James Posey, Eddie House, P.J. Brown, Scot Pollard, and Sam Cassell are unrestricted free agents.  Tony Allen is a restricted free agent.  Brown will probably retire rather than come back.  Pollard and Cassell probably shouldn't come back.  In Pollard's case, that's because he hasn't been healthy for years.  Only a couple of teams have cap space, so Posey will not get offered more than the MLE by anyone.  It is therefore widely assumed that he will take the Celtics' MLE over some other team's, and will be back.  Giving the MLE to Posey means that the most the Celtics can offer House is the LLE, which is somewhere around $2 million.  There's a chance that another team will offer him more, and he will be gone.

Tony Allen is a tough case.  This season, he never got his offensive game back to where it had been before his injury the previous year.  There's a good chance that he comes back to show he can be that player again, which would greatly increase his value as an unrestricted free agent next summer.  There's also a good chance that if someone offers him anything over the qualifying offer, the Celtics won't match it.  (Luxury tax.)  And if he does play great for the Celtics next season, they probably can't afford to keep him when he's an unrestricted free agent.  So it's probably not surprising that when I looked up the scouting reports for J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker on NBADraft.net last night, both guys sound a lot like Tony Allen.  The Celtics have already acquired his replacements.  And Walker provides a little protection on the off chance that Posey leaves -- NBADraft.net compared him to Ruben Patterson.

 

So what do you think the Celtics will do this summer?  What do you think they should do?  Trades?  Free agents?  Who do you think they could reasonably get who could help?

To me, the first priority is a backup center (or two) to replace Brown and Pollard.  Adonal Foyle reportedly will be leaving Orlando as a free agent.  He's a guy who could play Celtics defense and rebound, and might sign for the veteran's minimum.  He's like P.J. without the jump shot, a better shot blocker and not so many miles on the tires.

 

In Marc Spears' Globe article today, he throws out Chris Andersen's name as a possibility for the Celtics.

Also, he discusses the minicamp the Celtics will hold later this week.  Remember, they're doing that this year instead of having a Summer League team.  Big Baby, Gabe Pruitt, and J.R. Giddens will be taking part.  Other players there will include ex-Knicks/Spurs center Jackie Butler, ex-Grizz power forward Lawrence Roberts, ex-Bucks forward David Noel, and Omar Cook, who it seems has been trying to make the NBA for 20 or 30 years now.

Please allow me to share my thoughts: 1. Posey and House should come back. Those guys really provide the boost from the bench. 2. Even if PJ wants to come back, I don't think he'd like to play the whole year. Maybe he'll be back by the second half of next season. 3. Considering #2, the back-up frontline would be a definite priority. I think I like Foyle over Andersen. Mourning?? 4. I am intrigued by David Noel. 5. A part of me is hoping Gerald Green comes back. I just feel KG has something to help mold him.

I'd like to see Gerald come back and get his game together, too.  But after the Celtics picked up two swingmen in the draft, there isn't any roster space for him.

I think Tony Allen is gone. Hopefully he signs a good deal with a team that can use him. I'm assuming Powe and Davis will get more PT rather than the Celtics looking for a replacement for Brown. House and Posey should be resigned.  

Turns out the Celtics didn't even make a qualifying offer for Tony Allen.  So I would assume he's gone.

Powe and Davis will get more playing time next year, but they're 6'8" and 6'9".  The Celtics need a couple more legitimate centers on the 15-man roster to replace Brown and Pollard.  You don't need them against every team, but there are matchups where you have to have them.  And Perk has had some injury problems over the years; you need a legitimate backup for him.

 

From Marc Spears on Boston.com: 

 Posted by Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff July 1, 2008 05:11 PM

I think Posey is after financial payback this time whether with Boston or elsewhere.  He moved up his stock with last season's play.  Maggette is a long-shot unless he is willing to sacrifice money for a shot at a championship. And would he be willing to play behind  Pierce and Allen?  He'll definitely provide a lot of energy though off bench.

 

Yeah I hope in case Tony doesn't come back that he'd be able to join a good team.  Maybe he can fit in with Miami.

 

Although he has fancier numbers I don't like Mags for the Celtics at all. I'd much rather see them spend the $ on Posey. Mags is a high volume scorer and slasher who needs the ball in his hands. He's not a great dfender (although with his physical skills he should have been) and even if its not his fault he's always played in relativley losing situations. Posey on the other hand is a very good 3 shooter, doesn't need the ball, is and intense defender and has been in several championship situations. Posey is a much better fit and Mags really can't get the touches to be 100% effective being a backaup to Pierce and Allen.

They don't need Sam back he's done.

They really do need a replacement fro Brown. He showed during the playoffs how valuable his smart dfense, rebound and even his occasional 15 foot jumper are. Perkins is foul and injury prone. They need a fill in for him. It doesn't have to be a great player or a big minute player but unfotunatley many of the guys who would fit the role likley just make too much $. I think a guy like Rasho would work but he makes too much.

