Celtics Central

It is amazing what a single day can do to an article and it’s implications. This article was largely written yesterday before Josh Childress decided to go international.

I had thought I’d drop a line or two about recent signings and non-signings involving a few former Celtics and some other well known players.

A part of the slant was about how certain players turning down reasonable to downright solid offers from their teams a year ago is coming back to bite them in the butt now.

But first…

The Timberwolves are re-signing Sebastian Telfair to an undisclosed (as of yet) multi-year contract after not making him the one year qualifying offer of $3.5 mil.

I’d guess it starts out less than that and builds. Sebastian will give them one true point guard to go with Randy Foye who has also been used at the point a lot. Telfair seems to have settled down and is settling in as a distributing PG for the young Wolves from what I read. With Al Jefferson, Mike Miller, Kevin Love, Randy Foye, Rashad McCants, Craig Smith et al. they are starting to look more like an NBA Basketball team. One big problem? The question is the answer. They only have one big. Problem.

The Bulls are in a bit of a bind with some players that think perhaps a bit too highly of themselves. Both Ben Gordon (5 year $50 mil/ly) and Luol Deng (5 year $57 mil/ly) turned down very fair (in most people’s opinions) long term deals before the start of last year’s team meltdown. Now both may play out their last season and look for better deals according to K.C Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Both have been rumored to have been offered less than what they were offered the year before.

To me, the Bulls thinking sounds fair. Shouldn’t winning have something to do with your value? Honestly, I thought both should have taken the deals offered last season. Does anyone smell a trade coming?

To be sure, of all the visitor locker rooms I was in last season, the Bulls seemed the most poisoned. The few players that were there just glared at you in an almost defiant way. The anger in the room was palpable. Now I may have entered after something happened. It might have been that new coach Jim Boylan wasn’t their cup of tea. Maybe I’m just that ugly. But it wasn’t fun being there.

Mr. Johnson reports that Deng likes new coach Del Negro. But I would say that Vinny Del Negro has his work cut out. It is a good thing he is surrounding himself with 2 extremely experienced assistant coaches

Speaking about possibly overvaluing yourself…Emeka Okafor did much the same thing as his former UConn team mate, Ben Gordon and turned down a very fair multi year offer from the Bobcats last season. This year’s Bobcat offer is rumored to be slightly less. He too, is now reported to be wanting a trade or will wait things out this season and seek another team next season.

Emeka is another UConn guy I like quite a bit. Graduated in three years and his game grew every year. But I would think that Emeka might want to take just a little bit of responsibility for the Bobcat’s constant below average performances every year.

By my way of thinking, Emeka should be a difference maker for that team. Apparently he isn’t, and 10-12 million a year would appear to be enough for a solid player with Emeka’s stats and overall game. Warrior that he is, his game hasn’t seemed to have advanced in recent years. Defensively he seems fine. Offensively, I never expected him to become Rasheed, but I thought he might possibly develop a few more reliable weapons at that end of the floor.

But even saying that, Emeka would be a great addition to the right team as the 3rd or 4th piece to the puzzle.

One thing that comes into play here is wins and losses. If a team is winning, everyone is likely to value that team’s key players higher from a financial point of view (see James Posey) . The problem is all three of these players, (Gordon, Deng, and Okafor) are trying to get more when their teams have either taken 2 steps backward (Bulls) or haven’t advanced (Bobcats).

But the Josh Childress jump across the pond could actually skew player values a bit more in the other direction as time goes on. It is simply the supply and demand principle at work. Much like oil, the oil producing countries have found demand growing in a new market – China. Even if the U.S. and Europe cut back 10-15%, which would be a huge cut back, China will drink that right up without even burping.

Maybe the above mentioned guys will get the money they think they deserve afterall.

