Posey Opting Out, Breaking ‘Hart’s

Posted by Adam Hart June 30, 2008 at 7:18 pm

Today, James Posey’s agent declared that Pose would opt out of his 3.2 million dollar contract for next season to hit the free agent market. As sad as it makes me, I must provide the fan base with replacement choices should Posey not re-sign with the C’s. It’s my duty as a bostonscore.com blogger — but not a duty I enjoy. Here is how these players compare to Pose:

James Posey — 6′8, 217 lbs., 7.4 ppg, 24.6 mpg, 4.4 rpg, 42% 3pt.

His defensive energy and three point shooting was the perfect compliment to Kevin Garnett. When KG hit the bench, Posey kept the second unit focused on playing defense. The pair of Posey and Eddie House was the reason the Celtics won as many games as they did in 2008. The second unit showed no drop off in production from the first, forcing the will to win out of opponents with a barrage of defensive stops and three pointers. The definitive play being this one, if you can stand the Transformers type static in the background. On top of Posey’s production, I also like his mouth guard. The multicolored white/green tooth saver was awesome.

Mickael Pietrus — 6′6, 215 lbs., 7.2 ppg, 20 mpg, 3.7 rpg 36% 3pt.

Pietrus is essentially a younger version of Posey, but shoots worse from behind the arc. Pietrus was part of that Golden State run-and-gun fast break offense. I don’t know if the Frenchman comes with a point guard sidekick like Posey did with House, but I will check into that. His defense is said to be excellent, so that is a plus. The downside is that he was the 11th overall pick in 2003 and earned 3.47 million last season. Chances are he expects more money — money the Celtics may not be willing to pay– and could play off of what kind of deal Posey gets; or vice versa.

Corey Maggette — 6′6, 225 lbs., 22.1 ppg, 35.7 mpg, 5.6 rpg, 38% 3pt.

Yeah right. Maggette wants out of L.A., but still has 7 million dollars on his deal for next season. He could come to the Celtics by using some form of a sign-and-trade and the mid-level exception. But that seems highly unlikely. The Celtics have the New Big Three. They need role players, even if Danny Ainge said of his draft picks that he wants them to offer more athleticism and scoring — not to be just role players. Maggette is athletic and offers scoring, but at a steep price and a large amount of required playing time.

Josh Childress — 6′8, 210 lbs., 11.8 ppg, 29.9 mpg, 4.9 rpg, 37% 3pt.

Childress is a restricted free agent and part of that Atlanta Hawks nucleus which nearly bounced the C’s in the first round of the playoffs. His defense is nothing to write home about, and it’s taken him 4 years to make the impact he has made — which isn’t much considering he was the 6th overall pick in 2004. The afro makes him cool, but the Hawks have the right to match any offer. With the Celtics willing to spend little, this appears an unlikely route.

Ryan Gomes — 6′7, 250 lbs., 12.6 ppg, 29.7 mpg, 5.8 rpg, 33% 3pt.

Everyone remembers Gomesy. My buddy TJ still has an authentic Gomes jersey, in fact. When the KG trade was made last offseason, there were rumblings that Gomes would be released and return to Boston. Gomes would bring a totally different game than Posey. His three point shooting is about 10% lower. Gomes also could not be called upon to shut down a player like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, or Joe Johnson. His game is more close to that of Leon Powe or Big Baby. Plus, Gomes is a restricted free agent. Minnesota has the right to match any offer.

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There are more small forwards on the free agent market, but none that look appealing. The point of this exercise is to prove that there is no replacement for James Posey. The Celtics need him to re-sign. If a long term deal can be worked out, it would put a smile on my face. Because right now, my heart is broken.  My sister has been locked in her room all day, crying mercilessly.  And my dog has been moping around the house since she heard the news.

I only have one thing left to say: Baby come back!