D.A.'s biggest offseason screw up.

[nickagneta]

My distaste for the handling of the last offseason is well documented. If Ainge didn't want to spend the money on the proven, veteran, role player Posey, all I wanted was that he sign proven, veteran, role players. I even suggested following their own advice. Both Ainge and Doc made comments stating that they were a better team when they played a conventional lineup with size and strength in the 4 slot and were not as good when they played Posey at the four. Sign three vetran players, one a big man, one a wing and one a PG was my suggestion. Although we couldn't afford it my suggestions of Kurt Thomas, Roger Mason and Tyronne Lue would have been about what I was talking about.

Instead he did this:

- he sined a first round bust that couldn't run well for more than 15 minutes in his workout and who Don Nelson labeled a lazy player. He was a top ten pick that couldn't make it until his third year with the team that drafted him.

- he signed both rookies wasting a roster spot for a veteran that could have produced this year when sending one of those picks overseas would have been the smart thing to do as neither was obviously ready for contributing to the defense of an NBA title.

- he wasted valuable time trying to see if a near cripple could still play and entertained wasting yet another roster spot on Darius Miles even though he wasn't ready to play and had to serve a ten game suspension.

- he resigned Tony Allen and then compounded that lunacy by giving him a guaranteed 2 year contract even though he is an injury prone player. What happened? He got injured and missed significant time in which the team played as well as when he was on the team. Some could argue the team played better without him. Go figure?!

- He passed on numerous better, proven veterans that could have helped if used in their roles. Anthony Carter, Janero Pargo, Dasagna Diop, Roger Mason, Chris Anderson, Kurt Thomas, Michael Finley, Anthony Johnson, Mikael Pietrus, Dikembe Mutombo, Quinton Ross, Flip Murray, Matt Barnes, etc., etc. All proven vets with no upside. Just proven in what they could give you and important to clubs across the league. And affordable. Sure some for more than the apparent $2.5 million per year, two year cap that the Celtics were seeming stuck with, but still affordable.

- He resigned and wasted yet another roster spot on Sam Cassel who, although he was a good influence on the development of Rondo, didn't play a single minute.

Reviewing, he brought in Cassel, O'Bryant, Giddens, Walker, and Tony Allen and contemplated bringing in Miles and still had Pruitt signed. Basically, 40% of our roster was completely useless in the defense of the NBA title and were failures or developmental players. That is inexcusably bad front office management.

[ScoobyDoo]

TP, good post Nick and right on. As well as he did in putting the first team together, I won't argue that this lasy off season was an unmitigated failure.

Baffling actually, how you think it's a good idea to go into a title defense season having proven back ups only at PF ( and they are young at that...but I was still ok with Powe and Baby )

But no legit, proven back ups for your Center, SF, OG and Point? No back up center?!

As I mentioned before I just don't see the point in bringing in KG, PP and Ray if you intend on putting nothing behind them, what's the point? You give these guys a hlaf of a bench and like the 86 team, they'll dominate.

And we didn't need superstars, just solid proven role players.

Birdman, Barnes or Ross and Antony Johnson would have been more, MORE than enough. How difficult should that have been to lure these guys after having won a ring...? 

[JSD]

Didn't Birdman get thrown out of the NBA for a year because of "cocaine like drugs" or "heroine like drugs" it was something shady if my memory serves right. If it was true then I don't want him in Boston, I ain't rootin for some drug using dirtbag even if he blocks 7 shots.

[dang] dude. Didn't you vote Obama?

[Hoyo de Monterrey]

Didn't Birdman get thrown out of the NBA for a year because of "cocaine like drugs" or "heroine like drugs" it was something shady if my memory serves right. If it was true then I don't want him in Boston, I ain't rootin for some drug using dirtbag even if he blocks 7 shots.

[dang] dude. Didn't you vote Obama?

TP!

[JSD]

The only explanation was that Ainge was working with a strict budget this off-season. This summer will be different as KG's cap # drops 8 million dollars, and this will allow the C's the flexibility to give out the entire MLE.

[Amonkey]

Didn't Birdman get thrown out of the NBA for a year because of "cocaine like drugs" or "heroine like drugs" it was something shady if my memory serves right. If it was true then I don't want him in Boston, I ain't rootin for some drug using dirtbag even if he blocks 7 shots.

[dang] dude. Didn't you vote Obama?

I don't care if he snorts Cheetos off Scalabrine's back, if he's gonna help us get #18 then I am all for it.

