Unloaded?
by Jeff Clark on Jun 20, 2010 8:48 AM EDT
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The official Celtics slogan headed into the season was "Reloaded." Now I'm wondering if the offseason slogan might be "unloaded." I still think there's a very good chance that we keep our starting 5 in tact, but after that is seriously anyone's guess.
Here's a quick rundown of our 15 man roster as it existed on the final night of the Finals.
- Tony Allen - free agent
- Ray Allen - free agent
- Marquis Daniels - free agent
- Glen Davis - under contract for one more year
- Michael Finley - free agent (retiring?)
- Tony Gaffney - free agent (summer league invite?)
- Kevin Garnett - under contract for 2 more years
- Oliver Lafayette - free agent (summer league invite?)
- Kendrick Perkins - under contract for one more year but hurt
- Paul Pierce - opt out option
- Nate Robinson - free agent
- Rajon Rondo - locked up (thank goodness)
- Brian Scalabrine - free agent - I'm starting my "keep Scal as an assistant coach campaign" now
- Rasheed Wallace - pondering retirement - possible buyout?
- Shelden Williams - free agent
So the bottom line is that if Rasheed retires and assuming Pierce isn't going anywhere, we'll have 5 guys under contract headed into free agency. I'll let Roy Hobbes cover the salaries and cap room equations, but from what I gather, we won't be players in the top tier free agents.
So who would you want to bring back? Or perhaps the easier question is who are you happy to let pack their bags?
For my purposes I'll split the free agents into 3 categories.
So Long An Thanks For The Memories
Scalabrine leads this list. Like I mentioned above, I'd love to see him back as an assistant coach. He knows the personalities on this team and he's a great locker room guy that always worked his tail off to be ready when the team needed him. Then there's Marquis Daniels, who ended up being the biggest disappointment of the year. I don't see him coming back. Ironically, we tried trading Tony Allen for nothing just to have the chance to give him more money (and avoid using up the Bi-Annual).
Only If You Take The Minimum
Shelden Williams seems like a nice guy. He was a very good college player but he's been a big bust in the pros so far and couldn't take advantage of multiple opportunities this year. Still, this team is going to need to fill out the roster with cheap talent, so why not give him one more shot? Also in this category are the rookies Gaffney and Lafayette, who I'm sure will be invited to the summer league.
Depends on the Price
I love Ray Allen and I want him back, but if it becomes a bidding war then I'd think twice. And I'm not really talking as much about the money as I am the years. If he's willing to take 2 years, fine. We can line his contract up with KG's. But anything more than that is crazy for a shooting guard of his age.
Nate Robinson is interesting. He'll never be more than a backup here and there were rumors of the C's being unimpressed with his immaturity. Then he stepped up in the playoffs and seems to have bought into the culture here. Besides, he's a hilarious interview - especially teamed with Big Baby. That said, he was looking for big bucks last summer and I don't know how much other teams would be willing to pay him (he is, after all, capable of scoring 20 points per game with an extended role).
Finally, there's Tony Allen. He seems to have nine lives on this team. So many times he's shown promise and failed to live up to it. Now he seems to have finally found his role and proven himself to be very valuable in the process. I think he gets re-signed for around the same money he's making now.
Of course none of these decisions is straightforward and none are made in a vacuum. It depends on who else we can get in free agency, the draft, and trades and what price each of these guys would be willing to play for.
There could be quite a bit of turnover on this roster, even if the starting 5 (or top 7 or so) stays in tact.
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i would also
But i will low ball the **** out of them. And i have a funny feeling Danny is waiting on the Durant sweepstakes whenever that is . U remember the tampering incident in the tournaments . I’m sure Durant and his family still talk about that. So with that in mind if u want to leave u can . The clock is ticking . .
I think it'd be silly...
to hold out for any hope of signing Durant. Unlike Lebron, Durant has said he wants to stay in OKC and there isn’t a better, younger, set of building blocks in the entire league. I really hope we don’t turn into the NYK, acquiring awful, expiring contracts that expire in the same future year while dropping game after game after game in consecutive years.
Agreed. There’s not going to be a “Durant sweeptstakes.” The finals are coming to OKC – soon – and Durant will be the foundation of that franchise for a decade.
i agree durant will most likely stay with the thunders next summer
but hey, even lebron has not won a championship. i dont think its that easy to get to the finals, esp it is the western conf and the lakers are still in the way. also the thunders are still lack of solid interior players. I’d go with portland if oden stays healthy (big IF i know)
by friedgreentomatoes on Jun 20, 2010 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions
all fear collison and ibaka
oh wait
Aybar is a nowhere man, Sitting in his Nowhere Land, Making all his nowhere plans for nobody.
by princeton11loveshalos on Jun 21, 2010 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions
same here
"The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot." - Bill Russell
by Marjun Raposon on Jun 20, 2010 8:02 AM EDT up reply actions
Hey
Eddie House is a free agent. Knicks are focused on Lebron right now, so time to take advantage.
by Celtics own the refs on Jun 20, 2010 5:54 AM EDT reply actions
2 more years
hope & pray Sheed quits for good as he did this year…resign Ray for 2 more,extend Doc & Paul=2 more years of the same starting 5 with Doc…PERFECT
-Nate & Tony are perfect but if we can upgrade forget them also
-we need a big serious rebounder
-we need a 31 yr old Finley/shooter at wing off bench
-tweak here & there
prediction-Van Gundy will coach if Doc quits..the TV guy who sat out a while worked the last time.Plus he knows Tibs system
-get KG in the 28-30 min range
bottom line-we’re the favorites for next year
I think this is exactly right but
If Sheed is gone the big serious rebounder is going to have to be really goodt for it to be a step up. Has to be a great low post defender. Its pretty tough to even think of a name. I think it has to be by committee.
We will have enough roster spots that if Sheed is gone we need a guy like Gortat, a guy like Channing Frye and yeah a guy exactly like Finley but 2002 Finley. Keep Nate and Tony and Baby
Id love a great draft pick but lets face it there is now way Doc will play him. So if we get a package deal where we get a very good vet for thye pick and one of our guys that might be best
Ray and Paul are no more than 20 minute a game players now. They need to be paid accordingly. I’d resign TA, Nate and hope we get a decent draft pick at 19.
