Ryan Gomes: The Celtics' Answer to Andres Nocioni

Boston may not have to look far for a valuable, versatile free agent—they already have a player quite similar to one of the more coveted names on the market.

The free agent: Andres Nocioni.

The player in house: Ryan Gomes.

He's our Ebony to their Ivory. (Cue McCartney and that other guy.)

No No Nocioni. Go Go Gomes.

The Argentine Machine and the Waterbury Fury. (Try to rhyme Connecticut.)

Before Nocioni re-signed with the Bulls, Memphis GM Chris Wallace wanted him. Pau Gasol wanted him. I'm surprised the Toronto Raptors didn't want him...just because he's not American and has got game.

(BTW: No truth to the rumor that the Raptors will ask Chris Bosh to change his citizenship to Canadian, French Canadian, or just plain French. Perhaps a slight name change to Christopher Bochee. It does roll of the tongue—French "r" sound, long "a" sound at the end. These American keyboards don t come with those foreign accent marks. But I digress.)

The point: People wanted Nocioni. But who wants Ryan Gomes?

Gomes takes a bit of heat in Celticland. He's a tweener. He's not this. He's not that. But a closer look at the stats suggests he does much the same thing as the Argentine Machine.

Mr. Popular averaged 14.1 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 38.3 percent from downtown, and 84.5 percent from the line.

The numbers for Gomes: 12.1, 5.6, 46.8, 38.1, and 81.1.

It doesn't get any closer without requiring a Siamese twin separation at birth.

And there's more.

Ryan is 6'7". Andres is 6'7".

Ryan weighs 250 pounds. Andres weighs 225 pounds.

Unbelievably, Ryan's mother's name is Matula. Andres' mother's name is Matula.

They both have sisters named Martha.

Okay I'm kidding about the family names, but the rest is all true. I'm just waiting to find out that they both have the same favorite food. The genetic research begins at that point, folks.

It's worth noting that their games and roles are somewhat different. Andres is more "depended on" in the Bulls offense. He puts up one more shot a game (11) in 4.6 fewer minutes. Ryan is expected to pick up the scraps and hit open jumpers.

Ryan also has only just begun shooting the three ball (0.6 attempts per). Andres put up 3.8. But Ryan hit with startling accuracy when he started to shoot late in the season. His attempt number will rise this season.

Even their foul numbers are close: Ryan's 3.1 to Andres' 2.7. Accounting for the floor-time differential (10 percent), they're almost equal.

Defense? They're both known as solid defenders. I haven't seen Andres enough to assess that aspect of his game. Ryan is a tough defender—and against many different types of offensive players.

Like Delonte West, Ryan has been asked to play two positions—and his adaptability is off the charts as far as I'm concerned. He's asked to guard top offensive options like Zach Randolph (4-11 and 9 points in one meeting). Does Andres even get asked to guard a Zach Randolph much less shut him down?

I ve said it before: Ryan's our Swiss Army Knife.

He can play an effective game inside or out. He has a knack for finding an open spot on the floor when you need him to. He knows how to get free underneath by finding seams in the defense.

Some say Ryan is only a good player because he's on a bad team. Some say Andres is a key piece on a playoff team trying to win a championship.

But has anyone seen Andres' 2007 postseason numbers?

His minutes shrank because his productivity dropped. After going for 17 points in the first game against Miami, he never hit for more than 12 again. He averaged 36 percent from the field for the playoffs. He was particularly unproductive in the Detroit series, averaging 2 rebounds and 6.6 points including games of 0 and 2 points.

Remember, Nocioni was an important part of the Bulls offense going in...which only compounds the disappointment.

Maybe Andres will help the Bulls win a title. These past playoffs could make one wonder, though.

In any event—yes, Nocioni is a very good player. But so is Ryan Gomes.

We in Celticland don't always appreciate our own players for the same skills that we admire in other teams' players. While Nocioni is a straight SF, Ryan has played both the three and the four with credible results. He plays within a team concept and runs the floor well.

He's also two years and 10 months younger than Andres, and played in 20 more games last season.

Nocioni is a better shooter at the moment, but Ryan can do more around the hoop. If Nocioni is worth $38 mil over five years, what is Ryan worth?

Ryan Gomes is the kind of player many winning teams need and want. I hope the Celtics keep him for their own run. He's still improving, and will be invaluable come playoff time.

We'll have to pay him to keep him, of course—or someone else will. Gomes is making just $770,000, and is due for a new contract next year.

You've got to figure he was paying attention to Nocioni's big payday.

This piece also appeared on the site Celtics 17.