Compare and contrast these center candidates

[Celtics2021]

I'm still not sure why the Celtics didn't pursue Montrezl Harrell this off-season. He's tough, hustles, and is reliable.

He was 6th man of the year for the Clippers, but when his contract was over they rushed to sign a different center (Ibaka) for the same amount Harrell ultimately got from the Lakers.

The Lakers had him for a year, then traded him to The Wizards.  Washington had him for half a season and moved him to Charlotte for little more than creating a trade exception.

Charlotte had him for half a season, could also use a center, and let him walk despite controlling his Early Bird rights.

Morey seems to like his guys, of which Harrell is one, so maybe it will work for him in Philly, but there’s clearly a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes with him that we don’t see.  And all of this ignores his drug arrest this summer as wellZ

[celticinorlando]

Yeah, if these are our choices, I'm sticking with Mfiondu and Noah!

You would rather have two underachieving tweeners that can’t stick on an NBA roster? Two guys that have been first round busts?

Neither contribute one thing this year. Vonleah probably doesn’t even make the team.

[Goldstar88]

Worst teammate: 4-way tie though some would say Howard wins that.

Never heard anyone say that Aldridge was a bad teammate. Just the opposite, actually. Don’t think he would have lasted 6 years in San Antonio if he wasn’t a good one.

[Surferdad]

Worst teammate: 4-way tie though some would say Howard wins that.

Never heard anyone say that Aldridge was a bad teammate. Just the opposite, actually. Don’t think he would have lasted 6 years in San Antonio if he wasn’t a good one.

Fair enough.
Best teammate: Aldridge
Worst teammate: Howard

[Goldstar88]

Worst teammate: 4-way tie though some would say Howard wins that.

Never heard anyone say that Aldridge was a bad teammate. Just the opposite, actually. Don’t think he would have lasted 6 years in San Antonio if he wasn’t a good one.

Fair enough.
Best teammate: Aldridge
Worst teammate: Howard

Howard or Whiteside is a tough call. Boogie is just a loose cannon. Never know when he’s going to go haywire…

[boscel33]

Yeah, if these are our choices, I'm sticking with Mfiondu and Noah!

You would rather have two underachieving tweeners that can’t stick on an NBA roster? Two guys that have been first round busts?

Neither contribute one thing this year. Vonleah probably doesn’t even make the team.

Yes, because the other options provided here are CRAP!  I'd use a different set of words, but I don't want to get an email from the admins!

[Surferdad]

Worst teammate: 4-way tie though some would say Howard wins that.

Never heard anyone say that Aldridge was a bad teammate. Just the opposite, actually. Don’t think he would have lasted 6 years in San Antonio if he wasn’t a good one.

Fair enough.
Best teammate: Aldridge
Worst teammate: Howard

Howard or Whiteside is a tough call. Boogie is just a loose cannon. Never know when he’s going to haywire…

Whiteside might be my least favorite player in the NBA. He got his big contract and seemed to fade after that.

[Roy H.]

Yeah, if these are our choices, I'm sticking with Mfiondu and Noah!

You would rather have two underachieving tweeners that can’t stick on an NBA roster? Two guys that have been first round busts?

Neither contribute one thing this year. Vonleah probably doesn’t even make the team.

Yes, because the other options provided here are CRAP!  I'd use a different set of words, but I don't want to get an email from the admins!

Crap?

Whiteside: 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks in 17.9 minutes
Cousins: 9.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.4 blocks in 15.0 minutes
Howard: 6.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.6 blocks in 16.2 minutes
Aldridge:  12.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 blocks in 22.3 minutes

What exactly are you looking for from your backup center?  I mean, the player we all know and love -- Timelord -- averaged 10.0 / 9.6 / 2.2 in 29.6 minutes. 

The available FAs might not be great fits for what we want, but none of them are "crap".  They're all pretty productive.

[Celtics2021]

Yeah, if these are our choices, I'm sticking with Mfiondu and Noah!

You would rather have two underachieving tweeners that can’t stick on an NBA roster? Two guys that have been first round busts?

Neither contribute one thing this year. Vonleah probably doesn’t even make the team.

Yes, because the other options provided here are CRAP!  I'd use a different set of words, but I don't want to get an email from the admins!

Crap?

Whiteside: 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks in 17.9 minutes
Cousins: 9.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.4 blocks in 15.0 minutes
Howard: 6.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.6 blocks in 16.2 minutes
Aldridge:  12.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 blocks in 22.3 minutes

What exactly are you looking for from your backup center?  I mean, the player we all know and love -- Timelord -- averaged 10.0 / 9.6 / 2.2 in 29.6 minutes. 

The available FAs might not be great fits for what we want, but none of them are "crap".  They're all pretty productive.

I think this bolded sentence points to exactly why traditional counting stats don’t make a fair argument.  We all know the contribution Williams made to this team far exceeds those numbers, whereas the contribution the above players made is less than those numbers, which is why they remain unsigned and will at best get the minimum.

Are they crap?  Relative to TimeLord, yes they are.

[Roy H.]

Yeah, if these are our choices, I'm sticking with Mfiondu and Noah!