[D Dub]

Gotta agree with the OP.  Birdman would have been much better than both OBryant and Moore.

And to that holier than thou dude who doesn't want any 'drug using dirtbags' on the team. 
Guess what? 
There is a reason the league doesn't test for marijuana, because every team is full of guys who burn.  How can you even bring yourself to watch NBA ball with when by most accounts, 75% of the league can be considered 'drug using dirtbags' by your standards.  What a naive statement...

[guava_wrench]

We should be honest. Posey would be much better than TA. Look how bad TA was when Pierce got 3 fouls.

YOU would have been a better signing than TA...

If I was there, we wouldn't even miss KG.

[Scalablob990]

Didn't Birdman get thrown out of the NBA for a year because of "cocaine like drugs" or "heroine like drugs" it was something shady if my memory serves right. If it was true then I don't want him in Boston, I ain't rootin for some drug using dirtbag even if he blocks 7 shots.

[dang] dude. Didn't you vote Obama?

  I don't get it er...I also didn't vote since I had a term paper due the next day 

[JSD]

Didn't Birdman get thrown out of the NBA for a year because of "cocaine like drugs" or "heroine like drugs" it was something shady if my memory serves right. If it was true then I don't want him in Boston, I ain't rootin for some drug using dirtbag even if he blocks 7 shots.

[dang] dude. Didn't you vote Obama?

  I don't get it er...I also didn't vote since I had a term paper due the next day 

Your in college and you haven't at least tried cocaine? Your president would not approve

I kid... say no to drugs.

Obama admitted to doing a little tony montana back in the day.

[Scalablob990]

Didn't Birdman get thrown out of the NBA for a year because of "cocaine like drugs" or "heroine like drugs" it was something shady if my memory serves right. If it was true then I don't want him in Boston, I ain't rootin for some drug using dirtbag even if he blocks 7 shots.

[dang] dude. Didn't you vote Obama?

  I don't get it er...I also didn't vote since I had a term paper due the next day 

Your in college and you haven't at least tried cocaine? Your president would not approve

I kid... say no to drugs.

Obama admitted to doing a little tony montana back in the day.

What's so wrong with having a mountain of coke on your work desk every morning?   

[Mr October]

My distaste for the handling of the last offseason is well documented. If Ainge didn't want to spend the money on the proven, veteran, role player Posey, all I wanted was that he sign proven, veteran, role players. I even suggested following their own advice. Both Ainge and Doc made comments stating that they were a better team when they played a conventional lineup with size and strength in the 4 slot and were not as good when they played Posey at the four. Sign three vetran players, one a big man, one a wing and one a PG was my suggestion. Although we couldn't afford it my suggestions of Kurt Thomas, Roger Mason and Tyronne Lue would have been about what I was talking about.

Instead he did this:

- he sined a first round bust that couldn't run well for more than 15 minutes in his workout and who Don Nelson labeled a lazy player. He was a top ten pick that couldn't make it until his third year with the team that drafted him.

- he signed both rookies wasting a roster spot for a veteran that could have produced this year when sending one of those picks overseas would have been the smart thing to do as neither was obviously ready for contributing to the defense of an NBA title.

- he wasted valuable time trying to see if a near cripple could still play and entertained wasting yet another roster spot on Darius Miles even though he wasn't ready to play and had to serve a ten game suspension.

- he resigned Tony Allen and then compounded that lunacy by giving him a guaranteed 2 year contract even though he is an injury prone player. What happened? He got injured and missed significant time in which the team played as well as when he was on the team. Some could argue the team played better without him. Go figure?!

- He passed on numerous better, proven veterans that could have helped if used in their roles. Anthony Carter, Janero Pargo, Dasagna Diop, Roger Mason, Chris Anderson, Kurt Thomas, Michael Finley, Anthony Johnson, Mikael Pietrus, Dikembe Mutombo, Quinton Ross, Flip Murray, Matt Barnes, etc., etc. All proven vets with no upside. Just proven in what they could give you and important to clubs across the league. And affordable. Sure some for more than the apparent $2.5 million per year, two year cap that the Celtics were seeming stuck with, but still affordable.

- He resigned and wasted yet another roster spot on Sam Cassel who, although he was a good influence on the development of Rondo, didn't play a single minute.

