He became a free agent for the first time this summer. He had suitors — from the Heat, a team he knew was trying to lure LeBron James and Chris Bosh to play with Dwyane Wade, to the Mavericks and Nuggets. But while considering his options, the 6-foot-11-inch O’Neal thought about how long he had been in the league without getting a chance to play for a title, and asked himself, “What gives me the best opportuni ty to win next year?’’
After they bounced the Heat, O’Neal watched the Celtics reach the Finals, ultimately falling to the Lakers. When the time came to make a choice, he decided to join the team that had beaten him.
“I know what this city represents,’’ O’Neal said yesterday after officially signing a two-year deal with the Celtics. “I know what this organization represents. I know what the guys on that court represent. They compete at a very high level on the floor. They don’t really care who gets the credit for scoring or rebounding or whatever it may be. They just play together and play to win. Obviously, those guys have a ring already, but they want another one. I don’t have a ring, and I want one.’’
The Celtics were — and still are — in the market for a big man after losing center Kendrick Perkins to torn knee ligaments in Game 6 of the Finals. In O’Neal, they’ve added a veteran, for the midlevel exception ($5.765 million), with the ability to score and rebound.
“He’s versatile,’’ said Celtics president Danny Ainge. “He can catch and finish. He can score on the post left hand, right hand. He’s a good weak-side shot blocker and he’s been a decent rebounder as well.’’
With size being so hard to find in free agency, O’Neal had teams from which to choose.
“Jermaine had a lot of options,’’ Ainge said. “There were a lot of teams. There’s not a great deal of big men out there in the free agent market, especially for the midlevel. So we had to make a tough sell.’’
