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I just feel as if Ainge can better use their salary combination elsewhere toward free agent pickups. Possibly, targeting McDyess, G. Hill, CJ Watson, D. Mason, Diogu, et al.

I know no one on here will be in support of this, but I would much rather overhaul the bench than to resign an undersized power forward/center who probably overachieved when he'd the opportunity this season. All things given equal, he still isn't a better player than Powe. Obviously, Davis' value was helped with Garnett injured. And House is a one dimensional player, who's perimeter game can be replaced. I dislike how he's hot and cold and isn't ideally tall to defend most off guards. If he's guaranteed $2.8M next season, and Davis say attracted $5M or the full MLE this off-season. Then I would rather see what my other options are if I'm Ainge.

He reads like he's really intrigued by the prospect of starting. A raise is a given.

His numbers weren’t gaudy, but for a second-year forward stepping into a starting role on a championship-caliber team, Davis showed tremendous promise.

But how much does promise pay? For sure, he’ll get a nice raise from his $711,517 salary last year. But whether he’ll be getting $2 million or $5 million next season is unknown at this point.

The same can be said for his future with the Celtics.

“I’ll be very excited to come back to the Celtics or go to a team where I might start,” Davis told the Boston Globe’s Marc J. Spears. “Wherever I’m at, I’ll be happy.

“I’m eager and kind of curious,’’ Davis added. “I don’t know where I’m going to be. I like security. Not knowing where I’m going to be is scary. But at the end of the day, I’m in a good position where I’m going to make more money.”

The Celtics are set to make a qualifying offer to Davis before Wednesday, making him a restricted free agent. While the C’s will have the ability to match any offer made by any other team, their financial hands may be tied.

This offseason, Davis is working on getting better in a different way by dropping 20 pounds already.

“I’ve been working out, eating right, doing Muay Tai,’’ Davis told the Globe. “I’m doing real kickboxing like the real guys do. That’s what is getting the weight off.’’

Davis will need to impress if he wants to stand out in a frontcourt free agent class that could include the likes of David Lee, Lamar Odom, Carlos Boozer, Chris Anderson, Antonio McDyess, Charlie Villanueva, Martin Gortat, Paul Millsap and more.

Davis said that he wouldn’t mind coming off the bench on a championship team, but he’d also welcome the opportunity to be a starter.

http://www2.nesn.com/boston-celtics/200 ... ys-future/

ideally, we would/could sign and trade BBD for a swing man.

Ideally, we would re-sign Baby for about $3mil per. I don't see how we can get that sort of production at that price elsewhere. You can focus all you want on the fact that he's undersized and overweight and can't jump, but the fact is he produces. What he gave us in the playoffs is just not that easy to do. Who are we going to get to replace him, Mikki Moore?

House, I'm not that excited about. It'd be good if he goes. He tends to disappear in the playoffs when teams realize all they need to do is keep a guy within 3 feet of him at all times. That does spread the floor a bit, but we need to have someone who will make them pay for that. He was used more at SG last season, and undersized SGs are a dime a dozen.

bonsaiflipflops wrote:I just feel as if Ainge can better use their salary combination elsewhere toward free agent pickups. Possibly, targeting McDyess, G. Hill, CJ Watson, D. Mason, Diogu, et al.

House and Davis do not impact our ability to target other Free Agents in any way. If you don't want those guys, just say you don't want them. But don't try to justify it by saying it helps us target other Free Agents. We can keep both House and Davis and still have our MLE & LLE to spend on the guys you listed. If House and Davis walk, we still only have the MLE & LLE. Why not have both? You'd be very hard pressed to find a better backup PF than Davis at the price he'll likely cost. He's not an undersized center because he's not a center. Just because we made him play center doesn't make him a center. We should keep him to back up KG and then use our MLE & LLE to sign a legit backup center and a backup wing.

bonsaiflipflops wrote:I just feel as if Ainge can better use their salary combination elsewhere toward free agent pickups. Possibly, targeting McDyess, G. Hill, CJ Watson, D. Mason, Diogu, et al.

Really makes no sense. All the Celtics have for free agents is the MLE ($5.5 Million) and LLE ($1.5 million) regardless if they resign Big Baby and keep House or if both leave.

Ainge has a price tag on BBD and if someone wants to give him $8.0 million a year then Ainge will try to work out a sign and trade.

Losing both House and Davis essentially means we will be a worse team next season so I don't know how that is ideal. Whoever else Boston add's they could have added anyhow and we will be forced to rely more on TA and Scal as well as look to the likes of Mikki Moore to provide depth.

Ideally Eddie doesn't opt out and Davis comes back on the QO.

I really like both of those guys, but I can see where you are coming from. However, the players you named I don't think are that great, probably actually downgrades in a lot of ways. If we're replacing BBD with someone like Charlie Villanueva, & Eddie House with Sessions, Carney, or Daniels, I could get behind that plan.

I think it'll be hard enough to sign the 2 to 3 free agents from other teams, so we should protect what we have, which is what Danny has done. Eddie House will probably stay around, it'd open up time for Lofton or Hudson if he decides to go. We matched Big Baby's qualifying offer, and if nobody offers him an oversized deal, we should keep him.

vct33 wrote: We can keep both House and Davis and still have our MLE & LLE to spend on the guys you listed.

That would put Boston close to $80 million right there. It's a bad economy and they've never shown a desire to even hit $80 million for salary. You'd just have to hope for a very good trade, but it would hamper what the Celtics can spend otherwise.

Celtsfan1980 wrote:

vct33 wrote: We can keep both House and Davis and still have our MLE & LLE to spend on the guys you listed.

