Cassell Finally Bought Out - To Sign Monday (reportedly)
by Jeff Clark on Feb 28, 2008 3:56 PM EST
in Boston Celtics News & Links
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PrintYup, it is finally happening. Marc Spears reports:
Los Angeles Clippers point guard Sam Cassell is expected to sign buyout papers with the franchise with an hour and he will sign with the Boston Celtics once he clears waivers, according to an NBA source.
Cassell and the Clippers have agreed to buyout terms and is expected to receive some of the money remaining on his $6.1 salary this season.
Once the 38-year old's buyout is official, he has to clear waivers within 48 hours so he can become eligible to sign with another team.
UPDATE: It's official, via Clippers.com:
The Los Angeles Clippers today waived point guard Sam Cassell.
In 38 games played this season, Cassell averaged 12.8 points, 4.7 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 25.7 minutes per game. In his 15th NBA season, Cassell had missed the last four games with a sprained right wrist while missing 12 games earlier in the season with a strained left calf.
"After weighing all of the options and after conversations with Sam we believe this is the best solution for this team," stated Vice President of Basketball Operations Elgin Baylor. "We know and appreciate the many contributions Sam made during the last three years, and we wish him nothing but the best."
Great, great news. He still needs to clear waivers, but that should (hopefully) be a formality. -R.H.
UPDATE #2: Ernie Johnson on TNT reports (via David Aldridge) that Sam I Am will sign with the Celtics on Monday -G17
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So if he is let go within an hour, he will clear waivers Monday afternoon. This means Cassell’s first game will be against Detroit! And this is exactly why we got him!
by P_two on Feb 28, 2008 5:00 PM EST reply actions
Master Po said:
ughhhh Worse news of the day. Welcome anyway Sammy and shut your big yapper and just play.
Don’t worry Po. Sam’s mouth grows on you (that sounds kinda awkward…). Considering he’s going to be a late season bargain-big addition, expectations shouldn’t be as high as they will be. He’ll play a role that will help. I think you’ll enjoy him until he starts whining about an extension or new contract.
I don’t see why people can’t see that you have to play both ends of the floor. Unless Doc is planning on calling a time out between offense and defense, he has to play the other end. You can’t have it both ways. If they get a bucket on the offense end because of his poor defense, his bucket or foul shots on the other end don’t mean much. Especially when Billups can defend him better than he can defend them. This is a net loss as Sam will shoot a worse percentage against Billups than Billups will against Sam.
That’s why!
Sorry, couldn’t leave it at that. I think what Ainge has done is nothing short of remarkable from what we had last year to what we have now. Kept a great core of young guys to learn and grow from the vets, brought in a stellar cast of veterans and future hall of famers and has gone from lottery team to now once again (after the trading hoopla this past few weeks)to the team with the targets squarely on our backs again. Face it, many people thought we had slipped because other teams got better. Great. I would have really rather us slid into the background until the playoffs, but with the latest two acquisitions we will be the talk of the league and the analysts once again. I feel we TRULY now have the cast to get it done. Wasn’t too certain before these last few trades and felt the record was great and all, but was still feeling uneasy thinking about playoff time. Now I feel secure and if we dont make it to the finals, it wont be because we lacked anything that could be pointed to as the reason.
mainevent- you can name me all you want, because you’re wrong. I have supported Danny since he got here. I have supported Doc since he got here. I think his move to pick up PJ was great. His moves in the off season obviously great.
As far as the lack of basketball understanding, you are being pretty presumptive. Anyone that just ignores how bad his defense is probably shouldn’t be calling out people for their basketball IQ.
Hey Larry Bird had a big mouth too…but he always backed it up ;)
face it… it’s worth a shot…and I dont’ think that the players or Doc will put up with it…
Master Po… I enjoy your readings… Think of it as when D.J. came to the Celtics… He had the same situtation….. But Larry, Kevin, and Chief were right there along with K.C.
Well now you have Paul, Kevin, and Ray along with Doc just in case…..
Give him a chance…..that’s all….
And if he doesn’t work out.. . well I’ll take my hat off to you and say you were right….
