Re: The Official Jermaine O'Neal Thread

[RosalieTCeltics]

Any other journeyman centers floating around out there who will work for cheap $??

[gyso]

Rumor has it that David Lee will get a six-year, $80 million contract. That's over 13mil if my math is correct. Didn't Stern say the league is losing money?

What can we expect for 1.2mil?

Here is a link I made earlier in this thread:

NBA free-agent tracker 2010:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AiZHADYrFR7KnaCdzGmLDbJSPKB4?slug=ys-nbafreeagenttracker2010[/quote]

Pick the link. Scroll down to the Center position, there is quite a number of centers available. Possibly look at the power forwards as well. Some of the bigger PF's could maybe play center for short minutes.

gyso

[tjmakz]

gyso,

In my opinion, Boston has not addressed their biggest need this off season and that is for a long and athletic forward.
They drafted a back up PG, a good shooting but slow F and have used up the MLE on a C with bad wheels. I liked the O'Neal signing because of Perk being out, but are you concerned about their lack of length and athleticism in the 3-5 positions?

[cowens/oldschool]

tj
There is a cap,for what has happened and where we are now,I like everything so far,would I have liked a Josh Childress or Cory Magette?sure,but there are restictions in league policy.I'm loving this kid Harangady,he seems more than willing to mix it up inside and has a good stroke,shocked seeing him run the floor so well,right now hes playing alot better than Evan Turner.Hope we can develop and play him as a power 3 with shooting range.Were doing the best we can. cow

[tjmakz]

Good points Cow.
Harangody should have a long career as a back up/fill in/spot starter.
I expected Boston to aggressively go after someone long and athletic.
There is still time left to get someone, but there will be a rush of free agent signings and trades now that LeBron has committed.

[cowens/oldschool]

tj
I'm thinking he can be more than a capable backup,its only summer league and even Kedrick Brown had some good games in SL,but he has alot of toughness that I like and a very refined oldschool type game.....better not get too excited,don't want to jinx him.

[gyso]

tj,

Trading Sheed's contract is supposed to address the 2-3 backup position. I suppose Kwame is athletic enough and just about what we can afford at the 5. What do you think about Z? Out of our price range?

Did you use the link? Who's out there for vet minimum? Theo Ratliff? Battie? POB? Kwame is sounding better and better every time I look at that tracker list.

gyso

[cowens/oldschool]

Kwame looks better than Semeh Erden thats for sure!!

[tjmakz]

Z instead of J. O'Neal but not both of them. They are very similar players.

Yes, Rasheed's contract is very important to Boston.
How about Rasheed to Detroit for Charlie Villanueva?
I bet he would get re-energized with Boston.

You are right, there is hardly anyone out there either in free agency or through a trade.

[tjmakz]

gyso,

How about Rasheed's contract and Boston's 2011 #1 pick to Minnesota for Beasley? He is athletic and can guard the SF and PF positions. If it doesn't work out, Boston lets him walk at the end of the year.
At the worst for Minnesota, they could sell Boston's pick for $3m.

[gyso]

tj,

Sheed makes too much to do the trade. The salaries don't match both ways. Sota would have to throw in a min vet guy to even it out.

Who is to say that this wasn't the plan all along? The Heat needed to shed all of Beasley's salary and to trade directly with the Celtics would mean that they would still have Sheed's buyout amount left over on the books. Now Sota can profit from being the middle man and get a first rounder from us for their trouble.

S&T Eddie House with Beasley for Sheed and a #1 pick. That should make the TradeChecker, Sota and the Celtics very happy.

Maybe not House, but some other guy that can backup the 1-2 position. House as a PG could protect the ball at least as good if not better than anyone we have in the Summer League.

Perhaps Beasley would do better in an environment where he is not the starter, but comes off the bench for Pierce or KG. Our coaches could work on his game and get his confidence up. The talent is there, it just hasn't been nurtured correctly.

Positive vibrations!!

http://www.rbgtube.com/play.php?vid=5386

If you get down and quarrel everyday
You're saying prayers to the devil, I say
Why not help another on the way
Make it much easier
Say you just can't live that negative way
You know what I mean
Make way for the positive day

[babyskyhook]

hope his past playoff performance was an abberation !

