Adding Celtics

[billysan]

I was thinking about who we could reasonably add to our team in the offseason that would be a difference maker. Realizing we only have the Midlevel to land an impact player and that the trade market is not going to be real friendly to us, I decided to look at just a single FA. I looked up and down team rosters for guys who will likely be free agents next year. I then narrowed down the list to guys who might reasonably be in the mid level exception range whether they want to be or not. Some of them may be forced into that salary range due to economics whether they like it or not IMO. I was surprised at the ages of some of these players and that was a factor in including them on my list.

I decided to play a little 'what if' game as the Celtics GM. Assuming all of these players are not re-signed by their former teams. The players are all being signed with the idea they will be bench players, 6th men or part time starters due to injury. I have ranked the players in order of my preference.


Lamar Odom
Rasheed Wallace
Jason Kidd
Drew Gooden
Andre Miller
Stephon Marbury
Zaza Pachulia
Chris Wilcox
Stromile Swift
Jorge Garbajosa


Go ahead and rearrange the list if you want. If I have forgotten anyone you think should be added, feel free. Remember, I am assuming all these guys eventually have to settle for a midlevel range deal due to economics or onset of age. Some will stay on the market for while IMO as their agents try to get the best deal possible in terms of years.

[gkiteisscal]

1) Rasheed- He is an intense defensive player.  He can spread the floor.  I think he would fit the personality of the team.  Only quesiton would be would him & KG come to blows?  They are two very passionate, borderline insane, players.  Too much of anything is too much.
2) ZaZa-  ZaZa is a bull.  He can rebound, he hustles, he's physical & he has an alright touch around the basket.  I would take him as the backup 5 in a heartbeat. Regardless of his pushing incident with KG I think the Big Ticket would love his intensity & he would feed off #5.
3) Starbury- He can flat out score.  He may take too many shots but in a 10-15 min roll the effect of this could be minimized.  Doc could also use him like Sam, if he's got it good, if he doesn't get Gabe or E.$$$ in there.

Odom is a nice passer & can spread the floor.  OTOH, he's soft, he doesn't play strong D & he really only gives it his all when he is on top of his game. 

J-Kidd is washed up, end of story.  Also he does not add a great bench element.  We already have a pass first point guard who can not shoot.  We need a legitimate scorer at the 1 or 2 off the bench.

Gooden can play.  He can shoot, he can rebound.  I'd consider him but he wouldn't be a "top" choice.

Miller would not sign a deal to be a bench pg.  He's a starting caliber pg.  His defense is also suspect, but he is definetly long enough to play in Tom T's system.  Although his shooting has improved I'd be more interested in a guy that stretch the floor. 

I can't speak about Wilcox, Swift & Jorge, I have not seen enough of them.

[RebusRankin]

Sheed would be the one I'd gladly spend the mid level on. He'd be a great 6th man who can play the 4 and 5. It would give you great insurance for Perkins and allow you to rest KG. It would give the second unit a low post scorer, rebounder and defender.

[Toine43]

Rasheed is a perfect fit for the Celtics, and I think if the Cs were going to make a splash with someone this offseason they'd make it with him. If the Celtics were run by a different GM, I don't think they would consider Sheed as strongly, but he is actually in a way a classic Danny Ainge type of signing. I would like to see the Celtics choose Powe over Davis this off season, and then use Davis' roster spot to pursue a permanent solution at backup center (so we can stop these annoying midseason searches for cheap vets). I don't have as strong an opinion about who the solution should be. They could go for the higher profile acquistion with Sheed, or choose one of the various cheaper options at the 5 that are always available.

As for the guys you brought up, ironically I don't think any of them make sense except for Sheed and Starbury, the biggest malcontents on the list. With Starbury it depends on who he signs with this year. If he signs with Boston and behaves himself, I don't see any reason why he won't be back next year. If he signs elsewhere, then he probably won't be an option for next year.

Swift, Wilcox, Zaza, and Gooden all have major issues defensively, so I don't think they're great options for Boston. No way do we sign Miller, Kidd, or Odom, and all I know about Garbajosa is that he's set to make $9 million USD in Europe next year, so I'm not sure why he would give that up to come back to America.

[MBz]

I'd love Chris Wilcox.  He's still young, only 26.  He's an athletic and long big.  This year he's averaging about 9 pts and 5.5 boards in about 20 minutes.  He does play on a terrible team though.  I think he would be a much better option then Powe or Davis on the bench due to his length.  He may not be a great defender, but he still does have length.  The last 3 years when he was getting around 30 minutes, he was averaging about 13 and 7 which is good enough for me in my mind.

[illantari]

While I think we're currently in need of someone very much like Sheed... Can you imagine if we had him on our team?  We'd set some sort of league record for technicals.  We'd get T'd up so often our whole team will be suspended at some point.

