Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
By signing Jarvis Varnado, the Boston Celtics ultimately decided that free agent Kenyon Martin was not good enough to make their current roster. It was surprising that the team decided to go with the unknown free agent over the proven veteran, but the Celtics certainly do not stick to conventional wisdom. If you may recall, the team pulled off a similar move by signing Greg Stiemsma off the scrap heap last season. That turned out to be an excellent decision by GM Danny Ainge and head coach Doc Rivers. Stiemsma certainly wasn’t a star but he gave the team great back-up center minutes when they lacked depth in the front court. The same exact situation has happened this season and the team is hoping Varnado can perform in a similar fashion.
Getting back to Martin, the problem the team must have had with him is that he has a very similar body type and skill set to the forwards they already have on the current roster. He can hit the outside perimeter shot and can rebound at a decent rate, but the Celtics already have two guys who play very similarly in Jared Sullinger and Brandon Bass. Martin would have just been another body, so it makes sense to sign a guy who can do something different. Varnado can certainly do that with his shot blocking abilities. The team does not have a shot blocker on the roster. Kevin Garnett can help out a little bit but he is not the definition of a true shot blocker.
The Celtics added more depth to their front court this week, but it was interesting to see the names they passed over for a guy who has not proven himself by any means.
Rob Lunder covers the Boston Celtics for Rant Sports. For all Celtics news go to the team homepage on Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @rlunder18
