Tyler Zeller

[Jon]

I was kind of waiting for someone to start a topic on this a few days ago after Jeff wrote the article on the front page about extending Tyler Zeller.  He quoted an article from Grantland that said "if Boston can snag Zeller long-term for anything under $12 million, it may jump at the chance." 

To me, that just seems insane.  I like Tyler Zeller.  I think he's a decent backup center.  I just don't see how even in the new NBA salary world, he's worth anything close to that for two reasons:

1) Given how the roster is currently constructed, does Zeller even have a firm spot in the rotation?  Right now, I'd put Johnson, Lee, Sullinger, and Olynyk all ahead of him.  And for all the purists out there, I don't know exactly what Zeller brings as a "center" that any of those guys don't given that he isn't a shot blocking presence and doesn't have a dominant post game. 

2) Does he have any significant trade value?  I get that he could be a nice backup center on a contender and I get how some teams might pay for that.  But it seems counter intuitive for us to put the cart before the horse, given that we don't have a starting center of the future yet.  So that really leaves us with the idea of retaining him for a potential trade.  But how much trade value does he really have?  Rondo got us what was supposed to be a later first rounder (maybe not now) and Jeff Green only got us a conditional first rounder. 

Certainly right now, would anyone give us anything more than maybe a role player and a second rounder for him? 

I don't know.  I don't hate him.  I just don't see a huge point in holding on to a guy who might be our backup center of the future at this stage unless we think he can be a significant trade asset, and I don't even see that at this point. 

[celts55]

I was really impressed with his play last year. He scores well in the paint as well has a nice 15-18 foot shot. Runs the floor great for a big man and finishes on the break.
I thought he defense was better than average, and while not a great rebounded, he is a banger. Decent weak side shot blocker. Always appeared to be active and played with good motor.
Lastly he's in shape and seems to have a pretty good basketball IQ. Not something I might say about Sully.
I'd love to keep him on this team and looks like they have the money to keep him.

[Celtics18]

$12million a year seems too high, but I'd love to keep Tyler Zeller on board.

I'd like to see if he bites on 8 or 9. 

Then again given the new CBA, $12million might be the new $8 or $9 million. 

[GratefulCs]

$12million a year seems too high, but I'd love to keep Tyler Zeller on board.

I'd like to see if he bites on 8 or 9. 

Then again given the new CBA, $12million might be the new $8 or $9 million.

ya, i think 12 mil will be thrown around a lot with the new cba

[saltlover]

One thing about Zeller is that he's been very healthy, especially for a big, during his career.  Is he the best thing ever?  No.  But he's serviceable and he'll likely be available when you call his number.   And when you think about how important front court depth can be, that's valuable.  When you look around at the number of top-flight bigs out there who are suffering with injuries, having your third-tier guy who can get on the court is nice.

That's one thing that people ignored with DeAndre Jordan when debating his worth -- he throws his body around as much as any big in the game, but is there every single night, several years running.  They have depth issues, but if Jordan's there every night, depth doesn't matter.

[rollie mass]

Zeller shoots 60% from 10-16ftand is automatice with free throws and is extending range that 10-16 ft numberof 60% is remarkable-he really runs the floor,handles the ball well--and last year was difficult
-rondo,turner,marcus and avery then isiah-
he is progressing every year and should fill out well-i would never trade this guy

[Evantime34]

This might not be popular but I think he should be our 5th big this year until we make a trade.

[D.o.s.]

$12million a year seems too high, but I'd love to keep Tyler Zeller on board.

I'd like to see if he bites on 8 or 9. 

Then again given the new CBA, $12million might be the new $8 or $9 million.

It's exactly this, I'd wager.

[Jon]

This might not be popular but I think he should be our 5th big this year until we make a trade.

I agree and that was kind of the point of my post.  Someone on the front page had some article where all 5 of the C's bigs get like 20 minutes each.  To me, that just seems unnecessary.  There's no reason why a NBA player under 35 can't play 24 mpg.  If Zeller can't crack the top 4, he should get his butt benched.  It's not like he's playing behind McHale, Parish, and Walton. 

And that's what my original post is about.  It seems everyone "likes" Zeller to some degree (as do I).  But I just don't see the endgame for him.  I don't see him ever developing into a starter and I don't see him as that much of a significant asset, so I'm struggling to see the point of retaining him after this year. 

If anything, I think there's a pretty compelling case to trade him this year and at least getting something before we're faced with the decision of losing him for nothing or extending him for more than he's worth. 

[kraidstar]

zeller is an underachiever. if he had some toughness he'd be one of the best big men in the league. IMO it's really that simple. but i don't know if you can teach toughness.

unless he improves in that department, on a contender he'd have to be paired with someone nasty on defense and the glass who can lead him and cover for him.

can't win titles with too much softness inside.

[ahonui06]

Hard time justifying Tyler Zeller for $12M a year since Amir already makes that amount. Don't believe Zeller is worth that kind of money. As another poster said he should make $8-$9M per year, which would be a solid deal under the new CBA.

[Big333223]

For comparison's sake, Robin Lopez just got $13.5 million per year from the Knicks. Zeller isn't as good as Lopez but he's 2 years younger and probably about as good as Lopez was at a similar stage of development. Assuming Zeller continues to get better defensively and stays as efficient on offense as he was last season, I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be as good as Lopez.

If that's true, locking him up now for something less than $12 mil sounds pretty reasonable in the new NBA, which seems anything but reasonable.

[td450]

zeller is an underachiever. if he had some toughness he'd be one of the best big men in the league. IMO it's really that simple. but i don't know if you can teach toughness.

unless he improves in that department, on a contender he'd have to be paired with someone nasty on defense and the glass who can lead him and cover for him.

can't win titles with too much softness inside.

This is really the crux of the matter. Zeller plays a nice, clever game and shows fairly advanced skills. He should be an above average center. But when he goes up against someone physical, it seems to unsettle him mentally, and he disappears. I'd want to see some progress there before I dropped serious money on him.

[BornReady]

he did well last season
but 12 mil is too high for a backup calibre big man
esp with the depth we have already

[Rosco917]

I think everyone on this forum has stated Zeller would make a nice backup center. But you can't pay him anything close to 12 million a year. He is not, nor will he ever be the answer in the middle.

We need to make sure we are flexible under the cap, should an opportunity come, to grab a top player.