Powe signs with the Cavaliers (merged)

[jbb08040]

everyone please remember the late great red auerbach and his sayin "once a celtic always a celtic"

sure it hurts 2 c him go to a rival but when he plays against us for the first time i expect a standing o from everyone at the garden for him

good luck leon

[liam]

the question is: did he or did he not have microfracture surgery? if he did, i understand why the celts passed. if he didn't, i think this is a no-brainer for the cavs and am pretty shocked we didn't even give him the qualifying offer.

In his nba.com article, David Aldridge said that he did have the microfracture surgery.

yes, but many others have described it as reconstructuve only. i'd like clarity...

Here's what the press release the Celtics issued at the time said:

The Boston Celtics announced today that forward Leon Powe underwent successful ACL revision reconstruction with microfracture and cartilage repair at New England Baptist Hospital this morning. The surgery was preformed by Celtics Team Physician, Dr. Brian McKeon and was assisted by Dr. Paul Weitzel and Dr. John Richmond. No timetable has been set for Powe’s return.

So yes, he got microfracture.

Has anyone come back in the NBA in under a year after that?


(Fred Robbins is trying to do it in football right now)

I'm almost positive that no player has ever had an ACL tear at the same time as microfracture surgery.  This is a catastrophic injury of unprecedented severity.  There's no way he can come back from it inside of a year.  Wolverine's healing factor wouldn't even be able to get him back on the court this year (or this decade, for that matter).

Here's a list of the players who have had the microfracture surgery in the NBA.  Not one of them came back as the same player.  The 2 with the best results are Jason Kidd and Amare Stoudamire.  I think we can all agree that Kidd and Amare are nowhere near as effective as they were before the surgery.  But none of these guys tore their ACL 3 freakin' times and THEN had micro surgery!!

http://www.sonicscentral.com/microfracture.html

I agree. This guy has a lot of heart but very little can be left in those knees. I'm glad he got a contract but it remains to be seen if he'll ever even play again. I'm a Celtics fan so I'm more concerned with our squad than former players.

[ManUp]

And it hurts me soul...

[Marqui]

Believe me - Leon will punish us on the playoffs.

Let's just say thank you to Danny for not waiting on Leon and getting Shelden Williams instead

He could have waited since he had Sheed and Baby on the bench.


PS: And don't give me the "we don't have time to wait for you" excuse... This move will hunt us down. Believe me.

Its gunna be a sad day when Leon destroys us in the playoffs.
A sad SAD day...

[hwangjini_1]

all this lamenting, gnashing of teeth, wailing, and fear over powe and the cavs?

ha. you simply dont realize how devious and sneaky ainge is as a gm. this is his plan....

1. powe can not play this year due to recovering from serious injury.

2. if the celtics sign him, it would means they pay his salary (and luxury tax) and get nothing.

3. now, powe signed with the cavaliers but the second year is the team's option.

4. powe spends a year rehabbing at cav's expense but doesnt play and after one year tells them his isnt recovering, can't play for another year at least.

5. cavs cut powe, who is really healthy after 1 year of rest.

6. powe signs with the celtics, all healed and paid for...compliments of the cavs.

danny is just soooooooo clever. 

[Big_Matt34]

All this talk of Leon destroying us in the playoffs is a joke, we have Perk/KG/Sheed to take care of him defensively. Leon if healthy will get some boards against us and not much else. He played very good against LA in the finals, but they had Gasol and Odom as bigmen, not exactly the most physical players.

I like Leon and hope the best for him, but even if he does come back healthy(far from a sure thing) our frontcourt will more than handle him.

[BudweiserCeltic]

This has become one of the most hilarious threads in here.

"When Powe destroys us"? lol

[gar]

Glad to see so many well wishers and disappointed to see the media playing up any bitterness that might exist. Am hopeful that time will heal his knees and any hurt feelings. I certainly hope the C's acted more graciously than was portrayed in the media or by Leon. Clearly would have done the same given our window.

As for Shelden and BBD look for the battle to begin again come training camp.

[radiohead]

so basically now that baby's back, it would be fair to say that the choice would have been between bringing leon back or signing shelden williams. leon has somewhat proven himself as a reliable rotation player. williams has so far been a flop, being the #5 pick that he was. but leon is coming off another major surgery and it's uncertain if he could regain his old form, while williams is available right away and is healthy. williams was expected to do well in the nba, coming from a high profile college, and having been named defensive player of the year in college for two consecutive seasons. leon on the other hand dropped into the 2nd round because of uncertainties in his health (yet again).

three years ago, powe was the "underdog" who got a chance to play for boston and did well. now, williams is being brought into that exact situation. he is the "flop", the failed lottery pick who couldn't do well in mediocre teams. given the chance to play with the big three and sheed, will he finally evolve into the player that he was touted to be? no one knows for sure.

in a way, both powe and williams would be "projects" for their new teams. will powe overcome his injuries? will williams benefit from a change of scenery? boston chose to go with williams because he is ready to play now. he certainly has the pedigree to make it as a legit nba player. the question now is if he would bloom in the celtics' system.

having said that, for NOW, i guess you can say that powe vs williams is basically a wash. if williams becomes a solid rotation player, then we did the right decision. if powe comes back to be the player that he was before getting injured, then we screwed up. we love leon because he was a celtic. he bled green. he walloped the lakers during the finals. i'm sure we will feel the same for williams once he proves himself. with the injuries to kg ang scal last year, we needed to bring in a healthy body who could step in right away. that is the main advantage that shelden williams has over powe right now. and i think that is one of the major reasons why shelden is a celtic right now, and leon is not.

[CelticS 86]

O_o

[Edgar]

well lose a tweener got a tweener
we still have
the twin tweeners

[Scribbles]

I'm sure the medical staff in Cleveland has changed hands, but they obviously have a decent one since they helped Big Z recover from several foot injuries.  I'm sure they had a lot to do with sending him to get surgery and what not.  However I wish Leon the best of luck.  I really do agree with those that say this may comeback to hurt us.  Anyone with the heart and determination of Leon Powe can overcome anything. 

[ACF]

Good luck, Leon, and thanks.
We'll beat you in the ECF.

[Drucci]

I hate Cleveland even more now that they have signed Leon away from us. Good luck to him, hopefully he will make a good comeback but I just can't stand the idea of him hurting us in the playoffs, it would be horrible...

[Bossco]

What a bummer! Leon Powe is a Celtic. A true warrior. I can't understand why he wasn't signed by us for the league minimum and just wait until he gets healthy. I think that Danny made a mistake on this one. I think that Leon will play out of his mind when he gets a chance to face us. We already have seen enough of him to know what he can produce. Was Danny so sure that he would not rehab his knee this time? I love Leon, and I truly hopes that he gets healthy and has a good career. He deserves it.