You would rather have two underachieving tweeners that can’t stick on an NBA roster? Two guys that have been first round busts?

Neither contribute one thing this year. Vonleah probably doesn’t even make the team.

Yes, because the other options provided here are CRAP!  I'd use a different set of words, but I don't want to get an email from the admins!

Crap?

Whiteside: 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks in 17.9 minutes
Cousins: 9.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.4 blocks in 15.0 minutes
Howard: 6.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.6 blocks in 16.2 minutes
Aldridge:  12.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 blocks in 22.3 minutes

What exactly are you looking for from your backup center?  I mean, the player we all know and love -- Timelord -- averaged 10.0 / 9.6 / 2.2 in 29.6 minutes. 

The available FAs might not be great fits for what we want, but none of them are "crap".  They're all pretty productive.

I think this bolded sentence points to exactly why traditional counting stats don’t make a fair argument.  We all know the contribution Williams made to this team far exceeds those numbers, whereas the contribution the above players made is less than those numbers, which is why they remain unsigned and will at best get the minimum.

Are they crap?  Relative to TimeLord, yes they are.

We're not comparing them to Timelord, though.  His defensive impact and switchability won't be replaced, even if his production can be.  Instead, we're comparing them to Vonleh and Kabengele.  Those two in no way are better options than any of the players being discussed here.

[Celtics2021]

Yeah, if these are our choices, I'm sticking with Mfiondu and Noah!

You would rather have two underachieving tweeners that can’t stick on an NBA roster? Two guys that have been first round busts?

Neither contribute one thing this year. Vonleah probably doesn’t even make the team.

Yes, because the other options provided here are CRAP!  I'd use a different set of words, but I don't want to get an email from the admins!

Crap?

Whiteside: 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks in 17.9 minutes
Cousins: 9.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.4 blocks in 15.0 minutes
Howard: 6.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.6 blocks in 16.2 minutes
Aldridge:  12.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 blocks in 22.3 minutes

What exactly are you looking for from your backup center?  I mean, the player we all know and love -- Timelord -- averaged 10.0 / 9.6 / 2.2 in 29.6 minutes. 

The available FAs might not be great fits for what we want, but none of them are "crap".  They're all pretty productive.

I think this bolded sentence points to exactly why traditional counting stats don’t make a fair argument.  We all know the contribution Williams made to this team far exceeds those numbers, whereas the contribution the above players made is less than those numbers, which is why they remain unsigned and will at best get the minimum.

Are they crap?  Relative to TimeLord, yes they are.

We're not comparing them to Timelord, though.  His defensive impact and switchability won't be replaced, even if his production can be.  Instead, we're comparing them to Vonleh and Kabengele.  Those two in no way are better options than any of the players being discussed here.

I wouldn’t be surprised if one of Vonleh or Kabengele could be at least as good this season as one or more of the four players you mention.  Being 27 or 25 has its advantages.  In any case, the gap in quality between those four and the two guys the Celtics are trying out is a lot smaller than the those four and Rob.

[nyceltsfan]

I know these are not the most popular guys around here, but how is this crop of guys any better than Tristan Thompson, Enes Freedom or Aron Baynes?

[Roy H.]

Yeah, if these are our choices, I'm sticking with Mfiondu and Noah!

You would rather have two underachieving tweeners that can’t stick on an NBA roster? Two guys that have been first round busts?

Neither contribute one thing this year. Vonleah probably doesn’t even make the team.

Yes, because the other options provided here are CRAP!  I'd use a different set of words, but I don't want to get an email from the admins!

Crap?

Whiteside: 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks in 17.9 minutes
Cousins: 9.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.4 blocks in 15.0 minutes
Howard: 6.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.6 blocks in 16.2 minutes
Aldridge:  12.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 blocks in 22.3 minutes

What exactly are you looking for from your backup center?  I mean, the player we all know and love -- Timelord -- averaged 10.0 / 9.6 / 2.2 in 29.6 minutes. 

The available FAs might not be great fits for what we want, but none of them are "crap".  They're all pretty productive.

I think this bolded sentence points to exactly why traditional counting stats don’t make a fair argument.  We all know the contribution Williams made to this team far exceeds those numbers, whereas the contribution the above players made is less than those numbers, which is why they remain unsigned and will at best get the minimum.

Are they crap?  Relative to TimeLord, yes they are.

We're not comparing them to Timelord, though.  His defensive impact and switchability won't be replaced, even if his production can be.  Instead, we're comparing them to Vonleh and Kabengele.  Those two in no way are better options than any of the players being discussed here.

I wouldn’t be surprised if one of Vonleh or Kabengele could be at least as good this season as one or more of the four players you mention.  Being 27 or 25 has its advantages.  In any case, the gap in quality between those four and the two guys the Celtics are trying out is a lot smaller than the those four and Rob.

Kabengele has averaged 2.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 38.8% shooting in his (short) career.

Noah is a 4.9 points / 5.1 rebounds in 16.8 minutes guy for his career.  He's played on four teams in six seasons, including only playing 4 games last year (averaging 0.0 points and 0.3 rebounds).

