No Worries From Ainge (Herald Article)

[bucknersrevenge]

exactly. i just dont get this. does everyone LIKE playing posey out of position at the 4? forcing kg to play center for long periods while we lack the requisite length to matchup against the bigger teams(of which there are are more with toronto and philly). we got lucky last year that we werent exposed more often playing posey at the 4. i mean in the comeback game in the finalsposey comes back in the game with 5 minutes left and 5 fouls and they only go to odom once in the post. i mean we dodged a bulet there. danny made it a point to say we need more length and im betting if we get it youre gonna see posey(or whomever we get) a lot less at the 4 spot.

I really think you are exaggerating the amount of minutes Posey gets at the 4. Doc only plays him there when going small benefits the team, due to matchups, or because he wants to space the floor. That is not his primary position. It is just an option when Doc wants to go small.

There was a really good interview with Pierce during the playoffs (I wish I could remember where) where he was saying that he thinks that this is the future of the NBA. He said that bigger players are more athletic these days, and that Posey is really not that small for a power forward (6' 8"). He said that the athleticism and versatility of today's taller players is taking the league to a whole new level. He said that KG at center (7'), Posey at the 4 (6' 8") and Pierce at the 3 (6' 7") is really not that small historically. But the multi-faceted skills of KG and Posey allow the offense to give defenses nightmares.

http://www.82games.com/0708/07BOS8C.HTM

  During the regular season last year Posey (according to 82games) played more than half his minutes at the 4. His opponent's PER was a 13 when he was a sf, and 18.6 when he was a pf.

hmmm...18.6. it would be great if we had a great defender we could put at the 4 in place of posey to tighten that up. oh wait...there is that garnett guy. he could play the 4 we just need a solid backup center for 15-20 minutes that can help keep kg at the 4, provide length, athleticism, block shots and finish down low. danny has his eye on chris andersen. i think thatll be fine. it keeps posey at the 3 where he belongs albeit as tim pointed out since he got half of his minutes at the 3 and those now wiped out were paying 6 mil for a guy thats gonna get not much more than 15 mpg when you add in giddens paul, ray, and whatever 3 danny might want to look at. hell if house is brought back he could get time at the 2 as well. doesnt look good for posey.

[bucknersrevenge]

  im just saying our team had an unhealthy over-reliance on 3pt shooting to get by and it could be problematic in the future.

You do realize that the Celtics won the championship, right?

I guess all the champagne and cigars may have been unhealthy.

The Celtics ranked 12th in the NBA in 3pt attempts and 5th in 3-point percentage. The other finalist ranked 6th in 3pt attempts. The Spurs, who would have been the finalist if Manu wasn't injured, ranked 10th in 3pt attempts and 11th in 3pts percentage. If anything, we should have attempted more 3pt shots. But some myths endure, in spite of the facts.

you call it a myth if it makes you feel better. you didnt hear about it much because we played terrific defense all year(which posey was absolutely invaluable in) but our regular practice on the break was pulling up for 3s instead of getting sure layups. and when we did struggle on offense we settled. 5 of our 1st 7 guys last year were jumpshooters. thats not myth. thats fact.

I used stats to backup my statement. What exactly are you using, can you say? I'm assuming your point is that the Celtics weren't the 12th in the NBA in 3pt attempts and 5th in 3-point percentage, am I correct?

im using all the games from last year. and no you are not correct that that is what im saying. obviously we didnt struggle much when youre talking about a 66 win team. its hard to argue that much with it. but danny and doc have both said in interviews that last year when we did struggle it was because we often settled too much for the jumpshot. i mean this isnt rocket science. anyone that watched a game last year could tell you that. i didnt say we didnt shoot the 3 well when we did take it. i said we settled for bad shots be it 3's or be in jumpshots in general from time to time and that was a problem they wanted to correct. and a big problem was that once paul came out of the game there was nobody that would attack the rim and get to the line. thats what im saying.

[BCelts]

hmmm...18.6. it would be great if we had a great defender we could put at the 4 in place of posey to tighten that up. oh wait...there is that garnett guy. he could play the 4 we just need a solid backup center for 15-20 minutes that can help keep kg at the 4, provide length, athleticism, block shots and finish down low. danny has his eye on chris andersen. i think thatll be fine. it keeps posey at the 3 where he belongs albeit as tim pointed out since he got half of his minutes at the 3 and those now wiped out were paying 6 mil for a guy thats gonna get not much more than 15 mpg when you add in giddens paul, ray, and whatever 3 danny might want to look at. hell if house is brought back he could get time at the 2 as well. doesnt look good for posey.