On another note, it was good to see diminutive Georgia Tech’s Will Bynum finally get a real NBA contract. I saw him his first year out of college trying to make the Celtics. It was the same season that the Celtics drafted Orien Greene. 6′ 0″ Bynum actually played very well in the pre-season minutes he was given. He attacks the basket well. He played a few years in Israel and proved to be a solid baller. Welcome back, Will. Oh yeah, he signed with Detroit, so we will be seeing him a few times this season.

Will signed for $700,000 (guaranteed) with a team option on the 2nd year. Now the question is….

Did Will turn down more money from his team in Israel, to sign with Detroit? Hmm…..it still means something to most players to play in the NBA.

Boston is trying to put together its team for the 2008-9 season and most of the holes are now filled. In fact, this may be the team going into training camp.

The recent signing of Tony Allen and Eddie House to 2 year deals reduces potential team needs to 2, but only one roster spot unless they convince one of the recent 2nd round drafted players to play in Europe for a season as was mentioned by the Celtics shortly after the draft.

Danny Ainge said in Frank Dell’Appa’s Boston Globe story…

“I’m not chasing anybody down. I feel we have a solid team now and I’m going to take some time off.”

The signing of Eddie House gives them at least the stability of last season at the point guard position.

It seems to open up an opportunity for Gabe Pruitt to earn a few minutes a game as well. Can Pruitt play well enough to earn regular, albeit short minutes at the point?

At the moment, Danny and Doc seem high enough on the 2nd rounder from USC, 6′4″, 22 year old Gabe Pruitt, to possibly give him that opportunity.

Though this is his 2nd year, he played so little last season (15 games and 95 minutes total), it will be like a rookie season in terms of a learning curve. Still, we had some positive comments coming from Danny about his progress in the off season work outs and practices. It seems as if the House signing means that the Celtics will at least give Gabe a chance to earn some playing time this season.

Gabe will have to play competent NBA defense, learn how to run the Celtic offense and hit some open jumpers along the way. As with all new players, Gabe’s toughness will be tested… often. And that’s an unknown area with Gabe.

If I’ve said that the Celtics have some great locker room guys once I’ve said it….many times. But they all can get the game face on and stand firm when push comes to shove. House, T. Allen, Powe, Davis, Rondo, Perkins, and even ultimate nice guy Scalabrine all fit that definition.

Gabe is a basketball player with some great skills. He is also another nice guy in the locker room. I’d like to think that that’s enough to succeed. How well he can drive and score and drive and distribute is still up in the air. He showed a bit of ability in those areas in short minutes last season.

Honestly, I’m probably getting way ahead of what will be asked of Gabe. Doc will only need him to bring the ball up, hit the open jumper or re-distribute on a kick-out and to defend, in short minutes. Like last season, his defense will probably tell whether he stays in the game or gets pulled for letting his man get away.

If he falters, they still have Eddie House there to do what Eddie did last year. Ray Allen often brought the ball up as can Paul Pierce. If Pruitt disappoints, or proves to need longer development, Sam Cassell might be waiting in the wings.

Jason Williams has been mentioned elsewhere as a possibility and did help win a championship in Miami. Not a terrible idea either.

Off the wall idea – The Nets might look to move former UConn star PG Marcus Williams, now that they have signed Keyon Dooling. Danny seems to be willing to attempt talented bad boy reclamation projects – especially with the locked in core he has now. Marcus has talent, but has been injured and hasn’t been able to get it going in the pros. The Celtics were interested enough in Williams to work out Marcus before he was drafted a few years ago. They were also willing to pass on him at that time. He is only making $1.2 mil this season, team option for $2 mil next season. Hmmm…

That last idea doesn’t even qualify as a wild a** guess. It is just a thought along the lines that Danny sometimes thinks. Okay. You got me. Marcus is a former UConn player I think has some talent.

Edit Update: Fred Kerber of the New York Post has just reported that Marcus was traded to Golden State for a lottery protected 1st rounder in 2011. Hey it shows someone likes him and he was worth a 1st rounder still. We’ll have to see how all that turns out.

If they add another player….

will it be a long 3 or a more proven center?

