Celtics sign Tacko Fall, three others
Jul 6, 2019; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Boston Celtics center Tacko Fall (55) against the Philadelphia 76ers during an NBA Summer League game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is officially taking a flier on the promise of Tacko Fall, as Ainge and Co. signed the 7-foot-7 center (and three others) to NBA contracts on Thursday.
An absolute mountain of a human being, Fall came to the Celtics on an Exhibit 10 contract, and played for the Green during their Summer League run in Las Vegas. It was there that Fall established himself as a Summer League sensation, drawing massive crowds and countless chants, and finishing with 7.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting 77 percent.
If the 23-year-old Fall makes the Celtics out of training camp, it would make him the tallest active player in the NBA, standing four inches taller than the Mavericks’ Boban Marjanovic. Listed at both 7-foot-6 and 7-foot-7 depending on the program you buy (I suppose it all depends on the shoes Fall brings to the arena that day), a 7-foot-7 status on an NBA roster sheet would tie Fall with Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muresan as the tallest players in NBA history.
For one last piece of useless information, the 7-foot-3 Bruno Sundov, who played in 26 games for the C’s in 2002-03, currently stands as the tallest player to suit up for the Celtics.
Update: Now before we all go out and purchase Tacko Fall jerseys, it’s worth mentioning that this contract is still the Exhibit 10 contract Fall first signed with the C’s, according to the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach.
Per source, Tacko Fall’s deal is still an Exhibit 10 contract, just as he originally agreed to shortly after the draft.
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) July 25, 2019
In addition to Fall, the Celtics also made the signing of Javonte Green official, and inked guards Tremont Waters (a second-round draft pick of the club in 2019) and Max Strus to two-way contracts.
Green, who was with the C’s throughout their Summer League run, spent last season with Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany, where he produced 13.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 2.3 steals per game in 51 games in both the German BBL and Eurocup.
A starter in all five of Boston’s Summer League contests, the Connecticut-born Waters averaged 11.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.0 steals in 24.3 minutes. The 23-year-old Strus, meanwhile, joins the Celtics after two years at DePaul, where he ranked third in the Big East in scoring last year (20.1 points per game).
