The five worst free agent signings in Boston Celtics history
No. 3 Pervis Ellison
The Sacramento Kings had the first overall pick in the 1989 draft, despite being one of the worst years to own the selection. There were no clear outliers in the draft that had ‘certain superstar’ potential. But thanks to head coach Bill Russell, the Kings felt like they had an easy choice and selected Pervis Ellison with the number one pick.
The selection was responded to, as it should have been, by a wave of boos from Sacramento fans. Russell chose Ellison, in part, due to the similarities he saw to his own game. The only problem was he failed his combine physical, and besides being short for his position, he never showed many of his ‘Bill Russell-like’ qualities. Concerning his first season, Ellison never showed any bit of the potential that Russell believed he had, constantly being met with the same boos and negativity heard in Radio City.
That year, Ellison only managed to play 34 games with constant toe injuries, as well as a two-week paid vacation from the team over Chrismas break. Russell was fired for the selection, as well as a number of other mistakes, and Ellison was shipped away to the Washington Bullets.
In the country’s capital, Ellison brought all his totals up, shooting more efficiently and scoring 10.4 points a game (compared to his eight a season ago). Ellison also managed to play the majority of the season, gaining the role of a starter by the end.
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During 1991-92, Ellison won the Most Improved Player award, averaging 20 points and 11.2 rebounds in 38 minutes per contest. He managed to play 66 out of the possible 82 games. But, in his final two seasons with Washington, his body got worse, and Ellison was not able to surpass 50 games again. Due to the injuries, his production plummeted in his contract year.
In Boston, the team was still mourning the death of star Reggie Lewis. M.L. Carr needed marketable talent to take the media attention away from the melancholy. After signing a 35-year-old Dominique Wilkins, extending Dee Brown, Carr needed to add one final free agency splash, signing Ellison for a six-year, $12 million deal.
Within his first season, Ellison battled a number of injuries before even stepping on the court. When he finally did, he played a career-low in minutes, scoring less than seven points a game. His numbers never approached what they were in Washington ever again.
In 1995-96, he was able to play 69 games, although, it was on limited minutes. Then he dropped a table on his toe, forcing him to miss the larger majority of the subsequent season. He continued to miss games, abstaining from playing during the entirety of the 1998-99 season with a combination of the ankle, knee, and toe injuries. In his final four seasons, he averaged 17 games played a season.
After playing just nine minutes a game in 30 appearances in his final contract year, Ellison left Boston. His injuries made him unlikeable, by staff, players, and fans, as he took up a considerable part of the cap every season. What was most frustrating, was the fact that he was untradable due to the leg problems that came with the hefty contract.
Ellison was struck by basketball gods, living through pain and injuries, still, at least he played when healthy. The number two guy on the list was sat on multiple occasions due to his attitude and effort.