Cavs sign Leon but Ainge still made the right decision

Anyone who follows the Celtics is saddened by the news that Leon Powe will not be re-signed by the Celtics and was signed by their East rivals the Cleveland Cavaliers. They have every reason to be upset. Powe was a major factor in the championship won by the Celtics back in 2008.

James Posey was also a major factor in that championship. Did fans call for Danny Ainge to resign James Posey last off-season? Yes. Did Ainge do so? No. Granted, the circumstances were a little different. Posey was coming off a career year and looking for a big contract. Powe is coming off another major injury and there are questions on whether or not he can ever be the same.

In 2008, when the Celtics lost Posey, it was a huge hit for the team. Posey was our sixth man off the bench and really was the energy guy as well. I don't blame Ainge for not re-signing him at the price he got from New Orleans. I do wish however that Ainge addressed the loss in some other way. Corey Maggette almost wore Green, but ended up going to Golden State instead. That left the Celtics with a major void off the bench going into the season.

The difference between last off-season and this off-season is that Ainge has addressed most (still no PG) of the needs of the team. He has signed Rasheed Wallace and re-signed Glen Davis. Also, in a more minor move, he signed Shelden Williams. The loss of Leon Powe from a statistical standpoint has been made up and then some. To be honest, I can't see Leon Powe having much of an impact on the Cavaliers success this season anyways. I know that he is one of the most mentally and physically strong people in the league, but if he won't be healthy enough to practice or play until after the All-Star break, how much of an affect on the team can he have? He won't be familiar with the team's style of play and he will need to slowly be worked into the rotation.

One of the hot topics at the start of the off-season was whether to re-sign Glen Davis, Leon Powe, or both. They chose Glen Davis based on the fact that their window of opportunity is these next two years. I'll admit I was one of the people who said to re-sign Powe for half the price and let Davis go. If Powe was healthy, I'd still be saying that, but the fact remains that he is not. Davis is healthy and able to play important minutes right now when called upon.

Some people say that we dumped a great guy in Powe for a lousy end of the bench roster spot like Lester Hudson or Shelden Williams. They may have a valid point, but as of today both of those players are more valuable to us then Leon Powe is. The last time I checked we didn't have too many point guards. Also, Williams may not be a very flashy guy, but along with Scalabrine he is a body that we can use off the bench and ads depth. Guys like Kendrick Perkins, Sheed, and KG, could get into early foul trouble, and it is important to have enough big bodies off the bench to make up for that.

It is a shame that it had come to this, and hopefully this doesn't give the Celtics too much of a black eye from a PR perspective. Players do know that this is a business. I don't expect players to look at the Powe situation and say that they aren't loyal to their players. When a player goes down with a major injury months before he is hitting free agency, how can you expect the team to re-sign that player if they are trying to win a championship in the next two years? It just wasn't the right time or place for Leon Powe in Boston. It's tough to put your brain in front of your heart, but as a GM, that is what Ainge's job is. As fans, it's easy for us to get attached to a player like Leon Powe. He is and always will be a class act in this league and if he can stay healthy he will be playing for years to come.

Who knows, maybe the Cavs will cut ties with Powe at the end of the season. If not, he becomes a free agent at the same time Glen Davis does... and maybe the Celtics are faced with the same decision they faced this off-season. Hopefully they chose the right one this season, and choose the right one then.