Under Used players with value to target

[D.o.s.]

Guys, Patty Mills is great. We totally don't need him, but c'mon.

[PhoSita]

I agree with others that the players I listed are not likely to turn heads anytime soon, not as featured players.

Targeting players like that is a great way to fill out a supporting cast, however.

Where the Celtics are at right now, though, is finding featured players.  It's a nice idea that we might uncover a "diamond in the rough" and that player would become a cornerstone or at least a key cog.  More often than not you just end up finding a Jeremy Lin sort who might be exciting for a bit and then fall back to Earth.

[PhoSita]

Guys, Patty Mills is great. We totally don't need him, but c'mon.

Yeah, I love Patty Mills.

I really like a lot of the players that Phoenix, Dallas, and San Antonio find for their bench units, pretty much every year.  Those teams are doing something right in that area.

[Who]

I think Biyombo is still a couple of years away. I'd leave him where he is and keep tabs on his development. Then reassess and consider making a move for him further down the road.

Definitely still intrigued by Biyombo. He has a lot of athleticism and potential as a defender + rebounder. But Biyombo also has a lot of work still to do before he is ready for more playing time / responsibility than he is getting in Charlotte and his development to date has been slow / worrying.

[sofutomygaha]

I think that the greatest market inefficiency is Pablo Prigioni types. There are so many mid-to-late career veterans playing overseas that would be average to above average NBA players. The tricky part is that buyouts in excess of some amount count against the salary cap. I'm surprised that rebuilding teams with short-term cap space like the 76ers and the Bucks haven't been more willing to invest in imports. If I were the Bucks, I'd love to have my young up-and-comers led by Bo McCalebb or Juan Carlos Navarro.

I'm still hoping to see John Bryant come back some day, too!

[PhoSita]

I think Biyombo is still a couple of years away. I'd leave him where he is and keep tabs on his development. Then reassess and consider making a move for him further down the road.

What do the Celtics have to lose by acquiring a player who is maybe a year or two away?

His price tag is probably at its lowest right now, and the Celtics are in a place where they can afford to give a project player extended run, especially with the dearth of defensive big men on the roster.

[Who]

I think Biyombo is still a couple of years away. I'd leave him where he is and keep tabs on his development. Then reassess and consider making a move for him further down the road.

What do the Celtics have to lose by acquiring a player who is maybe a year or two away?

His price tag is probably at its lowest right now, and the Celtics are in a place where they can afford to give a project player extended run, especially with the dearth of defensive big men on the roster.

Not wild about filling rotation with mediocre players. I mean Biyombo wouldn't play more than 15-20 minutes here. Is this really the best place for him to develop? Competing with Sullinger, Olynyk and others? That doesn't fill me with confidence.

If Biyombo was a bit further along, I think he could carve out a nice niche for himself. A good role and build from there. But from his current position? He is going to be pushed pretty hard by Joel Anthony for playing time. I just don't think he's far enough along to go in for yet.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Does Andrew Bogut count as underused?

I'd love to have him.

Okay, I know you're going to hit me with "injury concerns" but the guy played 67 games this season. And while being underused, averaged double digits in rebounding and is clearly one if not the biggest reason GSW's defense improved dramatically.

Well, I don't know if the Dubs will be willing to give him away anyway, but with our assets, I don't see why we wont try.

[hpantazo]

Bogut is overvalued if anything. Two player I like who are underused are Motiejunas in Houston and Ed Davis in Memphis. Grevis Vasquez is also underused last season and an excellent pg but he may get a ton of use if Lowry leaves Toronto. Still, we have Rondo at pg and plenty of good power forward on our roster.

[slamtheking]

Bogut is overvalued if anything. Two player I like who are underused are Motiejunas in Houston and Ed Davis in Memphis. Grevis Vasquez is also underused last season and an excellent pg but he may get a ton of use if Lowry leaves Toronto. Still, we have Rondo at pg and plenty of good power forward on our roster.

I would have agreed about Davis a couple of years ago but he hasn't really progressed much since then

[LooseCannon]

Bogut is overvalued if anything. Two player I like who are underused are Motiejunas in Houston and Ed Davis in Memphis. Grevis Vasquez is also underused last season and an excellent pg but he may get a ton of use if Lowry leaves Toronto. Still, we have Rondo at pg and plenty of good power forward on our roster.

