Celtics sign O'bryant

[Chris]

Well, if its for the vet minimum, it is a very nice, low risk, high reward signing.  I actually don't think he brings all that less to the table than Birdman, and with some coaching, he could be a decent backup.  Right now, it is way too early to tell, but I have to imagine he impressed them a bit in his workout with the team to be given a two year contract (although I wouldnt be surprised if its not guaranteed).

Not one person on here has any idea of what this kid plays like. Stop pretending! He was obviously talented enough to be a lottery pick 2 years ago.

Oh, come on.  We could fill the pages of a 20 page thread with the names of players who were selected in the lottery who were absolutely terrible.

This kid doesn't help us win now.  He's performed terribly thus far in his career, and is out of shape.  I mean, allow me to reiterate:  he got dominated by Brian Butch.  Who?  Exactly.

I don't understand this move, but I would have preferred somebody who could actually help the team this year.

I missed the thing about being out of shape and being dominated by Butch.  Was this during the FA camp they just had?  Who reported it?

[JSD]

Interesting:

""O'Bryant became the first NBA Lottery pick to be sent down to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBDL on December 30, 2006. On February 19, 2007, O'Bryant was recalled from the Jam. Coach Don Nelson had critical words for him: "I told him if he goes down to the D-League and isn't a dominant player, there should be red flags all over the place, and he should be the first to notice. He's not only not dominating, he's not playing very well. He's a long-term project. I really liked him the first week of training camp, but I assumed there would be great progress. ... He hasn't gotten better one bit."[1]

The Warriors declined to pick up his third year option, which will make him an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2007-2008 season.[2] On March 10, 2008, O’Bryant was reassigned to the Bakersfield Jam.[3] However, he was later recalled and rejoined the Warriors for the remainder of the season.[4]""

[Who]

What happened to Birdman?

Yeah.  If we could have had Andersen for a similar contract (assuming we don't in fact sign him, as well) I'll be upset.

There had better be another big man on the horizon. 

Anyone would have done. Bring on DJ Mbenga. At least he plays a small bit of defense and body up some big men for a few minutes. And DJ's awful.

[Gainesville Celtic]

What happened to Birdman?

Yeah.  If we could have had Andersen for a similar contract (assuming we don't in fact sign him, as well) I'll be upset.

There had better be another big man on the horizon. 

I wouldn't be surprised if the "dominated by Brian Butch" was a little to drive his demand/price down??

____ (big man) + Clifford Ray = better than when he started

So i'm fine with a young big who looks to have at least decent defensive instincts for shotblocking.

I don't think this has any bearing on Birdman.  Pollard? probably, but Birdman can still fly in that door.

[libermaniac]

Not one person on here has any idea of what this kid plays like. Stop pretending! He was obviously talented enough to be a lottery pick 2 years ago.

Oh, come on.  We could fill the pages of a 20 page thread with the names of players who were selected in the lottery who were absolutely terrible.

This kid doesn't help us win now.  He's performed terribly thus far in his career, and is out of shape.  I mean, allow me to reiterate:  he got dominated by Brian Butch.  Who?  Exactly.

I don't understand this move, but I would have preferred somebody who could actually help the team this year.

To be fair, in the workout, O'Bryant was gassed.  It's not like he got dominated by Butch when rested.

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/07/05/ainge_is_big_fan_of_summer_camp/

The Celtics continued their search for a big man by working out Patrick O'Bryant, Golden State's first-round pick (ninth overall) out of Bradley in 2006.

The 7-foot center showed decent range and solid footwork taking feeds in the post. But when he hit the low post against Wisconsin's Brian Butch and Detroit Mercy's Ryvon Covile, who had each been practicing since 9 in the morning, O'Bryant was tugging at his shorts not even 15 minutes into the drill, struggling to muster enough strength to defend either.

Perhaps they like his raw skills and think they can get the kid into shape.  Although, a guy being that out of shape a few months after the season ended is a major red flag.

I too am skeptical of the signing.

[Roy Hobbs]

I missed the thing about being out of shape and being dominated by Butch.  Was this during the FA camp they just had?  Who reported it?

