So... what do we do for a center?

[Who]

I have a few thoughts on the Center position

1. If Steimsma leaves for Minn would they make it a S&T for Darko? Doesn't sound great but he is big, mobile, and blocks shots.

I would be really happy with Darko. Very good backup center.

[LooseCannon]

I'd rather gamble on another D-League center than get your typical journeyman NBA center who should never be making more than the minimum.

[Fafnir]

Not sure how that'd work, Minnesota's cap situation is a bit crazy given their offer sheet and other issues.

Darko might need to be amnestied no matter what to make things work, he'll get a bid.

[Brendan]

Obviously KG at Center.

I expect when Bass/Sully are in at Center, they may take the other teams "banger". Sully has great reach for a 6'8" guy, so I expect he can play center. (Similar to Elton Brand playing center despite being 6'8", but Brand was more athletic and had an extra 4 inches in standing reach, so Brand was obviously better suited.) Those options give them some real leeway in what they need from the C spot.

Ideally you count on nothing from Melo - so he's your fourth center and you send him to NBADL.

I think they need one guy to be a KG backup - Steisma, Williams, Hollins fill that role. They are your normal rotation backup center, but will only see 10MPG. You also need a banger backup - that's someone who fills the Perk role, but is not used so much. There may be games he plays 15 MPG, but there will also be games he doesn't dress. If they can get Wilcox back for the minimum or similar, then I think he's a great fit and actually sees an expanded role (assuming healthy.) He's probably the best option, since he already knows the team and can play with KG at PF or C with the other PFs.

So ideally (not saying likely) I'd like to see something like:

KG / Wilcox / Steisma / Melo
Bass / Sullinger / JJJ
Pierce / Green / (Pietrus or Joseph)
Lee / AB
Rondo / Terry / Dooling

Rotation: KG, Bass, Pierce, Lee, Rondo with Green, Terry, AB (start him once healthy and if he gets to where he was this year) getting primary minutes off the bench & Steisma, Wilcox, Sullinger splitting minutes like Brown, Powe, BBD in 2008 (meaning two of the three get minutes on a per game basis, but utilization averaging out over the season.)

I think Williams and Moore are still on the team because it gives us throwaway money in trades. Even if Dooling is S&T to acquire Lee, I expect he could be cut and resigned. (Dooling for $2.5, Moore, Williams + $3m for Terry or Lee, receiving team could cut all three guys and make $0.5m in the trade, plus get an extra late second rounder.)

[Celtics4ever]

I think there is real chance that we will see # 5 playing center and Sully playing PF.

[lon3lytoaster]

Just throw a life size cardboard cut out of Hasheem Thabeet in front of the basket. It'd probably be been better than the real thing.

[Brendan]

Stiemsma: Likely leaving Boston
Krstic: International
Camby: NYK

Can we sign Wilcox? Do we trust Melo? Is there somebody else?

I was really counting on Camby or Krstic...

We can match Stiemer.  I believe Danny will do this because he still has the Q.O. out there. If he thought Stiemer would get too much $$ from Minny he would pull it and let Stiemer be a UFA.

We will sign Wilcox to a vet min.

Looks like Sullinger can and will be playing the 5 for us next  year.

Looks like Melo will be our Ryan Hollins next season.

We cannot match Steisma unless we use an exception. At 3m we cannot match Steis unless we use the MLE (currently slotted for JET) to do so.

I have a few thoughts on the Center position

1. If Steimsma leaves for Minn would they make it a S&T for Darko? Doesn't sound great but he is big, mobile, and blocks shots.

2. Melo will not see real minutes this year and maybe not much next year. He is a long term project.

3. Sullinger will see minutes at Center this year.

This is also why we cannot sign and trade him. Sign and trades work when your team is in position to sign the FA for more $ than the team he's going to. In this case Steis will either resign for with the Celts for BAE (roughly 1.9m) or non-bird exception (20% raise on last year) - or go to a team that pays him with cap space or with their MLE.

If Minny wanted to give away Darko after they signed Steis, I'd do that trade, but don't know how to make it work under the current CBA.

[Brendan]

I think there is real chance that we will see # 5 playing center and Sully playing PF.

Right now KG at Center for 28MPG is a lock. With one of Sully, Bass, Green playing next to him.

What remains to be seen is who plays the other 20 MPG at Center. A small ball lineup of Sully/Green as your bigs or a kinda small ball lineup of Sully/Bass as your bigs is a possibility, but not one you can rely on for 20 MPG every night. (For example you will be destroyed by Dwight Howard, Bynums, etc. of the league, you will also struggle with any team that starts a two big lineup - e.g. Memphis with Gasol and Randolph.

The Celtics need to add TWO big men to cover this 20 MPG, even if they won't need it every night, cause there will be nights when not having it dooms them. (My assumption is they are counting on Melo for 0 MPG.)

[Change]

I have a few thoughts on the Center position

1. If Steimsma leaves for Minn would they make it a S&T for Darko? Doesn't sound great but he is big, mobile, and blocks shots.

2. Melo will not see real minutes this year and maybe not much next year. He is a long term project.

3. Sullinger will see minutes at Center this year.

Disagree on 2. Doc likes defensive player. Melo has upper hand in that department. He could get on the court faster than Sully.

Darko is nice consolation prize.

[Celtics18]

Wilcox and Hollins.  

[mctyson]

Stiemsma: Likely leaving Boston
Krstic: International
Camby: NYK

Can we sign Wilcox? Do we trust Melo? Is there somebody else?

I was really counting on Camby or Krstic...

We can match Stiemer.  I believe Danny will do this because he still has the Q.O. out there. If he thought Stiemer would get too much $$ from Minny he would pull it and let Stiemer be a UFA.

We will sign Wilcox to a vet min.

Looks like Sullinger can and will be playing the 5 for us next  year.

Looks like Melo will be our Ryan Hollins next season.

We cannot match Steisma unless we use an exception. At 3m we cannot match Steis unless we use the MLE (currently slotted for JET) to do so.

I have a few thoughts on the Center position

1. If Steimsma leaves for Minn would they make it a S&T for Darko? Doesn't sound great but he is big, mobile, and blocks shots.

2. Melo will not see real minutes this year and maybe not much next year. He is a long term project.

3. Sullinger will see minutes at Center this year.

This is also why we cannot sign and trade him. Sign and trades work when your team is in position to sign the FA for more $ than the team he's going to. In this case Steis will either resign for with the Celts for BAE (roughly 1.9m) or non-bird exception (20% raise on last year) - or go to a team that pays him with cap space or with their MLE.

If Minny wanted to give away Darko after they signed Steis, I'd do that trade, but don't know how to make it work under the current CBA.

Why?  I am assuming that is because we don't have his Bird Rights?  If so then that makes sense, and is also why the Q.O. was made.

If Minny is going to do $3M why are we even talking about Stiemer then?

[AB_Celtic]

What's going on with JaVale McGee? Is he still an option?

We could S&T for Terry and use the MLE on McGee.

[Kane3387]

What's going on with JaVale McGee? Is he still an option?

We could S&T for Terry and use the MLE on McGee.

Denver would match that.

[Kane3387]

Stiemsma for the BAE most likely.

[Jon]

Can someone answer this for me?

Obviously we don't have Wilcox's Bird rights after one year.  However, I thought there was a clause in at least the old CBA that allowed teams to re-sign a player to a certain percent raise over the salary that he had played at the year before. 

So, can we do this with Wilcox or are we limited to only using the minimum or BAE?