Why do Free Agents hate Boston?

[jiriwelsch]

they do before they get here

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Jeff Green (RFA, later rescinded)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.

[vinnie]

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.

I definitely think the city itself it part of it. And the weather is also a part of it. If you can go to a big city in the Northeast that is cold in the winter, what do you pick, Boston or NYC? And moving forward, Brooklyn will also probably have an advantage over the Celts.

[jiriwelsch]

Oliver Lafayette!! OMG LOL.  Tiny Gallon? Did he even play?  This list is hilarious and saddening at the same time.

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Jeff Green (RFA, later rescinded)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.

[KY Celts fan]

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

-With the rise of the digital age, this really shouldn't matter too much. I'm not saying it doesn't weigh on player's minds, but it isn't a big deal anymore. Durant plays for OKC and starred in a movie over the summer. Hibbert plays for Indy and appeared on a TV show. Lebron played in Cleveland and had millions of endorsements. If you're a star, studios and advertisers will come to you no matter where you live. Lamar got to be in Taco Bell commercial because he married a Kardashian, not because he lived in LA.

-New York and Chicago have nasty winters also. I don't buy that.

-Can't really atest to this one. Perhaps players do see the city as racist. However, all they would need to do was talk to current players and get their opinion. I knew a black guy who lived all over the country, and from his personal experience, the most racist city he lived in was Portland, Oregon. But that's just him.

Personally, I feel its more about what our roster holds for the future. Will we be contenders? Howard and Paul don't want to jump into another rebuilding team.

[Q_FBE]

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. 

I guess we should be keeping our guys on veterans who signed long term lucrative deals that are being under-utilized due to coaching changes or even regime (front-office, ownership) changes. We could get an Avery Bradley and the Clips pick for a Jared Dudley type upgrade over the summer (not that Phoenix would take that deal unless it is a financial decision). We need to do our due diligence before engineering this type of transaction that fits our required parameters in acquiring a younger midcareer veteran. After all, we could end up with another Mark Blonut that we would have to amnesty or worse yet RESTRUCTURE!!!!!  

[jiriwelsch]

Another aspect:  I think opposing teams and their players dislike the players on our team.  No one really wants to play with guys they think are dirty or have little respect for. 

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

-With the rise of the digital age, this really shouldn't matter too much. I'm not saying it doesn't weigh on player's minds, but it isn't a big deal anymore. Durant plays for OKC and starred in a movie over the summer. Hibbert plays for Indy and appeared on a TV show. Lebron played in Cleveland and had millions of endorsements. If you're a star, studios and advertisers will come to you no matter where you live. Lamar got to be in Taco Bell commercial because he married a Kardashian, not because he lived in LA.

-New York and Chicago have nasty winters also. I don't buy that.

-Can't really atest to this one. Perhaps players do see the city as racist. However, all they would need to do was talk to current players and get their opinion. I knew a black guy who lived all over the country, and from his personal experience, the most racist city he lived in was Portland, Oregon. But that's just him.

Personally, I feel its more about what our roster holds for the future. Will we be contenders? Howard and Paul don't want to jump into another rebuilding team.

[jiriwelsch]

would've been nice to have an amnesty clause or two in the pitno jimmy years

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. 

I guess we should be keeping our guys on veterans who signed long term lucrative deals that are being under-utilized due to coaching changes or even regime (front-office, ownership) changes. We could get an Avery Bradley and the Clips pick for a Jared Dudley type upgrade over the summer (not that Phoenix would take that deal unless it is a financial decision). We need to do our due diligence before engineering this type of transaction that fits our required parameters in acquiring a younger midcareer veteran. After all, we could end up with another Mark Blonut that we would have to amnesty or worse yet RESTRUCTURE!!!!!  

[KY Celts fan]

Another aspect:  I think opposing teams and their players dislike the players on our team.  No one really wants to play with guys they think are dirty or have little respect for. 

Maybe. I can see where some players might think KG is dirty, but they respect the hell out of him. Other than that, I don't really see anyone else on our team that would qualify.

[Fan from VT]

Another aspect:  I think opposing teams and their players dislike the players on our team.  No one really wants to play with guys they think are dirty or have little respect for. 

Maybe. I can see where some players might think KG is dirty, but they respect the hell out of him. Other than that, I don't really see anyone else on our team that would qualify.

I don't think many of the young players really respect him any more. And I do think Rondo rubs people the wrong way.

[jiriwelsch]

Rondo.....

Another aspect:  I think opposing teams and their players dislike the players on our team.  No one really wants to play with guys they think are dirty or have little respect for. 

