Is Ainge still interested in Raja Bell?

celtxman · Post #1 » by **celtxman** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 10:35 pm

You may remember that Danny Ainge showed interest in Raja Bell near last year's trade deadline but nothing could be worked out. It appears that Bell would likely be traded if Iverson signs with Charlotte. Scalabrine and Giddens or Walker gets it done in regards to salary. Charlotte would probably rather have Walker due to salary considerations. Scal would be the 4th or 5th big man and would fit in with Larry Brown and they can take a flyer on Walker although they have depth at SF. Bell's $5.2 million contract is expiring. Bell is a good defender and shooter but is it overkill with Daniels coming?

[url]http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2009/08/no-deal-yet-but-iversontobobcats-viable.html][/url]

rambo_ortega · Post #2 » by **rambo_ortega** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 2:53 am

getting bell would be nice.. a back court of daniels, bell and house off the bench would do damage. it is also a tough defensive trio. daniels has the body to stay with the bigger sf's, bell knows how to stick to his man very well while house will do all the hustle. i agree that we should get him for scal and giddens so they could accommodate the signing of AI as well. they can also have TA in a different package.

bc legends · Post #3 » by **bc legends** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 3:48 am

not sure if we'll have the ability to get a trade worked out before this trade deadline either. we really need to officially sign daniels first and see what he have left. but if possible id be all for acquiring bell.

Fred Williamson · Post #4 » by **Fred Williamson** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 9:11 am

We're about to sign Allen freaking Iverson. No way we are trading the only guard on our roster, who can defend shooting guards.

btw. any chance Iverson signs with the Celtics?

celtxman · Post #5 » by **celtxman** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 5:07 pm

GWallace3 wrote:We're about to sign Allen freaking Iverson. No way we are trading the only guard on our roster, who can defend shooting guards.

btw. any chance Iverson signs with the Celtics?

Hey I'm with you GW - I'd rather have Bell than Iverson at this point, but there obviously are other concerns. Believe it or not Ainge at one point had interest in AI to the point that it was believed he would trade Al Jefferson in a package for him. Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don't make. But any interest with the Celtics in AI goes quickly away with Iverson's delusion that he is only a starter. Stephon Marbury was the self-proclaimed best PG in basketball and even he was nothing but a good soldier in Boston. Iverson would ather start on a bad or mediocre team than have a role on a championship team. That says a lot about him.
Anyway, I didn't post the link properly, but the speculation about Bell was not from Boston - it was from Charlotte. From Saturday's Charlotte Observer and Rich Bonnell:

My source says definitively that Iverson's first choice is to play for Larry Brown again in Charlotte, and that there have been serious discussions about making that happen.
However, there are complications. As Brown told me and ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan, the team's payroll and roster both stand in the way. With the Bobcats inching toward the luxury-tax threshold, it's problematic to make Iverson a fair offer, even in a depressed economy. Minutes are another issue: With Raja Bell, D.J. Augustin and restricted free agent Raymond Felton on the roster, where would Brown find sufficient playing time for a nine-time All-Star who averaged nearly 42 minutes his first 12 NBA seasons?
If any guard is traded, I'm guessing it would be Bell, whose contract expires following the coming season.
The attraction of Iverson is obvious: You'd be adding a great scorer to a team that was last in the NBA in scoring and you'd be adding a star to a team struggling to sell tickets and create a buzz."

Zin5 · Post #6 » by **Zin5** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 10:52 pm

Raja Bell is too much of a Larry Brown player to get traded here for just Scal and Walker or Giddens. If I was Charlotte, I'd entertain the idea of moving him since they have Henderson waiting, but I'd look for a bit more than what we could probably offer.

To GW: I've seen you complaining relentlessly about AI going to Charlotte. I understand a lot of the hate for him and I wouldn't want to bring him to Boston, but Charlotte's not going anywhere without him, so why not take a chance and try to work your way into the playoffs with him?

rambo_ortega · Post #7 » by **rambo_ortega** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 5:01 am

trading bell to give way for AI would make sense because as celtxman said "they'd be adding a great scorer to a team that was last in the NBA in scoring and you'd be adding a star to a team struggling to sell tickets ." Having a young henderson and if packaged in a trade, bill walker or giddens at the back up sg spot would actually cover up for bell's loss.

celtxman · Post #8 » by **celtxman** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 2:51 am

rambo_ortega wrote:trading bell to give way for AI would make sense because as celtxman said "they'd be adding a great scorer to a team that was last in the NBA in scoring and you'd be adding a star to a team struggling to sell tickets ." Having a young henderson and if packaged in a trade, bill walker or giddens at the back up sg spot would actually cover up for bell's loss.

I've always liked Bell and until I see different, I actually like him better than Daniels overall. I think Bell would stay but there is legitimacy to the reasons why he may go. I'd love to have him.

chuckerz · Post #9 » by **chuckerz** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 7:50 pm

Celtics don't have the trade pieces for Bell. Or any who are Larry Brown type players besides Scalabrine.