OTHER BIG MAN OPTIONS

Should the C's consider Kyrylo Fesenko
March, 21, 2012

By Chris Forsberg

Kyrylo Fesenko could provide the big body the Celtics covet up front.
One of the more mysterious names in the Celtics' big-man search is former Utah center Kyrylo Fesenko. At 7-foot-1, 288 pounds, Fesenko is a monster of a big man and he's only 25 years old. But not only has he played sparingly in four NBA seasons with the Utah Jazz, the Ukraine import has sat out the entire 2011-12 season after undergoing offseason knee surgery in September. Should the Celtics consider him? Let's break it down:

* During our "Good in Green" summer series, we pegged Fesenko as an ideal backup big man for Boston, particularly because of his defensive prowess. From what we wrote then:
According to Synergy Sports, Fesenko allowed a mere .716 points per play last season, ranking him in the 96th percentile among all NBA players. Of all the hoopsters that had at least 100 defensive plays last season, Fesenko ranked fourth overall in points per play (Boston's Jermaine O'Neal was second at .675 points per play). Opponents shot a mere 34.2 percent against Fesenko and, while he's still susceptible to post-up situations, he excelled against the pick-and-roll and especially in spot-up situations where players must shoot over his long frame (Fesenko has a 9-foot-4 standing reach).

* But don't take our word on his defense. Here's an excerpt from John Hollinger's scouting report:
The best-kept secret in the NBA right now is Fesenko's monstrous defensive stats. It's not that one or two metrics point out his defensive value; it's that all of them do, without any pointing to the contrary. Last season the Jazz were an eye-popping 11.91 points per 100 possessions better on defense with Fesenko on the floor, and this is not a new trend. The season before it was 8.67; in limited minutes his first two seasons he also had a strong differential. Synergy Stats, meanwhile, rated Fesenko as the second-best defender in the entire league among players who faced at least 150 opponent plays; the season before he was first. And according to 82games.com, opposing centers had a PER of just 10.4 against him; the season before it was 12.9. Despite his size, Fesenko doesn't block a ton of shots or dominate the boards. He just uglies up the game for opponents with his sheer hugeness, especially since he moves his feet fairly well for his size. And he can still get better -- he wasn't always fully engaged in Utah and needs to step up his commitment.

* So now the downsides: Fesenko is rather atrocious offensively and has virtually no game outside of 3 feet from the basket (and he struggles at the charity stripe when teams make him earn his points). His defensive stats are phenomenal, but they don't reflect his propensity to foul, which has limited his ability to stay on the floor.

* Ultimately, it comes down to health. Fesenko seemed bound for the Golden State Warriors before the season, only to have the sides "mutually" agree to cancel a one-year deal in order to allow Fesenko time to get in game shape. The Dallas Mavericks appeared poised to swoop him up soon after, but that never materialized, either. Three months later, is Fesenko any closer to game shape? And why hasn't he been swooped up before this point?

Final thoughts: If the Celtics are looking for pure size, they won't do better than Fesenko. While the team would probably prefer a little bit more offense given the second-unit struggles to produce points at times this season, Fesenko's defense makes up for that as he'll prevent as many points as most backup bigs would generate. Fesenko has quality NBA experience, including some playoff time during the 2009-10 season. He rebounds better than some of the other available options on the open market and certainly deserves consideration if he's physically ready to contribute.

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Should the C's consider Boris Diaw?

By Chris Forsberg

Boris Diaw would be quite the pickup for the Boston Celtics.
The Charlotte Bobcats and Boris Diaw have agreed to a buyout, according to the Charlotte Observer, making the soon-to-be 30-year-old center available (though early indications are he might be pegged for San Antonio). Should the Celtics consider him if he examines other options? It makes some sense as Diaw has a little bit of Kevin Garnett (his pass-first mentality) and Rasheed Wallace (his much-scrutinized conditioning) in him. Let's break it down:

* While buyout pickings are often slim, Diaw will have plenty of interest being a big man that has averaged 9.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists over nine NBA seasons. After three years as a full-time starter in Charlotte, he moved to a reserve role this season in Charlotte and his offensive production suffered because of it. Despite his talent, you'll hear more about the negatives with Diaw.

