Getty Cody Zeller, Boston Celtics
As the Boston Celtics continue coming to terms with Danilo Gallinari’s injury, both fans and the media have been busy postulating potential replacements.
Currently, Danilo Gallinari and DeMarcus Cousins are the two names being heavily floated in the media, yet it would appear there are some other options that haven’t been discussed at all but could potentially be an ideal fit.
In the latest episode of The Celtics Collective podcast, Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney proposed the Celtics take a closer look at the veteran center, Cody Zeller, to help replace the size the franchise has lost due to Gallinari’s ACL injury.
“My guy, you know, I’d like to see, if you want to go for a five, I’d like to see a guy like Cody Zeller. I’m surprised nobody’s really given him a look. He’s only thirty years old. Obviously had a nasty knee injury, a crack to the patellar last year and that ended his season.
But in terms of a veteran backup, who can do a few things and it’s not gonna hurt you. He can play a little four. Obviously, it’s not natural for him, but you know, can certainly play the five and can have Al at the four. I’d like to see Cody Zeller. I think he’s a pretty good option for them,” Deveney said when discussing potential options for the Celtics in the free agency market.
Cody Zeller participated in 27 games last season, providing the Portland Trail Blazers with 5.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 59.3% from inside the perimeter and 77.6% from the free-throw line.
Is Size a Need For The Celtics?
Gallinari was never acquired to give the Celtics a defensive punch – in truth, their defense is already elite, and they needed to add some size with shooting, which is exactly what Gallinari added to the table.
As such, pivoting towards somebody of Zeller’s skillset would be interesting, as he’s not capable of stretching the floor – he’s a career 22.1% from deep – and is solely focused on rebounding and screening.
CODY ZELLER DUNKED ON GIANNIS 🤯
Acquiring a throw-back big man would be a slight change in direction for Brad Stevens and Ime Udoka, as it would limit the bench unit’s ability to stretch the floor and attack teams from the perimeter, which when considering the second unit’s offensive struggles, may not be the best decision.
Celtics Unlikely to Acquire Carmelo Anthony
Despite a large swell of support for potentially acquiring Carmelo Anthony this off-season, it looks like Boston have decided against adding the veteran scorer – at least ahead of training camp.
According to Brian Robb of Masslive.com, multiple sources from within the organization have noted how the Celtics don’t currently have a lot of interest in replacing Gallinari’s minutes with the former New York Knicks superstar.
“The Carmelo Anthony buzz was a hot topic this week after the rumors started swirling about the Celtics’ interest in him last week. However, multiple league sources tell MassLive that the Celtics are not expected to have interest in bringing in the veteran for a signing ahead of training camp.
…That’s not to say the team is done shaping the roster ahead of the preseason, but Anthony isn’t a priority at this point at names that could be brought in. Boston likes a lot of their internal replacement options, from what I’ve heard, and want to give those names the first crack at minutes,” Robb wrote in his September 9 mailbag article.
So, if Boston isn’t interested in adding Anthony, it will be interesting to see how they approach the coming weeks leading up to training camp, as right now, it does seem like the coaching staff is going to give Sam Hauser every opportunity to stake his claim for a larger role this season.