One final comment to the Powe naysayers. Please don't say "I love Leon but" because you really don't love Leon. If you really loved Leon, you wouldn't discard him like some used piece of machinery that management wants to replace for business reasons. You don't do your credibility any service by saying this.
I'll be the first to say that this comment ISN'T nonsense..Red would puke at the move DA pulled on Powe. We can easily get rid of the "trash" left on our roster to make a spot for him. With one leg Powe is more consistent then TA and didn't they say Giddens and Walker are competing for the same spot? So one of them automatically is leaving....
What did Danny do? Not extend a qualifying offer that would have all but guaranteed losing Powe next year if he is healthy?
If they extended the QO, then Powe would immediately accept it, rehab on the C's dime (for more money he would make anywhere else), and then be a UFA next summer.
All Danny did was not shoot his team in the foot by making a dumb move, and now he is taking his time, and evaluating things before locking Powe up.
I really don't think Red (who was a shrewd business man himself) would have done it any differently.
Chris, it's not the QO that bothered me, it's the fact that Danny won't even hand out the minimum to him to keep him around. I've said it dozens of times, he's going to get picked up by another team fast. Danny should try to keep him near the Celtics instead of pushing him away permanently .
Well, I would put that on the owners as much as Danny. I know if it was my money, I would not want them throwing it around to guys who look like there is a good chance will not even see the floor this year, without waiting it out until they have more information on how he is healing.
I think if this were a different injury, Powe would be already resigned. But he had a torn ACL, and microfracture. I am not sure if you have been keeping track, but generally guys do not come back from surgery like that in less than a year...and if they do, they ussually have major setbacks, and lose a lot of mobility.
When it comes down to it, it makes zero economic and basketball sense to sign Powe right now for ANY team. I would be absolutely shocked if any team (other than Memphis, who never make moves that make sense) sign Powe to a guaranteed contract before September. Everyone is going to want to see how he is healing before commiting anything to him.
The ONLY reason to sign him right now is purely sentimental, and that is not enough reason to do it, given the current economy, and that is not a good enough reason.
Come August 15th, Powe will be sitting there without a contract, and Danny will have a better idea what his knee looks like (one of the benefits of allowing him to rehab using their facilities/people), as well as a better idea what his team looks like. At that point, he can make an informed decision.
The other thing you can do is offer a two-year deal at the minimum, with the second year non-guaranteed. That deal could potentially work for both parties, as Powe would be earning something while rehabbing, while the Celtics would potentially be getting a huge bargain next season.
I'd offer Powe the minimum right now. Yes, it's a gamble, but the reward is too great to ignore it due to risk.
I guess I just think the C's know more about this than we do. I think they either know that there is no other interest out there right now, so they have time to weigh their options, or they know that there is in fact a big risk.
I personally believe that a contract like that will be reached before its all said and done, but I just don't see the need to do it right now, because when I look at the fact that guys like Robert Swift and Sean May, who have just as much, if not more potential than Powe, and are supposedly healthy, are non-roster invitees to the C's summer-league team, I take that as a sign that teams are not willing to throw around money this summer on major risks.
There are a lot of teams out there really struggling economically, and even the teams who are doing OK, are still making cuts to save cash anyway that they can(anyone who got a Celtics playoff ticket strip last year knows what I mean). I really cannot see anyone taking a chance on this guy this early in the offseason.
So maybe I am just being too optimistic, but I see no problem in waiting to see if there are any setbacks in the next month or two.
BTW, it is also pure speculation that Powe's agent is willing to give up a year at the minimum next year, just to get a contract for this season. Perhaps he is holding out for a one year deal, or more guaranteed money.
