Economically Filling Out the Roster- Marquis Daniels is a great option

[Professor of Rondology]

The state of the Celtics right now:
3 open roster spots; ~70 m on the books; BAE still available
The 10 man rotation is set [Rondo-KG-Pierce-Bass-Jet-JG-AB-Lee-Sully-Wilcox], and we have depth on the front-court(Collins and Melo). As I see it, we only have one more need to address- depth/injury-insurance in the back-court. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: it is my belief that Danny will want to have the BAE available to him come mid-season when players are bought out and every contender's GM makes the same offer to the same bought-out players- having the BAE would be a HUGE advantage over other teams who have nothing but the min to offer.  In order to keep the BAE available we have to remain under 72.4 m (74.3-1.9) going into the season.  This severely limits the money we can spend on the final 2-3 roster spots.

So, we have to address our remaining issue- lack of depth/injury insurance in the back-court-  while remaining highly cap-conscious.  The reason for this entire post is that it occurred to me that the answer to this problem could be right under our noses.  We've had a player for the past 3 seasons who is a low cost depth option that can play PG, SG, and SF.  Yes, I'm talking about Marquis Daniels. No, he's not as good as Peaches (which is why Peaches won't take a min contract but Quis will)- but Marquis is cheaper and can even back up Rondo/Terry at PG in a pinch.  Signing Quisy gives us a capable depth option/"spot-backup" for PG, SG, and SF while only taking up 1 roster spot and commanding only a vet min contract.  Plus he knows the system, is a solid defender, and a good team player- all qualities the Celtics look for in their end-of-the-bench guys.

I would be upset if we either (a) let Kris Joseph walk or (b) lose the ability to use the BAE. Signing Quisy (instead of Dooling + Peaches or Dooling + Xmas) would give us the flexibility to keep Kris Joseph AND the BAE for mid-season.

Thoughts?

[pearljammer10]

I'd much rather have Dooling and I think Collins will beat out silly in the ten man rotation; at least for the first half
Of the year

[BudweiserCeltic]

Pass on Daniels at this point.

[More Banners]

He's pretty low risk and a great value option to fill out the roster.  Totally agree with OP.

Would hate to use the BAE, our last bullet, on a guard or wing.

Quisy, for all of the above.

I like his defense quite a bit, and he seems able to come in and be ready at any time w/o notice, perfect for deep bench.

I'd think he'd be able to play somewhere, though...

Perhaps with the signing of COllins solidifying the C spot, the BAE could be used on Pietrus, which would make Quisy the odd player out.

Unless our 2nd rounder goes to Europe for a year

I'd just really hate to see Smokey Q go.  He's been a pretty solid, consistent (if quiet) performer.

[Professor of Rondology]

I'd much rather have Dooling and I think Collins will beat out silly in the ten man rotation; at least for the first half
Of the year

Apparently you haven't heard Doc's claim that Sully might start.  He won't [start], but he will certainly earn minutes.
And Dooling is definitely a better backup PG than Quis, but he can't play SG or SF if Bradley is out for longer than expected or if PP/Jet go down.

[Jon]

Absolutely.

I've been saying this for days.

People have been dismissing him entirely forgetting that he actually had some good playoff games for us this past season.  

So this attitude that he can't contribute at all is really unfounded.

Furthermore, there's a huge difference between making him the 14th or 15th man (which is what we're talking about) and making him the 6th or 7th man (a role he was somewhat of a disappointment in during his early years here).  

Finally, I'll say it again, there's a huge difference between being a summer league star and an NBA role player.  I think everyone realizes that the summer league has made players who have no business being in the NBA good (google search any past summer league for league leaders).  But these young players not only have to adjust to the NBA, they also have to adjust to being role players.  

Christmas and Joseph look good when they get the ball and have a chance to make plays.  But can they contribute when they don't get the ball or get the ball in different ways (say with 3 seconds left on the shot clock to jack up a corner 3, instead of getting it at the beginning of the shot clock with a chance to run a play)?  Furthermore, can they do it when they haven't played in two weeks and are thrust into a role due to injury or foul trouble?

Daniels (and Dooling) can both do that.  And on a team looking to win a title, that has to trump any "potential" people see in the young kids, especially when this potential is probably to be good role players anyway.  

[the_Bird]

A big part of Quis' value in recent years has been his flexibility to play 3 positions.  While that's always a nice thing, we've got pretty good depth at the 1/2 spots, especially if Dooling returns on the cheap.  I'd be more interested in finding someone who could be a legitimate Paul Pierce/Jeff Green backup at the 3; if one of those two guys went down, right now we're probably looking at Courtney Lee having to play there.  Quis could fill that role, but is he the *best* option to be the third SF?

[ManUp]

Quis simply doesn't fit with Doc's system. He can't shoot and is for the most part useless unless he has the ball in his hands. I think Joseph can provide everything Quis or Pavlovcic did.

[lightspeed5]

we have his # away already. hes gone.

[action781]

As a 14th or 15th man, we should not be looking for someone who is going to be a productive player on the court, because the chances are very small that the player will even play.  We should be looking for a guy who can contribute in the form of good team chemistry and I don't see anyone around the league that I'd prefer over Daniels, Pietrus (if he'd accept that role), or Dooling.  OK, maybe Nate too (Again, if he'd accept it. I actually haven't heard his name mentioned at all this offseason and he's still a FA).

[Professor of Rondology]

A big part of Quis' value in recent years has been his flexibility to play 3 positions.  While that's always a nice thing, we've got pretty good depth at the 1/2 spots, especially if Dooling returns on the cheap.  I'd be more interested in finding someone who could be a legitimate Paul Pierce/Jeff Green backup at the 3; if one of those two guys went down, right now we're probably looking at Courtney Lee having to play there.  Quis could fill that role, but is he the *best* option to be the third SF?

Are there any *better* options out there for the vet min?

Quis simply doesn't fit with Doc's system. He can't shoot and is for the most part useless unless he has the ball in his hands. I think Joseph can provide everything Quis or Pavlovcic did.

We've brought him back not once but twice- Doc clearly likes him so you're just plain wrong about that.

[the_Bird]

A big part of Quis' value in recent years has been his flexibility to play 3 positions.  While that's always a nice thing, we've got pretty good depth at the 1/2 spots, especially if Dooling returns on the cheap.  I'd be more interested in finding someone who could be a legitimate Paul Pierce/Jeff Green backup at the 3; if one of those two guys went down, right now we're probably looking at Courtney Lee having to play there.  Quis could fill that role, but is he the *best* option to be the third SF?

Are there any *better* options out there for the vet min?

Well, Delfino for one.  Whether he's available for the money we have to offer is a question, but I'd push hard for him before committing to Quis. 

[Professor of Rondology]

Well, Delfino for one.  Whether he's available for the money we have to offer is a question, but I'd push hard for him before committing to Quis. 

Delfino made 3.5 m last year- we'd be offering less then half of that.

[the_Bird]

It's not what he made last year, it's what's available this year.

And I'll confess, I haven't studied the full listing of remaining free-agent 3s in any detail.  But, Quis was pretty deeply out of the rotation last year.  He had a few good moments in the playoffs, but for most of the season he was terrible. 

I certainly would be looking to bring back Pietrus before Quis, as another example. 

[Eja117]

I think Kris Joseph and Dionte Christmas are even cheaper and possibly better options. Especially long term