Which NBA Contender Is the Best Fit for Veteran Big Man Jermaine O'Neal?
Unless you’re the seemingly untouchable Golden State Warriors, chances are the quarter-season mark still finds you tinkering and tooling away, trying to figure not only what your team is but what it could be.
As such, it’s never too early to start scanning the periphery of the NBA’s player ranks for that much-needed extra punch.
Put Jermaine O’Neal—a big-man mercenary still capable of steadfast contributions even after 18 spins around the Association—straight to the top of the master wish list.
Per ESPN’s Marc Stein, the six-time NBA All-Star is currently weighing his options and could make a decision as to his next destination by early 2015.
As an unrestricted free agent, O’Neal—who averaged 14.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per 36 minutes a season ago—stands to have the pick of a pretty spectacular litter. Which got us wondering: Which contenders would be the best basketball fits for the savvy veteran center?
Spoiler alert: We know, from Stein, that the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers and Warriors—with whom O’Neal spent the 2013-14 campaign—are already on the short list.
But who else? Let us enter-maine some possibilities.
I’ll show myself out—to the next slide.
Chicago Bulls
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Here’s a bold statement: If you’re a contender whose backup center is logging 1.4 points and two rebounds in eight minutes per contest, you could stand to add a bit more depth.
Such is the case with the Chicago Bulls, a team in which 37-year-old Nazr Mohammed continues his quest for the quietest (and longest) NBA twilight in history.
Tom Thibodeau is notorious for his cinder block-short rotations, and anyway, it’s not as if he’s exactly thin in the frontcourt, what with Joakim Noah and the newly acquired Pau Gasol providing a potent—and productive—one-two punch.
Still, a player of O’Neal’s pedigree could prove eminently helpful, both as a steady two-way presence and a rotational stopgap capable of easing the burden on the Bulls' bigs.
If Chicago has any hope of achieving its championship aspirations, bringing in some fresh postseason legs will be of the utmost importance. Even if he’s splitting time with Mohammed on the rotational fringes, O’Neal’s presence is the kind of commodity that, while miniscule on the surface, could yield big dividends down the road.
Dallas Mavericks
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Like the Bulls, the Dallas Mavericks have managed to make do with a relatively short frontcourt rotation—Tyson Chandler, Dirk Nowitzki and the hyper-efficient Brandan Wright being the principal troika.
At the very least, O’Neal would be a reasonable upgrade over the undersized Greg Smith (6’10” in stiletto heels) and the practically useless Charlie Villanueva—particularly in light of Chandler’s not-so-encouraging injury history.
O’Neal is no longer the pick-and-role threat he once was and pales when compared to Chandler and Wright in terms of sheer rim-racking efficiency. But as a serviceable cog in the league’s best offense, O’Neal could be just what Dr. Rick Carlisle ordered: a sturdy post anchor with an arsenal of savvy moves and decidedly underrated passing skills.
With both their frontcourt forces on the wrong side of 30, the Mavericks could use an insurance policy of O’Neal’s caliber—even if he does have more miles on his treads than any of them.
Washington Wizards
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If you’re Washington Wizards head coach Randy Wittman, betting the farm on Marcin Gortat and Nene both being healthy for a protracted playoff run is a little like gambling on a stretch of sunshine in Seattle. It might happen. But it probably won’t.
With Nene in particular having already missed time due to injury, it’s high time the Wizards look to round out their frontcourt. Kevin Seraphin is a nice enough player. At just 25 years old, he might even have a little bit of upside left to tap.
But for a team so tightly hitched to the youthful duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal, having an extra dose of veteran leadership beyond Paul Pierce and Andre Miller—to say nothing of O’Neal’s productive impact—is never a bad thing.
Kris Humphries, Drew Gooden, DuJuan Blair are all fine as power forwards. They just don't quite pack the punch of an O'Neal down low.
With the Eastern Conference as wide open as it’s ever been, it’s wholly conceivable that a plucky upstart like Washington might make some outsized noise come springtime. O’Neal alone is far from enough to get them over the hump, but as a stopgap center on a team that is somewhat precarious in the frontcourt, he’s more than viable.
Los Angeles Clippers
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Between the rim-racking DeAndre Jordan and the floor-spacing Spencer Hawes, the Los Angeles Clippers aren’t exactly lacking for frontcourt diversity.
