Who fills the newly opened 15th spot on the Cs roster?

With the IT for Kyrie trade made only yesterday, there has rightfully been fifty billion words written on it.

Knowing that there will be another fifty billion words written almost every day from now on about it, I am now wondering what the Cs/Ainge do to fill the 15th roster spot that opened up yesterday.

Filling the roster spot will be easy as there are loads of guys looking for an NBA contract who will take that spot, but I believe that Ainge NEEDS to use this newly available spot to significantly impact the 2017-18 season. Guys like Zeller (who was a total pro when in Boston) are available, but will not impact this next season.

With only two big men still on our current roster, I am going to be disappointed if Ainge does not use the 15th roster space for a big man who can at least spend some quality
time at center. Yes, the league is quickly heading toward more and more small ball, but full bore small ball is not totally league wide quite yet. We got killed last season on the boards by big centers and lots of teams still have at least one true center that we will need to shut down in most every game. Horford is not that type of defender or rebounder and we currently can only hope that Baynes could be such a defender/rebounder.

Ainge only has the vet minimum to use unless he trades again before the season begins. Any thoughts?

I wonder what Indy would want for Sabonis?


bob


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wide...have you seen the list for guys still looking for work?

https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/player_tracker/free_agent

list there.

you know we can only offer the vet minimum as we are well over the cap.

Zeller is one of the best players still looking and he knows the system.

however I feel Danny may go another way and look for an additional player who can fill in at the 2 spot...that may be our friend G. Green.

last night someone suggested maybe T. Allen as another option.

https://www.celticsblog.com/2017/8/23/16189264/free-agent-ideas-to-fill-boston-celtics-roster

key part from the article:

It is that Bigs group that seems to scream out the most for an addition, but Danny Ainge won’t confine himself to that line of thinking. The challenge is that at the end of August, when most teams are filling out their squads with camp bodies, pickings are fairly slim in terms of available free agents for Boston to fill that last roster spot. Keep in mind, the Celtics are out of cap space, so they have only the Minimum (Rookie or Veteran) to offer any free agent. Because of this, you can rule out a run at any of the remaining restricted free agents, a group that includes: Nerlens Noel, JaMychal Green, Alex Len and Mason Plumlee. Boston can’t offer a deal that wouldn’t be immediately matched, meaning it would have to be a sign and trade, which seems unlikely given how much the Celtics had to give up to match salary for Irving.

With all of that said, in no particular order, here are some available options that the Celtics could consider:

Tony Allen – Wing/Swing: The Celtics are short a perimeter defender with Crowder traded. Allen can’t slide up to the Bigs spot, but fans would love to bring the tough, defensive-minded guard back to where his career began.

Matt Barnes – Wing/Swing: Barnes is the kind of tough (some would suggest crazy) player that Celtics fans hate on another team, but would love in green. He is capable of sliding up to the Bigs position and has often done so in recent years.

Gerald Green – Wing/Swing: Green had a resurgence back with the Celtics last year. Many were sad to see him go when the team had to purge the roster. He remains unsigned and would be a welcomed return as a known quantity, both on the floor and in the locker room.

Shabazz Muhammad – Wing/Swing: Muhammad has had an incredibly cool market as a free agent. Minnesota wants him back, but they have only the Veteran Minimum to offer, same as the Celtics. Could Muhammad see Boston as closer to contending and want to move on?

Lavoy Allen – Big: Allen is a veteran who has good playoff experience with both Philadelphia and Indiana. He would play a similar type of role to Amir Johnson, with less prominence.

David Lee – Big: You know what? Let’s just move on.

Thomas Robinson – Big: Robinson is still somewhat intriguing. He’s been productive in short stints, but hasn’t been able to catch on anywhere. If the Celtics wanted a low-risk/high-reward play, Robinson makes a lot of sense.

Derrick Williams – Big: Williams is a good fit, due to his versatility. But at this point his game probably overlaps too much with that of Ojeleye and Yabusele to bring him in.

Boris Diaw – Big: Diaw’s ability to handle the ball and pass would give the Celtics a nice backup behind Horford. He would fit in nicely and has plenty of big game experience over the course of his career.

Andrew Bogut – Big: Boston almost signed Bogut last year. He and his agent said they would like to revisit that idea this summer. The Celtics ran out of roster space, but have one now. Despite his lengthy injury history, Bogut would immediately be the best rebounder and rim protector on the roster.

Larry Sanders – Big: There was interest last year before Sanders picked the Cavaliers. He looked pretty far from being ready to be a contributor though and Cleveland moved on fairly quickly. This one seems like a fairly big longshot at this point.

