Are the Celtics Interested in JaVale McGee?

For those unaware, there’s a developing situation in Houston concerning DeAndre Jordan and his alleged reneging of his verbal commitment with the Dallas Mavericks. He would instead rejoin the Los Angeles Clippers, with whom he felt at home (read: got cold feet leaving $30 million on the table).  The initial fallout would be drastic, however it wouldn’t be until the aftershock hits, that it could affect the Celtics.

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Immediately after Jordan’s verbal commitment to Dallas, the Clippers displayed interest in JaVale McGee: a player whose skill set closely resembles Jordan’s, but with an inferior basketball IQ.

Last night, Jordan posted a picture of his fingernails on Instagram, which was meant to signify his plan to join the LA Clipperts. However, if Jordan spurns the Mavericks, then McGee suddenly becomes far less appealing to Doc Rivers.

Should the Celtics pursue McGee then?

If Celtics fans want a shot blocker, lord knows, McGee can block shots. See below:

If Ainge is now legitimately interested in McGee, it wouldn’t be the first time. In fact, for those that don’t remember, the Celtics were so close to acquiring McGee that he was in Boston, primed to board the C’s plane for their next road trip. However, talks fell apart when McGee’s reps couldn’t agree to the option-year attached to the deal.

From a distance, it looked like McGee’s reps were bluffing. They should’ve recognized McGee’s stock was critically-low and just taken the offer. Ainge called them out on their bluff and to this day, McGee remains a free agent.

Until today, things were looking up for McGee when it appeared the Clippers were not just going to sign him, but insert him into their starting lineup. Now, the Clippers may have their rim protection void filled, however, the Celtics don’t.

His value is at rock-bottom and hopefully, by now, his reps can finally grasp the principal that ‘beggars can’t be choosers’. The Celtics would first have to clear out some of its crowded front court to acquire the enigmatic big man. Between the team’s stash of trade exceptions and movable players, opening up cap space wouldn’t be issue. The only real risk then, is finding a way to integrate McGee into the Celtics’ culture and prevent him from repeatedly making a fool out of himself. See below:

If the Celtics could find out how to control McGee and harness his inhuman natural abilities, then he’d be the solution to their problem at center. However, time and time again, teams have talked themselves into believing they could rehabilitate him into being the star he’s capable of being.

I believe Brad Stevens could do it though. We’ve seen him turn Jordan Crawford into Player of the Week and transform Evan Turner into an intriguing point-forward. McGee at his best averaged 11.3 points, 7.8 rebounds (2.7 offensive) and 2.2 blocks in just 25 minutes. Additionally, his PER was an impressive 19.9, which is well-above the average at 15.

Forgive my optimism, as I’ve always been a bit of a McGee-apologist. I believe his antics could be explained by his exposure to toxic situations. The post-Gilbert Arenas/Pre-All-Star John Wall-Wizards were a nightmare. It wasn’t until he was traded to Denver that he ever saw the playoffs. While the Nuggets always performed well with McGee, former -Nuggets coach George Karl’s notorious for being largely reviled by his players.

This Celtics team could be functional enough to rehab McGee. Therefore, if Danny could find an affordable deal that wouldn’t compromise the team’s future (maybe get McGee to finally agree to that team-option) then it should be a no-brainer. The key is minimizing risk. If things don’t work out, which is likely, the C’s could always release him. At the very least, we’d get to see “Shaqtin’ a Fool” in the making.