Sports Insider by Frank Coppola: Celtics roll the dice with J.R. Giddens in first round of draft

June 27, 2008

Celtics roll the dice with J.R. Giddens in first round of draft

The NBA champion Boston Celtics have six free agents on their roster, and they might have gotten a little insurance for the possible exit of those players with the selection of New Mexico guard J.R. Giddens with the 30th overall pick in Thursday's draft.

Giddens seems like a good fit in the Tony Allen role for the Celtics, a player who coach Doc Rivers said could contribute on the defensive end right away. Giddens, 6-foot-5 and 208 pounds, played for two seasons at Kansas before transferring to New Mexico. He averaged 16.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a senior while shooting 52 percent from the floor.

The knock on Giddens, seen as a player with top-15 talent, is his work ethic and attitude. He was also suspended by New Mexico during his junior season for "not being a good teammate." But you can bet that the Celtics veterans, fresh off the NBA championship, will be quick to put this rookie in his place if he doesn't fall in line.

In the second round, the Celtics selected 7-foot-1 center Semih Erden from Turkey, although the odds of him ever wearing a Celtics uniform are probably slim. Boston also acquired the rights to 47th pick Bill Walker, a forward from Kansas State, from the Washington Wizards. According to ESPN, Walker was being compared to Vince Carter before suffering a pair of ACL injuries, one to each knee.

Here is a look at ESPN's player profile for first-round pick J.R. Giddens:

Analysis: A huge surprise here. Giddens might have lottery-type talent, but he had so many off-court issues that his stock tanked. I guess Danny Ainge is willing to roll the dice, given his veteran squad. If Giddens grows up, this will be a great pick. But it's a big if ...

Similarities: J.R. Smith, Nuggets

Notes: Played two years at Kansas before transferring to New Mexico. Sat out the 2005-06 season.

Positives: Excellent athlete with deep 3-point range. Big-time leaper. Long arms allow him to play bigger than he is. Quick release on his jumper plus great elevation on his jump shot make it hard to stop. Has become an excellent rebounder for a guard.

Negatives: No real midrange game to speak of, though he's done a better job at New Mexico of getting to the line. Not a confident ball handler. Not a good defender, mostly from lack of effort, though his lateral quickness isn't great either. Questionable attitude. Not sure he has a real feel for the game.

Summary: Has the talent to be a first-round pick ... but scouts are worried about work ethic and attitude. He's been a knucklehead for most of his career and most teams won't want to deal with the hassle for a second-round pick.

Posted by Frank Coppola at June 27, 2008 12:10 AM

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