Ugh: On Jermaine O’Neal and the Boston Celtics centers

Let me get this out of the way first: I once considered Jermaine O’Neal soft, but now I admire his toughness. He returned from surgery last season, played his ass off in the postseason, and charged on against the Knicks and Heat despite a broken wrist. There will always be a spot in my heart for O’Neal because I understand how much he sacrificed. He genuinely has one goal, and that’s to help the Celtics win another championship.That being said, O’Neal has been awful. He’s a defensive-minded center who can’t make rotations quick enough. He’s shooting 44.7 percent from the field, even though every shot he takes is a layup or a wide open, short jumper. His rebounding rate is lower than Paul Pierce’s. He’s left the bench for the locker room due to injury at least three or four times already. He’s a complete non-factor on offense and his defense hasn’t been enough to overshadow the fact that Boston’s playing 4-on-5 e...