Lester inks one year deal.....Here's our 15th guaranteed player!

[the_Bird]

We can talk in circles all we want, and it very well COULD be a guaranteed deal - but if a player signs a non-guaranteed contract, or a partially guaranteed contract, it still has a term (usually of one year).   There's just nothing in the reporting so far to indicate that this is anything more than what we've been expecting.  

Remember, too, that the second-round picks Danny has drafted that he's had really high expectations for have signed "three year" contracts, with one or two of those years guaranteed (but still referred to as a three-year contract).  That's what Gomes signed, and that's what he tried to get BBD to sign initially (which is why he was a free agent this year after only being in the league two seasons).  

[the_Bird]

Nothing I've read indicates that EITHER contract is guaranteed.  Guys don't come to camp without signing at least a non-guaranteed contract, do they?  They've got to get paid while they're in camp.

A little surprised (and intrigued) by the Sweetney news.  *IF* he's in shape, I remember him being a pretty good scorer down low (one of those guys that the New York media blew up into being a much better prospect than he was, but a good player nonetheless). 

A little surprised that Bobby Swift wasn't the 16th man; he looked slow in summer league, maybe he just hasn't progressed.  A little surprised as well that it wasn't a point guard, although it wouldn't be surprising to find out that Bobby Jackson got an invite and declined it (wanting guaranteed money) before they invited Sweetney in.

By the way, this part of your post puzzles me. BJ probably wanted GUARANTEED money...isn't that what Lester got by signing a one year deal? What is guaranteed money if it's not signing a contract for a specific number of years?

Help me on this one.

That's what we're talking about; does a one-year contract necessarily mean guaranteed money for one year? 

I say "no."  With a non-guaranteed deal, the team still has the player under contract for the year, just with the right to terminate this contract.  All contracts, guaranteed or non-guaranteed, *have* to have a term - one year, three year, five year.  That tells you nothing about what the contract actually guarantees, only how long the contract is for.

And, if you're going to be in camp and getting paid for being in camp, you've got to be under SOME form of contract (and those contracts are going to be written for at least a season, even if the whole term isn't guaranteed).

[Fafnir]

the_Bird has it right on this.

You can have a 2 year deal that's non-guaranteed, or a one year deal. The length of the contract is not related to whether its guaranteed.

From Larry Coon's Salary Cap FAQ:

91. Are contracts always guaranteed?

Not necessarily. There are a few specific types of contracts that must be guaranteed. All other guarantees are a matter of individual negotiation between the player and team when the contract is signed. Only a player's base salary can be guaranteed -- not bonuses or incentives. The percentage of base salary that is guaranteed cannot increase from one year to the next (e.g., if 50% of a player's salary is guaranteed one season, then no more than 50% of his salary can be guaranteed in any subsequent season of the contract).

There are actually several types of guarantees: lack of skill, death (insured or non-insured), injury/illness (insured or non-insured), mental disability (insured or non-insured), and non-insured basketball-related injury. So, for example, a contract might be fully guaranteed for any injury or illness, but not for lack of skill. Some guarantees are for a partial amount of the player's salary, and the amount can change on specified dates. For example, $2 million of Vlade Divac's $5.94 million 2005-06 salary with the Lakers was guaranteed through September 30, 2005. Had he remained on the Lakers' roster after that date, his entire salary would have become guaranteed. Since he was waived prior to that date, he was only owed $2 million.

The required guarantees are as follows:

    * For sign-and-trade contracts, the first season must be protected for lack of skill.
    * For rookie "scale" contracts, all seasons must be protected for skill and non-insured injury/illness for at least 80% of the rookie scale amount.

In addition, on January 10 the base salary in all contracts becomes guaranteed for the remainder of that season (except for one case -- see question 59). A player must clear waivers by this date, so teams will waive players a couple days before in order to have them off their rosters before January 10. Also, if a player is waived prior to January 10 but is injured as a direct result of playing basketball with his team, then his salary is guaranteed until he is ready to play again or until the end of the season, whichever comes first.

As a second round pick, Hudson does not fall under the rookie "scale".

[MrTripleDouble10]

Looks like JoJo wasn't BS'ing me on Sunday night when he told me this.  Just as I suspected, a non-guaranteed deal.

