OT: Lonnie Walker, Updates

[Parliament10]

I don't see how this is a good decision. Walker is better than the bottom 3rd of our Team.

[KamikazeK]

Not a fan, but it seems silly to second-guess Brad now. With that said, if they fail to repeat and we hear stuff from the players about "we got complacent" and stuff like that, then we will be looking back at this moment and thinking that perhaps if we had brought a new guy into the mix then maybe there would be more urgency to win.

If the Celtics don't repeat and anyone in their right mind think it was because they did not have Walker I don't know what to tell you. If you are banking on Walker for a repeat, well, it's not happening anyway.

My point was less about basketball and more about psychology and motivation.

[redslastlaugh]

Brad just won us the chip. I’m not gonna be a spoiled C’s fan and second guess his decisions three months later. He gets the benefit of the doubt.

[ConstableGeneva]

I don't see how this is a good decision. Walker is better than the bottom 3rd of our Team.

It's not all about individual skill/talent. Stevens and Mazzulla clearly prioritize fit, chemistry, and continuity. Not the end of the world that they let someone who no one wanted prior to camp in the first place walk (pun intended).

[canman1971]

Not a fan, but it seems silly to second-guess Brad now. With that said, if they fail to repeat and we hear stuff from the players about "we got complacent" and stuff like that, then we will be looking back at this moment and thinking that perhaps if we had brought a new guy into the mix then maybe there would be more urgency to win.

If the Celtics don't repeat and anyone in their right mind think it was because they did not have Walker I don't know what to tell you. If you are banking on Walker for a repeat, well, it's not happening anyway.

My point was less about basketball and more about psychology and motivation.

Oh, I get it. I am mildly disappointed as well, but my point is the Cs season is not dependent on this.

[Parliament10]

Why the Celtics elected to waive Lonnie Walker IV
By Chris Forsberg, Celtics Insider | Saturday, October 19, 2024

https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nba/boston-celtics/lonnie-walker-iv-waived-roster-luxury-tax/658941/

The team simply prioritized flexibility and money management. That Walker forced the team to ponder hard about carrying him tells just how much of an impression he made with his approach and play.

Walker will have the option to join the Maine Celtics as an affiliated player. Unlike Boston’s three two-way players — rookie Anton Watson, JD Davison, and Drew Peterson — the Celtics would not be able to call up Walker without first signing him to the parent roster. In-season shuffling to Boston’s roster could open an avenue to bringing Walker back down the road.

The decision to cut Walker gives someone like Jaden Springer a chance to prove the team made the right investment in spending a second-round pick to acquire him last season. But Springer must continue to develop to justify the $4 million salary that likewise amplifies with tax penalties.

The Celtics could have carried Walker into the regular season as the 15th player without immediate penalty. But it would have limited options to add players and might have created challenges if the team desired to cut costs before the trade deadline.

[phincsfan]

The end of an era... or at least an exhibit.

Not surprised. A bit disappointed. Lonnie seemed to fit in well, and bring that extra offensive power off the bench that we haven't seen in the deep bench. Maybe Scheierman, Walsh and Peterson will step up, but they are very different, unproven players.

Is this the best news for Springer? I like Springer, but it's interesting how he hasn't really seemed to jell with the team yet. Like, he's off to the side somehow and not part of the inside group yet. I may be reading too much into the body language.

It seems a lot of posters and socials were ready to pack Jaden's bags. He must have some awareness of this, so it remains to be seen how it motivates him. The offense off the bench is already quite good, so Walker would have been gravy.

If Springer can create an identity with this year's Stay Ready group, and have discipline to follow the role that Joe identifies for him, I think he could be out there with say, Tillam (Queta), Hauser, Walsh and Pritchard and focus on moving the ball on offense and being a dawg on defense. That would be enough with other scorers out there with him. If he can consistently hit that corner three, that will open up more possibilities.

But back to Walker: maybe Brad's got something up his sleeve. We'll see if the Maine plan has legs. With all the buzz about this signing, I'm sure there are a few teams with roster/cap space available that will be inquiring soon.

