Nate Robinson is a lightning rod off of the bench and a solid change of pace, but let's face it — he's a gimmick player and a defensive liability. Jermaine O'Neal has all the talent in the world, but his best days happened before he was taking swings at Pistons fans at the Palace. While hope remains that he can revitalize his career in Boston, he may be a case of a big man who put too many miles on at a young age.
Then what do you have? Marquis Daniels? Draft picks Luke Harangody and Avery Bradley? Everybody's favorite human victory cigar, Brian Scalabrine?
While it may have gone under the radar compared to all of the massive deals that were part of NBA free agency this summer, Ronnie Brewer choosing to sign with Chicago over Boston may actually be a pretty big deal.
After the Bulls were denied J.J. Redick by Orlando matching their offer sheet, Chicago successfully lured the former Arkansas standout.
Chicago, it must be said, has had one of the strongest offseasons in the NBA, adding balance and depth with Brewer, bruising power forward Carlos Boozer and record-setting sniper Kyle Korver. All three acquisitions played formerly played with the Utah Jazz and are excited about reuniting.
Brewer's three-year, $12.5 million deal is pretty modest considering that Darko got $20 million, and Chris Duhon got $60 million. Even with their cap issues, the Cs could have afforded him.
Regarding the decision, Brewer told Yahoo! sports, “It came down to Chicago and Boston. I’m fairly young and I got an opportunity to start in Chicago. Both are great cities, storied programs. It came down to where I could excel more. With the young Bulls, I like their style of play and I get to play with Derrick Rose.”
The 6-foot-7 swingman would have filled multiple voids for the Celtics, both as an able defender whom Boston could throw at LeBron James or Kobe Bryant (which would conserve Paul Pierce's energy), and as a slashing scorer, something the Celtics forgo by playing perimeter-oriented Ray Allen.
Instead, the often underwhelming Marquis Daniels will have to do.
