Why do Free Agents hate Boston?

[cdif911]

I don't think it is the city at all.  I think it is the current roster.  Obviously, the Big 3 are on their last legs.  And we now see what the rest of the league really thinks of Rondo.

historically we've had trouble getting FAs to come in their prime... thinking back recently the best guys we've signed (not traded for) would be Dana Barros, Dominique Wilkins (a very old one at that), an old Sam Cassell, an old Shaq, an old Tom Gugliotta, an old JO...not a lot of guys in their prime

[Chris]

I don't think it is the city at all.  I think it is the current roster.  Obviously, the Big 3 are on their last legs.  And we now see what the rest of the league really thinks of Rondo.

historically we've had trouble getting FAs to come in their prime... thinking back recently the best guys we've signed (not traded for) would be Dana Barros, Dominique Wilkins (a very old one at that), an old Sam Cassell, an old Shaq, an old Tom Gugliotta, an old JO...not a lot of guys in their prime

I think there used to be a stigma on the city for black athletes, and that did hurt things for a while.  However, for the last 20+ years the problem has been the C's have either not had the resources to get a major free agent, because they haven't managed the cap well enough, or they have simply had a terrible team that no one would want to play with. 

Can we trade cap space? lol

Yes, we can.  In fact, it is probably what we will end up doing.  If Danny cannot get a top flight free agent, he will likely use his cap space to either combine with other assets to trade for quality players, or use the cap space to accumulate assets to rebuild with.

One of the reasons OKC is so deep now, is because they did such a good job of accumulating assets when they were under the cap.  Memphis also did this.

And this is something that I think people looking to blow the team up right now need to think about.  If the best the C's can get for their guys right now are mediocre draft picks, and other teams bad contracts, that opportunity is not going to disappear with the cap space.  In fact, they might get more value for the cap space, as teams start to panic before the harsher luxury tax starts in 2013. 

[Lucky17]

List of free agents (including restricted free agents) signed by Boston since July 1, 2009:

Rasheed Wallace
Shelden Williams
Glen Davis (RFA)*
Marquis Daniels*
Michael Sweetney*
Michael Finley
Oliver Lafayette
Tony Gaffney
Ray Allen
Jermaine O'Neal
Paul Pierce (RFA)
Nate Robinson (RFA)
Shaquille O'Neal
Delonte West
Mario West
Stephane Lasme
Tiny Gallon
Chris Johnson
Troy Murphy
Sasha Pavlovic*
Carlos Arroyo
Chris Wilcox
Greg Stiemsma
Jeff Green (RFA, later rescinded)
Gilbert Brown
Jamal Sampson
Mickael Pietrus

* multiple signings

That's more than 26 free agent signings (including repeat signings like Marquis and Pavlovic) in the last three seasons.

The list includes veterans (some high-profile) looking for a shot at a title and younger or unproven players looking to break into the league and latch on with a team.

I don't think "free agents" hate Boston at all.

[PosImpos]

List of free agents (including restricted free agents) signed by Boston since July 1, 2009:

Rasheed Wallace
Shelden Williams
Glen Davis (RFA)*
Marquis Daniels*
Michael Sweetney*
Michael Finley
Oliver Lafayette
Tony Gaffney
Ray Allen
Jermaine O'Neal
Paul Pierce (RFA)
Nate Robinson (RFA)
Shaquille O'Neal
Delonte West
Mario West
Stephane Lasme
Tiny Gallon
Chris Johnson
Troy Murphy
Sasha Pavlovic*
Carlos Arroyo
Chris Wilcox
Greg Stiemsma
Jeff Green (RFA, later rescinded)
Gilbert Brown
Jamal Sampson
Mickael Pietrus

* multiple signings

That's more than 26 free agent signings (including repeat signings like Marquis and Pavlovic) in the last three seasons.

The list includes veterans (some high-profile) looking for a shot at a title and younger or unproven players looking to break into the league and latch on with a team.

