Celtics sign O'bryant

[Roy Hobbs]

nick wasn't confused about Eddie griping about playoff time at the beginning of the playoffs:

House, who has seen his minutes steadily diminish following the acquisition of point guard Sam Cassell, regrets that he has been relegated to mop-up duty.

``I really haven't had a role in this series,'' he said. ``I've pretty much been used for end-of-quarter situations and that's pretty much it, other than spelling the guys at the end of the game, when we're up by 20.''

Both players said they don't believe their added time on the bench has anything to do with how the C's match up with the Hawks. ...

House, who averaged 19 minutes per game during the season, said he remains entirely in the dark.

``That's a question you'll have to ask Doc,'' he said. ``I try not to think about it too much. As a competitor you want to play and you want to get in the game. If you think about (matchups), it takes away from what you need to be doing and that's focusing on the games and trying to stay ready and stay mentally into the game, even if you're not physically into the game.''  ...

``I'm not sure if they are, but things can change and I've got to be prepared and ready to step in and contribute, like I did all year,'' he said.

[Cooldude5t5]

I like this move. It is a replica of when Dallas signed Diop two years ago. He was a lottery pick bust that turned into a good back up center with his new team.

[bucknersrevenge]

nick wasn't confused about Eddie griping about playoff time at the beginning of the playoffs:

House, who has seen his minutes steadily diminish following the acquisition of point guard Sam Cassell, regrets that he has been relegated to mop-up duty.

``I really haven't had a role in this series,'' he said. ``I've pretty much been used for end-of-quarter situations and that's pretty much it, other than spelling the guys at the end of the game, when we're up by 20.''

Both players said they don't believe their added time on the bench has anything to do with how the C's match up with the Hawks. ...

House, who averaged 19 minutes per game during the season, said he remains entirely in the dark.

``That's a question you'll have to ask Doc,'' he said. ``I try not to think about it too much. As a competitor you want to play and you want to get in the game. If you think about (matchups), it takes away from what you need to be doing and that's focusing on the games and trying to stay ready and stay mentally into the game, even if you're not physically into the game.''  ...

``I'm not sure if they are, but things can change and I've got to be prepared and ready to step in and contribute, like I did all year,'' he said.

wow if THAT is what passes for "griping" these days i guess i misunderstood. comments made by cassell earlier on in the regular season were far more biting. to me that just sounds like a guy answering a question and telling it like it is. and again he makes the point about staying ready. if thats griping i wish everybody griped like that.

[cmburrill]

    This signing is not going to change the C's. The signing of a Long 7 footer who can move. He is nothing like Blount, who ever makes the comparison has not watched him. GS already have a 7foot euro project under Contract, Kosta Perovic and no team wants two. He has good hands, good lift, but no go to moves except for a weak sky hook, which all of you will hate  when you see it. He was demoted to the D-league and Pervoc was brought up. He averaged a dbl, dbl in his last 10 games in 29 minutes of play. Kosta was useless for GS as OB's replacement.

     If they can teach OB how to stay out of foul trouble he will be an  asset regardless if he ever develops offensively. He is merely a empty roster spot that was filled. If he gives us 5-10 quality minutes without hurting the team, he will do fine.

[tyrone biggums]

I like it, hes not Alton Lister or Marty Conlin, hell he may even work out better than Never Nervous, but I have confidence in Clifford Ray in terms of being able to develop POB

[Tradetime]

P.O. Box 26 is only replacing Pollard. 

I hope that's true.  However, other teams in our conference have improved; I was hoping the Celts would do the same thing.  Bringing in an Andersen or an Elson would have accomplished that goal, as we would have been bringing in established NBA players who at least can help win.  They'd be an upgrade over Pollard.  O'Bryant is about on Pollard's level, in terms of contributions he can be expected to make in the short-term.

We should have gone into the off-season with the idea of upgrading both Pollard and P.J., or at least solidifying those two positions.  As of right now, we're looking at a net downgrade.

I would be thrilled if we could land another center, like Zo or really, anybody else other than O'Bryant.  However, to count on this kid actually making a contribution is misguided.  We had a chance to upgrade a position of weakness in the short-term, and we ignored that in favor of long-term potential.  I don't like that thinking.

I understand having a "project" on the roster.  However, when you're defending champs it doesn't make much sense to have 1/3 of your roster filled with such players.  I'll reserve final judgment to see if the team brings in another big man, but if they don't, no, I'm not loving this move.

Andersen was a Heroin addict, if I remember correctly. O' Bryant is a young dude, legit 7 footer with 7'5 wingspan whom Don Nelson had no intention of using. He's got more bounce off the floor than Perk already.

