Pierce re-signs for 4yrs (3 guaranteed 4th year has options for team and Pierce)

[kozlodoev]

It's the internet, not a spelling bee.

It's a matter of respect to others and a general demonstration of common level of intelligence.

But I guess I should know better what to expect in a country where my one of my graduate advisers (Ph.D. in Economics, publications in top refereed journals, and all that) fails to spell my first name on a regular basis.

In case you wondered, my first name is Jordan.

[Chris]

Let's remember why the Celtics think a $15 million salary for the first two years would be significant money. In all likelihood the Celtics are going to be in the luxury tax once again and for the foreseeable future.

So that $6 million savings each year(assuming a level $15.25 million salary each year) constitutes a $12 million savings for the team in just one year and a $24 million savings over the first two years of the contract to the team.

That is HUGE!!!!

... and for those fans saying "who cares, it's not my money", keep in mind that Wyc doesn't have an unlimited budget.  Last season, he spent about $14 million in luxury tax, which was a lot more than he'd spent previously.  That's probably an unsustainable budget for the team, which means that if we want to see the team utilize all its options (i.e., trading Rasheed's contract, re-signing Ray, and using the MLE), then we need to save money somewhere else.

Exactly.  I look at this as a prerequisite move for Danny to have the greenlight to do those other things.  

I also think that, while it would have been nice to have him on a shorter deal, after being faced with the reality of losing him for nothing, this deal was the C's only move.  This not only extends their chances to win, but it also gives them many more opportunities to "reload" without having to play the lottery for years, hoping to get lucky.  

With the way contracts are going this offseason, and everyone looking to sign longterm deals before the new CBA kicks in, I think the cap space play was getting less and less apetizing.  

Now, I still think they should try to keep Ray for only 2 years, because that would then give them 2 big expiring contracts in 2 years to deal, and put players around Pierce and Rondo.  But even if they don't, this was a very good deal for the C's.

[WedmanIsMyHero]

It's not just the rebuilding during years 3 and 4 that get sacrificed.  It's what it means for how long rebuilding will take, total.  The longer you wait to start, the longer it will be before you are good again.

I'm sorry, but 4 guaranteed years is not good. I'm excited to have Pierce back, but we're going to be paying Pierce 15 million dollars when he is 36 years old.

So what?  We'd probably be a rebuilding lottery team then anyway.

Exactly. This what Danny and Paul needed to do in order to free up money for this and next season.

Down the road we will be rebuilding and at worst Paul's contract becomes an expiring.

This is now the second big piece in the off season. and it happened pretty fast so Danny can get in on successive moves right away.

[Birdbrain]

Seem to me like Danny went after Rudy Gay and now he is gone....

No Danny was never going to pay Rudy Gay the max.  Only in Memphis where no one wants to live would they overpay for slightly above average player.

Memphis and Toronto that is.

Rudy Gay is more than an above average player, and other teams were going to offer him the max. The reason Memphis did the deal it did is because other teams had already indicated they were planning on a max offer for Gay.

I mentioned slightly. 

No they weren't and if they were he would have left.... IMO. : )

He's a restricted free agent, he couldn't have left if Memphis didn't let him.

Have you watched Memphis much?

Yes a lot actually.  They are one of my favorites to watch when the C's aren't playing but, Rudy Gay isn't a max contract player.  Do you think he's better than Joe Johnson?  And if so why do lose so much with all that talent?

[kozlodoev]

It's not just the rebuilding during years 3 and 4 that get sacrificed.  It's what it means for how long rebuilding will take, total.  The longer you wait to start, the longer it will be before you are good again.

Having tons of cap space is, frankly, one of the worst ways to rebuild. Effective rebuilding happens by acquiring and developing assets, and cashing your chips on an impact player.

[the_Bird]

It's not just the rebuilding during years 3 and 4 that get sacrificed.  It's what it means for how long rebuilding will take, total.  The longer you wait to start, the longer it will be before you are good again.

Having tons of cap space is, frankly, one of the worst ways to rebuild. Effective rebuilding happens by acquiring and developing assets, and cashing your chips on an impact player.

...  and having cap space lets you do all kinds of things to develop assets.  Help facilitate a trade using your cap space, pick up a draft pick or a decent prospect for your troubles.  Take on someone's bad contract with your cap space, as well as prospects or picks.  It's nice to have big, expiring contracts;  it's nicer to have cap space so you don't need them.

[Birdbrain]

Just remember this in 2014-2015, when Pierce finally leaves, media reports suggest Rondo is sick of losing and is about to leave, and the Celtics are about to start a long, long rebuilding process.

Let's remember why the Celtics think a $15 million salary for the first two years would be significant money. In all likelihood the Celtics are going to be in the luxury tax once again and for the foreseeable future.

So that $6 million savings each year(assuming a level $15.25 million salary each year) constitutes a $12 million savings for the team in just one year and a $24 million savings over the first two years of the contract to the team.

That is HUGE!!!!

Nice positive outlook.  : )

So if they win it next year you'll still be concerned about 2014? 

Are you a younger fan?

[LooseCannon]

The question isn't just about player quality.  It's about the relative improvement in the chance of winning a title in year 1 of the deal versus the huge lag time it induces in the rebuilding process, which risks alienating Rondo.