For any Ryan Gomes fans (like me), he won’t be a consideration. According to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune….

Gomes’ agent continues to seek from other teams an offer sheet that the Wolves would be hard pressed to match. He reportedly has sought the full mid-level salary exception — $5.6 million next season — and Gomes said Tuesday it’s possible he will sign a two-year deal if the team willing to make the best offer also wants to keep its salary-cap flexibility for 2010, when a big crop of free agents, including LeBron James, becomes available.

Even if Ryan signs for something less, he won’t be signing for the 2.7 mil Danny has left.

Will Brian Scalabrine get another chance to earn minutes?

Devean George is mentioned as a possibility. But Danny’s comment at the beginning of the article sounds like he will play hard ball and keep the half of the MLE remaining open for now. Would that mean Devean would have to accept the veteran minimum to get Danny’s attention?

As Danny said in that recent Gary Tanguay interview, come play in Boston, (make your reputation) and get your money later.

Tune in next week for the next edition of “Going for Another Championship on only $77 million a year.”

It was announced by Danny Ainge in the Boston Herald that both Tony Allen and Eddie House have re-signed with the Celtics.

They both are said to have re-upped for 2 years for around $2 million each, with Eddie House getting a bit more at approximately 1/2 of the Mid Level Exception ($5.6 mil. is the MLE).

That does a lot to stabilize the team and answer some open questions for this coming season. Danny has mentioned that he thinks this could be Tony Allen’s break out season. It would be special if he did just that with the team that brought him into the league and has endured the uneven ride that has been Tony’s career. This will be Tony’s 5th year in the league.

If healthy, 6′ 4″, 26 year old Tony Allen can be a difference maker at both ends of the court. A good locker room guy, and in spite of his ‘trials’ and challenges, Tony can often be seen bobbing around the locker room with his head phones on his head and a smile on his face. Usually an upbeat guy, Tony has often stated the perfunctory “I’ll do what ever the coach asks me to do to help this team, even if it is just to go get the Gatorade.” But on the Celtics, that statement is more genuinely meant than on many teams.

Like Rajon Rondo was before his national exposure recently, Tony is probably a bit of a mystery to non-Celtic fans. The talent upside is pretty high, the bumps in the road have been many, and if he fulfills even part of his potential, he will help alleviate the loss of Posey at both ends of the floor.

Tony is a great man defender, has been learning to play better team defense, and has demonstrated quick hands leading to some big steals. He can play tough tough defense on taller opponents, including players like Lebron, when motivated. Though he has a solid build, he is quick enough to stay with other speedy 6′4″ NBA types. He has even been used at point guard, in addition to his more natural off guard and small forward positions. So Tony is versatile.

Offensively, he is more versatile than Posey and can create his own shot in many circumstances, something that James Posey could rarely do. Tony is a slasher and finds daylight where there is often none. His erratic jump shooting, including his three point shooting has shown flashes. When he is off, his shot looks terrible, but his results are sometimes better than his shot release would indicate.

Celtics Rent a House for 2 more Years

6′ 1″, 30 year old, combo guard Eddie House is known for one of the deadliest quick releases in the league. What has been a bonus is his development as an all around player this past season. He is a pest on defense and can really get after it. Who can forget the play where he ran pell mell, dove, slid a mile and tipped a loose ball to save it to James Posey before sliding out of bounds? It is not unusual to see Eddie get a steal here and there at important times in games.

While Eddie’s distribution and ball handling skills are open to debate, they are often offset with the other things he does. Of course, his main value is his long time ability to hit the open three to keep teams from collapsing the middle. He is another guy who doesn’t make waves and appreciates the chance to play for a team like the Celtics.

Both Eddie and Tony have a mental toughness to their games that fits well with the Celtics.

This brings the signings to 12. If 2nd round draftees Giddens and Walker are expected to sign, that leaves one spot open. If 2nd year man Gabe Pruitt is expected to fill the other back-up point guard spot, they will most likely look for another big or a long small forward to complete the roster.

