Celtics one big man too short


First let's give credit where credit is due. Kevin Garnett has done a phenomenal job stepping in at center. Brandon Bass has also been a welcome improvement over Big Baby and Greg Stiemsma has far exceeded expectations of a D-League pickup. But with the season ending ailments to Chris Wilcox and Jermaine O'Neal, the Celtics needed to pick up one more quality big man (sorry Ryan) and they failed there. What's especially disappointing is that the asking price wasn't that high.

J.J. Hickson was available, and while not a center, he would definitely give you a better option at the 4 spot then Paul Pierce or Ray Allen (as Doc was forced to go to last night). Check out his numbers, since Portland picked him up off waivers:

He was allegedly available from the Kings for a 2nd rounder. At the age of 23, personally I think he's worth a 1st rounder and would have been a steal for a 2nd rounder or two. We heard rumors the Celtics were interested in trading for him. Would love to know why they couldn't complete the deal.

The other big name that was available in a trade was Chris Kaman. The 29 year old Kaman would also have been not only a solid addition down the stretch, but worth looking at on a multi year deal. The Celtics offered the contracts of O'Neal and Wilcox as well as JaJuan Johnson for Kaman, but couldn't pull off a deal. The Hornets in the end brought down their asking price to simply a 2nd rounder, but they wanted to save some money in the trade. Could the Celtics kicking in $3 million in the deal (the most allowed) have gotten the Hornets to bite? Did they offer it? 

This is my "JR you forgot about me face"
Less appealing, but still a functioning rotation big man and available was Boris Diaw. The Bobcats, like the Kings and Hornets, weren't able to find a trading partner. They ended up buying out his contract and he went to the Spurs. While I had Diaw as a distant third to Hickson and Kaman, he still could have been a valuable addition. Again, I'm thinking an offer to the Bobcats that included some cash could have gotten a deal done.

Lastly there was Marcus Camby, who continues to put up numbers despite being approximately 59 years old. He was also available for a song.
I get that the Celtics owners are paying a ton in salary this season. But if you're going to buy a lamborghini, and the paint job is starting to fade, might as well spend a little more to make it shine. This Celtics team is an easy team to root for and I believe if healthy are still true contenders. Would have been a lot easier with just one more big man. They were available.
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