How Should the Celtics Use the MLE, If At All?

[Who]

Why not pick up a decent big like Dalembert or Hickson and keep him for ourselves so we can be a respectable team?

I think we have a JJ Hickson type player on this team already in Kris Humphries. I think both players have similar value as an undersized starting center. And we are already overloaded at the PF position. So I don't see any point in adding Hickson. He doesn't improve the team.

I think the wheels are coming off on Dalembert. He is on the Brendan Haywood track. Falling hard and falling fast. Just can't move well enough on team defense anymore. Can't cover enough ground. Doesn't have the foot-speed / mobility anymore.

I think you would have to pay Dalembert big (full MLE, multi-year contract) to get him here and I think it would be one of those contracts that you really regret.

[TheTruthFot18]

Is their an advantage to not using the MLE? Or is just less money on the teams overall salary?

[Jonny CC]

Oden

Agree 100%
If the Cs are committed to rebuilding, then why not take a chance on Oden.  I know he isn't an iron man, but the potential upside is worth the risk...especially when compared to some of the other options who offer no benefit long term. 

[connor]

See my comment above. Why should we acquire a player only to trade him to make another team better? Why not pick up a decent big like Dalembert or Hickson and keep him for ourselves so we can be a respectable team?

Because I think we are tanking. I'm not saying I want to tank, but it looks like thats where we are headed. After the Nets trade it doesn't seem like we have a better option. Those future picks don't carry much value right now because they could all be late 20s. We don't have the ammo to make a trade that would put us back into contention and I don't think the options out there right now (Smith, Big Al etc.) are the right players to start rebuilding around.

Being a respectable team isn't really an option for us right now. It would just put us in a holding pattern. This would be the year to tank if we were going to (and again all signs point to yes).

In that case there is no point bringing in a MLE for ourselves, but bringing in a guy who we could flip for maybe a second rounder or two (if extremely lucky a very late first?) or a young player with some upside could really help us. 

The more assets we can collect the sooner we are going to be able to make that big move that will catapult us back into the conversation.

[rondoallaturca]

As it stands, we should not be looking to use the MLE unless it is for a player that'll be an absolute bargain at that price. We should be looking to get as far away from the luxury tax as possible.

[JSD]

Throw the full MLE at Greg Oden.

[slamtheking]

I say don't use it at all. 

we've got more players than roster spots right now. 

I'd rather see vet min players brought in to fill any necessary gaps. 

One other big thing to keep in mind is that if Danny uses that MLE, even if for 1 year, I believe that that salary slot becomes a cap hold the following year.  if we can avoid that next year, that's more financial flexibility for the C's.