Re: The Official Free Agents and Trades 2010 Offseason thread

[worcester]

The Celtics - Irish named players - the O'Neil's should fit right in

[jeb]

lost in the 4th quarter of game seven...got better in offseason.

[cowens/oldschool]

Shaq,KG,Perk,JO,Baby,can you see how he adds alot of depth to a multitalented but somewhat aging crew?Did we really want to go into season with JO,KG,Baby and Semih with no sure timetable on Perk?If Perk can comeback strong and the rest stay relatively healthy,even with this version of Shaq,we can have an unmatched core of BIGS.Shaq warts and all knows how to play,one of the keys to this BIG core playing great together is not to over do the minutes so they can ALL stay healthy.We are gonna overpower most teams inside both ends.

[mrkleen09]

Shaq at the right price is a no brainer.

-He is a good locker room guy (especially with KG, Pierce, Ray, O'Neil) in there.
-He is a space eater and a load for 20 minutes a game (which is all we need him for)
-He is a good rebounder and even if he isnt great on D - just his presence under the hoop is disruptive.
-He is a nightmare for Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum, Chris Bosh, or any other big man of any consequence.

The biggest thing to me is that he cant be happy with the new big 3 - he cannot be pleased with the way Lebron acted and then left him high and dry in Cleveland..Shaq is MOTIVATED to play hard and win one more.

Sign him up ASAP. Big positive all around.

[gyso]

Shaq is the best solution from what is available. The others that are still up for grabs can rebound and play D, but cannot do the third thing ... score.

One of our biggest weaknesses last season was the long scoring droughts that took away our leads in many games. Danny doesn't want to add a major piece to the bench that can't score.

Shaq vs. Kwame? No-brainer. Some of the other guys may have been cheep or may be younger or may be able to get out on the fast break but the need for that type of player is two years away, for the Celtics.

This Celtic team is NOT a running team, it is a plodding, half-court veteran team. It is built for the playoffs more than the regular season. We saw a little of that last season. Shaq fits into this mold and if he can be signed for the vets minimum, all the better.

gyso

[gyso]

If Boston signs Shaq and Luke H, they will be at 15 players.
It's hard to imagine any free agents or D-League players wanting to go to Boston's camp since there are no open roster spots.
It's hard to believe Rasheed's situation hasn't been resolved at this point.

tj,

Why is it hard to believe, especially in this off-season? The only thing that a team gets when trading for Sheed is cap relief. Most teams had that issue all set going into this off-season, to better compete for a big name free agent. Danny has had to wait until the dust settles to see which teams need cap relief for the old reason - saving money for money's sake.

Now that many rosters are getting filled out, the other GM's can identify the bad contracts and fill in around them with cheaper solutions. Then they can make the bad contract/good player types available to us.

We will be taking on a bad contract guy, IMO, with Sheed's contract. We are buying because we are in the championship hunt. The right fit may take a while, maybe even into the regular season. Teams in the East may not want to help us so that makes it even harder to get the right fit.

gyso

[tjmakz]

gyso,

Good points.
The timing of still having Rasheed is ok, but if Boston is taking back a $6m+ player, I would have thought that player would be traded for before all of these recent signings have taken place (Nate, Daniels, Wafer, Shaq.)
That $6m player should be a much better player then the final 4 bench guys and Boston should have built the roster more around that player and filled in with remaining bench players.

With Shaq and Harangody, Boston will be at 15 players.
At what position does Boston need a $6m back up? If you tell me SF, then I think they should have let Daniels walk. With Rondo, Ray Allen, Nate, Bradley and Wafer at the guard positions, does Boston really need another guard? No. With Perk, Garnett, JO, Shaq, BBD, and Erden, do they need another Big? No.

If they traded for someone with Rasheed's contract, they probably could have done without signing one of the recently signed players.

You mentioned this going into the regular season. Boston has the problem of what to do with Rasheed once camp opens if this isn't resolved.
Are they just going to allow him to stay home?
When the regular season starts are they going to pay him for not showing up?

[gyso]

tj,

I believe the Celtics will carry Sheed for a little while, even into the regular season. He is the only means to get a good player and it's only money, right? Sheed hasn't pushed to make his retirement official. There is almost three months before next season starts, so we wait.

The only opening I can see on the Celtics is with somebody that is similar to what Posey brought. Somebody that has a little size at the 3 to cover the larger players at that position.