[Toine43]

I'd love Chris Wilcox.  He's still young, only 26.  He's an athletic and long big.  This year he's averaging about 9 pts and 5.5 boards in about 20 minutes.  He does play on a terrible team though.  I think he would be a much better option then Powe or Davis on the bench due to his length.  He may not be a great defender, but he still does have length.  The last 3 years when he was getting around 30 minutes, he was averaging about 13 and 7 which is good enough for me in my mind.

A quote from ESPN Insider's scouting report on Wilcox:

Wilcox is a poor defender who can be outmuscled by bigger forwards and doesn't make a great effort to use his quickness to shut down screen-and-roll plays or chase shooters.

That description doesn't exaclty scream "Celtic!" to me. The reason the Celtics need a longer backup big is defense, and this guy is far worse defensively than Big Baby.

[Scribbles]

I might be wrong on a few of these players, but I'd love the Celtics to make a splash and go after one or more of the following.

*Not in any order*

Kyle Korver-would be a solid off the bench player with consistent outside shooting from 3, something that House isn't supplying so far this year.  He's also at least 6'5, 6'6 so he has size as well.  Obviously he's questionable on defense but I think he'd pick up his intensity on that end if he came here.  Would be a great 15-20 minute player off the bench. 

Big Z-I believe he has a player option to sign out.  Obviously he's played for the Cavs his whole career and likely won't leave, but he'd be a great backup big to have on the bench now that he is starting to age, but I doubt he leaves the Cavs ever. 

Francisco Garcia-I always have liked his game, back since his days in college.  I think he's a solid role player, that won't be a star, but is a nice piece to have on your team.  I also think he is better than he seems because he does play for the Kings.  He'd be a huge upgrade over Tony Allen at the least because of his size.   

Then obviously Sheed and Zaza, like other posters have noted.  I wouldn't even mind giving a look at Nesterovic or Foster if they don't resign with the Pacers.  I'm thinking they will only keep one of the two. 

Some of those guys may have resigned but I don't really pay attention to many other teams outside the Celtics like I used too. 

[wdleehi]

Wallace is far an away the best.


He has no problem taking a back seat on offense.  His teammates love playing with him because he is so unselfish.


He plays real defense.

He can spread the floor with his shot. 

[Bankshot]

Rasheed

[Bankshot]

What about stealing Anderson Verajao from Cleveland?  He has a $6,212M player option.  Can the Celtics offer more than the MLE?.. like $7M?  I think he's worth it, certainly worth more than Posey.  He can play both PF and C and it would shore up our front court for quite some time and it would be great insurance for Perk's shoulder.

[billysan]

To adress a few of the replies above (in no particular order):

Rasheed Wallace is 35 years old. Otherwise he would be far and away the top man on the list. I dont think there is a snowballs chance we land him for the mid level if he is 4 years younger. The biggest drawback with him would be contract length IMO.

Garbajosa may very well come back to the league for a full midlevel contract. (see Nenad Krstic)

As to Varejao, I would definitely execute a 'Steal' to get him away from the Cavaliers if he was willing. I think the midlevel contract thing can be manipulated by putting the bigger dollar amounts in the front end and the smaller in the back end possibly as option years. I saw and article about this by Elrod Enchilada a while back on RealGM, but I dont remember the details.

Wilcox is definitely not a front runner mostly because of his defense but I do believe that with Coaching (Clifford Ray) and motivation (the big three) to win a title that he might just be a steal.

Jason Kidd would have to accept his role as a backup. If he did, (I think he would for a real chance at a ring) there is not a better mentor and defensive backup for Rondo IMO at that price.

Pachlia is far better than any big we have coming of the bench. He is long, rebounds well, plays hard, never takes a play off and brings energy regardless of his role. He would buy into the team concept quickly and be the consumate teammate IMO.

I put Odom at the top of the list because of his versatility and because I think he would have a serious chip on his shoulder. He is somewhat soft as a big in the post, but not so much in the running game. He bring plenty of offense to the table when needed, second only to Sheed IMO.

Dwight Gooden would love to come here and get a shot at payback on the Cavaliers for trading him.

I think Andre Miller would play his rear end off as a third guard for us. He would be a decent backup at PG and SG. He has got to be better than Eddie House and certainlya more complete player. Better than what we currently have unless Giddens suddenly breaks out big.

I like Kyle Korver, but I do not consider him a candidate for the full midlevel.

I cannot say 'never' to signing any of these guys because of money. I think there are a few guys in the league who are in for a rude awakening financially in the next two years. Many teams will be trying to get in the upcoming FA sweepstakes and others will be trying to stay under the cap and just survive. The ones who lose out on Lebron, Bosh and D Wade will not be giving max contracts to anyone on my list and very little above the midlevel if at all. A few guys may try Europe but they could find slim pickins there as well. Just my opinion.

[cordobes]

Scribbles,

Garcia and Foster indeed signed extensions with their teams last Summer. Ilgauskas will certainly pick his option. Korver is in the same situation but I don't think he'll opt out either.