The Cs should have signed Powe

[Bankshot]

Solution to this argument - trade with Cleveland...

Cleveland gets Scal and BBD(and maybe a 1st rounder)

Boston gets Powe and West

It would never happen b/c Cleveland knows that trade would put us over the top of them(if we weren't already) But it does kinda make sense for both sides. Cleveland frees up a couple million more to offer LeBron, plus they get 2 active Forwards(1 with range) As for us, we get our backup G that can create his own shot, defend and PASS. Too bad Cleveland didn't give up on West early in the season and he would've been welcomed back with open arms in Boston

   We're going to trade two players for damaged goods and throw in a draft pick to boot? Did we somehow re-hire Pitino to run the club?

The Powe love is getting ridiculous, isn't it?

[BballTim]

  What does contribute mean for Powe this year? 3 minutes a game in the playoffs? If Cleveland had Wallace and Davis coming off the bench they probably would have passed on Powe as well.

also, as far as CLE is concerned, they have Varejao and Ilgauskas so it's not like they were without options in their frontcourt.

and BOS didn't ultimately pass on Leon. They offered him a contract.

The overall point here being that the contract that Leon signed is not prohibitive...

So, again the plan to not offer him a contract right out of the gate, instead telling him that they would revisit him once he showed he could play, only to later decide they would offer him a contract was really the problem and didn't make much sense.

  It probably made sense that they'd try and keep a player away from the Cavs even though they don't expect him to play for us. I'd consider Hickson more of a backup than Varejao since he only plays about 16 minutes a game.

If their expectation was that he was not going to be able to contribute this season then why would they be concerned about keeping him away from the Cavs? to answer my own question: in the case that he did end up being able to contribute....which is the same reason the Cs should have signed him in the first place...

but either way, the contract he signed was not prohibitive...for the Cavs or the Cs...

  Because, while you refuse to admit it, KP/KG/RW/BBD is a much better front line than Shaq/Z/Varejao/Hickson.

[winsomme]

  What does contribute mean for Powe this year? 3 minutes a game in the playoffs? If Cleveland had Wallace and Davis coming off the bench they probably would have passed on Powe as well.

also, as far as CLE is concerned, they have Varejao and Ilgauskas so it's not like they were without options in their frontcourt.

and BOS didn't ultimately pass on Leon. They offered him a contract.

The overall point here being that the contract that Leon signed is not prohibitive...

So, again the plan to not offer him a contract right out of the gate, instead telling him that they would revisit him once he showed he could play, only to later decide they would offer him a contract was really the problem and didn't make much sense.

  It probably made sense that they'd try and keep a player away from the Cavs even though they don't expect him to play for us. I'd consider Hickson more of a backup than Varejao since he only plays about 16 minutes a game.

If their expectation was that he was not going to be able to contribute this season then why would they be concerned about keeping him away from the Cavs? to answer my own question: in the case that he did end up being able to contribute....which is the same reason the Cs should have signed him in the first place...

but either way, the contract he signed was not prohibitive...for the Cavs or the Cs...

  Because, while you refuse to admit it, KP/KG/RW/BBD is a much better front line than Shaq/Z/Varejao/Hickson.

which question are you answering here? You're suggesting that they didn't expect Leon to contribute this season because he was coming back from a serious injury (a la your 50%, 75% post)...

so why would the Cs worry about Leon being able to contribute on the Cavs given his health situation?

whether our front line is better than theirs is irrelevant (although I don't remember saying that theirs is better than ours). and it's especially irrelevant given the contract that Leon signed...which, again, would not have been prohibitive for either team.

[ssspence]

  What does contribute mean for Powe this year? 3 minutes a game in the playoffs? If Cleveland had Wallace and Davis coming off the bench they probably would have passed on Powe as well.

also, as far as CLE is concerned, they have Varejao and Ilgauskas so it's not like they were without options in their frontcourt.

and BOS didn't ultimately pass on Leon. They offered him a contract.

The overall point here being that the contract that Leon signed is not prohibitive...

So, again the plan to not offer him a contract right out of the gate, instead telling him that they would revisit him once he showed he could play, only to later decide they would offer him a contract was really the problem and didn't make much sense.

  It probably made sense that they'd try and keep a player away from the Cavs even though they don't expect him to play for us. I'd consider Hickson more of a backup than Varejao since he only plays about 16 minutes a game.

If their expectation was that he was not going to be able to contribute this season then why would they be concerned about keeping him away from the Cavs? to answer my own question: in the case that he did end up being able to contribute....which is the same reason the Cs should have signed him in the first place...

but either way, the contract he signed was not prohibitive...for the Cavs or the Cs...