We all deserve a chance…..
I like Rondo… and I like Pruitt…. but Cassell with most definitely add something to this team as will P.J. Brown….
I like the fact that we have him for the rest of the season..“Sam I Am” will work hard to blend in and prove himself not only to us but, to whomever is looking to sign him for next…
by Fastbreak on Feb 28, 2008 5:36 PM EST reply actions
P2 said:
So if he is let go within an hour, he will clear waivers Monday afternoon. This means Cassell’s first game will be against Detroit! And this is exactly why we got him!
I don’t get this statement. He can’t guard Billups or Hamilton. Sam’s an offensive player and surely can hit big shots against anyone, not just Detroit. We’ve learned, and it’s been said over and over again, that we depend on our defense to win. We can score points (except on the occasional off night). If he does come here I’d be real curious to see how he’s used and how he handles it.
Ancient Red thanks and I will give him a chance. When I think of Danny’s acumen in picking up players not in the draft, visions of Gugliotta, Dickau, Pollard, Raef, Wally, Jiri, Scali, Olawakandi, Ratliff, I see a record of some pretty big misses. Yes he has hit a couple of home runs but a 38 year old PG who has been injured twice already this year. Has had bouts of a bad back, plantar faciatis, now a wrist. Just not seeing it but we will see -- we will see
he is saying we need him for the pistons because the pistons are one of the teams who absolutely kill TA/House dribbling up the ball.
by cmoney on Feb 28, 2008 5:54 PM EST reply actions
well, anyone who thinks this is a bad pickup (im not one of them) has two legitimate concerns (which i share to some degree)
1. sam has never been a role player in his career, and openly insinuated earlier in the whole “sam to boston!” angles that he was going to be “the man” in Boston. That could lead to conflict, something doc has avoided so far to promote great team unity. the last thing i want is a vet guy playing the 5-10 minutes we need him to late in games/ end of the 1st half, and then rondo has one sub par game and he starts running his yap about how he needs more minutes. Its tougher than people realize for a star player to go “yep, ok now i’m cool with being the back up. no problem.” not everyone can do it, i hope sam can.
2. He hasn’t been the most consistent guy effort wise when he doesn’t get his way. this ties to point 1, if he comes in, expects people to go “yes! sam saves us, give him the start/ half and half time!” and he doesn’t get it, will he give the effort at learning schemes and pushing people in practice, or will he pout?
El, it’s not about being presumtive…it’s about what we are lacking at this time and what we need to make a splash in the playoffs. The regular season is the regular season, all this is is posturing for position for the playoffs. While loving Rajon, the experience after him for the most important position on the team is/was severely lacking. You CANT tell me you dont agree with that. Now, let’s see who is out there that fits the mold that you, me, everyone else here would like a veteran point guard with big game experience that can control the point and plays hard nosed tough defense? If you can think of a better pick up, please post.
Thanks
El, it’s not about being presumtive…it’s about what we are lacking at this time and what we need to make a splash in the playoffs. The regular season is the regular season, all this is is posturing for position for the playoffs. While loving Rajon, the experience after him for the most important position on the team is/was severely lacking. You CANT tell me you dont agree with that. Now, let’s see who is out there that fits the mold that you, me, everyone else here would like a veteran point guard with big game experience that can control the point and plays hard nosed tough defense? If you can think of a better pick up, please post.
Thanks
Sam Cassell is not being brought to
Boston to be the team’s savior. His role is back up point guard (a position we really need filled this year). He is 38 years old and probably will not be back next year. Master Po, I must ask you…who do you think, on a short term basis, can be brought in this year with his qualifications and at his price? Keep in mind that he is not here yet. I think signing Sam for the remainder of this year would be a good thing, however, I would like your take on this (more than saying no Cassell because he hardfouled RR).
mainevent – Once again though, you don’t address the problem of him destroying our strength. We are a strong defensive team, and he makes that a big weakness. Rondo’s pressure on the ball makes an opposing PG give the ball up later in the shot clock. This in itself prevents that extra pass at the end for a good shot and makes it a forced shot. That is a big help on our team defense.