As far as Springer goes, I think this may be the case of buying a stock, watch it fall and refuse to admit defeat. I believe the pick traded wound up being #41 this draft. Celtics pick this year was #54 (Watson). Was there anyone from 41 to 54 that you would have preferred instead of Springer? The kid Larsson is getting rave reviews, I thought Shead looked pretty good against us in the pre-season. As a Phins fan we have a guy named Liam Yikenberg who was moved up for in the draft and taken before Creed Humphrey. I'm convinced he's still earning a paycheck because Chris Grier it too damn stubborn to admit defeat on that falling stock.

[ConstableGeneva]

The end of an era... or at least an exhibit.

Not surprised. A bit disappointed. Lonnie seemed to fit in well, and bring that extra offensive power off the bench that we haven't seen in the deep bench. Maybe Scheierman, Walsh and Peterson will step up, but they are very different, unproven players.

Is this the best news for Springer? I like Springer, but it's interesting how he hasn't really seemed to jell with the team yet. Like, he's off to the side somehow and not part of the inside group yet. I may be reading too much into the body language.

It seems a lot of posters and socials were ready to pack Jaden's bags. He must have some awareness of this, so it remains to be seen how it motivates him. The offense off the bench is already quite good, so Walker would have been gravy.

If Springer can create an identity with this year's Stay Ready group, and have discipline to follow the role that Joe identifies for him, I think he could be out there with say, Tillam (Queta), Hauser, Walsh and Pritchard and focus on moving the ball on offense and being a dawg on defense. That would be enough with other scorers out there with him. If he can consistently hit that corner three, that will open up more possibilities.

But back to Walker: maybe Brad's got something up his sleeve. We'll see if the Maine plan has legs. With all the buzz about this signing, I'm sure there are a few teams with roster/cap space available that will be inquiring soon.

As far as Springer goes, I think this may be the case of buying a stock, watch it fall and refuse to admit defeat. I believe the pick traded wound up being #41 this draft. Celtics pick this year was #54 (Watson). Was there anyone from 41 to 54 that you would have preferred instead of Springer? The kid Larsson is getting rave reviews, I thought Shead looked pretty good against us in the pre-season. As a Phins fan we have a guy named Liam Yikenberg who was moved up for in the draft and taken before Creed Humphrey. I'm convinced he's still earning a paycheck because Chris Grier it too damn stubborn to admit defeat on that falling stock.

Bolded is crazy. It's been half a year with Springer. We knew when we acquired him that he was gonna be a bit of a project, a mid-term play. I don't think they view him as a failed project already. The money attached to him is the rub. But then they could sign him to a cheaper deal after this season if they think he's worth keeping past the season.

[redslastlaugh]

The end of an era... or at least an exhibit

As far as Springer goes, I think this may be the case of buying a stock, watch it fall and refuse to admit defeat. I believe the pick traded wound up being #41 this draft. Celtics pick this year was #54 (Watson). Was there anyone from 41 to 54 that you would have preferred instead of Springer? The kid Larsson is getting rave reviews, I thought Shead looked pretty good against us in the pre-season.

Man, there were a number of dudes at that range in the draft.

Larsen, Cam Christie, Shead, Newton and Freeman have looked especially interesting. Djurisic is still overseas and hasn’t played preseason. A couple of undrafted guys are looking interesting too, had Brad just taken Anton at 41 and took a swing on a different dude, like Trey Alexander, etc

[phincsfan]

The end of an era... or at least an exhibit.

Not surprised. A bit disappointed. Lonnie seemed to fit in well, and bring that extra offensive power off the bench that we haven't seen in the deep bench. Maybe Scheierman, Walsh and Peterson will step up, but they are very different, unproven players.

Is this the best news for Springer? I like Springer, but it's interesting how he hasn't really seemed to jell with the team yet. Like, he's off to the side somehow and not part of the inside group yet. I may be reading too much into the body language.

It seems a lot of posters and socials were ready to pack Jaden's bags. He must have some awareness of this, so it remains to be seen how it motivates him. The offense off the bench is already quite good, so Walker would have been gravy.