Posey provides far more to the Celtics in terms of experience, defense, and shooting than do Andersen, Giddens, or any other free agents available.  I think it really is that simple.  Without regard to individual match-ups, a team with Posey on the court is superior to a team with Andersen or Giddens at this point.

[bucknersrevenge]

hmmm...18.6. it would be great if we had a great defender we could put at the 4 in place of posey to tighten that up. oh wait...there is that garnett guy. he could play the 4 we just need a solid backup center for 15-20 minutes that can help keep kg at the 4, provide length, athleticism, block shots and finish down low. danny has his eye on chris andersen. i think thatll be fine. it keeps posey at the 3 where he belongs albeit as tim pointed out since he got half of his minutes at the 3 and those now wiped out were paying 6 mil for a guy thats gonna get not much more than 15 mpg when you add in giddens paul, ray, and whatever 3 danny might want to look at. hell if house is brought back he could get time at the 2 as well. doesnt look good for posey.

Posey provides far more to the Celtics in terms of experience, defense, and shooting than do Andersen, Giddens, or any other free agents available.  I think it really is that simple.  Without regard to individual match-ups, a team with Posey on the court is superior to a team with Andersen or Giddens at this point.

on that i agree. but 6mil more? id rather have posey too. but at our price, not his.

[BCelts]

hmmm...18.6. it would be great if we had a great defender we could put at the 4 in place of posey to tighten that up. oh wait...there is that garnett guy. he could play the 4 we just need a solid backup center for 15-20 minutes that can help keep kg at the 4, provide length, athleticism, block shots and finish down low. danny has his eye on chris andersen. i think thatll be fine. it keeps posey at the 3 where he belongs albeit as tim pointed out since he got half of his minutes at the 3 and those now wiped out were paying 6 mil for a guy thats gonna get not much more than 15 mpg when you add in giddens paul, ray, and whatever 3 danny might want to look at. hell if house is brought back he could get time at the 2 as well. doesnt look good for posey.

Posey provides far more to the Celtics in terms of experience, defense, and shooting than do Andersen, Giddens, or any other free agents available.  I think it really is that simple.  Without regard to individual match-ups, a team with Posey on the court is superior to a team with Andersen or Giddens at this point.

on that i agree. but 6mil more? id rather have posey too. but at our price, not his.

I hear you, but I think the money gets spent either way, so I'd rather spend it on Posey.  Also, I think that if the Celtics win like they did last year, the merchandise sales and the increased ticket revenue really helps offset any margin that Posey wants over the other alternatives.  The real concern for me is not the $ Posey wants - give him the full MLE - but the years.  I get concerned about long term cap flexibility when we hit 4 and/or 5 years.

[hpantazo]

  im just saying our team had an unhealthy over-reliance on 3pt shooting to get by and it could be problematic in the future.

You do realize that the Celtics won the championship, right?

I guess all the champagne and cigars may have been unhealthy.

The Celtics ranked 12th in the NBA in 3pt attempts and 5th in 3-point percentage. The other finalist ranked 6th in 3pt attempts. The Spurs, who would have been the finalist if Manu wasn't injured, ranked 10th in 3pt attempts and 11th in 3pts percentage. If anything, we should have attempted more 3pt shots. But some myths endure, in spite of the facts.

you call it a myth if it makes you feel better. you didnt hear about it much because we played terrific defense all year(which posey was absolutely invaluable in) but our regular practice on the break was pulling up for 3s instead of getting sure layups. and when we did struggle on offense we settled. 5 of our 1st 7 guys last year were jumpshooters. thats not myth. thats fact.

I used stats to backup my statement. What exactly are you using, can you say? I'm assuming your point is that the Celtics weren't the 12th in the NBA in 3pt attempts and 5th in 3-point percentage, am I correct?

im using all the games from last year. and no you are not correct that that is what im saying. obviously we didnt struggle much when youre talking about a 66 win team. its hard to argue that much with it. but danny and doc have both said in interviews that last year when we did struggle it was because we often settled too much for the jumpshot. i mean this isnt rocket science. anyone that watched a game last year could tell you that. i didnt say we didnt shoot the 3 well when we did take it. i said we settled for bad shots be it 3's or be in jumpshots in general from time to time and that was a problem they wanted to correct. and a big problem was that once paul came out of the game there was nobody that would attack the rim and get to the line. thats what im saying.

