Five Realistic Bigs The Celtics Could Target

7 January 2013 By Leave a Comment

As all Boston fans know, the Celtics are in need of another big body to add to the roster. The proof has been in Doc’s persistence with starting Jason Collins for a stretch of 7 games, despite his offensive deficiencies.

Rumours of dream targets like DeMarcus Cousins, Marcin Gortat and Anderson Varejao have been floating around over the last month or so, inciting a host of rampant speculation on Celtics fandom, all of whom are hammering incessantly at the ESPN Trade Machine for a good scenario.

Over at Celtics Down Under, we look at other possible options on the big man market. Given the trade assets Boston will have to offer, a more realistic view is needed should they want to keep future building blocks like Avery Bradley and Jarred Sullinger on the roster.

Timofey Mozgov – Denver Nuggets

A 7’1” 26 year old with legitimate size. He is a solid rebounder and shot blocker. For his career he has a rebounding average of 3.3 per game, which equates to 8.9 rebounds a game over 36 minutes.

TImofey Mozgov of the New York Knicks.

TImofey Mozgov of the New York Knicks. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

His career block average of 0.7 per game equates to 1.9 blocks over 36 minutes. Those numbers speak very highly for a team that so desperately needs a big defensive centre.  Denver currently have 3 centres on their roster in JaVale McGee, Kosta Koufos and Mozgov, which has led to Mozgov playing limited minutes at 10 per game this season. A center with good defensive play would be a welcome addition to Boston, especially one that could be had cheaply. He is making $3.1 million this season and becomes a restricted free agent in 2013, so if Boston were able to acquire him via trade, they would hold his rights for the off-season as well.

Jason Thompson – Sacramento Kings

The 6’11” 26 year old playing for Sacramento has been mentioned as the possible odd man out for the Kings. If Sacramento’s front office is serious about keeping DeMarcus Cousins, Thompson could prove to be a very good plan B for the Celtics. With a stock of big men in Cousins, rookie Thomas Robinson, veteran Chuck Hayes and game-winning buzzer beater hero James Johnson all capable of playing the PF and C positions, the Kings can well afford to lose one of their bigs for the right price.

For his career, Thompson has averaged 7.3 rebounds a game, a very handy 10.6 points per game while shooting 50% from the field. If the Kings decide to persist with the development of Thomas Robinson at the PF spot, Thompson and his 5-year, $30.1 million contract would become very attractive to a team like the C’s.

Antawn Jamison – Los Angeles Lakers

Although he plays the power forward (or 4) position, Antawn Jamison would be an excellent addition for Boston. At 6’9” and at the ripe old age of 36, Jamison is only playing for the veteran’s minimum this season in LA.  When Coach D’Antoni first took charge of the Lakers, Jamison was thrust into the starting line-up where he posted some impressive scoring and rebounding nights, including highs of 33 points against Denver and 15 rebounds against the Mavericks.

Over the last 9 games however, Jamison’s role has become non-existent, including a stretch of six straight games with a ‘DNP – Coach’s Decision’ next to his name.

After his fifth-straight DNP, Jamison vented his frustration to the Los Angeles Times:

“My only thing is let me know why. I don’t think you go from starting and 30-something minutes to not in the rotation whatsoever. And not explaining to me what exactly happened, that’s the toughest thing. There’s nothing you can do but be positive and support your teammates. The only reason I came here was they said I was going to play and to win a championship.”

With his ability to stretch the defense with a 3-point shooting capability, the Celtics offense would be more open for Rondo drives and cuts from Bradley and Lee, should a trade with the arch rival Lakers be worked out.

Dejuan Blair – San Antonio Spurs

English: DeJuan Blair of the San Antonio Spurs...

English: DeJuan Blair of the San Antonio Spurs, during the Spurs-Nuggets match on 12-22-2010 in San Antonio, TX. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The man with no ACL left in his knees, standing 6’7” and only 23 years old, Dejuan Blair is definitely another option for the Green Team. Tiago Splitter’s rise to prominence for San Antonio this season has resulted in Blair falling back in the pecking order and being underutilised. His season average in minutes is a mere 14 per game, down from 19.6 for his career.

The main problem with acquiring Blair is he does not fulfill the need of a genuine-sized center. With players like Bass, Green and Sullinger already playing the PF position at smaller heights, it may be a stretch to have Blair on the floor at the 5. The big positives for Blair are his experience on a championship-caliber team, his physicality, his age and a contract of only $1 million this season.