Paul Pierce is a 20-minute a game player now? You're kidding, right?
He’s not the PP of 2005, but he’s not the PP of 2015 either.
Get Real
Paul’s about a 30 minute guy right now. Ray too. Problem is they played Ray past that way too much.
I suspect Danny won’t be tempted to overpay on Ray.
Keep- Ray, Tony and Nate
Dump- Scals (coach?), Williams, Daniels & Finley
Try- Gaffney & Laffayette to see if they can be dependable bench players to add depth.
"simul justus et peccator"
I really wanna see
Laffayette, for one i think of what i saw he’s pretty solid.
For two, Stores would sell some pretty cool jerseys :P
So at least 10,12 or 15 mins a game for this guy in preseason and beginning of year.
"Victory belongs to the most Preserving" - Napoleon
"The teams that do the best job of putting personal agendas aside are the successful teams. It's not easy. That's why it's hard being a good teammate, but everyone has that choice." - Ray Allen
by AiTheLAviTiCuS#21 on Jun 20, 2010 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions
minimum guys
Unless they blow it up, the Cs are going to have several veteran’s minimum players. While I can’t believe I’m saying it, I think Scalabrine makes a lot of sense at the minimum. If these playoffs showed us anything, it was that having players who fill their roles are more important than having the most talented player at each position.
My offseason as Ainge would be (in this order):
- let Finley walk
- talk to Pierce about long-term options; express desire to have him retire a Celtic, but also let him know that the Cs can’t tie up extraordinary amounts of $ into his contract without going boom/bust again. Offer him 4 years in the $8-$9M range. If that’s not going to work for him, let him opt out and try his hang at free agency.
- have a similar talk with Ray; offer him 2yrs at $7-$8M or 3yrs at near the MLE
- sign Tony Allen to a reasonable contract (near Davis’ numbers)
- research CBA options and talk to Rasheed about retirement. The ideal scenario would be to trade him for some unwanted talent (Beasley); have him retire; and then resign him P.J. Brown style near end of the season. Not sure that this is legal under CBA, but I’m going to assume it is for right now.
- target a shooter with MLE (or portion of). Morrow is probably most cost effective, then Miller. While Redick would be a nice pickup, I don’t think the Cs can afford to wait for Orlando to match.
- resign Scal at minimum
If this all goes down ideally, the roster looks like:
Rondo/?
Ray/TA/Morrow
Pierce/?
Garnett/Beasley/Scal
Perkins/Davis/Sheed
The Cs target Larry Sanders or another long, athletic big at 19. See if Wyc will buy a pick to take one of Ainge’s binkies in the late 1st.
Lastly, try to get Nate on some numbers that work. This would be my ideal offseason.
Suggestions?
The reality is that the Cs can compete for the title next year with a couple of tweaks while still moving forward with developing long-term players. Grooming a young core of Beasley, Morrow, and Sanders with Rondo and Perk with more reasonable contracts for Ray and Pierce would give the Cs flexibility while still being a championship contender.
I don't want Ray starting next year or to have to rely on Pierce as our number one scorer--I don't think they compete for the title with that.
I’d like to see Sheed traded before he retires. Wouldn’t mind a sign and trade for Ray—or maybe even a contract-reworked Pierce? I want a big, tall, strong center to go along with gimpy Perk. I’m not sure Beasley has the right makeup to go with all his talent.
Well, you are probably not going to get what you want.
Based on the numbers Ray and PP put up this last year, there are very few 2s & 3s in the league who I would start over them. Neither seems close to being “done”.
Do you have anyone in mind?
yeah
we simply dont have the available cap space to add a better player. what we need is a good bench guy who can take alot of their minutes, keep them fresh for the playoffs.
we could really use a guy who’s good at drawing fouls too. to many times this year we were at the losing end of the FT stats
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions
No available cap space unless both Ray and Paul go--and Paul doesn't go unless we know we can land a big FA.
But we’ve got to assume both Ray and Paul fall another half-notch next year. And consistency and stamina deep in the playoffs is where their age most clearly catches up with them. Players who are a full-notch below them in talent, but still young and strong should be consistent and fresh later in June.
That's mainly an argument for an improved bench.
And THAT makes sense.
PP is NOT going to opt-out. So we are NOT going under the cap. Given that we are not going under the cap, the MLE is ALL we have to sign a FA. And the MLE is NOT going to get us a player of the caliber that Ray and Paul still are.
And since it doesn’t affect our cap number, it makes perfect sense to go ahead and resign Ray for a couple years as he is still likely to be one of the better starting SGs over at least this next year.
You are right that we need to find someone on the bench to cut into his and Paul’s minutes.
The MLE might be enough to bring in a 2/3 who can better spell Ray and PP. ‘Quis was supposed to be that guy but was clearly not. I.E. – the problem you are alluding to was something DA tried to address last year. I’m sure he’ll try again.
But I would only look into that AFTER we first answer our problems at Center.
I think this is about right. You can’t get anyone better than who you have with the MLE, so keep who you’ve got. Sign them for two more years and when all the contracts come off the books together, you can go after a top free agent.
The worst thing to do right now is to panic and get into BAD long-term deals through sign-and-trades or straight trades.
by Stanford_Fan on Jun 22, 2010 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions
"having players who fill their roles are more important than having the most talented player at each position"
This is a very true, solid statement.
I liked the Finley acquisition – it was what we needed at the time. But I agree with letting him go. I would like to secure Mike Miller in his place, if we could. Similar (better?) skills. Much younger.
Definitely need to target drafting a C and I totally agree Sanders would be ideal. I would look for ways to trade up if it doesn’t look like he will fall to us.
miller would be a great fit.
good size, can play SG and SF, good passer, rebounder, shooter, above average defender. id be more than happy if we can land him.
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 8:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, of all the "Trade Ray" proposals
the only one I really thought made any sense whatsoever was Ray & change to Washington for Jamison and Miller. THAT would have helped us at Big without killing our floor spacing.
I’m still glad we kept Ray, though.
Hmmmm,
I’d keep the starting five, along with BBD.
TA, keep him and give him a lot more minutes next year.
Nate, I don’t think a game or two in the playoffs makes him a keeper.
