Celtics to Sign Ryan Hollins

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MILWAUKEE — Barring an unexpected contract snafu, Ryan Hollins will be joining the Boston Celtics.

Danny Ainge, Boston's president of basketball operations, told CSNNE.com that the C's are planning to add the 7-foot veteran to the roster.

In order to make room for Hollins, the C's are expected to waive Chris Wilcox (heart condition) who will have surgery later this month and will be out for the remainder of the 2011-2012 season.

Of the big men available, Hollins was one of the few still remaining that the C's had interest in adding. Once Ronny Turiaf chose Miami and J.J. Hickson was claimed off waivers by Portland, Hollins was arguably the next best big man.

However, Boston's interest in Hollins goes back before he was waived by Cleveland on Tuesday.

Hollins, who played at UCLA, spent the lockout working out and playing in games with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

Ainge said Garnett and Pierce urged him this summer to try and sign Hollins.

"They really liked his game and the way he could play with them," Ainge said. "I think he would fit in well with what we do."

It is unclear how much Hollins will help immediately.

For the C's, having another big on the roster is help in itself.

With both Wilcox and Jermaine O'Neal (wrist) out for the season, Boston's big-man rotation was down to Garnett, Brandon Bass and rookies Greg Stiemsma and JaJuan Johnson. Of that foursome, only Garnett (6-11) and Stiemsma (7-0) actually play the center position.

The 27-year-old Hollins has appeared in 299 games (54 starts) with Charlotte, Dallas, Minnesota and most recently, Cleveland. He has averaged 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per game over the course of his career.

If the C's are able to get his contract ironed out today, he would most likely suit up for the first time against Washington on Sunday.

Hollins is a very poor rebounder for a 7-footer. 684 career rebounds in 3,928 minutes. One every 5.74 minutes. That's even worse than Brandon Bass this year (one every 5.13) who is also not a good rebounder for his size.

But for a 7-footer who gets one rebound every nearly six minutes, that's terrible. Slim pickins out there right now for bigs that's for sure.

I almost wonder if it was worth waiving Wilcox.

Hollins vs. a guy out with heart surgery. I'm tempted to go with keeping the guy who's out for a year with the aorta repair.

Maybe Hollins will surprise us. I hope so.

Doc confirms Hollins to Celtics

March 22, 2012, 8:58 pm

The coach says that the team has reached an agreement with the 7-foot center.

MILWAUKEE — Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers has confirmed that the team has reached an agreement with Ryan Hollins.

Rivers added that he's hopeful that the 7-foot center will be in uniform on Friday when the C's face Atlantic Division rival Philadelphia.

"He has to go through physicals … so we have our fingers crossed the way physicals have gone," Rivers said.

The physicals would be performed Friday morning, and Hollins would join up with the team before the Sixers game.

In terms of what impact (if any) Hollins will make on the C's, Rivers said it's too soon to tell.

"He's an athletic big; he can run the floor," Rivers said. "A shot-blocker from the weak side. He does defend well; in the schemes that we run, I think he can show and get back in coverage."

However, Hollins' 2.3 rebounds per game career average has to improve significantly if he is to help the already depleted Celtics' frontcourt that will be without Chris Wilcox (heart condition) and Jermaine O'Neal (wrist) for the remainder of the 2011-2012 season.

"We'll really stress rebounding with him," Rivers said. "But he's just another body that we needed. So we'll take him."

Both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett played with Hollins during the extended offseason because of the lockout, and have been encouraging the C's to pursue him well before he became available after the Cavaliers waived him on Tuesday.

"They've been talking about him for a while," Rivers said. "But listen. He didn't play in Cleveland for a reason. And I don't know what that reason is. We're just hoping he can help us. And I think he can."

Rivers added, "sometimes it just takes one team to fit; hopefully it's us."

Danny Ainge, Boston's president of basketball operations, is also hopeful that Hollins can eventually become a contributor off the bench.

"I think he would fit in well with what we do," Ainge told CSNNE.com in a phone interview on Thursday.

112288

Hollins has definite hops, much more athletic than Steamer, guess all the bangers have jobs already.....we'll see

Steamer is a keeper for next year. He just needs someone to work with him in the off season.

