It's certainly no secret by now that Jermaine O'Neal's time with the Boston Celtics wasn't very productive. O'Neal spent parts of two seasons in Boston, but was sidelined by various injuries, including a knee ailment that resulted in O'Neal's decision to see the same doctor that did a procedure on the knees of Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez this summer. O'Neal, now an unrestricted free agent, spoke about his time in Boston following a workout on Tuesday and shared that the Celtics did not focus on the "stronger parts" of his game.
"Well you have to go somewhere where you really fit. That's just how it is," he told Hoopsworld. "I had a fantastic time in Boston, an unbelievable sports town, fans and organization. But it wasn't necessarily the best fit basketball wise. Your comfort level is everything.
"Sometimes when you're asked not to worry about some of the stronger parts of your game, which is scoring, and only [focus on] defense, that's difficult to do." (via Boston Herald)
Well, to be fair, Jermaine, the Celtics had the whole scoring aspect covered during your tenure in Boston. With options like Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett -- heck, even Rajon Rondo -- your offensive skills weren't necessarily needed.
O'Neal is reportedly drawing interest from the Los Angeles Lakers, but it's not like the Lakers would be counting on O'Neal for baskets, especially with two pretty good bigs in Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol in front of him on the roster. Hey, if JO wants to go average five points and 10 minutes a night in Hollywood, let him. Honestly, the Celtics won't miss him or anything he would have brought to the table. After drafting young bigs like Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo, the Celtics have made it clear that they are interested in getting younger at that position, and a soon-to-be 34-year-old hobbled center doesn't exactly fit into that description.
Well, at any rate, so long, Jermaine. Thanks for all the memories .. oh wait, never mind.
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