  Because, while you refuse to admit it, KP/KG/RW/BBD is a much better front line than Shaq/Z/Varejao/Hickson.

That's true. Which explains why Cavs players have been talking about their excitement for Leon's return.

But I don't think that excludes Leon from the ability to contribute to the Cs, had he been on the team.

[ssspence]

good stuff on this post -- TPs for the group (those who actually debated the subject anyway)...

[BballTim]

  What does contribute mean for Powe this year? 3 minutes a game in the playoffs? If Cleveland had Wallace and Davis coming off the bench they probably would have passed on Powe as well.

also, as far as CLE is concerned, they have Varejao and Ilgauskas so it's not like they were without options in their frontcourt.

and BOS didn't ultimately pass on Leon. They offered him a contract.

The overall point here being that the contract that Leon signed is not prohibitive...

So, again the plan to not offer him a contract right out of the gate, instead telling him that they would revisit him once he showed he could play, only to later decide they would offer him a contract was really the problem and didn't make much sense.

  It probably made sense that they'd try and keep a player away from the Cavs even though they don't expect him to play for us. I'd consider Hickson more of a backup than Varejao since he only plays about 16 minutes a game.

If their expectation was that he was not going to be able to contribute this season then why would they be concerned about keeping him away from the Cavs? to answer my own question: in the case that he did end up being able to contribute....which is the same reason the Cs should have signed him in the first place...

but either way, the contract he signed was not prohibitive...for the Cavs or the Cs...

  Because, while you refuse to admit it, KP/KG/RW/BBD is a much better front line than Shaq/Z/Varejao/Hickson.

which question are you answering here? You're suggesting that they didn't expect Leon to contribute this season because he was coming back from a serious injury (a la your 50%, 75% post)...

so why would the Cs worry about Leon being able to contribute on the Cavs given his health situation?

whether our front line is better than theirs is irrelevant (although I don't remember saying that theirs is better than ours). and it's especially irrelevant given the contract that Leon signed...which, again, would not have been prohibitive for either team.

  Of course it's not irrelevant. Powe at 75% might be able to make a decent contribution for Cleveland while Powe at 75% wouldn't be able to pry any minutes from Sheed or Davis on the Celts. It's a better risk for Cleveland because they're more likely to reap (any) rewards than we would be.

[winsomme]

  What does contribute mean for Powe this year? 3 minutes a game in the playoffs? If Cleveland had Wallace and Davis coming off the bench they probably would have passed on Powe as well.

also, as far as CLE is concerned, they have Varejao and Ilgauskas so it's not like they were without options in their frontcourt.

and BOS didn't ultimately pass on Leon. They offered him a contract.

The overall point here being that the contract that Leon signed is not prohibitive...

So, again the plan to not offer him a contract right out of the gate, instead telling him that they would revisit him once he showed he could play, only to later decide they would offer him a contract was really the problem and didn't make much sense.

  It probably made sense that they'd try and keep a player away from the Cavs even though they don't expect him to play for us. I'd consider Hickson more of a backup than Varejao since he only plays about 16 minutes a game.

If their expectation was that he was not going to be able to contribute this season then why would they be concerned about keeping him away from the Cavs? to answer my own question: in the case that he did end up being able to contribute....which is the same reason the Cs should have signed him in the first place...

but either way, the contract he signed was not prohibitive...for the Cavs or the Cs...

  Because, while you refuse to admit it, KP/KG/RW/BBD is a much better front line than Shaq/Z/Varejao/Hickson.

which question are you answering here? You're suggesting that they didn't expect Leon to contribute this season because he was coming back from a serious injury (a la your 50%, 75% post)...

so why would the Cs worry about Leon being able to contribute on the Cavs given his health situation?

whether our front line is better than theirs is irrelevant (although I don't remember saying that theirs is better than ours). and it's especially irrelevant given the contract that Leon signed...which, again, would not have been prohibitive for either team.

  Of course it's not irrelevant. Powe at 75% might be able to make a decent contribution for Cleveland while Powe at 75% wouldn't be able to pry any minutes from Sheed or Davis on the Celts. It's a better risk for Cleveland because they're more likely to reap (any) rewards than we would be.

What exactly is the risk?

[guava_wrench]

Isn't this rather premature considering Powe hasn't even hit the court yet and we have no idea how the surgery will have effected him?