Scal, done.
Sheed, retired, bought out or traded.
Shelden, he played well the first two months of the year. When BBD came back, he got lost on the bench. He’s a decent back-up. Keep him for insurance.
Lafayette, he’ll be the second string point. Rondo needs help and it isn’t Nate.
Gaffney, gone.
Daniels, gone.
Finley, gone.
I’m hesitant about anything in the draft simply because they won’t play. But I’d like to see Danny buy a pick. Get Anderson out of my alma mater, and then some athletic big that can spot fill throughout the season, and gradually be a contributor over the next two years.
summer plans.....
I think Ainge will look at shooters for the MLE (Morrow, Reddick, MMiller, etc.) I think he wants to bring back Ray for 2 more years tops so it ends when KG’s does. I’ve said all along he wants Kevin Durant. He wanted him in the draft and he wants him in 2 years when the C’s will be able to offer for him. We will go from the KG era to the KD era. Durant is the next big, elite NBA player, taking the torch from Kobe and James. I think if Ray wants more money and more years Danny will look at sign and trades. If Miami is serious about Ray, I could see Ainge acquiring Beasley back in a sign and trade. Ainge has traded for wild cards before (Ricky Davis?). He wouldn’t be afraid of getting Beasley. I think we will all want Ainge to get a back up point guard for Rondo and again Danny will pass due to money and perceived value of that position. He will go with a Nate Robinson type of fill in for that spot, if not bringing back Nate himself. As for the draft, if most of the “bigs” are gone by 19 I think there will be mid size to smaller talent (Jones, George, etc.) available that Danny will take and be happy with. I wouldn’t be against seeing him try to move up into the 11-14 area to try and get a crack at Udoh from Baylor or maybe Aldrich from Kansas. I think those two could offer some help more quickly than other “bigs”. Looking forward to how it plays out.
Don't get too Durant-happy just yet
He’s publicly stated he wants an extension in OKC. Even if he doesn’t get one, they’ll be able to match any offers for him. I doubt he ever gomes to Boston (but I would love it).
I also agree that if Ray wants too much, he’ll be signed and traded most likely. I could see a deal with Miami for Beasley. (Also, if Sheed retires we can use his contract to trade for Beasley. We just need a definite answer from him SOON).
I hope we use the MLE to go after a shooter, Morrow would be an ideal fit. If Ray does stay, maybe we can explore moving him to a 6th man role.
Rondooooooo
I have been wondering...
with all our free agents, why can’t we be major players in the free agency market? Ray makes a ton and will either be gone or make much less. It seems Paul could opt out and re-sign for a little less $$. I am a huge C’s fan but don’t really get much into the salaries and contracts and that sort of thing. It just seems to me that we could be a major draw with one of the best PG in the game and having just come off a successful playoff run. Other than the obvious big names, I’m not sure who else is available or who would be a good fit but it seems we have some money we could spend and players who want to win would want to come here.
On a side note, it would be silly not to re-sign Nate. Where else could we find a player like him for what we are paying? He could score 20 a night if needed and is a huge spark off the bench. We need more athletic players like him. Plus, he and Baby seem to have bonded.
I thin the simple answer is that we are over the cap and we would be over the cap again by signing a big FA
and you can’t go over the cap to do that. Simple enough?
and what we all keep missing too is that any of these FA's will probably be gotten through a sign and trade
so the "dreamers’ aren’t as off their rockers as they seem
just remember you have to move salary to get salary.
But yeah, resigning most of our own free agents makes sense if for no other reason that they provide fodder for trades.
Several of our guys definitely improved their trade value (Nate, Tony, in particular) during the playoffs. I’m not saying we should trade any of these guys, but a strong playoff run definitely helps with the trade value of the various bits of the roster and DA obviously has to look at every possibility.
I think the key to the season will end up being whether we get a Big out of the draft or not.
How much would Reddick earn?
Nate was paid $5 million this year. If I could get Reddick for that price, I’d make the switch.
Reddick made 2.8 mil this year...
he has a qualifying offer of 3.8 mil for next year according to hoopshype. I didn’t know Nate made that much last year. I still think he is worth it if he gets used more.
Wade for Ray allen and some other player? is it true?
or just a rumor.
Imagine:
PG – Rondo
SG – Wade
SF – Pierce
PF – KG
C – Perkin.
would be great, but I don't see how it can happen
if it does however, we would get banners 18. 19. and 20, and maybe more.
Bloody hell?
I can’t imagine Wade in green. It’s a false rumor.
Chris Andersen could be in a porno with his 'stache. Too bad he still wouldn't know how to box out.
Quitter's Proud United Member #11
This is great on paper...
I am not sure if it would work. You would have about 4 players all wanting to the number one option-in this scenario it would have to go to Wade, and I don’t know how the others would respond. There was a lot made of the chemistry issues when Rondo started to excell, and they were able to overcome that, but am not sure how throwing Wade into the mix would affect. That being said, that lineup would be pretty great atheltically.
This is BS
Where did you get that rumor from?
by Scal4theallstargame on Jun 20, 2010 8:11 PM EDT up reply actions
That'd be great, but
even assuming D Wade is interested in coming to Boston (haven’t heard that, myself) Wyc would really have to open the checkbook for that one. While Ray’s salary would come off the books, KG and Rondo are scheduled for big raises.
Question about the Cap
If Ray leaves and Paul opts out of his contract, then we’d be 20mil under the cap. We could sign a top free agent and then re-sign Paul under the Bird rule. But, I heard somewhere that we can only get the cap relief if we renounce our rights to Paul, in which case we would not longer have Bird-rights. We’d have to fit him in under the same 20mil cap room. Is that true? Does anyone know?
Yes, it's true
Ray leaving and Pierce opting out brings the team to $42M in payroll, which is about $15M under the cap, not $20M. But it’s not $15M in cap space unless the team renounces Pierce’s Bird rights. They could have Pierce or a big free agent, but not both. (And they’d have no midlevel exception either.)
Wade ain't going to Boston!
Celtics fans are dillusional! Why in the heck would Wade go to Boston? He’s the King of South Beach and he’s not going anywhere. Especially not Boston!! Free agents will go to Miami to play with him, so why would HE leave? As for Bostons free agents, I’d like to see Ray Allen coming off the bench for the LAKERS, if him and Kobe could co-exist.
