DJ White

[danglertx]

I'm sick of 6'9" centers.  Can we please get a real shot blocker.  Teams drive inside against us at will because they have absolutely no fear of getting their shots blocked.  Just a couple blocks early in a game can change how the other team plays the rest of the game.

[Who]

I'm sick of 6'9" centers.  Can we please get a real shot blocker.  Teams drive inside against us at will because they have absolutely no fear of getting their shots blocked.  Just a couple blocks early in a game can change how the other team plays the rest of the game.

Do we not have two open roster spots for big men?

One for a guy like DJ White and one for a rim protector at center.

[kozlodoev]

I'm sick of 6'9" centers.  Can we please get a real shot blocker.  Teams drive inside against us at will because they have absolutely no fear of getting their shots blocked.  Just a couple blocks early in a game can change how the other team plays the rest of the game.

Do we not have two open roster spots for big men?

One for a guy like DJ White and one for a rim protector at center.

We have two roster spots, but also limited space under the hard cap. Not sure we can sign two players.

In any case, I'd rather have the better player (and shot blockers that can actually play usually find themselves on an NBA roster pretty quickly).

[vinnie]

Not sure what people are expecting when signing castoffs. For the most part you are going to get crap players that are 12-15th players on your roster and who have no impact on the game. None of these guys will make a difference on whether or not the Celtics can get out of the first round of the playoffs or not.

[krook]

Not sure what people are expecting when signing castoffs. For the most part you are going to get crap players that are 12-15th players on your roster and who have no impact on the game. None of these guys will make a difference on whether or not the Celtics can get out of the first round of the playoffs or not.

there are there to also give kg a rest, one good point there
but i want i guy while kg rest he dominates the paint

[PhoSita]

I'm sick of 6'9" centers.  Can we please get a real shot blocker.  Teams drive inside against us at will because they have absolutely no fear of getting their shots blocked.  Just a couple blocks early in a game can change how the other team plays the rest of the game.

Do we not have two open roster spots for big men?

One for a guy like DJ White and one for a rim protector at center.

We have two roster spots, but also limited space under the hard cap. Not sure we can sign two players.

In any case, I'd rather have the better player (and shot blockers that can actually play usually find themselves on an NBA roster pretty quickly).

My vote is for Jerome Jordan.

One veteran from overseas and one younger guy out of the D-league seems like a good balance to strike, to me.

[apc]

Man, i am still mad at Doc for pushing Darco away. he is better than any of the leftover guys.

[kozlodoev]

I'm sick of 6'9" centers.  Can we please get a real shot blocker.  Teams drive inside against us at will because they have absolutely no fear of getting their shots blocked.  Just a couple blocks early in a game can change how the other team plays the rest of the game.

Do we not have two open roster spots for big men?

One for a guy like DJ White and one for a rim protector at center.

We have two roster spots, but also limited space under the hard cap. Not sure we can sign two players.

In any case, I'd rather have the better player (and shot blockers that can actually play usually find themselves on an NBA roster pretty quickly).

My vote is for Jerome Jordan.

One veteran from overseas and one younger guy out of the D-league seems like a good balance to strike, to me.

Sure, if we can sign two players, I'm all for it.

White is attractive mostly because he has some NBA pedigree. In fact I now recall that he was pretty serviceable in his rookie year at OKC.

[Evantime34]

If I'm any free-agent given multiple options, I wouldn't touch the Celtics for a 10-day contract. Would end up not playing and then discarded so...

I think it's the opposite. This team has recently shown that they will play everyone on the roster, and if you are a big man it's not like there are many guys you have to beat out.

[LooseCannon]

Not sure what people are expecting when signing castoffs.

Sometimes, teams make bad personnel decisions.  Instead of journeyman who have bounced around several NBA teams or veterans well into their decline, I'm more interested in guys who never got a fair chance to show what they have in the NBA, either because they never caught on in with a team or because they never got enough playing time for a poorly-run team.  That may sound counter-intuitive, but guys who couldn't get playing time with bad teams should be looked at more closely because they are more likely to have been misused or under-utlized than players who couldn't get playing time on well-run teams.

[LooseCannon]

If I'm any free-agent given multiple options, I wouldn't touch the Celtics for a 10-day contract. Would end up not playing and then discarded so...

I think it's the opposite. This team has recently shown that they will play everyone on the roster, and if you are a big man it's not like there are many guys you have to beat out.

