Maggette says he could be willing to take pay cut to come to Boston

[Celtic_E]

If I were to believe all the articles I've read about this topic, then the Maggette race is now realistically down to two teams, the Celtics and the Spurs. It is still pretty tight to call this one this early but we may have pulled an inch over the Spurs with Doc contacting Maggette given Doc's personal relationship with Maggette's family.

Signing Posey to an ideal contract is still the best way to move forward to next season but if things don't go as planned, Maggette wouldn't be a bad backup choice. He's a few years younger and given that he would sign for the Mid-level, I don't think we could question his motivation to win the title next year to raise his value on the market. Having a player like that on your team is always a good thing.

[SShoreFan 2.0]

Three thoughts about Maggette and the Celtics:

#1.  The idea of having 4 all stars on one team is almost too much to comprehend.

#2.  Can Coach Thibodeau install the defensive attitude needed with Maggette to make up the intesity Posey brings off the bench?

#3.  Can Maggette adapt to being "one of the guys" in the manner Posey did? 

If the answers to questions 2&3 are not crystal clear then I think the Celts don't take the risk.

[BringToughnessBack]

It is probably just me, but I am having flashbacks to the pre Schilling signing and the full court press done by Theo and company. I wonder if Doc and Danny are having a July 4th barbecue with Magegette and family...They seem like they might want him more then a fallback. Maggette sounds a bit more then intrigued by the possibility of joining our championship team.

[P2]

Three thoughts about Maggette and the Celtics:

#1.  The idea of having 4 all stars on one team is almost too much to comprehend.

#2.  Can Coach Thibodeau install the defensive attitude needed with Maggette to make up the intesity Posey brings off the bench?

#3.  Can Maggette adapt to being "one of the guys" in the manner Posey did? 

If the answers to questions 2&3 are not crystal clear then I think the Celts don't take the risk.

In the paper today, #3 was made crystal clear my Maggette: Yes.

[lon3lytoaster]

Judging by Maggette's interview today I'd say he already has the definition of "Ubuntu" installed into his head with all of his talk of sacrifice. If he honestly doesn't mind coming off the bench that'd be great for us (and him.)

Here's an interesting little stat (albeit in a small sample size, five games.) Maggette averaged over 19 PPG coming off the bench for LA in just under 30 minutes. With him subbing for Ray and Pierce, I see no reason why he couldn't get about that many minutes, even off the bench. It's not like we needed Ray and Paul to play huge minutes for us to win over 60 games, either.

He would fill a few big needs, too. Consistent scoring off the bench, he gets to the line A LOT and he's an athletic swing player. Also, for those saying he can't defend... Neither could Paul or Ray and they were more than effective (especially Paul)

[bbc3341]

Maggette would be an ofensive improvement, but could he lock down like Posey? Could he rise to big moments like Posey? With Posey we know what we're getting, Maggette is a bit of an enigma...

[cordobes]

Also, for those saying he can't defend... Neither could Paul or Ray and they were more than effective (especially Paul)

That's a myth. Pierce was always a very good defensive player whenever he tried and the team didn't demand too much of him on the offensive side. Same goes to Ray: e.g., he put a defensive clinic in the 2001 ECF, guarding MVP Allen Iverson. AI himself said he was the best defender he faced that year. It wasn't like he suddenly discovered how to guard Rip or Kobe out of nothing. Both of them  have very solid defensive fundamentals, but it's hard to be consistent on defense when you have to carry your team offense on your shoulders. But they are aging and we need a reliable winger stopper.

[MattG12]

Maggette was a teammate of Celtics free agent guard Sam Cassell with the Clippers from 2005-08. They recently shared some Celtics talk.

"He said to come out to get a ring," Maggette said.


My favorite part of that article... You know you have a pretty good team when all star players want to come play for you to "get a ring". I am so happy right now just thinking about the possibility of getting Maggette.

[Truth Hurts]

Last year, Pierce and Allen both averaged just under 36 minutes a game. This was more than an ideal workload for Allen, as he will turn 33 before next season starts. There are 96 total minutes available at the two wing spots. No reason why they couldn't go:

Pierce 36 minutes
Allen 30
Maggette 30


Posey played 24 minutes a game last year, but he couldn't provide the scoring off the bench that Maggette could, and played some 4 when they went small. So Allen played too many minutes a lot of nights when we really needed scoring from the guard spot. Maggette would give us a go-to scorer off the bench, and would allow us to let Ray play 30 hard minutes a game, instead of getting sometimes spotty play out of him when he is gassed.

Maggette would be a huge addition. Hopefully, Giddens could develop into that lock-down wing defender, or possibly TAllen could come back on the cheap. We have a lot of great defensive players....if we had any weakness last year, it was scoring off the bench.

[Edgar]

Last year, Pierce and Allen both averaged just under 36 minutes a game. This was more than an ideal workload for Allen, as he will turn 33 before next season starts. There are 96 total minutes available at the two wing spots. No reason why they couldn't go:

Pierce 36 minutes
Allen 30
Maggette 30


Posey played 24 minutes a game last year, but he couldn't provide the scoring off the bench that Maggette could, and played some 4 when they went small. So Allen played too many minutes a lot of nights when we really needed scoring from the guard spot. Maggette would give us a go-to scorer off the bench, and would allow us to let Ray play 30 hard minutes a game, instead of getting sometimes spotty play out of him when he is gassed.