Tell me why that doesn’t cause huge problems for our team in crunch time. If I am Detroit and he is in there, I isolate Sam and take him to the basket or post him up every time down the floor. Game over. His experience means nothing. Billups has it too and is twice the player Sam is.
House has plenty of ’’experience’’ along with TA, and together they have been doing a much better job of bringing the ball up the floor. Their offense combined is as good, their defense is better, and they aren’t guys who have to be the stars on the floor.
You ask for a better PG than him, and my answer is House/TA. They bring more overall to the table. Sam’s limited area where he is better than them doesn’t come close to outweighing his huge negatives.
he’s not ours yet, but i do trust what marc spears has to say. since he’s been in boston, he’s been on top of everything that’s happened. sam is not your ordinary player. he has big warts and assets as well. if he’s ours, it’s up to doc to use him wisely
and in doc we have to trust. i am not a big doc man for sure, but so far this year he has pushed the right buttons.
Yes it’s true Sam isn’t a great defender anymore,but at least he can put a body on Billups when he posts up which Rondo can’t do because he is too small. Sam has 110 playoff games and 2 championships under his belt. He has reached the Conference finals with both KG and Ray Allen in the past and has made big time clutch shots in the playoffs. Anyone who thinks this is a bad move is fooling themselves. We are getting a playoff tested PG for just a little more then the vet minimum. It’s not like we are trading anyone away to acquire him. There is nothing bad that can come from this move IMO
Honestly tboots it might work, and who am I to say it won’t. If it were my team, I think I might just pass on any back up PG really, but if I were going to get one I would not get an old strong headed PG whom I believe will want the spotlight and not a back-up role on the bench.
I think we have the talent this year to cover for Rondo IF IF he gets hurt and that’s a big IF. If he does NOT get hurt then you have to realize right now we are winning almost 80% of our games and that is without KG for about two or three weeks.
If I were House and Rondo I would be slightly upset. Instead of Sam I would have already been rotating Pruitt in and out of certain games and give him some minutes to see what he can do. Keep him active as much as posible. Ray Allen is also capable of bringing the ball up the court in many cases an running the offense while using TA for certain defensive assignements.
Between TA, House, Pruitt, Ray Allen and a healthy Rondo we are doing quite fine and I do not want to screw with messin the whole thing up. If we need a back-up PG as an insurance policy, then get one with a smaller mouth, less age, less ego, an one who will sit on the bench and patiently wait his turn if needed. I hope I am wrong about Cassell but I think its a big gamble we don’t really have to take.
People on this thread are REALLY selling Sam short. You think he can’t guard anyone? How come his PER against is about the same as Rondo? And he is a better shooter and an equally good passer then Rondo. Not only will he play he will eat into Rondo’s minutes – as well as TA’s and House’s.
http://www.82games.com/0708/07LAC3C.HTM
What the heck are you guys smoking who don’t like this pickup. Its an awesome pickup.
Pete
by Sweet17 on Feb 28, 2008 6:31 PM EST reply actions
It’s already on NBA.com transactions list…Cassell waived.
by BoundingRounder on Feb 28, 2008 6:47 PM EST reply actions
EJPLAYA
You made a good opint about Rondo`s defense in the fourth quarter.
However, you seem to neglect a very important fact: His FT shooting is miserable. Which use has the additional ball posession a good defense might give us, if all Detroit has to do is to foul our PG? You might get away with this against bad teams, you might get away with this against good teams in the regular season, but you have a huge problem against a team like Detroit in a 7-game-series…
sam has never been a role player in his career, and openly insinuated earlier in the whole “sam to boston!” angles that he was going to be “the man” in Boston. That could lead to conflict, something doc has avoided so far to promote great team unity. the last thing i want is a vet guy playing the 5-10 minutes we need him to late in games/ end of the 1st half, and then rondo has one sub par game and he starts running his yap about how he needs more minutes. Its tougher than people realize for a star player to go “yep, ok now i’m cool with being the back up. no problem.” not everyone can do it, i hope sam can.
