To Joel Anthony, Staying Put Is Not About Green

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics_nba/boston_celtics/2014/10/to_celtics_joel_anthony_staying_put_not_about_green




To Joel Anthony, Staying Put Is Not About Green

Monday, October 13, 2014
By:  Steve Bulpett






He has the seventh-highest salary on the team, but he is not in the top seven when it comes to the rotation. Or the top 10.

But Joel Anthony is determined to be of value to the Celtics this season.

It’s hard to see how the 32-year-old center fits with a team in a rebuilding situation, but Anthony had a player option for $3.8 million this season, and he took it.

He insists he didn’t really check out the marketplace to see if there was a place he might be able to play a bit more, and he didn’t check to see what his value might be.

“It wasn’t even about getting more (money),” Anthony said. “It was about wanting to get an opportunity to come into camp and get a chance to prove myself and get on the court. This was the best opportunity I had.

“I don’t know what would have happened in free agency or whatnot, but I just felt that coming back to the team after being here the last three months and knowing the coaches and knowing the players and everything like that, this was what was best for me. It just seemed like a better situation for me to come back here.”

Anthony arrived last January from the Miami Heat in the three-team trade that sent Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks to the Golden State Warriors. He got into 21 games for the C’s, averaging one point and 1.5 rebounds in 7.1 minutes.

Maybe it wasn’t the best time to make a free agent splash.

“I was in a situation where I could have gone from one team to the next and been in a different situation,” Anthony said. “There may or may not be an opportunity to play here, but I wasn’t too interested in moving. I wasn’t too interested in exploring things, especially after not playing.”

The Celtics are undersized, but they are looking to develop assets like Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk and Tyler Zeller — and maybe, at some point, Vitor Faverani. So the prospect of Anthony getting more playing time may not seem all that great.

Anthony has played in two of the four preseason games, going scoreless with two rebounds in 8:23 of last Wednesday’s win over the Knicks in Hartford and netting two points with four rebounds in 21:34 of the rematch loss to New York on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun. In the latter case, the minutes increase was because Olynyk was held out for rest in the Celts’ fourth game in six nights.

“They’re definitely obviously going younger,” Anthony said. “They have some really good young talent, with guys like Kelly and Sully. I totally understand that, but I’ve always been a firm believer that opportunities to contribute in some way are always there.

“It’s easier when a team already knows about you. Being here at the end of last year, it’s not like I’m a complete fresh face. They still know something about me, so coming in and getting a chance to compete and show that I can contribute on the court as well as off of it, that’s part of the reason I came back.”

Anthony’s chance to contribute suffered a setback when he injured his groin prior to the start of training camp.

“It happened the week before,” he said. “It’s crazy. It just kind of happened. During one of my workouts, it just kind of happened. I’ve worked hard to get it right again, and I’m happy with the progression. I feel good right now, and that’s what’s important.”

As for what lies beyond this season, Anthony is closing no doors.

“I feel good, so I really don’t see myself on any type of timetable,” he said. “Even though things might not work out exactly how you want, I still feel, in the bigger picture, I can help this team.”




bob




.

No one can complain about his attitude.



KJ

He's got the world's greatest job. Not supposed to be very good at it, hence no pressure, and still they pay him $3.2 million. Which is not to knock him; he can play some D. Hawk

It's good that he's professional about it, but that's as far as it goes.  He's a placeholder until they get someone younger and more competent or until his contract runs out, whichever comes first.

Sam