Does Sam have a ring yet? Money might be a factor, but the team with the best chance to win a ring could be the deciding factor. Sam would know which team that would be better than me.

Sam has two rings. But he wants more (especially at the end of his career), and out of the 3 other teams interested, we have the best chances to win the title.

Of course Dallas would be interested. There team is never good enough and especially when you have unlimited resources with Mark Cuban. They would throw that 5 mill to Greg Kite if it meant buying a title.

Reports are that Brent Barry is leaning towards the Suns, which is probably the best fit for both him and the team. Even though Phoenix spanked the C’s last Friday, they are very thin off the bench which should translate into more playing time for Barry.

Cassell might come to Boston due to his relationship with Garnett, though he reportedly would have the chance to start over Carter in Denver. Since the Nuggets play very little defense, he would fit right in with that group.

I won’t believe this until it’s a done deal. Donald Sterling is the flakiest owner in the NBA so I put no stock in any rumors involving the Clippers.

i am very ambivalent about sam and my heart would not be broken if we don’t pick him up. the problem has been that we have seemingly waited for him endlessly and we are at the mercy of sterling , sam, and the other bidders. somehow he reminds me of payton- big ego at the end of the line. however payton was useful to miami and it would be ok for sam to be useful to us in the same way.

I feel the same way, Bazzbo. Aside from the potential ego issues, the gollum doesn’t play much defense any more. Good clutch free throw shooter, though, so that might be useful in the playoffs. But all things considered I’d rather see Reggie Miller come out of retirement or go a little harder after Brent Barry (although Barry seems destined to return to SA).

I’m happy to stand pat. IMHO Gabe Pruitt looked pretty good last night, and I’d like to see him get some of House’s minutes between now and the playoffs.

Since Pollard has shown himself to be useless for anything other than locker room comic relief, I think adding another 7-footer should be the first priority. Dale Davis anyone?

Dale Davis anyone?

I read that he is close to signing with the Pistons.

Do the celtics have a 08 draft pick? A rumor has been swirling that Spygate(Rams taping occurred) Moss might sign with Dallas. The time has come for the Pats to start rebuilding I suppose.

No to Sam please!

I think a back-up Center is more important than a back-up PG. Perkins is more likely to go down than Rondo. KG is already fighting an injury. Big Baby, Powe and Scal are not Centers. It’s a little unreasonable to ask these guys to defend and rebound against other Centers in the playoffs.
I’m ok with House as back-up PG and would like to see Pruitt log some minutes as the season closes out.

He may be bad defensively, but he’s really not any worse than House is at keeping guys in front of him.

Also, he’d make Rondo tougher by clotheslining him in practice.

Although Cassell is older, slower and doesn’t play much defense, we really need a solid backup PG with playoff experience.
————————-.
How does those qualifications make him a solid backup?

It makes Cassell Gary Payton with slightly more in the tank.

Rivers can’t handle a personality whom he wants in a supporting role but who still thinks he’s a great player.

Let’s not look too close at him not being able to guard Rondo. Not many in this league can. He made the Nuggets guards look like they were standing still. He makes a lot of guys look like they can’t play D.

Come on, back up PG is the difference between making it to the finals and and losing in the conference finals. Sam I Am can still play and would help bolster the C’s biggest weakness, which was apparent when the season began. This move would be a no brainer IMO. Of course, he’d still have to come to the C’s.

Po is dead on with this one. No way I want him on this squad. We are doing just fine with House bringing the ball up the floor. House gives you Sam’s scoring, but Sam can’t play D. House is really putting the effort in on that side of the ball. Why bring in a disrupter if all he can do is bring the ball up a little better than House. Sign another big stiff or leave it alone. I like what we have. We need to play better together, not change our pieces. Last night showed that they are getting back into a bit of a groove.

EJPLAYA is exactly right. Cassell can bring the ball up the floor…big deal. Our backcourt bench already provides offense (House and T. Allen). Cassell can’t play defense to save his life. Honestly, look at the starting and back-up PG’s of the potential playoff teams in the East. You want him guarding Calderon/Ford or Gibson/Hughes or Nelson/Arroyo? He’ll get torched.

nazzbo said:
  i am very ambivalent about sam

Same here

There’s a lot of good things that Sam will bring to the table but there’s a lot of bad too. Could be great, could be a non-event, could be negative …. I really can’t tell.

