August 25th, 2007
Celts agree to terms with Posey
Posted by Mark Murphy at 2:13 pm

The Celtics just agreed to terms with one of the hottest free agents still on the market - James Posey, a player who should give the Celtics defense a significant upgrade.

This 6-8 forward, known in particular for his role as a defensive stopper on the 2006 Miami team that won the NBA title, averaged 7.7 points, five boards and one steal per game last season.

The deal came together with relative haste. Though Danny Ainge, the Celtics’ director of basketball operations, had been in touch with Posey over the last month, discussions gained momentum yesterday, after Reggie Miller informed the Celtics that he would not come out of retirement to join the team.

By this afternoon, the sides had reached agreement on a deal that will pay Posey just over $3 million - the amount left on the team’s mid-level exception - next season. The full contract will pay him $7 million over the next two years, with Posey holding an option on the second season.

Posey’s decision is significant, considering that the Celtics initially considered his price to be too high. But dynamics of the market drove Posey’s price down.

According to agent Mark Bartelstein, Posey could have received more to play in some other locations, but was attracted by the Celtics’ growing allure as eastern conference contenders.

New Jersey had been close to a deal with Posey this week, but had less money to offer than the Celtics.

Though Posey had been thought to be angling for a return to Miami, the Heat’s signing of Anfernee Hardaway may have changed his thinking.

His modest scoring numbers aside, Posey is considered a high-energy player who is particularly adept that shutting down opposing small forwards and big guards.

At the age of 30, he is not only considered to be a player in his prime, but also one of the NBA’s most highly regarded role players - in short, the perfect player to compliment Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen

http://http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/celtics/?p=126

Bring it on. Force the Pistons to improve.

Yep, really like what Boston is doing this summer. If this turns into a banner season, Danny Ainge should win GM of the year honors.

It is all one big if, especially considering history of injuries that their stars have. Also, Posey will definitely help them, but can he put them over the top? I doubt it.

They've made some impressive moves when they had to.

I like their chances, but regardless, I give Ainge an A+ for effort and having the guts to do something.

Still lots of preseason left to make moves though. And the core is undeniably superior to most teams in the league. There "if" is no bigger than our "if". Our coach has a bad history of mediocre playoff performances to match their history of injuries. Not to mention having three all-star "franchise player" types on their team will take alot of pressure off one individual player thus reducing the chances of injury. I wouldn't bet against these guys (Pierce, Garnett and Allen). They are fierce competitors and will probably be posed to have there best season ever since expectations have never been higher for any of them.

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Got Jokes?

Agreed. That was exactly what I was thinking. The Celtics undoubtedly got a LOT better this off season.

Us? We got a lot younger and a lot less experienced. It remains to be seen if we got any better. I'd say our off season "Ifs" are considerably bigger than theirs.

Hats off to Ainge. He gets an A+ from me. Joe D gets a TBD.

I don't know if its a slam dunk yet. I am not sure if I was a Boston fan that I even would have wanted it to go down like this.

They have about a 3 year window to win a title. After that they will have to watch all the young talent they traded away get better and blossom on other teams.

Even this year. If Ray Allen goes down with another injury and that Green kid takes off in Seattle then Celts fans will be hating it.

Very gutsy all in kind of move by Ainge. This can either land him as GM of the year or out of a job. It can go either way.

I knew it....they are going to be able to get just enough serviceable players to fill out that roster and make a darn good run of things.

Ainge only needs to make the ECF and go 6 games to justify his existence.

These moves will help ticket sales, create a buzz and he will get at least until the end of the window before they change GMs.

By authorizing this move, the owners are basically endorsing not just the move, but Ainge as the GM for a couple more years. If they had plans to dump him, they wouldn't have put the franchise in this position.

But really though, potential is only potential. Ainge traded some guys who may be very good one day for some guys who are very good (great) right now. One title now is a win for the Celts, even if Minnesota wins a title 3 years from now. You could argue that neither franchise would have one with the other franchise having the other.

I like this move because it's bold, and stealing Posey for half of what he made as a Miami Heat is going to provide a lot of value.