Celtics sign O'bryant

[Zarex]

Isn't this fantastic?  It's the middle of June and we're arguing about the team's third string center.  It reminds me of a few years ago when I was concerned about the Patriots' third string tight end.

After Pollard went down and before P.J. joined the club, Powe and Davis were a perfectly respectful big man duo off the bench.  I have no doubt they will likely get first crack at the backup minutes behind Perk and K.G.  Putting a few bucks into a long and athletic young big man and seeing where it goes seems like a perfectly reasonble use of Wyc's cash.

[jdpapa3]

Roy, hard to attract fa's to a lottery team in cold weather with all young guys. He also went to go after Malone and McDyess, who were both productive players and he was only left with Scalabrine and Googs.

[BringToughnessBack]

I trust Danny's eyes, especially when it comes to spotting potential. Low Risk, High Potential..sounds good to me

[Roy Hobbs]

Asking "how's he going to do against a legit NBA player?" doesn't make sense since O'Bryant has already played against NBA players.

Well, sure, exactly.  And he's played very poorly against them, which is why Golden State released him.  Don Nelson was pretty unimpressed with this kid; it's not like people are evaluating him based upon one workout.

My issue right now is that of the 12 players either under contract or expected to sign with our team, five of them are either completely unproven, or they're not very good (Scal, Pruitt, Giddens, Walker, and O'Bryant).  There's room for a project or two on a championship team, but when they make up 1/3 of your roster, I think that's an issue.

I'm willing to see what else comes in free agency, but I see this as a wasted pickup.

[Edgar]

well he will help more than pollard at least

[ctrey]

This is a great pick for the Celtics. It will cost next to nothing and Nellie has always had problems with players that do not comform to his systems and routinely throws them under the bus for it in the press. I was hoping we snagged him them moment he was a FA. The story about him being gassed at the try-out is a classic smoke screen. The C's said the same thing about Big Al when he worked out for him. Tons of scouts were high on this kid and he got slammed in the Dog House by Nellie. On this particular team, he could blossom. He has always been considered an upside down the road type. A great get in my mind.

[johnnyrondo]

I'd rather have the Walker kid at the end of the bench for a "potential guy".  What, Jerome Moiso wasn't available?

[CelticBalla32]

Very interesting; nobody saw this one coming.

O?Bryant is a big body, a legit seven-footer that we desperately have needed off the bench. His work ethic and dedication has been questioned by Don Nelson, however, but he undeniably possesses some upside. In O?Bryant?s defense, he was never meant to succeed in an up-tempo system. Optimistically thinking, he could be a better fit in a limited role within a balanced system like ours. In addition, he now has some veteran mentors to look up to in Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins, which he never had in Golden State. Not to mention, Clifford Ray has worked wonders with each and every one of our young big men over the past couple of years.

I wouldn?t get too excited about this, but we could have done worse. Why not take a flier on a guy like O?Bryant?

I am, however, curious about the financial aspect of this deal. Was is the minimum or the LLE?

Side Note: I came up with a nickname for the big fella in 2006, and I now have the green light to use it - P.O.Box 26. Genius, I know.

[connerhenry43]

with all due respect, i do not understand the rationale "he can't be worse than pollard."

just because a high school kid improves from an F to a D- does not mean you pat him on the back and say good job. i hope i am wrong, but this is a waste and it is a 2 year deal.

[P2]

At least he is a true 7 footer. 6'11" barefoot. 9'5" standing reach.

[P2]

But 2 year deal? I don't think he's a tryout because of that, Danny probably sees him as a rotation guy.

[iowa plowboy]

..Well, the last time we plucked a fledgling center from the Warriors, as I remember, it sorta worked out ok..

[jaketwice]

Agreed with Mr. October.  I don't like this move if it's for anything more than the minimum.  Limiting our future options for a stiff (remember, he got dominated by Brian Butch in workouts, apparently) just doesn't do it for me.

The Polar Bear is no joke from the outside.


As for O'Bryant...

"While he’s a true center, it should still be noted that O’Bryant lacks any sort of outside or midrange game, as his form is both awkward and inconsistent. This is also true for his form from the free-throw line, where he shot below 70% last season and borders on being a liability." Click: HERE

Not exactly a delighting report.  However:

Despite lacking great footwork or a midrange game, his aggressiveness and agility have made him one of the most dangerous rebounders in all of college basketball this past season, and his instincts as a shot blocker make him a dangerous weakside defender.

Could Danny have been interested in a good weak-side defender to spell Perk defensively for 10-15 minutes a game? Has anyone ever seen him man-up on an opposing center?

[Cman]

Thoughts:

1. No one saw this coming, mostly due to the poor job he did in workouts according to the Globe (which of course, could have been a smokescreen).
2. I really  hope it was for the min, and no MLE money was used.
3. This guy has been a huge bust.  Of course, he is young, has upside, and could benefit from Ray.
4. Celtics basically have four roster spots with which to sign players.  As I have stated elsewhere, three of those need to be used for backup role players (Posey, a vet C, a vet PG).  The fourth can be used on a gamble.  I was actually expecting it to be used on D. Miles, but I guess O'Bryant gets it instead.....
5. I reserve judgement until I know (a) how much he gets paid and how and (b) whether his signing impacts at all the signing of Posey + 2 other vets.....

[Roy Hobbs]

..Well, the last time we plucked a fledgling center from the Warriors, as I remember, it sorta worked out ok..

Clever, iowa, although people seem to have this misconception of Parish not being very good before he came to Boston.  He was averaging 17 ppg and 12 rpg in Golden State, before they foolishly traded him to us.