Is Ainge Talking to Max Contract Guys?

[BballTim]

Well he should be. He should be asking agents if anyone wants to sign a max deal to play with Rondo,KG,Perk,Baby,Bradley. Really the only guy that makes sense there is Lebron, because Johnson is NOT worth max money and that roster would be too thin around someone like him, and said roster is thick at 4/5, so Amare/Bosh aren't the best choices, unless Ainge knows someone wants KG for several good parts.

But yeah, Ainge should be reminding Lebron of how good Rondo was in their series, and that they could be a powerful 1-2 punch and that they'll do whatever they can to move Perk/Baby expiring deals for a more balanced and healthy roster this year, get a sense of playing together and a legit run with the defense that team could play, then try to deal KG's expiring the next year and use the full MLE, etc.

Extremely unlikely, but he could at least throw it out there.


Here's another scenario:
-Get in Bosh and Lebron's ear that they can play together in Boston and be part of that basketball tradition, the LA rivalry, etc.
-Meet with Colangelo in Toronto. Have Bosh tell him he wants to end up in Boston. Remind Colangelo that his team was pretty bad last year, and has no cap space soon and is losing Bosh anyway; get a deal in place in principle of KG and Rondo for Calderon, Turkoglu, Bosh (signed at the max). Toronto gets to field a semi-competitive team with a legit young stud (rondo) and a 1-2 punch to rebuild around of Rondo and Bargnani, as well as sooner cap space as KG's deal is shorter than the combined Turkoglu/Calderon deals.
-Sign Lebron after renouncing our rights to everybody we can and having Sheed retire; then do the above trade.

Boston:
Calderon/Bradley
Hedo
James
Bosh
Perk/Baby

Use the MLE next year and go after all vet mins possible.

  If Ainge not only gave Toronto Rondo for Bosh but also took Hedo and Calderon off their hands they'd put a statue of Danny outside their stadium.

Good! it's settled, this is what Danny needs to do!!!

Because if Boston's core for the next 6 years is Bosh-Lebron, I'd build a statue of Danny in boston. Surround those two with great shooters like calderon and turkoglu to keep it open for them, still have perk and baby to bruise it up, perk and bradley are defenders, and James is all-defense caliber...that team competes for a title this season. then you add the MLE and another pick next year, good to go!

  I don't think that team's any better in year one that PP/KG/RA/RR, and if they don't win a title in the first year or two James will just opt out again. And this is predicated on LeBron and Bosh choosing Perk (injured), Hedo and Calderon over Rose, Noah and Gibson.

[paintitgreen]

But it's a technicality in the sense that if Lebron called ainge and said "i want the max in boston," Ainge could immediately renounce the guys and sign him. Likewise, Ainge can be talking to Max guys saying that he has room to sign them, then renounce the players right as the FA is signing with boston.

Oh yeah, for sure. We have cap space. And what's better we have the option of not having cap space if we don't get a first tier target. Chicago and Miami don't really have that option because all their expiring contracts are for relatively garbage players, so if they strike out, they HAVE to overpay other free agents. If the Celtics take a stab at a max player and don't get him, they can just resign Pierce and Allen for more money than anybody else is gonna be willing to give them. It's a pretty good situation, really.

I was just pointing out - in contradiction to one extra thing Chris mentioned - that we can't unrenounce our rights to Pierce and Ray once we renounce them. As soon as we were to do that, we wouldn't be able to resign them to anything more than remaining cap space.

[wdleehi]

He better be in contact with top FA that could fit the team needs. 


Sign and trades are still the best way to get a FA.



And yes, it is a big long shot.

[Spilling Green Dye]

I REALLY hope he is talking to them.  Is he talking to them?  Probably. 

This is certainly an exciting thought, and from the quotes I have heard from Wyc and Ainge over the past year, it seems that they believe it is feasible too.

[Fan from VT]

Well he should be. He should be asking agents if anyone wants to sign a max deal to play with Rondo,KG,Perk,Baby,Bradley. Really the only guy that makes sense there is Lebron, because Johnson is NOT worth max money and that roster would be too thin around someone like him, and said roster is thick at 4/5, so Amare/Bosh aren't the best choices, unless Ainge knows someone wants KG for several good parts.

But yeah, Ainge should be reminding Lebron of how good Rondo was in their series, and that they could be a powerful 1-2 punch and that they'll do whatever they can to move Perk/Baby expiring deals for a more balanced and healthy roster this year, get a sense of playing together and a legit run with the defense that team could play, then try to deal KG's expiring the next year and use the full MLE, etc.

