NBA Rumors: Four Contending Teams That Would Be Ideal Fit for Marcus Camby

Despite being much closer in age to Dale Davis than Anthony Davis, Marcus Camby still has the potential to single-handedly swing the 2012-2013 NBA Championship race depending upon what team
acquires his services. 

The 38-year-old still has a knack for pulling down boards, making guards think twice about taking the ball to the hole and hitting the occasional jumper.  Yes, he’s lost a step or two since he was at UMass swatting shots for Coach Cal, but his value is still significant.

Though Camby has said re-upping with Houston would be his first choice, it’s far from a foregone conclusion he’ll be a Rocket when the 2012-2013 season rolls around.  Here are four contending teams who could use what Camby is offering. 

Houston Rockets

Camby’s previous comments have made Houston the clear front-runner for his services.  As Houston is a lottery team for the third consecutive year, it may be a stretch to consider them a contender.  However, the Rockets were a borderline playoff team up until the last week of the season and are always a danger to make noise in the West with Kevin McHale and GM Daryl Morey at the helm.

With Rocket cornerstone Yao Ming sadly having to call it quits after a relatively brief career due to injury, Camby stepped in and provided some much needed interior defense and rebounding. 

The acquisition of Marcus Camby by Daryl Morey, affectionately referred to as “Dork Elvis” by Grantland.com’s Bill Simmons, turned out to be one of the best trade deadlines that was pulled off. 

Camby’s familiarity with Houston’s system, his desire to be there and the lack of other logical post options makes Camby re-upping with Houston a great fit. 

Miami Heat

As formidable a juggernaut as the Heat may seem when LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, arguably two of the top five players in the NBA, are both firing on all cylinders, the team from South Beach has always had a pretty gaping hole at the center position.

Though it’s an understandable byproduct of the “Big Three” model, where three players take up the vast majority of the team’s salary cap, it’s still an odd but humorous sight to see the likes of Joel Anthony and Ronny Turiaf trotting down the floor next to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

Camby would provide an instant and dramatic upgrade at the center position for Miami.  If and when Miami comes calling, Camby will be faced with a huge dilemma.  He can join the team that may, at that time, be the defending champions and that would likely give him the best shot to grab a championship ring, or he can go to another contending team that has less talent but snag a bigger payday. 

The Heat appear to be the team where Camby’s joining would cause the most significant swing in the NBA power rankings. 

Boston Celtics

Aside from fitting well with the “aging veteran” motif Boston is currently sporting, Camby would provide increased depth at forward/center and give Boston more flexibility with their lineups.

Currently, Kevin Garnett is forced to start at center due to a lack of depth at the position, with the surprising but unheralded Greg Stiemsma as his primary backup.

The addition of Camby would make the defensive drop-off from Garnett to his backup much less significant.  It would also give Boston head coach Doc Rivers the option to start Camby alongside Garnett and bring the more jumpshot-oriented power forward Brandon Bass off the bench.

Boston may decide against adding another vet in the twilight of his career, but if they decide to keep rolling the dice with some of the NBA’s most elder statesmen, Camby would be a great fit. 

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are undoubtedly the biggest surprise of this season.  After squeaking into the playoffs with a below-.500 record last year, Frank Vogel’s squad finished an impressive third in the Eastern Conference and appear to be coasting to a relatively easy first-round victory against a shorthanded Orlando squad. 

Indiana might not be the first place a hoops fan would think Camby would fit, seeing as they already have all-star center Roy Hibbert manning the middle.  But short of Hibbert, they really have no other true center.  Louis Amundson is the only other center listed on the roster, and he played a paltry 5 minutes in Indiana’s blowout win over Orlando Wednesday night. 

Signing Marcus Camby would drastically increase Indiana’s interior depth and give them the option of creating a defensive nightmare by playing Camby and Hibbert together.  This lineup could prove very beneficial against a team with a dominant frontcourt such as the Lakers.