CelticsStrong
Celtics Basketball => Celtics Talk => Topic started by: sofutomygaha on December 11, 2012, 03:40:35 PM
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Here are some quotes from Jermaine O'Neal, who is presently on an expiring, destined-to-be-traded league minimum contract with the terrible Phoenix Suns.
"I had a fantastic time in Boston with the city, the fans were phenomenal, the organization was phenomenal, I just don’t know if the playing situation was right to be quite honest... The hardest thing for me was to not be able to do some of the things I have been quite comfortable with doing all my life. I accepted the challenge. I accepted the role. (I didn’t want) 10 shots a game, but it was hard to be told not to worry about (scoring)."
“When I was asked about (offense), I tried to be as professional about it as possible but it’s hard,” he said. “You put any player in that position and ask them how that’s going to pan out for them; it’s hard mentally because you’re fighting against yourself every single day. And it’s not like you’re getting the reps, even in practice, because they’re gonna stay away from that in practice because they don’t want you to start leaning towards that in games. It was really rough. The things that kept me going was the guys on that team, (team president of basketball operations) Danny Ainge and just the passion of that city. No one wants it to end the way it ended, but it did. I was never really healthy mentally.
O'Neal has been healthy and very effective for the Suns this year, and has earned his imminent trade or release to a contending team. Phoenix will probably get a pick in exchange- perhaps a later first rounder or a second rounder depending on his continuing performance and health.
Obviously, he would be an asset on defense... he was a very good defender even when he was hurt. He clearly would not wish to come back to Boston unless he could play more of a role on offense. Is there room in the new Celtics offense for a rejuvenated JO?
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For the record, JO is presently taking about one shot every three minutes. With the Celtics, he took one shot every four and a half minutes.
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I would take him back in less than a second. However, I dont see why he would want to leave the Suns Medical staff. He is finally getting a chance to play and be healthy. I dont think he cares as much about contending as he does about resurrecting his career and getting good healthy minutes.
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I don't see anyone giving up a draft pick for JO. Too old, too injury prone.
I would be surprised if Phoenix bought him out. I expect him to finish out the season there and look for a move to a title contender in the summer. Not Boston. Somewhere else.
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Are we forgetting how he left the Celtics last time?
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pass
twice he opted to not have surgery in the off season and ended up having it during season instead
only 20 games in, should be better out there
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JO does look like a totally different player with the Suns, but I think that ship has sailed.
I do think a Phoenix\Boston deal needs to occur. I have been reading blogs on the Suns Site and that team is blowing up at the seams. I was'nt thrilled about the idea at first, but I now think the c's need to try to get Beasley as a part of a gortat package. Maybe something like bass, Lee, and Melo for Beasley and gortat. The beauty of the deal is it addresses the c's lack of size, and it brings in young sf/pf talent.
If the c's make this deal on the Jan 15th, they would have a month to evaluate the team with Jeff green before the trade deadline. If things are still not working, maybe he can be packaged for another impact big player without having to worry about creating a void at backup small forward.
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Are we forgetting how he left the Celtics last time?
Torn tendon, needed wrist surgery... tried to play through it... didn't get used on offense... maybe asked for a buyout or trade, maybe not, denies it... C's couldn't find a trading partner... decided to get the surgery.
All of the direct quotes from either side always sounded amicable to me. There were lots of headlines about his discontent, but the only actual information out there makes it sound like (1) he had a brutally hard and disappointing couple of years because his knees and wrist wouldn't cooperate and (2) he was forced to watch as his teammates got used to playing without him.
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Are we forgetting how he left the Celtics last time?
Torn tendon, needed wrist surgery... tried to play through it... didn't get used on offense... maybe asked for a buyout or trade, maybe not, denies it... C's couldn't find a trading partner... decided to get the surgery.
All of the direct quotes from either side always sounded amicable to me. There were lots of headlines about his discontent, but the only actual information out there makes it sound like (1) he had a brutally hard and disappointing couple of years because his knees and wrist wouldn't cooperate and (2) he was forced to watch as his teammates got used to playing without him.
To me it always seemed like how he disappeared said a lot.
Enough rumors and talk that there was beef with him to lead me to think there is something there too.
I know Bill Simmons isn't a real reporter or anything, but he very confidently has said the rift was major between Jermaine and the Celtics. He usually will say something like "I've heard" with those kind of rumors but he has just flat out said that.
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pass
twice he opted to not have surgery in the off season and ended up having it during season instead
only 20 games in, should be better out there
Why do all the JO apologists gloss over this fact?
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JO does look like a totally different player with the Suns, but I think that ship has sailed.
