Natives take a rest... Allen, House signed, sealed almost delivered

[SShoreFan 2.0]

Is this our team to start the season?

I sure hope not.

No way.  One thing Danny has proven is that he's never satisfied.  House signed last year on 8/1, Pollard signed on 8/7, Posey signed on 8/27, PJ signed 2/27/08 and Cassell signed on 3/3/08.  All free agent signings, I am confident that as training camp gets into full swing there will be bodies in and out of here.

[nickagneta]

Not wild about the two year contracts. Both make up almost $5mil on next season's books which will make it difficult for Danny to spend his MLE next season considering the Luxury tax.

The upside is that Scal, House, and Tony will all have mid-range expiring contracts, which should give us some flexibility in the trade market.

Not to mention that all three guys come off the books the same year that Ray Allen does. That's about $26-27 million all off the books at the same time.

Gotta say, I am having a severe reversal of my previous position about Danny still being able to get a combo that would be better than the combo that was last year's team.

The only addition that works for me that says that we have as good a bench entering the season as we entered the season last year with would be Kurt Thomas. Other than that, unless one of the rookies are special, this team has gone backwards, for now.

And yet, I think they are still the favorites to win it all again barring some big trade or miracle RFA signing that could occur.

The more I think about these signings the more I don't like that we didn't find a way to get Posey done. The financial prudence I still stand by and if ultimately the choice was between Posey and these two guys I would have preferred Posey.

[crownsy]

very happy abotu house, really needed one of our outstanding playoff vets back.

on TA, i would have really minded if we had extended a qualifing offer and gotten stuck paying him 3.4, for 2, i don't mind him. We will need a Good defender off the bench, and while tony sometimes has brain farts, the talent is thier.

[SShoreFan 2.0]

*PDF is a new statistic that is used to designate how many times a player ends the team's possession by dribbling the ball off of his foot out of bounds.  "Posssesions ended with a Dribble off of the Foot."

I cringed reading this, laughed but really cringed, so therefore I cringe as I give you a TP. 

[td450]

I actually see the bench as stronger next year. Tony Allen is great when he plays a lot, and worse than useless when he plays spot minutes. Danny has said so in some interviews, so he understands that. If we do give Tony a consistent 20 minutes, I think he is better than Posey defensively and offensively. There is obviously a poise deficit, but the team overall should be more confident next year.

Danny still has to bring in one more guy and that will be important, but the key guys to watch are O'Bryant and Giddens. If O'Bryant can give them average or better interior defense for 10-15 minutes per game (he doesn't need to do much else) and Giddens can provide some spot defense on athletic 6'6-6'8 guys, we are going to do very well

[hpantazo]

as much as I didn't like Tony Allen during last season, I am strangely relieved that he is coming back. Before his recent injuries he was looking great, and there is really no one else on the FA market that I would rather have. At least he will always be aggressive and can get to the basket on his own off the dribble. Thank god we got House back because he is the perfect fit for our team, the other options on the FA market were worrying me! Now we just need a veteran big, at least by midseason.

[Roy Hobbs]

The more I think about these signings the more I don't like that we didn't find a way to get Posey done. The financial prudence I still stand by and if ultimately the choice was between Posey and these two guys I would have preferred Posey.

Agreed, Nick.  I understand holding the line on Posey, I see the breakdown like this:

Fourth year of Posey's contract: $7 million (likely no luxury tax at that point)
First year of Tony's contract: $2.5 million (roughly) + $2.5m luxury tax = $5 million

In terms of actual finances, we're talking about $2 million.  Would the team have been better off to not sign Tony, keep an open roster spot if necessary, and go to a fourth year with Posey, even if he'll have diminished skills at that point?  I tend to think so.

[kenmaine]

I think it's great.
 House is obviously not a star, but he's very very good at what he does. Super quick shooter, clutch and accurate. And he's more than adequate as a backup pg for 15 minutes a game. Hustle and good attitude. There are guys who totally suck getting 8,10,12 million bucks a year. I think he's a bargain.
As for TA, it's almost a can't lose proposition. It's short money-in NBA terms- for a couple of years. The mistakes on offense are frustrating, but he does play hard and has had excuses the past couple of years with the injuries.  If he doesn't play better(and he can), he's at least a decent bench player at the bottom of the rotation. If he plays up to his potential consistently, he's actually a pretty [dang] good player.  So, although I don't have any great expectations for Tony, I'm glad he's back.
Roy, I agree that the bench has regressed, guys like Posey are not easy to replace. But still an awesome roster and we'll see who else Danny signs, or who on the current bench steps up next year.

