Jason Collins Heading to Atlanta

Jason Collins, the veteran backup center, has agreed to a contract to join the Atlanta Hawks. Although terms of the contract weren’t immediately released, it is expected that Collins signed for the league minimum.

Earlier in the offseason, the Hawks signed Joe Smith to add more size to their team. Collins is further insurance at the bigman positions.

After playing with the New Jersey Nets for the first six and a half years of his career, Collins has split the last one nd a half years with the Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Last season with the T’Wolves, the 7-footer out of Stanford averaged 1.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per contest.

While Collins isn’t a very good scorer or a very good rebounder, he’s a fantastic post defender. When defending against the bigger and stronger players in the league, there are few defenders as effective as Collins. With the Hawks, Collins will be helpful in certain matchups — namely against Dwight Howard and Shaquille O’Neal.

Jason Collins signed by the Atlanta Hawks (Image: Zuma Press)