OFFICIAL: Celtics sign FA Von Wafer!

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=16953

The Boston Celtics have signed Von Wafer to a one-year contract, according to sources close to the situation. The deal will be fully guaranteed and worth the veteran's minimum.

The Celtics had spent the past week looking for a guard to replace Tony Allen. Eddie House, Roger Mason, and Jarvis Hayes were mentioned as options, but the team ultimately went with Wafer because of his ability to score off of the bench.

Wafer had also received offers from the Cleveland Cavaliers, who he worked out for on Tuesday, and several teams overseas before deciding to join the Celtics. Prior to a stint with Olympiakos in Greece, Wafer last averaged 9.7 points per game for the Houston Rockets in 2008.

Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=16953#ixzz0v7G7sOiU

I like this signing. This guy is an athlete. I am liking how the team is rounding out.

What happened with Fernandez?????? I really thought that was going to be the next announcement from the Celtics. This came out of the blue.

I think they are waiting for the new guy to assume control out there rosie t.

WOW I love this move!!!! this guy is an athlete that can score in alot of ways and can get hot for stretches from outside,he will attack.We are suddenly very deep at backup wing.Can we still get Shaq?

This vet minimum contact doesn't affect teh value to be gained from trading Rasheed's contract. Danny still has options. Greaty addition O Danny Boy!

Sorry; I must be in a mood to question things.

The only interest he got in the NBA was from Cleveland and everything else was from overseas?

He's been out of the league since '08 and I can't find where anyone has been that interested in bringing him back, not counting the weekly Hoopshype plug data-mined from The San Jose Bee or some other publishing giant (no offense intended Californians near San Jose).

I think I'm more interested to see if Daniels can stay healthy.

I just checked my pulse and it's not at all elevated. Maybe I'll go for a run and see if that helps.

Possible reasons Von Wafer failed his physical
by grungedave on Dec 23, 2009 12:07 PM CST in Discussions about Badasses 14 comments

By now I am sure you have heard the startling and unfortunate news...

No, not the news about My So Called Life getting canceled. I'm (mostly) over that, people. I'm talking about Von Wafer. And how a player of his stature somehow fails a freakin' physical. Yes, Von failed. And since he's a Florida State alum, I am sure he's not used to being told he "failed" much less that he was required to even to take a test.

I still have no idea how the hell a 24 year old with no known injury or medical history fails an NBA physical.

I mean, shit, Shaq somehow is healthy enough to play in the NBA and the FatAss clearly isn't in shape. Same goes for Tracy McGrady. Dude is hobbling all over the court, but our docs gave him the go-ahead. So what the hell did Von Wafer do to fail a supposedly routine physical exam? I foresee a top 10 list in the making!

Potential Reasons Von Wafer failed his physical:

1. Hung out too much with Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla during the offseason.

2. Von was beat up as a threat to Olympiakos over money owed to Chris Morris.

3. Von misunderstood the meaning of "team physical" and tried to fight Rick Adelman.

4. Failed to stick the landing on dunk attempt. French judge still gave him a "10" though.

5. Team docs accidentally mistook McGrady's medical records for Von's.

6. The physical required Von to simulate a pass to a teammate.

7. Rockets didn't know what to do with a medical report that showed a completely healthy player.

8. Jason Kidd saw Von walking aimlessly in a dark alley. FU, Jason Kidd.

9. Turns out Jermain(e) Taylor really *is* the boxer and saw Von as a threat to his roster status.

10. Von has a bad back and hip. Who knew?

Since when do 24 year olds get to complain about a bad back and/or hip? Greg Oden doesn't count since we all know he's old enough to collect social security.

So, uh, we'll have to put the "Welcome Back, Von!" parade on hold, I guess. Bummer. I guess the good news is that Lee has temporarily saved $60.

Isnt he the same kind of player as Marquis Daniels?

Guess maybe Daniels is more of a 3 and Waffer more of a 2, but not sure.

I am still waiting for a PF off the bench with some size to replace Sheed.

Worcester, I thought at first you meant he had failed a Celtics physical today, not a Houston physical seven months ago. Is there concern he won't pass with the Celtics?

Sam

Sam, I assume he'll pass his physical for the Celtics, but it was surprising to find out that he failed his test for the Rockets Dec. 23, 2009. Some Christmas present, huh? Wonder why?

Actually I'd googled Von Wafer to find out how much he weighed so I could make a joke about him being "wafer thin" - but he's pretty hefty - 6'3", 210 lbs. His nickname with the Rockets was "the Dutch Cookie."