He was a role player for the Rockets in their 2 championship runs. Kenny Smith started and he was the backup. There was no dissension even when Sam finished games when he had it going. Sam I Am could go to Denver, be the starting PG, and be more of “the man”. He knows what he is getting into (KG has let him know) and will not cause any problems.
His ability to take big shots and finish the occasional playoff game will be huge asset b/c Rondo could put in the occasional dud performance in the playoffs.
to elaborate, if one guy doesn’t cross the half court line on defense, but scores alot, his per would be the same as a guy who averaged a ton of steals and boards but didn’t score.
PER is useful for one thing IMO, to compare players with similar skill sets.
To compare rondo and cassell by per is not informative, they do different things. one is a scorer who doesn’t defend well, the other is a great defender who tends to score less.
their per will be close to the the same, in no way does that mean their the same type of player.
PER is a superstar stat, and good at comparing guys who are “5-tool” stars.
Funny how no one talks about how bad Ray Allen and Eddie House are on the defensive end anymore. Having KG, Perk, PJ Brown and Po(we) behind you can erase a lot of defensive mistakes. And the reality is Rondo’s D hasn’t been all that great this year. He was eviscerated by Jose Calderon just two weeks ago. KG and Perk will cover Sam’s defensive deficiencies and in return we will have someone capable of beating the press up the court (or at least this is how it plays out in my head). I also don’t think Sam bites on Billups pump fake with the game on the line. Just my 2 cents.
Let me just say……..I like our ROSTER – SOLID ! From top to bottom…..the playoffs are like a game of CHESS! With the right pieces….Coaching:DOC on O Tom on D, players Vets:House, Sam, Paul, Ray, KG, James, PJ, Pollard and even Scal….to our hustling young guys Powe, Leon, Perk to our talented Rond and Tony…we have upside and the consistancey to win it all. The next couple yearsand Danny draft talents looks promisiing!!!
We now have our PG for the playoffs after 8 months of anticipation. Now it is on!
by HRB on Feb 28, 2008 7:15 PM EST reply actions
Fantastic. After all the “let’s bring in ’Toine” and “what about Delonte?” threads.. not to mention the waiting game on all of the other potential waiver wire acquisitions.. the Celtics finally have filled out the roster. And not just with whichever scraps have come down the pike, but with the two guys that have been perfect for this team all along. Where’s Screamin’ A. Smith when you need him?
D Dub, that is exactly the way that I look at it. Eddie House, Tony Allen, and Gabe Pruitt are not the players who I wanna see bringing the ball up in a tight game when Rondo is getting a breather on the sideline. Gabe doesn’t get run as it is, Eddie just doesn’t have the handle or the vision, and Tony will trip over his brain.
by gobo on Feb 28, 2008 8:27 PM EST reply actions
Yes it’s true Sam isn’t a great defender anymore,but at least he can put a body on Billups when he posts up which Rondo can’t do because he is too small.
That doesn’t matter at all. It’s irrelevant that Sam is big enough to handle Billups on the post because if Sam is guarding Billups, Chauncey can just blow by him on the dribble. He won’t look to go into the post. He’ll just take him off the bounce. It’s the exact same result, it just happens in a different way.
It matters if you have a good enough perimeter defender to cause Chauncey problems. Or if Chauncey has a clear advantage on the post. He goes down there when it’s a better option than going off the dribble. Sam gives Billups his favourite and most effective way to beat the opposition and that’s with penetration.
And Doc already has a guy who can do that to Chauncey in Tony Allen. Tony is quick enough to bother Chauncey’s perimeter game. He’s long enough to trouble Chauncey’s shot. He’s strong enough and big enough to handle Chauncey on the block.
Sam’s an easy target for Chauncey. He’s going to have to be able to make it up on the other end which hasn’t been the Celtics style of play all season long.
casperian – you’re right his FT shooting is miserable, but that is why in crunch time, usually when we are trying to hang onto a lead and they are fouling us, they hand the ball off to Ray or PP. If that is an issue, you can also put it in House or TA’s hands. We don’t need to bring someone in to spell Rondo for FT’s. We have that in all 4 of those guys.