Just saying that maybe we should see how his reconstructive surgery has effected him before making blanket assumptions regarding exactly what he could have done for this team this year.

Besides, I think Williams has played very well the whole season and Davis has now had two very good games in a row and 3 good games in his last 5 as he rounds into playing shape. I don't see that if all five guys we have at the bigs position are healthy and playing well come February, how Leon signing could have helped this year, especially not knowing what he can contribute given he's coming off major knee surgery.

I don't think it's premature for 2 reasons:

1) The point of my post is to speculate on Leon's potential value to the team. To say they should have signed him after he starts playing well again is obvious and pointless. What i'm saying is: if you're talking about two guys who can't play (giddens and powe), which would you rather have? I'll take the guy with the potential to play, not the d-league all-star.

2) You mention a lack of need if all 5 of our big are healthy. Well, when was the last time that happened? When was the last time the Cs entire rotation was healthy? In both cases, it was over a year ago. Assuming an old team's health is like assuming Powe can't come back from knee surgery.

Yes, if the 5 big guys we have are totally healthy and fresh, then we won't have a great need for Leon. If not, Leon could be doing for us what he may be doing for one of our likely playoff opponents this spring.

I simply don't understand the ongoing assumption that everyone is going to be fresh come springtime -- like the Cs have a plan for injuries. Haven't we learned anything from last year? Last night I watched 5 tired guys standing around looking at each other with no movement or rhythm throughout the 4th quarter. Didn't it remind you a little bit of last year's failings at the end of the season and in the playoffs?

it is pointless to speculate right now considering this topic has been beat to death already in past threads and there is no new info.

[BballTim]

  What does contribute mean for Powe this year? 3 minutes a game in the playoffs? If Cleveland had Wallace and Davis coming off the bench they probably would have passed on Powe as well.

also, as far as CLE is concerned, they have Varejao and Ilgauskas so it's not like they were without options in their frontcourt.

and BOS didn't ultimately pass on Leon. They offered him a contract.

The overall point here being that the contract that Leon signed is not prohibitive...

So, again the plan to not offer him a contract right out of the gate, instead telling him that they would revisit him once he showed he could play, only to later decide they would offer him a contract was really the problem and didn't make much sense.

  It probably made sense that they'd try and keep a player away from the Cavs even though they don't expect him to play for us. I'd consider Hickson more of a backup than Varejao since he only plays about 16 minutes a game.

If their expectation was that he was not going to be able to contribute this season then why would they be concerned about keeping him away from the Cavs? to answer my own question: in the case that he did end up being able to contribute....which is the same reason the Cs should have signed him in the first place...

but either way, the contract he signed was not prohibitive...for the Cavs or the Cs...

  Because, while you refuse to admit it, KP/KG/RW/BBD is a much better front line than Shaq/Z/Varejao/Hickson.

which question are you answering here? You're suggesting that they didn't expect Leon to contribute this season because he was coming back from a serious injury (a la your 50%, 75% post)...

so why would the Cs worry about Leon being able to contribute on the Cavs given his health situation?

whether our front line is better than theirs is irrelevant (although I don't remember saying that theirs is better than ours). and it's especially irrelevant given the contract that Leon signed...which, again, would not have been prohibitive for either team.

  Of course it's not irrelevant. Powe at 75% might be able to make a decent contribution for Cleveland while Powe at 75% wouldn't be able to pry any minutes from Sheed or Davis on the Celts. It's a better risk for Cleveland because they're more likely to reap (any) rewards than we would be.

What exactly is the risk?

  Spending money and a roster spot on a player who won't be able to contribute to the team at all.

[winsomme]

  What does contribute mean for Powe this year? 3 minutes a game in the playoffs? If Cleveland had Wallace and Davis coming off the bench they probably would have passed on Powe as well.

also, as far as CLE is concerned, they have Varejao and Ilgauskas so it's not like they were without options in their frontcourt.

and BOS didn't ultimately pass on Leon. They offered him a contract.

The overall point here being that the contract that Leon signed is not prohibitive...

So, again the plan to not offer him a contract right out of the gate, instead telling him that they would revisit him once he showed he could play, only to later decide they would offer him a contract was really the problem and didn't make much sense.

  It probably made sense that they'd try and keep a player away from the Cavs even though they don't expect him to play for us. I'd consider Hickson more of a backup than Varejao since he only plays about 16 minutes a game.

If their expectation was that he was not going to be able to contribute this season then why would they be concerned about keeping him away from the Cavs? to answer my own question: in the case that he did end up being able to contribute....which is the same reason the Cs should have signed him in the first place...

but either way, the contract he signed was not prohibitive...for the Cavs or the Cs...