Harangody isn't signed yet and he may be the one who walks. Either him or they release Erden, since his position is well covered. I have to agree with you that the timing of the player signings is a little inside-out, but this summer has been a unique one, to say the least.

gyso

[RosalieTCeltics]

Gyso- Just who is signed and who isn't? Who have guaranteed contracts, who can we cut without paying a price? Everytime I count them, I come up with something different.

PERK O'NEAL, J ERDEN is he guaranteed
RONDO DAVIS GAFFNEY same
ALLEN DANIELS LAFAYETTE same
GARNETT ROBINSON HARANGODY
PIERCE BRADLEY ? O'NEAL, S

WHO AM I LEAVING OFF?

[dbrown4]

I'm always going to like Shaq, on and off the court. Ever since he discreetly volunteered to pay for (and eventually paid for) George Mikan's funeral a few years back, he's always been a class act in my book.

I like the point about him being po'ed @ LeBron leaving him high and dry. That may be enough motivation in itself. He's been bounced around the league the last few years and if he wants to go out in style and win #5 and #6 with us, that's fine with me. That's quite a pay cut, but I really don't think at this stage he's in it for the money. He's made over a quarter of a billion with just NBA contracts, right?

[beat]

After sleeping on it..............

He's still brings a lot of attention and must be accounted for around the hoop. He can draw fouls but unfortunately has never been able to make foul shots.

I guess what I like best he will take no crap from anyone period. Hurt a teamate take your poison. Will help KG do what he does best which is NOT banging inside.

38 is old for the NBA but he has been relatively injury free during his career. 2 Years? Not sure about his thinking but we all shall see how this all pans out.

Wonder what # he'll wear?

beat

[sinus007]

Hi,
So far it's in the making per this , therefore it's un-official.
As for Shaq in green I'm still sitting on the fence - don't know why.
I wonder what happens when Perk comes back - each center plays 16 min?

AK

[gyso]

Hi,
So far it's in the making per this , therefore it's un-official.
As for Shaq in green I'm still sitting on the fence - don't know why.
I wonder what happens when Perk comes back - each center plays 16 min?

AK

Everyone,

Until Shaq actually signs with the Celtics, he is a free agent and any discussion belongs in this thread. Otherwise, we would have another Shaq thread every time there is a new press release.

The minute that he does sign, the first thread that announces that fact becomes the official Shaq thread.

Thanks for your cooperation and understanding,

gyso

[gyso]

Gyso- Just who is signed and who isn't? Who have guaranteed contracts, who can we cut without paying a price? Everytime I count them, I come up with something different.

PERK O'NEAL, J ERDEN is he guaranteed
RONDO DAVIS GAFFNEY same
ALLEN DANIELS LAFAYETTE same
GARNETT ROBINSON HARANGODY
PIERCE BRADLEY ? O'NEAL, S

WHO AM I LEAVING OFF?

Rosalie,

Here is my roster (all guaranteed):

PG: Rajon Rondo / Nate Robinson
SG: Ray Allen / Von Wafer / Avery Bradley
SF: Paul Pierce / Marquis Daniels
PF: Kevin Garnett / Glen Davis
C: Jermaine O'Neal / ***** / Semih Erden

Also (all guaranteed):

Kendrick Perkins, injured
Rasheed Wallace, soon to be retired after a trade (hopefully)

Not Signed yet:

Luke Harangody
Shaquille O'Neal (*****)?

Not guaranteed:

Lafayette
Gaffney

That leaves 13 players with guarantees as of right now.

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/boston.htm

We can sign both Luke and Shaq, that makes 15. Then we can trade Sheed for one player because there would be only one roster spot open (Sheed's) with that scenario.

Perhaps Luke's signing is put on hold so that Sheed's contract can bring back two players to make the numbers work. Then one of the players brought in with the trade can be released and then Luke can sign. Who knows these things? There are so many ins and outs that it is futile to try to predict the final roster going into training camp.

gyso

[RosalieTCeltics]

Thanks - You are right alot of this is supposition. Who the heck knows what is really going on. Anyway, thanks for your reply!

[RosalieTCeltics]

According to the Celtics Blog, and the reporter who covers the Celtics for Comcast, Shaq has agreed to become a Celtic. His contract is for one year at the veteran's minimum.

