The cut will probably come down to Scal and Giddens

[GonzoLays]

I believe it is coming down the Scal and Giddens for the final spot on the roster. Their drawbacks and positives to releasing either player.

Keeping Scal:
* hardworker, good lockerroom guy, veteran
* understands his role and doesn't bitch about playing time
* is versatile and can play multiple positions
* only big on the bench that can stretch the opposing bigs out to the three point line
* heady player
* strong defensive player
* paying him 3.2 mill per year for the next two seasons and could be used as trade bait next season

Cutting Scal:
* has lost any confidence he has in himself and it shows on the court
* not a consistent long ranger shooter
* not a good rebounder
* looks nervous on the court
* Darius Miles, if healthy, can do a lot of Scal does plus much more

Keeping Giddens:
* supremely athletic
* cheap contract
* could be a defensive gem

Cutting Giddens:
* maybe he is just the next Dahntay Jones
* don't have time to develop another young player
* if we cut him, most likely somebody will pick him up on waivers and we dont' have to pay a dime for his services, therefore saving luxury tax dollars

In the end, I think Cassel's leadership in the lockerroom is too valuable to cut, not to mention his mentoring of Rondo and Pruitt. What Scal brings to the table can be replaced by Miles if healthy (hell, they both can't shoot.) Giddens just must be too much to deal with and that is not what this team needs.

Don't know enough about Giddens to really bash him, but if we cut him, I won't lose any sleep. I believe the cut will come down to what the C's need for the future. Are they going to keep Scal because of his contract or release Giddens because someone will pick him up on waivers, saving the team 1.6 million dollars in total.

[DJToLarry]

Ummm, Giddens isn't going anywhere.

[Havlicek17]

Scal has played horribly this preseason. He did not contribute much last year, and he is a veteran without any upside potential. If I were to cut a player, I would have to pick Scal.

Unfortunately, one of the Boston papers today said that the Celtics would not release Scal and eat his contract. So, it likely will be someone else.

My choice of who to cut:

1.) Scal -No brainer
2.) Sam -Coach Sam
3.) D Miles -Unsure if he can handle a 100 game season
4.) BBD -Powe is similar and better

[TheSheriff]

NBA Teams do not draft guys in the first round sign and then cut them. It does not happen. There is no way Giddens is being cut.

Scal won't get cut due to monetary reasons

It will probably come down to Gabe and Miles

[GreenMachine]

"In the end, I think Cassel's leadership in the lockerroom is too valuable to cut, not to mention his mentoring of Rondo and Pruitt."

He can do that as a coach! CUT SAM!!!

[Bad-Thoma]

Nostrabasketballdamus says: "If it looks like feces, smells like feces, and tastes like feces, it's probably feces... or it is the preseason play of Brian Scalabrine." I don't always understand him, but I'm pretty confident he means Scal should be the one cut.

[MaxwellSmart]

Big Baby is NOT going to get cut....We need his bulk/muscle to help KG with thugs out there like Maxiell and Curry.....maybe Danny finds a two for one trade or Cassell becomes asst coach.

[Gomes3PC]

If we cut Giddens over Cassel or Scalabrine, I will eat my hat.

[Joselo16]

Why aren't they going to eat Scals contract its not like we use the guy, so we are technically eating it anyways. I laughed my ass off when I heard Tommy and Mike talk about how they were working Scals to be the last second shot taker!?! Have they forgotten we have guys like Jesus Shuttlesworth and The Thruth on this team for that reason or are they just trying to come up with some good reason to use Scals. Also won't the "44" number be retired this year in honor of Danny so when will he stop wearing it. ll give Scals props for being a hustler and a pretty decent defensive big but he really hasn't proved that he should be kept on the team.

[John Locke]

It's really a shame that we have to cut anybody not named Scalabrine. And really, I cannot forsee who that player is going to be. We're all just guessing here.

From a fiscal standpoint it makes most sense to cut Darius Miles; his contract is not guaranteed. But I have a feeling that Miles will get back to his old form after a couple of months, and then he is a complete bargain (talent-wise) for the minimum wage.

From a talent standpoint it is Scal. He has had this confidence problem for a while now. I think a player can force a shot and encourage the extra pass, but Scal has gone a complete 180 and is now always forcing the extra pass, not taking open shots, and therefor is not a threat on the floor. He is slow, unathletic and lacks a lot of skills that make a good basketball player. I think that setting screens, playing help-defense and being a locker-room presence is something that is not very hard to aquire for a lot less money. And really, why is Scal suddenly a locker-room veteran? He had only gotten once to the finals before he came here. But, yeah, we have him, and we probably will not cut him.

From a needs standpoint we can look at BBD and Powe. For me Powe is a terrific bench-player. Has a lot of qualities needed from a fine Power-Forward. BBD is also just to valuable to cut. Think: Pistons game last year. BBD is far better than Scal. Simply cutting him would not be a good decision.
We could also look at Pruitt vs. Cassell. Pruit has played well in the off season, and Cassell was just HORRIBLE last year. He was a pathetic excuse for a basketball player in the playoffs. Came in and started over-dribbling and taking stupid shots. Sorry, but that is not a veteran leadership and not something we need to teach Rondo. But anyways, Cassell is a bonafide winner, I admit that. He has always produced when playing somewhere for a stretch and I think that he is not done.
Pruit has shown glimpses of something every team needs.

Like I said we're all guessing. And it's hard to read Danny's mind. He is, after all, the best GM in the League.

[s1ickd]

Actually, i think they should trade Leon and JR for someone like Steven Hunter for depth... just like the rumors were suggesting. I think its pretty clear that Walker is the mroe talented player between Walker and Giddens.. and Gabe may more likely be a 2 gaurd for us one day than JR.