I agree with your point here but if we don't sign Posey, I don't see us being able to find a guy with that money that can come off the bench and drive to the basket for us. Also, it was not Posey's job to be leading the scoring on the second unit, his main value was as a defender with the first unit, when Pierce was in the game as well. If you want a guy that can come off our bench and get to the hole, you should be pushing for us to re-sign Tony Allen.

[BCelts]

  im just saying our team had an unhealthy over-reliance on 3pt shooting to get by and it could be problematic in the future.

You do realize that the Celtics won the championship, right?

I guess all the champagne and cigars may have been unhealthy.

The Celtics ranked 12th in the NBA in 3pt attempts and 5th in 3-point percentage. The other finalist ranked 6th in 3pt attempts. The Spurs, who would have been the finalist if Manu wasn't injured, ranked 10th in 3pt attempts and 11th in 3pts percentage. If anything, we should have attempted more 3pt shots. But some myths endure, in spite of the facts.

you call it a myth if it makes you feel better. you didnt hear about it much because we played terrific defense all year(which posey was absolutely invaluable in) but our regular practice on the break was pulling up for 3s instead of getting sure layups. and when we did struggle on offense we settled. 5 of our 1st 7 guys last year were jumpshooters. thats not myth. thats fact.

I used stats to backup my statement. What exactly are you using, can you say? I'm assuming your point is that the Celtics weren't the 12th in the NBA in 3pt attempts and 5th in 3-point percentage, am I correct?

im using all the games from last year. and no you are not correct that that is what im saying. obviously we didnt struggle much when youre talking about a 66 win team. its hard to argue that much with it. but danny and doc have both said in interviews that last year when we did struggle it was because we often settled too much for the jumpshot. i mean this isnt rocket science. anyone that watched a game last year could tell you that. i didnt say we didnt shoot the 3 well when we did take it. i said we settled for bad shots be it 3's or be in jumpshots in general from time to time and that was a problem they wanted to correct. and a big problem was that once paul came out of the game there was nobody that would attack the rim and get to the line. thats what im saying.

I agree with your point here but if we don't sign Posey, I don't see us being able to find a guy with that money that can come off the bench and drive to the basket for us. Also, it was not Posey's job to be leading the scoring on the second unit, his main value was as a defender with the first unit, when Pierce was in the game as well. If you want a guy that can come off our bench and get to the hole, you should be pushing for us to re-sign Tony Allen.

I'd also like to bring back TA.  I think he is underrated by the league in general.  In fact, I'd like to bring back last year's team with Giddens instead of Pollard.  I am not stuck with those guys in particular, but I just don't think there are better options in this year's crappy free agent market.

[cordobes]

  im just saying our team had an unhealthy over-reliance on 3pt shooting to get by and it could be problematic in the future.

You do realize that the Celtics won the championship, right?

I guess all the champagne and cigars may have been unhealthy.

The Celtics ranked 12th in the NBA in 3pt attempts and 5th in 3-point percentage. The other finalist ranked 6th in 3pt attempts. The Spurs, who would have been the finalist if Manu wasn't injured, ranked 10th in 3pt attempts and 11th in 3pts percentage. If anything, we should have attempted more 3pt shots. But some myths endure, in spite of the facts.

you call it a myth if it makes you feel better. you didnt hear about it much because we played terrific defense all year(which posey was absolutely invaluable in) but our regular practice on the break was pulling up for 3s instead of getting sure layups. and when we did struggle on offense we settled. 5 of our 1st 7 guys last year were jumpshooters. thats not myth. thats fact.

I used stats to backup my statement. What exactly are you using, can you say? I'm assuming your point is that the Celtics weren't the 12th in the NBA in 3pt attempts and 5th in 3-point percentage, am I correct?

im using all the games from last year. and no you are not correct that that is what im saying. obviously we didnt struggle much when youre talking about a 66 win team. its hard to argue that much with it. but danny and doc have both said in interviews that last year when we did struggle it was because we often settled too much for the jumpshot. i mean this isnt rocket science. anyone that watched a game last year could tell you that. i didnt say we didnt shoot the 3 well when we did take it. i said we settled for bad shots be it 3's or be in jumpshots in general from time to time and that was a problem they wanted to correct. and a big problem was that once paul came out of the game there was nobody that would attack the rim and get to the line. thats what im saying.

What you said, and I quote, was that "our team had an unhealthy over-reliance on 3pt shooting". The truth is that we were the 12th team in the league in 3pt attempts. That's not an over-reliance by any means, and surely not unhealthy, considering we were also the 5th most efficient team shooting the 3.