No Worries From Ainge (Herald Article)

[BCelts]

I wonder if we had waited to sign KG to his extention, if he would of taken less so that we could keep Posey. I didn't understand the need to extend KG when we did. At that time he wasn't invested in the team yet. Now he'd be more likely to help out.

I think the idea was to extend Garnett so that he was not on the free agent market this year able to go somewhere else.  Garnett took less than he could have and, in one man's opinion, he and Pierce provide the most value for their dollars on the roster.

I dunno, i think we found rondo in a blue light special rookie contract.  His value for his salary, i grimace at the thought of what we will be resigning him to.

Good point, although rookie contracts are a different animal...

[zerophase]

well i'm glad to see ainge is not worried. if he were worriedm i'd be really worried. i think that some vets will be left without a team at the start of the season and will call the c's to play for little money. now about the whole posey thing. i don't think he should have a contract longer than garnetts. i'm not sure how far down the road we can pull this win now situation. at one point there will be a falloff and a rebuild mode.

[crownsy]

It still sounds to me as though a trade is brewing.

with who, allen?

we dont eactly have alot of midlevel contracts with upside under contract at the moment. any trades would have to be BBD/Leon + scal (thats not returning us much) or big 3/ rondo for something.

[cdif911]

well i'm glad to see ainge is not worried. if he were worriedm i'd be really worried.

can you imagine a GM coming out and saying "I am very worried about our team this year, I have installed a panic button and am close to hitting it.  Why will no free agents come here?  Why is Chris Wallace not answering my calls?  If I were you I'd follow the hockey team because we're going nowhere this year."

Yeah I don't think that'd happen

[Brickowski]

Maybe (though I'm not sold on that).  Plus, we'd still be very limited on what we could take back, as a package of Powe or BBD plus Giddens would only be worth about 2 million dollars in salary.  So whoever would be coming here, couldn't make too much money.  And I'm thinking opposing teams aren't going to be giving away talented players making 2 million a year for BBD and Giddens. 

Tony Allen, Eddie House (both sign and trades) or Scalabrine could be involved.

IMHO there are a number of veterans with short contracts in the 2-6 million-dollar range who could be attractive to Ainge, including Anthony Parker, Desmond Mason, Joe Smith, ZaZa Pachulia, Eddie Jones, Steve Francis, Damon Stoudamire, Chucky Atkins, Steve Blake, Donyell Marshall, Jason Collins, Jarron Collins, Brevin Knight, Trevor Ariza... the list goes on.

[Kuberski33]

Pachulia might be a nice fit here.

[cdif911]

Pachulia might be a nice fit here.

if we brought in Zaza and Sasha, I would love to see the hazing in the lockerroom

[Brickowski]

I'm an Anthony Parker fan, and there have been rumors that he is unhappy in Toronto and was considering a return to Europe. If Ainge could somehow pry him away from the Raptors for Giddens, Powe, Tony Allen and Scalabrine (a fair offer IMHO), I would be delighted.  To pull this off, TA would have to agree to resign for around 2 million, so as not to trigger the base year compensation rules.

[Truth Hurts]

can you imagine a GM coming out and saying "I am very worried about our team this year, I have installed a panic button and am close to hitting it.  Why will no free agents come here?  Why is Chris Wallace not answering my calls?  If I were you I'd follow the hockey team because we're going nowhere this year."

Yeah I don't think that'd happen

I am close personal friends with Danny, and he told me that he is in such a panic that he has been looking for change under his car seat cushions to try to re-sign Posey.  

[cdif911]

can you imagine a GM coming out and saying "I am very worried about our team this year, I have installed a panic button and am close to hitting it.  Why will no free agents come here?  Why is Chris Wallace not answering my calls?  If I were you I'd follow the hockey team because we're going nowhere this year."

Yeah I don't think that'd happen

I am close personal friends with Danny, and he told me that he is in such a panic that he has been looking for change under his car seat cushions to try to re-sign Posey.  

haha, do you work at a deli?

[EJPLAYA]

well i'm glad to see ainge is not worried. if he were worriedm i'd be really worried. i think that some vets will be left without a team at the start of the season and will call the c's to play for little money. now about the whole posey thing. i don't think he should have a contract longer than garnetts. i'm not sure how far down the road we can pull this win now situation. at one point there will be a falloff and a rebuild mode.

If we win a couple more championships in the next 4 years KG is here I honestly don't care if we fall into a rebuilding mode. Bring it on!

[meesho33]

Ainge drawing a line in the sand at 3 years is completely reasonable, and if Posey walks away over not having a 4th or 5th guaranteed year, I cannot blame the Celtics at all.  He is a crucial cog for this team, especially defensively, but just like I do not blame him for seeking his true value, the Celtics are completely justified in not wanting to have an albatross contract on their hands, and a 5 year deal with Posey would most likely be an albatross.

I agree completely.  It would be great to have Posey back, but only if the price is right.  I don't want the Cs to be paying a 36 year old James Posey $8M to sit on the bench in 2012.....  There are other players still available who, while not replacing what Posey does, could be had cheaper: M. Barnes, M. Evans, B. Wells, D. Brown, E. Najera....

People are making too much of a 4 or 5 year deal.  Why do people think Posey can't be productive at 35 or 36?  Have you ever heard of Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, PJ Brown, Sam Cassell, Robert Horry.... and I can go on!  Posey is not relied upon to play 30+ mpg and score 20+ ppg. He can still be productive at 35 or 36 years of age.

Agreed.  Besides, if his skills decline significantly at the end of his deal, he is always a very nice trade asset - GM's looking to clear space love $8M expiring deals.