I was really surprised to hear the Cs were after him for precisely this reason.

I didn't see the series, but I remember his numbers being horrific.

I was much more concerned about the idea of the Cs signing Shaq. I thought they could cover up for his defensive deficiencies and he and Perk would be a battering ram duo to deal with. A power platoon at the 5 so to speak.


I guess the thinking with JO is that he'll hold the fort down in the first half of the year and then give the Cs a nice low post scorer off the bench once Perk gets back ?

[babyskyhook]

Jermaine O'Neil may be the case of the best of not too many good options, but I find it VERY HARD to believe he will be able to deliver the kind of defense the Celtics will ask of him.

He has been a human turn-style and one of the most colossally overpaid players of his generation. He has never won a thing in his life, yet has earned over $153 million dollars.

Not a fan.

I'm with you Kleen.

I've never been a fan either, but I'm assuming the Cs were thinking Shaq would be a chemistry-killer, and JO was the best of the rest.

I'm surprised they didn't get Brad MIller, but I read he had dinner with Adleman the other night, so maybe he's going to Clutch City.

[bobheckler]

Here's an opinion from the assistant editor at Realgm.com, who regularly opines on the Celtics. This time he reviews and grades the Ray Allen and Jermaine O'Neal signings.

http://celtics.realgm.com/articles/385/20100708/grading_the_deals_celtics_re-sign_ray_allen_add_jermaine/

bob

.

[RosalieTCeltics]

While I agree with most of what this article says, I am still a little more generous when it comes to grading the Celtics on signing Jermaine O'Neal.
Although he is no Perk, I think that he will be a suitable replacement in the short haul, if he stays healthy (and that is a big if). He has decent hands around the basket and I think will enjoy playing with a player of Rondo's ability. The motivation he will get from KG and PP and Allen could be a great source of help for him. Here is hoping that he succeeds, and I can't believe I am saying this about a guy I was screaming at during the playoffs as being soft and telling Perk to take him!! Perk has owned him for years, maybe that is one reason he decided to join the Celtics!!

[bobheckler]

While I agree with most of what this article says, I am still a little more generous when it comes to grading the Celtics on signing Jermaine O'Neal.
Although he is no Perk, I think that he will be a suitable replacement in the short haul, if he stays healthy (and that is a big if). He has decent hands around the basket and I think will enjoy playing with a player of Rondo's ability. The motivation he will get from KG and PP and Allen could be a great source of help for him. Here is hoping that he succeeds, and I can't believe I am saying this about a guy I was screaming at during the playoffs as being soft and telling Perk to take him!! Perk has owned him for years, maybe that is one reason he decided to join the Celtics!!

Rosalie,

If you can't beat'em, join'em.

bob

.

[jeb]

I think for this years Celtics the key is conditioning. They all need to be body nazis that live in the gym with a trainer at their heels. They need to eat right and get rest. Take their collective conditioning above and beyond where it has ever been before. (Ray gets pass cause you know he will do it anyway) but all the others need to be doing all they can to get strong. If they do this I think the skies the limit. If they dont we are goin to be watchin them sit a lot in street clothes.

[bobheckler]

I think for this years Celtics the key is conditioning. They all need to be body nazis that live in the gym with a trainer at their heels. They need to eat right and get rest. Take their collective conditioning above and beyond where it has ever been before. (Ray gets pass cause you know he will do it anyway) but all the others need to be doing all they can to get strong. If they do this I think the skies the limit. If they dont we are goin to be watchin them sit a lot in street clothes.

jeb,

"body nazis"?

You've read The Curse of Lono, haven't you?

bob

.

[jeb]

yeah and all else by the doc! Nice one Bobheck you busted me.

[bobheckler]

yeah and all else by the doc! Nice one Bobheck you busted me.

jeb,

No shame there. I own a copy, and it's been out of print for years. That should tell you just how much I like the book and am a fan of Hunter Thompson.

bob

.

