Are we about to witness a hi-jacking? How about an player interception?
The Boston Celtics have watched the recent trade news with the eye of a high flying eagle tracking it's unsuspecting prey.
Compared to PJ Brown, Antonio McDyess is just a youngster at the sprightly age of 34.
Jeez, compared to Brown, he may still be using Clearasil.
No doubt the Celtics would Clear-a-space, as in roster space, for the long, skilled veteran.
Danny Ainge has coveted McDyess for a while, trying to land him before he signed with the Pistons.
The 6' 9" 220 lbs. power forward would be the perfect fit for the height challenged Celtics. Danny has gone so far as looking in the NBA refrigerator for leftovers like injury-retired, out of shape Darius Miles and Don Nelson throwaway, D-Leaguer Patrick O'Bryant.
The problem is not just the dearth of solid big men, there are few good options out there, it is the salary parameters the Celtics have to work with. That makes it about as hard as putting a camel through the eye of a needle to fill the position. That is what drives Danny's creative intrigues.
If the rumors are correct about Denver working on a buy out for Antonio, it is a great opportunity to hi-jack him to Beantown.
He is said to want to retire, unless he plays for Detroit. But what team just won an NBA Championship? And why did Antonio choose Detroit in the first place?
If Danny and Doc put on a full court press, as they have in the past for Posey, they may be able to convince McDyess that his best chance to fulfill his title dream is in Celtic Green.
I'm not sure what would stop Antonio from accepting. Detroit is over the cap, same as Boston. They have the added uncertainty of melding Allen Iverson to a team that wasn't able to beat the Celtics last year.
While not as tall as 6' 11" PJ Brown, he brings a similar skill set and more youth (?) than PJ did.
Play-off Performance
MyDyess played twice as many minutes (27 to 14) per play-off game, scored over 3 times more (8.9 pts. to 2.9 pts.) and shot .538% to .434% against a better defense. He also out rebounded him 7.4 to 2.4 in only twice as many minutes.
He is as good as it will get for finding a replacement for Brown and he may be a better replacement in the end. Now is the time to call out the Boston SWAT team and converge on and surround Antonio and his agent's homes.
What he lacks in length, he more than makes for in total game. While a few big centers will present problems, McDyess is 6 more fouls and plenty of trouble for the opponent himself.
Let's see how this plays out.
Tom Halzack writes the CelticsCentral blog for the Connecticut Posta and soon will be a regular contributor to ComCastSports WickedGoodSports website through CelticsstuffLive.com
4 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment
Blake Gibbs 8 months ago
much like with gerald wallace potentially being on the trading block, the mavs MUST make a run at signing McDyess. Their biggest weakeness is in the middle, all they have is Dirk and he can't do EVERYTHING. McDyess would be a PERFECT fit.
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Thomas Halzack 7 months ago
Oh man, Blake. No doubt. They haven't done ANYTHING to fix that for years..other than making Dirk get low post minded...and that's been a mediocre success at best.
MyDyess instantly makes them infinitely better. Is Cuban that smart?
But sorry, the Cs are the ones who can get him a ring. Doc and Danny are on the case.
Thanks Blake and best wishes on your writing/broadcasting career.
Tom
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Blake Gibbs 7 months ago
i appreciate that man, thanks and you too...unfortunately i have a feeling mcdyess is going to re-sign with the pistons
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Brian Hutchison 7 months ago
As a Boston fan, I would obviously be excited to see McDyess in a Celtics jersey. I'm just not sure how much we need him. Leon Powe has been our spark plug off the bench. Powe is our backup power forward and does a great job of releiving KG. He stepped up in a big way against the Lakers last year in the NBA finals. Plus, he has only been in the league for 2 years. So unless McDyess could come in and play the Center position, I would rather give the backup minutes to Powe.
Right now there are only 9 guys who are getting meaningful minutes and its only Powe and Glen Davis who alternate with the big guys, KG and Perk. When you have a player like Garnett, who plays 30+ minutes a night, you really only need one other guy to come in to releive him. And although I don't really see Glen Davis as a valuble backup center at the moment, he definitely has a much bigger frame than McDyess. He can hold his own down low with much taller oponents. And again, "Big Baby" has only been in the league for one year. He has a lot of potential.
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