Which bench players are re-signed? Nate? Daniels? Shelden? TA?

[BballTim]

RA is the only one that needs to be re-signed.


The rest are replaceable.  If Nate was consistent, he would have to be a resign.

  They're all replaceable but you wouldn't want to replace all of them at once. I'd at least bring back Tony unless he wants big(ish) bucks.

[footey]

Tony and Nate.

[P2]

Ray - Will definitely be back.

Tony - I hope he doesn't get a big contract anywhere else, and if he doesn't, he'll be back.

N8 - He is definitely good, but I don't think the Celtics want him back, plus some team will overpay for him.

Marquis - No, thanks. Only if Tony leaves, but without using the MLE.

Finley - Toast.

Shelden - If he can be had for the vet minimum, he definitely needs to be back. High energy player, good character.

Scal - ****.

[Jon]

Ray is a no brainer.  Outbid anyone on him for 2 years.  There probably won't be a ton of competition. 

As for Nate, I'm not so sure it works out here.  How much do the C's really want to commit to a guy who even in the regular season is only going to play 10-12 mpg?  And it's not like he's a Delonte type who could play some off-guard too. 

Don't get me wrong, I'd like Robinson back.  But I don't see the C's giving him close to the 3-4 million he's making now.  And if he's only going to play for 1-2 million per year, playing 10-12 mpg here (and likely less in the playoffs) isn't going to help him find a big payday down the road, so why would he want to stay here? 

If he walks, and Daniels is willing, bringing Daniels to actually play the backup 1 spot, might not be a bad idea.  He played well at times this year, and it was really more TA playing great than Marquis playing poorly. 

[housecall]

We need to bring in a backup pg that can give Rondo a break consistently during the regular season to keep Rondo as fresh as they can for the playoffs.Ray is the only 1 would care if they didn't resign...retooling the bench is not the worst idea.

[EJPLAYA]

TA if he will play for a small increase. If he wants bigger money then let him walk. He has had quite a few good stretches this year and hopefully turned the corner, but I have also seen a lot of glimpses of the old TA as well. (2 plays last night for example) He had 4 very good games in the postseason out of 17. None in this last series were very memorable. I want him back, but at a solid price. I think Marquis Daniels would have been a much better player for us this year had he not injured that thumb. He just never got back in the groove, and TA's solid play didn't let him have another chance. I doubt we can resign Marquis though, so TA would be a nice solid backup.

Shelden Williams at vet minimum would be a great re-signing. He showed that he can be a good backup player while BBD was out at the first of the year. For injury reasons you want him on the squad.

Nate will go elsewhere. Marquis likely. Finley will either retire or go elsewhere. Scalabrine will likely fade away.

Funny thing is that we only have 5 people guaranteed on the team next year. PP isn't going to walk away from 21 million, however he isn't guaranteed. Rondo, KG, Sheed, Perk, and BBD. We are going to have a fun offseason this year with all of the free agent rumors.

[Who]

Tony Allen -- undecided
Ray Allen -- undecided

Nate Robinson -- yes, I would probably resign him. The other point guard options aren't great.

Brian Scalabrine -- second choice behind Singleton
Shelden Williams -- yeah, good minimum contract 6th big in the depth chart player.
Michael Finley -- no interest

[snively]

Tony Allen -- undecided
Ray Allen -- undecided

Nate Robinson -- yes, I would probably resign him. The other point guard options aren't great.

Brian Scalabrine -- second choice behind Singleton
Shelden Williams -- yeah, good minimum contract 6th big in the depth chart player.
Michael Finley -- no interest

How are you going to replace the Ray/TA roster spots/talent levels with just the #19 pick and the MLE, especially with the other weaknesses in the rotation?  That's about 50 minutes of rotation minutes right there.  I think resigning them represents our best way to stay competitive until KG comes off the books and we can start rebuilding.  I think 2 year deals for both of them are in order, overpaying a little to compensate for the length of the contract.

Can we offer Robinson less than the $4.8 mil he's making now without tapping into the MLE?  I know the early Bird lets us give him a 20% raise, but Nate's only worth Big Baby money at this point.  It would be overkill to pay a 10 mpg guy 5 mil per (akin to the Magic spending 10 mil on Gortat and Bass)

[Who]

Tony Allen -- undecided
Ray Allen -- undecided

Nate Robinson -- yes, I would probably resign him. The other point guard options aren't great.

Brian Scalabrine -- second choice behind Singleton
Shelden Williams -- yeah, good minimum contract 6th big in the depth chart player.
Michael Finley -- no interest

How are you going to replace the Ray/TA roster spots/talent levels with just the #19 pick and the MLE, especially with the other weaknesses in the rotation?  That's about 50 minutes of rotation minutes right there.  I think resigning them represents our best way to stay competitive until KG comes off the books and we can start rebuilding.  I think 2 year deals for both of them are in order, overpaying a little to compensate for the length of the contract.

Can we offer Robinson less than the $4.8 mil he's making now without tapping into the MLE?  I know the early Bird lets us give him a 20% raise, but Nate's only worth Big Baby money at this point.  It would be overkill to pay a 10 mpg guy 5 mil per (akin to the Magic spending 10 mil on Gortat and Bass)

(1) I am still open starting the rebuilding process this summer. I'm not sure this group has another title run in them (next season) ... so maybe it's best to cut the cord now rather than play out two more years and rebuild then.

Anyway, I haven't decided on this one way or the other. I am just open to it as a possibility.

(2) If the Celtics can land Paul George with the #19 pick and they then spend the MLE on a wing, they can replace those 50 minutes.