Reviewing, he brought in Cassel, O'Bryant, Giddens, Walker, and Tony Allen and contemplated bringing in Miles and still had Pruitt signed. Basically, 40% of our roster was completely useless in the defense of the NBA title and were failures or developmental players. That is inexcusably bad front office management.

TP. Nice recap. We made an honest run at Posey and Maggette... after that we should have pulled a name or 2 from this pool: Anthony Carter, Janero Pargo, Dasagna Diop, Roger Mason, Chris Anderson, Kurt Thomas, Michael Finley, Anthony Johnson, Mikael Pietrus, Dikembe Mutombo, Quinton Ross, Flip Murray, Matt Barnes, etc.

Going into next year we can only carry 3 projects on a 15 man roster!! And it would be soooo nice to get a legit 6th man this year. Sheed or Dyess, we're waiting for you....

[Eeyore III]

Nice posts, nick and Scooby, TPs each.

Thinking ahead to next year, some of the players we could have gottten this year, like Andersen and Barnes, will be out of our price range.

Any chance UFA Grant Hill decides to abandon Team "Let's Babysit Amare" and takes his act east?  He's made his money already.  Maybe he'd come.

[cdif911]

I think the way you put it Nick does put a lot of things in perspective - I agree that signing Posey for the money he wanted was too much (and look how well NO did, right?) but too many risky guys without guys who have been there, solid veterans with no real upside has been a big big problem.  Steph was a good pickup in that sense, but he still hasn't been given the green light (or perhaps he's just stuck at yellow) - now as far as guys like Andersen and Kurt Thomas, etc. how much of this was speculation vs. how much was factually we could have had him for minimum money... b/c I do think sometimes agents/players posture by threatening to go elsewhere if the team doesn't pony up...

[Lucky17]

My distaste for the handling of the last offseason is well documented. If Ainge didn't want to spend the money on the proven, veteran, role player Posey, all I wanted was that he sign proven, veteran, role players. I even suggested following their own advice. Both Ainge and Doc made comments stating that they were a better team when they played a conventional lineup with size and strength in the 4 slot and were not as good when they played Posey at the four. Sign three vetran players, one a big man, one a wing and one a PG was my suggestion. Although we couldn't afford it my suggestions of Kurt Thomas, Roger Mason and Tyronne Lue would have been about what I was talking about.

[ . . .]

- He passed on numerous better, proven veterans that could have helped if used in their roles. Anthony Carter, Janero Pargo, Dasagna Diop, Roger Mason, Chris Anderson, Kurt Thomas, Michael Finley, Anthony Johnson, Mikael Pietrus, Dikembe Mutombo, Quinton Ross, Flip Murray, Matt Barnes, etc., etc. All proven vets with no upside. Just proven in what they could give you and important to clubs across the league. And affordable. Sure some for more than the apparent $2.5 million per year, two year cap that the Celtics were seeming stuck with, but still affordable.

[ . . . ]

Reviewing, he brought in Cassel, O'Bryant, Giddens, Walker, and Tony Allen and contemplated bringing in Miles and still had Pruitt signed. Basically, 40% of our roster was completely useless in the defense of the NBA title and were failures or developmental players. That is inexcusably bad front office management.

Nick, you're conveniently ignoring the financial constraints under which Ainge had to operate this past season. He only had the MLE, LLE, and minimum level money he could use to address the bench.

There is no way in hell you can land Mason, Lue, and Kurt Thomas with that money. No way. Thomas alone would have used 80% of the MLE. Mason's getting paid $2 million more than Eddie House over the next few years, for about the same production. And Ainge would be crucified by this blog if he'd paid Ty Lue $2.25 million this year.

Of the guys on your wish list, we did hear about overtures made to Anderson and Mutombo. And I advocated for picking up Ross in a trade with Memphis all throughout this season. But do you really think Pietrus, Barnes, or Pargo comes to Boston to play for a fraction of the MLE? Is Finley really going to leave his established position in San Antonio for even money, or less? Guys like Carter, Anderson, and Mutombo also had established ties to the teams that eventually signed or re-signed them. We were never really a consideration for some of these players.

Ainge's offseason was not only about this year, but next. Giddens and Walker are locked into cheap contracts. O'Bryant was a flier: if he'd panned out, he'd have been another cheap contract to help fill in the bench (sadly, he didn't). When the Big Three is taking up 75% of your payroll, what available money you have left has to be spread pretty thin to fill in the cracks. That means rookie contracts, Bird rights, minimum-level vets, and judicious use of your exceptions.