Tony Allen? Meh lots of 6 foot 6 raw swingmen around.

I think they also need a combo guard like a Bobby Jackson that can play SOME PG but also hit shots for when Rondo sits. I think House is a good role player as a shooter but they still need another guard to replace Sam's minutes and to cut Allens minutes as he ages.

Toolatecrew:

I think they also need a combo guard like a Bobby Jackson that can play SOME PG but also hit shots for when Rondo sits. I think House is a good role player as a shooter but they still need another guard to replace Sam's minutes and to cut Allens minutes as he ages.

The Celtics are hoping last year's second round pick Gabe Pruitt can move up and fill that role this year.  Tony Allen played most of the backup shooting guard minutes last year.  House played mostly point, and did a lot better job of running the offense than I expected from him.

 

According to RealGM, the Dallas Morning News is reporting that Gerald Green has agreed on a one-year deal with the Mavericks.  That's a good spot for him.  The Mavs were for years a team that was all shooters and no defenders.  Then they filled the roster with defensive role players, and now they're short on shooters.

Oh okay, there goes my wish of a Gerald Green's return to the Boston Celtics.  I really feel that KG can work some wonders into him.  I also see the Celtics needing an extra slasher for those times that they cant hit the outside shot and the offense stand still.  The Hawks were attacking the basket throughout and the C's were mainly jump-shooting.  For some stretches of the series vs Cavs and Pistons, I also saw this pointed out. 

 

Green isn't a slasher.  He's a jump shooter.  Though he seems to have the speed to get to the hoop, he almost always pulls up for a jumper.

Patrick O'Bryant had a great work out.  He certainly has potential and in Boston's training system should develop into a serviceable # 2 center.  The kid is only 22 years old.  They are running out of additional options though.  Maggette is gone, Duhon would have been nice as well. I would take a shot at a kid like Shaun Livingston.  They have done well rehabbing players and this kid can play. In addition JR Giddens and Bill Walker are great  in this rotation.  You draft two kids who were locttery picks two years ago. Walker could be the steal of the draft. Great recovery.  They get Posey it will be banner 18 in June 09 

I'm surprised it's taking Posey so long to make a decision.  The main competition for him at this point seems to be New Orleans.  Marc Spears said in today's Globe that the Celtics had also quietly been in the running for James Jones before he signed with Miami.  Other possibilities if Posey goes elsewhere?  I looked a the free agent list on ESPN.com, and there are several swingmen I would consider as a fallback.  Some would obviously come much cheaper:

Josh Childress (restricted; no one is sure if Atlanta would match the full MLE to bring him back as a backup)
Matt Barnes (about the only one of these guys who could swing over to PF like Posey does)
Devin Brown
Bonzi Wells
Kelanna Azubuike
Quinton Ross
Jarvis Hayes
Ricky Davis  (just kidding)

Eddie House seems to be waiting for Posey to make his decision to see how much money the Celts have left to offer him.  Tyronn Lue is also under consideration.  Lue is said to be favoring Phoenix, but he hasn't signed yet.  His agent may be trying to talk the Celtics up from the veterans minimum to the LLE ($1.9 m).

I think Posey is trying to get more money and not really getting what he desires from any team which is why he's taking this long to decide.  I would not be surprised if he ends up with the C's.  But am very much interested in Matt Barnes - - tough, can shoot, can defend.  But he's also used to the free-wheeling style of GSW.  

Josh Childress would be a nice to have though I think it would be a long shot. 
 

Despite the sucess with Boston I actually think NO would be a better fit for Posey. The Cs already have 3 vets that are "leaders" and starters to boot. Posey would become one of the vet leaders of a fairly young NO team. With the Cs Posey played more than half his minutes as a PF in a Small ball lineup. I think that would not allow him to have as much sucess as playing SF as it makes some defensive demands on him. Maybe I'm wrong and all those open 3s come from PFs slacking off of him. Would seem to me he'd have a bogger role in NO because instead of playing out of postion at PF or Battling PP and Allen for touches he'd have only guys like Mo P, Butler in front of him.

Either way he's playing out of position.  In Boston, he's at PF.  In New Orleans, he'd be playing mostly at SG.

The following is a total wild-ass guess on my part: 

Leon Powe and Glen Davis both make less than $1 million next season.  Both of them are free agents next summer.  With the Celtics in the luxury tax, it may be hard for them to resign both players.  So I wouldn't be shocked if sometime before the trading nextline next February, Powe (more likely than Davis) was bundled with Scalabrine in a deal for someone who makes about $4 million.  It would allow them to get something for Powe (or Davis) instead of losing him for nothing as a free agent, and would unload the last year and a half of Scalabrine's contract.