Maybe. I can see where some players might think KG is dirty, but they respect the hell out of him. Other than that, I don't really see anyone else on our team that would qualify.

[jiriwelsch]

Billups over Rondo for the olympic team....

Pierce also had this stigma but overcame it so maybe Rajon can too. 

[OhioGreen]

I think it's mostly perception of primarily black athletes!

The Cape
Martha's Vineyard
The Kennedys
aristocrats
Charles Emerson Winchester
Celtics basketball where you play as a TEAM
rather win and look bad, than lose and look good
no glitz,no flash,no bright lights and glamour
long, cold winters-----SNOW

Not exactly what I think an African American would call optimal criteria for a place to call home----and let's face it, 95% of the NBA is black.
When you think about it the last really flashy, great player the C's had was Larry! Kind of why I had hoped C's could some how have acquired Ricky Rubio.  Another great, flashy passer who guys really like playing with!
Hate to say it, but I've caught a few Wolves games this year, and they've been far more entertaining than the C's!

[RyNye]

I've said this before and I will say it again. Nobody has ANY evidence that free agents hate Boston. It's all just more of the typical overreacting.

Before 2007, Boston sucked, so no free agents wanted to sign here.

After we got the Big 3, our management wasn't going to be signing any big free agent contracts anyway, so why is anyone surprised that we aren't getting big names? Our roster is full, our cap space is minimal. Free agents looking for max contracts aren't going to be looking into a team that can't afford to pay them. It isn't because they hate the city, it's because they know we aren't going to sign them except in a trade anyway.

Seriously, anyone who is claiming that free agents hate the city doesn't know what they are talking about. They are just looking at Dwight Howard and Chris Paul and thinking that those two somehow represent the entirety of the league, which is nonsense. (And mostly speculation anyway ... just because we aren't the number 1 location doesn't mean we are hated, and I dare someone to find a single quote of a free agent specifically saying they don't want to play in Boston. Those quotes don't exist. The reason's in the past few years we haven't gotten big free agents is because of money. Period.)

[jiriwelsch]

The buzz certainly doesn't flow in Boston's direction.  For instance, take the upcoming FA agent class as well as last years (who's that player? what indiana team did he go to?).  Not many reports of Boston's got all this free cap space,  a great coach, great city, solid core, commitment to winning....  I haven't heard anything like that, ever really.  Somehow NJ, LAC, MIA, LAL, NYC dominate that buzz

I've said this before and I will say it again. Nobody has ANY evidence that free agents hate Boston. It's all just more of the typical overreacting.

Before 2007, Boston sucked, so no free agents wanted to sign here.

After we got the Big 3, our management wasn't going to be signing any big free agent contracts anyway, so why is anyone surprised that we aren't getting big names? Our roster is full, our cap space is minimal. Free agents looking for max contracts aren't going to be looking into a team that can't afford to pay them. It isn't because they hate the city, it's because they know we aren't going to sign them except in a trade anyway.

Seriously, anyone who is claiming that free agents hate the city doesn't know what they are talking about. They are just looking at Dwight Howard and Chris Paul and thinking that those two somehow represent the entirety of the league, which is nonsense. (And mostly speculation anyway ... just because we aren't the number 1 location doesn't mean we are hated, and I dare someone to find a single quote of a free agent specifically saying they don't want to play in Boston. Those quotes don't exist. The reason's in the past few years we haven't gotten big free agents is because of money. Period.)

[OhioGreen]

I've said this before and I will say it again. Nobody has ANY evidence that free agents hate Boston. It's all just more of the typical overreacting.

Before 2007, Boston sucked, so no free agents wanted to sign here.

After we got the Big 3, our management wasn't going to be signing any big free agent contracts anyway, so why is anyone surprised that we aren't getting big names? Our roster is full, our cap space is minimal. Free agents looking for max contracts aren't going to be looking into a team that can't afford to pay them. It isn't because they hate the city, it's because they know we aren't going to sign them except in a trade anyway.

Seriously, anyone who is claiming that free agents hate the city doesn't know what they are talking about. They are just looking at Dwight Howard and Chris Paul and thinking that those two somehow represent the entirety of the league, which is nonsense. (And mostly speculation anyway ... just because we aren't the number 1 location doesn't mean we are hated, and I dare someone to find a single quote of a free agent specifically saying they don't want to play in Boston. Those quotes don't exist. The reason's in the past few years we haven't gotten big free agents is because of money. Period.)

I have evidence!
Name a great FA (IN THEIR PRIME!) we've signed!? (Not resigning our own)