Cheap Free Agent Centers

[Who]

I like Ed Davis as a solid backup PF. He gets physically overwhelmed at PF too often to be a high end defender at that position but he is solid defensively. Definitely not big enough physically to compete against starting quality centers. Not a defensive anchor. Prefers to play alongside a big bodied player that allows him to roam defensively. Could play some backup C defensively but not best use of his skill-set.

A good team defender but not good enough to overcome limitations. A good rebounder. A weak offensive player. Limited passer. No jump-shot. An athletic garbage man. Offensive limitations (and lack of elite defense) make it too hard for Ed Davis to get regular starting PF role so he is forced to stay as backup PF on vast majority of teams.

Ekpe Udoh is a very strong defensive PF. A better defender than Davis both as a man-to-man defender and team defender. Udoh is good defensive backup center but is physically overwhelmed when used as a starter. Lack of rebounding is troubling. Lack of skill-level offensively is troubling. A defensive specialist at PF position which means in today's league, Udoh will struggle for regular playing time on good teams. Adequate (below average but serviceable) backup center .

I do not like Jordan Hill. Does not play good defense. A bad team defender. Unintelligent player. Lacks skill level offensively. Non-passer. Non-shooter. Strictly a garbage man. Only above average skill is his rebounding. From a physical standpoint, J.Hill should be better defending PFs but he is clueless defending skilled forwards & when being asked to play team defense away from the basket so he is actually worse defensively at PF than C. A liability at C too. A weak rotation player. Personally, I do not want to see him on the Celtics. Reggie Evans without the toughness.

* Ed Davis is clearly the best of the bunch. He has the most well rounded game. A good defensive PF, good rebounder but a below average offensive player although his athleticism makes him more useful offensively than other limited offensive PFs. Needs to add a jump-shot for his career to really take off.
* Udoh as defensive specialist is 2nd most valuable. Low end rotation player to 3rd stringer.
* Jordan Hill is least valuable. Rebounder only. Do not like this type of player. Also a low end rotation player to 3rd stringer.

[chambers]

I'm leaning towards not wanting a decent 'known' free agent center unless we get a key free agent. I'm worried if we get someone like Gortat running with a starting five of Rondo, Smart, Green, Sully and Gortat as our line up that we risk being a major treadmill team.

From the other point of view, the benefit of a line up like the above is that if we can somehow make a major trade for a star...ie Olynyk+2 Brooklyn picks for Melo or Love, we can be a decent 5th or 6th seed in the East straight away while we wait to add a star.
The problem for me though is that Rondo may just walk, or Danny will decide that we are going with Smart as 'the man', and we've given up an entire season for a lousy 10th or 11th pick like the Timberwolves last season.

It's just hard to know what to do until we've seen what Danny wants to do with this team. Is Rondo the future? Or is it Smart, Sully+Olynyk?

If we aren't going the Gortat route, I'd prefer a small gamble on someone like Ed Davis for about $7-9 million.
Does an okay job protecting the rim. Sign him long term to a 4 year, $30 million deal and let him play with Rondo for a season- it will boost his stats and trade value immensely...he then becomes a valuable asset to use in a trade for a true star player.
I think a package of Sully+Davis+Wallace's expiring+a pick is pretty nice for a team that's losing their star player.
If Davis turns the corner as a center/big man then we have him on a bargain contract for 4 seasons.

So yeah, there are two options and I don't know which option Danny is going to take.
It would be unwise to demand one way or the other.
On a purely speculative basis I can see him adding a nice center like Gortat so Sully can play PF, and so Rondo can get a little help. If we could somehow make the playoffs with a lineup like
Rondo
Smart
Green
Sully
Gortat

then that might be enough for Rondo to want to stay, knowing that we are trying to add 1 or 2 great players as more free agents become available.
The problem of course with adding Gortat is that you've just lost at least 10-15 million in cap space for the 2015-16 free agent class, and we know how much Danny loves cap space- that's why the Ed Davis route seems very plausible too.

The last option (which may be the most likely) is that Danny goes out and tries to find a diamond in the rough after deciding he's going to trade Rondo and Green. If we go this route I'd love to take Clint Capella from the Rockets for taking back Jeremy Lin's contract.
Young tanking line up of:

PG Smart
SG Chris Johnson
SF Young
PF Sully
C Capella.

Hope that we can pick up one of the prized bigs in 2015 draft or Emmanual Muiday.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Jason Smith, but of course I already said it. 

Andris Biedrins.

[Waew]

we're tanking again. hope we get a raw undrafted or d-league center,

[joepatsfan]

Well this depends, if DA doesn't make a splash for a Love-type-caliber player, then theres absolutely no point spending $$ on a C. Just trot out Fav/Joel or Sully as the 5 and bring on Tankapolooza 2.0!

[Beat LA]

Jason Smith, but of course I already said it. 

Andris Biedrins.

Ah yes, Andris Biedrine, always a standout at the Ben Wallace free throw clinic

That being said, I believe I may have found the solution to all of our problems!  He's undersized, at 6'9," played in the d league last year, and is already 24 years old!  Please give a warm reception to the former UCONN Husky and future NBA All Star (sarcasm), Alex Oriakhi!  Prepare for domination, domination, domination, domination  

On a more serious note, he does have a 7'3" wingspan and can use either hand on the block.  Christ, it's July 1st and I'm already mentioning Alex Oriakhi   Sigh.

[Onslaught]

I say Robert Parish just to prove Isiah Thomas wrong. And well be in the draft again next year!

[jay]

Maybe we can get Davis for 5 years starting at 7 mil.  Sign Udoh for part of the mid level exception. I don't care if you call them power forwards.  It just makes sense to have one of them on the floor with Sullinger or Olynyk.  Pairing an offensive minded big with an athletic, unskilled big might just be the combination we need.  Vitor will still be around if we need a bigger man to man defense presence.  Green can still play the 4 when we go small.

[Future Celtics Owner]

I wouldn't mind doing a trade and getting Rudy Gobert as a prospect. He can move well for such a long tall dude.

[jay]

We need a new version of the Davis twins in Green.  "Ekpe Udoh" means Ed Davis in Nigerian.  Right?

[perks-a-beast]

I wouldn't mind doing a trade and getting Rudy Gobert as a prospect. He can move well for such a long tall dude.

TP. I wouldn't mind that at all. I'll admit, when Gobert was drafted I thought he'd be one of those guys who could stick around in the NBA because of his size and be a 14th or 15th man for a while, ala Hilton Armstrong, but never really make a name for himself. After his rookie season, I'd be surprised if that's the case. Sure, he raw, but he's only 22 and blocked a shot a game in only 10 minutes per last season. The dude has the potential to defend at a very high level.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKGVsi7MyFk

1:33 doe! Get that weak stuff outta here, Brooke!