Well, Boston is going with the “penetrating point guard and shooters” theory. Apparently.
The Celtics are on the verge of signing free agent David West, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com. This would be a three-year deal for about $27 million and likely will be a sign-and-trade where Jermaine O’Neal and others will head back to New Orleans (only to be shipped out again), according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo.
This is an interesting choice for Boston. Not sure I love it. First, you are giving a three-year deal to a guy coming off major knee surgery who missed half of last season. Second, West normally plays the power forward spot, but the Celtics have some guy who plays that spot named Kevin Garnett.
West is maybe as good a pick-and-pop big as there is in the league, which creates some opportunities with Rajon Rondo, who got 26 percent of his offense as the pick-and-roll ball handler and shot 46 percent in that role.
In addition, you can have Rondo drive the lane and have shooters in Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, KG and West around him.
Not sure this is the best fit for the Celtics, but it creates some different looks on a team that needs a few of those if it is going to return to the NBA finals.
West had played for the Hornets with Chris Paul. I’d say that West being gone hurt the Hornets chances of keeping Paul, but that ship has sailed.