I wasn’t a fan of the Eddie House signing but he’s played very well throughout the season. I also like what Tony Allen is bringing to the table. Sam Cassell is going to kick at least one of those guys out of the rotation. I’m worried about his effect on the rotation.

I’m also worried about his D which has been very poor this season. I think the Clipps have been at their best when Brevin Knight was in the game because he played defense and pushed the basketball … that was the difference and it had a big effect on the Clipps performances.

I’m not sure whether he’s a good signing. Then again I’m not sure he’s not a good signing. On the bright side he’s a good ballhandler, an excellent floor general, a good scorer, a clutch player, one of the finest leaders in the league, a good passer and I think he’ll make sure KG takes some more shots.

Lot of good. Lot of bad. I can’t tell how it would play out. I’m really not sure what to make of his possible addition.

I´m a bit shocked, to be honest.
House can bring the ball up? Nope, sorry, he can`t.
Do I have to remind you that we probably play Detroit in the ECF, and what happened the last time we played them? As much as I love Rondo, I don´t feel comfortable with him as our only PG in a 7-game-series against Detroit. What if he gets injured, or gets in early foul trouble against Billups? We definitly need a backup PG, and looking through the available names, Sam is by far the best possible choice, imo.

Or does this sudden aversion come from the fact that he fouled Rondo last month? Come on, even Rondo was cool with it. The rumors about Cassell to Boston last since the start of the season. Of course he played hard against the Celtics. That was a sign of professionalism, imo, and a statement to all the Clippers Fans who were suspicious about his real feelings for the Organization. We should be glad if we could sign such a professional and experienced player.

Casperian said:
Do I have to remind you that we probably play Detroit in the ECF, and what happened the last time we played them?

Uh, the last time we played the Pistons we beat them (on their court). Billups was held to 17 points and 6 assists, just below his season’s average.

We MUST get him. It is imperative to winning the title.

We have to have him.

DJ to Bird said
Uh, the last time we played the Pistons we beat them (on their court). Billups was held to 17 points and 6 assists, just below his season’s average

Um, I knew this comment would pop up, but that`s why I mentioned a 7-game-series. Ok, not the last game, but the game before that. Better? But that point is moot. Fact is, in a 7-game-series, the Detroit Pistons have a lot of weapons to exploit our weakness at backup-PG, and if you have the chance to bring a solid vet like Cassell in, who additionally is good friend with our best players, this equates to a no-brainer.

Wow… we are all drinking the Rick Pitino kool-aid or what…. all the negativity in this room…….and it stinks LOL

Well I have no problem picking up Sam I AM for being a back-up point guard…… Pruitt is still very young and immature and a Veteran like Sam on the floor for 10-15 min a game could help spell Rondo and allow Eddie to play the off guard without hurting the team

Who else are we going to pick up to help at the point at this stage????

A quote from Sam regarding the C’s in J.A. Adande’s article on ESPN.com today:

“Can I be effective with that team?” Cassell said before the Clippers played Boston Monday night. “I think that team is lacking … Rondo is a great young talent. In the playoffs, it takes more than talent to win playoff basketball games. Leadership means everything. Knowing who to get the ball to, knowing when to run, knowing when to set it up. I have experience.”

Maybe I’m reading too much into his comments, but it sounds like a guy who would expect major minutes – maybe even down the stretch in the 4th quarter. Is everybody happy with this?

I agree with Po….Don’t get this guy.

mcpu40 – What I mean by the “getting back into a groove”, is that for the first time since his return the C’s are playing well again with Garnett. He was taking up space and slowing things down a bit the first few games, which while necessary, caused them to not play as well. Last night he fit right back in. Maybe not 100%, but back to helping out. First time we have blown a team out in a long time!

Posey and House played very well. (especially Posey)

BBD is absolutely awful lately for some reason. TA was his usual turnover prone poor decision making self. He’s a 1 for 5’er (unfortunately so is BBD right now) One out of every 5 games he looks worth keeping.

