On July 5th, 2010 the Boston Celtics signed Turkish center Semih Erden to a one-year deal with a team option for a second year. With the signing of Shaquille O'Neal, Jermaine O'Neal, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen the news of Erden joining the Celtics went quietly under the radar. Only the most diehard of fans have probably even heard of this guy’s name.
Semih was drafted as the 60th pick in the 2008 by current Celtics GM Danny Ainge. Similar to the majority of European players selected in the draft, Erden remained overseas until the Celtics believed he was ready to give it a shot in the world’s premier basketball league, the National Basketball Association.
Up to this point, if you’re anything like me, you probably don’t know too much about Erden. That’s why we’re here, to educate you and in this case educate ourselves.
Here are a few bullet points about one of the newest Boston Celtics, Semih Erden:
· Semih has spent the last four seasons playing in the Euroleague for Fenerbahce Ulker. I know you all know everything there is to know about that team so I’ll stop there.
· Last season, in 10 games, Erden averaged 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and nearly one block per game.
· He is a regular member on the Turkish national team.
· He measures in at 7 foot flat and has 240 pounds of pure muscle. Okay, maybe that pure muscle thing is a stretch.
· His career highs in the Euroleague currently stand at 15 points and 11 rebounds.
· His 2008 DraftExpress profile highlighted his play running the floor and his aggressiveness around the basket.
And that’s about all there is to know about Semih Erden. Not a whole heck of a lot going on with <begin sarcasm> this future hall of famer <end sarcasm>. His time in Boston probably won’t last too long if his past is any indication of what’s to come.
This season he will provide a tad bit of big man insurance that the Celtics WON’T NEED BECAUSE EVERYONE WILL STAY HEATLHY! Now that I got that out, Semih is eligible for the D-League and could very well see some time up in Maine playing for Austin Ainge.
Outside of that Semih is just another one of those examples of why you shouldn’t draft European players in the NBA Draft.
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