Celtics Off-season

[Dr Aki]

First off, Congrats from a Lakers fan, the Celtics definately wanted it more, played harder and better than the Lakers

Secondly, im looking at the Celtics' player contracts situation and i was wondering a few things (and since i'm not getting any response on the Trades board):

1. do you think james posey will opt out (3.4mil upcoming season) thus becoming a RFA?
---> if he does, how much are the Celtics willing to spend to retain him, (because his stock is fairly high right now)

i know celtics dont own his bird rights and if he were to opt out, it would take a big chunk out of the Cs MLE for next season

2. whats the re-signing situation on your other FAs, tony allen, cassell and PJ brown??

3. what sort of moves do you want the celtics FO to make in the off-season? especially if james posey opts out so he can resign for a better deal?

[Spin Move]

We Need to upgrade, The backup C spot, the Backup wing spot and of course the backup PG spot are all big needs. I vote to let tony allen go, if posey opts out, dont give him more then a 20% raise. Honestly 1 guy who we might be able to get for the MLE who could be a game changer is arterst, I think KG could keep him in line. We do need to improve though, staying still wont get it done with the big 3 a year older.

[GuyClinch]

I'd keep TA. He is potentially a very valuable player - any trade deal or just dumping him is wasting a big assest. I hope we resign Posey and House.. We NEED a backup big with LENGTH like a younger PJ Brown as well as an offense minded PG like Monta Ellis..

Pete

[Dr Aki]

could we see a kurt thomas/zo signing mid season just like pj brown did??

[ParticleMan]

I think Posey will opt out. Then it gets interesting. The C's should give him the MLE to stay. He's that valuable. I think he wants to stay too. It's just a question of the owners ponying up double salary. We'll see.

We should bring back House. For all his troubles dribbling the ball, he was clearly our best backup PG. But we've got Smilin Gabe. He's a good player. If he continues to develop I think he could be a quality 3rd string PG, possibly 2nd string by season's end.

PJ is probably going to retire again, and once again in February or so we'll have to start courting him. It's less wear and tear anyway.

TA is the most interesting case. It really depends on what other offers he gets. It often takes 2 years to fully recover from his type of injury. If he can become the pre-injury TA then we're looking at a guy who could possibly replace Ray a couple of years down the road. If he's lost that explosiveness for good, then he's nothing but a journeyman.

Remember we have a #30 pick, which is gold in Ainge's hands.

Powe and Baby will be back. Cassell, I can't imagine he will be, maybe in the coaching area. I just don't think he's a good fit for this team, although he can still play.

[BillessuR6]

Posey is a priority. Give him the full MLE if needed! His defense, big shot making, leadership, experience are unbelievable! I am sure the PP, Ray and KG will want Posey back and Danny will do everything possible to bring him back. I just don`t see a scenario where we wouldn`t resign James!

House is another guy who we need to bring back. He is pure offense and energy off the bench. And the crowd loves him, after all those different teams in his career Boston should be his new home...

I would also like to see PJ coming back in March, again.

Nobody want to bring Tony back but I would. He won`t cost much and he has to play better next year, he can`t be worse...

We just need to add another big center and an athletic 2-3 player, who can put the ball in the basket...

[Chief]

Mutombo/Kurt thomas / diop might be viable options at backup C..

Darrell Armstrong / Lue for vet PG?

Quinton Ross i thought always played good D

Would prefer obviously to keep this bench for obvious reasons..

[cdubbz]

Diop would be a GREAT pickup for you guys, hes a defensive center thats a legit 7 feet tall and he can get the garbage buckets. The draft pick is very valuable as well...you guys need a rookie that can step in and have an impact wether its rebounding or scoring.

[Dr Aki]

diop would only be available if you guys somehow convinced posey to not opt out

hes still young and i dont see him accepting anything less than the MLE

i can see a lot of teams going after diop with the MLE because he is a solid backup C

[Rondo_Fan]

We need size more than we need a backup PG, especially since Perk is injury-prone at times. What do we do if Perkins goes down?