Tyler Zeller – Big: There is obviously a comfort level with Zeller. He’s been with the Celtics for a few years now and knows the system. He’s an almost ideal fifth big because he stays ready and doesn’t complain when he doesn’t play. He’s basically the big equivalent to Gerald Green.

With one open spot on the regular season roster and one camp spot open (teams can carry a max of 20 in the offseason), the Celtics will definitely add two players. They may even bring in two players on guaranteed deals and look to create competition for the final roster spots. And don’t rule out a trade either, as Ainge said at the end of his press conference announcing the Irving trade: “The summer isn’t over yet.”

How about another PG that's below six feet tall?

Baynes, Horford, Yabusele and Theis will be our bigs this season

mulcogiseng wrote:Baynes, Horford, Yabusele and Theis will be our bigs this season

That doesn't cut it.

Of the bigs, would want Robinson or Allen.

I'm not going to take my guess any further than to say if we fill seat # 15, it's with a big. After Horford we have three question marks. We're going to need to do better than that for us to move ahead of the pack.

I have a Bogut in my nose I want to stick on the roster

ginoc wrote:I have a Bogut in my nose I want to stick on the roster

grab a kleenex and pick another.

kdp59 wrote:

ginoc wrote:I have a Bogut in my nose I want to stick on the roster

grab a kleenex and pick another.

Maybe a Shabazz up my...

Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach
about 7 hours ago
Cs are expecting lots of agents to reach out about open spot, but I'm told they'd be OK starting season with 14 guys for roster flexibility
reply retweet like


bob


.

kdp59 wrote:https://www.celticsblog.com/2017/8/23/16189264/free-agent-ideas-to-fill-boston-celtics-roster

key part from the article:

It is that Bigs group that seems to scream out the most for an addition, but Danny Ainge won’t confine himself to that line of thinking. The challenge is that at the end of August, when most teams are filling out their squads with camp bodies, pickings are fairly slim in terms of available free agents for Boston to fill that last roster spot. Keep in mind, the Celtics are out of cap space, so they have only the Minimum (Rookie or Veteran) to offer any free agent. Because of this, you can rule out a run at any of the remaining restricted free agents, a group that includes: Nerlens Noel, JaMychal Green, Alex Len and Mason Plumlee. Boston can’t offer a deal that wouldn’t be immediately matched, meaning it would have to be a sign and trade, which seems unlikely given how much the Celtics had to give up to match salary for Irving.

With all of that said, in no particular order, here are some available options that the Celtics could consider:

Tony Allen – Wing/Swing: The Celtics are short a perimeter defender with Crowder traded. Allen can’t slide up to the Bigs spot, but fans would love to bring the tough, defensive-minded guard back to where his career began.

Matt Barnes – Wing/Swing: Barnes is the kind of tough (some would suggest crazy) player that Celtics fans hate on another team, but would love in green. He is capable of sliding up to the Bigs position and has often done so in recent years.

Gerald Green – Wing/Swing: Green had a resurgence back with the Celtics last year. Many were sad to see him go when the team had to purge the roster. He remains unsigned and would be a welcomed return as a known quantity, both on the floor and in the locker room.

Shabazz Muhammad – Wing/Swing: Muhammad has had an incredibly cool market as a free agent. Minnesota wants him back, but they have only the Veteran Minimum to offer, same as the Celtics. Could Muhammad see Boston as closer to contending and want to move on?

Lavoy Allen – Big: Allen is a veteran who has good playoff experience with both Philadelphia and Indiana. He would play a similar type of role to Amir Johnson, with less prominence.

David Lee – Big: You know what? Let’s just move on.

Thomas Robinson – Big: Robinson is still somewhat intriguing. He’s been productive in short stints, but hasn’t been able to catch on anywhere. If the Celtics wanted a low-risk/high-reward play, Robinson makes a lot of sense.

Derrick Williams – Big: Williams is a good fit, due to his versatility. But at this point his game probably overlaps too much with that of Ojeleye and Yabusele to bring him in.

Boris Diaw – Big: Diaw’s ability to handle the ball and pass would give the Celtics a nice backup behind Horford. He would fit in nicely and has plenty of big game experience over the course of his career.

Andrew Bogut – Big: Boston almost signed Bogut last year. He and his agent said they would like to revisit that idea this summer. The Celtics ran out of roster space, but have one now. Despite his lengthy injury history, Bogut would immediately be the best rebounder and rim protector on the roster.

Larry Sanders – Big: There was interest last year before Sanders picked the Cavaliers. He looked pretty far from being ready to be a contributor though and Cleveland moved on fairly quickly. This one seems like a fairly big longshot at this point.

