Who Else May Not Be Back?

by Jeff Clark on May 27, 2009 7:33 AM EDT in Articles Comment 47 comments

Who will the Celtics turn their backs on this offseason?

Even though the team returned most of the squad that won the title, this past season was more defined by who we didn't have than who we did.

The story of the year was losing Kevin Garnett and to a lesser degree Powe. The team also dealt with several smaller injuries in the 2nd half of the season. But even before that, the big news of the summer was losing Posey.

It was a "dollars and sense" type of deal. In other words, it made some "sense" to save the "dollars" for future flexibility but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt us a lot this year.

In addition, we couldn't convince PJ to come back and Sam started his coaching career before anyone told him about it. So as Doc put it "we got young quickly" when KG went down.

The free agents that did come back (Eddie House, Tony Allen) did provide some regular season consistency between this year's team and last year's. However, they weren't enough to overcome the injuries when the playoffs came around.

So what is in store for next season? On one hand, consistency beats lateral moves any day. So there's good enough reason alone to bring back Big Baby and Leon Powe at the right price. On the other hand, it seems clear now that the team could use some bigtime upgrades on the bench for next year.

Doc shared his thoughts on who we need to bring in and Roy did a wonderful job giving us the full rundown on both Glen Davis and Gabe Pruitt. But who else may not be back in green next year?

We can start with the late additions. Mikki Moore wasn't a lot more than Patrick O'Bryant in terms of production. Is it possible that he could fit in better with a full training camp under his belt? Maybe. Is it more likely that we can find someone better? Man, I sure hope so. (Prediction: Gone baby, gone)

Stephon Marbury seemed like a gamble at the time. The common wisdom was that Ainge would either hit a home run or sink his ship with Starbury. As it turned out, neither really happened. Marbury was surprisingly average and uncharacteristically well behaved. Low risk, low return. He did give us one shining moment when he helped us come from behind to beat the Magic, but beyond that he was very much a non-factor. Again, a full training camp and fresh legs might help, but it is also possible that his best days are behind him. (Prediction: Gone, perhaps to the Wiz)

I think we are all rooting for Leon Powe to return to the team under some kind of contract. He's a fine player and an even finer human being. He's shown he can return from these injuries in the past and I think it is more than worth the roster spot to see him return to the court in green and white. (Prediction: He'll be back with a 1 or 2 year deal - maybe only partially guaranteed)

Eddie House actually has a player option on his contract, so he could also be a free agent this offseason. He had a nice year and I suppose he could hit the market looking for a longer term deal, but he also might just stick around another year. Hard to tell. I'd like to keep him because he's a game changer when he gets hot. Also, if he stays, then he'll be an expiring contract that we can shop at the deadline if the need arises. (Prediction: He'll pick up the option and return)

I believe that covers the potential free agents. The two rookies are signed up for multiple years while Brian Scalabrine and Tony Allen are on the last year of their contracts. I would imagine that both will be shopped around the league this offseason. Scal stepped up big for us, but he will always be limited and his contract will never be more valuable to us. Tony Allen has swung and missed on too many opportunities to be counted on in the future. (Prediction: Scal and Tony are traded this offseason with a young player like Giddens or Pruitt for a servicable veteran bench player)

Obviously a lot depends on who else we can pick up, how much our free agents can get on the open market, and what trades we may or may not be able to make. But we've got all offseason to discuss all those points. As it stands now, who do you think will stay and who will go?

So, to recap - our roster looks like this (with offseason plans). I put these in order of how likely I think they will return next year. Feel free to debate the order if you like.

Garnett: rest and rehab
Pierce: rest and rehab
Rondo: probably working on contract extension
Ray Allen: rest and rehab
Perkins: get married, rest shoulder
Bill Walker: summer league
House: player option
Scalabrine: 1 year left on contract
Big Baby: restricted free agent
Tony Allen: 1 year left on contract
JR Giddens: summer league
Powe: restricted free agent
Gabe Pruitt: summer league (team option)
Stephon Marbury: free agent
Mikki Moore: free agent

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Marbury probably has more interest in retiring than playing for the Wizard.

by VagrantWade on May 27, 2009 7:33 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Good recap.