[dboss]

I think this was a good signing JO has had some injury issues the last few years but he is coming off a 70 game season where he loggede28 MPG

The Celtics can never have enough big men.

dboss

[jeb]

dboss

Considering what was and is available I think it was a grand signing. O'neal is going to be a big trade up on offense and a big boost off the pine when Perk returns. I wonder what else Ainge has goin? I bet he will get something back for Sheed's contract.

[gyso]

The Celtics’ roster looks a lot more secure and imposing than it did a week ago. With limited resources, team president Danny Ainge continues to retool a team that was one solid fourth quarter away from winning a second NBA championship in three years.

Wednesday night, Ray Allen was re-signed. Yesterday morning, Jermaine O’Neal was added to the fold, in the hopes the 14-year veteran can provide some stability, and perimeter shooting, to the Celtics’ depleted frontcourt.

With Rasheed Wallace expected to retire and Kendrick Perkins out until at least February with a torn right anterior cruciate ligament, a free agent focus was finding a productive center.


Ainge said he would not confirm the deals for O’Neal, Allen, or Paul Pierce until the contracts are signed. But a team source said O’Neal will earn the full midlevel exception, set Wednesday at $5.765 million, with an 8 percent increase in the second season.

O’Neal is only 31, but entered the draft out of high school, taken 17th overall in 1996 by Portland. He played just 211 games in four years with the Trail Blazers, before flourishing following a trade to Indiana.


He averaged at least 19.4 points for six consecutive seasons, before knee problems limited his effectiveness. O’Neal was traded to Toronto in July 2008, and played 41 games there before a trade deadline deal to Miami for Shawn Marion.

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2010/07/09/celtics_make_a_big_acquisition_in_oneal/

[Sam]

This appeared in the Boston Globe:

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2010/07/celtics_introdu_2.html

In his introductory press conference, JO made some interesting revelations.

• He was kicked about two weeks prior to the playoff series against the Celtics and was struggling with a swollen left ankle when he tried to play against the Celtics. If this is not just an excuse, and if he can recapture a reasonable percentage his earlier form, his signing could be more significant than I had initially figured.

• He was "recruited" by a number of Celtics representatives. But the one making the strongest impression was Rondo, who also invited him to dinner as soon as JO reached Boston. Rondo exercising some leadership?

• JO received glowing recommendations about the Celtics from Sheed. But, when he texted Sheed asking him to return for another year, Sheed did not respond. Is the pendulum swinging back toward retirement for Sheed, and can he please get on with finalizing that decision so the Celts can use his contract in a trade? Sheed's contract could be a pivotal factor in the fortunes of the team in the upcoming season. A quality veteran wing could potentially be obtained with that contract. Add a journeyman or young backup center @ the veteran's minimum, sign some of the rookies, and let's go to war.

Sam

[gyso]

Sam,

I'm pretty sure that Sheed HAS decided to retire. Danny has been trying to trade his contract, but there are so many variables that make it not so straight forward (an as timely) as many would like.

For instance:

Sheeds contract is worth 6mil (more or less). With a simple one for one trade, the Celts can get a contract up to the 7.5mil range. This is the simplest of the options. The Celtics add some cash to offset Sheed's buyout to make it easier on the trading partner.

Add a sign-and-trade (insert player's name here) to Sheed and the Celts can get a much higher contract number guy. The Celtics can get a better player (or a couple of players) this way. I believe this is what they are trying to do. Patience is the key to squeeze even more out of Sheed's contract. Teams have to wait to see where the bigger free agents (and some of the lesser ones) go and then react to how that affects their team's make up. A team may sign a free agent once the market is set and trade away an existing player for Sheed and Player X. One of the keys here is that the other team has to want Player X.

On the JO revelations: So he was kicked? Ray was also kicked and we saw the results in Ray's jumpers after that.

Rondo is hanging around Boston this summer? Perhaps he is practicing his free throws and jump shots, building on his general improvement during last years regular season. Rondo may also be at the team's practice facility when the C's bring in various players to work out.

gyso

[Sponsored content]