It had been known for some weeks that center Jermaine O’Neal would join the Golden State Warriors to help bolster their ever-improving defense, and the news became official on Tuesday when he signed with the team on a one-year, $2 million contract.
O’Neal is turning 35 in October and is no longer the dominant player he once was. He has been injury-prone over the years, but under the well-known magical staff of the Phoenix Suns last season, the center was exceptionally useful when he saw playing time. He shot 48.2 percent from the field – his second best performance over the last 10 seasons – shot a career-best 83.5 percent from the stripe, and averaged 8.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in just under 19 minutes per game. His 2.7 blocks Per 36 Minutes ranked 13th best in the league.
The biggest issue for the Warriors this season will be whether everyone can stay healthy until the playoffs – which they are expected to make – begin. Andrew Bogut and O’Neal are both game-changing defenders, but staying on the floor has been an issue for both players. With Festus Ezeli (knee) due to be sidelined to begin the season, it will be critical for Mark Jackson to manage and effectively distribute the minutes of his centers to avoid overworking them.
If O’Neal can avoid significant injuries in the upcoming season (I’m crossing my fingers), he should be a great compliment defensively to Bogut off the bench and provide some offensive punch in the paint for a team that just lost an effective scorer in Carl Landry to free agency. O’Neal is also in the process of finding out just how wonderful the fan base is in the Bay Area, as seen below:
Man it’s crazy how much love these warriors fans show out her in Oakland/S.F! I can’t wait for this season! pic.twitter.com/NTa0Q6Ia4t
— Jermaine O’Neal (@jermaineoneal) July 24, 2013
Exciting times are ahead for O’Neal and the up-and-coming Warriors.
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James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. You can find him on twitter @SheridanBlog.