Al Jefferson – Utah Jazz

Finally, an old fan favourite in Big Al. The 6’10”, 28 year old boasts career averages of 9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 16.3 points in 30 minutes per game. We all know the absolute star he is down low in the post, and teaming him with Kevin Garnett all these years after the trade with Minnesota would be a dream come true for many Boston fans.

Big Al recently spoke of coming back to Boston during free agency in 2013. During his last trip to TD Garden,  Jefferson told CSNNE.com:

“This will always be my home away from home, first place I’ve been; gave me a chance when nobody else did,” added Jefferson. “If that (returning to Boston) ever happened, I’d love to do that again. But right now, it’s all about taking care of business and finishing the season off right.”

The Jazz have many big men in Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Paul Millsap and Marvin Williams. The main problem for Boston in obtaining Jefferson this season is his expiring $15 million contract. Although Utah has the ability to offer Big Al more money than other teams in free agency, it isn’t guaranteed they will take advantage of their position in order to keep their depth and avoid luxury tax issues. Even if the Celtics cannot bring Jefferson to Boston this season, it could be something worth keeping an eye on during the off-season.

What do you think, are there any other favourite big men that the C’s should be looking at? Let us know in the comments, and thank you for reading! #GoCeltics

Filed Under: Opinions, Players, Season 2012/2013, Trades Tagged With: , , , ,

Doc Rivers Shoulders Blame For Ray Allen’s Departure?

3 August 2012 By Leave a Comment

We have all been through the Ray Allen “Decision” debate, where reasons varied from differences with Rajon Rondo, to the Celtics management’s lack of appreciation, to an active dislike about the bench role were tossed about – all of which probably played a part.

In a recent interview with Doc Rivers, Yahoo! Sports correspondent Adrian Wojnarowski reveals interesting nuggets from the Boston Celtics coach, most especially on the Ray “Decision”, with Doc actually blaming himself for the exit.

He began with his decision for Rondo to take the reins of the team:

“People can use all the Rondo stuff – and it was there, no doubt about that – but it was me more than Rondo,” said Rivers, who is working as an NBC analyst during the Olympics. “I’m the guy who gave Rondo the ball. I’m the guy who decided that Rondo needed to be more of the leader of the team. That doesn’t mean guys liked that – and Ray did not love that – because Rondo now had the ball all the time.”

Despite Ray’s clutch performances in past years, he has definitely been on the decline with every season. He had a world-class one-on-one against Sasha Vujacic in the championship 2008 Finals:

That ball handle unfortunately, has all but vanished. No longer able to break down opponents off the dribble, he evolved into a specialist running off screens and pulling up for shots in transition with deadly accuracy, showcased by his eight three pointer performance in the 2010 Finals:

Doc’s reasoning is perfectly logical; you would definitely want your All-Star passing point guard to have the ball and to decide the course of attack, as opposed to giving the ball over to an aging shooting guard with limited ball-handling abilities.

On the other hand, it was difficult for Ray to give in to reality. He was no longer in his prime, not able to do everything. By refusing to surrender to the team’s best option, he was adding his own pride to the discussion; an adamant refusal to surrender to his declining abilities or accept a smaller team role along with the fact.

It should be noted that Doc emphasized the need for a coach to make decisions for the team over the player. This is part of what makes Doc a great coach – he is a player’s coach and bonds with them really well, but does not hesitate to do the right thing, even if it means upsetting someone on the team.

“As a coach, you’ve got to do what’s best for the team. If guys don’t like it, they’re going to leave. If they stay and don’t like it, well, your team’s going to suck anyway. Even if this happens, you still have to do it. You can’t coach worrying about any individual. You’ve got to coach worrying about your entire team: whether that gets you a championship or whether that gets you fired.

I think it allows you to coach free. You’re coaching with freedom because you know you’re doing what you think is right.”

The entire interview is well worth a read, but one great take from this interview would be the way Doc Rivers emphasized the team over Ray Allen, something not every coach is willing to do in this era of NBA super-stardom.

For that alone, a tip of the hat goes to Doc Rivers, Boston Celtics coach.

What do you think of Ray’s “Decision”? Do you agree with Doc’s point of view? Was Ray not enough of a team player by not staying on? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.

Filed Under: Players, Season 2012/2013, Trades Tagged With: , ,

Celtics, Reloaded? A Look At Danny Ainge’s Off-season Wizardry

22 July 2012 By 4 Comments

Celtics GM Danny Ainge is known for his crafty moves, best seen in the blockbuster trades that brought the Big Three together and retooled the Celtics into a championship winner in 2008.

