Celts to add a Gallon?

The C's have brought in Oklahoma center Tiny Gallon for a look after the Bucks let him go. Gallon went 47th in this years NCAA draft.

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/

This was the guy I wanted to see us draft. At 6'9" and 300 pounds you might wonder about his place as an NBA center, and it sounds like the Bucks didn't think it was going to work well. The thing that sticks in my mind, however, is that the guy is an incredible rebounder and can defend. He positions himself well and has fairly quick reaction time. Before we brought in the two O'Neals I thought there was a good possibility Gallon could be useful in Perks absence and I was disappointed we took Bradley instead.

Probably not a bad move to take a look at him just in case. We could always stow him in the D-league, although that would take up a roster spot. My gut feeling is that with Shaq and JO manning the 5 until Perk returns on a repaired knee at mid season we might want to give Gallon as good a look as we can quickly.

So, while we've been conjecturing whether Lasme or Wafer would get the last slot, another name now enters the sweepstakes. Or is Harangody now more in jeopardy if the Celts sign a player with physical attributes more ideally suited to the PF position?

CelticsHub's headline is even more emphatic, saying the Celtics are expected to sign him to a non-guaranteed contract and send him to the NBDL. IF there's any truth to this, have we been wasting our time figuring out whether they'll keep Lasme, Wafer, or maybe even Harangody. The answer may be only one of the above plus Gallon.

CelticsHub posts a couple of videos that suggest Gallon could be a remarkable blend of strength, agility, speed, and ball-handling ability. Looking toward the future and the possible departure of Glen Davis at the end of this season, as well as the height and hops limitations of Harangody, could Gallon be long-term developmental insurance at PF?

CelticsHub link: http://celticshub.com/2010/10/19/report-cs-sign-tiny-gallon-will-send-him-to-nbdl/

Sam

It's hard to believe that Harangody would not make the Celtics and Gallon would. In reading some Milwaukee articles, Gallon did not impress them at all, but he does have some NBA skills to work with.
It will be interesting to see who gets the last roster spot. If Lasme does not make it, another team will pick him up. If Wafer does not make the roster, I am not confident that he will be picked up by an NBA team.

TJ

I think Wafer's all set to play overseas.

Sam

Sam,

I think you're right about Gallon being potential insurance. I'm not sure at what position though.

Despite his height, at draft time he projected to remain a center in the NBA. I'm not sure what happened in Milwaukee, but last year I thought he was possibly the most NBA ready center available.

What I really would like to see about 20 minutes of, but sincerely doubt will happen, is Gallon at center with our other starting four. Watching him play at Oklahoma I thought he could replace Perk. Permanently.

I'm basing things on what I saw at the college level last year, and we all know that sometimes things change dramatically for a player when they hit the NBA. That being said if whatever happened in Milwaukee is an abberation due to their system I'd keep Gallon over Harangody or Erden because I think he could end up being our center; even at 6'9". I think Lasme trumps Harangody, Wafer and Gallon because we need someone who can defend big 3's off the bench more than anything at this point.

I have read that playing in China is Wafers backup plan.

It's fun to speculate what a team should do when we're not there for practice, isn't it? Glad I'm not the coach...

Regards

NYC,

Read what I wrote in my "SSS" thread about the new NBDL rule. It's a way of getting up to three Celtics cuts onto the Lobsters without their counting against the Celtics roster. It doesn't ensure that no other team could recruit them, but at least it would maintain their relationships with the Celtics.

Who am I to pooh pooh the idea of a 6' 9" center who has a lot of mass? We had two with less mass who did pretty well in other eras (Russ, Cowens). What shocked me in the video of Gallon was that he handled the ball like a guard, dribbling end-to-end and completing the journey with a thunderous dunk. Sometimes, even if a player doesn't fit the classic mold, he demands attention based on special skills.

You're right. The next few days (and maybe even tonight's game as well) should be a lot of fun.

Sam

Sam,

I checked your thread; glad you posted that, I was not aware.

It might be a good year to catch a Maine game!

NTC,

That's a great idea! Let's try to plan on it.

Sam

Sam,

That might compensate for missed opportunities last season.

Regards