Why are you still here?
FYI – Ray and Kobe hate each other from WAAAYYY back.
Be Realistic
Many of you guys are living in a fantasy world. Wade isn’t coming here, or Lebron for that matter. The Celtics are in a tough spot, and are bogged down by the cap. Pierce will not opt out as he will not get a long-term deal elsewhere. I see them working out some sort of long term arrangement with him so he retires here and stays with the organization in some capacity.
As for Ray, I see an offer of 2 years for 6-7mil to keep the big 3 here until 2012. Bottom line is the Big 3 is good for business and will keep the team competetive for 2 more years.
Post 2012 – play the FA market. Rondo and 2010-2012 draft picks will be your only players under contract. Hopefully they don’t do what the Pistons did and throw money at bench players.
ray allen should have been a 6th man this year
Danny didn’t ever solve the back up point guard and shooting guard spots coming into this season. for some strange reason we thought eddie and tony could be back up pgs and shooting guards. I liked the Marquis signing but he got hurt early and was never the same. Plus he never gave us the energy off the bench that we needed. so to some extent this was an unbalanced team and that how it played out in the finals. Sheed came through big time for us but the nate deal never really worked and in the process we gave up some guys in eddie and billy who could have helped us in the finals. certainly we could have used eddie’s shooting in game 7. so in the end I don’t think danny did a good job last summer. Now it seems that 3/4 of the team are free agents. I don’t think he has any choice but to try and bring ray and paul back for one more year and hope that by adding a few pieces we can be competitive. But ray ,paul and KG are all 25-30 minute guys now. we desperately need a young small forward, a young shooting guard , a back up point guard and an athletic 4. I suspect that lafayette and gaffney fill in at the 2 and the 4. Glen probably starts in place of perk but we are going to need to get bigger and faster in the front court. KG looks like he’s planted in cement most of the time and sheed was even worse. We are at crossroads for sure; no big time free agent is coming to boston now, especially if doc leaves . we just need to hunker down, bite the bullet and hope we get lucky in the draft and with some signings.
I think Doc's a good coach and has done a great job here--
—but I don’t think he has it in him to throttle back from the Ancient Threen the when team needs him to (which is now). Kevin McHale might be more suited for such a transitional team.
Some problems with your post.
Ray played 71% of our team’s game minutes this year. Second only to Rondo’s 74%. Hardly a “25-30 minute guy”. AND those were extremely productive minutes. Ray had our team’s 2nd best Net48 plus/minus (+7.1, second only to KG’s +7.3).
Ray was our starting SG this last year because he was one of the best SGs in the NBA, period.
PP’s numbers were hurt by the number of games he missed, but when he was healthy, he was still as dangerous in what he does as any SF in the NBA. He was by far our best at creating fouls and among the NBA’s best at that as well.
KG definitely was the one who yeah, we needed to cut his minutes. But if you know anything about the type of injury he had, I actually would expect him to be stronger NEXT year than this last year. Even with the bum leg, KG posted numbers at or better than his career averages in every defensive category.
All three are definitely still primed to be impact players for at least one more year. After that, I agree, it gets iffy. DA definitely has to have an eye on the future. But that will ultimately take care of itself when the contracts come off the books.
Right now, the biggest concern is Perk’s injury. That could take at least 6 months before he even is cleared to play. If Sheed retires, we have no starting C of quality. We either have to find someone with the MLE or sign & trade for someone or draft someone and take a chance with a rookie until Perk is able to fully come back.
I think Perk's injury is what really got Doc to maybe changing his mind again.
In the days up until then he was sounding like he’d decided to stay. Now it’s up in the air again.
All that we really need
is an athletic rebounder at power forward/center. Somebody like Josh Smits for instance. Lakers killed us on boards so we have to make a significant improvement to prevent it in the future. KG is getting older and older, the same thing with Sheed if he stays with the team and Perk is injured. We cannot depend on Rajon in that matter. Without defensive rebounds we will not be able to play transition offense.
Winning happens in the paint...
That is why Boston is not having a victory parade this week.
The Celtics must turn their entire focus on getting younger, stronger, and taller “bigs”!
The back-court will take care of itself, especially with Rondo already there.
I`m sure Danny has been thinking about these decisions for awhile...
Pierce———-Unless he`s promised that major talent will be brought in to compete for a title, I cannot see him restructuring his present contract.
Ray Allen——Given his age and the fresh memory of his Finals performance, I cannot see Danny offering him more than a “take-it-or-leave-it” contract.
Sheed——-No way Danny stands in the way if Sheed is serious about retiring.
Nate———Not a chance he will get a “big money” contract offer from Boston.
Daniels & Shelden——Neither one saw their market value rise this season. Both could be had cheap.
How badly does Philly really want to get rid of Iggy?
That is the question I am wondering.
Even though it seems we have limited assets right now, that might not nessecarily be the case. The play of BBD and TA during our playoff run is bound to draw interest around the league. We very well may be able to use that value in a trade for a player from a team looking to get out from under a contract. Additionally, Sheed retiring could also benefit us.
Would a retiring Sheed ( voluntary retirement or contract buyout ), plus BBD be enough to tempt Philly? I know we are gonna need bigs next year with Perk probably missing a good portion of the season, but Iggy would be a great fit with Rondo.
A backcourt of Rondo, Pierce, and Iggy, with a re-signed Nate and Ray off the bench would be killer. I fully expect KG to be better next year with a full off-season to rehab his legs. Obviously this would leave us extremely thin up front, especially while Perk is rehabbing his knee.
We would still have the MLE and Tyrus Thomas could be a great fit. KG seems like the perfect mentor for a guy like Thomas, talented but misguided. Brendan Haywood is another possibility we could look into with the MLE. He could fill in while Perk is out and is very good defensively.
My ideal off-season would look something like this:
PG- Rondo / Nate
SG- Pierce / Ray
SF- Iggy / Quisy
PF- KG/ #19 draft pick / Shelden
C- Perk / Haywood / Vet. min.
Iggy would be a great addition. He is a great rebounder for his position and physical
Throw in a rebounder and that would do it. we’d still be too reliant on a badly fading Ray to buck up our outside shooting.