I do think a Phoenix\Boston deal needs to occur. I have been reading blogs on the Suns Site and that team is blowing up at the seams. I was'nt thrilled about the idea at first, but I now think the c's need to try to get Beasley as a part of a gortat package. Maybe something like bass, Lee, and Melo for Beasley and gortat. The beauty of the deal is it addresses the c's lack of size, and it brings in young sf/pf talent.
If the c's make this deal on the Jan 15th, they would have a month to evaluate the team with Jeff green before the trade deadline. If things are still not working, maybe he can be packaged for another impact big player without having to worry about creating a void at backup small forward.
beasley<green with bad shot selection added in
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JO does look like a totally different player with the Suns, but I think that ship has sailed.
I do think a Phoenix\Boston deal needs to occur. I have been reading blogs on the Suns Site and that team is blowing up at the seams. I was'nt thrilled about the idea at first, but I now think the c's need to try to get Beasley as a part of a gortat package. Maybe something like bass, Lee, and Melo for Beasley and gortat. The beauty of the deal is it addresses the c's lack of size, and it brings in young sf/pf talent.
If the c's make this deal on the Jan 15th, they would have a month to evaluate the team with Jeff green before the trade deadline. If things are still not working, maybe he can be packaged for another impact big player without having to worry about creating a void at backup small forward.
beasley<green with bad shot selection added in
I agree that green is better than Beasley, and I hope if this trade went down doc would find away to use them together effectively (very doubtful, but maybe).
However, if by the trade deadline, green is still not playing consistently and providing the impact the c's need at trade deadline time, he could be a valuable asset to use to bring back an impact big( Jefferson, Millsap, Varejo, etc.). Green's loss in a trade will not create that much of a void behind Pierce because of Beasley, and the team could potentially have a game changing front line to pound the heat with.
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However, if by the trade deadline, green is still not playing consistently and providing the impact the c's need at trade deadline time, he could be a valuable asset to use to bring back an impact big( Jefferson, Millsap, Varejo, etc.). Green's loss in a trade will not create that much of a void behind Pierce because of Beasley, and the team could potentially have a game changing front line to pound the heat with.
I'm going to nit-pick you a little bit here. I don't think there's any chance the Jazz trade Millsap; he's their best player. I also don't think Jefferson is the kind of big the Celtics would make a move for, especially mid-season, because he's so soft. Jefferson is an amazing scorer and rebounder, but they aren't shopping for scoring. They need someone with a Tyson Chandler-Anderson Varejao-Omer Asik type game; a finisher on offense who rebounds and plays hard defense.
The poor-man's versions of those players are, well, Emeka Okafor if he's right, Marcin Gortat (hence all the commotion), Jason Thompson kinda?
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If he really feels this way then I hope Gortat is listening.
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However, if by the trade deadline, green is still not playing consistently and providing the impact the c's need at trade deadline time, he could be a valuable asset to use to bring back an impact big( Jefferson, Millsap, Varejo, etc.). Green's loss in a trade will not create that much of a void behind Pierce because of Beasley, and the team could potentially have a game changing front line to pound the heat with.
I'm going to nit-pick you a little bit here. I don't think there's any chance the Jazz trade Millsap; he's their best player. I also don't think Jefferson is the kind of big the Celtics would make a move for, especially mid-season, because he's so soft. Jefferson is an amazing scorer and rebounder, but they aren't shopping for scoring. They need someone with a Tyson Chandler-Anderson Varejao-Omer Asik type game; a finisher on offense who rebounds and plays hard defense.
I agree with this post...They won't give up Milsap , Jefferson would not be brought in as THE type of BIG we need , C's need a Varejao type player. If Danny trades , it will be for that type . Scoring is not the issue , its rebounding and paint defense. Not to say Jefferson won't ever be a Celtic. Just not this year.
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"Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."
So, don't say no to JO, say no thank you...
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However, if by the trade deadline, green is still not playing consistently and providing the impact the c's need at trade deadline time, he could be a valuable asset to use to bring back an impact big( Jefferson, Millsap, Varejo, etc.). Green's loss in a trade will not create that much of a void behind Pierce because of Beasley, and the team could potentially have a game changing front line to pound the heat with.
I'm going to nit-pick you a little bit here. I don't think there's any chance the Jazz trade Millsap; he's their best player. I also don't think Jefferson is the kind of big the Celtics would make a move for, especially mid-season, because he's so soft. Jefferson is an amazing scorer and rebounder, but they aren't shopping for scoring. They need someone with a Tyson Chandler-Anderson Varejao-Omer Asik type game; a finisher on offense who rebounds and plays hard defense.