If Springer can create an identity with this year's Stay Ready group, and have discipline to follow the role that Joe identifies for him, I think he could be out there with say, Tillam (Queta), Hauser, Walsh and Pritchard and focus on moving the ball on offense and being a dawg on defense. That would be enough with other scorers out there with him. If he can consistently hit that corner three, that will open up more possibilities.

But back to Walker: maybe Brad's got something up his sleeve. We'll see if the Maine plan has legs. With all the buzz about this signing, I'm sure there are a few teams with roster/cap space available that will be inquiring soon.

As far as Springer goes, I think this may be the case of buying a stock, watch it fall and refuse to admit defeat. I believe the pick traded wound up being #41 this draft. Celtics pick this year was #54 (Watson). Was there anyone from 41 to 54 that you would have preferred instead of Springer? The kid Larsson is getting rave reviews, I thought Shead looked pretty good against us in the pre-season. As a Phins fan we have a guy named Liam Yikenberg who was moved up for in the draft and taken before Creed Humphrey. I'm convinced he's still earning a paycheck because Chris Grier it too damn stubborn to admit defeat on that falling stock.

Bolded is crazy. It's been half a year with Springer. We knew when we acquired him that he was gonna be a bit of a project, a mid-term play. I don't think they view him as a failed project already. The money attached to him is the rub. But then they could sign him to a cheaper deal after this season if they think he's worth keeping past the season.

I really expected him to be featured more in the pre-season. That's what I was getting at.

[Dogen]

I'm reading between the lines again, but looks like Derrick not too thrilled about "that's my guy" being waived.

Watch on YouTube

[canman1971]

The end of an era... or at least an exhibit.

Not surprised. A bit disappointed. Lonnie seemed to fit in well, and bring that extra offensive power off the bench that we haven't seen in the deep bench. Maybe Scheierman, Walsh and Peterson will step up, but they are very different, unproven players.

Is this the best news for Springer? I like Springer, but it's interesting how he hasn't really seemed to jell with the team yet. Like, he's off to the side somehow and not part of the inside group yet. I may be reading too much into the body language.

It seems a lot of posters and socials were ready to pack Jaden's bags. He must have some awareness of this, so it remains to be seen how it motivates him. The offense off the bench is already quite good, so Walker would have been gravy.

If Springer can create an identity with this year's Stay Ready group, and have discipline to follow the role that Joe identifies for him, I think he could be out there with say, Tillam (Queta), Hauser, Walsh and Pritchard and focus on moving the ball on offense and being a dawg on defense. That would be enough with other scorers out there with him. If he can consistently hit that corner three, that will open up more possibilities.

But back to Walker: maybe Brad's got something up his sleeve. We'll see if the Maine plan has legs. With all the buzz about this signing, I'm sure there are a few teams with roster/cap space available that will be inquiring soon.

As far as Springer goes, I think this may be the case of buying a stock, watch it fall and refuse to admit defeat. I believe the pick traded wound up being #41 this draft. Celtics pick this year was #54 (Watson). Was there anyone from 41 to 54 that you would have preferred instead of Springer? The kid Larsson is getting rave reviews, I thought Shead looked pretty good against us in the pre-season. As a Phins fan we have a guy named Liam Yikenberg who was moved up for in the draft and taken before Creed Humphrey. I'm convinced he's still earning a paycheck because Chris Grier it too damn stubborn to admit defeat on that falling stock.

Grier is not stubborn. He is an absolute moron who should have fired a long time ago. He must have undesirable pics of Ross to still have his job.

[Dogen]

The end of an era... or at least an exhibit.

Not surprised. A bit disappointed. Lonnie seemed to fit in well, and bring that extra offensive power off the bench that we haven't seen in the deep bench. Maybe Scheierman, Walsh and Peterson will step up, but they are very different, unproven players.

Is this the best news for Springer? I like Springer, but it's interesting how he hasn't really seemed to jell with the team yet. Like, he's off to the side somehow and not part of the inside group yet. I may be reading too much into the body language.