Excellent balance and way to barely win the rebounding edge last night.

No question! The Clippers aren’t the Cavs and the test wasn’t the same. I think though that this game was the first in awhile that I felt like we were clicking on all cylinders. If we had squeaked out an ugly win against them we might have gotten pasted tomorrow. Instead, we go in with confidence. It will be nice to see DWest. Apparently I didn’t like Wally that much because that doesn’t really interest me…

I’ve agreed many times with Master Po and others.. but this time I would have to disagree…

You need a Cassell… He brings arrogance and a swagger to this team… He’d not a problem child…. and he will put a fire under Rondo in my opinion

I Would also have taken Ron Artest on this team for 1 year…..

It’s great to be nice and but it’s better to play “Bad” sort to speak…

Sam will bring something against the likes of the Spurs, Pistons, Lakers to the game…

I guess we can agree to disagree….. I hope I’m wrong….but He will be an uplifting to this team

Po and the other Cassell stats should look at any other stat besides “age.” The guy is averaging 12.8 ppg on 45.5% shooting in 25 minutes a night, along with 4.7 assists. Those are sterling numbers for a 26 year old PG, never mind one pushing 40.

Give me a cool headed PG who averages a point every 2 minutes and an assist every 5 (and a turnover every 12 minutes), who shoots 89% from the FT line, and has an incredible mid-range shot, any day of the week off the bench. He’d not a Glove defensively, but I’m sure that the good team defense here in Boston can cover whatever damage the other backup PGs might be able to do against him.

Any worries about how he will fit in here are groundless. This team has too strong a personality to be taken down by one man, if Sam decides to be trouble. It is totally illogical to think he’s going to give away money in LA to come here and be a problem, anyways.

I’m a huge Rondo fan, but I love the idea of Sam running the second unit, and helping to create more blowouts, which will save legs for the playoffs. And I’m absolutely giddy about having him on the floor in end of game situations, where he is as cold blooded as they come. Sam, Ray, Paul, Posey and KG should make opposing teams cringe in crunch time.

IMO, the most reasonable concern about sam is how you integrate him into the rotation when everyone’s healthy. does he play 4th quarter closer minutes? whose minutes does he cut into? house’s? TA’s?

however, i think the biggest value he brings is as a safety net. i don’t think we should worry about him overtaking rondo’s usefulness or biting into his development. we should worry about rondo missing time due to injury, suspension, etc. IF he goes down, then we’re starting house or TA, neither of which inspires confidence bringing the ball up. and when the starter, say house, needs to be rested, then you’re relying on TA or ray or paul to bring the ball up, which isn’t ideal. it’s a huge gamble if you just assume rondo will play every minute that the team needs him to the rest of the season. you must have a viable backup plan were he to go down. and while sam is a different kind of PG, he is at least a capable ball-handler, should be strong with team management, and as a bonus, hitting a jumper. you lose something defensively, but he has a more complete offensive game than rondo, so you hope it’s a wash.

i think some of those who are skeptical of sam are afraid he’d stagger rondo’s development because he’d HAVE to play a big role. i think were the celtics to bring him in, it would be under the pretense that he’s there as an insurance plan, not to create a “big four.” he’s also admitted that he’s damaged goods wherever he goes (The Celtics are “getting damaged goods if I do go over there,” Cassell said. “But I’ll be all right.” -from Adande’s espn.com article), so maybe he’d be accepting of a non-starring role.

All of those in favor of Sam answer me this! Who’s minutes is he going to take?

We have a current 2nd unit of House, Posey, Powe, BBD, and either Ray or PP stays in.

Who doesn’t see the floor time?

BTW, I hadn’t seen anyone mention Pruitt’s minutes last night. He really should be the answer here, not a washed up injured old man.

@EJPLAYA

Well, I guess he would take the minutes that Rondo leaves for him, which means House`s and Tony`s minutes as a backup PG.

Tony will play when we need a defensive or penetrating wing, and House will play when we need a 3pt shooter. House is a hot/cold shooter. If he`s hot, great, but if he`s cold, he`s useless, and makes our bench even thinner than it already is.