W,

With that "wafer thin" crack, which was also my first thought, you have identified yourself as a fan of Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life." The first time I watched it, I laughed so hard that I really thought I was going to wind up like Mr. Creosote.

Always good to see it again, although nothing will ever match that first-glance laughfest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlfcF1I5e_g

Sam

In his last year in the NBA, 08-09, he shot 45% from the floor, 39% from 3. He shoots 75% from the line. He's a career 41% shooter, but his numbers have climbed steadily every year, so it's looking like he's hitting his stride.

Since he played in Greece last year, I'm having trouble finding scouting reports on him. What I seem to remember reading somewhere is that he loses focus on defense. Fine, let's see if KG can make him cry too.

In 36mpg, he averaged 17.9ppg in his last year with Houston. A positive assist-to-turnover ratio. One thing's for sure, this kid's a gunner.

Camp is looking like this:

Rondo/Nate
Ray/Wafer/Bradley/Janning(?)
Pierce/Q/Sims(?)
KG/Davis/Harangody
JO/Erden/Perk/Wallace(?)

That's 16. At least 1, if not 2, are gone by November.

bob

.

bob-

Not sure if you saw my response to you in the other thread where you were wondering what Laker fans thought of Wafer.

I thought the Lakers gave up on Wafer too quickly, as I always liked his talent, but he was apparently quite a headcase. He definitely had issues with both Phil and Rick Adleman. He melted down on the bench vs the Lakers in a playoff game in '09 during an argument with Adleman, who sent him to the locker room and didn't play him the rest of the series IIRC. He's never really played any D, either.

He can really score though, and will be a nice addition to come off the bench with lil' Nate. That would be a lot of backcourt firepower. I think given Daniels' injury history that this is a good signing as if one of the two flames out due to injury (Daniels) or mental issues (Wafer), the Cs will still have a solid swing backup.

It will be interesting to see if Wafer has matured, and how he fits in with the Cs. I think only a team with a very strong culture, coach and vet presence like the Cs Lakers, or Spurs could make it work, much as the Lakers did with Artest last year.

babyskyhook wrote:
bob-

Not sure if you saw my response to you in the other thread where you were wondering what Laker fans thought of Wafer.

I thought the Lakers gave up on Wafer too quickly, as I always liked his talent, but he was apparently quite a headcase. He definitely had issues with both Phil and Rick Adleman. He melted down on the bench vs the Lakers in a playoff game in '09 during an argument with Adleman, who sent him to the locker room and didn't play him the rest of the series IIRC. He's never really played any D, either.

He can really score though, and will be a nice addition to come off the bench with lil' Nate. That would be a lot of backcourt firepower. I think given Daniels' injury history that this is a good signing as if one of the two flames out due to injury (Daniels) or mental issues (Wafer), the Cs will still have a solid swing backup.

It will be interesting to see if Wafer has matured, and how he fits in with the Cs. I think only a team with a very strong culture, coach and vet presence like the Cs Lakers, or Spurs could make it work, much as the Lakers did with Artest last year.

bsh,

Yes, I saw your comments. Always nice to get an opinion from a respected source who has actually watched the player in question.

Ok, so now we have a 2nd unit that has little Nate at 1, Von Wafer (I keep picturing this blond german with a monocle) at 2, Daniels at 3, Davis at 4 and Erden at 5 (until Perk comes back). That is NOT what I would call a defensive oriented lineup. Bradley's a 'defender-first', but he's a rookie and won't get many minutes and will still be learning the pro game.

With Thibodeaux and Tony Allen gone, I am concerned there may be a defensive identity crisis with this unit. Not one of those players has an Artest-like defensive warrior mentality that could motivate and inspire the rest. Tony did but Hasta la Vista Baby...

bob

.

Bob

With respect our d will be fine ...it always is and is demanded. We would be counting number 18 and pretty easily if we could score more points. Our offseason moves imho address that in spades. If we sign Rudy or one more scorer / shooter we can and will beat anyone.

This season is shaping up to be like every other recent season in two respects. (1) There will be many, many little subplots to keep track of, and (2) I'm again going to be pissed that fans can't attend practices.

I'm wondering whether Ainge is through stockpiling young veteran wings. Since Wafer cane for the veteran minimum, his signing doesn't at all change the landscape for possible other signings. For instance, Danny could still trade Bradley for Rudy and use the Sheed contract and a draft pick to get another decent quality big. (And, yes, I understand Bradley's potential for exactly what it is—unproven potential as a tweener.)