In this scenario, Ray is coming off the bench
In platoon with Pierce. Pierce has always been a good spot up shooter. We simply go with the hot hand.
I do agree this line-up leaves us thin up front. Maybe Ty Thomas would be better than Haywood. Either way, Danny is going to have to make a good pick with #19 this year, and it’s going to have to be a big.
I don't think it is a good idea to let BBD go at whet we have him signed for.
He has proven many times he is a valuable asset to our bench, and as a starter if needed. He has amazing skills around the basket for his size and almost always produces in limited minutes. I can see him really stepping up at the start of next season for Perk.
by gizmo010101 on Jun 20, 2010 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Better to trade him now...
While he has trade value, then let him become a free agent. Some team is going to end up paying him more than we will be able to afford. He only has 1yr left on his contract. We can not afford to spend big money on BBD and still keep flexibilty in our payroll when KG comes off the books.
We either make our move now, through trades with the assets we have, or wait until KG comes off th books in two years. BBD is going to be our best asset we have, and it is debateable how much of an asset he really is.
I agree he has trade value...
but why not keep him and make him KG’s replacement? He has proven he can handle either position up front. He know the players and system. He produced big time when KG was out last year, especially in the playoffs. I can see him being a 14-16 pt, 7-9 reb guy as a starter. At least we know what we have with him. I just don’t think it is a good idea to get rid of him when we know Perk will be recovering, Sheed could retire, and KG could go down at any time.
by gizmo010101 on Jun 20, 2010 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Thats true
And if he drops some weight he may be able to actually jump which may turn him into a top 10 pf.
by Scal4theallstargame on Jun 20, 2010 8:24 PM EDT up reply actions
This is not an accurate portrayal.
BBD’s problems are not with his vertical leap – he actually has a tremendous vertical for someone his size. His problems have generally been learning how to use his bulk and the timing of his leap. He’s made tremendous strides these last few months.
BBD is a unique athlete. Yes he’s got some weaknesses – which I’ve criticized throughout the year – but his upside is Wes Unseld. I’d keep that around.
BBD's upside is very good sixth man.
Unseld was league MVP, and averaged more than 17 rebounds a game for his first four years in the league. This is not remotely possible for BBD. Unseld had more ability, and maybe more important, he played in an era with a lot of 6’7"-6’10" centers.
true - i meant that more as style of play
and his occasional top-end performances. As in, BBD is capable of giving us Wes Unseld-like games, using his bulk in the post. And he has shown flashes of that at times.
I agree, he’s not likely to post an MVP-like season. But he is young and still has a long way to go before he tops-out.
I believe it's close
Iggy is due about 12.5 mil next year. Sheed 6.25 mil, and BBD 3 mil. When you factor in than 125% + 100k they are allowed to go over outgoing salaries, it’s darn close. C’s would probably have to throw in some minimum level contract player to make it work. Unless Philly was also interested in TA. I would would do Sheed, BBD, and TA for Iggy in a heartbeat. Not sure Philly would though.
So it that's posible.
We can do that. Of course Phily is the one not doing it. Use the MLE in Ty Thomas, and draft the best available prospect, and we only missing 1 or 2 pieces
Phili
Only want to get rid of Iggy to clear cap space, not to get an olf fart with 2 year contract.
by Scal4theallstargame on Jun 20, 2010 8:26 PM EDT up reply actions
C problems and lack of perimeter threat.
Your scenario makes a huge assumption – that Perk comes back strong. That is not a guarantee. In fact I’m not sure he’ll be even cleared to play until December and will not be at full strength again for about a full year.
We have to look primarily at shoring up the C position.
Even if Perk came back, the problem with your lineup is that it has only one perimeter shooter (Pierce) in the 5 man and no quick release jump shooter (Pierce is a set shooter from beyond the arc). This will result in real difficulty trying to space the floor. In the above scenario, if I’m an opposign defense, I simply put a man tight on Pierce and set my other 4 guys back, with one foot in the paint. That will easily shut down the starting 5 you put out there.
If we are going to replace Ray (or Pierce) the end result needs to still have 2 perimeter threats or you will not be able to score. Thus while Iggy is overall a more impressive athlete than say, a Mike Miller, I would much rather get the latter.
by mmmmm on Jun 20, 2010 9:20 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
on another note, no thank yous?
I read the thank you post on the front page but that’s a thank you to the people on this blog. but still no feel-good thank you post to the Celtics, who exceeded our expectations and came within 4 pts of winning the title?
let me be the first
to say a huge THANK YOU to the boys in green for a fabulously great season! _ just glad i have a strong heart to withstand the stress of it all. and i will be back cheering my old head off again next season!! and my broken heart is slowly mending.
Resign RayRay!!!.. And maaaaaaybe Nate...
We need athleticism, and rebounds…
For our 19: Damion James, Larry Sanders or Dominique Jones…
Additional Pick: Dominique Jones, Gani Lawal, Jarvis Varnado or Mikhail Torrance
For our 52: Dexter Pittman, Hamady Ndiaye, or Bryan Zoubek
Full MLE: Travis Outlaw, Josh Childress, Mike Miller, or Steve Blake
I like...
Pittman.
"The voice of the intellect is a soft one, but it does not rest until it has gained a hearing"
by Jeff_Fuller_49 on Jun 20, 2010 7:59 PM EDT up reply actions
i really like torrance, james and sanders.
if we somehow could get two of these guys id be ecstatic
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 8:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Paul – Nothing to worry about by any means. Whether an extension is worked out now or later, he will be in green for the rest of his career. And that’s the way it should be.
Ray – I would love to keep Ray, he has always been one of my favorite players of the decade and is a true professional. On top of that, he is still in incredible physical condition despite his age of 67 and wants to be here. A 2-year deal would be ideal, and like others have mentioned, I don’t envision Danny breaking the bank to keep him. I think Ray understands this as well, so hopefully it all works out.
TA – we’ve got to keep Tony around. Not only did he finally buy into his role and give us outstanding minutes throughout the playoffs, but financially, keeping TA makes more sense than anything. We would have to cut into the mid-level in order to replace him, and we simply cannot afford to do that with the amount of holes we may have to fill. TA has earned another deal (if you told me I’d say that a year ago I would have laughed at you and myself).
