Danny says the C's want to bring TA and Nate back ; the interest is mutual

[Jon]

I don't think there's an enormous need for Nate Robinson with Avery Bradley in the fold.  For those of you who scoff at that, say what you want, but Rondo is playing 40+ mpg in the playoffs regardless of who is backing him up.  So I'd be OK with Bradley no matter where he might be getting those less than 8 mpg. 

Still, if Nate and TA want to come back and Danny still wants to get another 3 and big man on top of that, I think it can only help the team. 

[Evantime34]

We need to bring back both otherwise we are counting on Bradley or a vet min guy as our main back up at the 1 or 2.

You want Bradley to seize the job but you don't want to start the season counting on him as your main back up

[ManUp]

I want Tony back, but I don't see a need for Nate at all right now. There aren't a lot of minutes for Nate behind Rondo, and I don't see him being the good soldier for an entire 82 game seasons he going to want minutes. I think we could get away with playing Bradley as our backup point, we did it with House and Tony.

[celticinorlando]

we need a big off the bench

[Surferdad]

We need to bring back both otherwise we are counting on Bradley or a vet min guy as our main back up at the 1 or 2.

You want Bradley to seize the job but you don't want to start the season counting on him as your main back up
...

Yeah, why sign vet min guys when you can have Tony and Nate back? They knwo the system here and their roles.  It's not like they are going to cost much more than vet min anyway (though I agree either one but especially Tony, could bolt elsewhere for a big payday).

[Bankshot]

I didn't expect Danny to look at resigning Robinson after he drafted Bradley.  I'm surprised we're still interested in bringing him back.  I'm glad we are though.

Why?  Bradley is a rookie and Doc doesn't trust rookies, especially on a team trying to content.  I wouldn't trust him either.

[kozlodoev]

I don't think there's an enormous need for Nate Robinson with Avery Bradley in the fold.  For those of you who scoff at that, say what you want, but Rondo is playing 40+ mpg in the playoffs regardless of who is backing him up.  So I'd be OK with Bradley no matter where he might be getting those less than 8 mpg. 

Still, if Nate and TA want to come back and Danny still wants to get another 3 and big man on top of that, I think it can only help the team. 

With Bradley backing him up, Rondo will play 40+ minutes the entire regular season. And if something happens to Bradley (or Rondo), then we're stuck. I see no way of going into the regular season without having a primary PG backup who will be expected to step in and play major minutes if need be.

[footey]

Bradley is a rookie and won't get much playing time per Doc rules. Nate deserves increase in minutes based on play-off performance. He gives us added energy, plus a legit 3 point threat.

[kozlodoev]

Bradley is a rookie and won't get much playing time per Doc rules. Nate deserves increase in minutes based on play-off performance. He gives us added energy, plus a legit 3 point threat.

That has nothing to do with Doc. Bradley will get playing time as soon as he proves he's not a liability. Coincidentally, most rookies seem to be a liability right off the bat.

You know, the rooster does his routine 5 minutes before sunrise every day, but this doesn't mean it makes the sun rise.

[LooseCannon]

The non-Bird exception gives teams the ability to sign free agents at 120% of their previous salary.

Nate Robinson is an phenomenal talent who gets severely underrated by some people on this forum.  He's not some midget chucking threes indiscriminately.  He has real value.

He's a guy who needs direction and coach who understands how to accentuate his positives.  Arguably, Doc Rivers is the guy to do that, considering how well he has developed Rondo.

The people who think it's a good idea to toss Rondo out there for 40 minutes per game are idiots.  One, he only played 36.6 mpg in the regular season.  Two, he very clearly loses steam at the end of games when he plays excessive minutes and does things like walk the ball up the court or take a few plays off on defense due to a lack of energy.  If he has a solid backup, he might be more effective at 36mpg in the playoffs than the 40 he did this past season.  Three, he seems to get dinged up occasionally, not enough to keep him out of games, but enough to be put on "day-to-day" status.  Four, it helps Doc Rivers manage Rondo if he has someone proven to rely on so he can sit Rondo down to send a message if he doesn't like what he's seeing.

I also think that Avery Bradley should be brought along under the idea of him as the future starting shooting guard, not the future backup point guard.  Any ball-handling duties should be similar to how Ray Allen was relied on when Rondo was on the bench taking a breather.  He's also only 19, so I think his maturation process would benefit from him having to earn minutes rather than having them handed to him.

Ideally, I'd like to see Robinson/Allen/someone acquired with Sheed's contract as the backup 1/2/3 and for Bradley's minutes to grow as the season goes on.

[Cman]

Great!  I welcome both guys back.

[kozlodoev]

He's not some midget chucking threes indiscriminately.  He has real value

The problem is he tends to play like one way too often. He can be a valuable rotation player, but "tremendous talent" is pushing it slightly.

[CelticHooligan3]

Well said loosecannon tp. Doc is the perfect coach for Nate the great. With a full training camp under his belt and the confidence he gained on the big stage last year watch out!! The kid is gonna open a lot of eyes if he hasn't done so already. He's been overlooked his whole life. Just like muggsey! But lil mans got Napoleon Complex. He's gonna make sure you see and hear him. And I expect him to light it up for the C's next year and become even more of a fan favorite. Don't hate.. Appreciate.

[K.J.]

Can someone enlighten me on the salary cap rules?  I thought that since Nate was only signed to a 1-yr deal, we didn't have his "Bird" rights, which means we could only sign him to a vet min contract if over the cap.  Is that true?  And do we have Tony's "Bird" rights?

We have Nate Robinson's non-Bird rights, which would give us the ability to offer up to 120 per cent of his last salary, which is above the MLE, for up to five years.

Yes, we have full Bird rights regarding Tony Allen.

[radiohead]

Nate won us a few playoff games, and I for one would want to see what he can do after a full off season with the Celtics. I'm in for bringing him back, and that goes for TA too.