Jermaine O'neal targets Thursday against the Spurs to return

[jsingh1699]

its safe to say regardless of whether we think jo will be useless or a key contributor, we're all looking forward to the game tmrw night. it'll be good for him going up against the spurs without duncan. he should get back some confidence (altho random big on their team could drop 30).

wafer will be huge too. then dwest can focus on taking more minutes at the point for the time being. i really liked how wafer was coming along (hes the only one who consistently attacks the hope). that is much needed on the second line (heck even the starting unit).

[TheTruthFot18]

JO wont change much.

As long as the team is in a coast mode and refuses to give effort, we are going to lose all of our games.

Celtics arent good enough to coast AND win.

They dont have a LeBron that can coast and still score 30.

They have old guys and a weak point guard who is the last option and cant carry teams to wins.

As long as they refuse to try, we will lose every game. Simple.

I've seen your comments like this a few times. Is this sarcasm (doubtful, but i'm curious) or just extreme pessimism?

[LarBrd33]

One personal observation, though...  I'm not sure if anyone else had this impression, but of the few games I saw of JO earlier this season... he didn't look happy AT ALL to me.  He looked like a guy who didn't want to be here.  I mean... #1 - I might have been imagining things... #2 - that might have been because he was hurt and frustrated... but I had a different perception of it.  From seeing his body language and seeing him sulk on the bench, he looked like the only guy who wasn't part of the team.  At the time, my thought was that he had been brought in originally as "KG insurance" and probably promised the starting role until Perk came back.  Then suddenly the Celtics went out and signed Shaq and JO's role was no longer defined.  I was getting the same vibe from him as I got from Baby when he was crying about his lack of defined role.  He was giving me a vibe of a guy who felt he had made a mistake by signing here.  No guaranteed role, purpose or minutes.  Short term it was Shaq starting with Baby as backup... long term it was Perk starting with Shaq and Baby as backup.  I was guessing that Jermaine felt like he was too young and talented to be the "spot minute insurance guy" at the age of 32 when just a year before he was the 2nd best player on a playoff team.  I remember vividly a game we played against Indiana where the Pacer's broadcast team said that Jermaine probably regretted not taking time to appreciate his time as a star on the Pacers... and there he was sitting on the bench sulking while they said it.  A washed up backup to a backup with his glory days behind him... at the age of 32.

Lol, I don't know about what JO may have imagined going into this season; you might be right about his role long term, but you definitely imagined BBD backing up the 5 over JO short term, and why I don't know. BBD is a power forward who can play center for spot minutes, simple has that. Maybe JO coming back will place BBD in his proper position.

Looked back at the box score of the game I was remembering.  December 28th against the Pacers -  We won 95-83... Shaq started but fouled out in 16 minutes.  Baby got 35 minutes off the bench.  Jermaine got 12.   I think at that point, Jermaine had to be thinking to himself, "Why am I even here?"... I'm tellin you, his body language wasn't very good.  He didn't look like he was part of the team.  He must have figured he would have been the odd man out when Perk came back.

Look back to even the first game of the season.  Shaq plays great in 18 limited minutes.  Baby gets 29 off the bench... JO gets 13 spot minutes.  

I'm just thinking... when we originally recruited Jermaine, he had to be thinking his role would be temporary starting center until Perk returned... and then primary back-up.  Then we go out and sign Shaq and I just figured Jermaine wasn't happy about his new role.  In games this season when Shaq didn't play, Jermaine got 22-30 minutes as a starter.  I think that's what he expected when he signed on.

I know he played injured earlier this season.  All I'm saying is... trading Perk removes the doubt about his role.  He signed on expecting to be Perk's main back-up in the playoffs.  Instead he'll be Shaq's main back-up in the playoffs.

[KobeShesNotConsenting!]

So now we know JO will be playin tomorrow? I thought Doc said it was too early??

[TheTruthFot18]

Getting JO back, followed by Shaq, will allow BBD to be more of the backup 4 hes supposed to be. This should allow JO to get substantial minutes of the bench for Shaq especially if fouls hit early or we need a better match up

[Tai]

One personal observation, though...  I'm not sure if anyone else had this impression, but of the few games I saw of JO earlier this season... he didn't look happy AT ALL to me.  He looked like a guy who didn't want to be here.  I mean... #1 - I might have been imagining things... #2 - that might have been because he was hurt and frustrated... but I had a different perception of it.  From seeing his body language and seeing him sulk on the bench, he looked like the only guy who wasn't part of the team.  At the time, my thought was that he had been brought in originally as "KG insurance" and probably promised the starting role until Perk came back.  Then suddenly the Celtics went out and signed Shaq and JO's role was no longer defined.  I was getting the same vibe from him as I got from Baby when he was crying about his lack of defined role.  He was giving me a vibe of a guy who felt he had made a mistake by signing here.  No guaranteed role, purpose or minutes.  Short term it was Shaq starting with Baby as backup... long term it was Perk starting with Shaq and Baby as backup.  I was guessing that Jermaine felt like he was too young and talented to be the "spot minute insurance guy" at the age of 32 when just a year before he was the 2nd best player on a playoff team.  I remember vividly a game we played against Indiana where the Pacer's broadcast team said that Jermaine probably regretted not taking time to appreciate his time as a star on the Pacers... and there he was sitting on the bench sulking while they said it.  A washed up backup to a backup with his glory days behind him... at the age of 32.

