Final Predictions: Who Gets Cut?
by Jeff Clark on Oct 21, 2009 10:29 PM EDT
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The math is still the same as it was on the first day of camp. We have 15 roster spots and 16 players. One of them has to go. Barring a trade, somebody is going to get cut. Most assumed that Mike Sweetney would be the one to go. However, Adiran Wojnarowski tweeted the following:
Doc Rivers sounds determined to keep Mike Sweetney. Celts plan had been to help him lose more weight and hope he could contribute by midyear
Boston doesn't have the roster space to keep him, and would need to get rid of one of its guaranteed contracts. Giddens? TAllen?
Not sure if that's anything more than Wojo's opinion or reading too much into Doc's praise of Sweets, but I can't help but wonder the same things. If he stays, who goes?
As a sidebar, you can find a long list of players cut by other teams at Hoopshype. I'm not sure if any of them is worth discussing but you never know.
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??? Tony Allen??
How is Tony Allen receiving the 2nd highest voting percentage? I don’t see why the Celtics would cut him at his salary, especially when he can be used in a mid-season deal if the Celtics want.
I have to wonder if anyone would want him. Apparently the Pacers didn’t want him!
I would like to get something back for TA if possible, though.
I agree..
100% with your comment.
If the C’s hold onto TA’s contract their is always the chance Danny can find a team that wants TA’S expiring contract and would offer us a talented bench player who can helps us add depth to the bench and fill in any weakness’s the team may have.
Sweetney
If it’s not Mike, I’ll be shocked.
Oh, and you’ve got Pruitt’s picture under the JR Giddens caption.
by SalmonAndMashedPotatoes on Oct 21, 2009 10:43 PM EDT reply actions
I voted Sweetney...
… but I’d love to see a 2-for-1 type of trade, or even a trade of Giddens in a straight salary dump.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
I vote sweetney, but they could easily just trade TA for a 2nd round pick or something.
by jesse_stoneham on Oct 21, 2009 11:02 PM EDT reply actions
I really don't see the allure of Sweetney
The dude is a FULL year away from being in NBA shape and we already have enough low post scoring on this team with KG/Perk/Sheed/Baby and Daniels/Paul/Walker/TA…do we really need his low post scoring that much??? We don’t and that’s the only way he’ll be able to help this year….he’s at least 70-80 pounds overweight right now and he can’t play any defense. Wojnarowski is off-base in my opinion.
Even if Sweetney gets in shape (giant if), he’s still no better than a 12th man on this team. Are we really going to eat salary or dump Giddens for a 12th man? I just don’t see it.
by SalmonAndMashedPotatoes on Oct 21, 2009 11:11 PM EDT reply actions
This is a no brainer , Sweetney has to go. The guy has good skills but has let himself go mentally and physically. Of course Sweetney may come around but he may jump off a bridge. Just can’t take the chance.
Tony Allen should be traded for a second round draft but personally I don’t think he has that much value.
Maybe the idea will Sweetney...
… is to cut him, but keep him around the team and the Celtics trainers. The team offered Powe free use of their facilities before he signed in Cleveland; maybe they’d do something similar with Sweetney.
I don’t think it’s specifically barred by the CBA, although who knows how the league would interpret it.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
I have been wondering the same thing, Roy. Sweetney is a very talented (although very out of shape, man). Perhaps more talented than BBD?
by thirstyboots18 on Oct 22, 2009 9:33 AM EDT up reply actions
maybe in the post
but BBD has a better overall game, notable his mid-range jumper on offense and everywhere on defense.
But Perk is really the only other post option. Garnett and Sheed prefer it a bit further out…so post play is good. No?
by thirstyboots18 on Oct 22, 2009 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions
Garnett and Sheed are both excellent post players – far superior to Sweetney because while they may not be as strong, both are still very strong and both have much greater length. They both have the additional talent to play outside – they are not at all limited to playing outside. That versatility is what makes them so dangerous and is a key foundation for the Celtics offense.
Sweetney is incredibly strong in the post, but his game is otherwise very limited. This team values versatility. His lack of defense is the real killer.
