Ryan Gomes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Gomes with the Boston Celtics
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| Position | Power forward/small forward |
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| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Weight | 250 lb (110 kg) |
| Team | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Jersey | #8 |
| Born | September 1, 1982 Waterbury, Connecticut |
| Nationality | USA |
| High school | Wilby (Waterbury) |
| College | Providence |
| Draft | 2nd round, 50th overall, 2005 Boston Celtics |
| Pro career | 2005–present |
| Former teams | Boston Celtics (2005–2007) |
Ryan Gomes (born September 1, 1982, in Waterbury, Connecticut) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA. Gomes is of Cape Verdean descent.
Despite a highly successful career as an All-America power forward at Providence College where he also played with prospect Herbert Hill in the Big East Conference, the 6'7" Gomes fell in the 2005 NBA Draft to the late second round. His size and abilities did not fit scouts' prototypical image of either a power forward or a small forward. Celtics' director of basketball operations Danny Ainge, however, felt that Gomes' track record and work ethic were enough to take a chance on the local product with the 50th pick overall. At Providence, he was known for two moves after his final game as a Friar, after the game was over Gomes left his shoes on the floor to honor his accomplishments at Providence and framed his jersey he wore in his last game.
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[edit] NBA career
[edit] 2005-06 season
Wearing number 4, Gomes was expected to play off the bench in his rookie season spelling Celtics star Paul Pierce. His playing time and statistical impact were limited early in the season. However, on January 26, 2006, the Celtics executed a multiplayer trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves that freed up roster space for Gomes to play. Soon after that, fellow Celtic Kendrick Perkins was injured and Gomes was inserted in the starting line-up.
After becoming a starter, Gomes excelled, and kept his job even after Perkins returned. On February 24, 2006 he collected 17 rebounds and scored 13 points. Gomes scored at least 10 points in 21 of the 29 games he started in 2006, and in 7 of those games he also had at least 10 rebounds, known as a double-double. The second half of his rookie season was a definite success.
Gomes hustles relentlessly, and Celtics television color commentary man Tommy Heinsohn described Gomes as the best offensive rebounder on the Celtics' roster. Despite his relatively small size, Gomes positions himself well on the court to rebound, and uses his hands well for easy put-back buckets and lay-ups.
Gomes was named to NBA All-Rookie Second Team for the 2005-2006 season [1], and chose to play in the Celtic's 2006 NBA summer-league team. Gomes was named to the summer league all-first team for the second consecutive year.
Gomes says his greatest inspiration was meeting Mark, a young kid who almost died of cancer.
[edit] 2006-07 season
Gomes continued to make a significant impact starting 60 games for the Celtics in the 2006-07 season. Gomes averaged more than 30 minutes played, scoring 12.1 points per game, along with 1.6 assists and 5.6 rebounds. On November 8, 2006 Gomes recorded his first career triple-double collecting 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Charlotte Bobcats in the Celtics' first win of the 2006-07 season after an 0-3 start. On January 20, Gomes scored a career high 31 points in an overtime loss to the Washington Wizards. Coming off the bench on March 4, 2007, Gomes tied his career high of 17 rebounds and scored 21 points while playing a total of 51 minutes in a double overtime victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
On March 7, Gomes sprained his left foot and did not play in the second half of the game against the Houston Rockets. He sat out the following 7 games, and returned to the Celtics' roster playing limited minutes beginning on March 21. Near the end of the season, Gomes began regularly shooting three point shots, making 14 of 34 in April, after shooting only 5 for 17 in his career to that point.
Gomes attracted the attention of the national media for comments he made following a Celtics' loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on April 13. Neither Gomes nor starting point guard Rajon Rondo played in the game's final, decisive minutes. After, Gomes said, "I probably (would have played), but since we were in the hunt for a high draft pick, of course things are different." This was the first public comment by a Celtic in 2007 implying that the team was losing games purposely, to enhance their status for the 2007 NBA Draft. NBA Commissioner David Stern reportedly sought to speak with Gomes regarding his comments.
[edit] 2007-08 season
On July 31, 2007, Gomes was traded along with Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, and draft picks, to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Garnett.[1] On January 21, 2008 Gomes scored a career high 35 points against the Golden State Warriors in a 109-108 win.[2] Gomes played in all 82 Timberwolves games, starting 74 of them, and he averaged 12.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
- Ryan Gomes Info Page at NBA.com
- Ryan Gomes Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
- http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2006/03/09/gomes_starting_to_really_cash_in/
- http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2006/07/10/gomes_proves_hes_a_class_act/
- http://www.celticsblog.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=581&Itemid=189
- http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/celtics/?p=117
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