Now that the "Super Team" has been created in Miami, what have the Boston Celtics done and what will they do to stay in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference? At this point in the off season the Celtics have been able to bring back head coach Doc Rivers, small forward Paul Pierce, and shooting guard Ray Allen. Boston also welcomed a new member to the team with the signing of center Jermaine O'neal. This is a good move for the C's who are desperate for big man help with the pending retirement of Rasheed Wallace and the serious injury to Kendrick Perkins (keeping him out 5-6 months).
Last season with the Miami Heat O'neal averaged 13.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game, but was dreadful in the postseason against the Celtics. Perhaps he was not motivated in a series that did not believe could be won or perhaps he is just not cut out to be the number two option on his team anymore. The knock on O'neal is that he cannot stay healthy and that he does not work hard at his craft. Last season he did miss twelve games due to injury, but played well during his time on the court. As far as his work ethic is concerned the Big Four and Doc will handle that, not to worry. It will prove to be a better signing than the acquisition of Sheed, because O'neal will actually give you a strong regular season performance by helping the Celtics with the consistency issue (that plagued them last year). O'neal still has great post moves that allow him to score in double figures and at 6'11 is able to rebound and block shots. He is a great fit here in Boston because he does not have to be the # 2 go to guy on the team and he adds much needed depth to the center/power forward position.
The good news of the summer is that Rivers, Pierce, and Allen are all returning and Jermaine O'neal has been added. The bad news is that there are still many holes to fill on this team and Tony Allen is no longer a Boston Celtic. This is a terrible move by Danny Ainge and the Celtic ownership because T.A. was the best one on one defender on the team. He played great defense on Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and many other top level opponents, along with bringing energy and athleticism off the bench. The Celtics need to get younger as a team and deeper on the bench, this loss of Tony Allen hurts you on all fronts, not a good move. What will be the Celtic response to the influx and repositinoing of talent that has occurred in Eastern Conference? We will all have to just wait and see, but to stay in the running for a championship, Boston will need to add more pieces.
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3 comments:
Well the addition of Shaq O'Neil will certainly be a another piece that the Celtics have added to their puzzle. The only question that remains for the 7'1", 38 year old, big man is: how well will he fit in with the Celtics?
He will fit in perfectly, because he will get along so well with the Big three. This is a perfect place for Shaq to come and play with other aging hall of famers on the team. Imagine now that we have 4 hall of famers on our team, quite extraordinary.
Agreed, as long as he knows his role, he will fit in perfect. I just hope he knows that he will have to take a back seat on this team, especially when Perk comes back.
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