Big Baby: "Come play with me next year." Jermaine: "No doubt, son."

Jermaine O’Neal has officially signed with the Boston Celtics, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.

Some people aren’t as excited about O’Neal as I am, and I can see why because he was beyond miserable against the Celtics in the playoffs. But let’s put things in perspective: He just shot a career-high 53% from the field, averaged 13.6 points and 6.9 rebounds, and is a defensive presence too.

With only the mid-level exception to spend, the Celtics weren’t going to get anyone better. Shaq isn’t better (pick-and-roll defense beyond bad). Brad Miller isn’t better (over-the-hill, very slow). Kwame Brown definitely isn’t better (I could choose almost anything as my reason).

This is a great signing, especially if O’Neal doesn’t get the full mid-level. Yahoo! reported yesterday he would receive somewhere “near the midlevel.” Hopefully that’s code for, “he inexplicably wants to take a veteran’s minimum contract because he is desperately hungry for a ring.”

I’ll let you know what the deal is but, for now, just be happy O’Neal is the C’s newest player.

Update: A. Sherrod Blakely tweeteth, “League source confirmed Yahoo! report that Jermaine O’Neal has agreed to sign with the Celtics. Likely for most or all of MLE.”

Update #2: The deal is for the full mid-level. Well, that sucks. But it’s still a good signing.

J.O., son.

Jermaine O’Neal signing with the Boston Celtics is “almost a done deal,” according to Michael Wallace of the Miami Herald. No contract discussion was included in Wallace’s tweets.

Go ahead and nix any thoughts of a Bosh-J. O’Neal frontcourt reunion. O’Neal to Boston is almost a done deal. Bank on it.

I’m all aboard the J-train. I like O’Neal better than any other big mentioned in talks with the Celtics, regardless of O’Neal playing like a paralyzed schoolgirl in the first round of the playoffs. With apologies to all the paralyzed schoolgirls out there.

O’Neal can start while Perkins is injured, then bring his rebounding, shot-blocking and solid mid-range game to the bench when Perk comes back. Never mind that O’Neal has lost a step or two (or three); he can still help a ball-club win games.

I don’t think I could be happier with this signing. Actually, I would be if I hadn’t read the following tweet: (A. Sherrod Blakely)

“I wouldn’t mind having him on our team, I can tell you that,” Rivers said of Kwame Brown. “He could help us.”

But don’t worry guys: I’m pretty sure all the Kwame Brown stuff is just a practical joke.

P.S. – I’m starting to get really excited about this offseason’s potential. If the C’s… make it official with J.O. for a portion of the mid-level (as it’s rumored); the C’s spend the rest of the mid-level on a cheap but solid vet (Kyle Korver or Rasual Butler, anyone?); ship Rasheed Wallace’s retiring contract for a contributor (Leandro Barbosa?); then re-sign Tony Allen, the Celtics will have the following lineup:

PG: Rajon Rondo, Leandro Barbosa, Avery Bradley
SG: Ray Allen, Tony Allen
SF: Paul Pierce, Rasual Butler
PF: Kevin Garnett, Big Baby, Luke Harangody
C: Kendrick Perkins (injured), Jermaine O’Neal

I really like that lineup. Throw in a solid veteran’s minimum pickup or two and the C’s have a legitimate, legitimate 12-man rotation. Things might seriously be falling into place, as long as Ray gets his head on straight and comes back.

Update: Well, I got my wish. Ray’s back.

The Celtics didn’t just meet with Kwame Brown today; they also worked him out. (CSNNE)

As a former No. 1 overall pick, Kwame Brown has repeatedly failed to live up to the lofty expectations that come with his draft status.

But he is big.

And he can defend.

And in all likelihood, he’ll come at a relatively inexpensive price tag.

Because of those factors, the Celtics have every reason to see the 6-foot-11, 270-pound big man as a viable option to add to their roster.

The C’s took a step in that direction on Wednesday when the worked out Brown here in Florida.