It seems a lot of posters and socials were ready to pack Jaden's bags. He must have some awareness of this, so it remains to be seen how it motivates him. The offense off the bench is already quite good, so Walker would have been gravy.

If Springer can create an identity with this year's Stay Ready group, and have discipline to follow the role that Joe identifies for him, I think he could be out there with say, Tillam (Queta), Hauser, Walsh and Pritchard and focus on moving the ball on offense and being a dawg on defense. That would be enough with other scorers out there with him. If he can consistently hit that corner three, that will open up more possibilities.

But back to Walker: maybe Brad's got something up his sleeve. We'll see if the Maine plan has legs. With all the buzz about this signing, I'm sure there are a few teams with roster/cap space available that will be inquiring soon.

As far as Springer goes, I think this may be the case of buying a stock, watch it fall and refuse to admit defeat. I believe the pick traded wound up being #41 this draft. Celtics pick this year was #54 (Watson). Was there anyone from 41 to 54 that you would have preferred instead of Springer? The kid Larsson is getting rave reviews, I thought Shead looked pretty good against us in the pre-season. As a Phins fan we have a guy named Liam Yikenberg who was moved up for in the draft and taken before Creed Humphrey. I'm convinced he's still earning a paycheck because Chris Grier it too damn stubborn to admit defeat on that falling stock.

Bolded is crazy. It's been half a year with Springer. We knew when we acquired him that he was gonna be a bit of a project, a mid-term play. I don't think they view him as a failed project already. The money attached to him is the rub. But then they could sign him to a cheaper deal after this season if they think he's worth keeping past the season.

With Walker waived, I'm reverting to Full Metal Springerstan mode.

And why not? There's plenty of room on the Springerstan wagon. The stock analogy is correct, but he's more like some hot new crypto that hit the market and dumped. Time to buy at the bottom!

There was no one at #41 that I would definitively trade Springer for. The eventual pick, Bona, may be decent, and I had a thing for Chomche.

We'll see how Freeman, Ingram, Djurisic, and Larsson pan out, they all still need to prove themselves as belonging in the league.

I guess same goes for Springer, but he's a 4th year player and Brad says they liked him in that draft, so I'm going to wait until the trade deadline and see how he fits with the team. We need to remember that although not the offensive player that Pritchard or Hauser are, Springer can do things that those guys can only dream of. He gives Joe a different look, especially on the defensive end. He's good in a scrum -- quick, strong hands, sort of Marcus-like. I think he'll earn his keep.

[Gant]

Here's a twist.

Had Brad and Zarren done their usual by trading out of the first round and moving back to the second, they wouldn't have had a rookie contract locked in. Watson would be exhibit 10, whoever was picked in the early second round would be on a two-way, one more roster spot would be open, and...

...Lonnie Walker would have been signed to the 14th spot.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

The end of an era... or at least an exhibit.

Not surprised. A bit disappointed. Lonnie seemed to fit in well, and bring that extra offensive power off the bench that we haven't seen in the deep bench. Maybe Scheierman, Walsh and Peterson will step up, but they are very different, unproven players.

Is this the best news for Springer? I like Springer, but it's interesting how he hasn't really seemed to jell with the team yet. Like, he's off to the side somehow and not part of the inside group yet. I may be reading too much into the body language.

It seems a lot of posters and socials were ready to pack Jaden's bags. He must have some awareness of this, so it remains to be seen how it motivates him. The offense off the bench is already quite good, so Walker would have been gravy.

If Springer can create an identity with this year's Stay Ready group, and have discipline to follow the role that Joe identifies for him, I think he could be out there with say, Tillam (Queta), Hauser, Walsh and Pritchard and focus on moving the ball on offense and being a dawg on defense. That would be enough with other scorers out there with him. If he can consistently hit that corner three, that will open up more possibilities.

But back to Walker: maybe Brad's got something up his sleeve. We'll see if the Maine plan has legs. With all the buzz about this signing, I'm sure there are a few teams with roster/cap space available that will be inquiring soon.

