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.
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- 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.
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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.
But the problem is he is going to have that same problem every year he is over the cap. All he is ever going to have to offer as long as the Big Three are together is the MLE, the LLE and vet mins.
Danny could very well have had Chris Anderson for the LLE, Anthony Johnson or Tyrone Lue for the LLE(as Lue had made overtures that he would take less to play in Boston), and Roger Mason, Mikael Pietrus, or Michael Finley for the MLE. Witth good negotiating he still might have had money left over to offer Mutombo a bit of the MLE.
I'm not saying all this was going to happen. What I am saying is that a major upgrade over what we got was able to be put together with what we had to offer this year. I don't believe we had serious financial restraints unless ownership went to Danny and told him he had only so much to offer(2/3 of the MLE and vet mins).
If that is indeed the case then Danny had little to work with but still might have done better than going with the, let's-just-keep-the-boyz-together philosophy, especially when one of those boyz is Tony Allen. That was a complete waste of $5 million IMO.
This year once again all Danny has to offer(if indeed POB was signed for a minimum contract and not the LLE) is the MLE, the LLE and vet mins. He has to bring back, contractually before trades
Rondo
Perk
KG
Pierce
Ray Allen
Tony Allen
Giddens
Walker
Pruitt
Scal
Eddie has a player option and could be back if he exercises it, or he could opt out. Baby and Leon are restricted. Because of what Danny did last year we are already handicapped with what we have next year. Of the 10 players under contract, unless there is big improvements happening, four of those players will probably be useless next post season.
That leaves Danny with having to try to fill out his playoff roster for next year this off season. So:
Sign Big Baby to what it takes. I don't know what that is but anything less than $5 million over 4 years should be right.
Offer the qualifying offer to Leon and hope he might be able to give you something next year. I think he's earned the right for the Celtics to give him that year.
If Eddie opts for the contract, great. If not, don't go crazy trying to re-sign him. He isn't worth more than what he is already signed for. I think he exercises the contract and stays.
That leaves two positions if Eddie stays, three if he leaves, that all of course is contingent on no trades happening.
So the MLE and LLE, each to a player and a vet mion signing should be more than enough just like it should have been more than enough this year. But if Leon isn't tendered and is let go and we see more cheap projects or low risk, high reward then we know Danny is being held back by ownership.
I think it was wdleehi that said in a thread this off season that low risk high reward players are good to have but when you have a bench full of them, then you get high risk, low reward and that is exactly what transpired this year.
Let's not do it again. Personally I see a trade happening and maybe a big, big one. I think everyone knows what that means. A certain SG might just be at the highest trading value that he will ever be at this off season with an unreal shooting year and a very desirable expiring $20 million contract.
Topic: D.A.'s biggest offseason screw up. (Read 17346 times)