Byrdman – No one talks about their bad defense, because they don’t PLAY bad defense. Both of those guys this year have really stepped it up and have not let us down defensively. Have you even watched a game this year?! You obviously don’t watch how these guys rotate either because when they blow past Sam, those guys step up and will foul the PG. Either that or they leave their guy and he dishes it off for an easy layup. The PG’s mistake just sets off the dominoes falling!
Also Sam probably doesn’t bite on the pump fake like TA did because he is too slow to be in position to foul him. You won’t hear me defending TA though. He shouldn’t see many minutes on the floor IMO.
right, but the fact that billups is a bad match up for sam on defense isnt the main issue, you probley sub TA in on billups when Detroit takes a T.O to defend, then put sam back in when you take a TO and go on offense (assuming the game is real close in the 4th) to exploit his FT ability over rajon’s
the biggest thing this does, is elminate the pistons way to get back in the game when we have a 5-7 point lead, which they did in the first game. and that is, they full court trap on TA or house since they cant dribble to save thier lives. Sam can, and can beat the press like rajon can without having to throw the always dangerous full court pass.
crownsy – Sam – 89.1% FT House 89.3% FT. Inbound goes into Ray or PP. They bring it up the floor with House waiting in the wings for the pass. He holds the ball until they ful him if it gets that far.
The point is that Sam does not really bring anything to the table that we don’t already have. You are just risking too much team chemistry bringing this guy in for very little if any value.
Inbound goes into Ray or PP. They bring it up the floor with House waiting in the wings for the pass. He holds the ball until they ful him if it gets that far.
Hence the problem. Neither Paul or Ray should be bringing up the ball or playing point guard at any point in the offense. Whenever House/TA play point, too much time is taken off the shot block trying to initiate the offense. Whenever either of those two give up the ball when breaking the press, it’s simply to get rid of the ball, not to initiate the offense. Having Cassell will allow the bench to play without one of the big three on the floor at all times. Finally, defensively, Cassell is no worse than House! When did House suddenly become this stalwart defensively?
The one thing Cassell will bring is consistency, something neither House or TA brings. House is a streak shooter and TA, well we all know the story with him.
Sam is exactly what this team needs. People need to understand that Rondo is in HIS SECOND YEAR. How many PG’s can lead a team to a ship in his second year? Tony Parker was all over the map in the playoffs in his second year, and that’s why we needed Sam, to keep the play consistent and even and to give Rondo some margin for error.
by JHTruth on Feb 28, 2008 9:13 PM EST reply actions
EJPLAYA – You`re right about handing the ball to PP and Ray, but first, none of them is a PG, which is not ideal.
But we`re arguing about a minor point.
We do not need Cassell to guard Billups in the fourth. As Who elaborated in his usual, insightful way, we have Tony for that.
We need Cassell for our offense, to break the pressure Detroit would put on us and to handle the ball. Do you remember how lost Rondo and Tony were in the first Detroit game, and how many turnovers both comitted? I highly recommend you to search for that game thread here on Celticsblog, and read it again.
But the most important part is that we´re thin at PG, plain and simple. If we lose Rondo due to injury or fouls, we`re done.
Are you really willing to risk number 17 just to see Pruitt prove himself? A Rookie who barely made the team in the regular season? I know I´m not.
And of all possible candidates for backup PG, and considering our weakness in the first Detroit game, do you see anyone else out there that would help us more than Cassell?
Name one available player you would take over Cassell (and not Barry, cause we all know he`s going to SA).
(pardon any grammar mistakes, english is not my mother language) :P
I think Sam as an individual will be ok, at least for a season. It’s the rotation and chemistry of the team that scares me with these two new additions. The best NBA teams don’t often play more than 9, maybe 10, guys a night. Now we’re looking at 12 who are going to expect to play. Rotation has never been a strength of Doc’s. To this point, it’s been pretty much a no brainer, with the exception of finding the right Powe/Baby mix. That hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing with one or the other riding the pine for a week at a time here and there.