Lol, I don't know about what JO may have imagined going into this season; you might be right about his role long term, but you definitely imagined BBD backing up the 5 over JO short term, and why I don't know. BBD is a power forward who can play center for spot minutes, simple has that. Maybe JO coming back will place BBD in his proper position.

Looked back at the box score of the game I was remembering.  December 28th against the Pacers -  We won 95-83... Shaq started but fouled out in 16 minutes.  Baby got 35 minutes off the bench.  Jermaine got 12.   I think at that point, Jermaine had to be thinking to himself, "Why am I even here?"... I'm tellin you, his body language wasn't very good.  He didn't look like he was part of the team.  He must have figured he would have been the odd man out when Perk came back.

Look back to even the first game of the season.  Shaq plays great in 18 limited minutes.  Baby gets 29 off the bench... JO gets 13 spot minutes.  

I'm just thinking... when we originally recruited Jermaine, he had to be thinking his role would be temporary starting center until Perk returned... and then primary back-up.  Then we go out and sign Shaq and I just figured Jermaine wasn't happy about his new role.  In games this season when Shaq didn't play, Jermaine got 22-30 minutes as a starter.  I think that's what he expected when he signed on.

I know he played injured earlier this season.  All I'm saying is... trading Perk removes the doubt about his role.  He signed on expecting to be Perk's main back-up in the playoffs.  Instead he'll be Shaq's main back-up in the playoffs.

JO was injured during the pre-season, and I quite honestly forgot he got to play the season opener against the Heat because of it, so it's POSSIBLE (again, POSSIBLE, not definite) that Doc was trying to work him back up to speed with spot minutes, then give him more minutes overtime. And in four of the last five games before he's out until December (so 11/2-11/8), he played 19 minutes or more.

All in all, it doesn't look like he's really been healthy until now. Maybe now, and yea with Perk gone, he'll be able to get more minutes, and thus his rhythm back quicker.

[birdwatcher]

For the full MLE, I say we throw him into the fire--let him play tomorrow, Doc! Is Duncan still out?

[SHAQATTACK]

At least TD won't be playing for Spurs.  

So, can JO handle Splitter ? Maybe ...? Oh I have to think postive ....I say he can....

Spurs are loaded with young talent backups.  Something that gives the Celtics fits. I dread this. Our guys moving in slow motion .

Von W. might come in handy to help guard their speedy younger guards. A positve for us.

A battle of two crippled teams. Lakers will be licking their chops and watching every minute.

I'm gonna go with an Positive spin on this one, and hope JO can  give us ..MAYBE ....10-14 minutes of energy decent defensive duty , grab 3-4 rebounds, maybe block A shot , ZERO points., all while NOT getting reinjured... But mostly I think his attitude , will be appreciated by this sinking ballclub , maybe it gives the other guys some thread of inspiration to step up.

At least he talks a good talk .....we'll see

[get_banners]

being that there are no back-to-backs in the playoffs, i suspect we don't play JO on any of those during the last few games...we have at least 2 or 3. absolutely, positively no reason to tweak that knee any extra that back-to-back games can do. so...i think he plays vs. SA, sits vs. ATL. fact is, we really need him and shaq, so i think we're going to be uber cautious with them in these last few weeks, being that we will always have a day off (or two) once the playoffs start.

[2short]

JO wont change much.

As long as the team is in a coast mode and refuses to give effort, we are going to lose all of our games.

Celtics arent good enough to coast AND win.

They dont have a LeBron that can coast and still score 30.

They have old guys and a weak point guard who is the last option and cant carry teams to wins.

As long as they refuse to try, we will lose every game. Simple.

I've seen your comments like this a few times. Is this sarcasm (doubtful, but i'm curious) or just extreme pessimism?

i 2nd that notion
is it humor or real negative ideas?
you hate rondo, correct?

[BASS_THUMPER]

why baby j oneal..let him run cuz if cant run now he wont be any good in the playoffs anyway

[Mr October]

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nba/news/story?id=6274643

JO looks great in a very physical practice. 

[Thruthelookingglass]

Given JO's condition, I think he might be able to go the full 48 against TD in his first game out:

http://espn.go.com/sports/fantasy/blog/_/name/boxscore_basketball/id/6269245/san-antonio-spurs-stars-not-simply-resting

Only question is will he guard him from the seat on TD's left or the seat on TD's right?

[Neurotic Guy]

I hope to see him on the court tomorrow -- 10-15 minutes. 

I expect JO to be a contributor, but I also at some point I expect to hear the 's' word (swelling) --  I am sure it is inevitable.  What I'd like to know is whether swelling is an indication that he won't be able to continue or whether it means he'll just have to gut it out but will still be able to give us some defensive minutes. 

[samantha28]

I actually met J.O. and talked to him for about fifteen minutes earlier this year. His daughter and my brother go to the same school, and Jermaine could not have been nicer or more passionate about being a Celtic. Some people are just overdoing it. I don't think J.O would have knee surgery and train as hard as he did to come back if he didn't want to give back to this team. He already has the $$$.