Nate – I admit, I had never been a fan of him before he came here. But I guess I didn’t realize how hard he played on a nightly basis and how his enthusiasm is exactly what our second unit needed. Sure, he’s cocky and he’s got a much bigger mouth than his body size can stand, but he’s got heart and can obviously score in bunches. I wouldn’t mind keeping Nate around, but I just don’t think it’s realistic. He will get more money and playing time elsewhere, and when you consider the minimal amount of minutes we truly need from a backup point, especially in the postseason, he isn’t worth cutting into the MLE for.
Sheed – will be interesting to see what he does. If he hangs it up, thank you Rasheed for your efforts in the postseason and thank you for a very… entertaining NBA career. The league will miss you. If he decides to grind out one more year, well, let’s just hope he can bring similar efforts next spring (and hopefully summer).
Quis – bye.
Shelden – I’m fairly neutral. I don’t love or hate him, wouldn’t mind keeping him at the minimum or letting him go. He’s a big body that bangs and rebounds, why not I guess.
Finley – good luck with whatever you choose to do.
Scal – Why not? He’s a terrific locker room guy with ultimate team spirit, he is far from the most talented but comes to work, he loves the game, everybody likes him and his personality, he helps keep the guys loose, and having him at the end of the bench will certainly never hurt us. Personally, I’d love to keep Scal around. If for no other reason, his positive energy and understanding of our team is good to have around. One year at the minimum, get it done DA.
I feel very good about our chances to get a quality young player on draft night, as well. Whether we go big, wing or guard I feel like there will be plenty of solid ballplayers available at 19. And when you’ve got Danny Ainge on draft night, you’ve got to feel even more confident. Lots of talent, lots of athleticism in this deep draft class.
Go Celtics! Go Hoyas!
Regarding Nate
His salary for this past season was 5 mil.. Although we do not have any Bird right on him, we do have the ability to sign him to a 25% raise without using our MLE. That would mean we can sign him for up to 6.25 mil. as a base salary. Would that be enough, I don’t know. But it’s more than he is worth, so if some team is willing to pay more, good for Nate.
So give ray an ultimatum/ take it or leave it contract, but keep Scal only because he is good has a good attitude in the locker room?
Why not get rid of Scal, and use that money towards s back up SG that can spot start in place of Ray and eventually become a full time starter.
His point was to keep Scal at the minimum
Not at Scal’s current contract.
We gotta
Keep Nate, Lafayette, Davis, Rasheed, Ray (..!), not sure about Gaffney… And Pierce will stay, there’s no doubt about it. He’s a Paolo Maldini. Keep Tony (Allen). Get a shooter if Sheed stays. (SHEED HAS TO STAY!)
There’s one thing tho’: We don’t need any players. If Perkins can play at his full potential, if Garnett comes back to doing great defensive job, if Sheed stays and focuses on defense again, if Nate and Rondo improve their jump-shots, and if Ray figures what went wrong, we have the best team world has ever seen after Globetrotters. Of course, Davis and Tony just have to keep on improving (or playing consistently at the best they have shown in a couple of games this season).
I’m mostly worried about Nate. Against Lakers, he’s had so many utter failures that it looked like it was Shelden playing, not Nate. I think this team can go all the way next season, if they focus.
never seen lafayette play
is he any good? what kind of game does he have?
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Sign RB and SH
I say replace Marquis and Shelden with…..Rasual Butler and Steven Hunter!
All these names I keep seeing...
Are wing bench players. We don’t need wing bench players, we need a starter to replace Ray. I still want Ray here, but as a 6th man. Using the MLE on a wing to come off the bench would be the biggest mistake Danny could possibly make, and won’t make.
Its just not going to happen.
You are going to be hard pressed to find a better deal at starting SG than to just resign Ray. Why? Because even now, Ray is better than 90% of the SGs out there and almost certainly better than any we could get for the MLE.
In addition, resigning Ray is via his Bird rights, so that STILL allows us to use the MLE towards OTHER needs.
The MLE and or the #19 draft pick have to be focused around shoring us up at C / PF. We could very well be without both Perk AND Sheed.
im really interested in what ray wants, $$$$
im really hoping he gives us a really sweet, cheap deal for the security of staying here and not relocating again.
i agree too, there is no way we get a better player than ray with only the vet minimum or MLE. best thing to do is add a good backup who cna take some of ray and pierces minutes.
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 9:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Changes
We normally see about 6 player changes a year. The only 2 team members healthy Rondo and Davis, 2 members injured, Perk and KG, thinking about retirement Rasheed from what we have heard, Pierce can Opt out of his contract. Coaching changes 1 for sure and maybe more soon. With that said.
Some of the players available below.
PG – backup – Duhon – Arroyo – NBA Draft picks
SG -starters or backups – Ray and Tony Allen, Joe Johnson, JR Giddens, Mike Miller Luther Head to name some and via Draft John Scheyer
Small Forwards – Paul Pierce, Mike Miller, Travis Outlaw
Power Forwards – Carlos Boozer, David Lee, Matt Bonner
Centers – Hilton Armstrong, Primo Brezec, Brandan Haywood, Aaron Gray
mike miller
would be a pretty good fit depending on what he’s willing to play for.
jermaine o’neal would be a decent pickup in rasheeds place if he’d take the MLE.
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions
O'Neal??
I wouldn’t want him in the same area code as my team unless he’s wearing the uniform of my opponents. Plays when he feels like playing. I’d sooner have Dwayne Jones than O’Neal. At least you know you’ll get a strong defensive and rebounding effort every minute he’s on the court.
by Finkelskyhook on Jun 20, 2010 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions
he's played well for miami
rebounds, blocks shots, can hit a jumper. sounds like a good replacement for sheed if you ask me
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions
An Perk
Turned him into his chew toy.
by Scal4theallstargame on Jun 20, 2010 8:34 PM EDT up reply actions
he wouldnt have to play against perk though
he’d maybe start in place of perk to start the season and then he’d be up against backup Pf’s and C’s most of the time
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 9:39 PM EDT up reply actions
my suggestion
boston need a small forward that can defend 2 or 3… i would say ala james posey type of guy… i would like to suggest if shane battier is available from houston rockets then why not boston try to offer this guy,.. battier can shoot 3’s and defend the best or 3’s in NBA… then center.. we know perks is uncertain on his injured. assuming wallace is out… if ray ray was out also.. then opportunity for boston to grab chris bosh.. i think boston must focus getting reliable bigman like bosh.. but not amare… or boozer.. for me bosh would be great additional along with kg and pierce.. assuming kg is getting old atleast you have a bigman that can put some points on board. shotting guard i believe boston is great for getting some sooting guard in this league.. maybe michael redd or jj reddick…
how do you get these said bigmen?
even if we let ray and everyone else goa nd rasheed retires, we will still be over the cap and can only sign guys to minimum contracts and use the MLE ($5.8m)….