I know you are right, but I can’t help wanting to see him succeed. I hope that losing the weight will help him on the quickness and defensive end of the court. As Doc says, the last spot on the bench is not that important anyway….and he could be good, with the right help. I really don’t think Giddens is going to show much now that he hasn’t already had a chance to show, and Walker is, perhaps, already one injury away from retirement.
by thirstyboots18 on Oct 22, 2009 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Cut Giddens...
He is expendable and has not shown much this preseason.
The C’s should keep Sweeney as we could use as much big man insurance as possible and his size can come in handy during the year for spot duty.
( boy it would of been nice to see him go up against Shaq tonight )
I agree with tomhamilton30… why on earth would we want to cut TA when his expiring contract will be very valuable come the trade deadline where we can use it to trade for another player to fill in a team weak spot like the need for a strong defensive minded back up small forward or a back up 3rd string legit center.
Lets see...
Hudsons a shown he has game and serious potential so we can’t cut him,
TA has a nice expiring contract we can use at the trade deadline to possibly trade for another better quality bench player, so we can’t trade him,
Bill Walker has to much possible potential and deserves at least a good hard, so we can’t cut him.
So I think Doc must decide between Giddens and Sweeney.
I say we need more big man insurance, so think since Giddens has not impressed much during this preseason that it would be best to keep Sweeney.
I also love his low post offensive game and want to give the kid a chance to lose some more weight and show us what he can do.
i cannot believe so many people want to dump tony allen to keep JR giddens
Tony might be just inconsistent, but JR is not NBA ready yet.
There's a reason
There’s a reason the Cs couldn’t work a trade for TA. Nobody wants him. Not even for his expiring contract. It’s pretty clear that TA is now in his last year in the NBA. Sweets is talented and hungry. And yes, fat. To paraphrase Aristophanes: Fat can be shed, But stupid (as in TA) lasts forever.
On the theory that you can never have too many bigs, and because Sweets has great potential and a name/body type combo that makes for great lines… I’d go with the big guy and chuck the useless moron.
Let's wait till mid-season
And see what team’s still stubborn enough not to take TA’s expiring contract.
if the nba were cool
teams would be able to sign players to “minor league” contracts…. so sweetney could play for the celtics nbdl affiliate
Giddens
There is no room for him in this team. Walker has got more potential.
Tony has trade value to find a back up point guard.
I like Sweet and I hope he will stay with Celts.
They aren’t going to cut a player with an expiring contract, because those have trade value. They are almost certainly going to cut Sweetney.
All of Rivers’ “Sweetney love” is a favor to his agent, to help Sweetney latch on somewhere else. The Suns just waived Dan Dickau (surprise!) so maybe there’s a roster spot in Phoenix.
I know it's early
But come on people, use your head, not your hate for TA. The Celts are not stupid business people. Do you really think they would cut a guaranteed contract in this economic climate, esp when they are in Lux Tax land already? Word around the league is that many teams aren’t even going to carry all 15 as a cost cutting measure, you think the Celts will pay for 16 players? The poll isn’t which player do you hate, least like to see play, wish was out of here. This just proves that most aren’t really equipped to make this kind of decision, or they are just considering this from a non-reality based point of view.
Exactly
hit the nail right on the head.
C’s aren’t going to cut a guaranteed contract to keep Sweetney. Financial stupidity. The only other non-guaranteed contract in camp is Hudson and he’s earned a spot with his play and the fact he plays a position of greater need.
No point in keeping Sweetney who’s out of shape and would spend the season dressed in street clothes barring injuries to the front court. Even Williams isn’t a certainty to be dressed for games and he’s looked good in camp. 6 players that can play the 4/5 spots is a lot.
Keeping Sweetney is big-man overkill and financially foolish.
however
if the C’s end up making a trade where TA and Scal are moved in a 2-1 deal that doesn’t bring in another big man and Sweetney’s available (and in better shape), he may be worth another look.
i doubt
seriously they’ll be able to move TA & Scal simultaneously like that.
It would be hard to find a trading partner that would take both unless they were shedding a real big long term contract with the one body coming to the Cs – and I don’t know if the Cs are going to want to take on such a contract simply to get one bench player.
