Sullinger drafted 21st overall by Celtics
Former Buckeye Jared Sullinger was selected 21st overall by the Boston Celtics in the NBA Draft tonight at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Sullinger averaged 17.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in two seasons at Ohio State. He was a two-time first team All-American. Despite battling injuries his sophomore season, Sullinger still managed to lead the Buckeyes to the Final Four.
“Boston will be getting a quality person and a tremendous basketball player,” Ohio State head coach Thad Matta said. “Jared was an integral part of our success the last two years and I suspect he will be equally successful in the years to come. This is a day the Sullinger family has been looking forward to for many years. I know they are proud of Jared’s accomplishments and will be avid supporters throughout his professional career.”
In an historic freshman season, Sullinger was named national freshman of the year, Big Ten freshman of the year and MVP of the Big Ten Tournament.
Speculation has engulfed Sullinger the past two weeks. He came under fire after lacking athleticism in workouts. Then he was red-flagged by NBA doctors for back issues and teams were told his career could be cut short. Several doctors alerted their teams to not draft Sullinger in the first round.The league followed up medical reports by not inviting Sullinger and his family to the draft.
Now he'll have the opportunity to prove doubters wrong and make Boston general manager Danny Ainge happy about rolling the dice.
Comments
Happy for him but ewwwww Sully in a Celtics jersey.
sully and fab. in boston. ironic.
Quite lol
Congrats Sully!
I wish him the best of luck in the league!
I'm generally opposed to all things Boston, but for Sully I shall make an exception. He fell in the draft, but he landed with a great franchise and Doc Rivers seems like a 'player's coach'. This could work out much better for him than if he had been a lottery pick.
The best part of this draft (outside of any/all Buckeye(s) being drafted) is the fact that everytime David Stern took the podium he was boo'ed! Haha... love it!
This Buckeye grad / life long Celtic fan is extremely pleased right now.
"Winning takes care of everything. - Woody Hayes"
Good for him! Not a hug e Boston fan at all but this is a good thing for Sully for sure.
The world is full of kings & queens who'll blind your eyes & steal your dreams - it's heaven & hell - Ronnie James Dio.
As a long time Celtics fan. (I grew up watching Larry Bird at Indiana State and met him when he was in college.) I can not be more thrilled that Jared is now a Celtic.
was tonight just the first round? I hope so, because I don't see anything about buford being picked
Both rounds are tonight.
"Attack the Strong, Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead!"
-Former OSU S&C Coach Lichter
Good for Sully. It's not like his pay stub will suck lol. And at age 21/22(?) to boot. I don't really have problems with the Celtics (but in fairness I give precisely zero f_cks about the NBA). I liked The Bird as a wee lad though: inspired many driveway 1-on-1's ; "Bird versus MJ", aka the kid down the street vs. myself. If he perfects his mind-range jumper and gets a bit more muscl-mass he'll be solid methinks. Pray the back holds up. I'm really puling for the local boy,he was a great buckeye. He's Columbus & OH through-and-through.
Which outfit would be most likely to take Buford given his skillset? Think he'd go d-league or overseas? I'm ignorant on NBA matters as mentioned. I beg everyone's pardon on that account :p
"You have to slay the selfish beast inside of you and be your brother's keeper" - Chris Spielman, on being a great teammate
Sweet!! Now I can continue rooting for the Celtics. Rondo (my favorite Celtic) and Sully could be a really good pair!! Just disappointed that Buford hasn't been drafted yet. He was my favorite player this year!
How can you like Rondo? Dude is a straight-up punk.
"Attack the Strong, Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead!"
-Former OSU S&C Coach Lichter
Because he plays hard the entire game. He's a team player, a decent shooter, and really good at distributing the ball... And although it was a loss, his game 2 performance against The Heat was simply amazing!
He's one of those guys that everyone hates but if he's on your side, you'd love him.
I don't like him, but I definitely respect what he brings to the court.
703, some opposing fans say the same thing about Craft.
Good selection by the Celtics. They needed a big man, because who knows what happens with KG. I bet he retires, or if he plays next year, he won't be a Celtic. Congrats Sully, go silence the doubters and have a great career.
Class of 2010.
I was hoping Sully would drop to my grizzlies but oh well. I hate Boston but I'll support my boy until the end!
Please don't refer to Sullinger as "former Buckeye"....he'll always be a Buckeye. He just will wear Celtic green now. I guess I'll be rooting for the Celtics for the first time ever next season.
Very happy for his quality family.
@703 You make me laugh. Theres many reasons to like Rondo but as a buckeyes fan Ive found very few reasons to like you.
Boston is a team with a head on its shoulders, they are always competitive. Butthe NBA still sux!
Wherever you are, there you be!
I think Boston will develop Sully nicely...good organisation to play for and Sully will be motivated having fallen to 21
According to Andy Katz, Sully has a medical issue other than his back.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/06/andy-katz-has-slip-of-tongue-during-nba-draft-coverage/1
"It's just another case of there you are". ~ Doc (1918-2012)
More than one?
vacuuming sucks
He wouldn't be the first Buckeye to have a bulging D problem!
You can say it would be cool - but I think I would only want one. Two would be a headache IMHO...
Might be a little embarrassing if they were always bulging btw. Talk about not wanting to stand up in front of the class.
The world is full of kings & queens who'll blind your eyes & steal your dreams - it's heaven & hell - Ronnie James Dio.
I like Sullinger to Boston. Good stand up team, winners. Sullinger fits there and won't be asked to be a franchise savior like he would have if he went 10-12 picks earlier. He would have hated it in Sacramento or Golden State. Great idea by Boston too to get a high rising, shot blocking big man in Fab Melo too. I think he and sullinger will go real well together.