With the most recent signing of former all-star center Shaquille O'Neal the Celtics now have thirteen players on the depth chart for this coming year. They are allowed to have a roster of fifteen players, with twelve of those active and ready to play each game.
Following the Shaq signing a lot of us Celtics fans are wondering: Is Danny Ainge done bringing in talent? Is this roster we are currently looking at going to be the roster we see in October? I think not, but before we get going to far let's look at the current depth chart as it stands today.
Center: Jermaine O'Neal/Shaquille O'Neal/Semih Erden/Kendrick Perkins
Power Forward: Kevin Garnett/Glen Davis
Small Forward: Paul Pierce/Marquis Daniels
Shooting Guard: Ray Allen/Von Wafer
Point Guard: Rajon Rondo/Nate Robinson/Avery Bradley
Now, given that Kendrick Perkins will not be active for the first part of the season that knocks the roster down to twelve active players (13 on the roster). That gives the Celtics room to add two more players if they choose.
Here's a list of potential players the Celtics could add:
Rudy Fernandez - Rumors today have him headed to Chicago by Monday, but nothing is official yet. Just the other day some were considering it a lock that he would end up in green. The guy can shoot lights out and I'm sure Danny is keeping a close eye on him.
Larry Hughes- Hughes' name has recently been popping up as a possible player to back up Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. He used to be alright back in the day, but I'm not sure what he has left in the tank. If there was no way to trade Sheed's contract for a guy like Fernandez then I guess Hughes would be OK.
Delonte West - The perfect kryptonite to defeat LeBron and his possy in South Beach. Yes, I still am laughing at that rumor; you can't tell me you're not. On a serious note, Delonte has been waived by the T'Wolves after being traded by Cleveland. No one can deny that he would be a great back up for Ray, but the big questions with Delonte arise off the court. He would also have to settle for the veterans minimum.
Brian Scalabrine - What would the Celtics be without "The Veal"? How would they survive blowout victories? It just seems impossible to not see Scal in a Celtics uniform suit and tie on the bench. There's always the possibility he becomes some type of a bench coach, though.
Jarvis Hayes - I don't know too much about this guy, but I do know the Celtics did show some interest in him. He's still on the board and is a possibility to join the roster.
Tracy McGrady - T-Mac is definitely a long shot to join the roster, but someone worth noting. There is no doubt that he has the skills to help this team. The big question is whether or not he can accept a role off the bench. With an already deep roster I don't see this happening; however, as my good friend Kevin Garnett once told me, "Anything's possible!!!"
Luke Harangody - Harangody showed great potential in the Orlando Summer League playing for the Celtics. He could wind up being a guy the Celtics throw at the roster for insurance purposes. I can picture him spending some time in Maine and being ready in the case of an (knock on wood) emergency.
So by now I'm sure you're all sitting at home reading this just itching to hear my thoughts on how they should fill out the roster (not really). This is how I see it going down: Harangody will sign as a cheap insurance clause and to provide a tad of youth to the team. After that there's two possible scenarios I see going down. One being that they pick up a guy like Hughes or West, and the other being that they trade away Sheed's contract for a defensive-minded swingman off the bench.
At this point I think it's safe to say your guess is just as good as mine. It should be exciting to see what goes down.
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