Danny Ainge, Boston’s president of basketball operations, was in attendance.

While Ainge acknowledges that Brown is someone of interest to the C’s, they by no means are ready to commit to him or any other free agent big man right now.

All jokes aside, my first thoughts: I wonder how bad he was during the workout. Can he catch entry passes from the people working him out? Or is it only in real games that he fumbles those?

My second thoughts: Kwame Brown. The C’s might as well work out Patrick O’Bryant.

Doc Rivers admitted Shaq is a potential target, and said not to be surprised by any big man the Celtics go after. As if we didn’t already know, Doc: Setting up a meeting with Kwame Brown kind of clued us in to the desperation. (Boston Globe)

“Nothing is out of the question, we need a big,’’ Rivers said. “Shaq, everybody is in play. No doubt. We haven’t done anything yet, but I think everybody’s in play. I will wait [on talking about O’Neal]. If the day comes that we sign him, then I will make more comments.’’

It’s really too bad Vitaly Potapenko just accepted an assistant coaching position.

Doc then spoke about what the C’s see in Kwame. (CSNNE)

While many see Brown as one of the biggest busts in NBA history, Rivers is convinced that the 28-year-old still has plenty to offer a championship-caliber team like the Celtics.

“Size. He’s got size and potential,” Rivers said. “He hasn’t realized that yet. But it’s there. We want to see if we can get it out of him.” [...]

While many have focused on what Brown has not been able to accomplish during his NBA career, Rivers believes the things that Brown has proven he can do well in the NBA – defend – would allow him to fit in.

“We know who we are,” Rivers said. “We’re not disguising that. Big offensive numbers, yeah, that would be great. But we use that as a disguise so we can defend you. That’s what he would be.”

If the C’s are really looking for a big guy who can defend, why not throw the vet’s minimum at Kurt Thomas? He may be old (like, really, really old) but at least he’s not a train wreck offensively.

And does Kwame really have potential? He’s been in the league for nine years. At some point, you’ve just got to call a spade a spade – it just is what it is.

I have seen Tony Allen at his head-scratching, mind-boggling, turnover-throwing worst… and I still haven’t seen any stretch of bad basketball that compares with Kwame in the clip above. If you put Stevie Wonder on the Lakers, he couldn’t have possibly played as badly as Kwame did. If you dressed Helen Keller up in purple and gold, she would have been much better than Kwame was. If you take JaMarcus Russell after a 12-day syzurp binge… well, you get the point.

And please, save your breath: Nobody will be able to talk me into Kwame. Not even for the minimum. I don’t care that he’s a decent rebounder and okay post defender. I really don’t. He’s Kwame Brown, folks. Kwame Brown.

The day Kwame Brown's fall from grace began.

Oh, dear lord. The Celtics have set up a meeting with Kwame Brown. I hope he doesn’t have to take a cab to the meeting: I hear he has trouble catching them. (Boston Herald)

As a testament to the Celtics’ willingness to kick the tires of every big man who might help the cause, Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers have set up a meeting with Kwame Brown tomorrow in Orlando.

“We’re checking out a lot of possibilities – it’s still very early in the process,” Danny Ainge said today of what is certain to be a broad casting call for big men, including Shaquille O’Neal.

Ainge said he has not set up a meeting, to this point, with O’Neal.

The 6-11 Brown spent the last two seasons with the Pistons, and in strictly a backup (13.8 minutes per game) role averaged more rebounds (3.7) than points (3.3) last season. But his value as a shot blocker (0.6 career average) may be what the Celtics are looking at now.

Brown, of, course, is better known as one of the greatest draft disappointments of all time.

In case reading the sentence, “Brown, of course, is better known as one of the greatest draft disappointments of all time,” wasn’t enough to clue you in, I think it’s safe to say the Celtics would be better off without this meeting.

Kwame Brown? Sweet Jesus, I never thought it would come to this.