Tyler Zeller – Big: There is obviously a comfort level with Zeller. He’s been with the Celtics for a few years now and knows the system. He’s an almost ideal fifth big because he stays ready and doesn’t complain when he doesn’t play. He’s basically the big equivalent to Gerald Green.

With one open spot on the regular season roster and one camp spot open (teams can carry a max of 20 in the offseason), the Celtics will definitely add two players. They may even bring in two players on guaranteed deals and look to create competition for the final roster spots. And don’t rule out a trade either, as Ainge said at the end of his press conference announcing the Irving trade: “The summer isn’t over yet.”

I'd take any of these "bigs" to fill the spot.

kdp59 wrote:wide...have you seen the list for guys still looking for work?

https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/player_tracker/free_agent

list there.

you know we can only offer the vet minimum as we are well over the cap.

Zeller is one of the best players still looking and he knows the system.

however I feel Danny may go another way and look for an additional player who can fill in at the 2 spot...that may be our friend G. Green.

last night someone suggested maybe T. Allen as another option.

I thought we could use at least the lesser of the MLE which would be more than the vet minimum.

I would like to see them go after Tony Allen

dboss

Or bring Green back for another year since he knows the system. However after trading Bradley and Crowder adding a guy like Allen would be nice.

What do you think of Emeka Okafor?

Bogut, would easily be a rim protector. I can't for the life of me think why anybody would want Zeller?

15th spot really not that important, for now.

Celts already have enough bigs, Horford, Baynes, and Theis.

fierce wrote:15th spot really not that important, for now.

Celts already have enough bigs, Horford, Baynes, and Theis.

6'10" (barely), 6'10" and what, 6'8"?

Morris and Semi are bigger guys than Theis. They are all 3-4 guys in Stevens 4 position system. No Yabusele love? He is WAY more of a big than Theis.

I personally want to see the Celtics give Tony Allen a veteran minimum contract. But if they do, they could still use a legit backup big man taller than 6'10" more than they'd need Nader or Theis.

international wrote:What do you think of Emeka Okafor?

International,

Okafor is 34 years old and hasn't played since 2013 but I like the way you are thinking.  Big!  We don't need Tony Allen, we need a big.  I do not agree with the people that think Horford, Baynes and 6'9" NBA rookie Theis are enough bigs.


bob


.

bobheckler wrote:

international wrote:What do you think of Emeka Okafor?

International,

Okafor is 34 years old and hasn't played since 2013 but I like the way you are thinking.  Big!  We don't need Tony Allen, we need a big.  I do not agree with the people that think Horford, Baynes and 6'9" NBA rookie Theis are enough bigs.


bob


.

They are definitely not enough bigs. Theis isn't even a big. Yabu is more of one.

I'd like to see Tony Allen. That would help take the sting out of losing AB and Jae even if he is just a 6-8 minute a night, never play on back to backs 50% of his former self in the reg season guy (but up to 65- 70% of "The Grindfather" in 12-14 mins come playoff time). Nader or Theis could be cut and Bogutstill signed if both Bogut and Allen were willing to come for vet min deals but had to be signed in the next 2 weeks or they'd go elsewhere.

After Dec 15th (I think) the decent sized Baynes contract is eligible to be traded and combined with another smaller one and a pick to get a better center being paid up to 6 mil (I think) or so.

Theis is a 6'9" PF/C That translates to a Big not a Wing in the Celtics 3 position system. Bigs, Wings, and Ballhandlers. Yabusele is a 6'8" PF/C and he's is Big also. I grew up on 5 position basketball but it is increasingly not that way in the modern NBA. There was just an article posted recently where Stevens talked about this. Unless there is another trade before the season starts, the Celtics will go with 4 Bigs, Horford and Baynes at 6'10" and Yabusele and Theis. I'm still working hard to get used to this change but I think we are all going to have to adjust to this new system. We have too many players who have been brought in for their versatility. The fact that our tallest player, Ante Zizic at 6'11" was just traded confirms that for me. Having said that, don't be surprised if Danny brings in a 7 footer just to spite me. I know he reads this forum and tends to do the opposite of what I post.

mulcogiseng wrote:Theis is a 6'9" PF/C That translates to a Big not a Wing in the Celtics 3 position system. Bigs, Wings, and Ballhandlers. Yabusele is a 6'8" PF/C and he's is Big also. I grew up on 5 position basketball but it is increasingly not that way in the modern NBA. There was just an article posted recently where Stevens talked about this. Unless there is another trade before the season starts, the Celtics will go with 4 Bigs, Horford and Baynes at 6'10" and Yabusele and Theis. I'm still working hard to get used to this change but I think we are all going to have to adjust to this new system. We have too many players who have been brought in for their versatility. The fact that our tallest player, Ante Zizic at 6'11" was just traded confirms that for me. Having said that, don't be surprised if Danny brings in a 7 footer just to spite me. I know he reads this forum and tends to do the opposite of what I post.

