I'm not sure what all the Shaq infatuation is. He's waaaay past his prime. I would much rather have a young, athletic type defender/rebounder that will sign for the vet min rather than wasting Sheed's contract on Shaq.
The problem is that young athletic rebounder types get signed to big deals.
Look at Amir Johnson!
At this point I would be all over Louis Amundson before I would even think of Shaq.
His Per36 numbers last year 11.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.3 blocks 0,9 steals shooting 55% from the field. Need a backup center for 10-15 minutes that can rebound and block shots, there's your guy.
Putting his theoretical stats aside, Amundson averaged 4.7 pts and 4.4 rebs in 14.8 minutes in the regular season, 2.9 pts and 3.5 rebs in 12.1 minutes in the playoffs. He's also just 6'9'' and was clearly outmatched by the Laker bigs in the halfcourt during their playoff series.
His is only 28 and appears to be a pretty energetic and aggressive player, so he might be a good fit with Nate, TA and Davis.
Mike
Theoretical? How else are you suppose to gauge a bench players stats unless it's by a per minute basis? I guess I could have put down his per minute stats but they are meaningless in interpretation, hence why people use PER36, PER40 and PER48 metrics.
Your buddy Shaq had PER36 numbers of 18.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and shot 56%. In just about every category except scoring, Amundson was more productive on the court on a per minute basis than Shaq at 1/20th the price.
He's a great role player for short money. And yes he's 6'9" but he has a 7' wingspan and a good vertical leap. I don't expect wonders from the man but I would expect 15 MPG, excellent rebounding, good defense, good shot blocking, and some great garbageman scoring, especially of offensive boards. And I don't see that this team needs much more than that right now.
One way you judge a bench player is by what keeps him on the bench. If Amundson is so darn productive, why wasn't he playing 36 minutes a game instead of having to fantasize about what he might do with that time on the court?
Secondly, when comparing him to Shaq on PER 36 numbers, they have basically the same rebounding rate, Shaq has a better shooting percentage and much better scoring, Amundson has better shot blocking. The difference is that Shaq HAS ACTUALLY PRODUCED AT THOSE LEVELS WHILE AMUNDSON NEVER HAS. I emphasize because a guy who's actually done something is different than a guy who might do something.
Amundson also doesn't spread the almighty court, was physically outmatched by the Laker bigs in the playoffs and since Ainge is clearly not going to give Shaq 6 to 8 million to sign, the two players will end up being paid pretty much the same if they come to Boston. At most Shaq might get two or three times the vet min Amundson would receive.
And by the way, until Perk comes back and perhaps even after that, Boston's back up center in going to have to play significantly more than 10 to 15 minutes a game.
Mike
Topic: Shaq Might Still Sign With Atlanta (Read 11603 times)