Per Woj: Celtics sign Lonnie Walker (waived)

[Who]

Who cares how J Walsh looks in summer league?

The role he has in SL is not like the role he will have in the NBA. What you want to see is how he shapes up athletically. How he competes defensively and on the boards.

His role offensively will be minimal on the Celtics. He will take completely different types of shots on the main team than he will on a SL team. The roles are not comparable offensively. The roles are comparable on defense & rebounding. That is where the important lessons are.

[86MaxwellSmart]

Walsh has got to GO.

Why?  Because he looked underwhelming in Summer League?

He's an inexpensive project.  Let's allow him to develop.

He's a waste of a roster spot on a Championship team...James Young looked way better at this point.

[SHAQATTACK]

Walsh has got to GO.

Why?  Because he looked underwhelming in Summer League?

He's an inexpensive project.  Let's allow him to develop.

He's a waste of a roster spot on a Championship team...James Young looked way better at this point.

I agree .  Too small and uncomfortable on court.

[Vermont Green]

I can understand that people are down on Walsh.  He did not look good in summer league.  But he is only 20 years old, younger than Davison, Scheierman, and Watson.  I would have liked to see more development after 1 season, but I don't think it is time to give up on him.  We can afford to have a few prospects on the roster.

We have our established top 8 rotation, the playoff rotation.  Then we have about 5 that are deeper bench, but are pretty solid (Tillman, Kornet, Queta, Springer, and maybe Walker if makes it).  Those last 4-5 have established NBA track records as bench players (Queta maybe on the bubble of that).  They have proven that they are fine to fill in when needed throughout the course of the regular season.  Then we have 2 prospects, Walsh and Scheierman, who are not going to do much.

I am fine with that mix.  We need to keep a few prospects on the roster and hope that over time, 1 or 2 hit (like Hauser did) and end up helping the team.  Most 14th or 15th roster players will not ever make it.  I prefer this to an over the hill veteran that isn't going to help the team and never will.

[LilRip]

Oh man I?m hyped for this! Lonnie Walker can play! I?d be surprised if he doesn?t get regular minutes and I?d be even more surprised if he doesn?t make it to opening night.

C?s are stacked! Pritchard/Walker/Hauser/Tatum/Horford make one heckuva bench lineup (I know JT isn?t a bench player but he subs out early in the first to play with the 2nd unit a whole bunch)

[Roy H.]

There is no way Walker doesn?t make this team. He?s a really good bench player that is 25.

Then why was he unsigned for the entire off-season, and could only get an unguaranteed contract?  Don?t get me wrong, I like the guy.  He is in fact the only NBA player I have ever met, so I am absolutely rooting for him.  But realistically, it is more likely than not he is not on the team opening night.

I don't know what the odds are, but sometimes quality players slip through.  Derrick Jones, Jr. is a good example from last season.

Sure, but even Derrick Jones Jr. (who I was begging for all last summer) signed a guaranteed deal.  Walker couldn?t even get that.

Svi last year?  Non-guaranteed, signed August 31.  Lamar Stevens made the roster, too, and he was a late September signing.

I get your point:  guys signed to non-guaranteed, minimum deals are fringe roster players, and nobody should be surprised if they don't make the team.  But, I'm hopeful, because I think Walker is a rotation-caliber player.

Full disclosure:  I also thought Wenyen Gabriel was a solid signing.

The difference, of course, is that Stevens and Svi were the 13th and 14th players on the roster, and both were signed to non-guaranteed deals (along with Wenyen Gabriel) when the Celtics only had 13 guaranteed players.  The Celtics have 14 already.  Sure, there can technically be a trade that creates a spot, but it?s highly unlikely.  Roughly half of the Celtics are ineligible to be traded before the season, and the Celtics aren?t trading guys like Brown or Horford either, especially not in a deal that brings back fewer players than it sends out.  Really it?s just Pritchard, Scheierman, Walsh, or Springer.  I suppose Walsh could get moved, since I was almost finished with this post and had forgotten him, but there are strong arguments against the other three being moved.

I think that it may make sense to go with 15 guys out of camp this year, for a few reasons:

1.  KP is out for several months, meaning that we're effectively playing with a 14-man roster;
2.  I don't expect a lot out of the two-way players in terms of eating up NBA minutes;
3.  We had the shortest off-season of any team, and three core players played in the Olympics;
4.  Our ability to add players via buyout or trade is somewhat limited by the CBA;
5.  Walker fits beautifully into our existing bench

If there's a season to play everybody and to keep minutes down during the regular season, this seems to be the one.

[RJ87]

I can understand that people are down on Walsh.  He did not look good in summer league.  But he is only 20 years old, younger than Davison, Scheierman, and Watson.  I would have liked to see more development after 1 season, but I don't think it is time to give up on him.  We can afford to have a few prospects on the roster.

We have our established top 8 rotation, the playoff rotation.  Then we have about 5 that are deeper bench, but are pretty solid (Tillman, Kornet, Queta, Springer, and maybe Walker if makes it).  Those last 4-5 have established NBA track records as bench players (Queta maybe on the bubble of that).  They have proven that they are fine to fill in when needed throughout the course of the regular season.  Then we have 2 prospects, Walsh and Scheierman, who are not going to do much.

