At the end of the Celtics 2009-2010 NBA season, there was one player on the Celtics roster that I didn't believe would be coming back. After coming to Boston in hopes of turning around his reputation of being "injury-prone", Marquis Daniels failed during his first season as a Boston Celtic.
During the early parts of last season many experts were starting to consider Marquis one of the top acquisitions of the offseason. Boy, oh boy, did that change. The injury bug once again hit Marquis during the 2009-2010 season, and he once again missed a majority of games because of it. When he did finally recover from the injury, it was clear that his confidence had been shook and he spent most of the NBA playoffs on the bench.
To my surprise, however, the Celtics decided to give Quis another shot by offering him a one-year deal worth around $2.4 million dollars. With the number of available free agent swingman, the Celtics felt as though Marquis was one of the best, and most affordable, options out there.
There's no doubt, when healthy, that Marquis could be considered one of the top swingmen coming off the bench in the NBA. The problem thus far in his career is that he can't stay healthy, and that has hurt his stock tremendously.
Today, Chris Forsberg, along with his panel of eighteen experts, over at ESPN Boston took a look at what to expect from Marquis this season. Let's just say that the numbers were all over the board, with the average expectations coming out at 7 points and 3 rebounds in 22 minutes.
Somehow, I once again floated right around the average in my prediction. Here is my explanation and prediction that I gave to ESPN Boston.
Brandon Paul, Gino's Jungle (7 points, 2 rebounds, 15 minutes)
To be quite honest, I have no expectations for Daniels. I really like what he can bring to the team, but the question is whether or not his body allows him to bring it to the team. I can see him being the first or second wing player off the bench, or a guy who gets free courtside seats every game. I truly don't know what to expect from Marquis, I just hope it ends up being good.
To follow up on what I wrote there, I truly still do not know what to expect for Daniels. If he plays well and stays healthy, he could be one of the first guys off the bench. If he struggles with his confidence and gets hit with the injury bug, we could see him doing exactly what he did at the end of last season.
Out of all the players on the team this year, Marquis may have the most pressure on him to perform. This will probably be his last shot to really prove himself in the league and, quite frankly, he needs to play well for the Celtics to succeed.
As we currently stand, Marquis will be number two on the depth at the small forward position behind Paul Pierce. If he doesn't perform, or gets injured, that could really throw things off and cause problems for the Celtics bench.
In closing thoughts: Marquis if you're reading this man, I really want to like you as a player. I love your game and love your attitude on the court. But, this is your last shot to prove all the "haters" wrong. Go out there and let your game do the talking.
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