[beat]

Heard the same thing and that the official announcement is to come next week.

beat

[swish]

Here are some numbers on Shag and Howard for the last 2 years.
Based on 36 minutes per game.
2008-09---fg% - Howard .572 , Shag .609
trb " 13.9 , " 10.1
blk " 2.9 , " 1.7
pts " 20.7 , " 21.3

2009-10 fg% " .612 , Shag .566
trb " 13.7 , " 10.3
blk " 2.9 , " 1.8
pts " 19.0 , " 18.5

If Shag can handle 18 minutes per game and half his above numbers, while on defense leaning on the other heavy-weight centers I would say that he earned his Vet. minimum salary.

swish

[bobheckler]

Shaq at the right price is a no brainer.

-He is a good locker room guy (especially with KG, Pierce, Ray, O'Neil) in there.
-He is a space eater and a load for 20 minutes a game (which is all we need him for)
-He is a good rebounder and even if he isnt great on D - just his presence under the hoop is disruptive.
-He is a nightmare for Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum, Chris Bosh, or any other big man of any consequence.

The biggest thing to me is that he cant be happy with the new big 3 - he cannot be pleased with the way Lebron acted and then left him high and dry in Cleveland..Shaq is MOTIVATED to play hard and win one more.

Sign him up ASAP. Big positive all around.

mrkleen,

As far as him being a good locker room guy, I'd say that's true as long as he gets what he wants. He didn't like it when Kobe started to assert himself and he blew the Cleveland locker room apart last year when he started ahead of a few players.

Rebound-wise, he's just about as good now as his career average. Check out the /36 minutes of play numbers. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/onealsh01.html. His scoring average is down, but that's because his fga are down. His rebounding per minute is still good and for a team that struggled on the boards last year, that's good for us. The bad news, of course, is that Shaq makes Perk look like Rick Barry at the free throw line.

Space eater, good. I just hope that's all he eats. He's even bigger now than when he was huge.

bob

.

[jeb]

guys we are getting him for nothing. Nothing. I suggest the Cleve locker room already had significant problems. He can help us against dominant bigs in the playoffs. I think it's a good signing and if if dont work...get rid of the guy.

[NYCelt]

nyc

what did you do with nyc?

who is this negative fella?

Hey Jeb; I hope you're doing well.

No need to worry I haven't locked NYCelt away somewhere!

It's simply my opinion we've made a couple of bad moves and are anticipating another if we sign Shaq, that's all. I'm just calling 'em like I see 'em; balls and strikes (from my personal view and in my opinion).

Among other things...

• I thought signing Wafer was a gamble at best (and I'll acknowledge you sometimes gamble and win). It looks like they weren't exactly rushing to get him back in Greece and no other NBA team except the Cavs even expressed interest. His past NBA resume seems to be filled with more lowlights than highlights and except for a few spots here and there he didn't seem to do much impressive in his last NBA go-around.

• Shaq is past the do not enter sign at the end of the road. I'm simply looking at free agents still available at center or even big power forwards and it seems we can gamble on someone with more mobility and who should be equal or better on defense; likely as cheap or for less even. I find it interesting that there was so much written last season about how relieved we were to face the Cavs with Shaq rather than Ilgauskas, and now Shaq is the answer to our problem with front-court depth?

• From the draft Harangody may be a good find, but he's basically Davis version 2 and Avery seems to be a good defender but is small for a 2 guard and has poor outside shooting.

• Daniels may fit in better this year if his injury history doesn't repeat itself, but he doesn't give us much size or muscle behind Pierce.

I simply think we're taking a big step back from last year and that the team appears weaker overall, way short on height and skill in the front-court and potentially slower all-around. I also think the competition, for example the Lakers and likely the Heat, has improved itself.

Some things can't be helped; injury, age, contract obligations versus the cap and players leaving. We have to deal with those factors, I just think we're making the wrong moves to help ourselves.

So it's still me here, no imposter I promise!

On the plus side I'm still a fan of anyone who can eat 50 eggs!

Regards

[112288]

August 04, 2010

Mannix: Shaq to C's "not unanimous"

“And for the Celtics, I can tell you this much, it was not a unanimous decision. This is not something that the entire front office and coaching staff entirely agreed upon. But it is a Danny Ainge type of move. He’s taken risks like this in the past, whether it’s Gary Payton or Stephon Marbury or Nate Robinson this past year. He’s taken chances on guys he thinks can help put them over the top. Danny obviously is convinced that Shaq is what this team needs right now.”

WEEI: Mannix on D&C

Chief among the C's concerns, as Mannix puts it, is that Shaq is "the worst pick-and-roll defender of all time." and the entire C's defense is predicated on defending the pick and roll.