[nickagneta]

We should have used the money to resign House.

This is just a thought and I am not saying it is true, but has anyone ever thought that maybe the reason we aren't seeing much ink on House is because the Celtics have determined they do not want him back?

And if that's true, I guess if they did use the LLE on O'Bryant it wouldn't have any effect on House since it has been determined they are going in a different direction.

Perhaps, and again I am only suggesting it I am not saying it is true, that Eddie's trouble being a true point, extended slump at the end of the year and then opening his mouth during the playoffs regarding playing time has left a bad taste in management's mouth about bringing him back. Doc's reluctance to go away from Cassell would make some sense if those feelings do exist within the organization.

I still have a hard time believing Spears' numbers and will wait for official league or team disclosure of the contract details before I believe that the World Champions would need to over pay to lure a 22 year old, unproven, raw center to play here. I still say it's a minimum contract team option for the second. O'Bryant hasn't earned the right to a bigger contract offer from a team that just won it all when considering the resume he presents.

not to nitpick about an issue off topic but i think youre getting same and eddie confused. eddie never said one word during the playoffs about not playing. in fact when he did speak it was to make his famous "stay ready so that when you're called on you wont have to GET ready" comment.

it was sam cassell who actually whined about not getting enough playing time to the media stating "i dont know why they brought me here if not to play". and then sam played the last few games of the season. and if you check eddies logs he definitely was not in any extended slump whatsoever. in the last game of the season he scored 10pts on 4-9 shooting 2-4 from the arc and a couple of rebounds. the 3 previous games he didnt play at all because doc wanted to give same time to get into the system. the game before the 3 he didnt play he had 9 on 3 3's. a couple of games before that he had 16 and 4 rebs. he was right in line with his normal numbers.

eddie was in no slump. he had his job yanked from him by doc really without giving him a reasonable chance to see if he could handle the job.  there certainly was no reason for him to get absolutely no time at all in the atlanta series.  and when he was finally called upon again in the finals he not surprisingly performed well again. if anything eddie should be the one upset not doc.

First, let me say, that although I would prefer a backup PG with a skill set more like that of Carlos Arroyo than Eddie House, resigning Eddie to the LLE would be more than okay with me.

Second I think, bucknersrevenge, that this is the quote that you have some contention with:

Perhaps, and again I am only suggesting it I am not saying it is true, that Eddie's trouble being a true point, extended slump at the end of the year and then opening his mouth during the playoffs regarding playing time has left a bad taste in management's mouth about bringing him back

Well, for the first part of that, is there any question that Eddie does indeed have problems getting the ball across halfourt in time and then can't run the offense within it's top efficiency against mediocre to good defensive PG talent that could make his life miserable with constant harassment in the backcourt?

Second, regarding Eddie's shooting slump I mentioned, in the last 22 games (all March and all April) before the playoffs Eddie shot 38% from the field, 36% from three, and had a averaged 7 PPG.
 
Third, Roy has very kindly done me the service of cutting and pasting the quote I was speaking of when discussing Eddie's comments about playing time.

[P2]

So has anyone figured out yet which type of deal it is, and if the second year is the team's option?

[billysan]

We should have used the money to resign House.

This is just a thought and I am not saying it is true, but has anyone ever thought that maybe the reason we aren't seeing much ink on House is because the Celtics have determined they do not want him back?

And if that's true, I guess if they did use the LLE on O'Bryant it wouldn't have any effect on House since it has been determined they are going in a different direction.

Perhaps, and again I am only suggesting it I am not saying it is true, that Eddie's trouble being a true point, extended slump at the end of the year and then opening his mouth during the playoffs regarding playing time has left a bad taste in management's mouth about bringing him back. Doc's reluctance to go away from Cassell would make some sense if those feelings do exist within the organization.

I still have a hard time believing Spears' numbers and will wait for official league or team disclosure of the contract details before I believe that the World Champions would need to over pay to lure a 22 year old, unproven, raw center to play here. I still say it's a minimum contract team option for the second. O'Bryant hasn't earned the right to a bigger contract offer from a team that just won it all when considering the resume he presents.

not to nitpick about an issue off topic but i think youre getting same and eddie confused. eddie never said one word during the playoffs about not playing. in fact when he did speak it was to make his famous "stay ready so that when you're called on you wont have to GET ready" comment.

it was sam cassell who actually whined about not getting enough playing time to the media stating "i dont know why they brought me here if not to play". and then sam played the last few games of the season. and if you check eddies logs he definitely was not in any extended slump whatsoever. in the last game of the season he scored 10pts on 4-9 shooting 2-4 from the arc and a couple of rebounds. the 3 previous games he didnt play at all because doc wanted to give same time to get into the system. the game before the 3 he didnt play he had 9 on 3 3's. a couple of games before that he had 16 and 4 rebs. he was right in line with his normal numbers.

eddie was in no slump. he had his job yanked from him by doc really without giving him a reasonable chance to see if he could handle the job.  there certainly was no reason for him to get absolutely no time at all in the atlanta series.  and when he was finally called upon again in the finals he not surprisingly performed well again. if anything eddie should be the one upset not doc.