I continue to side with Doc on the subject of the off-season.

by CoachBo on May 27, 2009 7:53 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

sounds about right. let our dross be someone else’s gold.

by nazzbo on May 27, 2009 8:02 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

last predictions

since I didn’t weigh in on the Roy articles, here’s my predictions for Baby and Pruitt

I think Baby will wait around a long time, eventually getting a middle of the road offer from someone (less than the MLE) that Boston will match

I think Pruitt will be kept around as an insurance policy but will eventually be cut in training camp (not sure when they have to pick up the options by, but even if they have to eat the last year of his contract, I’m guessing they will if they need the roster spot)

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" Henry V

by Jeff Clark on May 27, 2009 8:16 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

If we bring back Mikki Moore, I will cry! He is one of the worst players in the league!

by thebirdman on May 27, 2009 8:19 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

No bias at all

from someone with the name “thebirdman”. Yes we all wish after the fact that Danny had signed Chris instead of POB and then Mikki, however hindsight is 20-20. The guy has character issues and maybe Danny didn’t like what he was hearing from him.

Mikki is however not one of the worst players in the league. He came in in late and needs time to pick up the defensive rotations. He isn’t a shot blocker or a banger in the low post, however he did rebound better than advertised and plays with great heart. He can knock down that outside jumper. He is just fine for a cheap 3rd string center.

by EJPLAYA on May 27, 2009 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I concur in every respect.

by Thruthelookingglass on May 27, 2009 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What did denver sign the birdman to?

I’ve been nothing but impressed by his play… what could of been..

by cordialb on May 27, 2009 8:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

By the way, didn’t Boston have a chance to pick up the Birdman last year, or am I mistaken?

by The Village Idiot on May 27, 2009 9:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

think so

we brought him in for a workout but it never materialized somehow

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" Henry V

by Jeff Clark on May 27, 2009 9:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

aha… I recall you had posted an in-depth story on the Birdman’s life – his rise and fall, and his road back to redemption. Can you think of why Danny didn’t go for him? I mean what was his downside compared to OBrien? Was it the money?

by The Village Idiot on May 27, 2009 9:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

no idea

at the time he might have been seen as a risk due to his past but I liked his energy

in a way, he’s the anti-POB

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" Henry V

by Jeff Clark on May 27, 2009 9:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

On the story about the Birdman, they said that ....

…. the Birdman’s close friend, who lives in Denver, took him in to help him put back his life toghether. Once re-instated, the story goes on to say that the Birdman really wanted to play for Denver so that he could give back to the community that helped him heal and get his life back.

Based on what I heard, Danny stood little chance of getting the Birdman.

by TheGreenThumb on May 27, 2009 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Trader Danny

Look for many trades this off season. I think Marbury will stick around for a year wanting to prove he has something left in the tank and fighting for his last contract next year somewhere else.

The key is Baby, being a restricted free agent, I believe Danny is already working the phones with other teams to find out if a trade can be made for a Veteran Player. I’d look for a package deal somewhere; it might involve Scal or Tony’s contract as well.

I think House will also stay, knowing the system and the team. He too will be working for a contract next season somewhere else where he can cash in. Given he had a good year this year, he wants to build on it so other GM’s don’t think it was just an aberration

I still truly feel that Danny will Trade one of the Big Three. My feeling is that he may trade Ray’s expiring contract and bring in younger/experienced players to fill in. But then again looking at the 2010 class of free agents, he may just possibily hold onto Ray and use that money else where.

by Ancient Red on May 27, 2009 8:38 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

sign and trade

that’s an option that I hadn’t thought of yet – good point

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" Henry V

by Jeff Clark on May 27, 2009 8:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

good recap

I think the predictions pretty much match up with what I think they’ll do.
• Starting 5: attend to any necessary surgeries and get much needed rest. Best starting 5 in the league still
• Big Baby: restricted free agent  resign if 3 mill/year for 3-4 years or less. Solid backup PF, capable of big nights off the bench
• Powe: restricted free agent  resign for 2 year deal at minimum first year. Team option second year with modest increase. If he can come back, another solid PF off the bench.
• House: player option  good fire power off the bench when playing SG. I don’t see him going anywhere in offseason. Would be a nice throw-in for a trade with Scal/TA to get a really decent wing player off the bench.
• Scalabrine: 1 year left on contract  trade bait. Use that expiring deal to its fullest value
• Tony Allen: 1 year left on contract  trade bait. Use that expiring deal to its fullest value
• Gabe Pruitt: summer league (team option)  only pick up the option for trade bait. Hasn’t shown anything yet when he’s had time. 3rd year in the league – can’t continue to be a D-league candidate.
• Bill Walker: summer league  work out and improve his game. Would be nice to get him pushing for minutes behind Pierce
• JR Giddens: summer league  work out and improve his game. Would be nice to get him pushing for minutes behind Ray
• Stephon Marbury: free agent  will probably get more $ elsewhere but would probably also be a terrific back up PG to Rondo if C’s could get him for little $ for 1-2 years
• Mikki Moore: free agent  can you say Mikki "Don’t come around here no" Moore? Bring back POB before this stiff.