If a free agent has multiple options that include an offer to sign for the rest of the season, that player probably shouldn't touch a ten-day contract with any team, even if it means a likely third-string role on a bad team vs a paid audition for a shot at the rotation with a playoff-bound team.

[kozlodoev]

Not sure what people are expecting when signing castoffs.

Sometimes, teams make bad personnel decisions.  Instead of journeyman who have bounced around several NBA teams or veterans well into their decline, I'm more interested in guys who never got a fair chance to show what they have in the NBA, either because they never caught on in with a team or because they never got enough playing time for a poorly-run team.  That may sound counter-intuitive, but guys who couldn't get playing time with bad teams should be looked at more closely because they are more likely to have been misused or under-utlized than players who couldn't get playing time on well-run teams.

There is a reason why finding a gem in the rough rarely happens like this -- there are 30 GMs doing due diligence in the league. Sure, you can slip by a handful of them because they're duds, but if you can play in the NBA, you eventually end up somewhere.

[PhoSita]

I'm sick of 6'9" centers.  Can we please get a real shot blocker.  Teams drive inside against us at will because they have absolutely no fear of getting their shots blocked.  Just a couple blocks early in a game can change how the other team plays the rest of the game.

Do we not have two open roster spots for big men?

One for a guy like DJ White and one for a rim protector at center.

We have two roster spots, but also limited space under the hard cap. Not sure we can sign two players.

In any case, I'd rather have the better player (and shot blockers that can actually play usually find themselves on an NBA roster pretty quickly).

My vote is for Jerome Jordan.

One veteran from overseas and one younger guy out of the D-league seems like a good balance to strike, to me.

Sure, if we can sign two players, I'm all for it.

White is attractive mostly because he has some NBA pedigree. In fact I now recall that he was pretty serviceable in his rookie year at OKC.

Yeah, DJ White is a reasonable facsimile of Brandon Bass.  A bit bigger but less athletic.

[PhoSita]

Not sure what people are expecting when signing castoffs.

Sometimes, teams make bad personnel decisions.  Instead of journeyman who have bounced around several NBA teams or veterans well into their decline, I'm more interested in guys who never got a fair chance to show what they have in the NBA, either because they never caught on in with a team or because they never got enough playing time for a poorly-run team.  That may sound counter-intuitive, but guys who couldn't get playing time with bad teams should be looked at more closely because they are more likely to have been misused or under-utlized than players who couldn't get playing time on well-run teams.

There is a reason why finding a gem in the rough rarely happens like this -- there are 30 GMs doing due diligence in the league. Sure, you can slip by a handful of them because they're duds, but if you can play in the NBA, you eventually end up somewhere.

I agree.  The general rule is that if you aren't in the NBA, you probably aren't good enough to be.

However, D-league players, usually undrafted ones, do frequently turn into serviceable role players, although almost always for bad teams. 

The main exception I see are guys overseas.  These fall into two categories: former NBA players who are becoming more mature, experienced role players, and foreigners who haven't been appreciated or noticed much by NBA scouts.

Players in either group usually don't have star potential, but many could play a legitimate role on an NBA team.  Just this season we've seen players like Pablo Prigioni and Nando de Colo contribute to good teams as "rookies."  In recent years guys like Nikola Pekovic and Tiago Splitter have blossomed into valuable players despite not having gotten much attention when they were drafted.

I think there are still only a few teams who really make the most of what overseas leagues have to offer.  I don't doubt for an instant that there are multiple big men overseas who could provide valuable depth for us.  But it's too late in the season at this point to sign them or make use of them.

[kozlodoev]

The main exception I see are guys overseas.  These fall into two categories: foreign players who haven't been appreciated or noticed much by NBA scouts.  They might not have star potential, but they could play a legitimate role on an NBA team.  Just this season we've seen players like Pablo Prigioni and Nando de Colo contribute to good teams as "rookies."  In recent years guys like Nikola Pekovic and Tiago Splitter have blossomed into valuable players despite not having gotten much attention when they were drafted.

I agree. The problem with international players is adjusting to the rigors of a full NBA season. A typical European league has 30 games a season, there is a lot more practice time, and the game is generally less physical.

Especially when it comes to a big body, these may be considerable issues. Also note that there are substantial issues in the way bigs play the game here -- no zone defense, different goaltending rules, etc.

I do also agree that in recent years, it's either that our international scouting blows, or we really haven't been interested in bringing in players from overseas that may need more time to adjust.