

He will completely fall out of the rotation.

25 votes

Other (please specify in comments)

0 votes

174 votes | Poll has closed

Be respectful and keep it clean. Thanks.

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Comments

I always liked Marquis a lot...

Marquis really was a highly-effective glue guy for the Celtic bench. I really don’t know how badly the injury affected him, but he seemed to play much more tentatively from February onward.

Your description of him is perfect. People forget just how effective he was in the bench offense. He scores his usual 6-10pts through his own herky-jerky mid-range offense….but more importantly, he works very well in handling the ball in the halfcourt setting, kicking out to the open 3-shooter, and cutting to the basket. He indeed is a very high IQ player, and his off-the-ball movement is fantastic. His defense is also very much above average. Though one can’t really call Quisy a lock-down defender like TA, he handles 2’s and 3’s (including Lebron) very, very well. I remember the first game of the year where he stripped Lebron twice! People forget just how good of a defender he really was.

Will he be healthy? I can only hope. Personally I think that the Celtics need a high-energy perimeter shooter AND playmaker in one….i.e. Rudy Fernandez. Pair Quis with Rudy, and you’ve got two players who’s games are COMPLETELY different, yet compatible due to their cutting and slashing mentalities. IF Quisy stays healthy, he would be a perfect 3 defender/slasher/mid-range shooter to complement a bench of Nate/Rudy/Baby/O’neals. With a bench like that, you’ve got perimeter shooting in Nate and Rudy, mid-range shooting in Marquis and Baby, and of course bruising big-man offense provided by the O’neals.

What will actually happen? I suspect scenario 2 will happen. However, that should not take away from the fact that when healthy, Marquis is a very, very good 1st wing off the bench. Due to the fact that much of his best work was done early in the season (when the Celts started off at 23-5 no less!), most are forgetting his fantastic defense and smart/efficient offense. Understandable though, because he does get injured a lot, and that affects the perception of him.

Ashtray Bouquet

by ducksawce on Aug 6, 2010 12:26 AM EDT reply actions

Marquis will definitely be much improved

Before Marquis’ injury he was probably the Celtics best bench player. Big Baby hadn’t returned, Sheed was horrible at the time, Eddie wasn’t doing much and Shelden Williams was just Shelden Williams. I think he will be a crucial bench piece this year and I can’t wait to see him completely healthy and ready to go.

by Bigpapi34 on Aug 6, 2010 9:47 AM EDT reply actions