Moore E'Twuan Please
by TLayman on Jan 27, 2012 9:10 AM EST
in Boston Celtics News & Links
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PrintIt's been notoriously hard to break into Doc Rivers' rotation as a rookie or young player since the beginning of the "New Big Three" era.
But the last two nights have shown us that maybe the young guys CAN contribute, they just need the opportunity. E'Twuan Moore was a huge spark with 16 points on 4-for-4 shooting from deep in the Celtics big 91-83 come-from-behind victory over the Magic last night.
Gary Washburn, of the Boston Globe, wrote that Moore's teammates had confidence in him to shoot the ball and that's what he did.
“They always said, ‘keep shooting, we know you can shoot,’ ’’ Moore said. “It’s definitely keeping me ready to play hard. Everyone talking to me, the communication just makes me feel like I can help this team. When the first [shot] went down, it just helped my confidence and when the second one went down, I was like ‘OK this is more like it.’ ’’
Moore also got some high praise from Doc Rivers, this tidbit courtesy of CSNNE's A. Sherrod Blakely.
During training camp, Moore set himself apart as one of the team's best shooters.
How good?
"After Ray [Allen], he was our best shooter," Rivers said.
Avery Bradley dominated Jameer Nelson with on-the-ball defense in the first meeting earlier in the week and now it was Moore's turn with some outside shooting - CSNNE.com
"The other night, we won because of Avery's [Bradley] defense," said coach Doc Rivers. "Tonight, we won because of E'Twaun's defense and E'Twaun's offense. For a rookie in this atmosphere, that was sensational."
A trend of young players stepping to the forefront in this strike-shortened season, who knows? But the Celtics will take it anyway they can get it with so many key pieces out during this stretch.
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KG's post game interview with Sager was vintage
“We were in a bar fight”. Love it. Also love how he congratulated Ray on the birth of his child at the end.
Anyone still want to blow this team up? As some of us has been writing, let’s see what these guys can do. I am jacked about Moore’s game. Doc has to keep him and Bradley in the mix. They bring so much energy on both sides and will give the opposing guards fits.
I also like Pietrus starting in place of Paul. In the tradition of Hondo, bring Ray off the bench as the 6th man and let him light up the opposing 2nd string SG.
Great win and so happy to see the guys pumped after this one.
Or Moore!
Rondo-Moore-Pierce-Garnett-Jermaine
Bradley-Allen-Pietrus-Bass-Wilcox
Dont start moore
keep him humble and learning. hes my boy but you dont want to throw him into that spot light until hes used to the nba
by JuJuan some moore on Jan 27, 2012 10:38 AM EST up reply actions
the scary thing is....
How good jjj is going to be… wow Moore. I really like his handle as well.
The Future
This team needs to evolve into something besides the Big 4 to have a chance this year and beyond.
I have faith that Paul, Ray, KG, Rondo will be fine when they round into shape. But to win 40+ games this year and be a top 4 seed…. we need REAL growth and contributions from the bench. This team is so much more fun to watch, so much more athletic when guys like Bradley, Moore, and Bass are genuine factors in the outcome of a game and not just spare parts to keep a game close while the Big 3 are catching a breather.
Exactly...
…I like our vets but the blending of youth and experience really helped defensively last night. The rotations were quicker and ball pressure was sustained. With 4 30+ vets out there at the same time, it’s asking a lot for them to have that same intensity on both ends from beginning to end. Doc needs to treat JO like PJ Brown and let him get spot minutes in the first three quarters and then play the bulk of his time in the fourth.
The more i see of Moore,
The more I love him. How fearless the kid has to be to not be timid in the least offensively or defensively and he’s also a very intelligent player both offensively and defensively.
On top of possessing a lot of talent, he brings that intangible hustle that represents celtic pride. I hope this kid is part of our future.
He’s the one celtic rookie i’ve seen in the last couple years that i have absolute confidence in when he’s in the game. I really love the thought of him, rondo, and bass being a big part of our future.
He certainly benefited from staying at Purdue all 4 years.
Admire that about he and JJJ. They further developed their basketball and book smarts for those 4 years. Can only help them in court and in life.