Rondo will get more offensive-minded as he develops next year. Also, we have Gabe.

We already had the kind of guy that you might pick up if you were looking for an offensive-minded point guard, i.e., Telfair, and we couldn't get rid of him fast enough. Offense from the point guard spot is a need for us, but not a pressing need.

I would keep Tony Allen. I still don't think that we have seen his best basketball. A lot of fans, especially the bandwagon ones, might have missed the great stretch he had when Pierce went down last year. It's way too early to give up on him. He gave us good minutes these last couple of games in the finals, when he had every right to play like he was rusty. I believe in this guy.

Hanging on to Posey is a no-brainer, but it's going to come down to money.

[buckner1976]

posey has made a ton of money in these playoffs. correct me if im wrong but we can only offer him !20% of his contract. what does help us is though at this point he only wants to be where he has a reasonable chance to win and he does know and feel comfortable in our system. there arent a ton of teams out there that can offer both money and real contention.

im a HUGE eddie house fan and id love to see both him and pruitt in the backcourt next year runnin and gunnin off the bench. when eddie had his job basically stolen from him for no good reason and handed to sam cassell he did not say one word. he just remained ready until the eventually called on him again. true professionalism and a great teammate to have.

pj i let him ride off into the sunset with him ring and try to find a someone younger version of him. francisco elson, kurt thomas, "the birdman" chris andersen, or melvin ely. diop and stromile swift could also get a look.

[BigHands]

I have been thinking about this too...so here is my take:

1) Will the owners pay Posey? There is no way to cut salary but Posey is a prototype championship contributer and the C's should not repeat Miami's mistake by letting him go. He defends multiple positions well, he stretches the floor, he is team-centered, and he takes playoff pressure and butters his toast with it.

2) P J Brown's length must be well replaced. Playoffs are won in the paint. Both Powe and Baby are good contributers but both lack length. With Perk's shoulder looking at least somewhat chronic length needs to exist off the bench. I posted during the Atlanta series that Brown was done....he crammed that down my throat.

3) Does Baby work out with Perk this summer or go home and eat? IMO his career path is determined between now and Labor Day.

4) It is probably too much to hope for but if the player needed in item 2) can score in the post as well then we get our cake and eat it to.

5) Now the big problem.....Tom Thibodeau. The guy deserves a shot as a head coach. But defensive coaching giants typically have less success as a head coach as there are suddenly too many things distracting them from what they do best. So my concern is that he moves own, does not have good experience and the Celtics defensive presence slowly, but steadily fades, over the next couple of years without him.

As great as this season has been (and I have loved every second of it), the Celtic organization is now at the really hard part.....keeping the thing going.

[spf211]

I agree that Posey is a priority -- up to the MLE. If a team is paying him over the MLE, obviously we can't compete for that (and it's a bit ridiculous anyway).

The Championship might work in our favor in retaining Thibodeau. As Gonzo pointed out, some of the most high profile head coaching gigs went by the wayside during the title run. The Celtic defense is being praised to the heavens right now -- Thibs can either jump ship now and get a contract with a team that's going to be horrible regardless of his presence (like the Clippers) or stay on for another year, continue to get accolades as a coach and wait for a high profile position with a team that will be competitive.

Give him some money, though. As much as it takes.

My radical proposal, that will never happen, is to trade Ray Allen. The Celtics will never get more value for him right now and have a great chance to extend the Garnett/Pierce window. But teams never break up championship cores like this and Ray will stay around -- it could mean another title next year (high reward) or it could mean a playoff exit next year with limited ability for the Celtics to reload next offseason (high risk).

And let's not skirt around the issue. The Celtics are an old team, much like the Spurs, and will have a difficult time repeating, much like the Spurs. They played nearly 100 games this year and are only a few months away from the preseason. Boston is going to need a lot of young players -- Powe, Davis, Tony Allen -- to log major early season minutes.

I'm fine with a 50-win season and a lower seed if it means Ray, Pierce and Garnett are rested for the playoffs next year, but in all honestly, outside of our draft pick, I doubt the Celtic team looks any different in 2009. PJ might even stick around, clearly Cassell is out.