* As proof, here's John Hollinger's scouting report that harps on the conditioning issues:
Whoever wrote that French people don't get fat clearly never went to a Bobcats game. Although Diaw's conditioning has had surprisingly little effect on his game, he's clearly been living large of late. It hasn't affected his hunger for passing, however, as he led all power forwards in Pure Point Rating and assist ratio. Diaw eats up small defenders on the left block, where he has a nice right-handed jump hook shot, but the hard part is persuading him to shoot. He averaged just 13.3 points per 40 minutes, even though he's become a decent mid-range shooter that hit 44.6 percent of his long 2s last season and shot 34.5 percent on 3s. He chews up most big men off the dribble, too, with his superior ballhandling skills, but in spite of all that he finished below the league average for power forwards in usage rate. His rebounding famine is another problem. While Diaw has advantages in most respects at the power forward spot, he rebounds like a wing. His conditioning is part of the issue, plus he's not a leaper and he's a bit undersized. He was second-to-last among power forwards in rebound rate at a pathetic 9.0.

* His offensive numbers this season are truly an eyesore. Diaw grades out as poor, averaging a mere 0.716 points per play (14th percentile), according to Synergy Sports data. What's more, he grades as poor in transition, putbacks, and pick-and-roll, while also being below average in spot up and post situations (his two most frequent play types, accounting for 43.4 percent of his total offensive possessions). His offensive rating this season is a mere 89 (though 106 for his career).

* Charlotte coach Paul Silas detailed the frustrations with Diaw earlier this month. From the Observer:
“I like a player who is really committed to not only the team but to himself and then doing the best he can as a player,’’ Silas said. “Some of the things that would go on, like not shooting the ball, passing all of the time’’ were unacceptable. “I needed hoops and he could put the ball in the hoop. When that wouldn’t happen it was very disturbing. I think if he had played all out, the way he should have, it would have been a much, much better club.”

* Diaw and Rajon Rondo are ever-so slightly linked. During the summer of 2005, the Hawks traded Diaw, a 2006 first-round pick (which would later be Rondo), and a 2008 first-round pick (which would later be Robin Lopez) to the Phoenix Suns for Joe Johnson. The Suns drafted Rondo for Boston before a draft-night trade sent him to Boston with Brian Grant for a 2007 first-round pick (which would later be Rudy Fernandez).

Finals thought: Like every big man we've examined in this space, Diaw is flawed. But he's probably also the most talented overall (the question is simply if his next team can get that talent out of him). He's not the best rebounder and he can't run the floor -- two troubling aspets if you're the Celtics. But for a team desperate for big men, to get one with talented would be a quality haul.
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We need beef and/or height. Need them. Diaw is 6'8", 215#. I say that disqualifies him.

Fesenko is 7'1", 288#. Ding, ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/fesenky01.html

Offensively handicapped, can't hit free throws (40% career? That makes Rondo look like Rick Barry) but massive, good rebounder. Pure brute force. Someone to put a body on Howard. Someone to put a body on Jordan. Someone to put Bynum on his ass (Lebron too, if he comes down the lane).

Let's face it, we're not going to get anybody of quality at this time. So, we have to make the best of what's available for our needs and our needs are height and bulk.

bob

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Fesenko showed glimpses last year that he could develop into a decent big man. And he's big. He could help this season, and perhaps even more important, he could help going forward.

Diaw had his best years in Phoenix with D'Antoni's run-and-gun show and has been a disappointment since. And I don't know what source says he's 215 pounds, but he's developed a sizable caboose that I would think puts him in the 250-260 range. Think of a slightly taller Paul Pierce, except without the skills, smarts, and motivation.

Fesenko yes, Diaw no.

If only we had Clifford Ray to teach the Bigs!

Look what he did for Perk!

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Outside wrote:Fesenko showed glimpses last year that he could develop into a decent big man. And he's big. He could help this season, and perhaps even more important, he could help going forward.

Diaw had his best years in Phoenix with D'Antoni's run-and-gun show and has been a disappointment since. And I don't know what source says he's 215 pounds, but he's developed a sizable caboose that I would think puts him in the 250-260 range. Think of a slightly taller Paul Pierce, except without the skills, smarts, and motivation.

Fesenko yes, Diaw no.

outside,

I thought Fesenko did a good job of filling in for Okur, in Utah, when Okur was out injured.

Other than Shaq, I can't think of anybody BIGGER to set screens for Ray. They'll need to take a taxi just to get around him.

bob

.

Want BIG

where is Mike Sweetney these days.

Cab? you'd need passports

beat

Howabout Okur, he was waived by the Blazers.

Supposedly Celtics is interested in Ryan Hollins:

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/celtics/index.php/2012/03/21/celtics-in-line-for-hollins/