  Because, while you refuse to admit it, KP/KG/RW/BBD is a much better front line than Shaq/Z/Varejao/Hickson.

which question are you answering here? You're suggesting that they didn't expect Leon to contribute this season because he was coming back from a serious injury (a la your 50%, 75% post)...

so why would the Cs worry about Leon being able to contribute on the Cavs given his health situation?

whether our front line is better than theirs is irrelevant (although I don't remember saying that theirs is better than ours). and it's especially irrelevant given the contract that Leon signed...which, again, would not have been prohibitive for either team.

  Of course it's not irrelevant. Powe at 75% might be able to make a decent contribution for Cleveland while Powe at 75% wouldn't be able to pry any minutes from Sheed or Davis on the Celts. It's a better risk for Cleveland because they're more likely to reap (any) rewards than we would be.

What exactly is the risk?

  Spending money and a roster spot on a player who won't be able to contribute to the team at all.

Bball, the contract he signed was the protection against that eventuality...

[BballTim]

  What does contribute mean for Powe this year? 3 minutes a game in the playoffs? If Cleveland had Wallace and Davis coming off the bench they probably would have passed on Powe as well.

also, as far as CLE is concerned, they have Varejao and Ilgauskas so it's not like they were without options in their frontcourt.

and BOS didn't ultimately pass on Leon. They offered him a contract.

The overall point here being that the contract that Leon signed is not prohibitive...

So, again the plan to not offer him a contract right out of the gate, instead telling him that they would revisit him once he showed he could play, only to later decide they would offer him a contract was really the problem and didn't make much sense.

  It probably made sense that they'd try and keep a player away from the Cavs even though they don't expect him to play for us. I'd consider Hickson more of a backup than Varejao since he only plays about 16 minutes a game.

If their expectation was that he was not going to be able to contribute this season then why would they be concerned about keeping him away from the Cavs? to answer my own question: in the case that he did end up being able to contribute....which is the same reason the Cs should have signed him in the first place...

but either way, the contract he signed was not prohibitive...for the Cavs or the Cs...

  Because, while you refuse to admit it, KP/KG/RW/BBD is a much better front line than Shaq/Z/Varejao/Hickson.

which question are you answering here? You're suggesting that they didn't expect Leon to contribute this season because he was coming back from a serious injury (a la your 50%, 75% post)...

so why would the Cs worry about Leon being able to contribute on the Cavs given his health situation?

whether our front line is better than theirs is irrelevant (although I don't remember saying that theirs is better than ours). and it's especially irrelevant given the contract that Leon signed...which, again, would not have been prohibitive for either team.

  Of course it's not irrelevant. Powe at 75% might be able to make a decent contribution for Cleveland while Powe at 75% wouldn't be able to pry any minutes from Sheed or Davis on the Celts. It's a better risk for Cleveland because they're more likely to reap (any) rewards than we would be.

What exactly is the risk?

  Spending money and a roster spot on a player who won't be able to contribute to the team at all.

Bball, the contract he signed was the protection against that eventuality...

  How? What if the choice for the 15th spot was between Lester and Leon? If Hudson worked out we'd have a backup pg where we now have a committee of non-pgs manning the spot. If Leon works out he either isn't even in the rotation or he takes Baby out of the rotation. We don't have much to gain unless he makes a tremendous recovery if we have anything to gain at all.

[ssspence]

Isn't this rather premature considering Powe hasn't even hit the court yet and we have no idea how the surgery will have effected him?

Just saying that maybe we should see how his reconstructive surgery has effected him before making blanket assumptions regarding exactly what he could have done for this team this year.

Besides, I think Williams has played very well the whole season and Davis has now had two very good games in a row and 3 good games in his last 5 as he rounds into playing shape. I don't see that if all five guys we have at the bigs position are healthy and playing well come February, how Leon signing could have helped this year, especially not knowing what he can contribute given he's coming off major knee surgery.

I don't think it's premature for 2 reasons:

1) The point of my post is to speculate on Leon's potential value to the team. To say they should have signed him after he starts playing well again is obvious and pointless. What i'm saying is: if you're talking about two guys who can't play (giddens and powe), which would you rather have? I'll take the guy with the potential to play, not the d-league all-star.

2) You mention a lack of need if all 5 of our big are healthy. Well, when was the last time that happened? When was the last time the Cs entire rotation was healthy? In both cases, it was over a year ago. Assuming an old team's health is like assuming Powe can't come back from knee surgery.

