Nate to re-up with Celts

http://bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1267558&position=1

Nate Robinson going Green again
Agent: PG, Celtics close to deal
By Mark Murphy / Celtics Notebook
Tuesday, July 13, 2010 - Added 1 hour ago

Though the Celtics failed to reach a resolution with Tony Allen, and paid the price Sunday night when the guard and the Memphis Grizzlies agreed on a three-year contract, talks with the team’s other remaining free agent continue to progress.

Aaron Goodwin, the agent for Nate Robinson, said yesterday the two sides could reach a deal by the end of the week.

“Things are going well,” Goodwin said. “We’re just trying to get something worked out. But both parties are talking.”

According to a league source, the Celtics offered Allen an amount similar to the $3 million he will receive annually from Memphis but were unwilling to guarantee the third year as the Grizzlies did.

Unlike they had with Allen, the C’s don’t hold the so-called “Larry Bird rights” to Robinson, and as a result, can’t go over the salary cap to give their backup point guard more money.

Robinson, however, has professed a desire to return.

REPORT: ROBINSON, C'S CLOSING IN ON DEAL
By: Rob Bradford
Print
According to a report in the Boston Herald, the agent for point guard Nate Robinson said his client could reach an agreement to return to the Celtics by the end of the week. "Things are going well," said Robinson's agent, Aaron Goodwin. "We're just trying to get something worked out. But both parties are talking." The report also goes on to state that, according to a source, the Celtics offered Tony Allen the same $3 million annual rate presented by Memphis, but, unlike the Grizzlies, were unwilling to go to a third year. For more Celtics coverage go the team page at weei.com/celtics.

112288

Good news. If Nate gets a full summer and training camp of defense under his belt and learns the plays and feels more comfortable - I think he is a major asset to the team.

Even if everything else goes the same, including Perk getting hurt, if Doc was comfortable enough with him to insert Nate more in the finals - and he was to deliver 10 to 12 points per game - the Celtics win. Now add Jermain O'Neil, Avery Bradley, possibly Josh Howard or Barbosa - and a confident Nate Robinson, and the Celtics will enter the season as a MUCH improved team.

Hi,
Yes, it's good news. If he signs, that is. As he showed this season he can deliver.

AK

My son Donald, who received a Nate jersey from Sam, Mrs. Sam, and Matty during the finals will find this news outstanding! As far me, not so much, LOL.

MG

whats the haps mg?

Hey jeb. Just cut away for few for dinner. How you been?

hangin tough mg...as always.

Hey Jeb! I hope the road has smoothed out for you guys. Any news on that Montana opportunity? (At least I believe it was Montana.)

Sam

A "league source" says it's a done deal.

2 years, $9M total with bonuses that let him recoup the money he lost last year because he didn't play in enough games.

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/07/16/nate-robinson-returning-to-boston/

bob

.

Good move but there was a better move for Boston to make.
Sign and trade Nate to LA who would S & T Shannon Brown to Boston...
I'm just kidding.

I guess Boston plans on giving some playing time to Avery at SG.
He was measuered at 6'2" w/o shoes but I know he has great leaping ability.

sam

they have raised a good chunk of their funding but still have a ways to go...all in all i think it'll happen just not sure when.

Dawn is workin steady and i am takn some time off. life is good.

tjmakz wrote:Good move but there was a better move for Boston to make.
Sign and trade Nate to LA who would S & T Shannon Brown to Boston...
I'm just kidding.

I guess Boston plans on giving some playing time to Avery at SG.
He was measuered at 6'2" w/o shoes but I know he has great leaping ability.

did you see him play?Ainge must have let TA go cause of this kid

I don't remember seeing him play but I am sure I did at some point.
If they play Bradley and Rondo together, that speed could cause problems for many teams. I heard he is not a real good shooter so I am not sure how much SG he can play.
I am a little surprised to see Boston has 3 guys playing pg and none of them are considered a combo guard.
I am sure Ainge had a strong reason to pick Bradley with the #19 pick.

How do they give $9 million to Nate? I thought they didn't have his Bird rights. Maybe there's some stipulation that the Bird Rights rule offers an exception on Fridays. I'm becoming convinced there are ways around almost any barrier, and Danny fortunately knows those ways.