First, let me say, that although I would prefer a back up PG with a skill set more like that of Carlos arroyo than Eddie House, resigning Eddie to the LLE would be more than okay with me.

Second I think, bucknersrevenge, that this the quote that you have some contention with:

Perhaps, and again I am only suggesting it I am not saying it is true, that Eddie's trouble being a true point, extended slump at the end of the year and then opening his mouth during the playoffs regarding playing time has left a bad taste in management's mouth about bringing him back

[/b]
Well, for the first part of that, is their any question that Eddie does indeed have problems getting the ball across halfourt in time and then can't run the offense with it's top efficiency again mediocre PG talent that could make his life miserable with constant harassment in the backcourt.

Second, regarding Eddie's shooting slump I mentioned, in the last 22 games (all March nd all April) before the playoffs Eddie shot 38% from the field, 36% from three, and had a averaged 7 PPG.
 
Third, Roy has very kindly done me the service of cutting and pasting the quote I was speakin of when discussing Eddie's comments about playing time.

For me the question that now sticks out is this: Will Danny and 'management' give Sam Cassell a pass for his big mouth? As others have stated, his remarks at least publicly, have been more biting.

I would like to have Eddie House back. I think it was Doc or somebody that said he wanted players who cared enough to gripe about playing time. At least as long as they put the good of the team first. I am pretty certain Eddie House always has as a Celtic.

[bucknersrevenge]

We should have used the money to resign House.

This is just a thought and I am not saying it is true, but has anyone ever thought that maybe the reason we aren't seeing much ink on House is because the Celtics have determined they do not want him back?

And if that's true, I guess if they did use the LLE on O'Bryant it wouldn't have any effect on House since it has been determined they are going in a different direction.

Perhaps, and again I am only suggesting it I am not saying it is true, that Eddie's trouble being a true point, extended slump at the end of the year and then opening his mouth during the playoffs regarding playing time has left a bad taste in management's mouth about bringing him back. Doc's reluctance to go away from Cassell would make some sense if those feelings do exist within the organization.

I still have a hard time believing Spears' numbers and will wait for official league or team disclosure of the contract details before I believe that the World Champions would need to over pay to lure a 22 year old, unproven, raw center to play here. I still say it's a minimum contract team option for the second. O'Bryant hasn't earned the right to a bigger contract offer from a team that just won it all when considering the resume he presents.

not to nitpick about an issue off topic but i think youre getting same and eddie confused. eddie never said one word during the playoffs about not playing. in fact when he did speak it was to make his famous "stay ready so that when you're called on you wont have to GET ready" comment.

it was sam cassell who actually whined about not getting enough playing time to the media stating "i dont know why they brought me here if not to play". and then sam played the last few games of the season. and if you check eddies logs he definitely was not in any extended slump whatsoever. in the last game of the season he scored 10pts on 4-9 shooting 2-4 from the arc and a couple of rebounds. the 3 previous games he didnt play at all because doc wanted to give same time to get into the system. the game before the 3 he didnt play he had 9 on 3 3's. a couple of games before that he had 16 and 4 rebs. he was right in line with his normal numbers.

eddie was in no slump. he had his job yanked from him by doc really without giving him a reasonable chance to see if he could handle the job.  there certainly was no reason for him to get absolutely no time at all in the atlanta series.  and when he was finally called upon again in the finals he not surprisingly performed well again. if anything eddie should be the one upset not doc.

First, let me say, that although I would prefer a back up PG with a skill set more like that of Carlos arroyo than Eddie House, resigning Eddie to the LLE would be more than okay with me.

Second I think, bucknersrevenge, that this the quote that you have some contention with:

Perhaps, and again I am only suggesting it I am not saying it is true, that Eddie's trouble being a true point, extended slump at the end of the year and then opening his mouth during the playoffs regarding playing time has left a bad taste in management's mouth about bringing him back

Well, for the first part of that, is their any question that Eddie does indeed have problems getting the ball across halfourt in time and then can't run the offense with it's top efficiency again mediocre PG talent that could make his life miserable with constant harassment in the backcourt.