Yes, if the 5 big guys we have are totally healthy and fresh, then we won't have a great need for Leon. If not, Leon could be doing for us what he may be doing for one of our likely playoff opponents this spring.

I simply don't understand the ongoing assumption that everyone is going to be fresh come springtime -- like the Cs have a plan for injuries. Haven't we learned anything from last year? Last night I watched 5 tired guys standing around looking at each other with no movement or rhythm throughout the 4th quarter. Didn't it remind you a little bit of last year's failings at the end of the season and in the playoffs?

it is pointless to speculate right now considering this topic has been beat to death already in past threads and there is no new info.

so if you have nothing to add -- why reply?

[ssspence]

  What does contribute mean for Powe this year? 3 minutes a game in the playoffs? If Cleveland had Wallace and Davis coming off the bench they probably would have passed on Powe as well.

also, as far as CLE is concerned, they have Varejao and Ilgauskas so it's not like they were without options in their frontcourt.

and BOS didn't ultimately pass on Leon. They offered him a contract.

The overall point here being that the contract that Leon signed is not prohibitive...

So, again the plan to not offer him a contract right out of the gate, instead telling him that they would revisit him once he showed he could play, only to later decide they would offer him a contract was really the problem and didn't make much sense.

  It probably made sense that they'd try and keep a player away from the Cavs even though they don't expect him to play for us. I'd consider Hickson more of a backup than Varejao since he only plays about 16 minutes a game.

If their expectation was that he was not going to be able to contribute this season then why would they be concerned about keeping him away from the Cavs? to answer my own question: in the case that he did end up being able to contribute....which is the same reason the Cs should have signed him in the first place...

but either way, the contract he signed was not prohibitive...for the Cavs or the Cs...

  Because, while you refuse to admit it, KP/KG/RW/BBD is a much better front line than Shaq/Z/Varejao/Hickson.

which question are you answering here? You're suggesting that they didn't expect Leon to contribute this season because he was coming back from a serious injury (a la your 50%, 75% post)...

so why would the Cs worry about Leon being able to contribute on the Cavs given his health situation?

whether our front line is better than theirs is irrelevant (although I don't remember saying that theirs is better than ours). and it's especially irrelevant given the contract that Leon signed...which, again, would not have been prohibitive for either team.

  Of course it's not irrelevant. Powe at 75% might be able to make a decent contribution for Cleveland while Powe at 75% wouldn't be able to pry any minutes from Sheed or Davis on the Celts. It's a better risk for Cleveland because they're more likely to reap (any) rewards than we would be.

What exactly is the risk?

  Spending money and a roster spot on a player who won't be able to contribute to the team at all.

Bball, the contract he signed was the protection against that eventuality...

  How? What if the choice for the 15th spot was between Lester and Leon? If Hudson worked out we'd have a backup pg where we now have a committee of non-pgs manning the spot. If Leon works out he either isn't even in the rotation or he takes Baby out of the rotation. We don't have much to gain unless he makes a tremendous recovery if we have anything to gain at all.

Did you actually imagine the Lester Hudson was going to play this season? Come on...

When Baby and Leon were on this team together, they both made contributions based on match up. You're also discounting their value as assets for depth or trade.

[winsomme]

  What does contribute mean for Powe this year? 3 minutes a game in the playoffs? If Cleveland had Wallace and Davis coming off the bench they probably would have passed on Powe as well.

also, as far as CLE is concerned, they have Varejao and Ilgauskas so it's not like they were without options in their frontcourt.

and BOS didn't ultimately pass on Leon. They offered him a contract.

The overall point here being that the contract that Leon signed is not prohibitive...

So, again the plan to not offer him a contract right out of the gate, instead telling him that they would revisit him once he showed he could play, only to later decide they would offer him a contract was really the problem and didn't make much sense.

  It probably made sense that they'd try and keep a player away from the Cavs even though they don't expect him to play for us. I'd consider Hickson more of a backup than Varejao since he only plays about 16 minutes a game.

If their expectation was that he was not going to be able to contribute this season then why would they be concerned about keeping him away from the Cavs? to answer my own question: in the case that he did end up being able to contribute....which is the same reason the Cs should have signed him in the first place...

but either way, the contract he signed was not prohibitive...for the Cavs or the Cs...

