NBA Free Agents 2011: Would Josh Howard Be a Good Fit for the Boston Celtics?

As an unrestricted free agent in the NBA during the lockout, Josh Howard's next move is rather uncertain.

According to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, the Boston Celtics "could" have Howard on the radar as a potential free-agent addition.

With just six players currently under contract for 2011-12, the Celtics are going to have to be creative in an effort to fill out the roster without compromising the cap space that the club has angled toward prior to the loaded free-agent class of 2012.

Howard, who was an All-Star during the 2006-07 campaign when he averaged 18.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, is looking to re-establish his value in the game after dealing with recent injuries.

After tearing his ACL in February of 2010, Howard played just 18 games for Washington last season, but now he is eager to prove his health and ability to contribute on the basketball court.

Should the team decide to re-sign Jeff Green (a restricted free agent), a move that is widely expected to occur considering that the club traded for him at the deadline last season, Howard will represent the third small forward on the roster if added to the fold.

On paper, Howard looks like a reasonable addition to a team that is built around its veterans.

He could provide solid play in the second unit and bring an element of tenacity to the bench, but that's certainly not a slam dunk.

Although he's now healthy and eager to prove his worth on a roster, it's extraordinarily tough for a team to rely on his contributions, considering he has never played in a full complement of regular season games.

Furthermore, Howard hasn't appeared in more than 52 games since the 2007-08 campaign, something that will undoubtedly detract from his value on the open market.

Back in June, the forward expressed that his first desire was to re-sign in Washington with the Wizards.

The team showed faith in him coming off of reconstructive knee surgery, but the club may not be as willing to do so after he played in just 18 games last season.

It wasn't all bad for Howard despite the small sample size, as he did start 10 games for the Wizards last season, registering 8.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in just 24 minutes of play.

Those numbers certainly aren't anything to get inexplicably excited about, but it is an indication of his ability to contribute when healthy and given the opportunity to play.

The most alarming thing about Howard's performance from last season was his stark drop in field-goal percentage, as his 35.8 percent was the lowest clip of his career by 4.3 percent.

Additionally, his lateral quickness was clearly compromised last season on defense by his knee woes, and that greatly saps some of the effectiveness that he previously had at that end of the floor.

The Celtics would be foolish to commit to him for any amount of time longer than a single season considering his recent injury history, but he does have the talent to flourish in the role that Boston will ask of him if he is added to the roster.

It's important to remember that veteran additions don't always work out favorably, as the Celtics saw with Troy Murphy, Sasha Pavlovic, Carlos Arroyo and Nenad Krstic last season. But unlike those aging players, Howard's major nemesis has been health rather than naturally declining production.

If and only if Howard is finally 100 percent, he could make for a very solid addition for Boston.