Here is Danny's latest quote about the free roster spot at his disposal since he cut Lester :
“We are just going to keep looking,’’ Ainge said. “There are a lot of players out there this year, and so many with expiring contracts coming out. Already a couple have been bought out - such as [Marko] Jaric and Alston - and that trend could continue.’’
So, knowing that our expiring contracts don't have any value basketball-wise but are just financially interesting, it's more likely that Danny is expecting that a lot of useful players are going to obtain a buyout before the deadline, thus he hopes to land one of them in Boston.
I think this is a really interesting subject to discuss. And my guess (or should I say two cents?
) is that Danny is hoping for Raja Bell to obtain a buyout.
Raja Bell has a 5, 250 000 $ expiring contract. The Warriors made it clear at the beginning of the season that they wanted to trade him if they could get good value in exchange ; didn't want to buy him out but maybe they will before the deadline to save money and give him a favor, since he wants to win a ring. He has had wrist surgery and is expected to return in February or later. He has drawn a lot of interest from contenders at the beginning of the season, and is likely to remain their top target. Not surprising since the guy is a tough player, defensive-minded, who can hit the three with consistency, play hard and hustle. Great basketball IQ too and a great competitor.
Now, stop me if I'm being too optimistic and if you feel that I'm wishing too hard for my "Raja Bell in green" speculation to come true, but to the question of which contender is most likely to be the front-runner to land Bell, I think the Celtics would be his first choice.
I mean, it's a perfect fit for both parties : the Celtics would have a perfect backup for Ray, a guy who can come in, defend hard, knock down 3's, hustle, and give him a rest. He can defend the other team's best player. Also, don't forget he has a history with Kobe.
The interest for the Celtics is obvious. And it seems pretty obvious for Bell too : he wants to win a ring and has the opportunity to join the contender he wants. He also wants to play some minutes, although the backup role doesn't bother him. And obviously, he wants a team with great chances of winning the championship, and on which he feels he is a good fit (then again, us, defensive-minded team, physical, tough, hated by everyone). Let's break it down :
- Lakers : they have a big need at the guard position since they have no good backup for Kobe. But Bell can't stand Kobe (and vice versa), and Kobe would play 40 minutes a game, which means likely no PT at all for Bell since the Lakers have Artest and Odom at the small forward. Very unlikely that Bell joins them.
- Spurs : they have Keith Bogans, Ginobili, Mason at the guard spot. Spurs were announced as really interested in Bell a few months ago and they would probably try hard to get him but they are already filled at the guard position. Plus, the history between Bell as a Sun and the Spurs doesn't play in their favor.
- Magic : Carter, Barnes, Pietrus, Redick... too much guards, and not enough playing time. Plus, Bell wouldn't make much of a difference on that squad since the Magic have Pietrus, who basically is a better "version" of Bell at this point.
- Cavaliers : Anthony Parker and Delonte West at the guard position. The Cavs would love to have Bell on their team (they would love to sign any free agent that becomes available since they are always mentioned as suitors when someone gets bought out
). He could play an important role on that squad, and their defensive mentality fits well with him. But I don't think he would consider the Cavs as the favorites to win it all (and he if he really thinks so, he is right in my opinion). Plus, the fact that probably almost all the Cavs of the current roster will be gone after next year doesn't play in their favor if he wants to stay with his new team.
So, once again, although hope is big for me that we land Bell, I really think we would be his #1 choice if he gets bought out. Now, we need two big "if" for that scenario to potentially come true : that Bells obtains a buyout, and that we are healthy enough to convince him that he would be a perfect fit in Boston.
What do you think? Would Bell be a good fit for us and the missing piece that we will need to improve a lot our chances of winning it all? Do you think he will obtain a buyout and if so, would we be his first choice?
And finally, on the pure speculative aspect of the subject : do you think Danny has Bell in mind when he talks about players who can get bought out this season?
Topic: Pure speculation : Danny hoping for a Raja Bell buyout? (Read 3244 times)