Brad Stevens came out to prove a point this summer. The Celtics’ offseason has been executed to perfection so far with the trade for Malcolm Brogdon and the signing of Danilo Gallinari. Two guys who can score the ball and Brogdon who can be a good defender and great playmaking. This Celtics squad is roughly ten guys deep. The last piece to Stevens’ infinity gauntlet would be getting a cheap veteran center to come off the bench. We love Robert Williams and Al Horford, but they have flaws. Williams needs to be as fresh as possible with his injury history while Horford is only getting old. The salary cap is looking rough so all of these guys would be veteran minimums. Let’s leave the numbers to Brad Stevens while we think of realistic guys for the bench.
Hassan Whiteside
Maybe something was missed, but Hassan Whiteside should not be on the market as of today. In just 17.9 minutes a game, Whiteside racked up 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks. An elite rim protector who can play as a lob threat would be perfect. With Whiteside, the Celtics can have him run Robert Williams’ role with the bench unit without having to change the game around it.
Whiteside is getting on the older side, so it is better late than never to get an elite bench rim protector. While the athleticism is still there, this is a move that Stevens’ should look into. The Celtics’ offseason has been about cleaning up our weaknesses and a rotational center played a huge role in that. While he doesn’t space the floor, the ability to mimic Williams is effective in what the bench unit hopes to accomplish in the minutes without the Timelord.
DeMarcus Cousins
While reports are saying that DeMarcus Cousins would like to go back to LA, he should consider playing for a winning team that can offer him an exceptional role off the bench. Cousins averaged 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in a smaller role in both Denver and Milwaukee this past season. He still poses as an offensive threat with the time and matchups which would be perfect in his backup center role.
Cousins’ ability to shoot the deep ball gives great spacing with any unit he wants to run with. While his defense is a falloff from Horford and Williams, the crew off the bench makes up for it. None of these selections will be perfect when fixing the Celtics’ offseason needs, but signing a center that can shoot the three and score when asked to is a good signing.
Dwight Howard
Another center with athletic ability and rim protection. Dwight Howard is near the end of the road, but there are many things not to be taken for granted. Howard provides a veteran presence who has won a championship while still being a lob threat and rim protector. He has taken veteran minimums before to win a title, so it is not unreasonable to think he does it again.
This choice is more for a locker room guy who can come in and provide some energy off the bench. Cousins and Whiteside are tier one with Howard being a last resort.
Follow me on Twitter for more sports news and analysis! Also, tune into the Sideline Summit podcast on all platforms and follow us on all platforms for sports news and analysis. Be sure to check out some other Belly Up Articles here.
