wow, do i really get the first comment? so soon in my membership, i promise i have read daily for two years, great steve. we will all miss posey and i think it is important to note how this team as a whole will be with us forever. we will never forget posey.

i am happy we still have kg, ray and mvp :)

Great piece, Steve.
I have only one thing to add:
When the Hornets come to town, I hope everyone in the Garden will still show James some Boston Love. He had such a big part in getting Number 17. Let us never forget that.
Happy trails, BGJ!

Hey taxbax, and welcome aboard the comments section!

I appreciate the kind words, and I’m glad the sentiments about Posey are shared.

-sw

Glad you enjoyed the piece, ACF.

Agreed in whole — I’m hoping Pose gets a big ovation when he returns.

-sw

buy buy or like redz use to say
buh buhy
\
btw
thankis posey ure the man

Thanks, CB32. I appreciate it.

-sw

Buh bye indeed, Edgar. Much love to BGJ.

-sw

Well done yet again SW.

When I told my wife about the signing, her first reaction was, “Who will give out the pre-game hugs?” Sadly, I still don’t have an answer.

What a loss this is. Hopefully TA (assuming he’s now going to be signed) learned something from Posey this past year, plus how to dribble and shoot.

Can we please get over this guy?!

Jeez; yes…he helped a lot, but he’s GONE.

He chased the money (LIKE ALL ATHLETES DO).

THIS SUMS IT UP MUCH BETTER THAN I EVER COULD (from espn.com)

=

You knew this was coming — the inevitable overreaction to a role player on a championship team in free agency. Every year there’s one guy whom teams can’t stop fawning over, and this year it was James Posey. Sure, he was an integral part of championship teams for both Miami and Boston, but as with a lot of players who win rings it can be hard for us to look at him rationally.

That’s why role players on title winners tend to get unusually generous contracts, and Posey appears to be the latest example. The same guy who inked a two-year deal (the second was a player option) for just a portion of the midlevel exception last summer to join the Celtics suddenly finds himself enriched with a four-year, $25 million deal by the Hornets. If that seems excessive for a 31-year-old who hasn’t averaged more than 8.1 points per game in any of the past four seasons, it’s because it is.

Danny didn’t screw it up, at all.

Posey, I think, fed off of the top talent on this team.

Especially KG…let’s see how he does with the likes of N.O.

I’ll say it again, he chased the money.

$25,000,000 is a lot of money man.

And TOO much for a guy that came off the bench and averaged a little over 7 points per game.

It’s stunning to me that fallout.

I’m sticking with Hollinger and his proper thought processes.

Brick, as usual, is correct.

Moratorium is the word of the day.

There is NO need to cry about this guy who (rightfully so) chased the $$$$$$.

He’s gonzo…fine by me.

As long as it’s not KG, #34, or Ray, they still have a legit shot at #18 next season.

Posey was a ROLE player for the Celtics, they’ll find another one.

Just think some of you will have that ace in hole if the C’s struggle so you got that going for ya. I agree with Danny which of course should be a prerequisite to being a C’s fan. I think the C’s will be fine. They Still have those 3 future HOFs.

Good Luck Posey and don’t let the door hit you in the bottom.

I’m a little sad to see James go, but on the bright side, at least the stolen “Big Game” nickname walks out the door with him. That nickname was unoriginal and, therefore, weak.

Yakamanev,

So, in a business in which disloyalty constantly runs both ways, a guy took a contract at a bargain price to come play for a winner with the understanding going in that his option for the following season was just a safety valve — that he was likely to earn himself a shot at more money and permanent security, and that if the team would want to keep him, he would need to be compensated at a likely considerably higher rate. He spends the season doing everything anyone could ask of him and then some. Then the shot at that contract of a lifetime comes, and he’s to be crucified for taking it?

I’m not following that logic at all.

I’ll be severely disappointed if Pose gets the reception you suggest come next season.

-sw

mcpu40,

It should be noted that your comments from ESPN come from John Hollinger, who is exactly the sort of analyst likely to vastly under-value a player like Posey. As his been detailed throughout this piece, the comments section and all variety of other discussions, Posey is the sort of player who brings factors to the table that can’t be whittled down into (largely offensively-concerned) computer formulas.