Sam

Sam,

I am pretty sure they had his Non-Bird rights. Below is what that means:

Non-Bird exception
Free Agents who qualify for this exception are called "non-qualifying free agents" in the CBA, meaning they do not qualify under either the Larry Bird Exception or the Early Bird Exception. Under this exception, teams can re-sign a player to a contract beginning at either 120% of his salary for the previous season, or 120% of the league's minimum salary, whichever amount is higher. Contracts signed under the Non-Bird exception can last up to six years.

The difference between the Non-Bird Rights and Bird Rights is that under Non-Bird, they can't pay a player more than 120% of their previous years salary.
Under Bird rights, a team can pay the player an NBA maximum salary. (Approx $16.8m).

tjmakz wrote:I don't remember seeing him play but I am sure I did at some point.
If they play Bradley and Rondo together, that speed could cause problems for many teams. I heard he is not a real good shooter so I am not sure how much SG he can play.
I am a little surprised to see Boston has 3 guys playing pg and none of them are considered a combo guard.
I am sure Ainge had a strong reason to pick Bradley with the #19 pick.

TJ,

Here's DraftExpress's take on him.

He's 6'3"+ in sneakers (which is how they measure players in the NBA now) and has a 6'7" wingspan. He shoots almost 45% from 2 and 37.5% from 3.

Read the 1st two analyses about him. They say his points come from jumpers and he looks like he's a more natural NBA 2 and could play it.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Avery-Bradley-5285/

bob

.

Sounds to me like AB will be more than an adequate replacement for TA long term.

Thanks TJ and gyso.

Sam

I think DA had to resign Nate. Afterall we gave up fan Favorite Eddie house and the two pups Walker and Giddens.

If DA did not sign him he would have had egg on his face.

Nate showed that he can help this club but Nate is really a better uptempo player than a slow it down point guard.

dboss

dboss wrote:Nate showed that he can help this club but Nate is really a better uptempo player than a slow it down point guard.

dboss

And the Celtics are an uptempo team...so what is your point?

bobheckler wrote:

tjmakz wrote:I don't remember seeing him play but I am sure I did at some point.
If they play Bradley and Rondo together, that speed could cause problems for many teams. I heard he is not a real good shooter so I am not sure how much SG he can play.
I am a little surprised to see Boston has 3 guys playing pg and none of them are considered a combo guard.
I am sure Ainge had a strong reason to pick Bradley with the #19 pick.

TJ,

Here's DraftExpress's take on him.

He's 6'3"+ in sneakers (which is how they measure players in the NBA now) and has a 6'7" wingspan. He shoots almost 45% from 2 and 37.5% from 3.

Read the 1st two analyses about him. They say his points come from jumpers and he looks like he's a more natural NBA 2 and could play it.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Avery-Bradley-5285/

bob

.

bob,

He probably could play the 2. I didn't realize he shot pretty well from the field. I know he is a poor ft shooter.
Their lack of size will be more problems for other teams with their speed and athleticism. Rondo rebounds like he's 6'8.

I'm having trouble figuring out how they would give Rondo and Bradley many minutes together for three reasons.

1. The most obvious is the ability of Bradley to prove he can cut the mustard. I'm sure all Celtics fans hope he can.

2. I have a feeling Doc's penchant for two separate units will limit Rondo's time with the bench, and I can't see Bradley playing much with the starters. Of all the starters, Rondo's probably best equipped to play the extra minutes, but I'm hoping Nate Robinson will be able to give him more rest.

3. Of course, the prospect of Nate and Bradley together would also be interesting. But it leads me to my third point, which would apply whether it were Nate or Rondo playing with Bradley ...whether their combined speed and quickness (two separate factors in my book) would offset their lack of size in defending their assignments. Rondo and Bradley could easily be a combined 8 inches shorter than their opponents; and you could add another 4 inches of difference in the case of Bradley and Nate.

But, despite my skepticism, I'd love to see two backcourt upspeed disrupters ini there for the Celtics. It was one of the lesser-mentioned difference-making aspects of the Russell Celtics for about four years in the late 50s and the very early 60s. Having two guys come in, spell the starters, RAMP UP the already-blistering pace, and thoroughly disrupt the opponent's offense was so much of a catalyst that Red often brought the Jones Boys in to play a while with the starting frontcourt if he sensed the starting unit bogging down, especially on the defensive end. He'd also do it if he wanted to increase the pace of the game as played by the starters (as redundant as that may seem).

Sam