This off-season however, marks the first time Danny Ainge, Celtics GM is free to decide on the direction of the Celtics’ future without being overly burdened by contracts, and take steps to address known problems in the Celtics roster.

The question comes then – WWDD (What Would Danny Do)?

As a Celtics fan, it is high blasphemy to speak ill of the team. Green goggles aside however, the Big Three era Celtics have always been hailed as a team of aging athletes with bad rebounding, areas that badly need fixing.

Age
Age as evidenced by the ages of Garnett (36), Pierce (35) and Allen (37), with equally grizzled veterans signed over the years; look at Rasheed Wallace (35 in ‘09), Michael Finley (36 in ‘09) and not forgetting The Big Shamrock himself, Shaquille O’Neal at 38 when signed in ‘10.

This has led to a drop in transition plays with spurts of stagnant half-court offense at times.

Rebounding
Transition defense has always been prioritised over offensive boards, so that area has consistently been below league average.

However, they were also ho-hum on the defensive boards; from middling (league 25th in 2010/2011) to decent (league 13th in 2011/2012).

Danny’s first move of course, had to do with a BIG decision from a selfless Celtic who has been the defensive heart of the team.

The return of The Big Ticket

Everything begins here, with Kevin Garnett’s return for a 3 year contract (estimated at 34 million, a steal by anyone’s standards).

This signing reinforced Danny’s vision for an extended Big Three era with Garnett at the defensive helm while reloading the roster with younger legs capable of running with Rajon Rondo.

Ray’s “Decision”
A great deal has been written about Ray Allen’s decision to join the Miami Heat, despite being offered more salary in Boston.

We could call it irreconcilable differences and leave it at that, but his leaving triggered the end of the Big Three and a big hole in the lineup, which leads us to the next point.

JET’s touchdown
Jason Terry’s welcome move from Dallas to Boston for the MLE (Mid-Level Exception) has thankfully filled the gap for a three shooter, in addition to being play maker and shot creator, something Ray was not.

Let us not forget about his resilience as well; he has reportedly only missed less than 15 games in his NBA career!
A healthy body is always a welcome sight, seeing as the C’s were constantly plagued with injuries over the recent years.

Bass stays
Brandon Bass has been a consistent performer with his pick-and-pop game throughout last season, and it’s encouraging to see his return and desire to improve.

One hopes he develops a consistent offensive rhythm that carries over into the postseason this time round.

Nothing but heart
Chris Wilcox and Jeff Green were respectively sidelined with heart operations the last season, which were major blows to the team.

Thankfully, they are back and ready to join the green once more.

Wilcox has been signed for the veteran’s minimum, while Green’s signing on the final amount for a four year contract is still unconfirmed.

The coming of Lee
After a week or so of rumours, Rockets guard Courtney Lee has confirmed on Twitter that he is definitely headed to the Celtics this season!

There are no official details on the trade yet, but it appears Celtics sophomores E’Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson and Sean Williams might be involved, judging from their sudden absences in the summer league.

Draft decisions
With the 21st, 22nd and 51st picks, two bigs and a guard were selected.

Jared Sullinger is an excellent rebounder, while Fab Melo will prove to be a good defensive player after some work. Kris Joseph has proved to be excellent in the summer league so far, capable of doing a bit of everything from rebounding to scoring.

We can see the addition of youthful bigs into the mix, along with a second round guard who could prove his worth at the NBA level; all in all, a good draft.

How does it all add up?
With KG and Bass being re-signed, Danny has retained the existing starting lineup of Pierce, Garnett, Rondo and Bradley once again.

With the return of Wilcox plus Sullinger and Melo, the interior lineup is strengthened, while Green is back to spell minutes for Pierce and act as an integral component for a small offensive lineup.

Terry’s presence will provide another shot creator and a backup point for Rondo, which helps to ease the burden on Rondo and Bradley.

Lee’s addition to the lineup brings an athletic wing defender who can provide consistent outside shooting and a strong finisher at the rim, something Boston has been lacking in the bench.

And of course, let us not forget the excellent transition plays we should be seeing with Rondo’s masterful dishes to new signings Bass/Wilcox/Green/Terry.

The off-season is nearly at its end with the roster still incomplete, but one can certainly appreciate how Danny Ainge has masterfully kept the salaries within the limit, kept most of the core around while reloading the roster for another potentially exciting postseason run.

Will there be a legitimate shot at Banner #18 this year? What do you think of the signings so far? Let us know, and thanks for reading! #celtics

*Statistics referenced from http://www.basketball-reference.com

Filed Under: Season 2012/2013, Trades Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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