Extremely unlikely, but he could at least throw it out there.


Here's another scenario:
-Get in Bosh and Lebron's ear that they can play together in Boston and be part of that basketball tradition, the LA rivalry, etc.
-Meet with Colangelo in Toronto. Have Bosh tell him he wants to end up in Boston. Remind Colangelo that his team was pretty bad last year, and has no cap space soon and is losing Bosh anyway; get a deal in place in principle of KG and Rondo for Calderon, Turkoglu, Bosh (signed at the max). Toronto gets to field a semi-competitive team with a legit young stud (rondo) and a 1-2 punch to rebuild around of Rondo and Bargnani, as well as sooner cap space as KG's deal is shorter than the combined Turkoglu/Calderon deals.
-Sign Lebron after renouncing our rights to everybody we can and having Sheed retire; then do the above trade.

Boston:
Calderon/Bradley
Hedo
James
Bosh
Perk/Baby

Use the MLE next year and go after all vet mins possible.

  If Ainge not only gave Toronto Rondo for Bosh but also took Hedo and Calderon off their hands they'd put a statue of Danny outside their stadium.

Good! it's settled, this is what Danny needs to do!!!

Because if Boston's core for the next 6 years is Bosh-Lebron, I'd build a statue of Danny in boston. Surround those two with great shooters like calderon and turkoglu to keep it open for them, still have perk and baby to bruise it up, perk and bradley are defenders, and James is all-defense caliber...that team competes for a title this season. then you add the MLE and another pick next year, good to go!

  I don't think that team's any better in year one that PP/KG/RA/RR, and if they don't win a title in the first year or two James will just opt out again. And this is predicated on LeBron and Bosh choosing Perk (injured), Hedo and Calderon over Rose, Noah and Gibson.

Well, agree to disagree, I think that team is absolutely better than boston's last year and quite a bit better than lebron's cleveland team last year. especially once you add the vet mins: rasual butler, joe smith, etc.

as for chicago, that's debateable. Rose is a better talent than calderon, no doubt, and i'd take noah over perk. but baby's still here, turkoglu is a great 3rd option especially next to lebron (he rebounds a little, is still a deadly distance shooter, and distributes too), and i like calderon next to james better than rose on offense; shares better and is a great outside shooter while rose is ok.

[Rashi]

I REALLY hope he is talking to them.  Is he talking to them?  Probably. 

This is certainly an exciting thought, and from the quotes I have heard from Wyc and Ainge over the past year, it seems that they believe it is feasible too.

I too hope DA is talking to them. Sure it may not be possible to bag one of the big guys, but hey it def is worth trying.

[erisred]

He is absolutely talking to their agents. The Cs are 15mil under the cap today if they just keep sheed's deal. So you can bet he's kicking tires to see who wants to play with rondo....

Incorrect, with Ray's and Paul's cap holds alone ($20m each), we're well over cap.

The only way we get that cap space, is if we renounce our rights to them and TA.

Dang.

Oh, but he's still probably talking! If Danny can get an agreement to bring Wade or James in, I think he'd renounce Allen and Pierce. Only for one of those two, though. Once it's clear, and that should come fast, that he can't get either one of them, he'll move back to Pierce and then Allen.

[BballTim]

Well he should be. He should be asking agents if anyone wants to sign a max deal to play with Rondo,KG,Perk,Baby,Bradley. Really the only guy that makes sense there is Lebron, because Johnson is NOT worth max money and that roster would be too thin around someone like him, and said roster is thick at 4/5, so Amare/Bosh aren't the best choices, unless Ainge knows someone wants KG for several good parts.

But yeah, Ainge should be reminding Lebron of how good Rondo was in their series, and that they could be a powerful 1-2 punch and that they'll do whatever they can to move Perk/Baby expiring deals for a more balanced and healthy roster this year, get a sense of playing together and a legit run with the defense that team could play, then try to deal KG's expiring the next year and use the full MLE, etc.

Extremely unlikely, but he could at least throw it out there.


Here's another scenario:
-Get in Bosh and Lebron's ear that they can play together in Boston and be part of that basketball tradition, the LA rivalry, etc.
-Meet with Colangelo in Toronto. Have Bosh tell him he wants to end up in Boston. Remind Colangelo that his team was pretty bad last year, and has no cap space soon and is losing Bosh anyway; get a deal in place in principle of KG and Rondo for Calderon, Turkoglu, Bosh (signed at the max). Toronto gets to field a semi-competitive team with a legit young stud (rondo) and a 1-2 punch to rebuild around of Rondo and Bargnani, as well as sooner cap space as KG's deal is shorter than the combined Turkoglu/Calderon deals.
-Sign Lebron after renouncing our rights to everybody we can and having Sheed retire; then do the above trade.