The games aren’t played on paper, and Posey is a master in the ‘human’ and ‘intangible’ fields.

I’ll buy the idea that moving forward and looking to the future is a good outlook, and I’ll buy that this is still quite a team given the core that is currently assembled. But I can’t stand for the downplaying of the guy’s significance now that he is gone. He was an integral part of this title team, and his loss is a big one.

I’ve addressed the ‘money-chasing’ issue above.

-sw

I agree with Danny which of course should be a prerequisite to being a C’s fan.

Birdbrain,

While I’ve certainly written nothing against Danny here, I’d still take issue with that assessment. It’s my belief that as fans, Danny has no doubt earned the right to some degree of trust from us with this magical year and achieving exec of the year and an NBA title. Thus, as a fan, it makes sense to me to always have faith and not to be ready to throw the team under the proverbial bus in light of any move or couple of moves in the off-season. But the idea that ‘agreeing with Danny’ is requisite to being a fan is grossly unfair. Being a believer in the bigger picture as one thing, but there’s nothing that makes you, me or anyone else here less of a fan by having an opinion that comes in conflict with that of the executives.

-sw

Great article Steve. You speak for all of us who appreciated what James Posey did for our team. I think you mentioned “stats” once, but not in the way they are usually thought of. Stats cannot define a player like Posey. He will be missed and we fans thank him for the vital part he played in forming our team and giving us #17.

TrueGreen,

Thanks a lot for the kind words. And I was thinking along your exact lines as I wrote the piece — that my love for Posey’s game really hasn’t been about individual statistical production at all, and what he brought to our team this year goes so far beyond that. Glad you agree.

-sw

AWESOME article, I could feel all your respect for both the C’s and Posey’s contributions through the whole piece. That’s a great refreshing touch in a sports world filled with formulaic articles. Kudos, and of course best wishes to “Pose”…he definitely earned the right to his payday and he’s truly a champion.

WillC,

Much thanks for the far too kind words. I’m glad the sentiment came through as clearly as it did, and I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed the piece so much. Pose will certainly be missed.

-sw

celty86, Green 17 and CoachBo,

Thanks as always for the sentiments and your support. Always happy to see you folks enjoying my work, and I’m glad we’re on the same page on this one.

-sw

Look for a trade involving BBD for a player that is similar to Posey’s skillset…

EJPLAYA,

What sort of player are you talking about acquiring with a move like that?

-sw

Posey was like the awkward joy of eating ice cream on a hot summer day

chunnamark,

Thoroughly enjoyed the analogy. Thanks for bringing a smile to my face with that one.

-sw

Honestly, I think the people who are bashing Posey for taking this deal are being WAY too cynical, especially since there is virtually nobody in the world (and especially not on these forums) who would stay at their current employer if a new employer offered you as significant a bump in your salary as Posey is getting in his.

Let’s face it: Ainge didn’t offer him a contract close to the one the Hornets did. If I read the numbers right, it was 2-3 years and about $13-14 million less. It’s not like we offered an identical deal and he blew us off. And why exactly should a 31 year old who is likely looking at his last big contract be demeaned for taking the security of extra years and money (not to mention, by the way, the very serious possibility he’ll start in New Orleans)? I mean, do you really think he’d get $6 million a year if he took a 2 or 3 year deal and then hit the market again?

No, Posey deserves to be cheered. I know I will when he comes to town. Everyone involved in his deal knew he was a 1-year hired gunslinger at that salary; he didn’t deceive the team or the fans. He came, and he took less than he could have gotten to help us win a title, and then he took the best offer a team left on the table. Also, he didn’t just go for the money; he went to a very serious title contender and one where he will be, at worst, a platoon guy at the 2 and 3 (if not a starter). He’s done absolutely nothing wrong here, and I’m just glad we got to watch him play for Boston for a year.

Amen, BUTerrier. Summed it up far more succinctly and effectively than I could have :)

-sw