Inconsistent playing time can totally screw up a players’ rhythm. Now we have 3 guys fighting for time at the point, and another body mixed into the Baby/Powe mix to screw those guys up even more.
I like both guys as individual additions, but I worry about how all these guys are going to fit in.
Well, it is kind of hard to rotate guys when you have 10 folks on the bench that you are ‘developing’ and who ‘need playing time’ (hi, Gerald). Since we’re going to have 15 bodies now, the 6 that will fall of the regular rotation right away will likely be Pollard, Scal, and Pruitt. Powe, Davis and House will likely see extended bench minutes depending on necessity. Whether it’s going to work or not – we’ll see.
Brick, if Sam can take out Chauncey with a smack to the head, after he has lost Billups, what a major advantage for Boston!!!!…Who cares if he can play any real D anymore?
by aQua on Feb 28, 2008 10:39 PM EST reply actions
casperian – the people who rip on people for their grammar on here are blowhards. Don’t worry about that!
The problem with your comment though, is that if TA is guarding Billups and Sam is bringing the ball up the floor, then Ray is sitting on the bench. No way on earth I want Sam in the game instead of Ray Allen. He is one of our all-stars and is clutch at the end of games. That is the problem. With Sam in at the point, there is no one to guard their point. If Rondo or House or even TA in there at point, then you have a defensive shot. Not once have I mentioned Pruitt. He won’t play a lick in the playoffs unless we are up 30 on someone.
I don’t care one bit about Ray and PP not being PG’s. In the clutch minutes of the game if that is what it takes to close out a game then why on earth would we care. Did we all forget that in clutch time that Pippen brought the ball up the floor for the Bulls since they didn’t want their inexperienced PG’s doing it?! They have 5 rings that say that is not the worst idea in the world.
EJPLAYA said:
mainevent – Once again though, you don’t address the problem of him destroying our strength. We are a strong defensive team, and he makes that a big weakness. Rondo’s pressure on the ball makes an opposing PG give the ball up later in the shot clock. This in itself prevents that extra pass at the end for a good shot and makes it a forced shot. That is a big help on our team defense.
Tell me why that doesn’t cause huge problems for our team in crunch time. If I am Detroit and he is in there, I isolate Sam and take him to the basket or post him up every time down the floor. Game over. His experience means nothing. Billups has it too and is twice the player Sam is.
House has plenty of ’’experience’’ along with TA, and together they have been doing a much better job of bringing the ball up the floor. Their offense combined is as good, their defense is better, and they aren’t guys who have to be the stars on the floor.
You ask for a better PG than him, and my answer is House/TA. They bring more overall to the table. Sam’s limited area where he is better than them doesn’t come close to outweighing his huge negatives.
——————————————————————————————-
…I gotta tell you, Rondo’s on-ball defense and prevention of dribble penetration isn’t all that consistent either…Delonte West killed him the other night and Chauncey Billups did as well…Rondo’s the starter for sure, but lets not pretend that Rondo is a first team All-Defensive player just yet…
…and a continuation of that thought…Cassell is being brought in to stabalize the PG position, not to take anyone’s job outright…but there are games when Rondo isn’t as effective as the team would like, having Cassell allows the team to get close to 48 minutes of quality PG play every game…
The talk about his defense has merit, but not in this absolute sense where he completely destroys the team defense and the Celtics become a terrible defensive team…the team’s interior defense and the quality of the opposition will have a great deal to do with whether or not Cassell gets abused or not…
Bottom line, Cassell is a plus for this team and people stating the contrary I believe are more worried about Rondo’s role on this team and not the team success overall…Rondo is the present and the future of this team, but to say he couldn’t use the help is absurd…
by BillfromBoston on Feb 28, 2008 11:42 PM EST reply actions
EJPLAYA – Pippen is a bad example, imo, since he was known for his great ballhandling skills. The discussions about him being a “point forward” last until today.
But this is a question of priorities.