Maybe. But Theis would then definitely be a VERY undersized big at 6'9" 215. He's a limited 3 and D player. At times maybe he could slide into the 'big' position Brad plays, b/c he's willing to try and defend the rim and prefers it to defending wings or your smaller 3-4 forwards on the perimeter (something Crowder and Morris can do). But he'll just be setting picks and waiting behind the 3 point line on offense and is clearly here to fill the Jerebko 3-4 forward role.

Jerebko was pretty much always in a lineup with a big man last year as a 3-4 forward. He was a troublesome energy player on D and mostly a spacer/shooter on O. Theis is 1" shorter and 15lbs lighter. If he can even crack the roster and earn a pittance of minutes I doubt it comes as a big and will almost certainly come in the JJ role alongside Horford or Baynes. His lack of lateral quickness/perimeter D and versatility on offense hurt him as a 3-4 forward and a lack of size, post game and that same quickness/athleticism hurt him as a big. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised, but I'd think if the open roster spot went to a wing like Tony Allen or Gerald Green and Andrew Bogut passed his physical and wanted to sign here for the minimum then Theis or Nader would be cut. Since neither will really play a lot I'd think it should be Theis. Nader provides evidence to future 2nd rd picks that guys who sign on for 1-2 years in the D-League can make the team one day and get a fair shake of things.

Semi and Yabu are both possibilities at 3-4 forwards and as bigs. Yabu more so as a big. They both have MUCH more athleticism, strength, quickness and bulk than Theis. Despite being just 1" shorter they are both more likely to be tried out as bigs in more mins to see if the C's can rock a death squad type lineup with one of them trying to imitate Draymond, which Theis definitely could not do.

BleedGreen wrote:

mulcogiseng wrote:Theis is a 6'9" PF/C That translates to a Big not a Wing in the Celtics 3 position system. Bigs, Wings, and Ballhandlers. Yabusele is a 6'8" PF/C and he's is Big also. I grew up on 5 position basketball but it is increasingly not that way in the modern NBA. There was just an article posted recently where Stevens talked about this. Unless there is another trade before the season starts, the Celtics will go with 4 Bigs, Horford and Baynes at 6'10" and Yabusele and Theis. I'm still working hard to get used to this change but I think we are all going to have to adjust to this new system. We have too many players who have been brought in for their versatility. The fact that our tallest player, Ante Zizic at 6'11" was just traded confirms that for me. Having said that, don't be surprised if Danny brings in a 7 footer just to spite me. I know he reads this forum and tends to do the opposite of what I post.

Maybe. But Theis would then definitely be a VERY undersized big at 6'9" 215. He's a limited 3 and D player. At times maybe he could slide into the 'big' position Brad plays, b/c he's willing to try and defend the rim and prefers it to defending wings or your smaller 3-4 forwards on the perimeter (something Crowder and Morris can do). But he'll just be setting picks and waiting behind the 3 point line on offense and is clearly here to fill the Jerebko 3-4 forward role.

Jerebko was pretty much always in a lineup with a big man last year as a 3-4 forward. He was a troublesome energy player on D and mostly a spacer/shooter on O. Theis is 1" shorter and 15lbs lighter. If he can even crack the roster and earn a pittance of minutes I doubt it comes as a big and will almost certainly come in the JJ role alongside Horford or Baynes. His lack of lateral quickness/perimeter D and versatility on offense hurt him as a 3-4 forward and a lack of size, post game and that same quickness/athleticism hurt him as a big. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised, but I'd think if the open roster spot went to a wing like Tony Allen or Gerald Green and Andrew Bogut passed his physical and wanted to sign here for the minimum then Theis or Nader would be cut. Since neither will really play a lot I'd think it should be Theis. Nader provides evidence to future 2nd rd picks that guys who sign on for 1-2 years in the D[League do make the team one day and get a fair shake of things.

Semi and Yabu are both 3-4 forwards with MUCH more athleticism, strength, quickness and bulk than Theis. Despite being just 1" shorter they are both more likely to be tried out as bigs to see if the C's can rock a death squad type lineup with one of them trying to imitate Draymond.

The listed weight for Theis is 243, not 215.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/5880/