Also, he's not one to exactly space the floor on offense, which means Rondo could have some issues running into Shaq and his man.

Those are valid points... but they don't take into account one thing: Shaq's a bench player now. Shaq's a limited minutes kinda guy. Yes, the Celtics are going to have to redesign a couple of things because it's hard to ask a 38 year old, 350 pound behemoth to play the C's style of swarming D. That's just not gonna happen.

So the coaches have a challenge when Shaq's on the floor. But they're smart guys... let's see how they figure things out.

Hey Lawrence Frank... welcome to Boston. Have fun redesigning what has worked for 3 years to accommodate an aging, enigmatic giant.

[jeb]

nyc

Wafer and shaq are risky...but gamblers and lovers pay heavy dues and sometimes it pays off! We paid nothing for Shaq so i like the risk.

I think one thing you should consider is that KG will probably be greatly improved.

[bobheckler]

nyc

what did you do with nyc?

who is this negative fella?

Hey Jeb; I hope you're doing well.

No need to worry I haven't locked NYCelt away somewhere!

It's simply my opinion we've made a couple of bad moves and are anticipating another if we sign Shaq, that's all. I'm just calling 'em like I see 'em; balls and strikes (from my personal view and in my opinion).

Among other things...

• I thought signing Wafer was a gamble at best (and I'll acknowledge you sometimes gamble and win). It looks like they weren't exactly rushing to get him back in Greece and no other NBA team except the Cavs even expressed interest. His past NBA resume seems to be filled with more lowlights than highlights and except for a few spots here and there he didn't seem to do much impressive in his last NBA go-around.

• Shaq is past the do not enter sign at the end of the road. I'm simply looking at free agents still available at center or even big power forwards and it seems we can gamble on someone with more mobility and who should be equal or better on defense; likely as cheap or for less even. I find it interesting that there was so much written last season about how relieved we were to face the Cavs with Shaq rather than Ilgauskas, and now Shaq is the answer to our problem with front-court depth?

• From the draft Harangody may be a good find, but he's basically Davis version 2 and Avery seems to be a good defender but is small for a 2 guard and has poor outside shooting.

• Daniels may fit in better this year if his injury history doesn't repeat itself, but he doesn't give us much size or muscle behind Pierce.

I simply think we're taking a big step back from last year and that the team appears weaker overall, way short on height and skill in the front-court and potentially slower all-around. I also think the competition, for example the Lakers and likely the Heat, has improved itself.

Some things can't be helped; injury, age, contract obligations versus the cap and players leaving. We have to deal with those factors, I just think we're making the wrong moves to help ourselves.

So it's still me here, no imposter I promise!

On the plus side I'm still a fan of anyone who can eat 50 eggs!

Regards

NYCelt,

Regarding Bradley's jumpshooting, draftexpress makes him sound pretty good.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Avery-Bradley-5285/

Shaq's numbers don't look so bad. His personal foul count is up, and that may be due to getting slower with age, but he's still rebounding well. Erden looked ok in summer league, but that was against summer leaguers. Bubble players hoping to be invited to someone's camp, where they'll still be bubble players. Would you really prefer to go to war with only O'Neal and Erden? I'm not counting on Perk being back at anywhere near his norm until the playoffs at best.

Harangody is like Davis 2 except that Harangody already can shoot out to 3. Much more of a space maker than Davis is.

As far as Von Wafer goes, you got a point. Who knows? I wouldn't put too much weight on Greece's opinion of him though. He might have been homesick. Living overseas sounds all exotic and fun in the beginning, but it can wear on you. What I consider to be more relevant is that Houston, an NBA team, wanted him (he failed the physical, but they wanted him). I wish to hell I knew why he failed.

Who'd you prefer, Shaq or Sheed? We had no choice, really, on O'Neal vs Perk. Perk's out and we have to do what we can do, so it's about replacing Sheed with someone. Shaq did well in the playoffs, better maybe than Sheed.

bob
P.S. Who isn't a fan of someone who can eat 50 eggs?

.

[NYCelt]

Jeb and Bob,

Points well made and taken.

I'll hope you are proven right.

By the way, to add to or clarify what I said earlier I actually like Harangody as a player. 3's notwithstanding I just think he and Davis are repeats of each other. That could be a good thing too, I suppose.

The bottom line is simple for me here; I'm always a fan...I simply don't like what I'm seeing with the team roster for '10-'11.

Regards

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