Late Boston Celtics pick Jared Sullinger stayed home on Draft night – NBA Update
Jared Sullinger breathed a sigh of relief when his name was called out as the 21st overall pick by the Boston Celtics. The player got up and took compliments from his family and friends, who had gathered around him to show support on perhaps the
most important night of his young life.
Sullinger though never went over to the stage and he never shook NBA Commissioner David Stern’s hand. That’s because Sullinger wasn’t present at the venue of the draft, he had stayed home.
Projected to be a lottery pick just weeks before the 2012 NBA draft, Jared looked a solid pick for any NBA team looking to bolster their frontline. However, after NBA doctors had a look at him, they red-flagged the player because of back problems.
From there Sullinger’s fall started, with many interested NBA teams backing off and in the end the player wasn’t even invited to the draft. NBA franchises have had harsh experiences with player injuries in the recent past, and they were not willing to take
a risk on Sullinger.
So Sullinger stayed home, tense, but with his family and friends hopeful of some light at the end of the tunnel. And that came in the form of the Boston Celtics, who picked up the forward to serve as understudy of the legendary Kevin Garnett.
Sullinger had signalled earlier that he would want to play for the Celtics and alongside Kevin Garnett, so in a way, his wish came true. Sure the player took a hit in terms of his ego and in terms of the money he would have made if he had gone in the lottery,
but Jared isn’t overly disturbed.
“That's their job. If they see something minor, they go to the extreme. I don't blame them. That's just life."Honestly, I (couldn't) care less about the red flag.” He said about the doctors’ red-flagging him, before delivering a warning to the teams who
passed on him, “I'm just taking numbers (of the teams that didn't draft him) after this."
Now with the Celtics, Jared is set to play at the most storied franchise in the NBA’s history, with veteran stars who will surely guide him forward and a management that has put their faith in his talent.
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