(3) My understanding of the situation is that the Celtics can sign Nate to any figure below that $4.8 million mark. I reckon he would need at least $3 million. So long as it's a one year contract, I don't really care what amount of money the Celtics pay him. Also, I have no interest in Nate in a multi-year deal.

[jr_3421]

I think Nate goes somewhere where he can play more.

I think that Boston will be a place Nate can play more. An offseason with the team I think will give Doc more confidence in Nate leading to bigger minutes. That being said I think Danny offers Nate a contract but would be content to let him walk for a bigger contract a la James Posey.

TA is the closest to a must sign in my opinion because I don't think it's possible to replace his defense in free agency or the draft. Shelden I could care less about.

[CoachBo]

Ray is a must-sign. He has plenty left in the tank. I'd hope he'd be willing to be realistic about a two-year deal.

You also resign Tony and Robinson but you do not overpay for either.

Beyond that, meh.

[Spicoli]

Bring back Ray and Tony at all costs. I'd like to keep Robinson and Sheldon at the right prices.

[Jon]

I think Nate goes somewhere where he can play more.

I think that Boston will be a place Nate can play more. An offseason with the team I think will give Doc more confidence in Nate leading to bigger minutes. That being said I think Danny offers Nate a contract but would be content to let him walk for a bigger contract a la James Posey.

TA is the closest to a must sign in my opinion because I don't think it's possible to replace his defense in free agency or the draft. Shelden I could care less about.

But how does Nate get more minutes?  While I'd agree with the notion that Rondo shouldn't be playing 40+ mpg during the regular season, there's no reason a player at his age with his conditioning can't play 36-38 mpg.  If that's the case, Nate can't get more than 10-12 mpg unless we go with the small backcourt.  And that means dealing with the defensive issues that go along with Nate on the court to begin with and Rondo now guarding a player 5+ inches taller than him.  It could work, as a 2-guard would also have no prayer in staying in front of Rondo or Nate; however, it'd be a risk. 

Ultimately, while I'd love to see him come back and be productive in 12 mpg, I wouldn't be surprised and I wouldn't blame him for going where he'll have more of a shot.  The only type of point guard that's really going to find Boston appealing is an aging vet looking to pick up a ring.  No one looking to build his value and pick up minutes is going to want to come in and backup Rondo. 

[snively]

Tony Allen -- undecided
Ray Allen -- undecided

Nate Robinson -- yes, I would probably resign him. The other point guard options aren't great.

Brian Scalabrine -- second choice behind Singleton
Shelden Williams -- yeah, good minimum contract 6th big in the depth chart player.
Michael Finley -- no interest

How are you going to replace the Ray/TA roster spots/talent levels with just the #19 pick and the MLE, especially with the other weaknesses in the rotation?  That's about 50 minutes of rotation minutes right there.  I think resigning them represents our best way to stay competitive until KG comes off the books and we can start rebuilding.  I think 2 year deals for both of them are in order, overpaying a little to compensate for the length of the contract.

Can we offer Robinson less than the $4.8 mil he's making now without tapping into the MLE?  I know the early Bird lets us give him a 20% raise, but Nate's only worth Big Baby money at this point.  It would be overkill to pay a 10 mpg guy 5 mil per (akin to the Magic spending 10 mil on Gortat and Bass)

(1) I am still open starting the rebuilding process this summer. I'm not sure this group has another title run in them (next season) ... so maybe it's best to cut the cord now rather than play out two more years and rebuild then.

Anyway, I haven't decided on this one way or the other. I am just open to it as a possibility.

(2) If the Celtics can land Paul George with the #19 pick and they then spend the MLE on a wing, they can replace those 50 minutes.

(3) My understanding of the situation is that the Celtics can sign Nate to any figure below that $4.8 million mark. I reckon he would need at least $3 million. So long as it's a one year contract, I don't really care what amount of money the Celtics pay him. Also, I have no interest in Nate in a multi-year deal.

1. I only want to start rebuilding when we're likely to get a high draft pick.  I don't see a KG/Pierce/Rondo team falling into the lottery next year, I really don't think Pierce will be traded (though I think the most important step in rebuilding is not shelling out a big extension for Pierce) and I don't think KG can be traded. Unless there's a promising young wing that can only be obtained by letting Ray/TA go, I don't see how letting them go benefits the team's rebuilding process.

2. I agree that Paul George and an MLE wing could eat 50 minutes, but likely not with the same production.  Besides, it's not either or: we can keep Ray/TA and draft Paul George and sign someone for the MLE.  

3. Nate for 1 year does sound pretty solid.  With a little more time to win Doc's trust he can definitely upgrade the old House role.  

If the C's resign Ray, TA and Nate they'll be able to return with their Finals rotation intact with a draft pick and MLE money to plug up the glaring holes, i.e. a back-up wing who can shoot and move faster than Michael Finley and an athletic rebounder for the frontcourt.  If this draft/FA class weren't so rich on those areas of need (draft: Xavier Henry, Paul George, Damion James, Luke Babbit, Gordon Hayward, Larry Sanders, Kevin Seraphin;  MLE: Mike Miller, Travis Outlaw, Tyrus Thomas, Amir Johnson), I might be more inclined to pursue some rebuilding trades while our players values are still high, but I think we have a legit chance of making it back to the finals if we play our cards right.

[PosImpos]

Shelden is a solid 5th big in my mind.  Keep him unless he wants more than a reasonable salary.

We should definitely hold onto TA as well.

Marquis, Nate, Finley, Scal...we don't really need them.

Priority #1 for the off-season should be holding onto Ray for the next couple of years.