I actually like Baby better than Leon because of his understanding of the offense. Leon is sort of a one man show that works effectively in small doses.

[Mahoney_jr]

I still think they are showcasing Pruitt to trade him for a pick.

[DJToLarry]

I would be surprised if Miles is not the guy to go. Should be Scal though.

[humblebum]

I don't think that Scal or Giddens are going to be cut. I think one of two things are going to happen. One, Miles will be cut as Walker and Davis prove their worth at the 3-4 spots. Walker has shown that he can be a slasher-energy guy off the bench at the three spot, part of the would be role of Darius when healthy. Two, Darius is in direct competition for mins at the PF spot. The Celtics definitely wan't to have another PF who can step outside (a la James Posey) and hit the long ball or at least a deep mid-range shot. This is why Scal has been pumped as a potential long-range threat at backup PF, but Miles would clearly be more valuable than Scals from a talent perspective. The one thing that Glen Davis has displayed a nice touch for is the 15-18 footer. Davis is also a very solid defensive 4 being able to handle some centers as well. Davis' emergence at the 4 spot along with Powe's steady hand as an offensive performer makes it really difficult to see a place for Miles.

Miles has to prove that he can outperform Walker, over the long haul, at the three spot while also proving that he can be a real asset at the PF spot. I think he has his work cut out for him.

[Gant]

Scal and Giddens have almost no chance of being cut. It's just practical money management, not to mention Scalabrine's contract is valuable in a trade from the second half of this season on.

It's Miles, Cassell, or maybe Pruitt who looked very good the other night.

Or a trade.

[DelMonte West]

I'm holding out hope that Pruitt continues to impress and Cassell is cut...but then again, Doc implied all 4 PGs would be on the team. There's a chance they could have TA play spot minutes at the position again if Cassell's cut. Also, does anyone know how much Cassell's guaranteed contract is worth? I know vets aren't too prominent in preseason games, but there's been little to no information released about how he's done in practices, etc.

Sam's basically here to force the initiative on the offensive end in case our bench players get cold feet, from what I've gathered. However, if Tony/Walker continue to attack the hoop and Pruitt becomes more of a consistant offensive threat, his role decreases significantly. He's much more of a liability on defense than Pruitt and even House, so I don't see any scenarios where someone like Miles -- who gives us something we don't have in length at the SF spot -- gets more DNPs than him.

[bruno sundov]

Sam is gone. He isn't really necessary for the team to win. I say sam then the make some sort of contractual buyout for scals.

[sam_I_am]

Assuming that there is not trade - which is a big if because I imagine Ainge wants to make a trade rather than waste an asset - the most likely cuts will be Gabe or Big Baby.

1. Giddens has a 1st round guarantee. These guys never get cut. He could easily be traded for future considerations like a second round pick though.

2. Scalabrine. Isn't it possible this could be last year or did we already excersise team option for year 5? Anyway, it would be unwise to cut your only disposable contract. A 3.2 million slot could definitely bring in a veteran far more useful than anybody to a contender than Giddens, Big Baby, Powe etc.

3. Miles. If he is not physically capable then he is gone. However, I think he looks pretty good out there given that he is not expected to be 100% until Jan. I think he could be the huge X-Factor this team needs with the departure of Posey.

4. Gabe Pruitt. Danny keeps talking him up as if he is our "2nd 1st round pick" but Danny is a salesman and will say what he needs to say. I think he is a borderline talent and could be the guy to go if he doesn't prove he is capable of being a primary back up to Rondo in a few years.

5. Cassell. He is old. So his future value is nil. But we need him. So I don't see him going.

6. Big Baby. He was our back up center last year because he is wide. POB has made him irrelevent this year. Unless Perkins comes back he will have to get minutes at PF. As it is, it looks like he is not going to dress even if he makes the team. IF a player gets cut..... Big Baby, I am sorry to say because I love his persona, is the guy who goes.

[s1ickd]

Pruitt has way too much talent to let go. The guy can shoot, handle, pass, play man to man D, slash.... he has all the tools of an Arenas. As the most recent game proved, once he gets miinutes and confidence, he's an excellent prospect.

Baby is in a similar mold. For a casual observer, Powe seems like the better player. However, Big Baby fits better in our defensive scheme and has a much better understanding of the flow of our offense. How often do you see Powe set picks for people or give slick passes to people on backdoor cuts? He's basically a powerful one man show for certain stretches that racks up fouls on defense.

My verdict is: Cut cassell and resign him as a coch...... send Giddens to the D-League..... trade Powe for a 3rd string Center and a 2nd rounder.

You'd end up with:
Perkins, O'Bryant, 3rd String C
KG, Big Baby, Miles, Scal
Pierce, Miles, Walker
R. Allen, T. Allen, Pruitt/House
Rondo, Pruitt/House

very well rounded with no redundancy

[GuyClinch]

Baby is in a similar mold. For a casual observer, Powe seems like the better player. However, Big Baby fits better in our defensive scheme and has a much better understanding of the flow of our offense. How often do you see Powe set picks for people or give slick passes to people on backdoor cuts? He's basically a powerful one man show for certain stretches that racks up fouls on defense.

Come on now - Powe IS the better player. Your suckered in by a rare slick play. Powe is much better at the fundamentals you need from a PF.. Powe beat BBD in both net PER and on and off court +/- last year. So that great "pick setting" didn't translate to any on court advantage.

BTW Davis averaged 1.4 assists per 48. Please stop pretending the guy is a shorter fatter magic Johnson. He is a short fat PF who can't finish above the rim and thus has to resort to trickery.