I think your optimism is misguided.

[Celtics2021]

Yeah, if these are our choices, I'm sticking with Mfiondu and Noah!

You would rather have two underachieving tweeners that can’t stick on an NBA roster? Two guys that have been first round busts?

Neither contribute one thing this year. Vonleah probably doesn’t even make the team.

Yes, because the other options provided here are CRAP!  I'd use a different set of words, but I don't want to get an email from the admins!

Crap?

Whiteside: 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks in 17.9 minutes
Cousins: 9.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.4 blocks in 15.0 minutes
Howard: 6.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.6 blocks in 16.2 minutes
Aldridge:  12.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 blocks in 22.3 minutes

What exactly are you looking for from your backup center?  I mean, the player we all know and love -- Timelord -- averaged 10.0 / 9.6 / 2.2 in 29.6 minutes. 

The available FAs might not be great fits for what we want, but none of them are "crap".  They're all pretty productive.

I think this bolded sentence points to exactly why traditional counting stats don’t make a fair argument.  We all know the contribution Williams made to this team far exceeds those numbers, whereas the contribution the above players made is less than those numbers, which is why they remain unsigned and will at best get the minimum.

Are they crap?  Relative to TimeLord, yes they are.

We're not comparing them to Timelord, though.  His defensive impact and switchability won't be replaced, even if his production can be.  Instead, we're comparing them to Vonleh and Kabengele.  Those two in no way are better options than any of the players being discussed here.

I wouldn’t be surprised if one of Vonleh or Kabengele could be at least as good this season as one or more of the four players you mention.  Being 27 or 25 has its advantages.  In any case, the gap in quality between those four and the two guys the Celtics are trying out is a lot smaller than the those four and Rob.

Kabengele has averaged 2.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 38.8% shooting in his (short) career.

Noah is a 4.9 points / 5.1 rebounds in 16.8 minutes guy for his career.  He's played on four teams in six seasons, including only playing 4 games last year (averaging 0.0 points and 0.3 rebounds).

I think your optimism is misguided.

You may underestimate my pessimism towards the players you’ve mentioned as optimism towards others.  That said, I will admit Vonleh is someone I’ve liked since the 2014 draft, and at the time would have been happy if the Celtics selected him at 6.  So I do harbor hope that he’s got something for us to unearth.

As for Kabengele, his career through age 24 is not much different than Whiteside’s, statistically speaking.  But I don’t consider him a real solution this year — there’s a reason he’s on a 2-way.

[sgrogan]

Yeah, if these are our choices, I'm sticking with Mfiondu and Noah!

You would rather have two underachieving tweeners that can’t stick on an NBA roster? Two guys that have been first round busts?

Neither contribute one thing this year. Vonleah probably doesn’t even make the team.

Yes, because the other options provided here are CRAP!  I'd use a different set of words, but I don't want to get an email from the admins!

Crap?

Whiteside: 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks in 17.9 minutes
Cousins: 9.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.4 blocks in 15.0 minutes
Howard: 6.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.6 blocks in 16.2 minutes
Aldridge:  12.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 blocks in 22.3 minutes

What exactly are you looking for from your backup center?  I mean, the player we all know and love -- Timelord -- averaged 10.0 / 9.6 / 2.2 in 29.6 minutes. 

The available FAs might not be great fits for what we want, but none of them are "crap".  They're all pretty productive.

I think this bolded sentence points to exactly why traditional counting stats don’t make a fair argument.  We all know the contribution Williams made to this team far exceeds those numbers, whereas the contribution the above players made is less than those numbers, which is why they remain unsigned and will at best get the minimum.

Are they crap?  Relative to TimeLord, yes they are.

We're not comparing them to Timelord, though.  His defensive impact and switchability won't be replaced, even if his production can be.  Instead, we're comparing them to Vonleh and Kabengele.  Those two in no way are better options than any of the players being discussed here.

I wouldn’t be surprised if one of Vonleh or Kabengele could be at least as good this season as one or more of the four players you mention.  Being 27 or 25 has its advantages.  In any case, the gap in quality between those four and the two guys the Celtics are trying out is a lot smaller than the those four and Rob.

Kabengele has averaged 2.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 38.8% shooting in his (short) career.

Noah is a 4.9 points / 5.1 rebounds in 16.8 minutes guy for his career.  He's played on four teams in six seasons, including only playing 4 games last year (averaging 0.0 points and 0.3 rebounds).

I think your optimism is misguided.

You may underestimate my pessimism towards the players you’ve mentioned as optimism towards others.  That said, I will admit Vonleh is someone I’ve liked since the 2014 draft, and at the time would have been happy if the Celtics selected him at 6.  So I do harbor hope that he’s got something for us to unearth.

As for Kabengele, his career through age 24 is not much different than Whiteside’s, statistically speaking.  But I don’t consider him a real solution this year — there’s a reason he’s on a 2-way.

Why not both? At least for camp.
I suspect its because the vet min guys are looking for guaranteed money as well as playing time, maybe for 2 years, that wouldn't be subsidized by the league. But if money doesn't matter, whatsoever, then just cut them.