Colton Iverson could fill Celtics' need for 'a stronger center'

CSNNE

By Kevin O'Connor July 07, 2016 9:32 PM

WALTHAM – Danny Ainge said Thursday that the Boston Celtics likely aren’t done making moves, with their biggest needs being “shooting” and “a stronger center.” According to a source, the latter need could be filled by center Colton Iverson, whose rights are owned by the Celtics as the 53rd overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

After spending the last three years playing in the Turkish and Spanish leagues, with two summer league appearances with the Celtics, Iverson is now a 27-year-old seasoned veteran who’s ready to compete immediately in an energy role off the bench.

The Celtics have frontcourt depth featuring Al Horford, Kelly Olynyk, Amir Johnson, and Jordan Mickey -- but they lack a traditional center who specializes in rim running on offense, rebounding on both ends, and rim protection on defense.

At 7-feet and 263-pounds, that’s precisely where Iverson is equipped to help. The Colorado State alumni played this past season with Karsiyaka of the Turkish League, and averaged 11.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. As one of Turkey’s most efficient pick-and-roll finishers, Iverson’s player efficiency rating of 24.1 was third in the league.

Small ball is en vogue in the NBA, but there's still a need for traditional big men. Centers Steven Adams and Andrew Bogut played pivotal roles for their respective teams in the NBA Playoffs, and Timothy Mozgov and Ian Mahinmi signed lucrative contracts in free agency. Iverson isn’t quite at the same level of those players, but he can fill a similar role and do it at a tremendously lower cost compared to any of the remaining options, including Boston’s own restricted free agents Tyler Zeller and Jared Sullinger.

A move for Iverson is not impending, but at the least, per the source, he is a name to monitor as a depth piece for the Celtics, regardless of any potential transactions they make in the upcoming weeks and months.

Kevin O’Connor can be followed on Twitter: @KevinOConnorNBA

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I am afraid that there is something big enough in Iverson's game that the Cs must not think that he can fix or they would have already invited him to pre season camp. It appears that just being 7 feet tall and weighing over 260 is just not enough.

There is certainly nothing to lose by inviting this guy except for one of their 20 allowable roster spaces. If he were to make the team, he would do so and only earn a small salary, and if he fails to make the roster for the season he walks out the door looking for another job somewhere.

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2016/07/boston_celtics_rumors_jared_su.html



Boston Celtics rumors: Jared Sullinger's situation something to watch, one-year deal could be possibility




Jared Sullinger, center, is flanked by Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen, left, and forward Jarell Martin, right, on a shot during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, March 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)


Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com




on July 09, 2016 at 1:25 PM, updated July 09, 2016 at 1:30 PM



With the market for big men drying up, Jared Sullinger returning to the Boston Celtics on a short-term deal is starting to seem like a possibility.

During a radio interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub, The Vertical's Chris Mannix pointed out that Sullinger hasn't received much interest in free agency. If that trend continues, he could be more open to a one-year deal that would let him become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

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Adam Kaufman ✔ @AdamMKaufman
.@ChrisMannixYS: "There hasn't really been a lot of interest at this point in Jared Sullinger. A lot has to do with RFA tag." #Celtics
7:05 AM - 9 Jul 2016
 7 7 Retweets   10 10 likes


Follow
Adam Kaufman ✔ @AdamMKaufman
.@ChrisMannixYS: "I'd keep an eye on [Jared] Sullinger on a potential one-year deal coming back to Boston." {Fans groan} #Celtics
7:06 AM - 9 Jul 2016
 14 14 Retweets   23 23 likes


Tyler Zeller's in a similar situation.

"I've talked with both those guys and we'll continue to see how it all plays out," Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said earlier this week. "We are still looking at doing deals and we're certainly not finished for the summer. Those are two very good players and we'll continue talking with them as the summer goes along."

It's no secret the Celtics want to maintain enough cap flexibility to chase a maximum-contract free agent next summer. Partly because of that, letting Sullinger and/or Zeller walk always felt like a possibility -- one that seemed more likely after Boston landed four-time All-Star Al Horford. But teams with cap space chased other big men early in free agency and money isn't flying around anymore. The market has changed so drastically that Festus Ezeli reportedly agreed to a two-year, $15.2-million contract with a team option on the second season -- nowhere near the amount guys like Timofey Mozgov (four years, $64 million) and Jon Leuer (four years, $42 million) got just last week. That could mean a lack of strong offers for Sullinger and Zeller.

If that's the case, one-year contracts could start to look like better options. And if Sullinger does sign a short-term deal to stay in Boston, fans shouldn't groan. The guy's a productive, young player whose rebounding would be a huge help to next season's team. If the Celtics can keep him and future flexibility, that's a win on two fronts.



bob



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I could see the Cs resigning both Sullinger and Zeller as both are good, but not great, players who made some solid contributions to our 48 win regular season. With Horford signed some of the weight of productivity from both guys could be less so they are both very capable of contributing again as we try to get to 54-55 wins this year. And, since both guys are still pretty young, each or both could be ready to make some large skill gains this season.

One year contracts for both of these guys combined may be in the neighborhood of $7 M at this point at least until they can find better offers than just their qualifying offers from the Celtics. Not bad money to pay out for the team for two solid players on a deep bench.

Neither is Demarcus Cousins, but there certainly are worse players out there in NBA uniforms who are likely to make even more money.