I don't think "free agents" hate Boston at all.

the best names on that list were already on the team prior to becoming free agents, and came here via trade or draft.

other notable names were guys who came here at the end of their careers to chase a ring with the '08 core.

i think it's true, however, that the lack of really good, in-their-prime free agents coming to the Celtics is more about who is on the roster and less about Boston.  players want to play with other good players, particularly good players with whom they are friendly.

as droopdog pointed out, Rondo is our only young, talented player with which to lure free agents, and the rest of the league doesn't seem to hold him in particularly high esteem.  not difficult to imagine why -- he's inconsistent, unconventional, and mercurial.  we've read a lot about how it's been difficult for him to endear himself to his teammates; i can only imagine what his opponents think of him.

[Eja117]

in terms of whether I think we should make the case that global warming has made it way warmer here

[kozlodoev]

Can we trade cap space? lol

For that matter, we can. It's called a trade exception.

[FrDrake]

CP3's new mansion in LA is why free agents don't want to come to Boston.  Chris Paul would rather live in a mansion in Bell Air and have sunshine 350 days of the year and be part of a losing franchise than be part of winner.  This generation's stars (Bron, Melo, Wade, CP3, Howard) don't care about winning as much as they do endorsements, $$$, nice weather, and invites to parties with celebrities.  Boston can't offer much of that.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/chris-paul-set-buy-avril-lavigne-8-5-140421998.html

[StartOrien]

Could we add the question of this thread to a Celticsblog FAQ?

[LooseCannon]

I think that Boston doesn't seem that attractive to a player in his mid-20s, but isn't so bad in the eyes of a more mature player who is in the neighborhood of 30.  Give up the dream of acquiring a player who could be a Celtic lynchpin for a decade and look for an older player who you think has several years of productivity left in the tank.

What hasn't been mentioned is that, with a very stable starting lineup, the Celtics have not had a lot of playing time to offer free agents during the Big Three era.  So, a good player in his prime whose price tag is in the MLE range would probably pass up the chance to go to Boston.

[kozlodoev]

Chris Paul would rather live in a mansion in Bell Air and have sunshine 350 days of the year and be part of a losing franchise than be part of winner.

Except at this point the Clippers are the winning franchise, and the Celtics are the losing one. But I guess the grapes are sour... and too high.

[PosImpos]

Chris Paul would rather live in a mansion in Bell Air and have sunshine 350 days of the year and be part of a losing franchise than be part of winner.

Except at this point the Clippers are the winning franchise, and the Celtics are the losing one.

TP for making the point I was going to make.

[FrDrake]

Chris Paul would rather live in a mansion in Bell Air and have sunshine 350 days of the year and be part of a losing franchise than be part of winner.

Except at this point the Clippers are the winning franchise, and the Celtics are the losing one. But I guess the grapes are sour... and too high.

That's true only in the short-term.  Long term everyone knows the Clips have been one of the worst run franchises in all of professional sports. 

[KY Celts fan]

It's cold and we're cheap.  It's a pretty wide consensus across the NBA that we lost the 2010 Championship because ownership wouldnt spend the MLE to give us a player above 6'6

Except we spent the MLE for the 09-10 season on a 6'11" Rasheed Wallace. So this "wide consensus" you speak of is patently false.

We've also had one of the highest payrolls of any team over the past five years, and gave KG a contract extension making him the 2nd highest paid player in the league after Kobe Bryant.

[dark_lord]

my take:

-there are less opportunities to branch out beyond bball for marketing (movies, music, etc)

-the climate

-for a lot of people, it is still stigmatized as a racist city

[PosImpos]

Chris Paul would rather live in a mansion in Bell Air and have sunshine 350 days of the year and be part of a losing franchise than be part of winner.

Except at this point the Clippers are the winning franchise, and the Celtics are the losing one. But I guess the grapes are sour... and too high.

That's true only in the short-term.  Long term everyone knows the Clips have been one of the worst run franchises in all of professional sports. 

Players don't give a crap about what happened over the last 10-20 years unless it involved a star player they would have watched growing up.