[East Finals] #1 Boston Celtics vs. #2 Cleveland Cavaliers

[jpsls]

I'm not gonna take the time to dig up the rebuttal, but he did in fact comment about being in the starting lineup. As pdx has said, however it's water under the bridge. I stand by my feeling that he will not be happy in a 6th man role. I get the feeling you totally missed the point I was trying to make.

Yes, all he said was that he wanted to be a starting point guard in the league. Why do people look at that with such disdain and contempt? There's a big difference between wanting to be a starter vs. wanting and causing problem if you don't get what you want.

 

[KingsFanGER]

I don't understand how 6th man ever became an insult. He's really good. But he has limitations which means they could get more out of him by working the matchups.

When you are rightly considered as one of the best PG's in the league, 6th man may not be an insult, but it's certainly not the role you envision for yourself.
Ginobili and Iggy took the 6th man role on teams, that were stacked and where their specific skillset was more beneficial for the team, when they came in from the bench. Both weren't the best players on their respective teams.
IT on the other hand is the best offensive player on his team, he is the starting point of their offense, he is their best shooter and integral part of their most successful lineups (in the regular season/in the Playoffs things look different with their semi-bench unit of Smart/Rozier/Bradley/Crowder and Olynyk being highly successful), despite two semi successful games versus the Cavs with him out of the lineup.
Now if the Celtics would be a stacked team now like in McHale's days, IT might be more successful off the bench. But that's not the case. The Celtics are an overachieving team built on the back of some very likeable and hard working guys. But they are not a very deep team and they don't have great individual star power.
After his career high game in game 3, Smart went 1 of 9 for 11% from the field. Bradley shot 14% from 3. In the 4th the Celtics scored 19 points total. That's not the kind of production you bench IT for.
I love watching Marcus Smart play basketball. I hate watching IT play his brand of basketball with those pull up 3's early in the shotclock and such. But still you don't bench IT for Marcus Smart or a rookie, who might come in next season, until said rookie has proven he belongs. Sorry that's just over the top.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

until said rookie has proven he belongs.

I don't recall suggesting otherwise, in fact as someone who moderately likes the Celtics, my hope is that they do draft Fultz, he is as good as advertised, and wins the job and IT accepts the 6th man role.

 

[KingsFanGER]

I don't recall suggesting otherwise, in fact as someone who moderately likes the Celtics, my hope is that they do draft Fultz, he is as good as advertised, and wins the job and IT accepts the 6th man role.

You are right. Obviously I didn't pay enough attention to what you actually wrote. Sorry for that.