There are many more players with better skills available this offseason than the last 2. Danny has no excuse for not at least upgrading with 2 solid FA’s and would be a terrific offseason if he unloads TA/Scal (and Pruitt if need be) for someone productive on a longer contract (which is the trade-off when giving up expiring deals).

offseason goala solid backup for Perk that can give 15-20 minutes a night. (takes Mikki’s spot)
offseason goala backup PG if Marbury leaves (House isn’t really it and I don’t think Pruitt will be C on opening night) (takes Marbury’s spot)
offseason goalimprove the backup wing spot with a vet so Walker and Giddens aren’t required to produce but will have the opportunity to earn that playing time the following year. (takes TA and Scal’s spot leaving a spot open for a possible 1st round pickup by Danny or the 2nd rounder if he does nothing with the draft and doesn’t take a Euro to stash overseas.

by slamtheking on May 27, 2009 8:42 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

The Offseason

IMHO the only players who are a lock to return are Garnett, Pierce and Rondo, although I wouldn’t be surprised if the Celtics make very few moves.

It will be a curious offseason around the league given the state of the economy. I think there will be less player movement than people think, and the moves that are made will be for economic reasons, not basketball reasons.

For example, on draft night every first round pick after #3 will be for sale. The three top prospects are Griffin, Rubio and Thrabeet; after that thereare a bunch of players (maybe 25-30) whose draft value is about equal. So, teams will be trying to unload first round picks for future picks or second rounders, to avoid having to pay guaranteed money to marginal players (think “J.R. Giddens”).

by Brickowski on May 27, 2009 9:00 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

you might be right

a lot of teams will be scared to make too many moves

I think Perk is safe in green as well – his contract is still very reasonable

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" Henry V

by Jeff Clark on May 27, 2009 9:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That recurring shoulder injury

How about Perk’s shoulder problems? Can the Cs live with it for the long term?

by The Village Idiot on May 27, 2009 9:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What if, and it could be interesting

Boy watching the playoffs with Denver and Orlando giving L.A. and Cleveland a run for their money, what if the Celtics got by Orlando, would we be giving Cleveland all they can handle?

Makes me wander now about Danny making moves or how much of the core does he keep. I still believe we would have won our 18 Championship Banner with a healthy K.G. and Powe

But I still feel that Glen Davis is a huge chip for Danny. A sign and trade might be the best thing for this team. Here is one option would be to package Baby to Detriot for Wallace (Detriot is able to sign Wallace) Wallace can fill in for Perkins and Garnett. Wallace will also not be worn down and be able to play quality minutes when he is in there.

by Ancient Red on May 27, 2009 9:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

b/c he'd be counted as a BYC

player in any trade its pretty hard to do a sign and trade. basically if a guy is getting a big raise, S&T doesn’t work so well.

by Brendan on May 27, 2009 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd buy a pick for Jennings...

If that is the case then buy the #4 pick and draft Jennings… But somehow I just don’t see that one as “for sale”

by funkstarrdeluxe on May 27, 2009 9:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