  Because, while you refuse to admit it, KP/KG/RW/BBD is a much better front line than Shaq/Z/Varejao/Hickson.

which question are you answering here? You're suggesting that they didn't expect Leon to contribute this season because he was coming back from a serious injury (a la your 50%, 75% post)...

so why would the Cs worry about Leon being able to contribute on the Cavs given his health situation?

whether our front line is better than theirs is irrelevant (although I don't remember saying that theirs is better than ours). and it's especially irrelevant given the contract that Leon signed...which, again, would not have been prohibitive for either team.

  Of course it's not irrelevant. Powe at 75% might be able to make a decent contribution for Cleveland while Powe at 75% wouldn't be able to pry any minutes from Sheed or Davis on the Celts. It's a better risk for Cleveland because they're more likely to reap (any) rewards than we would be.

What exactly is the risk?

  Spending money and a roster spot on a player who won't be able to contribute to the team at all.

Bball, the contract he signed was the protection against that eventuality...

  How? What if the choice for the 15th spot was between Lester and Leon? If Hudson worked out we'd have a backup pg where we now have a committee of non-pgs manning the spot. If Leon works out he either isn't even in the rotation or he takes Baby out of the rotation. We don't have much to gain unless he makes a tremendous recovery if we have anything to gain at all.

'How?'

Because a contract for one season at $900,000 (with a team option) does not prevent you from releasing if need-be...

plus if he does come back well enough to play, you then have another trade chip (Leon, Baby, Scals, Shelden) or you release Shelden...on and on...

also, in regard to Lester being bumped, remember, they OFFERED Leon a contract....

[BballTim]

  What does contribute mean for Powe this year? 3 minutes a game in the playoffs? If Cleveland had Wallace and Davis coming off the bench they probably would have passed on Powe as well.

also, as far as CLE is concerned, they have Varejao and Ilgauskas so it's not like they were without options in their frontcourt.

and BOS didn't ultimately pass on Leon. They offered him a contract.

The overall point here being that the contract that Leon signed is not prohibitive...

So, again the plan to not offer him a contract right out of the gate, instead telling him that they would revisit him once he showed he could play, only to later decide they would offer him a contract was really the problem and didn't make much sense.

  It probably made sense that they'd try and keep a player away from the Cavs even though they don't expect him to play for us. I'd consider Hickson more of a backup than Varejao since he only plays about 16 minutes a game.

If their expectation was that he was not going to be able to contribute this season then why would they be concerned about keeping him away from the Cavs? to answer my own question: in the case that he did end up being able to contribute....which is the same reason the Cs should have signed him in the first place...

but either way, the contract he signed was not prohibitive...for the Cavs or the Cs...

  Because, while you refuse to admit it, KP/KG/RW/BBD is a much better front line than Shaq/Z/Varejao/Hickson.

which question are you answering here? You're suggesting that they didn't expect Leon to contribute this season because he was coming back from a serious injury (a la your 50%, 75% post)...

so why would the Cs worry about Leon being able to contribute on the Cavs given his health situation?

whether our front line is better than theirs is irrelevant (although I don't remember saying that theirs is better than ours). and it's especially irrelevant given the contract that Leon signed...which, again, would not have been prohibitive for either team.

  Of course it's not irrelevant. Powe at 75% might be able to make a decent contribution for Cleveland while Powe at 75% wouldn't be able to pry any minutes from Sheed or Davis on the Celts. It's a better risk for Cleveland because they're more likely to reap (any) rewards than we would be.

What exactly is the risk?

  Spending money and a roster spot on a player who won't be able to contribute to the team at all.

Bball, the contract he signed was the protection against that eventuality...

  How? What if the choice for the 15th spot was between Lester and Leon? If Hudson worked out we'd have a backup pg where we now have a committee of non-pgs manning the spot. If Leon works out he either isn't even in the rotation or he takes Baby out of the rotation. We don't have much to gain unless he makes a tremendous recovery if we have anything to gain at all.

Did you actually imagine the Lester Hudson was going to play this season? Come on...

When Baby and Leon were on this team together, they both made contributions based on match up. You're also discounting their value as assets for depth or trade.

  Maybe you should impart your expertise on Ainge and Chris Wallace, who probably disagree with your claim that there was no way Lester would ever play this year. But I'm equally skeptical about Powe coming back. Let me know when he looks good enough to beat out Sheed and Baby for minutes.

  And, by the way, even if Powe comes back and plays you can't trade anyone else because of it this year because you can't have a great expectation that he'll be healthy for the entire season/playoffs.

  This is an awfully long thread about someone who'd be unlikely to be more than a 10th or 11th man on the team.