GuyClinch wrote:^^^ No. I am saying he plays the same postion as our superstar finals MVP player - and thus he is a bad fit. <g> If we didn't have Paul Pierce he would be an ideal pickup.
Danny can save those expiring contracts for a player who would fit a need down the line. Its not a fantasy basketball team. You don't need guys irregardless of the position they play. Dwight Howard, Shaq, Oden and Yao on one time might be great for your fantasy game. Its not so great for your basketball team.
As someone who was interested in Jackson I've been looking at this dialogue between you and Captain Caveman and there are valid points on both sides. It is pretty clear nothing is going to happen and who knows if Ainge ever even thought about it, but here is my take if there was indeed any interest.
1.) The day IMO any thought of Jackson being a Celtic ended with the signing of Daniels....not the commitment between Daniels and the Celtics. Daniels signed with the Celtics for the least amount of money he would have gotten. As terribly awkward as it would have been to tell the Daniel's camp that the Celtics were moving in another direction, Ainge could have worked the phones and found a good landing spot for Daniels. Teams only backed off Daniels because they felt he was a done deal. Doing this pales in comparison to telling a valuable warrior who played hurt for you, who helped decide championship games for you that he doesn't even have a spot on your roster as the 15th person. That of course is what the Celtics told Leon Powe. I realize that the timing of the Big Baby signing had a little something to do with this, but was Sheldon Williams so much in demand that he just HAD to be signed before he slipped away? We already know that Baby is capable of big minutes at PF , so even if Garnett is not 100%, they could have signed another big body and still signed Powe for later on. Cleveland did exactly this as part of their business plan. But Boston was very businesslike and it's about winning championships. So by being proactive in getting Daniels settled elsewhere they would avoid any stigma with future free-agents and move onto a better player that gives them a better chance at a championship. It's a business as we found out with Powe - they can survive a few hurt feelings with Daniels.
2.) As Captain Caveman pointed out it is Jackson who asked to go to a contendor. Obviously he tried to position himself to go to Cleveland where he would start, but at the end of the day he would join a tradition of Celtics like John Havlicek and even Kevin McHale as a 6th man. Obviously before any deal would be struck, much like Rasheed Wallace, Jackson would know the situation and if he reacted favorably, you do a deal - if not you move on. Simple as that. But without Daniels, there is no reason Jackson wouldn't get 30 + minutes on a championship level team. No Fantasy baskeball here. Jackson was a valued reserve for the Spurs - he understands how to contribute. Wallace could have started on other championship level teams. Whether it is Marbury, Wallace or Jackson, they all understand what's going on. If pride is really a factor as you speculate that it is, then you find that out in a heartbeat.
It's all water under the bridge - it isn't going to happen. But as the Celtics have the expiring contracts of TA, Scal and even House, I would expect management to do whatever it takes - including hard decisions to take advantage of this limited time window. Certainly going back to Al Jefferson this franchise has successfully taken that approach. I took a look at the rosters of teams that are not likely to make the playoffs, who may look to jettison salary by the February trade deadline and you get some interesting names like Jason Richardson, Gerald Wallace, Louis Williams, Zack Randolph, Corey Maggette, Anders Nocioni, Jeff Foster and Nick Collison, but those are really about the best names. These are the cream of the crop of players who have extended contracts. Jackson is better than those players. Having Jackson also allows you to at least consider Ray Allen's expiring contract in future dealings.
I thought about Jackson back in May, and now with all of these other circumstances, and the thought that he could go to, say Cleveland and burn us, and he seemed to make sense to look into. I do agree with one point that now trying to trade for him with Daniels on the roster could cause chemistry problems