[kozlodoev]

The more I think about these signings the more I don't like that we didn't find a way to get Posey done. The financial prudence I still stand by and if ultimately the choice was between Posey and these two guys I would have preferred Posey.

Agreed, Nick.  I understand holding the line on Posey, I see the breakdown like this:

Fourth year of Posey's contract: $7 million (likely no luxury tax at that point)
First year of Tony's contract: $2.5 million (roughly) + $2.5m luxury tax = $5 million

In terms of actual finances, we're talking about $2 million.  Would the team have been better off to not sign Tony, keep an open roster spot if necessary, and go to a fourth year with Posey, even if he'll have diminished skills at that point?  I tend to think so.

We all tend to evaluate contracts by how much are they worth in terms of cash, which is a mistake. There is a difference between a fourth or even third year for Posey, and 2 years for Tony Allen, and it goes well beyond 2 million bucks. The team wants to reevaluate when Ray Allen's deal expires, and other contracts come up. Ainge is on the record saying that he wouldn't like to sign any role players on deals longer than 2 years.

[Who]

I don't see the point of resigning Tony Allen if he isn't here to replace James Posey. Tony will be the primary backup wing next season, and Eddie the guard. There simply won't be enough minutes come playoff time to fit in another quality perimeter bench player, only a 5-10 minute not every night type of player. I don't see Danny adding another wing, or at least I don't see him spending more than the minimum on that wing.

The rest of Danny's focus should be on replacing PJ Brown. The team needs that extra height and power to compete with Orlando, Phily and Cleveland next season.

[zerophase]

i love the idea of bring house back, but why tony allen? when are we ever going to see the kid play again?

[cordobes]

I think he is better than Posey defensively and offensively.

Tony Allen? Heh... I believe that Ainge could have signed Potsie and some people would say that he's better than Posey. (just joking, td450, you are entitled to your opinion, even if it's a quite disturbing one, from my point of view)

[RockinRyA]

The more I think about these signings the more I don't like that we didn't find a way to get Posey done. The financial prudence I still stand by and if ultimately the choice was between Posey and these two guys I would have preferred Posey.

my sentiments exactly.. now if we could sign kurt thomas..
Agreed, Nick.  I understand holding the line on Posey, I see the breakdown like this:

Fourth year of Posey's contract: $7 million (likely no luxury tax at that point)
First year of Tony's contract: $2.5 million (roughly) + $2.5m luxury tax = $5 million

In terms of actual finances, we're talking about $2 million.  Would the team have been better off to not sign Tony, keep an open roster spot if necessary, and go to a fourth year with Posey, even if he'll have diminished skills at that point?  I tend to think so.

We all tend to evaluate contracts by how much are they worth in terms of cash, which is a mistake. There is a difference between a fourth or even third year for Posey, and 2 years for Tony Allen, and it goes well beyond 2 million bucks. The team wants to reevaluate when Ray Allen's deal expires, and other contracts come up. Ainge is on the record saying that he wouldn't like to sign any role players on deals longer than 2 years.

[SShoreFan 2.0]

Signing TA from a defensive standpoint makes all the sense in the world if the Celts think he's healthy.


But let's not overlook the real reason why the Celtics resigned Eddie House...............


The Return of LITTLE HOUSE!!!

[shookones99]

I'm not sure how much of the MLE we have left.  Im guessing somewhere around 2-3 million but I would love to see that split between Michael Finley and Kurt Thomas.  We need Finley's scoring off the bench and Kurt Thomas, although a little undersized for the C, is a fantastic defender and both are hard nosed veterans willing to play a role for a winner.

And I love the TA signing.  I don't see why people aren't expecting him to improve greatly from last season.  After a full off-season of working on his knee (and hopefully his shot) I don't see how he could have nearly as poor of a season as he did last year.