How is Ray Allen supposed to make a shot and show his clutchness, if the ball is lost before he gets it? I mean, before you make the shot, someone has to bring it up. One Strength of this team is their amount of high-end superstars, namely the big three. PP is known for his clutchness, and has won many games for us in the past. If Cassell and Tony play, you still have PP, KG, Tony and probably Posey or Brown to make the shot. Additionally, you should not forget that players are humans. What if Ray Allen has a bad game? Seeing how he played this season, it`s not crazy to assume he could have one of these bad nights.
If we lose the ball before we make the shot, it likely ends in a shot attempt for the opposing team, which means a 0-2. If we lose the ball after a bad shot attempt, well, at least we had a shot, and there´s no change in the score, but still a chance for the rebound. Now, throw in the fact that this new backup PG is league-wide known for his clutchness, and his value for this team rises tremendously. And all this comes for the minimum salary.
We could argue all night, but as someone else already said before, give that guy a chance. He`s now one of us(fingers crossed). If he can`t contribute, you win. But if he can, we all win. ;)
…as an extension to my previous post…
People on this board extrapolate things out to extremes or constants too often…this argument with Cassell is a prime example…
YES, it is true that there are situations that arise in a game where Cassell becomes a liability when guarding Chauncey Billups, (this is true of Rondo to btw)
But to use those situations as justification for an argument ENTIRELY AGAINST the acquisition of Cassell is short-sighted and simplistic in design…
Besides the obvious presence of the other defenders on the Celtics which can help to negate some of Sam’s weaknesses, one must also consider the score in the game at the time as well as the level of effectiveness that Chauncey is playing at…
Many of the arguments on this thread boil down to a scenario where:
A. Chauncey is on fire
B. The interior defense is completely collapsing
C. The score in the game is at a point where getting stops is at a premium over making baskets
There are PLENTY of scenarios where a 38 year old Cassell is a liability—which is exactly why the team will not use him in those situations and will quickly sub him out once a problem arises…
BUT
There are also many situations that Cassell benefits this team, especially when the offense is stagnating or PP/RA are not hitting their shots…the idea that what Cassell brings on offense he gives up on defense as if it were a one-to-one relationship is not accurate.
Sam will be used when he’s having a positive effect on the game. He will be put in situations to succeed and will be replaced in situations that he is un-suited for…
by BillfromBoston on Feb 29, 2008 12:18 AM EST reply actions
Master Po said:
ughhhh Worse news of the day. Welcome anyway Sammy and shut your big yapper and just play.
Don’t worry Po. Sam’s mouth grows on you (that sounds kinda awkward…). Considering he’s going to be a late season bargain-big addition, expectations shouldn’t be as high as they will be. He’ll play a role that will help. I think you’ll enjoy him until he starts whining about an extension or new contract.
Sam will fit right in with the rest of the big mouths on this team (Garnett, Pierce, House, Perkins). I’d prefer it if those guys were a little less talkative. It will bite them in the playoffs against teams with better compusure.
by lemonadesky on Feb 29, 2008 12:26 AM EST reply actions
by The 17 of March we should have a good idea were we stand against the Spurs.
by liam on Feb 29, 2008 12:55 AM EST reply actions
Lots of great posts! I’m glad I got to this thread late — you guys made excellent points for and against. My head hurts. I think I’m going to stop worrying about it and let it unfold.
iRONLiON, how can you get that worked up about Scal? #1, he hardly plays any more due to Baby/Powe performing well; #2, he has played well this year in spots; and #3, most importantly, he has contributed FAR, FAR more that Scott Pollard.
You want to talk about a guy who never earns a dollar? Pollard is beyond useless. He just hangs around, looking funny and making money.
Good points, Bill, especially the one about putting Rondo’s minutes above game results.
The fact is, Sam can fill in some of the holes in Rondo’s offensive game at the PG position. And Rondo is hardly an accomplished defender, as some have pointed out accurately in this thread.
Sam is a puzzle piece, a “scratch where it itches” sub off the bench who can help offensively and help on the nights when Rondo disappears – and he does indeed disappear. Plus, he’s another veteran playoff presence who can take the ball there.
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