Filling in the Blanks: Power Forward
Current Power Forward: Al Jefferson, Leon Powe, Glen "Big Baby" Davis
Obviously, Ryan Gomes will see his fair share of minutes at this spot with Jefferson moving to the center position. The key for Gomes, and the Celtics big men, is how well he can fare on defense. The Atlantic division is going to throw a number of looks at the Celtics and while Perkins and Powe should be able to handle their own against the Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph duo in New York, it's yet to be seen if the Celtics have anyone who can match with the more athletic, inside-outside duo in Toronto.
The Main Target: Gerald Wallace (Wallace is more of a SF but he can play the PF in spots and would be a nice complement to Al Jefferson. The issue, of course, is that in such a weak free agent class, he could demand more money than the C's can afford)
Possible Additions: Tim Thomas (Lousy contract, questionable attitude, but has a game to complement Jefferson and has done well as a team defender alongside Ray Allen in the past); Eduardo Najera (More of a SF than PF, he plays bigger than he is and hustles. Also can do a solid job defending quicker PF's and is an intelligent team defender); Joe Smith (Smith is battling against time but is a solid big man with good enough perimeter skills); Maceo Baston (honed his skills overseas and is a solid, cheap backup big man); Hakim Warrick (More of a small forward, needs to bulk up and work on his perimeter game); Lawrence Roberts (a hard worker but not much different from Leon Powe); Brian Skinner (a hard working veteran who will shore up the frontline but, again, doesn't add any different dimension to the roster); Justin Williams (A good defensive player and rebounder, Williams is lanky and not all that athletic); Shareef Abdur-Rahim (On the end of his career, he could be a solid addition but his defense is questionable); Erik Daniels (US player who's been playing overseason; solid all-aound game)
Longshots: Aundray Blatche (Blatche is more of a SF in a PF body. He has a ton of potential and a game that would complement Big Al on offense but he's horrific on defense and it would cost a good amount of money to steal him away from the Wizards); Yi Jianlian (Much like Blatche, Jianlian would be a nice complement offensively and a step in the wrong direction defensively); Reggie Evans (Nice role player but nothing spectacular); Stromile Swift (All-world athleticism and that's it. Solid but not dependable);
Comments
We need a defensive big guy, if not power forward then center. I have been waiting for your post on center. And you're right, Bosh always kills us...
Posted by: Dean | July 11, 2007 01:42 AM