good assessment

I agree that Marbury and Moore are gone as is Tony Allen. I think they like Veal too much to trade him and he probably understands our defense better than any other player on our bench. Plus he’s the only guy with size on our bench who can defend rashard lewis or turklou ( other than KG) so there’s no way IMO that Scalabrine gets traded unless it’s for a really good player. Walker clearly makes the team. Giddens and Pruitt are harder to predict but barring a deal where they get thrown in for salary reasons I think they both make it to training camp. Long term I think Pruitt is gone but if Marbury bolts ( he wants to be a starter) then Pruitt is insurance until they find someone else. I love Eddie despite his limitations and I hope he stays. We HAVE to resign Davis and I would re-up Leon for short money and yearrs. I htink he can give us a few more good years but obviously his knees are a major concern so I wouldn’t go more than 3 years. He’ll need one of those years just to rehab. We need depth at small forward and center plus we’re going to need a back up PG and SG. If GIddens or Pruitt can fill one or both of the back up guard positions that would be huge but I would not be shocked if Danny took another guard in this draft especially a big guard who can shoot. Outside of Ray and Eddie we are really short on shooters especially on our bench. Our other big need is a 6 9- 6 10 guy who can run the floor and defend especially on the perimeter

by Red2 on May 27, 2009 9:40 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

What I'd have done after winning the Championship last year...

If I were the GM, here’s what I’d have done this year…
Not sign Posey
Not sign POB
Play the Big 3 sparringly
Develop Walker, Giddens, and Pruitt (play them a lot so I know what I have)

Barely make it into the playoffs, but well rested and positioned for another legitimate title run (eight seed). We either beat Lebron or go home in the first round.

by The Village Idiot on May 27, 2009 9:57 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Wow. That's outstanding.

Can you tell us what we should and shouldn’t do next year in advance rather than waiting until the end of the year and telling us? It might be more productive.

by EJPLAYA on May 27, 2009 11:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I did say that at the beginning...

EJ… I did say that at the beginning. Is there a way to retrieve old messages? I said Posey should not be signed. J.R., Walker and Pruitt should be developed. The team overachieved in winning the Championship first time around. No small feat, hence time to think more long term. Anyway, that was then.

To answer your question… for the coming season, here’s what I’d do:
Trade Big Baby (for a solid current/future draft pick or veteran)
Trade Perk (even though he’s young, his shoulder problems will impact his longevity)
Get a legitimate Center
Get a backup Point Guard
Get a legit SG/SF to help PP
Rest the Big Three (no trades unless Kobe or LeBron comes calling)
Develop Walker, Giddens, Pruitt and draft pick (and decide who’s worth keeping/trade chip)
Barely make it into the playoffs, but well rested and positioned for another legitimate title run (eight seed + draft positioning).

by The Village Idiot on May 27, 2009 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Who would provide better talent / a more reasonable contract than Perk?

Any trade involving Perk would severely hamper this team. A dislocated shoulder isn’t going to end the guy’s career.

All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino

by Roy_Hobbs on May 27, 2009 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good point

Off the top of my head, I don’t see a better option. The upside of keeping Perk is his contract is reasonable. The downside is we don’t know the extent of his shoulder injury (the last surgery was supposed to take care of that problem, clearly it didn’t), which becomes more of an issue given that we also have KG, RA, and possibly PP with injuries and are also getting old fast.

I’d want a healthy Rondo and Perk as the nucleus of the future Celtics. An injury ridden Perk sort of changes that dynamic. Now, while I would agree with you that a dislocated shoulder isn’t going to end his career, I think it limits him though. The question is how severely? That is a question I would rather have some other team deal with.

by The Village Idiot on May 27, 2009 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

RE: Trader Danny

I agree with Ancient Red that a sign and trade for BBD is most likely. If BBD gets a contract over $3M he’s gone. The only question is can they get some value for him. I’ve posted this a couple of times that Danny tried at the deadline to get Andre Nocione. With Sacto in cost cutting mode a BBD plus Scal or TA might get the job done.

I’ve also posted that I’d like to see the C’s get Wallace under the right circumstances. I don’t see a sign and trade with Detroit because that would use up cap space for Detroit. I ca’t see them adding BBD, TA and Scal which would use up $8-10M for e backups. They want a stud or two, if possible.

As a fan, I hope, we are active. But as a realist looking at our cap numbers, unless we can move some salary I don’t see us very active. Remember, we still need to extend Rondo, and that will be expensive.

There’s also the Ray situation. I know many people are expecting Ray to be traded, but I don’t see that happening either. I see us resigning him, but at a lower salary to offset Rondo extension..

by badax33 on May 27, 2009 10:00 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Why we shouldn't trade Ray Allen

good points, but I did some research on the class of 2010 and there are some very interesting free agents. Ray is set to make 18.4 million and many of the free agents in that class are:

D Wade, J Johnson, T McGrady, Y Ming, A Stoudamire, C Bosh, D Nowitzki, C Paul and oh yea some guy named LeBron James, There are many more, but the importance of holding onto Ray’s contract for that year is very important when looking at that free agent class.