This is a tribute to Glenn Rivers, the new World Champion Coach of the Celtics.

There are always good guys and bad guys.

In the NBA Finals it was no different. There was a good guy to root for and a bad guy to root against. This time the good guy won.

Coaching in the NBA is a very difficult job. Whenever half of your players and most of the important ones make much more money than you do, managing them becomes that much more difficult. If you have ever been a sales manager who has managed superstar salespeople, the rainmakers, you probably understanding what I’m talking about.

The NBA is all that and more so. It is a players league.

Dictator type coaches usually have a short though sometimes prosperous reign. Ask Scott Skiles, Paul Silas, Larry Brown, John Calipari, Quinn Buckner, and yes, Rick Pitino. Some were successful to a degree…. for a while…..some were not. Many fans love the dictators, the drill sargeants, the “boot-you-in-the-butt” type of leaders. I’m not one of those fans. I’m big on respect, dignity, and words like those. I think it is a much harder way to coach. But it is worth it.

Of course, some dictators last much longer. Pat Riley, Gregg Popovich and Jerry Sloan come to mind. You do it their way or there’s the highway. You can add Phil Jackson to that group, I guess. He thinks Tex Winter’s triangle offense is something special. If you play for Phil, you better think so, too.

When the triangle stops working, it becomes the Kobe offense as it became the Michael Jordan offense before him. It’s nice to have a super-superstar to bail you out when the plan stops working.

Phil Jackson and Pat Riley actually supercede most of their players in notoriety. Coaching superstars, if you will. They come complete with media groupies. I learned that when their teams came to Boston and there was a media horde around them in the hall as they made sage and regal pre-game pronouncements that us media troglodytes carved into stone as wisdom from above. Manna from heaven. Oh manna….I kid you not.

There are a few different coaching ‘types’ that we label coaches with. Nate McMillan, Maurice Cheeks and Glenn Rivers fall under the ‘players’ coach’ label. That is often a euphemism for
‘weak’. Yes, many players coaches don’t last long either. You can operate from fear or you can operate from respect. I have seen both work. I have seen both fail. Give me the respectful approach. Not that respectful coaches don’t yell a bit and get angry. They do.

Some are just not equipped to manage NBA players. Mike Montgomery came from the college ranks to run the Golden State Warriors for 2 lackluster years that got worse and worse before Chris Mullin said he had seen enough. Chris needed a coach with a strong personality and the gravitas to manage difficult stars. In the end, it was said that Montgomery couldn’t control the team and Baron Davis in particular did whatever he wanted.

Enter Don Nelson. Rules and attitudes changes immediately. The first player Don confronted and challenged was Baron Davis. Don knew where the team’s axis was. Going against Don Nelson would have been quite a different thing. Baron accepted the challenge and bought in. The change was immediate and substantial. As solid of a coach as Don Nelson is, I thought it might be smoke and mirrors at first. It wasn’t.

During the post game celebration of winning the world championship Doc Rivers said he was worried about managing his three stars…until his first meeting with all three stars. After that very first meeting, he knew they would do what was necessary, Doc’s idea of what was necessary, to make a solid run at a championship.

They would buy in and he would captain the ship through the long and winding 82 game season, replete with still untold stories of ego management, refocus, and reminders of what the plan was and what the goal was.

On top of that, Doc brought an ebullient, unflappable rookie 2nd rounder named Glen Davis into the mix earlier than many thought he would. Like many rookies, Big Baby had hopes of making an immediate impact and displaying his talents. Doc wanted him to set picks, learn where to go on defense and rebound. It was a learning experience for LSU’s former star.

To the surprise of some (read that: me), Glen actually played before Leon Powe did this season. In the end, they both became solid contributors, but not usually in the same game. Mike Gorman came to call the two of them ‘Leon Davis’. Doc Rivers called it ‘power forward by committee’. I call it a great one-two combo.

