I didn't see much of tonight's game, but throw this out as a starting
point: Blount seems to have kicked his game up a notch since returning to
the Celtics. I am NOT saying he's a great center, or even a top-notch
backup, but he simply seems a tiny bit quicker and a whole lot hungrier than
Blount I was. Blount I was brought is as a backup or third string center and
played like it. Blount II had a taste of being the main man, albeit on a
dismal team, and seems to have enjoyed the experience and is ready for more.
At this stage, he is doing a very competent job of being the backup to
Battie.
Comments?
Absolute agreement. Emphasis on hungrier as the key difference, since my
biggest problem with him last season was that most of the time I saw him on
the court he looked like he just couldn't be bothered to do anything. He
has been quoted as saying he learned a bit from being in Denver about what
a difference it can make to be where you win and where the fans care vs
just getting more minutes and moneyr. You can see what a badly needed
difference it's made for Battie too. Since Blount has been getting
significant and genuinely useful minutes almost from the moment he arrived,
taking strain off Battie's sore knees. Which shows in a much better rested,
more fluid and energetic Battie too.