[sully00]

Most minimum contracts are not guaranteed unless it is specifically stated.  I don't think Sheldon Williams, Lester Hudson, or Mike Sweetney's deals are guaranteed, until Jan 10, outside of money to cover expenses.

[Fafnir]

Most minimum contracts are not guaranteed unless it is specifically stated.  I don't think Sheldon Williams, Lester Hudson, or Mike Sweetney's deals are guaranteed, until Jan 10, outside of money to cover expenses.

Sheldon's was reported to be a guaranteed deal.

[chris33]

Isn't this "kid" like 25? How the hell do you graduate from college at 25? Think about it.  He's younger than Perk, Rondo, and Big Baby.  Something tells me that you are not looking at a high basketball IQ here.

[jdpapa3]

Isn't this "kid" like 25? How the hell do you graduate from college at 25? Think about it.  He's younger than Perk, Rondo, and Big Baby.  Something tells me that you are not looking at a high basketball IQ here.

Because basketball IQ and normal IQ are related huh? You hear the stuff Gary Payton says?

[TBreezy]

and sometimes people mature:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?id=3252464

[Scribbles]

Isn't this "kid" like 25? How the hell do you graduate from college at 25? Think about it.  He's younger than Perk, Rondo, and Big Baby.  Something tells me that you are not looking at a high basketball IQ here.

What's your point, I highly doubt even 15% of the NBA had higher than the bare minimum to stay eligible. 

The QB for BC is 25 and is just a freshmen in college, not that big a deal it happens quite frequently where some kids graduate in their mid-late 20's from college.  Like Tbreezy said, people mature and get their life in order. 

[Jon]

I don't know about the status of the contract.  Overall, I consider this an OK move.  If everything goes right this year, Hudson likely won't spend a game on the active roster.  So I wouldn't get excited.  

I probably would've preferred a Lue or Jackson.  Though neither would salvage the season if Rondo went down for good, both would be more useful if Rondo missed 10 games.  Still, in the case of that example, we'd really only be talking about winning a couple of extra regular season games, which likely won't matter much in the long run.  

[RAcker]

The guy can score for sure, but let's hope he has some handle and is a quick learner.  It would be nice to have found a diamond in the rough.

However, I'm not holding my breath.  This is a season for getting #18 and not for trying out potential.

[Jon]

The guy can score for sure, but let's hope he has some handle and is a quick learner.  It would be nice to have found a diamond in the rough.

However, I'm not holding my breath.  This is a season for getting #18 and not for trying out potential.

This is true.  I'm OK with the signing because there's a fairly good chance the 15th player on the C's roster is meaningless to the team's success. 

However, I also couldn't care less about Lester Hudson.  There's a very good chance he isn't in the league in 3 years and if he is, it's unlikely he's ever going to be something that the C's will regret losing. 

[HomeRunBaker]

Isn't this "kid" like 25? How the hell do you graduate from college at 25? Think about it.  He's younger than Perk, Rondo, and Big Baby.  Something tells me that you are not looking at a high basketball IQ here.

Without getting into a debate on how you came to the conclusion that Hudson may not have a high BBIQ you seem to look like you are on to something.  Based on the few minutes i saw of the Celtics practice that was televised on NBATV.  Doc literally had to stop practice to instruct Hudson how to run a half-court 5-on-0 drill because he was out there wandering around aimlessly as they ran a standard offensive set.  Defensively he seems to lack basic understanding on man-to-man team defense schemes.

This guy is 25 yet his court savvy is Gerald Green-like green when he was a rookie here.  He looks similar to Giddens last year at this same stage......totally lost and out of place on an NBA court.

[celticsclay]

Isn't this "kid" like 25? How the hell do you graduate from college at 25? Think about it.  He's younger than Perk, Rondo, and Big Baby.  Something tells me that you are not looking at a high basketball IQ here.

What's your point, I highly doubt even 15% of the NBA had higher than the bare minimum to stay eligible. 

The QB for BC is 25 and is just a freshmen in college, not that big a deal it happens quite frequently where some kids graduate in their mid-late 20's from college.  Like Tbreezy said, people mature and get their life in order. 

Yeah why so much hate for a guy that has seemingly made a big effort to make the most of his opportunities (although ill admit some self inflicted setbacks)