Don't panic! Lots of FA possibilities.

[Mr October]

In response to the falling sky reaction to the departure of James Posey, we need to keep a couple things in mind.

1. The Free Agent signing season is only 2 weeks old. Last year the Celtics didn't get House, Pollard and Posey until August, after the KG trade. We have time to get some experience on the bench.

2. There are plenty of service-able vets out there. Roy already put together a list of RFAs. So I figured I'd list some interesting UFAs in rough order of interest:

PGs:
K. Dooling 6-3 28
C. Arroyo 6-2 29
E. House 6-1 30
J. Pargo 6-1 29
S. Livingston 6-7 23
S. Cassell 6-3 39
K. Ollie 6-2 36
J. Williams 6-1 33
D. Armstrong 6-1 40

Wings:
Q. Ross 6-6 27
M. Evans 6-5 30
T. Allen 6-4 26
B. Wells 6-5 32
G. Girecek 6-6 31
M. Finley 6-7 35
W. Hermann 6-9 29 (edit)
M. Barnes 6-7 28
R. Davis 6-7 29
D. Jones 6-6 28
I. Newble 6-7 33
D. George 6-8 31

Bigs:
A. Mourning 6-10 38 - REHAB UNTIL MID/LATE WINTER
K. Thomas 6-9 36
R. Horry 6-10 38
K. Brown 6-11 26
M. Ely 6-10 30
F. Elson 7-0 32
C. Andersen 6-10 30
B. Skinner 6-9 32
T. Ratliff 6-10 35
M. Doleac 6-11 31

[Champzilla]

Are there still seats left on the lakers bandwagon ?

[Celtic]

Bring back House and Cassell (that's right Cassell, give him a training camp and lets see what he can do), sign Barnes, and get Zo when he is ready to play and they should be ok. O'Bryant would have a hard time contributing less than Pollard.

[mhbhaecceity09]

Why isn't anyone mentioning Kirk Snyder anymore?  I think he is a realistic possibility as is Kelenna Azubuike (not mentioning him is self-explanatory; no one wants to attempt his name).  I second the gist of your post, Mr. October. Ooh sah, hakuna matata etc. everyone.  The Celtics are, for the first time in years, a desireable landing spot.  Even if nothing works out until February, there will be options for the stretch run.  I know its a new position to get used to but now, like San Antonio and Detroit has for all these years, the C's can operate from a position of strength.  Throwing good money after bad (four year contracts) is not the way to maintain that position or perception.  Call me crazy but I wouldn't be surprised if Giddens or Walker are in the 8-10 man rotation by mid-season and contributing much of the intensity, rebounding and firepower that the Pose provided. Ray Allen could also see more shots and be more comfortable in Doc's offense after a year of experience. And no worries from the chemistry or motivation standpoint--any team with KG not comprised of complete dogs will have plenty of both.

[fairweatherfan06]

Your forgetting Hermann, and the PG possibilities are not promising.

[fairweatherfan06]

http://www.youtube.com/v/5Qazaaq0msA&hl=en&fs=1"

[Brickowski]

No one even talks about the free agents in Europe.  With the sorry state of the dollar you probably won't get too many European stars to come over right now.  But you might get a homesick American.  I'm talking about veterans like J.R. Holden and Marcus Haislip, whose game has improved in Europe.

And where are Bostjan Nachbar and Walter Hermann on Mr. October's list of wing players?  They are better offensive players than anyone else on that list.  When Hermann was given playing time in Charlotte, he completely outplayed Morrison.

[Mr October]

I just added Hermann. I have to admit that I'm more interested in a 2/3 on the wing than I am a 3/4. He can shoot, but can he guard anyone?

My list is not all encompassing. I just threw out some names that could be interesting

[ManUp]

http://www.youtube.com/v/5Qazaaq0msA&hl=en&fs=1"

I'm sorry, but that's just creepy.

[cordobes]

No one even talks about the free agents in Europe.  With the sorry state of the dollar you probably won't get too many European stars to come over right now.  But you might get a homesick American.  I'm talking about veterans like J.R. Holden and Marcus Haislip, whose game has improved in Europe.

And where are Bostjan Nachbar and Walter Hermann on Mr. October's list of wing players?  They are better offensive players than anyone else on that list.  When Hermann was given playing time in Charlotte, he completely outplayed Morrison.

Haislip is a good player, but he's a pure PF, so I don't think he fills a need. The Bucks should try to get him back though.

Holden is a decent player, but we'd be overpaying for a backup PG (assuming that CSKA would release him, something far from a given). And he has been showing signs of decline, I'm not sure how much he has left. I'd rather gamble in someone younger, with more upside, like Bobby Brown. 

If I was looking for free-agents in Europe, I'd go for the top of the tops:

- Diamantidis: he'd be an awesome backup for Rondo. The kind of backup PG  I think we need. Good distributor, experience, very protective of the ball, reliable jumper and we'd have the best pg defense in the NBA by a fair margin (and Diamantidis would lock up the point-guards that give Rondo problems). The downside is that I don't think he has changed his mind about playing in the NBA (and, of course, the salary he'd demand).

- Siskauskas: IMO, the best player outside of the NBA right now. Offensively, he would fit perfectly in our wing rotation. One of the few guys that would definitely be a major upgrade after Posey. On the other hand, I strongly suspect that his lack of lateral quickness would  expose him when trying to guard NBA hyper-athletic wingers. He's very intelligent and smart, but I'm not sure that would be enough to make him more than a serious liability on the defensive side perimeter.
 
Wálter always performs very well in his 1st year in every league he arrives, but after that it's always downhill. Also, it seems that his quality decreases when he's not a starter.

[Brickowski]

LOL then sign Walter Hermann to a one-year deal.

I still consider Diamantidis to be the best player in Europe, although Ricky Rubio is going to be scary good.

But even if he wanted to play in the NBA (which he doesn't) you could never get Diamantidis for the MLE.  Nikkola Vujcic and Lazaros Papadopoulos are two other guys who deserve a shot in the NBA.

We'll get a good look at some of the veteran European free agents (including Americans like Holden playing for other national teams) in the upcoming Olympics.

[Cman]

And where are Bostjan Nachbar and Walter Hermann on Mr. October's list of wing players?  They are better offensive players than anyone else on that list.  When Hermann was given playing time in Charlotte, he completely outplayed Morrison.

I think the key is to have someone who can play really good defense off the bench.  With Posey gone and TA likely gone, the Cs are losing the two best defenders off the bench.  That needs to be replaced -- and at the Wing, not PG or C.  Barnes, Evans, Snyder fit the bill.  Eventually Giddens and Walker might, but not for a couple years.

[Mr October]

And where are Bostjan Nachbar and Walter Hermann on Mr. October's list of wing players?  They are better offensive players than anyone else on that list.  When Hermann was given playing time in Charlotte, he completely outplayed Morrison.

I think the key is to have someone who can play really good defense off the bench.  With Posey gone and TA likely gone, the Cs are losing the two best defenders off the bench.  That needs to be replaced -- and at the Wing, not PG or C.  Barnes, Evans, Snyder fit the bill.  Eventually Giddens and Walker might, but not for a couple years.

Yep. Defense and NBA experience is needed on the bench. I'm all for getting foreign players. But right now we need two sure thing players that are a lock for a 9 man rotation.

Give me Ross and Dooling (or House), and any 3 point shooter and I'm ready to roll.