Maggette would be a huge addition. Hopefully, Giddens could develop into that lock-down wing defender, or possibly TAllen could come back on the cheap. We have a lot of great defensive players....if we had any weakness last year, it was scoring off the bench.

well said
pierce and allen arent going any younger
tp for u

I LOVE Posey but I can live with pierce and Tony Allen on defense andd Maggete in this system will look better on defense I am sure of that
probably we will lose a little on D but winning a lot on O makes us stronger over all

[BCelts]

Also, for those saying he can't defend... Neither could Paul or Ray and they were more than effective (especially Paul)

That's a myth. Pierce was always a very good defensive player whenever he tried and the team didn't demand too much of him on the offensive side. Same goes to Ray: e.g., he put a defensive clinic in the 2001 ECF, guarding MVP Allen Iverson. AI himself said he was the best defender he faced that year. It wasn't like he suddenly discovered how to guard Rip or Kobe out of nothing. Both of them  have very solid defensive fundamentals, but it's hard to be consistent on defense when you have to carry your team offense on your shoulders. But they are aging and we need a reliable winger stopper.

This is exactly correct.

[indeedproceed]

Also, for those saying he can't defend... Neither could Paul or Ray and they were more than effective (especially Paul)

That's a myth. Pierce was always a very good defensive player whenever he tried and the team didn't demand too much of him on the offensive side. Same goes to Ray: e.g., he put a defensive clinic in the 2001 ECF, guarding MVP Allen Iverson. AI himself said he was the best defender he faced that year. It wasn't like he suddenly discovered how to guard Rip or Kobe out of nothing. Both of them  have very solid defensive fundamentals, but it's hard to be consistent on defense when you have to carry your team offense on your shoulders. But they are aging and we need a reliable winger stopper.

Ime Udoka would have been the perfect fit here. Reasonably young, can hit a shot and relentless defender.

[Truth Hurts]

I LOVE Posey but I can live with pierce and Tony Allen on defense andd Maggete in this system will look better on defense I am sure of that
probably we will lose a little on D but winning a lot on O makes us stronger over all

This is exactly how I am thinking. I love Posey. He brings defense, rebounding, toughness, clutch shooting, and stretches the floor. But Maggette would just make this team scary good. I think everyone's initial thought when the "Big Three" came together was that we would score a lot of points. And they immediately built a defensive juggernaut. This could give us the best of both worlds.

If Maggette doesn't happen, and we bring back Posey, I will still be very happy. But if we sign Maggette, I am going to be celebrating. The window of opportunity would be longer with an eventual Ray Allen replacement in the fold. Pierce and Garnett are the types of HoF talent that should age well, and give us a good 4 year window at least. Maggette will be in his prime over these years (29-33). I could live with losing Posey if Danny can get Maggette here.

[Roy Hobbs]

Also, for those saying he can't defend... Neither could Paul or Ray and they were more than effective (especially Paul)

That's a myth. Pierce was always a very good defensive player whenever he tried and the team didn't demand too much of him on the offensive side. Same goes to Ray: e.g., he put a defensive clinic in the 2001 ECF, guarding MVP Allen Iverson. AI himself said he was the best defender he faced that year. It wasn't like he suddenly discovered how to guard Rip or Kobe out of nothing. Both of them  have very solid defensive fundamentals, but it's hard to be consistent on defense when you have to carry your team offense on your shoulders. But they are aging and we need a reliable winger stopper.

This is exactly correct.

How do we know Maggette can't play defense when he "tries"? 

Pierce and Allen were, in effect, poor defensive players for several seasons.  Sure, they had the capabilities, but it wasn't until they got into TT's system that they played well consistently on defense (with the exception of Pierce's first two seasons or so).

I see nothing about Maggette that would suggest he couldn't play defense.  He's quick, athletic, and strong.  Perhaps, like Pierce and Allen, all it will take is some motivation (since, like Pierce and Allen, Maggette has been called upon to be his team's offensive spark, as well.)

[timepiece33]

Pierce and Allen were, in effect, poor defensive players for several seasons.  Sure, they had the capabilities, but it wasn't until they got into TT's system that they played well consistently on defense (with the exception of Pierce's first two seasons or so).

Don't agree with this statement. Pierce was far from the poor defensive liability he was portrayed as. He might have had more lapses based on the burden he had on the offensive side of the ball, but the overall defensive effectiveness was among the top quarter of the SF/SG types in the league.

I see nothing about Maggette that would suggest he couldn't play defense.  He's quick, athletic, and strong.  Perhaps, like Pierce and Allen, all it will take is some motivation (since, like Pierce and Allen, Maggette has been called upon to be his team's offensive spark, as well.)

I agree that the skill set is there, but he's been a very average defensive player throughout his career.

Now, if we can get him for the MLE ... be extremely happy because he'd be one of the most underpaid players in the league for the level of production you get.