Still, there’s a reason Doc Rivers’ squad was cited by Stein as one of the front-runners for O’Neal’s services; not only would he give the high-flying Clippers offense yet another dimension down low, he’s exactly the kind of player they would want imparting low-post wisdom on the still-developing Blake Griffin. All this despite the two sides’ somewhat testy history.
Having spent a pair of seasons under Rivers with the Boston Celtics from 2010 to 2012, O’Neal must have made something of a good impression. Even if the minutes aren’t consistent, a chance to finally snag his first championship—and the Clips are more than capable of exorcising that demon—makes L.A. a sneaky-good destination for the journeyman.
Toronto Raptors
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By all accounts, the Toronto Raptors’ big bet on Jonas Valanciunas as a potential franchise cornerstone has started to pay off—albeit a bit slowly.
The Raps are yet another squad whose youth-laden core could use a bit of veteran moxie, and O’Neal—who logged a pair of seasons in Toronto between 2008 and 2009—fits the bill perfectly.
Chuck Hayes, though gritty and dependable, often gives up more than a few inches. And while the lithe Lucas Nogueira remains a diamond in the rough, he’s nowhere near contribution ready—at least not yet.
Enter O’Neal, whose refined skill set could help both of Toronto’s young bigs expand their still-growing games. More importantly, O’Neal himself would give head coach Dwane Casey quite the second-unit upgrade. Even on a team already ranked sixth in the league in overall bench production, too much of a good thing is a rather nice problem to have.
Houston Rockets
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By all accounts, Dwight Howard’s has been a career steeped in consistency, with little in the way of physical red flags.
Precautionary though it mostly was, Howard’s recent 11-game absence due to soreness in his right knee can’t be the most encouraging bellwether for the red-hot Houston Rockets.
And while Tarik Black performed admirably in Howard’s stead, it’s worth wondering whether adding a third center might take some pressure off of the already overburdened Howard.
Pro Basketball Talk’s Kurt Helin summed it up thus:
"The question is will it linger—you don’t get PRP on your off day because it sounds like fun. This is a sign there are legitimate concerns about the long-term stability of his knee.
Also, with a star out is when we might see the depth issues around the Rockets a number of us prognosticators were concerned about.
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O’Neal is a capable enough passer to fit just fine in Houston’s scheme, which places heavy emphasis on timely kick outs to open shooters. Defensively, he would be a considerable upgrade over the less experienced Black.
Houston’s biggest need remains more backcourt consistency, specifically from players not named James Harden. Failing that, adding O’Neal would be the kind of low-risk, moderate-reward move Daryl Morey could use.
Cleveland Cavaliers
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Stop us if you’ve noticed a trend. A team with championship ambitions and plenty of depth on the surface that nonetheless wields one of the frailer centers in the league.
We’re talking, of course, about the Cleveland Cavaliers—the oft-injured Anderson Varejao in particular. Solid as he is, the Brazilian big has failed to notch 60 games or more three times in the past four seasons.
That, to put it mildly, is hardly encouraging.
As a practical matter, O’Neal and Varejao tout somewhat similar games; both have a decent mid-range game, both can dish out of the post, both are capable (if not world-beating) defenders—both one-on-one and in help situations. And while O’Neal might have the upper hand in terms of post-move repertoire, David Blatt’s offense isn’t exactly clamoring for guys who can score.
LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love have steadily sown the seeds of a legitimate championship contender. An extra dose of veteran moxie won’t be what puts them over the top, but it could be a godsend if and when Varejao finds himself on the mend.
Golden State Warriors
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If there’s any team on which even a slight tweak might be seen as doing more harm than good, it’s the Golden State Warriors, who just became the 12th team in league history to start the season 20-2.
Once again, though, the specter of injury looms large over an NBA elite. This time, the man under the microscope is Andrew Bogut, the doubtless indispensable cog of Golden State’s top-ranked defense, who nevertheless has had trouble staying healthy in the past.
Case in point: The 2013-14 playoffs, which saw the Bogut-less Warriors bow it out in seven, hyper-competitive games to the hated Clippers.
In stepped O’Neal, who performed admirably in Bogut’s absence. After the series was over, O’Neal didn’t exactly hide his fondness for the Warriors organization.
“I appreciate what my teammates have done for me this year, injecting life back into my soul,” O’Neal said (via Bay Area Ports Guy). "I appreciate what our organization has done for me. I appreciate what the fanbase have done for me, giving me love for basketball again."
That kind of sentiment, coupled with the ever-so-important "ring factor," makes Golden State one of the clear front-runners for O’Neal’s services.