Here's the report from the Globe:

The Celtics continued their search for a big man by working out Patrick O'Bryant, Golden State's first-round pick (ninth overall) out of Bradley in 2006.

The 7-foot center showed decent range and solid footwork taking feeds in the post. But when he hit the low post against Wisconsin's Brian Butch and Detroit Mercy's Ryvon Covile, who had each been practicing since 9 in the morning, O'Bryant was tugging at his shorts not even 15 minutes into the drill, struggling to muster enough strength to defend either.

Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss pointed out that O'Bryant arrived in Boston at 1 a.m., although he tired quickly against players who had been on the court all morning. O'Bryant took the court at approximately 11 a.m.

Ainge, watching from the sideline, had already taken a look at Chris Andersen, David Harrison, and Kirk Snyder, and said, "We've had a lot of guys come in and work out. We're just continuing the process. We're just trying to find out who's available and find the best ones for us."

Link.

To be fair, in the workout, O'Bryant was gassed.  It's not like he got dominated by Butch when rested.

Well, that's the point.  If he was gassed after 15 minutes against Brian Butch, how's he going to do against a legit NBA player?  From that report, Butch and Ryvon Covile (again, who?) didn't seem to have a huge issue with their conditioning.

[Brickowski]

Not one person on here has any idea of what this kid plays like. Stop pretending! He was obviously talented enough to be a lottery pick 2 years ago.

Oh, come on.  We could fill the pages of a 20 page thread with the names of players who were selected in the lottery who were absolutely terrible.

This kid doesn't help us win now.  He's performed terribly thus far in his career, and is out of shape.  I mean, allow me to reiterate:  he got dominated by Brian Butch.  Who?  Exactly.

I don't understand this move, but I would have preferred somebody who could actually help the team this year.

Well, Pollard doesn't help us win now either.  The guy can't even practice because he's always hurt.

A big man who might actually help would cost more that the veterans' minimum for a 2-year player.  This is a low risk signing that minimizes luxury tax.

[JSD]

I think all the negatively on this board sucks and it stinks.

The guy is 22 years old the same age as a college senior for god sakes.

Doc and his coaching staff are known for development and this one is for the pipeline.

 Also, I would bet money the LLE and MLE were not used

[PRIDE]

Put him on a team with coach KG, Coach Clifford Ray and I think the young big man can learn to contribute. Look how good they make Perk look? All he has to do is compete whenever he gets in there.

Why not take a shot on another shot on a young big? Look at the talent We've developed. We made Big Al into a 20-10 guy and and we made Perk into what he was. Don't get me wrong, he still has a long way to go but Perk is a BIG part of this team. O'Bryant just needs to develop into a career backup Center for Perk.

Also, like the poster above said, this is the "Scot Pollard" signing and I think PJ Brown will be back late in the season if we need him.

This move makes complete sense as long as it doesn't use the MLE or LLE.

[Bring Back Antoine]

I think O'Bryant could be effective if he gets stronger, he's a very long 7-footer

[Truth Hurts]

I'm trying to look at the bright side of signing this stiff.

He will increase the value of the Ray/Scals trade package in a year and a half.

[BudweiserCeltic]

I wouldn't be surprised if Perk himself was gased on a 15+ minute drill.

More information and variables need to be considered before saying someone is out of shape (a big guy) on a 15 minute drill.

[Chris]

I missed the thing about being out of shape and being dominated by Butch.  Was this during the FA camp they just had?  Who reported it?

Here's the report from the Globe:

The Celtics continued their search for a big man by working out Patrick O'Bryant, Golden State's first-round pick (ninth overall) out of Bradley in 2006.

The 7-foot center showed decent range and solid footwork taking feeds in the post. But when he hit the low post against Wisconsin's Brian Butch and Detroit Mercy's Ryvon Covile, who had each been practicing since 9 in the morning, O'Bryant was tugging at his shorts not even 15 minutes into the drill, struggling to muster enough strength to defend either.

Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss pointed out that O'Bryant arrived in Boston at 1 a.m., although he tired quickly against players who had been on the court all morning. O'Bryant took the court at approximately 11 a.m.