Just think if your one of those free agents, where would you want to go? To a team that’s rebuilding or to a team that currently has P Pierce and K Garnett.

So after thinking about whether to trade Ray Allen this off season, I take it back looking ahead. I guess Danny will have to be creative and come up with some sort of trade or free agent signing

by Ancient Red on May 27, 2009 10:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

ray allen after next year

A sign and trade with Ray Allen after next season may be the only way to get one of those talents anyways. We won’t be under the cap, but we could sign and trade ray allen for one of the elite FAs. We’d have to be willing to give up something else (money, picks, etc.) to make it work, but that’s about the only way I see it happening.

by Brendan on May 27, 2009 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

DWADE and LEBRON

who are the true stars of that class won’t even hit the market. DWade has already said he wants to sign an extension with Miami and they will give him a max deal. Lebron has made more and more comments about staying in Cleveland, and before this series he would have been likely to have been out of play as well. (not so sure with his teammates laying an egg on him this series, although they have pieces to trade away for a player and the team to attract a difference making free agent this offseason as well)

That really only leaves Chris Paul and Bosh. Cuban isn’t going to let Dirk go anywhere. TMAC and Yao are too injury prone to demand too much. Stoudemire will get some looks, however he isn’t that sure of a thing anymore.

You are talking 2 teams that will be happy landing Chris Paul and Bosh. Do you really think that there are going to be tons of places that think they have a legit chance of landing these guys?

by EJPLAYA on May 27, 2009 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

if there is a lot of movement in 2010

then I think that can extend our “window of opportunity” for a championship as some of the other potential contenders implode. if we can maintain a relatively consistent lineup, we’ll have a leg up on the rest of these teams trying to learn schemes, how to play with each other, etc.

by Thruthelookingglass on May 27, 2009 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Only Pierce and Rondo are untradeable

Everyone else is on the block due to either inconsistant play or troubling injuries

by michael32951 on May 27, 2009 10:12 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

KG is untradable for three reasons

One is that he’s still our best player and we have no shot at a title without him.

Two is that he’s been injured this season and no team would give up a king’s ransom for him, not when he’s signed for another 3 years.

Three is that it would make the Celtics look very very bad around the league. Unless you got LeBron/CP3/Wade back everyone from other players to GMs, and finally the fans would kill the move.

by Fafnir on May 27, 2009 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It about risk management

You said it yourself, the Celtics can’t win a title without KG. That is true with there current lineup. What started as a minor knee strain didn’t get better even after a fairly extensive rest, that’s a big risk in my mind and it cost the Cs a title. He could be traded just to regroup and mitigate that risk with very little in return other than expiring contracts and cap space. I wouldn’t worry about what we look like around the league, players want to win and they can’t win when your highest paid player is in street clothes.

by michael32951 on May 27, 2009 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Woah, Kevin Garnett is untouchable. Come on.

by Greg Payne on May 27, 2009 11:00 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Is Amare Stoudemire still available?

If the price is right…it`s a “no-brainer” that he`s the one to get!

Please…keep Rasheed Wallace out of here!

by Title 18 on May 27, 2009 12:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

What about Thibodeau?

If he leaves, that’s huge.

by The Real Large James 2 on May 27, 2009 2:05 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yep

that’s a whole other article though

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" Henry V

by Jeff Clark on May 27, 2009 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Future for the Celtics

I have to agree. KG is untouchable. There’s no way he gets traded. Maybe I’m biased bc I’ve always like Sheed but I think KG and Sheed would be an amazing tandem. KG would have his usual influence on rough talent and Sheed would behave. He’s a big body that can hit the long jumper. He’s got championship experience and he’s coming from a team that was known for their D. I think he’s a perfect fit in C green.

I think the cream of the crop for 2010 either won’t move or is going to New York (bye bye Bron). However, Ray is the most likely to get moved mid season if one of the Bosh, Stoudemire or the like gets disgruntled and wants a move. There’s not too many other teams w another All Star like Ray where the salary could match up. Do you know who would look good in green Joe Johnson…

by mthwsms on May 27, 2009 2:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

RE: The future of the Celtics

I agree with mthwsms, that KG is not going anywhere and I have suggested we bring in Rasheed Wallace, although with some trepidation. The guy can be a jerk, but he can play. I think in Boston he would want another ring and with the locker room presence he would be controlled. But I would about him everyday, just like I worry about Perk’s shoulder.