This quote by Ainge at the end really concerns me

The Celtics are trying to find takers. They have some veteran minimum offers out there and they are still hoping Posey will come in on their terms. Other than that, it’s a waiting game.

“We’re ready to pull the trigger on some things, but I don’t anticipate anything happening,” Ainge said. “If somebody calls and says they’ll play for what we’re offering, we’ll sign them right away. But I don’t anticipate that.”

Hopefully he is referring to the vet minimum offers out there and not Posey. 

[Bankshot]

Ainge drawing a line in the sand at 3 years is completely reasonable, and if Posey walks away over not having a 4th or 5th guaranteed year, I cannot blame the Celtics at all.  He is a crucial cog for this team, especially defensively, but just like I do not blame him for seeking his true value, the Celtics are completely justified in not wanting to have an albatross contract on their hands, and a 5 year deal with Posey would most likely be an albatross.

I agree completely.  It would be great to have Posey back, but only if the price is right.  I don't want the Cs to be paying a 36 year old James Posey $8M to sit on the bench in 2012.....  There are other players still available who, while not replacing what Posey does, could be had cheaper: M. Barnes, M. Evans, B. Wells, D. Brown, E. Najera....

People are making too much of a 4 or 5 year deal.  Why do people think Posey can't be productive at 35 or 36?  Have you ever heard of Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, PJ Brown, Sam Cassell, Robert Horry.... and I can go on!  Posey is not relied upon to play 30+ mpg and score 20+ ppg. He can still be productive at 35 or 36 years of age.

Agreed.  Besides, if his skills decline significantly at the end of his deal, he is always a very nice trade asset - GM's looking to clear space love $8M expiring deals.

This quote by Ainge at the end really concerns me

The Celtics are trying to find takers. They have some veteran minimum offers out there and they are still hoping Posey will come in on their terms. Other than that, it’s a waiting game.

“We’re ready to pull the trigger on some things, but I don’t anticipate anything happening,” Ainge said. “If somebody calls and says they’ll play for what we’re offering, we’ll sign them right away. But I don’t anticipate that.”

Hopefully he is referring to the vet minimum offers out there and not Posey. 

Ainge seems to be playing hardball with Posey with zero leverage .  If he doesn't sign Posey that would be a huge loss considering what is left out there.  I'd be highly upset if Ainge compromised the teams chances of repeating by trying to be a hardass.   Posey is worth 4 years at the full MLE and Danny needs to give it to him so he can move on and try to complete the roster.

Let's not forget that until last season, Danny hasn't been all that good with trades and free agents, which scares me right now.

[sk7326]

Ainge drawing a line in the sand at 3 years is completely reasonable, and if Posey walks away over not having a 4th or 5th guaranteed year, I cannot blame the Celtics at all.  He is a crucial cog for this team, especially defensively, but just like I do not blame him for seeking his true value, the Celtics are completely justified in not wanting to have an albatross contract on their hands, and a 5 year deal with Posey would most likely be an albatross.

I agree completely.  It would be great to have Posey back, but only if the price is right.  I don't want the Cs to be paying a 36 year old James Posey $8M to sit on the bench in 2012.....  There are other players still available who, while not replacing what Posey does, could be had cheaper: M. Barnes, M. Evans, B. Wells, D. Brown, E. Najera....

People are making too much of a 4 or 5 year deal.  Why do people think Posey can't be productive at 35 or 36?  Have you ever heard of Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, PJ Brown, Sam Cassell, Robert Horry.... and I can go on!  Posey is not relied upon to play 30+ mpg and score 20+ ppg. He can still be productive at 35 or 36 years of age.

Agreed.  Besides, if his skills decline significantly at the end of his deal, he is always a very nice trade asset - GM's looking to clear space love $8M expiring deals.

This quote by Ainge at the end really concerns me

The Celtics are trying to find takers. They have some veteran minimum offers out there and they are still hoping Posey will come in on their terms. Other than that, it’s a waiting game.

“We’re ready to pull the trigger on some things, but I don’t anticipate anything happening,” Ainge said. “If somebody calls and says they’ll play for what we’re offering, we’ll sign them right away. But I don’t anticipate that.”

Hopefully he is referring to the vet minimum offers out there and not Posey. 

Ainge seems to be playing hardball with Posey with zero leverage .  If he doesn't sign Posey that would be a huge loss considering what is left out there.  I'd be highly upset if Ainge compromised the teams chances of repeating by trying to be a hardass.   Posey is worth 4 years at the full MLE and Danny needs to give it to him so he can move on and try to complete the roster.

Let's not forget that until last season, Danny hasn't been all that good with trades and free agents, which scares me right now.

Danny wouldn't do that, I'm pretty sure.  It is getting Posey in for the right amount of years.  Most of the full MLE deals that have been consummated in the league have been disasters, and indeed the 2 full MLE deals that have occured this offseason are completely off the wall idiotic. (Diop and Udrih)  If Posey wants the 5th year, then certainly that's his choice and it will a shame to see him go. 

One other thing that gives me some hope is that once the FA store opened up, you'd have expected somebody to offer Posey that full MLE deal already, if he has as many suitors as Bartelstein is saying.  If the Lakers offered the deal Posey wanted right now, wouldn't Posey have climbed all over it?  Or from Cleveland?  So my guess is that deal does not exist, and the leverage Posey has is greatly exaggerated.

[guava_wrench]

Prediction-  If they don't lock up Posey today, he's not coming back.

Prediction-  If he's not coming back, they don't lock Posey up today.