I agree with this post...They won't give up Milsap , Jefferson would not be brought in as THE type of BIG we need , C's need a Varejao type player. If Danny trades , it will be for that type . Scoring is not the issue , its rebounding and paint defense. Not to say Jefferson won't ever be a Celtic. Just not this year.
I think for the most part we are all in agreement. I was just throwing out potential big men targets that could be attained by using Jeff Green. As I thought more of the options I presented and how they could be utilized, I think Varejo and Millsap would provide the most benefit against the heat because of their versatility and rebounding. The problem with those 2 is neither is a rim protector. I guess u can't have everything though
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Stay far, far away from Beasley. He was poison in Minnesota and he is poison in Phoenix.
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JO only managed to get on the court for 49 of the 148 regular season games his two seasons in Boston. He got $12 million out of the Celtics for his 1001 minutes on the court. That's $12,000 a minute.
The only thing I'd want from the Suns besides Gortat, Scola or Dudley is their medical/training staff.
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I'm okay with JO as a player however I think he's either severely brain damaged or just plain scared of surgery. I blame him for thinking he could play though pain (which he did surprisingly well) for entire seasons and playoff runs.
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I'm okay with JO as a player however I think he's either severely brain damaged or just plain scared of surgery. I blame him for thinking he could play though pain (which he did surprisingly well) for entire seasons and playoff runs.
It's understandable for Jermaine.
He had serious problems with the doctors in Indiana. The ones the team organized for him. When he started having all those serious injuries. According to JO, they gave him lots of bad advice and mishandled his surgeries and made his injury situation much worse than it originally was. I can't remember the specifics but screwed something up really badly and that is where JO's mistrust of doctors comes from. He blames those doctors from his Indiana days for ruining the best years of his career.
That is why he doesn't trust doctor's opinions who are paid for by the team. That is why he is always goes for a second or third opinion from doctors that are not on the team's payroll. That is why he is so wary of surgery. That is why he takes so much time to make up mind what course of action is best to follow after receiving multiple doctor's opinions.
Because of how things went in Indiana. I think he ended up getting a surgery he didn't need. Or they misdiagnosed a problem and didn't fix the right thing and then he got injured soon after he returned. Or they made something worse in the surgery and made him more vulnerable to injury. Something. Something really bad (at least according to JO). Ahh, I can't remember exactly what it was.
It was some big screw up that badly scarred JO and made him distru****l of doctors. Anyway, that is why JO has such problems with doctors / medical advice. Because he got screwed over in the past and it had very damaging effects on his career.
Edit: Why is distrust-ful blanked out? Censored.
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JO only managed to get on the court for 49 of the 148 regular season games his two seasons in Boston. He got $12 million out of the Celtics for his 1001 minutes on the court. That's $12,000 a minute.
The only thing I'd want from the Suns besides Gortat, Scola or Dudley is their medical/training staff.
Speaking of Medical/training staff...How does Ed Lacerte win the Trainer of the year award up against what the Phoenix staff is doing. Dont get me wrong Ed is great, especially dealing with all the injuries the Celtics have had the past year... But the Suns staff works miracles.
Maybe it has something to do with Wilcox and Green both coming back from heart surgeries?
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I'm okay with JO as a player however I think he's either severely brain damaged or just plain scared of surgery. I blame him for thinking he could play though pain (which he did surprisingly well) for entire seasons and playoff runs.
It's understandable for Jermaine.
He had serious problems with the doctors in Indiana. The ones the team organized for him. When he started having all those serious injuries. According to JO, they gave him lots of bad advice and mishandled his surgeries and made his injury situation much worse than it originally was. I can't remember the specifics but screwed something up really badly and that is where JO's mistrust of doctors comes from. He blames those doctors from his Indiana days for ruining the best years of his career.
That is why he doesn't trust doctor's opinions who are paid for by the team. That is why he is always goes for a second or third opinion from doctors that are not on the team's payroll. That is why he is so wary of surgery.
Because of how things went in Indiana. I think he ended up getting a surgery he didn't need. Or they misdiagnosed a problem and didn't fix the right thing and then he got injured soon after he returned. Or they made something worse in the surgery and made him more vulnerable to injury. Something. Something really bad (at least according to JO). Ahh, I can't remember exactly what it was.
It was some big screw up that badly scarred JO and made him distru****l of doctors. Anyway, that is why JO has such problems with doctors.
Edit: Why is distrust-ful blanked out? Censored.
I also remember that the docs cleared him to play one year, and JO decided to sit out an additional 6 weeks or so.
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Edit: Why is distrust-ful blanked out? Censored.
Because of the S-T-F-U part :)
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Edit: Why is distrust-ful blanked out? Censored.
Because of the S-T-F-U part :)
ah, okay. That makes sense. Thank you. I was starting at it and couldn't figure it out.