Boston:
Calderon/Bradley
Hedo
James
Bosh
Perk/Baby

Use the MLE next year and go after all vet mins possible.

  If Ainge not only gave Toronto Rondo for Bosh but also took Hedo and Calderon off their hands they'd put a statue of Danny outside their stadium.

Good! it's settled, this is what Danny needs to do!!!

Because if Boston's core for the next 6 years is Bosh-Lebron, I'd build a statue of Danny in boston. Surround those two with great shooters like calderon and turkoglu to keep it open for them, still have perk and baby to bruise it up, perk and bradley are defenders, and James is all-defense caliber...that team competes for a title this season. then you add the MLE and another pick next year, good to go!

  I don't think that team's any better in year one that PP/KG/RA/RR, and if they don't win a title in the first year or two James will just opt out again. And this is predicated on LeBron and Bosh choosing Perk (injured), Hedo and Calderon over Rose, Noah and Gibson.

Well, agree to disagree, I think that team is absolutely better than boston's last year and quite a bit better than lebron's cleveland team last year. especially once you add the vet mins: rasual butler, joe smith, etc.

as for chicago, that's debateable. Rose is a better talent than calderon, no doubt, and i'd take noah over perk. but baby's still here, turkoglu is a great 3rd option especially next to lebron (he rebounds a little, is still a deadly distance shooter, and distributes too), and i like calderon next to james better than rose on offense; shares better and is a great outside shooter while rose is ok.

  We were a lot better than Cleveland as well. And Calderon's a defensive liability, putting it mildly.

[erisred]

I hope not.
He'd be wasting his time, which is valuable, and better spent elsewhere, like on PP and RA, and on (realistic) MLE targets, like the Millers, JJ Reddick, etc.

I think Danny can walk and chew gum at the same time....

I'm sure he can, but this is a little more than that.

Due-diligence, Danny has to ask the question of Wade and James' agents, but having gotten the expected answer he will move on. I suspect he's already done this and I doubt it took long.

[paintitgreen]

  I don't think that team's any better in year one that PP/KG/RA/RR, and if they don't win a title in the first year or two James will just opt out again. And this is predicated on LeBron and Bosh choosing Perk (injured), Hedo and Calderon over Rose, Noah and Gibson.

Well, agree to disagree, I think that team is absolutely better than boston's last year and quite a bit better than lebron's cleveland team last year. especially once you add the vet mins: rasual butler, joe smith, etc.

as for chicago, that's debateable. Rose is a better talent than calderon, no doubt, and i'd take noah over perk. but baby's still here, turkoglu is a great 3rd option especially next to lebron (he rebounds a little, is still a deadly distance shooter, and distributes too), and i like calderon next to james better than rose on offense; shares better and is a great outside shooter while rose is ok.

  We were a lot better than Cleveland as well. And Calderon's a defensive liability, putting it mildly.

Basically, you upgrade Pierce to James - big upgrade now and even bigger moving forward - and Garnett to Bosh - I'm really not sure how big an upgrade that actually is or whether it's one at all short term; for the future, big upgrade - and take big downgrades from Rondo to Calderon - I do see that his offensive skills could jibe with Lebron but his defense is atrocious and we all saw over the past two years with Mo Williams how well a shooter who can't defend fares as point guard next to Lebron, and for the future it could be an even bigger disparity as Calderon appears to be what he is while Rondo is still growing - and from Ray to Hedo - as old as Ray is, he has more good years left in him than Hedo, who absolutely cannot play shooting guard and is on an atrocious contract that will cripple the team in the future. Honestly, I don't think Lebron or Bosh would look at that situation and say, "yeah, that looks good."

Besides, Rondo is an unnecessary component to this deal. Toronto would be happy to give us Bosh to swap out Garnett and his two remaining years (giving them a defensive power forward next to Bargnani) for Turkoglu and his atrocious contract, or Calderon and his atrocious contract (Toronto's choice; I'd prefer Calderon they'd probably prefer to deal Hedo's washed up chain smoking body and extra contract year). We can include Davis instead of Rondo to make the deal work financially.

Of course, we can't sign Lebron outright anyway, so this discussion is, essentially, pointless.