There's a difference between guys who are under-used because they could be starting somewhere else but are stuck behind players who are better than them and guys who are under-used because they are sitting in favor of guys who shouldn't be starting.  The former are usually valued correctly by their teams, who don't mind having a starter-caliber guy on their bench.  The latter have evidence that their teams don't value them correctly and may not ask for as much as they are worth in a trade.

Should Ed Davis be taking playing time away from Zack Randolph (or Marc Gasol and Kosta Koufos)?  Should D-Mo be taking playing time away from Terrence Jones?

Who are the guys in the league who could be starting somewhere but are sitting on the bench behind guys who should not be starting anywhere?

[PhoSita]

Not wild about filling rotation with mediocre players. I mean Biyombo wouldn't play more than 15-20 minutes here. Is this really the best place for him to develop? Competing with Sullinger, Olynyk and others? That doesn't fill me with confidence.

Biyombo is averaging 10 minutes a game or so these days playing behind Al Jefferson.  I don't expect that to change much in upcoming seasons.

Meanwhile, on the Celtics, I expect Humphries and Bass to be gone after this summer, meaning there will be some openings in the big man rotation.  Barring the acquisition of a guy like Asik, or the Celtics drafting Embiid, I think there will be a place for a big man who can defend the rim, even if he has major shortcomings in other areas. 

Wouldn't Biyombo develop better playing 15-20 minutes a game on the Celtics (a team that can tolerate some mistakes from younger players), rather than erratic, severely limited minutes in Charlotte -- a playoff team with an All-Star caliber center?

[Who]

Not wild about filling rotation with mediocre players. I mean Biyombo wouldn't play more than 15-20 minutes here. Is this really the best place for him to develop? Competing with Sullinger, Olynyk and others? That doesn't fill me with confidence.

Biyombo is averaging 10 minutes a game or so these days playing behind Al Jefferson.  I don't expect that to change much in upcoming seasons.

Meanwhile, on the Celtics, I expect Humphries and Bass to be gone after this summer, meaning there will be some openings in the big man rotation.  Barring the acquisition of a guy like Asik, or the Celtics drafting Embiid, I think there will be a place for a big man who can defend the rim, even if he has major shortcomings in other areas. 

Wouldn't Biyombo develop better playing 15-20 minutes a game on the Celtics (a team that can tolerate some mistakes from younger players), rather than erratic, severely limited minutes in Charlotte -- a playoff team with an All-Star caliber center?

I think Biyombo's role in Charlotte is roughly the same as he'd have here in Boston.

Would Biyombo be better off in Boston than Charlotte? I don't know. I don't view either place as an ideal situation for him.

I don't like having multiple young guys competing for same minutes. I don't think Biyombo is far enough in his development to establish himself against guys like Sullinger and Olynyk (and whatever other bigs are here) to carve out a solid role for himself. Biyombo is still too raw to accomplish that. If that changes, down the road, then I would revisit the idea of acquiring Biyombo.

Edit: Biyombo is still learning how to be effective as an undersized (6-9, 240lbs) defensive orientated center. He hasn't figured that out yet. That is why he is an ineffective option as a starting center and his role would be that of a backup C playing small minutes on whatever team he plays on. Biyombo is not even a particularly good backup C. A mediocre one. He needs more work before he is ready for a larger role + responsibilities. I don't think this is a good time in his career to acquire a player like that. At this stage in his career, I think teams should continue to monitor him and if Biyombo shows some progress, then they should consider making a move for him. But not right now. Too raw.

[Who]

I think acquiring Biyombo is like going after someone like Anthony Randolph.

Both are young guys with potential. Both have stuttered in their development. Randolph more so than Biyombo. Neither has really developed enough to carve out a good role for themselves in the NBA. Neither is at a point in their careers where they have given you reason to be bullish about their prospects.

I think it's best to leave those guys to other teams and let them spend their time trying to develop them. Keep tabs on them and if they show growth, reassess. But you don't want to spend assets on acquiring them + time developing them when you can only give them bit-part roles and are unsure whether they have what it takes.

I am still intrigued about Biyombo's long term prospects but he has to show more than he has done ... to convince me he can make it as an undersized starting center. He is probably going to be available in FA in 12 months time anyway.

[Timdawgg]

Kris Humphries.