Second, regarding Eddie's shooting slump I mentioned, in the last 22 games (all March nd all April) before the playoffs Eddie shot 38% from the field, 36% from three, and had a averaged 7 PPG.
 
Third, Roy has very kindly done me the service of cutting and pasting the quote I was speakin of when discussing Eddie's comments about playing time.

jesus...tough crowd. eddie shot 41% for the year from the floor and 39% from 3 and averaged 7.5ppg. for a "slump" the numbers you give are barely off his numbers for the season. if thats the case i cant wait for that stretch next year when pauls averaging 18ppg on 45% shooting and were all in uproar "oh hes wayyyyyyyy off his pace from last year!!! whats wrong with him??"

again, if those comments constitute griping maybe i need to adjust and say sam was downright belligerent about playing time. its apparent even opening your mouth to answer a question constitutes a gripe around here. again eddie is the one that had his job yanked from him for no reason. hes the one with the "gripe", not doc. as for eddies ballhandling, as i said on another thread the issue is way overblown for my taste. ive got zero problem with eddie as our backup.

[winsomme]

We should have used the money to resign House.

This is just a thought and I am not saying it is true, but has anyone ever thought that maybe the reason we aren't seeing much ink on House is because the Celtics have determined they do not want him back?

And if that's true, I guess if they did use the LLE on O'Bryant it wouldn't have any effect on House since it has been determined they are going in a different direction.

Perhaps, and again I am only suggesting it I am not saying it is true, that Eddie's trouble being a true point, extended slump at the end of the year and then opening his mouth during the playoffs regarding playing time has left a bad taste in management's mouth about bringing him back. Doc's reluctance to go away from Cassell would make some sense if those feelings do exist within the organization.

I still have a hard time believing Spears' numbers and will wait for official league or team disclosure of the contract details before I believe that the World Champions would need to over pay to lure a 22 year old, unproven, raw center to play here. I still say it's a minimum contract team option for the second. O'Bryant hasn't earned the right to a bigger contract offer from a team that just won it all when considering the resume he presents.

not to nitpick about an issue off topic but i think youre getting same and eddie confused. eddie never said one word during the playoffs about not playing. in fact when he did speak it was to make his famous "stay ready so that when you're called on you wont have to GET ready" comment.

it was sam cassell who actually whined about not getting enough playing time to the media stating "i dont know why they brought me here if not to play". and then sam played the last few games of the season. and if you check eddies logs he definitely was not in any extended slump whatsoever. in the last game of the season he scored 10pts on 4-9 shooting 2-4 from the arc and a couple of rebounds. the 3 previous games he didnt play at all because doc wanted to give same time to get into the system. the game before the 3 he didnt play he had 9 on 3 3's. a couple of games before that he had 16 and 4 rebs. he was right in line with his normal numbers.

eddie was in no slump. he had his job yanked from him by doc really without giving him a reasonable chance to see if he could handle the job.  there certainly was no reason for him to get absolutely no time at all in the atlanta series.  and when he was finally called upon again in the finals he not surprisingly performed well again. if anything eddie should be the one upset not doc.

First, let me say, that although I would prefer a back up PG with a skill set more like that of Carlos arroyo than Eddie House, resigning Eddie to the LLE would be more than okay with me.

Second I think, bucknersrevenge, that this the quote that you have some contention with:

Perhaps, and again I am only suggesting it I am not saying it is true, that Eddie's trouble being a true point, extended slump at the end of the year and then opening his mouth during the playoffs regarding playing time has left a bad taste in management's mouth about bringing him back

Well, for the first part of that, is their any question that Eddie does indeed have problems getting the ball across halfourt in time and then can't run the offense with it's top efficiency again mediocre PG talent that could make his life miserable with constant harassment in the backcourt.

Second, regarding Eddie's shooting slump I mentioned, in the last 22 games (all March nd all April) before the playoffs Eddie shot 38% from the field, 36% from three, and had a averaged 7 PPG.
 
Third, Roy has very kindly done me the service of cutting and pasting the quote I was speakin of when discussing Eddie's comments about playing time.

jesus...tough crowd. eddie shot 41% for the year from the floor and 39% from 3 and averaged 7.5ppg. for a "slump" the numbers you give are barely off his numbers for the season. if thats the case i cant wait for that stretch next year when pauls averaging 18ppg on 45% shooting and were all in uproar "oh hes wayyyyyyyy off his pace from last year!!! whats wrong with him??"

again, if those comments constitute griping maybe i need to adjust and say sam was downright belligerent about playing time. its apparent even opening your mouth to answer a question constitutes a gripe around here. again eddie is the one that had his job yanked from him for no reason. hes the one with the "gripe", not doc. as for eddies ballhandling, as i said on another thread the issue is way overblown for my taste. ive got zero problem with eddie as our backup.

i agree with you buck. i think Eddie was about as close to a model citizen in NBA terms as you are going to get. he lost his minutes at the beginning of the playoffs, but he stayed focused even from deep in the bench (remember him pointing things out from the sidelines to guys on the court - i think he was asked about it and he said that it helped him stay mentally ready).

and when he  finally got in the games, he played like he was shot out of a cannon. which isn't always the case when guys are cooing their heels on the bench for long periods of time.