[canman1971]

Regarding Posey, I think it is imparative to sign him. As many have said, he is the perfect role player on a contending team. Doesn't complain about minutes/shots/etc... and plays good defense at 3 or 4 positions. I don't think money/year will be an issue; it'll only be about 2 million more per, but what might be a sticking point will be years. If he is willing to take the MLE for 3 years, I think they will keep him. When you talk about 4-5 years, they might balk.

I think the Cs are in a great position. Players will want to come here and Ainge has 2 draft picks. I think PJ and Cassell are gone, and quite possibly TA; I wouldn't mind keeping him, but is he really dependable? Ainge has proven to be quite creative, and quiet, so I'm guessing something may happen that nobody will expect.

[dsorc]

Like everyone has said, the most important piece is Posey. Because he will opt out I expect Tony to get at least the QO for one year as an insurance policy. After that, Cassel is probably going to go to Denver so he can become an assistant afterwards to Karl and PJ will be retiring. I think if we can get D. Armstrong he'd be a better fit than house. Then it's just a matter of finding a C which could be our draft pick or another vet looking for a ring. That leaves our depth chart as: (Posey would be in fron of TA if resigned)

Rondo/Armstrong or House/Pruitt
Ray/Tony/Posey or other wing defender
Pierce/Tony/Posey or other wing defender
KG/Powe/Baby/Scal
Perk/#30/Vet C

EDIT: I was just thinking another defensive minded Vet PG who might be an option is Lindsey Hunter. With Stuckey about to get major minutes behind Chauncey they may choose not to resign him as there may not be minutes for him.

[jfs1000d]

I would go with No.1 priority is probably a backup PG.

I like Eddie, but he is a spot player. Cassell is done, and Cassell knows it. He will retire. I would consider one if the draft if there is one. Or, maybe Gabe Pruitt is a point. I don't know. Chris Duhon?

Next would be length at the PF spot. I think we have to choose Baby or Powe. They are a bit redundant. I like both, but I think Powe may want to play more. PJ had length, but I don't thnik he wants to play anymore. So they have to get a 6-11 guy with some length at the center spot.

Lastly, they need an athletic wing scorer/defender. TA is probably done with Boston. This may be the first round pick. They have to get more athletic at the 2 and 3 spots. Atlanta did exploit that. I would want someone who can score and defend and really get up and down the floor.

That and some bench girth.

[hiphop1]

Posey MUST be resigned. Without Posey we might not be hoisting the trophy.

[Celts17Pride]

Posey MUST be resigned. Without Posey we might not be hoisting the trophy.

What he said. Posey is a must sign.

[coach mang]

Dump TA for nothing when it looks like he getting his spring back?

dang mang aint know they stacked **** this high

even if ainge drafts a wing player he's shown that he don't mind duplicating a position and letting players duke it out.

the most interesting proposal here is spf talking about trading rayray to try to extend the window. we're in a similar position as the 80's when when we could have moved mchale to dallas for lotto picks. but ray aint a celtic lifer like kevin and thats th difference.

if the right deal came along mangIna think ainge WOULD pull the trigger. he's shown that he don't give a **** what the public and media think. w/ this championship he can do what he want.

mang aint saying we should trade rayray but ainge wont be scared to do it. he let his snutz hang to da flo

[cisco]

1. Re-sign Posey. He is a MUST.
2. Re-sign House. I love this guy.... such a scrappy and tough competitor.
3. Keep Tony. Tony looked very healthy and played well in limited minutes on the big stage. Good sign. He could be a huge weapon next season.
4. Replace PJ Brown (not that I don't want Brown back, I just think he'll retire). Maybe try to sign Diop.
5. Replace Cassell. I know a lot of people don't like him, but Jason Williams would be perfect, imo. He struggled last season, but that was because he was coming off an injury. He'd be over a year removed from his injury next season. He has a ring and hits clutch shots and can handle the rock. I think he'd be the perfect backup to Rondo.