Chris Andersen @ Logan Airport

[cordobes]

Can anyone provide an update on Anderson's level of play. I realize he played very little for NO since returning, but any word on how he looked in practice or any insight re: his ability to return to pre-suspension quality of play. 

Let's put aside for the moment the obvious risk with regard to his off-court issues -- but can this guy play?  If you think so -- please tell me why you think so.

Couldn't said it better myself. Can this guy play?

[winsomme]

Can anyone provide an update on Anderson's level of play. I realize he played very little for NO since returning, but any word on how he looked in practice or any insight re: his ability to return to pre-suspension quality of play. 

Let's put aside for the moment the obvious risk with regard to his off-court issues -- but can this guy play?  If you think so -- please tell me why you think so.

Couldn't said it better myself. Can this guy play?

well he was on the Hornets roster right.....and they needed a big during the playoffs....that made me wonder at the time at least.

[BudweiserCeltic]

Can anyone provide an update on Anderson's level of play. I realize he played very little for NO since returning, but any word on how he looked in practice or any insight re: his ability to return to pre-suspension quality of play. 

Let's put aside for the moment the obvious risk with regard to his off-court issues -- but can this guy play?  If you think so -- please tell me why you think so.

Couldn't said it better myself. Can this guy play?

I don't see why not. He got little to no playing time last year mainly because NO had little use for him and they were fighting for the top, they didn't have time to address incorporating Birdman to the team.

At the least, he doesn't turn the ball over.

well he was on the Hornets roster right.....and they needed a big during the playoffs....that made me wonder at the time at least.

I don't think he was part of the Hornets' playoff roster... he simply wasn't incorporated through the season, made little sense. Now, if he was a stud then sure you take your risk with him... but he just came from a ban... hasn't played competitive basketball in a while, can't have him during the playoffs or waste time incorporating him when you're playing to get to the top of the division.

[winsomme]

Can anyone provide an update on Anderson's level of play. I realize he played very little for NO since returning, but any word on how he looked in practice or any insight re: his ability to return to pre-suspension quality of play. 

Let's put aside for the moment the obvious risk with regard to his off-court issues -- but can this guy play?  If you think so -- please tell me why you think so.

Couldn't said it better myself. Can this guy play?

I don't see why not. He got little to no playing time last year mainly because NO had little use for him and they were fighting for the top, they didn't have time to address incorporating Birdman to the team.

At the least, he doesn't turn the ball over.

well he was on the Hornets roster right.....and they needed a big during the playoffs....that made me wonder at the time at least.

I don't think he was part of the Hornets' playoff roster... he simply wasn't incorporated through the season, made little sense. Now, if he was a stud then sure you take your risk with him... but he just came from a ban... hasn't played competitive basketball in a while, can't have him during the playoffs or waste time incorporating him when you're playing to get to the top of the division.

but he was eligible for the playoff roster and NO had little effectiveness off the bench in the frontcourt....heck most of the time Scott only palyed Ely and he was no great shakes....

[cordobes]

I wondered about the same winsomme.

BC, if it was a matter of schedule, why haven't they kept him to the next season? They aren't exactly stacked with bigs.

[BudweiserCeltic]

Can anyone provide an update on Anderson's level of play. I realize he played very little for NO since returning, but any word on how he looked in practice or any insight re: his ability to return to pre-suspension quality of play. 

Let's put aside for the moment the obvious risk with regard to his off-court issues -- but can this guy play?  If you think so -- please tell me why you think so.

Couldn't said it better myself. Can this guy play?

I don't see why not. He got little to no playing time last year mainly because NO had little use for him and they were fighting for the top, they didn't have time to address incorporating Birdman to the team.

At the least, he doesn't turn the ball over.

well he was on the Hornets roster right.....and they needed a big during the playoffs....that made me wonder at the time at least.

I don't think he was part of the Hornets' playoff roster... he simply wasn't incorporated through the season, made little sense. Now, if he was a stud then sure you take your risk with him... but he just came from a ban... hasn't played competitive basketball in a while, can't have him during the playoffs or waste time incorporating him when you're playing to get to the top of the division.

but he was eligible for the playoff roster and NO had little effectiveness off the bench in the frontcourt....heck most of the time Scott only palyed Ely and he was no great shakes....

So, we needed PG play... we didn't use Pruitt, does that mean that he's no good? We don't know. It doesn't mean anything. These are unique circumstances. Again, the dude only played 12 or so minutes for them through the season and you want him to play in the playoffs? Makes zero sense, for someone coming back to the NBA under the circumstances that he came in.

I wondered about the same winsomme.

BC, if it was a matter of schedule, why haven't they kept him to the next season? They aren't exactly stacked with bigs.

Has it been reported that they don't want him back?

[winsomme]

I wondered about the same winsomme.

BC, if it was a matter of schedule, why haven't they kept him to the next season? They aren't exactly stacked with bigs.

yeah, their "bigs" situation in terms of depth is very shaky. another reason i was surprised they sold off their first rounder this year with so many bigs available....they could have really scored in this draft.

[jimmyt]

anderson must have watched "gone baby gone" before he considered boston as a destination..

kidding of course, but this would be a great pickup. Anderson is a quality big man and the most important thing about it is that he provides loads of energy off the bench. I dont know if anyone read the E:60 article on him about a month ago or so but it was pretty interesting, had a crazy life.