Doc worked in and around a raw young talent at point guard named Rajon Rondo. They had their moments. Rajon is strong headed and sometimes thought he knew better than the coach and even had his moments with some of the anointed three. From where I sat, this was one of the greatest successes of Doc’s coaching this season.

Rajon is Celtic Nation’s darling. You can criticize anyone, but don’t criticize Johnny Rondo. Even when he does wrong, he does no wrong. Rondo is as close to teflon coated among the Celtic faithful as you can get. Youth will be served. His talent is obvious. But so were his shortcomings. Doc’s insinuation of Rondo into a structured offense with three of the league’s best players was a gradual one and not without planning. By the end of the year, he ran the offense well, and at times, was brilliant. But to be truthful, Rondo still played with highs and lows. To Rondo’s credit, he learned to play a paced half court game when the open court is his natural strength.

Leon’s Powe’s vertical game added some horizontal development. The wildly versatile use of Posey, the well defined role of Kendrick Perkins, the ability to get Ray Allen to increase his effectiveness defensively as the year wore on, the balanced minutes and shot attempts of the stars were planned by the maestro Doc Rivers. His high maintenance stars gave him the respect necessary to make it all work.

Sam Cassell said one of Rivers strengths is – managing NBA sized egos. James Posey loved playing for a coach who recognized that family issues were important in a high pressure, business oriented league. Every Celtic player who had a family event like a new baby was given the time they wanted to be there for the birth or to take time for personal matters. Players appreciated the humanity of the man. It makes a long grinding season just a little better.

In a year where a team wins the championship, the coach gets a little teflon coating. Not all things were beyond second guessing, such as using Posey as a power forward far too much for most of the year. But like the key players of a title winning team, the coach gets a pass for those things that didn’t appear to always work out. They worked out enough to be the best team in the NBA, when all was said and done. And there maybe other reasons why he played Posey at the 4 a lot.

I believe it was no accident that Tony Allen was given one big moment of playing time as was Glen Davis in the Finals series. Neither were really part of the game plan against the Lakers. Yet, both played a solid set of minutes – once. I believe that Doc wanted to give every player a chance to play substantial minutes in at least one game in the championship series. He had that kind of respect and consideration for those who helped the team get there. Tony and Glen will always have those minutes as memories, no matter what else happens in their careers.

It’s been said ad infinitum that Doc gets his family values from his mom and dad. Mom and dad raised him well. It is a bit ironic that Doc’s dad died at the beginning of the season. In a league of testosterone laced toughness, constant teasing, occasional typical male confrontations, verbal and otherwise, James Posey would hug his mates before each game and Doc Rivers would get emotional when talking about his dad.

Even 2 seasons ago, Doc’s young, inept Celtic team did not meltdown. They played hard, if not well, though they knew the outcome of most games ahead of time. This season his team appreciated his, at times strict, but fatherly approach so much they went out and won the championship. Sometimes the good guys do win.

The three stars didn’t do it without Doc. They did it through Doc. Here is to Doc Rivers, dignity, respect, and ‘family’ values.

I better go find my wife. I feel a hug coming on. Then again, she might just look at me and start worrying what is wrong with me. I was just thinking about the Celtics, honey, that’s all.

James Posey has found a new team to embrace before each game.

The New Orleans Hornets will be receiving nightly inspiration before each tip off as James imparts his whispered words of wisdom and motivation to each starter as they access the court in addition to adding his own spirited play highlighted by tenacious defense.

We will now find out what James Posey meant to the Celtics.

The 6′ 8″ versatile forward just signed a hard earned 4 year contract with the New Orleans Hornets, another title contending team with arguably the best point guard in the league, Chris Paul. He will get about $25 million over 4 years. Is he worth it? Time will tell, but numbers are deceiving with a player like Posey.

The Celtics were offering three years at the Mid Level Exception (approx. $5.6 mil.) and were prepared to let him walk away. Walk he did, right into a nice pay-off for helping the three Celtic stars bring home their very first championship and James’ second. A situation like this brings to the forefront that basketball is a business, at times a hard business. Danny Ainge just made a tough decision and time will tell if it was the right one. One might add, the same goes for James Posey.