Has anyone considered the possibility that blowing the team up is the move most likely to alienate Rondo?

[BballTim]

It's the internet, not a spelling bee.

It's a matter of respect to others and a general demonstration of common level of intelligence.

But I guess I should know better what to expect in a country where my one of my graduate advisers (Ph.D. in Economics, publications in top refereed journals, and all that) fails to spell my first name on a regular basis.

In case you wondered, my first name is Jordan.

  I don't think that whether you can spell Ginobili  correctly is a demonstration of someone's level of intelligence.

[Birdbrain]

The question isn't just about player quality.  It's about the relative improvement in the chance of winning a title in year 1 of the deal versus the huge lag time it induces in the rebuilding process, which risks alienating Rondo.

Has anyone considered the possibility that blowing the team up is the move most likely to alienate Rondo?

LOL yes that's a very good point.  Rondo appears to hate losing like all great players do.  I think some fans just want some freshness.  This team was cool to root for 07/08 now they are old and washed up and not cool like a Twilight movie.

[Fafnir]

It's the internet, not a spelling bee.

It's a matter of respect to others and a general demonstration of common level of intelligence.

But I guess I should know better what to expect in a country where my one of my graduate advisers (Ph.D. in Economics, publications in top refereed journals, and all that) fails to spell my first name on a regular basis.

In case you wondered, my first name is Jordan.

Spelling errors happen especially when we're typing quickly on an internet forum while also probably working.

Nothing wrong with correcting someone either, but saying that they aren't respecting you and implying that they are less intelligent because of it is treading on dangerous ground.

Best to drop it.

[Fafnir]

It's the internet, not a spelling bee.

It's a matter of respect to others and a general demonstration of common level of intelligence.

But I guess I should know better what to expect in a country where my one of my graduate advisers (Ph.D. in Economics, publications in top refereed journals, and all that) fails to spell my first name on a regular basis.

In case you wondered, my first name is Jordan.

  I don't think that whether you can spell Ginobili  correctly is a demonstration of someone's level of intelligence.

Agreed, lets not let the thread get off track on the tangent however.

[hpantazo]

It's the internet, not a spelling bee.

It's a matter of respect to others and a general demonstration of common level of intelligence.

But I guess I should know better what to expect in a country where my one of my graduate advisers (Ph.D. in Economics, publications in top refereed journals, and all that) fails to spell my first name on a regular basis.

In case you wondered, my first name is Jordan.

Spelling errors happen especially when we're typing quickly on an internet forum while also probably working.

Nothing wrong with correcting someone either, but saying that they aren't respecting you and implying that they are less intelligent because of it is treading on dangerous ground.

Best to drop it.

agreed. spelling errors on an internet blog a very common and not indicative of disrespect. Your issues with your graduate advisor should not be generalized to everyone in this country either.

[KGs Knee]

I'm very happy with this deal.  I'm interested to see how it's structured (i.e., does it increase, decrease, or stay level over time).

  According to the Herald, it's 4/61 and he'll make significantly less than the 21.5M he was scheduled to make.

Yeah, what I'm interested in is the first and last year salary.

In a "typical" deal, his salaries would be:

2010-11: $13,174,946 
2011-12: $14,558,315
2012-13: $15,941,684
2013-14: $17,325,053

That deal includes yearly raises of 10.5% of the first year value of the contract.

Inversely, the deal could go down over time:

2010-11: $17,325,053
2011-12: $15,941,684
2012-13: $14,558,315
2013-14: $13,174,946

Or, the team could agree to a relatively level contract over time, such as:

2010-11: $15,250,000
2011-12: $15,250,000
2012-13: $15,250,000
2013-14: $15,250,000

It doesn't make a huge difference; I'm just curious.  My bet would be on option #1.

While I admit you are the cap expert on this site Roy, I think your math on option 2 is a little off.  By the way, i like option 2 best.  I expect Paul's deal to break down as such:

1st year: 18mil
2nd year: 16.11mil
3rd year: 14.22mil
4th year: 12.33mil
Total: 60.66 mil

According to the CBA, maximum player raises or decrease for a veteran qualifying free agent (Bird FA), are 10.5%.

Either way, you numbers or mine, I hope this is the structure of the contract.  If so, we will only have approx. 25mil tied up (Pierce and Rondo) for the 2012 offseason.  Based on current cap numbers, which coyld completely change with the new CBA, we could easily be 30mil under the cap.  Sure, we would only have 2 players, but with one big FA signing, we could become a legit contender right away.

[kozlodoev]

agreed. spelling errors on an internet blog a very common and not indicative of disrespect. Your issues with your graduate advisor should not be generalized to everyone in this country either.

No, my encounter with my graduate adviser is just a representative example. As far as disrespect goes, I guess it's a free country, and everyone is free to put themselves up for scrutiny as they wish, including Internet blogs. Everyone is free to interpret it as they wish. I find it a sign of respect, especially having in mind that _precisely_ because it's the Internet, and it takes about 15 seconds to check.

As far as the "spelling mistakes happen when you type quickly", that's clearly not the case when it happens 4 times in a fairly long paragraph of text.

Just because something is common doesn't make it acceptable. But I guess it's just me.

That is all.