Boston Celtics Jermaine O’Neal’s Health A Huge Factor For Next Season
The good news for Celtics fans is they have at least one center on their roster. The great news is he played tremendous in the playoffs and should he give Boston the type of shot blocking and inside presence that he gave Boston in the post season during the regular season in 2012, they will be in great shape. The problem is that is a serious question given the fact he only NBA center under contract is Jermaine O’Neal.
The team played night and day with a reliable defensive center in the middle. The Boston Celtics looked unstoppable with Shaq playing solid minutes in early 2011.
Shaq helped the Celtics defense immeasurably by sealing off the paint and making the help defensive schemes work. It is a lot easier to play up on the opposing shooters if a defender knows a capable big man in the middle is waiting. If Boston can get that type of defensive presence in the middle, they will look more like the team that was best in the East in the first half rather than the floundering team in the second half. Right now they are relying on JO for most of those minutes.
The fact is JO was just not reliable last season. The once great center’s body betrayed him. First it was his wrist injury. Then his knee and back were issues. His knee never really
recovered and he ended up missing most of last season with swelling in his knee area that caused him to need surgery. Jo deserves a lot of credit for busting his butt and returning the way he did to help Boston get past the Knicks in the first round. The problem is even that was short lived as JO appeared to have hurt his back and wrist in the final moments of the Miami series.
JO can obviously still contribute when healthy. The man did a great job blocking sixteen shots in nine playoff games for the playoffs. The role JO is more suited for is back up for double digit minutes. However, even those minutes are crucial in Boston’s defense. Proof of this can be found in the Krstic minutes last season that killed Boston
defensively. The bottom line is JO is no longer a lock to pencil in for 20 plus minutes a night at center. This means Ainge needs to get some help fast. I like JO, but this is not a situation that will work. Stay Tuned on the answers to this problem. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!!!
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