Wallace would fill the backup center and provides a KG backup as well. He would also be the prime scorer on the second unit. He can score inside or outside, is a shot blocker and has some length which we are short on. He would hae to agree to a backup role at less money (MLE), which is a big pay cut.

by badax33 on May 27, 2009 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Free Agent Movement

I see very few of the Big Name Free Agents moving in 2010. Money talks and BS walks. The players current team has a big advantage in providing a larger salary and more years. What player or agents is giving up $5-10M over the life of a contract? Probably NONE!

Bron is not going to NY with the D-league crew they have and team with D-Wade or Bosh – NY doesn’t have the cap space for 2 max players with Curry on the roster or if they resign David Lee this off season.

The only guy I see who might move is Chris Bosh, just because he’s fed up with Toronto and payiing extra taxes in Canada. And that will probably be a sign and trade bc Bosh won’t want to take less than he can get in Toronto.

As for Ray, does anyone really see someone paying him $15-20M a year, for 3-4 years even if he has a great 2009/2010 season? I don’t. Ray is not going anywhere., unless we renounce his rights, which I can’t see happening unless he has a major injury.

by badax33 on May 27, 2009 3:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Another thing... I'd like to see that we haven't discussed

I would rather Danny stockpile future draft picks if possible than use them now al New England Patriots….

I know that is more difficult in the NBA, but it would be nice once the Big Three are gone, we may be in a rebuilding mode again.

by Ancient Red on May 27, 2009 3:22 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

how?

not that this would be a bad idea if we knew we were rebuilding but since we’re not, how are you proposing this happen?

I don’t know if Danny can buy future picks but no respectable GM would sell off future picks. It’s one thing to do it on draft day or for that year’s draft but not future picks.

The starters aren’t going to be moved for picks—again, we’re not in rebuilding mode yet.

The other option is to trade our expiring contracts to a team with cap room for those picks. The only possible motive for another team to do that is if they want that expiring deal and to clear the need to pay a future draft pick. Picking up that expiring contract would only be valuable if that team could in turn move that player (and maybe some other pieces) for something they value more. I don’t see this happening where we’d get picks for TA, Scal or Pruitt.

If you have another possibility for this happening, please share

by slamtheking on May 27, 2009 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Here's how...

Rest the starters some. A lot actually. Think back to how the Spurs got Duncan.

The question is, do the Celtics have the stomach to play that game? Mind you, I’m not advocating tanking here. I’m just saying acknowledge the way the NBA is structured and play by those rules. Why have 15 players under contract and only really use 6 or seven? So play J.R, Walker, Pruitt, and every other name on the roaster. They’ll play hard and lose a lot while the stars get a good rest. Why?

Well, the NBA draft rewards teams for non-performance (they should be doing the opposite – see the Gladwell vs. Simmons debates)

“Or how about eliminating the draft altogether? I’m at least half-serious here. Think about it. Suppose we let every college player apply for and receive job offers in the same way that, oh, every other human being on the planet does. That doesn’t mean that everyone goes to L.A. and New York, because you still have the constraints of the cap. It does mean, though, that both players and teams would have to make an affirmative case for each other’s services. So you trade for Steve Nash or Jason Kidd, because they make you instantly attractive to every mobile big man coming out of college. Instead of asking the boring question — which team is going to be lucky enough to draft Derrick Rose? — we ask the far more interesting question: Which team, out of every team in the league, should Derrick Rose play for?”

“The bigger point here is that what consistently drives me crazy about big-time sports is the assumption that sports occupy their own special universe, in which the normal rules of the marketplace and human psychology don’t apply. That’s how you get the idea of a reverse-order draft, which violates every known rule of human behavior.”

by The Village Idiot on May 27, 2009 9:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sign N Trade

Red,

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe that you can sign and then trade a player (BBD) and include him with other players we have going out in a trade to another club. He can be signed and traded by himself to another club for various assets. Again, sorry if I’m wrong.

by celty86 on May 27, 2009 6:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs