It's always too early to call a 21 year old player a bust. Sebastian Telfair has not lived up to the hype surrounding him out of high school but not many people can. It's hard to become the player people expect you to be with that much pressure on you. That's the problem with the media, They proclaim you to be something before it happens. They should keep quite until you prove yourself in an NBA uniform.I felt that Kevin Pritchard added Telfair into the starting line-up before he was ready, The Blazers expected too much from 20 year old Telfair as a starter at the time. They should have given him more time to develop before they put him in that type of role.I am a big fan of Sebastian Telfair. He's a classy guy regardless of what the media what's you to think. I remember during one of his high school games. His team was down in the 4th quarter when he picked up his 5th and final foul. His team played extremely well with Telfair on the bench and rallied back to win the game from behind. His teammate Andrew Pena was the dominate force on offense while Telfair was on the bench. At the end of the game despite Pena's efforts, Telfair was given the MVP award. Instead of taking the trophy like any normal teenage kid would do, He went over and gave the award away to Andrew Pena for his performance. He's a good kid with a bright future.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BALLAHOLLIC? @ Jan 3 2007, 01:34 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>It's always too early to call a 21 year old player a bust. Sebastian Telfair has not lived up to the hype surrounding him out of high school but not many people can. It's hard to become the player people expect you to be with that much pressure on you. That's the problem with the media, They proclaim you to be something before it happens. They should keep quite until you prove yourself in an NBA uniform.I felt that Kevin Pritchard added Telfair into the starting line-up before he was ready. The Blazers expected too much from Telfair as a starter at the time. They should have given him more time to develop before they put him in that type of role.I am a big fan of Sebastian Telfair. He's a classy guy regardless of what the media what's you to think. I remember during one of his high school games. His team was down in the 4th quarter and he picked up his 5th and final foul. His team played extremely well with Telfair on the bench and rallied back to win the game from behind. His teammate Andrew Pena was the dominate force on offense while Telfair was on the bench. At the end of the game despite Pena's efforts, Telfair was given the MVP award. Instead of taking the trophy like any normal teenage kid would do, He went over and gave the award away to Andrew Pena for his performance. He's a good kid with a bright future.</div> Thats all nice and fine...but it's like Telfair does nothing to improve in the offseason.
I think the Celtics kind of forced his role abit too much on him. I mean like 30 minutes a game for a guy that is developing that little, come on.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (RaptorFan#1 @ Jan 3 2007, 01:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I think the Celtics kind of forced his role abit too much on him. I mean like 30 minutes a game for a guy that is developing that little, come on.</div> I don't think it's that big of a deal, they gave up a lot for him. It's his third season and they expected him to step up and be the guy and he's been a dissapointment again. He can play, it's just that the negatives out weigh the positives most of the time.
I'd say Telfair is a bust based on the fact that he came out of HS, signed a deal with Adidas, was basically called Iverson minus tattoos, and then along with having back to back sub-par seasons, he had the gun charge in Boston.I'm from Portland, and I loved the Telfair pick back in '05, and I didnt like to see him get traded because he still has a ton of potential if he ever put in the work and got a consistent jumper, but I'd say its safe to call him a bust and as a Portland fan I'm much happier with Jarrett Jack, LaMarcus, and B-Roy now than I would've been with Telfair.BTW, My first post in a LONG time. Good to be back :happy0144:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AmBitIoNz23 @ Jan 3 2007, 01:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I'd say Telfair is a bust based on the fact that he came out of HS, signed a deal with Adidas, was basically called Iverson minus tattoos, and then along with having back to back sub-par seasons, he had the gun charge in Boston.I'm from Portland, and I loved the Telfair pick back in '05, and I didnt like to see him get traded because he still has a ton of potential if he ever put in the work and got a consistent jumper, but I'd say its safe to call him a bust and as a Portland fan I'm much happier with Jarrett Jack, LaMarcus, and B-Roy now than I would've been with Telfair.BTW, My first post in a LONG time. Good to be back :happy0144:</div> Nobody with a brain was comparing him to Iverson...he didn't get much NBA fan hype when he came out. Hell most people thought he was picked too high up (including myself). He just had a lot of NYC hype being from Brooklyn and from SLAM Magazine. Portland obviously saw something and I think your better off with Jarrett Jack playing instead.
I wouldn't say he has been a disappointment in Boston, I don't think Danny Ainge expected Telfair to put up great numbers. He wanted a pure point guard to run the offense and create shots for his teammates. In my opinion Sebastian Telfair does exactly what is asked of him in Boston.
Well, my arguement is hes a PG...its the most difficult position in the NBA today with the uptempo style, he still has to learn to control the court and the players, literaly, a PG is not only a passer, hes the guy who is supposed to be a leader and he has to conduct the court. Anways...hes played for Portland and Boston....come on, those arent the best suited teams for a young PG.But you cant argue the fact that hes not a true point guard, he has it in him.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BrewCityBuck @ Jan 3 2007, 12:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Thats all nice and fine...but it's like Telfair does nothing to improve in the offseason.</div>You are so wrong in saying that. You may not like him, but he has terrific work ethic. He has had great work ethic since he was a young teenager. He is always one of the first guys there, one of the last ones to leave, and he's always motivated. You say he hasn't improved, why? Because he hasn't established himself yet? Screw hype, he's a 21 year old kid from Coney Island, he needs time. Give him a couple more years. But again, if there is one thing nobody can ever question about Telfair, it's his heart and work ethic.Some things Telfair has improved on since last season- <u>Size</u>: He has added a good amount of muscle. He is starting to fill out that frame. He has always been a very skinny kid, and he never will be a big and buff guy, but he has really toned out his body. He is a lot stronger than he was even one year ago.- <u>Control</u>: Last year, he committed too many turnovers (a lot of them unforced). He would try to "cross someone up" and shimmy his way to the basket, but it didn't always work out. Then he would throw away passes because he would try to be too flashy. This year, he has REALLY limited his turnovers and he has played smart with the ball in his hands. Now, I do think he needs to be more aggressive than he has been over the last month, but he has limited his mistakes. We really haven't seen a classic highlight pass from Sebastian yet. He has made some very nice ones, but he hasn't tried anything like he did before, or even in this year's summer league (360 passes from halfcourt, through the legs bounce passes, behind the back, etc.). He hasn't done any of that, and while we would all love to see the kid get on SportsCenter once or twice, it's for the better. That shows that he has already started to mature as a player and point guard by not putting flash over the right play.- <u>Shooting</u>: As of right now, he is in a scoring/shooting slump. No argument there. But when he was aggressive offensively and taking all the shots he should have (in October and November), he was playing very well and shooting a high percentage. But he has improved his jump shot from last year, and when he came to Boston, I was surprised. He is a better shooter than he has been advertised. Reason: work this past summer.- <u>Fighting through screens</u>: Is he great with this? No. But he is much better than last year. Last year, he'd get lost in every pick and the opposing PG would get a shot off. This year, he still gets caught sometimes, but for the most part, he fights through the screen.Those are just things he has improved in his game/body/maturity in one year's time. Give him more time, he'll be a pretty good NBA player. He has the heart of a lion, he has great work ethic, he's a born leader, he's super quick, and he's a playmaker.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BALLAHOLLIC? @ Jan 3 2007, 12:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I wouldn't say he has been a disappointment in Boston, I don't think Danny Ainge expected Telfair to put up great numbers. He wanted a pure point guard to run the offense and create shots for his teammates. In my opinion Sebastian Telfair does exactly what is asked of him in Boston.</div>Well, he has not been as good here as you say, either. He played excellent ball in October (preseason) and November, but he lost his starting job because he just stopped being aggressive offensively (and because he still needs a lot of work defensively). In October-November, he was really aggressive offensively. He took those 10-12 footers every night, and he shot them well. He penetrated, burned some guys, got to the basket, and either got a layup, to the line, or made a great kickout to an open shooter. In December, I don't know what happened to him, he just kind of "stopped" doing those things. He has not been taking the shots he was before (and the shots he should take), and he was not penetrating like he was before.Hopefully Paul Pierce's return in another week or two will open up his game again, but for the time being, he has really struggled lately.
I don't think he's a strong PG at all. Flashy passing sometimes is his main strength. But I can't pass judgement, I said Kwame was a total bust when he was 21, and now he's ... only a half bust, haha
After reading over CB32's mumbo jumbo...Sebastian Telfair has yet to shoot over 40%, you can pretty much say he's been in a shooting slump his whole career. His three-point shooting has not improved either, it's still very poor. He has a great work ethic? Well, I would like to know what he's been working on...because I don't see anything but very minor improvement in a few aspects of his game.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BrewCityBuck @ Jan 3 2007, 11:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>After reading over CB32's mumbo jumbo...Sebastian Telfair has yet to shoot over 40%, you can pretty much say he's been in a shooting slump his whole career. His three-point shooting has not improved either, it's still very poor. He has a great work ethic? Well, I would like to know what he's been working on...because I don't see anything but very minor improvement in a few aspects of his game.</div>BCB, before you go on... tell me one thing, and be 100% honest: when was the last time you even saw Sebastian Telfair play?
One player who should have went to college. Right now, you really can't say he's not a bust. Because he really has done nothing in this league that says I lived up to my hype or half of it. Blazers grew weary of his development and felt their other pgs were better suited, not a good sign early in his career. But then again, there's his age and that chance he'll grow into that player scouts and analysts predicted. So it's up in the air but right now to say he's a bust, is not overly wrong.
I dont consider Sebastian really a "bust" yet. If you remember the year that Bassy got drafted, he wasnt expected to go that high what so ever. He was suppossed to go late first round, and I think the fact that he went 13th, is why people are considering him a bust. If Bassy and Nelson would have switched places in the draft order, it wouldnt be a big deal. When Telfair played for the Trailblazers, he was 19 and 20 and straight out of high school....nobody performs that well at that young of an age besides guys like Dwight Howard and Lebron James. Also, his supporting cast was terrible, and they were thugs. Guys like Darius Miles arent good teammattes. And when Bassy comes to Boston, he is in a very crowded backcourt. You have Delonte (his best position is the PG spot), and Rajon Rondo to compete with for playing time. I dont think he has been put in the best spot to succeed IMO. If he was surrounded by a good low post player with experience, and a couple good spot up shooters, he would be a much better player.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ Jan 3 2007, 01:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>BCB, before you go on... tell me one thing, and be 100% honest: when was the last time you even saw Sebastian Telfair play?</div> Scattered games in Portland...a couple times early this year in Boston...I don't have an NBA package so I can't watch everyone I'd like to. Judging by what you said in your other post, what you've been saying is only backing up my point...he plays a little bit more under control...but thats pretty much it...most young guys show progression, he has not, it's hard to say he has. He didn't play that well in Portland, he couldn't shoot in Portland, he has not played that well in Boston and he can't shoot in Boston. He's bad two offseason's to improve his game and he's failed to...he's improved a little bit at fighting through screens but he's still not good at it? Ok? In your third season thats not good enough...
I wouldn't say he's quite a 'bust' right now, but if he doesn't improve, he obviously will be. He is streaky, but when he comes with it, he can hang with the best of him. His burst of quickness and crossover allow him to get into the lane on ANYBODY. He just has a problem with finishing. If he could work on a little mid-range floater, it would really work wonders for him, but I don't know if he'll ever become enough under control to develop a shot like that.Defensively, he's small, so he has to give an extra effort to shut someone down, which in turn takes away from his offense. So his size really takes a hit on him.
Usually I'm defensive about my team but I would call him a bust. True, it's only his third year, but he can't shoot, can't play defense, doesn't make great decisions, and this "true" point guard doesn't even pass the ball that well. His quickness is amazing, but he has no other reall talent that goes along with the quickness. He has the occasional good game but he's incredibly inconsistent and I would much rather have Delonte West and Rajon Rondo playing PG over Telfair.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BrewCityBuck @ Jan 3 2007, 07:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Scattered games in Portland...a couple times early this year in Boston...I don't have an NBA package so I can't watch everyone I'd like to. Judging by what you said in your other post, what you've been saying is only backing up my point...he plays a little bit more under control...but thats pretty much it...most young guys show progression, he has not, it's hard to say he has. He didn't play that well in Portland, he couldn't shoot in Portland, he has not played that well in Boston and he can't shoot in Boston. He's bad two offseason's to improve his game and he's failed to...he's improved a little bit at fighting through screens but he's still not good at it? Ok? In your third season thats not good enough...</div>First of all, I remember talking to you on AIM 3 weeks ago about Al Jefferson, and you told me that you only watched the Celtics play for about 10 minutes all season long.Second of all, control is not the only thing he has improved on. He makes better decisions, he got a lot stronger, and his toughness level defensively has improved. Give him more time.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (WELCOMEtotheJUNGLE @ Jan 4 2007, 09:05 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Usually I'm defensive about my team but I would call him a bust. True, it's only his third year, but he can't shoot, can't play defense, doesn't make great decisions, and this "true" point guard doesn't even pass the ball that well. His quickness is amazing, but he has no other reall talent that goes along with the quickness. He has the occasional good game but he's incredibly inconsistent and I would much rather have Delonte West and Rajon Rondo playing PG over Telfair.</div>Sebastian doesn't pass the ball that well? I think even Pacers fan would disagree with that statement. And his decision making is bad? What? He has REALLY limited his turnovers and got the offense going. He has done a good job with that. If you are going to knock on his defense or long range shot, fine. But his decision making (this season) and playmaking ability? Give me a break.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Sebastian doesn't pass the ball that well? I think even Pacers fan would disagree with that statement. And his decision making is bad? What? He has REALLY limited his turnovers and got the offense going. He has done a good job with that. If you are going to knock on his defense or long range shot, fine. But his decision making (this season) and playmaking ability? Give me a break.</div>celticballa, once I'd like for you to admit that one of our players isn't good. You constantly make these 9 paragraph posts about our team like we're the f*cking 1996 Chicago Bulls. We're 11-20 in the ATLANTIC DIVISON. Telfair is not good. What games are you watching? He was put on the bench for a reason. What playmaking ability does he have? Running in the lane and throwing up lay ups? Got the offense going? What offense? He's shooting 39% and 26% beyond the arc. I guess he has toned down on the turnovers. He was supposed to be our "true point guard", Delonte put up way better numbers than him as a starter and he plays better defense and rebounds the ball, not to mention is a great shooter. Telfair is garbage, I would rather have Delonte playing the point any day than Telfair.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ Jan 4 2007, 03:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>First of all, I remember talking to you on AIM 3 weeks ago about Al Jefferson, and you told me that you only watched the Celtics play for about 10 minutes all season long.Second of all, control is not the only thing he has improved on. He makes better decisions, he got a lot stronger, and his toughness level</div> His toughness level on defense? Do you just make this stuff up? From what I get he's gotten stronger...okay...not that big of a deal...and his 'toughness' level is up... Those are all things a rookie PG can improve on in his first year. Were talking about a third year player.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Telfair is garbage, I would rather have Delonte playing the point any day than Telfair.</div> Finally...nice post WTTJ.
