What I would do with the 15 roster spot (and 14th?)
Stephane Lasme defends Damion James. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
Despite having 14 players with guaranteed roster spots (I include Delonte West — he’s going nowhere) and another with a partial guarantee (Von Wafer, $150,000), the Boston Celtics and Danny Ainge have repeatedly maintained that they would keep the roster’s best 15 players. Money be damned, they say they are going to field the best team their training camp roster could possibly yield.
Which brings me to my point: why have I, and everyone else, assumed that only the team’s 15th spot remains open for debate? If Ainge speaks the truth with his public decry of roster openmindedness, couldn’t at least one more spot be open?
I point you immediately in the direction of Luke Harangody. After a standout summer league showing, Harangody inked a deal guaranteed for two years. The signing was fine at the time; Harangody showed a little potential. He had learned to shoot three-pointers out of the blue, and his utter lack of athleticism and length haunted him little against the Patrick O’Bryants and Connor Atchleys of the NBA summer league universe. Just like he had been in college, summer league Harangody was his team’s most productive player on the court, just about every single night. He looked like a draft steal.
The problem was, in the words of someone else (I forget who it was), summer league play is good for one thing: pointing out scrubs. Summer league production doesn’t necessarily translate to NBA stardom, or even anywhere close to it. When Patrick O’Bryant and Connor Atchley become Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal, things become a little tougher. Now that we’re in preseason, Harangody’s flaws stand out. His newly minted jumper won’t fall. He can’t seem to create his own shot inside the arc, or really anywhere. He can’t score like he used to, and defense was never his forte. I find myself watching Harangody and wondering, “What on earth will he ever contribute to an NBA roster?”
At the other end of the spectrum lies Stephane Lasme. The UMass product entered preseason with nothing more than a training camp invite and a chance to make the C’s roster that was slimmer than Calista Flockhart’s pinky finger. A couple weeks later, Doc Rivers said Lasme has a great chance to make the regular season roster. How has Lasme progressed so quickly, so fast? With pogo stick athleticism and a knack for making positive things happen each time he steps onto a basketball court. Think Chris “Birdman” Anderson, except with black skin and without spiked hair, a “Free Bird” tattoo or a former coke habit.
There are a couple problems in Lasme’s bid for a roster spot, though. 1) He’s naturally a power forward. The Celtics need help on the wing, where Lasme has yet to show he can contribute. And 2) without a guaranteed contract (or, in Lasme’s case, any contract) cutting Lasme would be easy. The Celtics wouldn’t have to pay him a guaranteed dime if they let him go.
Which brings me to my plan. The Celtics need a wing more than anything else, but Lasme has been the fringe player who has been most impressive, most worthy of a roster spot. So here’s what Ainge should do, and if he’s serious about taking the best 15 players, here’s what he will do:
Keep one of the wings, either Mario West or Von Wafer. Neither has been at all impressive, but they fill a need. With Delonte West due to miss the season’s first ten games with a suspension, the Celtics need a player who can fill in as backup shooting guard. Marquis Daniels, the C’s only reserve small forward, is injury prone, so Boston could use a 15th man who could play spot minutes at small forward throughout the season, too. Both Wafer and West fit that description. Ainge should give Wafer the spot, earned by default. With the Rockets a couple years ago, he was a double-digit scoring threat every night. We at least know Wafer can contribute, even though he looks like the last bobsled run in Cool Runnings so far this preseason. Very shaky.
Next, cut Harangody. Throw his guaranteed money straight into the nearest garbage can. Granted, that’s a move that won’t be very popular with Wyc Grousbeck and the Celtics’ owners. Burning more than $1.26 million never is. But let’s think about things rationally and without money on the mind. Harangody has shown, oh, approximately nothing. Lasme looks like a keeper. So keep Wafer, keep Lasme, cut Harangody. Bing. Bang. Boom. The best team the Celtics can field, money be damned.
Of course, if I’m Wyc Grousbeck I keep Harangody around, cut Lasme and play Eeny Meeny Miney Mo between Wafer and Mario West. There’s no way I’d eat $1.26 million just to keep Stephane Lasme around. Sorry, Steph.
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Celtics Blog, Celtics Columns | Jay King | October 11, 2010
For the sake of the team you have to consider Harangody’s salary as lost money. If the Celtics are on the hook, so be it because they can probably get Lasme for minimum money. Agreed, keep Wafer and Lasme and let Harangody go because he just looks lost out there. As long as Wafter can play with confidence he should be good–right now he seems very tentative and is afraid to take a shot so he needs to get his confidence back. If the Celtics don’t think he can find his mojo they should not keep him.
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Wafer’s definitely tentative. I think he’s too busy trying to prove he’s unselfish, when, really, the Celtics picked him up because he can score.
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Doc has gone on record in the past week saying that one of the reasons why he is so excited about Lasme is because he has shown him that he can play both the 3 or 4.
The 3-spot SF will need more than Wafer. The elite teams will be throwing at us the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Rudy Gay, Carlos Boozer, Ron Artest, Lebron James, and sometimes Kevin Durant…there is no way that Von Wafer should be guarding these bigger SF’s when you have Lasme, 6’8″, 220. lenghty, more althletic, sitting on the bench (not to mention he was 2008 D-League Defensive Player of the Year).
Let Lasme be the sub at 3 for PPand Marquis, particularly if one of these should get hurt this year, as they both did last year…and let the battle be between Harangody and Wafer as to who stays.
Wafer is a shooter, so let him shoot behind Ray, and Delonte at the (2) shooting guard position….and if he can’t prove that he can shoot during preseason..then, just keep Harangody as the 3rd string PF(4) behind KG and BBD.
But your point is well taken, right now I would keep Wafer and let Harangody go unless he shows that he can actually score against real NBA players, as Wafer has at least done while there in Houston.
