The Celtics are in desperate need of a reserve center that could give O'Neal the rest required in order for him to stay healthy. Kwame Brown is a very strong 6'11" center that is hitting the market this summer and could fit very well with the Celtics team. The team is in need of some younger players but this can be overlooked in order to bring in three talented centers to split minutes between. Brown has played for many different teams but has been a fairly consistent player in the last few years playing in an average 57 games per season. Under the direction of the Celtics it is likely that he would be able to play in most of the games during the regular season and all of the playoffs when he will be most needed. Brown played for the Charlotte Bobcats last season and although he played for one of the worst teams in the league he was able to put up some strong statistics for the team. The Celtics could entice him away from re-signing with the Bobcats by offering him the chance to win a championship with a veteran team. He has had attitude problems and issues controlling his off court behavior, but the Celtics is a team that forces their new players to change. Doc Rivers can take a troubled player, as seen in Delonte West, and bring them the focus and determination they need to be a force in this league, on and off the court. Laziness and attitudes don’t last long when you have as strong a force as Kevin Garnett at practice everday. The veterans will help to build his skills and teach him the correct mindset to help bring Brown success in NBA.
Brown would bring a much-needed offensive presence off the bench and his size would bring a presence to the paint that has been missing. Scoring an average 7.9 points per game would give the Celtics a post presence off the bench and his size would allow the other reserves to get open through stronger picks and screens. Brown is not defensively the strongest player but he does average .6 blocks per game and more importantly brings 6.8 rebounds per game to the table. These stats would help the Celtics greatly and the role change of being a reserve would not be too much of a shock for Brown as he averaged 26 minutes per game last season and even less in the seasons before. The Celtics are dealing with a tight cap do to the expensive salaries of their top players and Brown was only paid $854,389 last season. Ainge could strike a deal with Brown for a fairly inexpensive salary, helping with the salary cap issue, to bring in a strong reserve center that could help limit O'Neal's minutes.
Check back for the first installment of Power Forward of the Future tomorrow.
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