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions
well...
…did I mention we’re expecting our 2nd baby?
:)
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" Henry V
congrats
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 9:49 PM EDT up reply actions
it's time
to start playing rookies. they make the least amount of money and we have a decent pick this year. we need to add an impact player in the draft this year.
also, several teams are selling picks, ainge would be very smart to buy an extra 1st rounder in this deep draft. adding two rookies helps keep our team salary down.
if wallace retires, we then have the full MLE to use again. can we get a good semi young player for that? do we use it to keep nate robinson? ? ? ?
what is ray willing to play for? do we want to keep him? do we work out a sign and trade? i think if ray is willing to take $8m or less a season we keep him.
pierce opting out? money wise he would be a fool to do so but he’s made alot of money so far and may decide he wants the best team to chase another ring with. if he opted out and resigned for more years at less money it would really help. even if he took $15m a year.
i expect sheldon to re-sign with us because he will likely be our starting center for half the year with perkins out.
if all that happened we would have 9 players under contract for around $72m. alot less than last year but still way over the cap. it’s really the only way we can go too unless we trade pierce or KG and i dont see it happening. pierce should retire a celtic!
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 2:39 PM EDT reply actions
here's an idea most probably wont like but...
mcgrady said last year he wants to play for a team where he feels welcomed and its not about the money. said he’d play for a million. if thats the case, i think we should take a chance like we did with marbury, cassell, payton, etc…
he could be the offense off the bench we need and could spell both ray and pierce and get close to 30 minutes. his size would be a help on the defensive side of the ball too. if we can get ray allen to be effective we can surely get mcgrady to be.
he may never regain his game but for a million i think its woth a look see.
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions
McGrady and O'Neal would make great teammates.....
On another team.
by Finkelskyhook on Jun 20, 2010 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions
we have the full MLE regardless of what Sheed does
Teams over the salary cap get to sign one player to the full MLE or a combination of players equaling the full MLE every year.
why
he played well early in the year when baby was still injured and struggling. it wasnt until baby came back and took his minutes that he started struggling.
i dont think perkins is going to be ready until well into the season adn sheldon knows the system, defense already. so he would have a leg up on any center we would add at least early on
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 9:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Shelden is a very good rebounder and a good post finisher.
But he has bricks for hands. Terrible at receiving passes and terrible at passing.
Also sets a horrible high pick (moves his feet worse than Perk) and is slow to pick up the switch when playing defense. ’Got murdered several times during the year overplaying the help side and not getting out to contest the open shooter in time.
He’s fine as the #4-5 big off the bench. He can definitely hold his own against many bench bigs around the league. He is not a starting quality center for a championship caliber team.
I agree though that Perk is likely to be out for a long time
and Sheed may be retired.
I think we need to focus both our #19 draft pick AND the MLE towards shoring up the C position.
I would LOVE it if Larry Sanders fell to us a #19. It would be a bit of a gamble starting a rookie at C until Perk was fully back. But we have enough veterans that I think he would be well protected through the early stretch of the season.
sanders is the guy i really want.
i also like damion james, SF, alot. im hoping ainge buys another pick and we can land both of them and somehow get Mikhail Torrance in the 2nd round. that would be my dream draft. then use the MLE to land the best free agent we can and hope another vet accepts the vet minimum to play for us.
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions
no he's not starting quality but
unless we draft a player ready to step in and contribute NOW we dont have alot of options. pryzbilla would be the same as sheldon only taller. oneal would be ok, IMO but thats if he’d take the MLE and then we couldnt get mike miller who id really like. other than that its through trades as i cant think of anyone else worth going after.
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 9:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, my dream scenario
is that we somehow get Sanders – either he falls to us or DA trades up a pick or two to get him. I don’t think he goes any higher than #16 (Minn) and they are more likely to go after a true PF. Thus #17 (Chicago) is where we might need to try to move to in order to guarantee we get him. ’Not sure who among our various parts we might be able to trade to them along with the #19 in order to move up those two spots.
If we can grab Sanders, I am comfortable with letting him learn the hard knocks by starting at C while Perk recovers. With KG as mentor, he’d be well protected by all our vets.
So that would let us go after Miller with the MLE That would make me very happy.
One of the reasons that I like Sanders over some of the other C prospects in the draft is that he has the athleticism that he could probably shift to hybrid PF/C. So if Perk comes back 100% you actually have the both of them as a twin towers combo after the KG era eventually would pass. I.E. he and Perk would be complementary.
There are some other good Cs in the draft, but the others with the length we want tend to be more conventional Cs with less athleticism (though some have more polished skillsets).
Center, Center, Center
All other positions then Center will take care of themselves. SG is the easiest position to fill. Need for a PF also but Center is VITAL (Perk out, Sheed prolly out, Shelden last off the bench). This is a Big Man draft year. There are several centers who should be available at 19 who can defend and rebound. It doesnt matter if he can’t score (Perk has an effective shooting range of about 18 inches). Next year is supposed to be a PG/SG draft year. Don’t try to fight the NBA’s version of Mother Nature.
If possible resign Nate. If Rondo went down (and every game he takes several HARD falls and I wonder if he is gonna get back up) we would be very happy to have him.
not just centers though
we need SIZE. we need REBOUNDING. we need a big who can score.
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 9:50 PM EDT up reply actions
IS IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SIGN ONE OF THE BIG 3 (AGENTS)
IS THERE ANY CHANCE IN THE WORLD THAT GETTING RID OF ALL THESE CONTRACTS..AND PAYING PIERCE LESS.. WE COULD SIGN WADE,LEBRON,BOSH? MY DREAM WOULD BE HAVING DWAYNE WADE!