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Lasme has very, very limited offensive skills though. I’m completely unconvinced he can handle the three spot in the NBA, even though he’s impressed me.
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Lasme’s very limited offensive prowess in definitely a concern.( Albeit, he scored 12 pt in less than 7 mins. in gm #1; which is way more than I can hardly say for Wafer or Harangody). He does get to the basket easily to score, but it’s not scoring which distinguished the Celtics guy he would be replacing at 3, Tony Allen…it’s his defense….and defense wins championships.
There is NO WAY that our 3rd stringer is going to outscore the likes of Melo, Durant, Lebron, Iguodala,Gerald Wallace, or Rudy Gay.. that’s their strength. And he’s too small to guard Ron Artest o the Fakers. So instead of trying to play into their strength…why don’t we try at least to slow them down with someone like Lasme, in the mode of another Tony Allen?
I would keep Lasme as the 6’8″ reserve wing 3-spot (because he nicely covers the wing…”extremely long arms”) and move Wafer as a substitute behind RA and Delonte (who will miss the first 10 games on suspension) and then who knows how manygames due to his bad back during the season.
Wafer trying to guard these larger 3′s just ain’t gonna work, that’s not his forte. And he’s not built to do it.
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Lasme played great in scoring 12 points the other night. I agree. But he can barely dribble, can’t shoot, and isn’t at all a threat with the basketball. Wafer is 6’5″ and 210 lbs. It’s not like he’s a midget. He’s bigger than Tony Allen was.
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Come on, man. You can’t be serious to think that Wafer is bigger than Tony Allen. I can’t explain just what the stat sheet may list Wafer as…but he is “NO” Tony Allen.
Maybe TA just played larger than his size, but he was a much more imposing figure on the floor to have to go through than Von Wafer. Makes Von Wafer look small in comparison.
Looked stronger (muscles everywhere), and played more gritty.
Please don’t make the mistake of (just because of his listed height of 6’5″) think that Von Wafer is as an imposing figure on the floor as Tony Allen).
He cannot hold down the elite team’s bigger 3 as Tony Allen did. Point Blank.
But he got a mean jump-shot, so let’s use him for his “supposed” strength.
He’s more in the mold of Ray Allen (who is also listed at 6’5″) or Delonte west (listed at 6″4″), than a strong defensive 3 SF like Tony Allen (who also had no ostensible offensive skills).
Who says Lasme can’t dribble? He dribbled well enough to get to that hole with that tomahawk dunk last night.
That’s all the dribbling he needs to do.
Dribble the ball to the basket…and jam it in.
TA only dribbled the ball off his foot every night…but I was sure glad to see him on our side when we played those very athletic, stronger, elite teams last year. Same thing with Lasme this year.
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You’re overrating Lasme, my man.
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It’s not overrating him..we know that the guy needs polishing on the offensive side of the ball; but we have to look at our team and our competition like Miami and the Fakers, to see what it will require to get to Banner #18.
Albeit, we are talking about 3rd stringers here. Who won’t play except somebody goes down.
But in times of emergency, Lasme, as a defensive player at the 3 SF, is much more suited to benefit our team against the better teams.
Whereas Wafer, is better to sub as a shooting guard #2…if Ray or Delonte can’t play.
But as a 3 SF Wafer will be a marked man against the faster, more athletic teams with bigger players at the 3 position.
Even though Lasme is not a shooter , this doesn’t mean that he can’t pose a threat on the floor as a “scorer”…let’s not get it twisted.
In 2007, Lasme tied the NCAA record of four triple doubles (including scoring) during a single year. Averaged 13.5 points per game his senior year at UMASS.
Also, averaged double-digits scoring in the European league at different points.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephane_Lasme
The guy can score….he just can’t shoot very well.
But if you don’t respect his offense, he wll burn you very good.
Of course, we all know all of his defensive honors…so it’s not even a question (as it relates to his defensive mindset).
He’s still a gem in rough…,but if I’m in a dogfight against one of the big boys (Miami,LA…or even Orlando, Chicago )
I would much rather have Lasme as my backup SF 3 than Von Wafer. Point Blank.
Actually, that’s not saying that much (so I’m not overrating him). But it’s an obvious choice.
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Have you even seen any evidence that Lasme can defend small forwards? Because I know I haven’t.
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Well, Mr Financial Analyst of Antoine Walker, (what a tag), that’s hilarious!
We’ll just have to trust Doc and the coaching staff on this one. They see him a lot more than any of us.
He was out there defending 3′s last night…I saw him make one small forward on the wing throw up a totally discombobulated shot due to the way that Lasme distracted & intimidated him.
I think we’ll see more and more of that from him in the near future.
We’ll just have to be patient with him, as he is such a gem in the rough.
It will require a little polishing which only comes through playing daily against topnotch players as we have on our team in practice everyday…but I can’t see why he won’t be ready when we need him most down the homestretch.
But if you were patient enough to watch as all of Antoine’s 100′s of millions went flushing down the drain…then, I know that you can be patient enough to watch as this raw & special talent gets shapened into what Doc and his staff see him as capable to becoming in the near future.
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Re: AWFA: Have you seen Wafer show he could defend anyone other than a brick wall (and I think the wall can still beat him off the dribble)?
I’m in the “Keep Lasme” camp on this one, as I think the C’s are better served with players who have the defensive fundamentals already covered, even if they’re limited offensively. Rondo’s a great example here, as he’s always been a demon on defense, but has had to work on his offense away from the rim. He’s getting better, but he’s worked at it and put the time in. Love the kid, but we all know he’s a shaky shooter at best so far.
The bench mob has a few scorers on it already, especially after D. West gets back from his suspension, so adding Wafer to that group doesn’t help anything.
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