[wdleehi]

I didn't bother reading through this entire thread (did read the first couple of pages and last page)


I had liked O'Bryant as a signing early the offseason as a 3rd C for the min. 


Then he struggled against non-NBA players.  Jumped off this boat.




As for the signing, if the Celtics pick up another C to back up Perk, then the signing is an OK flyer to take. 

If the Celtics do not pick up another C, big mistake.   

[nickagneta]

For you guys who are jumping on me about a quick mention of a possibility of why Eddie isn't being signed while at the same time writing the disclaimer that I didn't necessarily think it was true but was just theorizing, I think you need to understand, I wanted Eddie back if someone with definitively more PG skills isn't availble for about the same money.

Read the original post for Pete's sake.

It was a theory, that's it. Not a shot a Eddie. But be realistic.

1.) Eddies doesn't have extendedly proficient PG skills, he's more of a shooter. I can admit that and still think Eddie is a hell of a player.

2.) In the midst of a playoff drive and considering the lack of just about any questionably negative comments coming out of the player's mouths all year, his comments while not expletive laced and venemous, were definitely a gripe about his playing time.

3.)If you want to get technical about his late season slump here are his #'s for Nov-Feb and then for Mar-Apr of the regular season.

Nov-Feb  7.7 PPG  41.7FG%   40.5 3PT%  19.3 MPG
Mar-Apr  7.0 PPG  38.6FG%   36.0 3PT%  18.6 MPG

That's over 10 % off. Not exactly just a little off.

[bucknersrevenge]

For you guys who are jumping on me about a quick mention of a possibility of why Eddie isn't being signed while at the same time writing the disclaimer that I didn't necessarily think it was true but was just theorizing, I think you need to understand, I wanted Eddie back if someone with definitively more PG skills isn't availble for about the same money.

Read the original post for Pete's sake.

It was a theory, that's it. Not a shot a Eddie. But be realistic.

1.) Eddies doesn't have extendedly proficient PG skills, he's more of a shooter. I can admit that and still think Eddie is a hell of a player.

2.) In the midst of a playoff drive and considering the lack of just about any questionably negative comments coming out of the player's mouths all year, his comments while not expletive laced and venemous, were definitely a gripe about his playing time.

3.)If you want to get technical about his late season slump here are his #'s for Nov-Feb and then for Mar-Apr of the regular season.

Nov-Feb  7.7 PPG  41.7FG%   40.5 3PT%  19.3 MPG
Mar-Apr  7.0 PPG  38.6FG%   36.0 3PT%  18.6 MPG

That's over 10 % off. Not exactly just a little off.

yeah it really is but i get your point. we can go back and forth about how minimal the difference is between those stats but it serves no purpose. i just disagree with the inference that doc was unhappy because of a perceived comment or 2 that he made when all reports had eddie as a model citizen when he got shafted out of his job for a worse player. i get bringing sam on because you want a better ballhandler but i didnt get banishing him to the bench completely nor keeping him there when sam was basically exposed as ineffective. still eddie said nothing and the previous quote in terms of griping is about as harmless as it gets. eddie had the right to be unhappy but he wasnt.

in any case i still think house is on the radar but that doc may simply wanna deal with the posey issue first. i do believe ainge is considering other options but more likely because of the merit of those options rather than some perceived grudge.

[cdif911]

if O'Bryant can develop a 15 foot jumper and learn to skip and chew gum, he could be our next Mark Blount!

really though, I see O'Bryant as 6 fouls we can give.  I don't see him stopping many NBA bigs with defensive footwork or strength, but he can be a weakside shot blocker, a rebounder and a guy who can score a few points.  I have very low expectations for him, and I hope they are surpassed. I'm sure playing with GPA will make him look better than he really is, which isn't a bad thing. If KG and Uncle Cliff can get in his head, I can see him as a 4 pt 4 rebound guy - one thing that is promising is his fg% - but when you consider how little he scored, it could be an abberation

One last thing - that video of his highlights, could easily have been all of his baskets in the 2008 season, that's scary