I like Sweetney’s post game as much as anyone, but I just don’t see how they could rationalize keeping him unless they gave up on Giddens. Giddens has at least played much better the last 3 games so I suspect that they won’t completely give up on him just yet. TA & Scal are not going anywhere until and unless they get traded. I’m beginning to have my doubts that they even want to trade Scal. Scal at least has some versatility, a good outside shot and excellent basketball smarts. I do think they will try to unload TA as soon as they can find a buyer who will give them a sack of rice for him. But that won’t probably happen overnight.
If they don’t keep Sweetney, he has probably done enough in the preseason to pick up a job on any of a number of clubs at some point so he may not be available even if they do open up a roster slot mid-year.
TA will be moved
almost a guarantee. The question is will it be for another bench player with some value and a non-expiring contract. At that point, Danny will most likely determine if anyone else has to go in the trade. If Danny can improve the team’s depth by moving a non-contributor or 2 for someone that could make the bench even better, he’ll pull the trigger.
Even if Danny makes a trade similar to the POB and Sam trades last year for a heavily protected 2nd round pick and cash just to clear some roster space and luxury tax penalties, TA will be moved.
With the way the bench played in the preseason, I’m not so sure Danny feels there’s a major hole to fill and acquiring more players is necessary. He could sit tight until the trading deadline and just shuffle contracts/bodies for luxury tax reasons.
Hudson's safe, right?
I think he’s shown great poise this entire preseason, personally. I hope he’s not let go strictly for money reasons.
Certainly hope you are right. Hudson showed last night that he is not intimidated by anyone….played like a seasoned pro.
by thirstyboots18 on Oct 22, 2009 9:38 AM EDT up reply actions
I would be shocked if it was him
I think with his play and with his potential I would be shocked to see him go.
I will be getting a Hudson jersey soon lol
I think Giddens showed he is willing to work on the defensive end and play a role. It has to be Sweetney
Hudson looks very promising
He can do it all dribble, pass, bring the ball up under pressure, play defense, score from outside.
He has alot of upside .
by leothetiger on Oct 22, 2009 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions
TAllen or Sweetney
Maybe the time is come for TA! Giddens and Walker a taller and Giddens also is as fast as TA is and also a better rebounder. His time will come – If the Celts are this good, anybody is talking about, than Giddens & Walker will have enough playing time this season to improve their play. Than we can make a decision between them and trade one. Why TA? I’ve seen many Games from the Celts and often remember TA in a negative way. Thats the reason why nobody wants him… He will not be better in the future – Giddens or Walker not for sure but there is much more room for improvement by them. One last risk for me is the importance of TA as a defender: He is definitly a better defender against smaller & faster guards, but for this case we have Hudson ;-) Otherwise, is there a need for Sweetney? I would say no.. He would be the sixth big man, do we need so many guys at the PF/C position? Not really…
I asked god and he said: L.A. will lose again next year!! ^_°
I say cut Bill Walker (if they want to keep Sweetney).
He’s probably never going to be fully healthy, and hasn’t shown anything outside of a few dunks. Otherwise, cut Sweetney.
Final Cut
i don’t understand how anyone with any BB eye could possibly want to keep Sweetney.
I think he is the second coming of Thomas Hamilton{for that don’t remember he was the 6’10" 350 pound stiff}.
Sweetney can’t play a lick of defense forget about the bulk issue.
I totally disagree that Walker has got a lot of up-side. He has Tony Allen & Leon Powe sickness…..prone to knee injury. While watching him last year in the NBDL it was obvious that he is less than average defender while J R is a terrific defender.
J R needs to have Doc let the noose loose so he can make his own offensive moves instead of just passing off. Walker on the other hand has no outside shot and his shot is worse than J R’s.
Cut Sweetney..
…hire him as a coach (wink, wink) and see if he can lose the weight or until they can move Tony.
They'll never move TA
He would have been gone already for a second-round pick if anyone wanted him. No one will want him at the trade deadline either.
He sealed his fate with the Chicago-gangster episode last playoffs; Wyc will cut a check just to get rid of the bum.