Ainge, watching from the sideline, had already taken a look at Chris Andersen, David Harrison, and Kirk Snyder, and said, "We've had a lot of guys come in and work out. We're just continuing the process. We're just trying to find out who's available and find the best ones for us."

Link.

To be fair, in the workout, O'Bryant was gassed.  It's not like he got dominated by Butch when rested.

Well, that's the point.  If he was gassed after 15 minutes against Brian Butch, how's he going to do against a legit NBA player?  From that report, Butch and Ryvon Covile (again, who?) didn't seem to have a huge issue with their conditioning.

Hmm, doesn't sound good from a conditioning standpoint, but it doesn't really say anything about the skills he brings.  Bad conditioning can be fixed.

Obviously, this is not a home run, but I feel like the C's are in the position to be able to take a flyer on a guy like this.

Maybe part of it is because I am not very high on Birdman at all, and think he is just an athlete and not a ball player...but I think the potential is there for this to work out if they can get this kid into shape.

[banner17]

here is what nbadraft.net had to say about O'bryant in 2006 before he was drafted.

http://nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/patrickobryant.html


"NBA Comparison: Brad Daugherty
Strengths: Classic late bloomer ... Bigman with excellent upside ... Huge frame with extremely long arms (likely close to 7-6 wingspan) ... Very good agility for a 7 footer, light on his feet ... Not afraid of contact, good strength and improving rapidly ... Runs the court and moves very well, also quick getting into transition ... Should be able to carry another 20-30 pounds ... Great shot blocker, doesn't get overzealous. Can block a lot of shots without jumping ... Excellent rebounder ... Has good touch on his shot, solid free throw shooter ... Works hard to establish position under the basket ... Has developed some solid post moves ... Displays good footwork ... Has a very good turnaround jump hook ... Soft hands on rebounds ...

Weaknesses: Needs to get bigger, stronger, tougher ... Still growing into his body, gets banged around due to lack of body strength, but he's working hard in the weight room to improve upon it and showing great progress ... Bigmen take the longest to develop ... He's still getting used to his body and learning what he's capable of ... Body balance is weak, will improve in time with added strength ... Not a tremendous leaper, but above average for a 7 footer ... Must get nastier on the court, develop a killer instinct ...

Notes: Was not heavily recruited coming out of high school ... Suspended by the NCAA for the first 8 games of his sophomore season due to getting paid for work he didn't do while on his summer job."

[EJPLAYA]

I missed the thing about being out of shape and being dominated by Butch.  Was this during the FA camp they just had?  Who reported it?

Here's the report from the Globe:

The Celtics continued their search for a big man by working out Patrick O'Bryant, Golden State's first-round pick (ninth overall) out of Bradley in 2006.

The 7-foot center showed decent range and solid footwork taking feeds in the post. But when he hit the low post against Wisconsin's Brian Butch and Detroit Mercy's Ryvon Covile, who had each been practicing since 9 in the morning, O'Bryant was tugging at his shorts not even 15 minutes into the drill, struggling to muster enough strength to defend either.

Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss pointed out that O'Bryant arrived in Boston at 1 a.m., although he tired quickly against players who had been on the court all morning. O'Bryant took the court at approximately 11 a.m.

Ainge, watching from the sideline, had already taken a look at Chris Andersen, David Harrison, and Kirk Snyder, and said, "We've had a lot of guys come in and work out. We're just continuing the process. We're just trying to find out who's available and find the best ones for us."

Link.

To be fair, in the workout, O'Bryant was gassed.  It's not like he got dominated by Butch when rested.

Well, that's the point.  If he was gassed after 15 minutes against Brian Butch, how's he going to do against a legit NBA player?  From that report, Butch and Ryvon Covile (again, who?) didn't seem to have a huge issue with their conditioning.

And yet Danny still offered this guy a contract... With his track record I think I will take Danny's opinion on this one...

Everyone's point on here about getting in with Clifford and making huge leaps is terrific. If anyone can turn this guy into a solid player it is big Cliff. A few weeks in the gym and I can guarantee you can get a thin guy in shape.

Once again. TERRIFIC signing!!