Would Elson come here for a 2-year LLE contract?

[cordobes]

We need to get more athletic, and The Birdman would fill that need.

I don't think we need Birdman's kind of athleticism. We need a though defender under the basket with a big body who knows how to bang, boxes out and puts hard screens (PJ comes to mind), not a tall guy with a great leaping ability who runs fast.

Elson is such a dumb player... I hope he doesn't cost more than the LLE. I don't think he's worthy of part of the MLE (unless we're splitting it anyway).

[Greenback]

I remember Mr Big Shot taking that cheap shot at Eddie in the playoffs.

The NBA can get physical, especially in the playoffs.  PJ was a gift last year.  However, he is at the end of the line and probably won't be back.

Small ball did not help us win 66 games.  We won even though we had to play  small at times.  Our front line could use some length. And shotblocking.  Not only do we have undersize power forwards, they don't get alot of lift off the floor.   

Birdman plays out of control and if you thought Tony Allen made bad plays, well just wait until Birdman piles on late after a jump ball scramble on the floor, for example.  That is not high IQ basketball.  It changes momentum of the games and not in your favor.

[TripleOT]

Andersen is going to help the Celtics, if signed.  His strenght on the offensive end is in rebounding and dunking the ball.  Who would you rather have on the other end of KG passes, him, or some slow guy who takes forever to gather and get a possible dunk attempt. 

Someone will shake loose at the trade deadline with a hungry ring finger, anyways. 

[silvershamrocker]

I would rather have an advantage than have to make do with going small with Powe or BBD at center.

Elson is probably the best big available.

[Big Ticket]

Andersen is going to help the Celtics, if signed.  His strenght on the offensive end is in rebounding and dunking the ball.  Who would you rather have on the other end of KG passes, him, or some slow guy who takes forever to gather and get a possible dunk attempt. 

Someone will shake loose at the trade deadline with a hungry ring finger, anyways. 

Elson is not a slow guy who takes forever to gather and go up... he is not Perk.... he in not 'Kandi. 

Decent dunk off a sprint in transition:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ_SGgoXJhU

Dunking off the catch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92lBPhUR1DM

Lots of highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0TQCnTmzCg


This guy is a lot more skilled than Chris Andersen.  Just because he doesn't have a cool nickname or has never competed in a dunk contest does not mean he is less talented.

[silvershamrocker]

I think it would be a good move. However I would find it hard to believe that some of the other teams that are title contenders wouldn't be willing to offer him more. Detroit, New Orleans and Cleveland come to mind. Especially teams in the East that realize the matchup problems the Celtics could encounter being so thin at the 5.

Detroit- I read that they will probably keep Theo, who would fill that role, but who knows who their starters will be even?
NO- I can see that, because they need bigs almost as much as we do, but I doubt they use the MLE on him because they need a two guard more
Cleveland- I sure hope they don't get another big! They have a bigger need (another scorer behind Lebron) than another big and won't waste their money. Don't they have one of the biggest payrolls in the league?

[cordobes]

Andersen is going to help the Celtics, if signed.  His strenght on the offensive end is in rebounding and dunking the ball.  Who would you rather have on the other end of KG passes, him, or some slow guy who takes forever to gather and get a possible dunk attempt. 

Who cares about dunks? We're not playing the Harlem Globetrotters. I only like dunks because they're an efficient way to score, but you have to be in position to dunk and that increases the risk of charges and TOs. Andersen is not a very efficient scorer for a guy who mostly dunks (0.466 %FG plus .601 %FT, combining lower than Pollard, Perkins and PJ), so I can't see his strength.

He is a good rebounder, but he doesn't help the team much in the def. rebound and that's what we need from our backup center.   

Answering your question, I rather have the guy who gives me solid post defense and good screens, not the dunker.

Also, nobody answers this: Why haven't the Hornets offered him a new contract?

[TripleOT]

Andersen is going to help the Celtics, if signed.  His strenght on the offensive end is in rebounding and dunking the ball.  Who would you rather have on the other end of KG passes, him, or some slow guy who takes forever to gather and get a possible dunk attempt. 

Someone will shake loose at the trade deadline with a hungry ring finger, anyways. 

Elson is not a slow guy who takes forever to gather and go up... he is not Perk.... he in not 'Kandi. 

Decent dunk off a sprint in transition:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ_SGgoXJhU

Dunking off the catch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92lBPhUR1DM

Lots of highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0TQCnTmzCg


This guy is a lot more skilled than Chris Andersen.  Just because he doesn't have a cool nickname or has never competed in a dunk contest does not mean he is less talented.

I didn't say that he was.  I was just defending the potential Andersen signing, as opposed to a Pollard-type who takes a while to get the ball to the rim. I don't care if the big finishes the play with a dunk or a layup.  All I care about is that he converts.  Both guys can do that, with Andersen being a big better. 

I like Elson as a backup too.  I've seen him play a lot of times and am very familiar with his game.  If I had to choose between the two of them (assuming Birdman was clean) I'd probably go with Anderson.  I could live with either one of them, however.

[silvershamrocker]

Also, nobody answers this: Why haven't the Hornets offered him a new contract?

Good point. It is still early, but the Hornets need bigs just as much as we do. And they didn't play him in the playoffs at all...

 

[BudweiserCeltic]

This guy is a lot more skilled than Chris Andersen.  Just because he doesn't have a cool nickname or has never competed in a dunk contest does not mean he is less talented.

That's why he'll command more money than Andersen too. Andersen should be cheap.

He is a good rebounder, but he doesn't help the team much in the def. rebound and that's what we need from our backup center.  

I think his defense is a bit underrated, I can easily envision him being a great help defender on our squad. And I disagree with the notion that we need defenders off the bench. I think we're a good defensive team in our own right, we need better offensive players who are capable of playing some defense, even if they aren't stellar defensively. Andersen should be more than adequate in this regard.

Also, nobody answers this: Why haven't the Hornets offered him a new contract?

I think I've answered your question with a question of my own a couple of times already, how do we know that they haven't or that they have no interest in him? Maybe he simply is not a priority... they are negotiating contract extensions with Chris Paul and are currently more interested in solidifying their wing situation. We haven't heard them going after any Centers that I know of period.

[TripleOT]

Maybe Andersen and his agent think the quickest way to a bigger payday is a one year redemption lap around the league with the defending champions. 

[Mr October]

Francisco Elson was totally not on my radar. I don't think i have ever seen him play. The mobility displayed in the above highlights opened my eyes!

I'd take him or Andersen. My top choice would still be a big banger that can block shots: Mourning (Mia/retire), Mutombo (Hou/retire), Diop (Dal=$$$) ..... which probably isn't going to happen.

[wdleehi]

I like the guy that contributed to a winning team most recently (a title team at that)


That's why I am an Elson backer. 

[ManUp]

He'd be a great back-up for Perk, and he's solid enough to start for him if needed.

Even though he's a solid player i can't see him costing too much.

I'd definitely like to see him on this team.

[dustroia]

I posted this in another read, but it's just as relevant here

I don't really understand the Elson love here. I saw him play in San Antonio and believe me, the guy is dumb. Forget low basketball IQ, try no basketball IQ. He was constantly clueless on both sides of the floor, missing key defensive rotations and forgetting plays on the offensive end. It's no surprise the Spurs in their 2007 title run turned to Oberto instead as their center, even though he's clearly not as skilled.

Granted, he's very athletic and a pretty solid rebounder, and will come cheaply, but I'd much rather have someone else if possible.