I am fine with that mix.  We need to keep a few prospects on the roster and hope that over time, 1 or 2 hit (like Hauser did) and end up helping the team.  Most 14th or 15th roster players will not ever make it.  I prefer this to an over the hill veteran that isn't going to help the team and never will.

I don't think people realize how valuable these inexpensive guys will be with this new CBA. Especially with a roster that already has a huge payroll.

And Summer League isn't the end all be all. Some of these guys look amazing in SL only to wash out of the league before their rookie contract is even done.

[keevsnick]

Lonnie Walker is a good get. Obviously he has his faults, but this is a guy who's been an NBA rotation player for basically his whole career. Maybe Walsh or Scheierman aren't ready, and if so he's great insurance.

The Celtics had pretty good injury luck last year, at least among perimeter players. Real functional depth is good.

[Vermont Green]

I can understand that people are down on Walsh.  He did not look good in summer league.  But he is only 20 years old, younger than Davison, Scheierman, and Watson.  I would have liked to see more development after 1 season, but I don't think it is time to give up on him.  We can afford to have a few prospects on the roster.

We have our established top 8 rotation, the playoff rotation.  Then we have about 5 that are deeper bench, but are pretty solid (Tillman, Kornet, Queta, Springer, and maybe Walker if makes it).  Those last 4-5 have established NBA track records as bench players (Queta maybe on the bubble of that).  They have proven that they are fine to fill in when needed throughout the course of the regular season.  Then we have 2 prospects, Walsh and Scheierman, who are not going to do much.

I am fine with that mix.  We need to keep a few prospects on the roster and hope that over time, 1 or 2 hit (like Hauser did) and end up helping the team.  Most 14th or 15th roster players will not ever make it.  I prefer this to an over the hill veteran that isn't going to help the team and never will.

I don't think people realize how valuable these inexpensive guys will be with this new CBA. Especially with a roster that already has a huge payroll.

And Summer League isn't the end all be all. Some of these guys look amazing in SL only to wash out of the league before their rookie contract is even done.

I agree.  It is going to be hard for the Celtics to get complementary players moving forward due to our salary situation and the new rules.  If we are going to keep this going, we are going to need some of these prospects/draft picks, to develop into useful players, like Hauser and Pritchard did.  To allow for that, the team is going to have to carry 2-3 players at the end of the bench as developmental players, in addition to the 2-way players.  Walsh may not develop, most of these type won't.  But at age 20, it is too early to give up on him, in my opinion.

[Atzar]

I can understand that people are down on Walsh.  He did not look good in summer league.  But he is only 20 years old, younger than Davison, Scheierman, and Watson.  I would have liked to see more development after 1 season, but I don't think it is time to give up on him.  We can afford to have a few prospects on the roster.

We have our established top 8 rotation, the playoff rotation.  Then we have about 5 that are deeper bench, but are pretty solid (Tillman, Kornet, Queta, Springer, and maybe Walker if makes it).  Those last 4-5 have established NBA track records as bench players (Queta maybe on the bubble of that).  They have proven that they are fine to fill in when needed throughout the course of the regular season.  Then we have 2 prospects, Walsh and Scheierman, who are not going to do much.

I am fine with that mix.  We need to keep a few prospects on the roster and hope that over time, 1 or 2 hit (like Hauser did) and end up helping the team.  Most 14th or 15th roster players will not ever make it.  I prefer this to an over the hill veteran that isn't going to help the team and never will.

I don't think people realize how valuable these inexpensive guys will be with this new CBA. Especially with a roster that already has a huge payroll.

And Summer League isn't the end all be all. Some of these guys look amazing in SL only to wash out of the league before their rookie contract is even done.

Yep.  Brad hoarded all of these second round picks for a reason. 

[Big333223]

I'm in the camp that's surprised this roster spot didn't go to a forward or a big but Walker has got to be the most talented free agent still out there so to add him like this... I can't complain.

It definitely makes things interesting for Jaden Springer.

[SHAQATTACK]

Brad should keep an eye on Lonzo ball.  He got the bionic knee .  2 million in rare surgeries I guess?

Dude wants to play really bad to go though all this .

Just say n 

[Surferdad]

I'm in the camp that's surprised this roster spot didn't go to a forward or a big but Walker has got to be the most talented free agent still out there so to add him like this... I can't complain.

It definitely makes things interesting for Jaden Springer.

I've been saying both of these things since the Walker signing. Frankly, I think it also makes it interesting for Payton Pritchard.

All that said, internal competition for minutes can be viewed as a good thing. I don't expect Walker to get rotation minutes to start and he will need to fight for them.

[radiohead]

I read that signing Walker to a $2.1M minimum deal would result in roughly $10M in luxury tax. Boston would certainly not want to do that just to sign a 15th man. This is turning to be real interesting. I think a minor trade is definitely happening if Walker impresses in camp. Perhaps Springer or Walsh is moved? Or maybe even Pritchard?

[Surferdad]

I read that signing Walker to a $2.1M minimum deal would result in roughly $10M in luxury tax. Boston would certainly not want to do that just to sign a 15th man. This is turning to be real interesting. I think a minor trade is definitely happening if Walker impresses in camp. Perhaps Springer or Walsh is moved? Or maybe even Pritchard?

Agree, and possibly Queta or Tilman as well to replace the better big coming back.