As far as Springer goes, I think this may be the case of buying a stock, watch it fall and refuse to admit defeat. I believe the pick traded wound up being #41 this draft. Celtics pick this year was #54 (Watson). Was there anyone from 41 to 54 that you would have preferred instead of Springer? The kid Larsson is getting rave reviews, I thought Shead looked pretty good against us in the pre-season. As a Phins fan we have a guy named Liam Yikenberg who was moved up for in the draft and taken before Creed Humphrey. I'm convinced he's still earning a paycheck because Chris Grier it too damn stubborn to admit defeat on that falling stock.

With the Celtics being a second apron team that can't agregrate salaries and take back more money than they send out, they are super limited in terms of what trade they can make. I'm pretty sure that the trade for Springer was made before those restrictions fully took hold so they could have some tradable salary for the 2025 deadline without having to touch the top 8 rotation.

It's similar to what they did when they turned a TPE that was about to expire into Josh Richardson so they could maintain that salary slot for future trades. At the deadline he would become a key piece of the Derrick White trade. In the mean time, they have a year to figure out if the guy that flashed high level on ball defense in the NBA and won G-League finals MVP can develop into a rotation guy under the best development staff in they league. That flexibility alone is arguably worth more than the pick they gave up.

[ConstableGeneva]

For the record, I would've signed Walker to a guaranteed contract as soon as we learned his dog died regardless of how he performed in camp. I would hire anyone whose dog dies during application process. That kindness doesn't extend to cat owners. Brad is a cold mofo.

[darrendaye]

I don't see how this is a good decision. Walker is better than the bottom 3rd of our Team.

It's not all about individual skill/talent. Stevens and Mazzulla clearly prioritize fit, chemistry, and continuity. Not the end of the world that they let someone who no one wanted prior to camp in the first place walk (pun intended).

Agree. I thought they'd want the first cracks to be guys they are still developing who might be cheap but contributing multi-season players. I mean, I still want to see Peterson have a crack at some minutes. People also forget, they play Tatum or Brown with the 2nd unit and others want to eat. High volume scoring isn't the highest priority for this spot on the roster. I would have been pleasantly surprised if they kept him, but I didn't think he'd get minutes absent injuries.

[Dogen]

Here's a twist.

Had Brad and Zarren done their usual by trading out of the first round and moving back to the second, they wouldn't have had a rookie contract locked in. Watson would be exhibit 10, whoever was picked in the early second round would be on a two-way, one more roster spot would be open, and...

...Lonnie Walker would have been signed to the 14th spot. One other roster spot would still be open.

I've been trying to forget that...

My guess is that they didn't have many offers for the last pick in the first round (in some ways, it's worse than the first few picks in the second) and that they really liked Scheierman.

As with Springer, I'm giving Scheierman the benefit of the doubt. Although some of those other 2024 picks are looking good now, I think we recognize that the Boston Celtics are not your run-of-the-mill team. Coach has very specific expectations and roles, so it's not like a lottery bound team where they want the new players to go out and show off their stuff.

Walker would have made a quicker adjustment, due to his experience, but the team can afford to be patient with the other guys. My guess with Scheierman is that he'll struggle to start and at some point will have a game where Scal is talking about how the basket looks like the Atlantic Ocean to him, hitting shots from Worcester, etc. When he gets some garbage time minutes, he'll be fun to watch once he gets his legs.

[redslastlaugh]

Here's a twist.

Had Brad and Zarren done their usual by trading out of the first round and moving back to the second, they wouldn't have had a rookie contract locked in. Watson would be exhibit 10, whoever was picked in the early second round would be on a two-way, one more roster spot would be open, and...

...Lonnie Walker would have been signed to the 14th spot.

Or … understanding the roster crunch … trade OUT, not back. Trade #30 pick for a couple of seconds in 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, etc.

[Dogen]

For the record, I would've signed Walker to a guaranteed contract as soon as we learned his dog died regardless of how he performed in camp. I would hire anyone whose dog dies during application process. That kindness doesn't extend to cat owners. Brad is a cold mofo.

Is this true? Man, that's rough.