I’m liking Hudson, and if Doc wants to make Sweetney his Binkie, fine. Neither Giddens nor Walker is going to amount to a hill of beans, but I say TA gets the axe. Less is more, in this case.
"People don't understand, if you can't live the rest of your life off one year in the NBA, you can't live off 21." -- Keon Clark
i'd like to see that
but i doubt it will happen. They are not likely to just eat TAs contract.
It's not necessarily that someone wants to trade for him
But that his salary would help match contracts in a trade.
where does walker fit in?
seriously, where are there minutes for walker? he’s behind Pierce, Daniels, Scal and giddens on the depth chart and if tony allen were healthy he’d probably be behind him as well. Don’t get me wrong- I love the kid but I just don’t see where there’s room for him. I would gladly send Tony packing but no one wants him so I think we’re stuck with him. Sweetney gives us big man insurance and IF he gets in shape he would be a nice addition against guys like Shaq. They remade Perkins as well as baby so the C’s have had luck getting overweight guys into shape. the key question is whether sweetney is motivated. If he is then I think he sticks over walker. If he isn’t then cut him and keep walker. Honestly, wallly Szerbiak would be an ideal end of bench player. You bring him in and if he’s hot you let him shoot and if he’s not you take him out. Your end of bench guys need to be able to do one thing really well. Sweetney has size and can score in the post. Walker at this point has no particular strength. He is foul prone and can’t shoot.
if/when Walker is healthy
then he plays SF when Daniels is on point or resting and they still need a slasher.
Pierce, Daniels and Walker are the only true power slashers on this team (guys who can drive to the hoop through traffic). We have a couple of others who can drive to the hoop (Rondo, Ray) but they don’t have the power to do it through traffic consistently.
TA used to be able to do this too, but he’s degraded so much that he’s too unpredictable and sloppy. He can slash to the hoop but then will bang it off the rim or worse simply lose control on the way in. And he has no outside shot to draw his man to set him up for the drive.
So at any rate, regardless of where Walker sits on the overall depth chart, he’s their #3 slasher so that is why they will not be giving up on him just yet.
on Sweetney
Sweetney gives us big man insurance and IF he gets in shape he would be a nice addition against guys like Shaq.
That really doesn’t compute. Sweetney is almost exclusively an offensive post player – just like Shaq – and offers almost nothing on defense. You neutralize Shaq with great defense, preferably with strong positioning and reach (i.e. Perkins) or by controlling the passing lanes (KG & ‘Sheed). So Sweetney really offers nothing to offer ’against guys like Shaq’ – unless you think he will offensively score just as much or more than Shaq.
I do think it would be as entertaining as all hell to watch Sweetney & Shaq banging it up in the paint, though!
Sweetney, a no brainer
The guy came into a professional camp that out of shape – strong proof that he has no body for the NBA or no head for life in general. He looks like he could be a poor man’s Eddie Curry offensively but we don’t need low post offense. We can alwyas use low post defense but this guy can’t get out of his own way. That’s how Sheldon Williams earns an end-of-bench seat.
I am really liking Hudson – what an upgrade over Pruitt – and Giddens looks like he can take T Allen’s minutes as soon as we can dump Tony. I think Giddens has more offense than he is showing. Bill Walker has to be considered the longest of long shots. He’s in the Leon category, unfortunately.
I care
1) C’s signed sweetney knowing how much he weighed. It is not realistic or helathy for him to drop the kind of weight they knew he needed to drop in the period between him singing and reporting to camp. That must count for something.
2) Hasn’t giddens shown us he has a nose for the ball? And if anything on the offensive end – he appears to be coachable – perhaps taking coaching too literally (a couple of instances where he played hot potatoe, dishing the rock to folks who were supposed to have it – even though the spacing wasn’t there). I think he has earned a spot on this team
3) I am not an expert on roster limits – but they have 16 players in camp – no? Do we have to make ths decision now – can’t we DL: Walker NBDL: giddens, hudson INACTIVE: Scal, sweetney – that leaves 15 on the roster (one on IR), 11 active which is the limit. – am i off base here?
doesn't work that way
it’s 15 players period. That includes everyone on the active game roster, everyone in street clothes, everyone injured and everyone in D league.
no more IR to hide extra players
Sweetney goes...
