The Erden Watch

Celtics rookie Semih Erden had another solid, but not spectacular game for Turkey today as they defeated Greece 76-65.  For much of his 15 minutes of playing time, he had to deal with guarding the rather large and imposing Schortsanitis (listed at 6'9" and 345 lbs) and he did a decent job of fighting with him for position under the basket. 

Erden finished with 10 points on 3-3 shooting, including a pair of impressive dunks to key a 3rd quarter run that allowed them to go into the final quarter in the lead.  He also was 4-5 from the line and pulled down 2 rebounds and had 1 assist.   Watching him in the World Championships has shown one thing for sure, he already has the KG/Perk scowl down.   It's also evident that he has potential.  He runs the floor well and has a nice touch around the basket. He does seem to have lapses of concentration and hopefully some work with KG and Clifford Ray will do wonders.   

Turkey plays Puerto Rico on Wednesday at 2:00 PM ET and can be seen on ESPN 3.  Their final game in group play will be on Thursday against China, also at 2:00 PM ET.  That game will be on NBA-TV.    Team USA plays Iran on Wednesday at noon ET (ESPN) and Tunisia on Thursday at 9:30 AM ET (ESPN2). 

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