Celtics sign Scot Pollard

[Rockmeister]

http://www.nba.com/news/441047.html

Aug 7, 2007 10:1am ET
Report: Celtics, Pollard Agree on Deal
In THE BOSTON GLOBE, Shira Springer reports "the Celtics agreed to terms with free agent forward/center Scot Pollard yesterday, according to executive director of basketball operations/general manager Danny Ainge. The 6-foot-11-inch, 265-pound Pollard got a one-year deal believed to be worth the veteran minimum ($1.2 million for 10 years service). He adds a much-needed big man to the Celtics' frontcourt and raises the number of players under contract to 12, one shy of the league minimum."

 

[LPKingsFan]

Good for him. Already a team I was interested in simply to see how the Big Three work out, I'll definitely be paying close attention to the Celts now.

 

[Superman]

Is he even going to see the court in Boston? Not that this is a "bad" signing, but how does this help the Celtics? Don't they need shooters and defenders?

 

[Warhawk]

Good for him. Already a team I was interested in simply to see how the Big Three work out, I'll definitely be paying close attention to the Celts now.

Ditto.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

nice to see pollard picked up. i hope he gets a championship ring does anybody know if he is still doing the crazy hair do's?

 

[Big Cuz 15]

Is he even going to see the court in Boston? Not that this is a "bad" signing, but how does this help the Celtics? Don't they need shooters and defenders?

he signed for the vet minimum... which is basically 600k for the celtics and the league i believe covers the over half.

 

[DaMan]

I really don't see how this helps boston.

 

[TaxMan]

I really don't see how this helps boston.

Well, their center spot is currently held down by Perkins, which isn't anything to get excited about. I would guess they see a tandom big man rotation in the absence of a starting quality C becoming available. If he can be remotely healthy I certainly don't see this as a bad signing for the price.

 

[VF21]

Pollard is an excellent pickup for the price for the Celtics. He's used to playing with guys who like to shoot; he's not afraid to stand in the paint and take a charge; and he's not dumb. When you have Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett out there, Scot Pollard isn't a bad guy to fill in at the 5 at all.

 

[NewMonkey]

Pollard will bang people and rebound if he's healthy, and he doesn't need the ball. This could be a quality signing for the Celts.

 

[cfechter]

Pollard is an excellent pickup for the price for the Celtics. He's used to playing with guys who like to shoot; he's not afraid to stand in the paint and take a charge; and he's not dumb. When you have Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett out there, Scot Pollard isn't a bad guy to fill in at the 5 at all.

I respectfully disagree. I think Scot proved last year that 1, he can't stay healthy, and 2, even when healthy, he can't move well enough to do anything of value in the NBA.

I'd much rather have a rookie who had good block/rebound totals in college than Pollard at this point (there have got to be a few of them out there).

 

[VF21]

You're free to disagree, of course.

Your assessment, however, doesn't cancel out any of the positives I listed. And he's got a lot of court savvy that could be very helpful to Allen, Pierce and Garnett.

 

[cfechter]

I don't deny that Scot has those positives, but at this point in his career he just doesn't move like an NBA player (not to mention the injuries that keep him out). It's hard to take a charge when you don't move well enough to get into the spot to take a charge. 3-4 years ago, I love this move for the Celtics, but now he's nothing more than a filler.

 

[Superman]

he signed for the vet minimum... which is basically 600k for the celtics and the league i believe covers the over half.

So this is more Pollard news than Celtics news, I guess...

 

[Superman]

You're free to disagree, of course.

Your assessment, however, doesn't cancel out any of the positives I listed. And he's got a lot of court savvy that could be very helpful to Allen, Pierce and Garnett.

I don't think he's a bad signing, and it's not like they overpaid for him, but I don't think he'll bring that much to the table. His court savvy isn't going to do much for the Celtics on the bench, and that's probably where he'll spend the majority of the season.

 

[Spike]

I don't think he's a bad signing, and it's not like they overpaid for him, but I don't think he'll bring that much to the table. His court savvy isn't going to do much for the Celtics on the bench, and that's probably where he'll spend the majority of the season.

Considering that the Celts are going to have to find the rest of their team on the cheap wrt to money and experience, a guy like Pollard on the bench isn't a bad move. He's a classy guy who'll teach the finer points of the game to the younger players...like how to correctly wear a samurai ponytail.

 

[Bricklayer]

The Cs only have Perkins there right now, and he's a bit undersized and foul prone. Everybody else they sign has to be schepa cheap cheap. So this is a good pickup for them -- a veteran big with high level experience and no attitude problems. If they actually went into the season with the reoster as it currently stands, he might even be a rotation player, although I would think they have to add another big body or two. In any case, with all that talent and money in the Big Three, a hustling/reboudning roleplayer for the minimum is just what the doctor ordered.

 

[jimbodan]

As long as he can stay healthy, I think this is a very good signing for Celtics.

 

[17th WoNdeRR]

Dang...Celtics are THAT desperate to get a big man, oh well, hope Pollard can do somethin right besides foulin, good luck.

Out

 

[DaMan]

I don't deny that Scot has those positives, but at this point in his career he just doesn't move like an NBA player (not to mention the injuries that keep him out). It's hard to take a charge when you don't move well enough to get into the spot to take a charge. 3-4 years ago, I love this move for the Celtics, but now he's nothing more than a filler.

Completely agree with this statement. The Celtics needed a guy who could do something but in this point in Scott's career I doubt he could be anything but a bench warmer. Really i think that Boston would have been better off signing Webber, who in my opinion would have contributed more even though he too has lost most of his skills.

 

[DoughDole]

Not a bad move, really. But Mutombo would've probably been better since all he had to do was rebound and defend the paint, 2 things he does very well. I read somewhere he wanted more than the veteran minimum, and prefers to stay with the Rockets.

If Pollard's healthy, he could help the C's. He used to play with Pierce at Kansas too so he might also help chemistry wise and cheerleading wise.

 

[Gary]

I respectfully disagree. I think Scot proved last year that 1, he can't stay healthy, and 2, even when healthy, he can't move well enough to do anything of value in the NBA.

I'd much rather have a rookie who had good block/rebound totals in college than Pollard at this point (there have got to be a few of them out there).

Incorrect statement. Last year he wasn't given the chance. He was not injured last year. He just didn't get any playing time. Remember when he did some color work with Reynolds last year? He had said this is the healthiest he had been in years, and he was ready to play given the chance (which he was not given) so if Boston has a healthy Pollard than he can make that difference..

 

[cfechter]

Incorrect statement. Last year he wasn't given the chance. He was not injured last year. He just didn't get any playing time. Remember when he did some color work with Reynolds last year? He had said this is the healthiest he had been in years, and he was ready to play given the chance (which he was not given) so if Boston has a healthy Pollard than he can make that difference..

I seemed to recall that his back was injured the first part of last year which is why he didn't get into but one game the first half of last year, but I could be wrong.

Really, noone is "given" a chance, chances are earned and my money is on that he just couldn't play well enough to justify any time on a mediocre Cleavland team.

 

[HndsmCelt]

It's hard to say if Pollard is at or past the end of his usefullness, but he IS an old pro, good locker room presence and the kind of bencehr the Celts can put in for a few min arround producers, heck if the back hodls up he might even be able to play enforcer for the team in scrapy games. But in the end these ar the only kids of deals that Ange can make. He has to win now, so undrafted kids are out of the question and any vets with much game left can't be had for min money so you take your chances on the twilight guys and maybe even a fossilized superstar willing to comeback.