Well, here we go again. According to multiple internet sources including Kevin Garnett's Facebook page, the Boston Celtics have agreed to a contract with free agent center Jermaine O'Neal. Terms aren't yet announced, but one would assume he will fall under the mid-level exception. Another guy that I used to hate, and must learn to love.
I'll skip the pessimism and jump straight into the optimism with O'Neal. He was a great player in his prime, and he's had a few down years and injuries and such. He's still only 31 years old, making him one of the youngest Celtics impact players. For his career, O'Neal has averaged 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds. Last season with Miami, he averaged a slightly lower 13.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in 70 games played. He's a big center that the Celtics need to fill in during the absence of Kendrick Perkins. Many people wanted Shaq here, but consider that Jermaine is nearly a decade younger than Shaq-diesel. This signing is a pretty good one for the mid level exception, even if we hated O'Neal beforehand.
The last time O'Neal played 75+ games in a season was in 2003-04, when he was an all-star (20.1 ppg, 10.0 rpg). In the seasons since then, he has played 44, 51, 69, 42, 27, 41, and 70 games respectively. His numbers have been down in the seasons that he has missed time with injury. It seems clear that health is the key with O'Neal. Health is the key with most of the Celtics team. He seems to fit right in with the mold in Boston. Get through the regular season healthy, and you'll have a legitimate contender come playoff time.
O'Neal may not be the post defender that Perkins is, but he almost certainly possesses a better offensive post game than Perkins. This will hopefully add another dimension to Boston's center position, which lacked depth down the stretch in 2010. Will O'Neal be an impact player on the quest for Banner 18? Danny Ainge seems to think so. We will have to wait and see.
i like this move Alot!
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