Signing Rudy as well as Wafer could allay a lot of fears about Daniels' health. At some point, though, the roster can get too crowded with guys who will want to play. And I could see Rudy balking at coming here because of a possible logjam at the wings. The Celts are getting dangerously near the point where they have a lot of quantity, and we'll all be talking about their depth....BUT developing a high-quality core may be a real challenge—especially with increasing numbers of guys having to learn the system. I wonder whether there's any point at which Danny—with a nearly full roster—could now package a couple of guys he didn't have earlier and do a two-for-one trade to upgrade the quality.

But, IF he can re-adapt to the NBA, the signing of Wafer certainly will help the Celtics' cause without giving away any of the meager trading assets they still have.

The other thing I become increasingly concerned about is that are relatively few teams to whom an expiring contract is still a potentially attractive solution.

Sam

I've been trying to find out why Wafer failed his physical. Nobody really knows, but it appears he has a history of back problems. If so, I'm not sure he fixes Daniels' health issues.

Here are some other posters' thoughts:

http://greenstreet.weei.com/sports/boston/basketball/celtics/2010/07/29/what-von-wafer-does-for-the-celtics/

http://celticshub.com/2010/07/30/on-von-wafer-and-the-cs-off-season/

bob

.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbQ3xwXgFzw

Appears to be a good athlete, ball handler finisher and can shoot from the perimeter. hitting the game-winning three at a game in Boston that the Rockets won 89–85

dboss

So in Wafer we have a guy who can score off the bench but we're unsure of his defense, and by all counts he's a headcase.

Great.

He's the yin to Tony Allen's yang.

Sounds like just the project for Doc. I heard some of the same things about Nate Robinson. And, over the years, I've come to realize that there's something about coming to a seriously contending team that can mature people in a hurry—at least enough so they can be contributors. I think it's a little like going from middle school to the next level. We'll see if it works in Wafer's case.

Sam

bobheckler wrote:

babyskyhook wrote:
bob-

Not sure if you saw my response to you in the other thread where you were wondering what Laker fans thought of Wafer.

I thought the Lakers gave up on Wafer too quickly, as I always liked his talent, but he was apparently quite a headcase. He definitely had issues with both Phil and Rick Adleman. He melted down on the bench vs the Lakers in a playoff game in '09 during an argument with Adleman, who sent him to the locker room and didn't play him the rest of the series IIRC. He's never really played any D, either.

He can really score though, and will be a nice addition to come off the bench with lil' Nate. That would be a lot of backcourt firepower. I think given Daniels' injury history that this is a good signing as if one of the two flames out due to injury (Daniels) or mental issues (Wafer), the Cs will still have a solid swing backup.

It will be interesting to see if Wafer has matured, and how he fits in with the Cs. I think only a team with a very strong culture, coach and vet presence like the Cs Lakers, or Spurs could make it work, much as the Lakers did with Artest last year.

bsh,

Yes, I saw your comments. Always nice to get an opinion from a respected source who has actually watched the player in question.

Ok, so now we have a 2nd unit that has little Nate at 1, Von Wafer (I keep picturing this blond german with a monocle) at 2, Daniels at 3, Davis at 4 and Erden at 5 (until Perk comes back). That is NOT what I would call a defensive oriented lineup. Bradley's a 'defender-first', but he's a rookie and won't get many minutes and will still be learning the pro game.

With Thibodeaux and Tony Allen gone, I am concerned there may be a defensive identity crisis with this unit. Not one of those players has an Artest-like defensive warrior mentality that could motivate and inspire the rest. Tony did but Hasta la Vista Baby...

bob

.

bob-

it's going to be interesting to see if the Cs emphasis on D and the vet defensive presence and culture of the team has an effect on the bench guys who have not previously shown much on D. When they are mixed with the starters, I think guys like Nate and Daniels will do fine. But when the 5 guys you mentioned are out there that might not be the case so much.

Would be interesting to see a split personality (maybe not so much to you guys) where the starters are defensively-oriented and the bench is run and gun, uptempo PHX Suns style with little regard for the D. Would make for some interesting moments on the board this season!

Sam wrote:Sounds like just the project for Doc. I heard some of the same things about Nate Robinson. And, over the years, I've come to realize that there's something about coming to a seriously contending team that can mature people in a hurry—at least enough so they can be contributors. I think it's a little like going from middle school to the next level. We'll see if it works in Wafer's case.

Sam

Sam- I think there's a lot of truth to that.

Teams with strong winning cultures, coaches and proven vets don't allow some of the knuckleheads to step out of line at all, and they benefit from the discipline.

I like the Wafer signing for you guys at the min. Very little downside, and he could be a Vinny Johnson type of bench spark.