RAJON (NATE)
WADE (VET WHO HITS THREES - LOW COST)- HUGE BIG MAN)
PIERCE (TONY ALLEN)
GARNETT (BIG BABY)
PERK (DRAFT PICK -
THIS TEAM WOULD BE UNBEATABLEEEEEEEEEEEE
by Francesco Mandará on Jun 20, 2010 5:53 PM EDT reply actions
IS IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SIGN ONE OF THE BIG 3 (AGENTS)
IS THERE ANY CHANCE IN THE WORLD THAT GETTING RID OF ALL THESE CONTRACTS..AND PAYING PIERCE LESS.. WE COULD SIGN WADE,LEBRON,BOSH? MY DREAM WOULD BE HAVING DWAYNE WADE!
RAJON (NATE)
WADE (VET WHO HITS THREES – LOW COST)
PIERCE (TONY ALLEN)
GARNETT (BIG BABY)
PERK (DRAFT PICK — HUGE BIG MAN)
THIS TEAM WOULD BE UNBEATABLEEEEEEEEEEEE
by Francesco Mandará on Jun 20, 2010 5:54 PM EDT reply actions
First timer from socal
Still keep the big 3 together no matter what. Danny doesn’t have to break this team up. He can’t be like the 04 Lakers after losing against the pistons and all fails. I know the age factor coming for them. I still believe this team
has 2 more in them. But when rondo takes over that’s when we get big names again.
by CBleedsGreeN on Jun 20, 2010 6:18 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Say what you want..
about not resigning most of this team. Fact is this team made it to the Finals twice in three years (Garnett injury negated a possible 3/3). Agreed this is an aging core of players, but they have shown the ability to compete at the highest level against the toughest of opponents. I believe this same team could compete for the title for two more seasons if not three. A few stops here and there and the Celtics would have wrapped up the Finals. Theres no reason to panic. If you’re hitting the panic button then your not a true Celtics fan. This same team was counted out of the championship run long ago. They ended their season by pushing the Lakers to 7 games. Think about it.
Cranpa i agree with you!
No time to panic! I worried if we don’t sign Ray. He’s a very complete player when he defends. especially when he had to the defend Kobe. Outstanding job he did. He had do so much on game7. Probably he was off his shooting cuz had to guard the black mumba. Some Celtics fans don’t realize that. I been a celtics fan since birth. From southern Cali! Didn’t like that showtime era in 80’s for lakers. It just wasn’t me. I hope Rasheeds back and make a deal to keep Ray. I’ll tell you this, if don’t keep Ray. It won’t be the same but I hope i’m wrong.
by CBleedsGreeN on Jun 20, 2010 7:39 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Some good back-ups:
PG—-C.J. Watson
SG—-Damien Wilkens
SF—-Rasual Butler
PF—-Drew Gooden/Udonis Haslem
C—-Brad Miller
And of course some possible “inexpensive” starters at the SG and PF/C spot:
SG—-Kelenna Azubuike
PF/C—-Joel Przybilla
The team is set at PG for the next few years. I don’t think Pierce will opt out but should to re-structure his salary for a more cap friendly deal. If he re-structures, maybe sign a SG/SF combo type player like John Salmons.I would like to see Davis stay with the team beyond his present contract.
"The voice of the intellect is a soft one, but it does not rest until it has gained a hearing"
pryzbilla would be interesting
good shot blocker, rebounder, very tall. he’d be a good target for rondo alley oops. he could step in and start if perkins isnt ready for teh start of the season.
the only knock is he is terrible on offense, shooting, FT’s. id like a guy who can score for the bench.
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 8:25 PM EDT up reply actions
KEEP!!!!!!!!1
RAY
NATE
TONY
EVERY1 ELSE SHOULD BE GIVEN THE BOOT
DRAFT A TALL ATHELIC PLAYER
GET 2 SHOOTERS OF THE BENCH
AND I LIKE PRZYBILLA 2 FILL IN FOR PERK SHELDON IS A BUM HE NEEDS 2 RETIRE NOW!!
IF WE ARE 1-12 DEEP WE SHOULD BE FINE
by ChristianW15 on Jun 20, 2010 8:39 PM EDT up reply actions
other team rumors ive seen so far....
i saw a rumor today that the cav’s and orlando both are trying to pull off a sign and trade for bosh. orlando wants to be able to move lewis to SF. that would be a hell of a move for orlando. i just dont see it happening.
also, rumor about hornets willing to trade collison if the team takes on okafors contract. a team like the knicks would be fools not to go for this. offer up eddie curry’s expiring deal, douglas and a future pick…they’d only add $1.5m to their payroll and would look alot more attractive to free agents.
either way it’s going to be a very fun, interesting and possibly a roller coaster off season
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
"…traded as many times this summer as a bad hooker’s phone number at a Vegas convention of Proctologists ."
by remembering9ergods on Jun 20, 2010 8:19 PM EDT reply actions
Do we absolutely positively have no chance in signing any big name free agents?
Bosh, Wade, Boozer ?
What we need are: a rebounder, a low-post scoring threat and a SG. About Sheed, if he is not interested in playing the regular season, can we just let him retire and lurk him out every year in March.
Keep Scal...
…if he agrees to work for free and wear a leprechaun outfit every night.
Iguadola for Ray in sign and trade
huge Ray fan, but let’s explore options if we can dump sheed and sign PP for an extended for less a year. Let’s not hold the big 3 too long just cause they got a championship for us. the window is closing. Love to pick up Iguadola, not only for the scoring but the defensive capability, rebounding and physicality with the 3’s we have trouble with like Lebron, Vince, Artest, Joe Johnson, and even cover a Dwade. Move PP to the 2 and we have a 3 that can also drive in Iggy. Philly picks up a veteran for their younger team and clear salary for a free agent.
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- A shameless businessman wants to trademark “Linsanity”
- Video: NBA players give their Valentine’s advice
- Chicago’s owner sees an unfortunate comparison between Derrick Rose and Michael Jordan
- Another day of a combination of Jeremy Lin’s last name and mental instability
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