I have enjoyed watching James Posey play as a Celtic. Yet, I feel the team can and will be able to move on from this decision. Yet, I don’t want to minimize James’ contributions to ubuntu and the Celtic’s run to the championship. He played a huge role and he will be missed.

James’ game isn’t about the numbers, except the number of ways he would help a team win. His defense was steady and often stellar. He got under the other team’s skin. He drew charges with the best of them. He could hit some big time shots and did so a number of times in the play-offs. He is the wily veteran every top team needs, it seems.

Besides his smart approach to each game, he consistently provided composure under pressure. He would seem to always make pressure-filled foul shots. James would relieve Pierce, Allen and even Garnett of tough defensive assignments at times during games, just to give them a break.

It must have been a tough decision because he liked playing for Doc Rivers. It came out late in the year that Doc personally called him to make a strong pitch to get him to sign with the Celtics. Doc also had three other players call right after him. Eddie House called to convince him to accept what was understood to be a lower salary to come to the Celtics and help him make them a championship contender. He came because he felt wanted. He ultimately left because he didn’t fee wanted, or let us say that he felt more wanted by New Orleans.

But James wasn’t always in such demand. Though he could have probably signed with the Nets last season for more than what the Celtics offered, he was in the Pat Riley doghouse with Antoine Walker the year before for being out of shape. It was said by some that he wasn’t as motivated to play in year two in Miami. If true, he wasn’t alone on that team.

He was a great role player who did far more for this Celtic team than I thought he might. But make no mistake. This team begins and ends with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. Posey’s defense was excellent, but truthfully, we must understand that everyone looks a little better with Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett behind them and total commitment to team defense that the Celtics had last season.

So, how do you judge James Posey? Personally, I think he played some of the best ball of his career this past season. You just won’t be able to prove it by the stats. His play was intense, smart, and exactly what this team needed. Will he do it again? That is hard to say, but things won’t be quite the same in New Orleans.

New Orleans will definitely be improved by Posey. He will take minutes from Peja Stojakovic and Morris Peterson.

The Hornets beat Dallas in 5 games and took San Antonio to 7 games. If they had James instead of Peja in game 7, maybe things would have ended very differently. Peja produced a Posey-like 7 points on 3-11 shooting, 1-5 from downtown with 4 rebounds. Big Game James most assuredly would had done as much offensively, but would have really helped in all other departments, something Peja is not equipped to do. Will James be a game changer on New Orleans?

Brett Martell AP SportsWriter on Yahoo Sports…..

“It was a really tough decision for him,” Bartelstein said. “Boston was an incredible experience for him every way you look at it. If he was going to leave Boston, he wanted to make sure it was for a team that would compete for a championship immediately and the Hornets certainly are in that world.”

The hardest thing to determine on a team like the Celtics is how much the three stars helped the other players, including James, versus the other way around. We will answer that question this season.

This means the Celtics have the MLE to offer someone (or two) else.

Ryan Gomes and Josh Childress are 2 versatile forwards who are still on the market who could come in and help right away. Both are restricted free agents which means that Minnesota and Atlanta could match any offers. Golden State’s Matt Barnes is still out there. Posey can’t be duplicated but he will be replaced.

It is also possible that Danny and Doc will give Glen Davis and Leon Powe more playing time this season. Glen is just beginning to tap his potential and has been staying in Boston in the off season to get in the best shape of his career. Leon is a bear around the hoop, takes charges as well as Posey did, and his defense and passing should improve.

So, the Celtics will look a little different next season. ‘Going small’ won’t mean quite the same thing it did with Posey at the 4. He could hit that three. Neither Davis nor Powe can. It is not assured that Eddie House will return either.

The ball is in Danny’s court. Things get interesting now. Let’s see what he serves up.