It is a great thing
But do you think they would have been drafted previously? I don’t think either of them “stayed in school” as if they had a chance to come out earler. They weren’t prospects as underclassmen, in order to even get drafted they needed all 4 years.
by KJ33 on Jan 27, 2012 11:31 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
We are likely going to see. Lot more of Moore the next few weeks
According to the Globe today, Rondo’s wrist is only at 45 percent. Hope Moore can keep up the solid play.
Doc plays the rookies that can hang
Semih got good minutes as a rookie, because of need, and because the kid could hang.
Walker did not get good minutes, because the guy was not great at defense, and apart from being able to dunk he had no offensive skillset.
Bradley got a chance to play last year some, he was light on confidence and was a liability. He was a good defender, but he did not have the ball skills to run the offense against nba point guards at the time. DWest and Nate Robinson were both better point options.
JR Giddens is playing for what NBA team now?
JJJ is sitting behind KG, Bass, and Pietrus for minutes at the 4. Don’t expect to see anywhere near as much of JJJ as we’re going to see of Moore. Moore is behind Rondo and Ray for either guard spot.
back in 07, Davis and Powe got an awful lot of minutes.
People keep saying Doc doesn’t play rookies. But he does. He plays rookies that can play. The rookies that didn’t get floor time in previous years have been rookies that are way behind the cure in terms of skill. Teams that play lots of rookie minutes do not tend to be playoff teams. Teams that have a string of success do not tend to have good rookies to play because they have to draft so late and they are getting much less polished talent.
It’s not hard to crack Doc’s rotation for a rookie. It’s only hard for the guys that aren’t good.
Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove.
+1
Add Gabe Pruitt to that list of guys fans pined for but weren’t ready for prime time. You make excellent points, who were those rookies on the Lakers and Mavs championships? All Doc playing rooks more would have meant was that the C’s weren’t very good.
by KJ33 on Jan 27, 2012 11:35 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
However
Refer to Spurs and playing of rookies- while it is hard to play rookies over guys like the big three, it is more the overall approach toward rookies in general ( negative public comments, etc.). I was very encouraged by Doc’s positive comments about Moore ansd Bradley- and if there is ever a time when young guys struggle, he should avoid negative comments- (as if he were talking about the vets). The argument about guys that can’t crack the line-up because they weren;t good – I would argue then that Moore just got “good” – and that this conclusion came about because he actually played more minutes. Would he have gotten the opportunity to “good” if Rondo and Allen were not injured? History generally says no.
History says yes
See:
Davis
Powe
Erden
and the other rookies that has Boston has had since 07 that are still currently in the NBA.
Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove.
Add to the list: Big Al, Perk, Tony Allen and of course, Rondo!
All are guys that Doc DID play as rooks and 2nd years. And all are still in the league.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
yes-
and most were given opportunity because of injury, etc. Of course, young guys have played at times— but the overall approach has been kind of condescending toward young guys. About bradley: " he just doesn’t see stuff" – And comments like it over the years ARE UNNECESSARY. Refer to Popovich, who gets on players – but never in the media.
Who got hurt that opened the door for Perk?
Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove.
Yeah
But based on how you’re describing the situation there are players that are exceptions.
And based on how I’m describing the situation there aren’t exceptions.
That’s why the “Doc doesn’t play Rooks” doesn’t scan to me as strongly as “Doc doesn’t play guys unless they can play” Because the second one makes sense based on evidence without exception.
Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove.
Approach
The approach toward these players not only includes playing, but an overall attitude. So when i refer to what Doc has said publicly about young players (see above)- it only lends to my opinion, and the opinion of others on numerous past posts. Most coaches play players that can play (obviously)- but their methods toward that realization are more positive. You are ;looking at the end result- i’m looking at the process.
I don't know
I’ve got a lot of faith in Doc as a teacher at the NBA level. But he’s a teacher like Lombardi was teacher, not like an elementary school one.
You used the quote regarding Bradley as an example. I’m willing to bet that before that quote was uttered efforts had already been made privately to teach Bradley what Doc wanted him to learn. And further, based on what I’ve seen of Bradley in press moments, I’m betting the very next practice Bradley went unprompted to a coach or veteran player asking about how to see things better. I mean the kid still can’t buy beer. Different people are motivated different ways. People in their early twenties literally have different brain chemistry than people over 25. So they need to be dealt with differently.