Sweet’s got post moves that few players have, but he’s NOT in NBA shape. If the C’s are at all interested in keeping an eye on him, sign him to the D League team and get him in shape.
I’m not a TA hater, but he’s a 5 year vet now and he still can’t seem to stay healthy or play consistent ball to be a reliable role player.
He’s injury prone, turnover prone, and foul prone. For all of the so-called energy he brings on the defensive end, he can’t stay away from cheap fouls in the spot minutes he gets (the sign of a poor defender in my mind). If he’s not packaged in a trade this season, I’ll be shocked.
Giddens brings energy on defense and seems to be settling into a role. Walker will come back healthy. They’re both younger and cheaper than TA, so I’d think Ainge would hang onto them.
Tony Allen being cut
Wishful thinking
One can only dream…
Ta over sweetney REALLY????
I am sorry but Mike is fat. He needs to lose about 80-100 pounds to be NBA ready. Cut him send him to the NBADL and let him work out with Jillian or Bob from the biggest loser for 3 months and he will cry for his momma. I remember reading that Mike ate more then his weight in his contract. How about that a man whom consumed more then 1million calories!!! Too bad he could have been an Al Jefferson Type. He has soft hands, High Bball IQ and seems to know where to be on the offencive end. His defence needs work. With TA you get a plus defender and slasher. He could have been good, remember the backside put back dunks???!!! Paul would miss the shot from one side and TA would get up to his chest over the rim and dunk the put back before he came down. Course that was 3 knee surgerys ago. We’ll probably never see that TA agian, but the man has scarificed enough for this team that he has earned a little slack from me. Appairently the NEW celtics fans never saw TA play that way, because that was way before the Big 3.
Jeffrey M Melhorn
Giddens!
Nothing really against his game or effort but at his position Giddens’ is an iffy NBA project -“a dime a dozen”-Sweetney is better than Williams if in shape and an NBA level player if in shape—Sweetney and Giddens both projects with Sweetney having a higher potential and less of a gamble.
As much as I dislike Tony Allen… he’s not going anywhere. Partly it’s the contract, which we’ll need (along with Scal’s) to facilitate any kind of trade. Yes, someone will take his contract to make the numbers work; hell, we traded for Qyntel Woods!
Giddens looks modestly improved this offseason, but nowhere near good enough to help the team. He had one game where he grabbed some boards, and he’s got raw athleticism, but he’s clueless on offense.
I mean, isn’t the best case for Giddens, if he gets s a lot of PT in the D-League and keeps improving at this same rate, that he MIGHT develop into being as good a player as Tony Allen?
How’s THAT for damning with faint praise?!
Still think it’ll be Sweets. They’ll wager that no one else will look to sign him until he loses his forty pounds, and that by the time he does that there will have been a trade to free up a roster spot.
Win Now
I can’t help but think that win-now is the dominating thinking in Celtic camp. And Sweetney kind of fits in there. If he looses weight, he is NBA ready and Doc would likely put him to use. If you are talking potential, Sweetney has established game. Who then?
I think the least likely to be utilized is Walker.
Another thought
I believe the cut down deadline is tonite (Could be wrong) and with many teams keeping as few as 13 players and not the max 15, some very good players might unexpectedly become available. If so, both Sweetney and Hudson might get pink slips.
I would think we would still like a vet pg and/or possibly another SF/Wing with TA injury.
Cut Sweets
Give him a weight loss plan. Then later on in the season when we trade TA and Giddens. We bring him back. If he can go on the Perk or BBD weight loss plan Sweetney is not just an NBA player but a very good one.
sweetney has been cut
Boston CelticsThe C’s have requested waivers on F Michael Sweetney. He averaged 3.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in 5 games. Roster stands at 15
by celticinorlando on Oct 22, 2009 5:01 PM EDT reply actions
Sweetney Doesn't Need a Weight Loss Plan
He just needs a team that doesn’t already have three other power forwards who are better (actually four if you view Sheed as a pf).
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