112288

I hope I'm wrong but I'm not expecting much from Hollins. Here's a 7-footer who is 27 years old who was drafted with the 20th pick in the second round. If someone that big had any talent he wouldn't have been drafted that low and now be joining his fifth team in six years.

I know there are the rare gems (Paul Milsap and Manu Ginobili for example) who were late second round picks but boy are they few and far between. And they showed their talents quickly.

Then again, we're not expecting Ryan Hollins to be a stud. Just a big body who can contribute a little on a very depleted frontcourt.

Where is Perk just when you need him......................

112288

Not expecting much from Hollins. If he's waived by the Cavs, how good can he be? I got a bad feeling we won't see Wilcox in Green anymore. Now if it were 30 years ago and it was Lionel Hollins, the C's would really have something.

MD!

Boy, is everybody selling Hollins woefully short.

The reason he doesn't get any rebounds is because he's so busy boxing and blocking out. I went to 82games.com, and it says that, without Hollins' block-out capabilities, Varejao would have gotten exactly four putbacks, six defensive rebounds, and 64 technical fouls during this season.

Moreover, Hollins has a deceptively menacing demeanor, and his greatest hatred in life is turnovers (basketball, not apple, MD). Early word is that Rondo has pledged to commit zero turnovers throughout the rest of the season and the playoffs, solely because of his abject fear of Hollins.

Finally, there's his lack of scoring. Did anyone except me know that Hollins is an assist machine just waiting for teammates quick enough to keep up with him. The story behind the story in Cleveland's release of him was that the coach got sick of holding special "Hollins practices." They'd alternate Hollins between the high and low post, and he'd fire hundreds of no-look passes to cutters. The cutters would invariably flub each pinpoint pass, and Hollins would yell, "Wanna see it again?" The Cleveland ball boys are now named "towel boys" because they spent so much time wiping up the tears of Hollins' teammates. In fact, four of those teammates are scheduled to appear in a class action suit on Judge Judy in about a month, charging Hollins with alienation of projectiles.

So I hope it's clear that Hollins will probably lead the Celtics to #18 without scoring a point or grabbing a rebound. The guy is a burgeoning all-star just waiting for the the other stars to align in his favor. You know, stars like KG, Pierce, Ray and Rondo.

Sam

sam wrote:Boy, is everybody selling Hollins woefully short.

The reason he doesn't get any rebounds is because he's so busy boxing and blocking out. I went to 82games.com, and it says that, without Hollins' block-out capabilities, Varejao would have gotten exactly four putbacks, six defensive rebounds, and 64 technical fouls during this season.

Moreover, Hollins has a deceptively menacing demeanor, and his greatest hatred in life is turnovers (basketball, not apple, MD). Early word is that Rondo has pledged to commit zero turnovers throughout the rest of the season and the playoffs, solely because of his abject fear of Hollins.

Finally, there's his lack of scoring. Did anyone except me know that Hollins is an assist machine just waiting for teammates quick enough to keep up with him. The story behind the story in Cleveland's release of him was that the coach got sick of holding special "Hollins practices." They'd alternate Hollins between the high and low post, and he'd fire hundreds of no-look passes to cutters. The cutters would invariably flub each pinpoint pass, and Hollins would yell, "Wanna see it again?" The Cleveland ball boys are now named "towel boys" because they spent so much time wiping up the tears of Hollins' teammates. In fact, four of those teammates are scheduled to appear in a class action suit on Judge Judy in about a month, charging Hollins with alienation of projectiles.

So I hope it's clear that Hollins will probably lead the Celtics to #18 without scoring a point or grabbing a rebound. The guy is a burgeoning all-star just waiting for the the other stars to align in his favor. You know, stars like KG, Pierce, Ray and Rondo.

Sam

I never use these things, but...

If Hollins is as big as they say....watch for Ray Allen shooting to improve. Ray needs a wide body to set screens for him as he has not had one since Perkins left and his shooting has suffered in many games due to that!

112288

I forgot to mention that. Hollins developed a huge talent for planting solid screens when he worked several summers for Mrs. Baxter's Screen and Storm Door Company in Keokuk, Idaho. He even developed a motto: "When it comes to screens, I've developed a set."

Sam