Garnett talked about how Doc had been trying to get him to score more "This much foot in my . . . " was how the quote went. And Doc didn’t say a thing about it in the media. We found out from Garnett. So it isn’t like the media is the only place he interacts with them.
I mean do we think Doc is the harshest critic on the team? Because I’m betting it’s KG. You used Pop as an example. But start listing the rookies that he has played significant minutes that didn’t already have substantial playing experience from abroad or college. He likes guys that are older, more polished. Not that their games aren’t going develop when they get to the NBA, but he doesn’t take up projects like Bradley, Semih (to a degree), Davis, etc.
Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove.
i like kg21’s dwight like. moore is no pure point- the same with bradley but they sure can play the 2 and back up rondo.as important as pp was setting up plays in the last 2 games,he is a turnover machine and a lot of his passes are pure sloppy. as good as the c’s played against the magic, the magic looked in disarray. the howard situation is hurting that team. i would love to see him in green but he really should stay in orlando.
MOORE
one thing about moore that most people dont know is he is incredibly smart. he was an academic all american
by JuJuan some moore on Jan 27, 2012 10:43 AM EST reply actions
Looking like another steal for Danny
Now we know why he gave Moore a guaranteed contract as a 2nd rounder
Doesn't look like a rookie
I think the most impressive thing about him is that he doesn’t look like a rookie on the court. He doesn’t hesitate. He moves smoothly and doesn’t hurry. He always seems to know what he’s doing and isn’t afraid to shoot. I think playing overseas during the lockout was a huge help to his game, introducing him to a level of play above college ball.
bradley and moore
i like moore way better than bradley if he cant pressure the pg then hes a liability on the court, he cant dribble pass or shoot. i hope moore continues to make his shot so bradley can play less. teams dont even guard him and the floor is not spread when hes in there. doc will play you if you have game, moore has had plenty of chances and hes sucked so far until last night. if he makes his shot he will see plenty of action. stems plays but hes in foul trouble in 5 mins but he still gets time. i’d even like to see johnson play with some of the starters just to get minutes. i kno he too skinny but still. im not impressed with one dimentional skills of bradley. he cant run an offense hell he cant even dribble and look up at same time. this guy is the most over rated nba player ive seen in years with all the hype he had coming into the league. they turned the table on him last night and pressured him he was lousy. if he cant pressure the ball hes useless.
He actually has really tight handles. He makes good passes too. The only thing he isnt showing right now is an outside shot. I for one am glad we have two talented young dudes in Bradley and Moore.
I hope the next game where Moore plays badly your not saying he sucks too…
by ianboyextreme on Jan 27, 2012 3:45 PM EST up reply actions
Play the Rooks Doc....
Been saying this all year!! Get JaJuan some minutes too…..
Moore looked a little like “shades of Reggie Lewis” last night… if I remember correctly Reggie didn’t get enough minutes early in his career either…
This team is so much deeper that last year…
Also… time to bring Ray Ray off the bench…..
Celtic Chat Handle: Bird
by David Henderson on Jan 27, 2012 12:37 PM EST reply actions
If JaJuan starts getting a lot of minutes that would be a bad thing, because it would mean that either Brandon Bass or KG got injured.
Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove.
Or, on the flip side,
maybe it would mean we were winning a lot of blow outs ….
(I can dream, right?)
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
another possibility
JaJuan could be getting minutes because Bass and Pietrus got unloaded in a trade to Memphis for Marc Gasol. Because that seems like a totally fair and legit trade based on looking at the trade Memphis originally made with LA to get rid of Marc’s older and less attractive brother.
Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove.
reply fail
supposed to be for mmmmm immediately above.
Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove.
That trade works for me!!!!!!
LOL
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
That trade works for me!!!!!!
LOL
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
No
Hopefully that trade is sarcasm- No way memphis is trading Gasol (i think player of the week) -their starting center for a small Forward and a Guard. Maybe I’m slow to get the joke…. if so I apologize. Would be a great trade for both teams, but Speights would be the big coming our way if they wee trading anyone. I think their GM learned a lesson on the first Gasol trade.
a joke
Mostly a joke to link to a reason that JaJuan would be getting more minutes beyond simply that Boston was blowing people out, or that KG’s knee had exploded again. The post wasn’t about the trade idea (which was a joke) it was about another positive reason that might mean JJJ was getting more playing time.
Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove.
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