But he was going to be their other big man, along with Hayward. (And perhaps Burke and Pat Hazel); they had big hopes for him, and he was a touted recruit. The guy was coming off an injury that should have sidelined him for the season; when he played, it was at the end of the year and he wasn't going to break into that rotation when the team was rolling.
(edit) But this year they needed him, with the graduation of Barro and Fitzgerald.