That would put Boston close to $80 million right there. It's a bad economy and they've never shown a desire to even hit $80 million for salary. You'd just have to hope for a very good trade, but it would hamper what the Celtics can spend otherwise.

Uh, we were at $80 mil + this past season.

sully00 wrote:Losing both House and Davis essentially means we will be a worse team next season so I don't know how that is ideal. Whoever else Boston add's they could have added anyhow and we will be forced to rely more on TA and Scal as well as look to the likes of Mikki Moore to provide depth.

Ideally Eddie doesn't opt out and Davis comes back on the QO.

I agree with you.....not the OP.

vct33 wrote:

Celtsfan1980 wrote:

vct33 wrote: We can keep both House and Davis and still have our MLE & LLE to spend on the guys you listed.

That would put Boston close to $80 million right there. It's a bad economy and they've never shown a desire to even hit $80 million for salary. You'd just have to hope for a very good trade, but it would hamper what the Celtics can spend otherwise.

Uh, we were at $80 mil + this past season.

I thought it was 78-79.

"Danny Ainge, speaking on a conference call announcing the Celtics' affiliation with the Maine Red Claws of the NBDL, said that he has not yet made a contract offer to Glen "Big Baby" Davis. However, Ainge went on to say that the Celtics will make a qualifying offer to Davis that will permit the club to match any other team's offer to the forward in free agency."

http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/this- ... ffer-davis


ps.....I for one am glad to hear it.......

Rocky5000 wrote:I really like both of those guys, but I can see where you are coming from. However, the players you named I don't think are that great, probably actually downgrades in a lot of ways. If we're replacing BBD with someone like Charlie Villanueva, & Eddie House with Sessions, Carney, or Daniels, I could get behind that plan.

I think it'll be hard enough to sign the 2 to 3 free agents from other teams, so we should protect what we have, which is what Danny has done. Eddie House will probably stay around, it'd open up time for Lofton or Hudson if he decides to go. We matched Big Baby's qualifying offer, and if nobody offers him an oversized deal, we should keep him.

It depends on the role that you're asking of them. I still believe that if McDyess, for example, could be convinced to sign with Boston. He could contribute in a reserve role. If it's about age, what about PJ Brown? I guess I'm looking at it more as signing veteran players who can help your team right now and might have less of a price tag. If it's a matter of equal value for replacing Davis, then that's a different topic and discussion.

It's true, attracting free agents are tough. Especially, when you consider location and comfort. It would seem that having both Pierce and Garnett aren't enough to attract a free agent to join a contending team such as Boston. But, it doesn't mean that you don't still try.

The sense I'm getting from reading from those excerpts and quotes from Davis is that he seriously would like to start for a team. He's young... But, he won't start with Boston even if he's saying all the right things about being fine with returning to the bench.

The bench next season needs to be better than only Davis and Powe. And Powe will be on the shelf for a substantial about of time. That's all I'm saying... Davis is the best trading chip Ainge possesses. I suppose you can add Ray if Ainge were to consider trading him before the trading deadline. But I don't see the argument of the bench being really good as is. It isn't... It isn't even decent. I mean if you look at it at a glance on paper and not on assumption.

Davis (resigned and/or traded?)
Powe (could miss most of the regular season)
Scalabrine (concussion concern)
Tony (injury prone; uncertainty)
House (an expiring contract; is he thinking more about an extension?)
Walker (uncertainty)
Giddens (uncertainty)
Hudson (a rookie; uncertainty)

Not re-signing BBD and House would be a move for 2010. We need as much talent now and signing one of them doesn't impact our one method of acquiring free agents: the MLE.

We need to resign BBD and House. Mainly BBD. I love House's heart though.

Seeing Eddie go would break my heart. But he hasn't opted out yet has he? Hopefully he doesn't...

It would be great to have House back. It would be nice not to have to have him guarding the opposition's SGs. But he's an underrated player, an established part of our success, and has a reasonable contract.

BBD came up big during the playoffs and even was showing improvement from the season before early in the season when he was getting lambasted on here. Good finisher under the rim, plays with energy, a pretty respectable defensive presence, and players who can effectively guard the C position are not a dime a dozen.

He is also our only tradeable young asset outside of the starting five at the moment, he is a poor defensive rebounder for a big man, a limiting factor, we had heard iffy things about his off the court presence / work ethic last offseason - albeit from sources that might not have been credible, and in post game interviews during the Magic series he struck me as having his contract situation on his mind, carefully saying all the right things moreso than showing genuine happiness that we were winning - of course that's just my take, based on my gut.

His value is at a high point and he's not the type of player that has star potential. I like BBD but I wouldn't at all mind seeing him shipped away in a S&T, maybe for Marcus Camby.

Now, the notion that we should hope to watch two assets walk away, without getting anything in return, is just flat out ridiculous.

BRUNiNHO91 wrote:Seeing Eddie go would break my heart. But he hasn't opted out yet has he? Hopefully he doesn't...

I don't anticipate that he will. But, his $2.8M if free money would be nice.

I wouldnt mind House leaving. I think he could be upgraded/replaced very easily.

I'd like to see BBD back if its at the right price.

I don't know, this quote bothers me.

How much more in a salary does House and his agent believe he deserves? He's thirty-one... Come on, he's a specialist. A specialist tends to be a one dimensional player, these kinds of players are replaceable. Please House, do Boston a favor and promptly opt out of your contract today. What you'll make next season for Boston is more than enough already for the little you offer overall as a basketball player on this team.

House’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, said: “We’re kicking some things back and forth. We just haven’t made a decision on it yet.”

Bartelstein recently told the Herald that House wants to remain in Green, but the guard has “outperformed his contract.”

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/bask ... st_market/