[winsomme]

Can anyone provide an update on Anderson's level of play. I realize he played very little for NO since returning, but any word on how he looked in practice or any insight re: his ability to return to pre-suspension quality of play. 

Let's put aside for the moment the obvious risk with regard to his off-court issues -- but can this guy play?  If you think so -- please tell me why you think so.

Couldn't said it better myself. Can this guy play?

I don't see why not. He got little to no playing time last year mainly because NO had little use for him and they were fighting for the top, they didn't have time to address incorporating Birdman to the team.

At the least, he doesn't turn the ball over.

well he was on the Hornets roster right.....and they needed a big during the playoffs....that made me wonder at the time at least.

I don't think he was part of the Hornets' playoff roster... he simply wasn't incorporated through the season, made little sense. Now, if he was a stud then sure you take your risk with him... but he just came from a ban... hasn't played competitive basketball in a while, can't have him during the playoffs or waste time incorporating him when you're playing to get to the top of the division.

but he was eligible for the playoff roster and NO had little effectiveness off the bench in the frontcourt....heck most of the time Scott only palyed Ely and he was no great shakes....

So, we needed PG play... we didn't use Pruitt, does that mean that he's no good? We don't know. It doesn't mean anything. These are unique circumstances. Again, the dude only played 12 or so minutes for them through the season and you want him to play in the playoffs? Makes zero sense, for someone coming back to the NBA under the circumstances that he came in.

i actually think that our PG play was fine in the playoffs. House in the playoffs for me actually made me feel like we could bring him back with Pruitt and we would be fine for next season.

but this guy is a veteran on a team competing for a Title. and i was shocked at how thin they were up front.

[KJ33]

Yeah, drug problems are a concern with him. That 2-year suspension revealed that at some point, he was definitely doing the harder stuff.

I hope he's clean, because if he is, I'd like to see Ainge take a flier on him. It would seem like his presence would rub off of the rest of the guys... an energy-filled shot blocking guy on the 2nd unit. Imagine how beastly Giddens, Powe, and Anderson would be? No other 2nd unit can match up with that athleticism and straight up passion.

He does have a great locker room presence from everything I can gather and certainly can provide a huge energy boost from the bench.  He shouldnt be a priority at this point in the signing game, but Id welcome him to the team.  

that said, its interesting to hear he has come out to discuss things with the Celts, though unless both parties are entirely sold on him being a Celt, it seems rather odd that a player like him would be signed so early on.  Id expect the Celts to explore their options for a while longer before making any agreements with Anderson.

Gerald Green already signed... all bets are off.

hahaha true.  Although, that was the Mavs, who are not exactly known for going with the grain.  In any case, it hasnt been Ainge's style in the past.  If I recall, House, Posey, and Pollard were all fairly late signings last year.  

We all know the real reason for that. Last summer was unique.

The situation isnt that much different than last year post Garnett trade.  The expectations for the team has risen, but it is still a team that most players would love to play for, we have a relatively similar cap situation and we have the same man in charge of filling in the gaps.  And with the Celts as desired a destination as they are, I would be surprised if they didnt fully explore every option out there, no matter how unlikely.  It just seems unlikely to me that unless everyone was fully convinced that a player was the best possible man for the job, that a signing would occur this early in free agency. 

Of course it is different, the Garnett trade went down 7/31, it is now 7/2.  Post Garnett was nearly a month later than right now.  House and Posey were only "late" because they were not going to come here if KG hadn't.  If KG had been secured on draft night as they hoped, do you really think the C's would have just waited around for a month or so to sign those guys?

[BudweiserCeltic]

Anyways, I think it's simply unfair to judge a guy for not being used during late in the season with a team that's trying to win the Conference in a very tight race for the playoffs, and then judging him for not getting playing time during the playoffs when all he had played with the team previously had been about 12 minutes. It makes no sense to me, especially under the circumstances that he joined the team.

It was Sam Cassell and he seemingly never got used to our team. It was PJ Brown, with his own set of circumstances, and it took him a while to get used to our team. Both had played more during the season. Makes zero sense to judge him based on this.

[nickagneta]

Andersen I think is a mistake.

The man has not played NBA competitive basketball in over 2 years.

He had 1 decent season.

He can't shoot, he can't shoot free throws, he can't post up, he has no face to the basket game, he has never played defense well within a system, he's not a physical defender, and he carries demons and baggage with him whereever he goes.

So he's an athletic big man. What the hell does that mean? He can block shots and rebound against second stringers? We need more than an athletic big who has no other form of game. We need someone with Kurt Thomas, Dikembe Motumbo, Alonzo Mourning, Theo Ratliff type of midset. A true professional that is a defensive warrior, big, and can be a second string garbage guy and show the leadership that this team needs on it's second unit. A basketball version of a Teddy Buschi type middle linebacker.

[pearljammer10]

What more do we need that an athletic second string center who can block shots and rebound? Thats why we are interested in him. Its a huge upgrade over anything we have on the bench now. It can never hurt to have too many 7 footers on a team and Birdman can provide some great energy for us.

[cmoney]

he's had 4 solid years (including his drug bust season) and 1 good year by my count. 

[Potapenko Boxout]

here is the link to a great article about Chris Andersen's entire life:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=Andersen-080511



judge for youselves