If you were the Celtics, what would you offer Posey to stay? The full mid-level ($5.8 mil for this year, increasing 15%? every year)? For how many years? I hear he wants 4 or 5, but the C's only want 3. How essential is he to the Celtics future success? Who can they find to replace him if he leaves? Many questions... Discuss.

The full MLE is actually a little under $5.6 million with 8% increases. Anyways, that's still way too much for Posey. He's one of those \"clutch role player that every team needs to win a championship\" guys and is destined to be overpaid by someone. If he wants 5 years, they'd be better off letting him go, he's 31 years old. In that case they should go after Childress with the full MLE (minus what they used to sign Bill Walker).

I don't think there is a major market for Posey. He is of value to a playoff team looking for their version of Raja Bell, and Bruce Bowen. Guys who clearly have defined their worth (no upside potential here) tend not to get the retrospectively horrible contracts (unless they are 7 feet tall).

Boston is the perfect fit. It seems like whenever these things are so clear someone throws a curveball and in a year everyone will regret they didn't just do the obviously thing.

2 years $11
3 years $13

Cap space isn't really an issue with the big contracts they have. The goal is the keep Posey around until he isn't effective or until the Big 3 can't content and not a year longer.

I'm in the camp that thinks a 4 year contract with the MLE would be too much as well. I heard the C's offered him 3 years at $12 million, he denied it and said he wants the full MLE for 4-5 years, they came back with a better offer (but not that good), and that is where they are at...

Although a lot of people on Celtics Blog are freaking out about losing Posey, I think the Celtics are doing the right thing and are in the right ballpark...

Although they wouldn't have won the 'chip with out him....

He's not getting any younger either...

I can see where Posey is coming from, being the key role player on the championship team as opposed to Ronny Turiaf who just got 4 years $17 million for pretty much being a tall, hustle guy...

The Warriors screwed over the role player market.

They definitely wouldn't have won the title without Posey, which goes in his favor.

He's a great fit on the team, but getting up in there age and not \"essential\", which goes in favor of the management.


If I were the Front Office, I'd offer eith of these as a \"max offer\":

3 years, $18 million
4 years, $20 million


If he refuses both... well then that's on him.

In my opinion, which basically seems somehow congruent with the statements made by you guys (so I'll try to be quick ), I understand that Posey has some leverage. He was a crucial part of their success last year and the role he plays made him a perfect fit. On the other hand, he is on the bad side on his 30s already and I would highly refrain from giving him the long term offer he wants. One could argue, that Bruce Bowen, who is almost exactly the same type of player as Posey, managed to stay effective quite as long as Posey's desired contract would run. But common take on the Spurs is that their supporting cast has been too old for years and I don't know if that would be the example to follow. One could also say that the C's window of winning another trophy isn't very large anyways and might be identical with the effectiveness of Posey, so why not keeping the winning formula together?
But the main arguement for me is: If there is any way of extending the chamiopnchip window for an aging team, than it is surrounding it with young legs as much and as soon as possible. The C's had this already going for them last year, but to keep this up, they can't have aging role players around, clogging their roster while they will try to sign younger replacements to support their aging core.

So in my opinion: If he wants the full MLE for more than 3 years and doesn't accept a pay cut for any years after, let him go.

(wasn't all that quick, huh? Aaah, it's just me I guess )

The question that has been barely touched so far: What shall the Celtics do if they'd left Posey go (I guess there will be takers, might be even the Lakers ... ugh, that rhymes)...

As I have stated in another thread, I'll keep my fingers crossed they don't resort to any experiments like aiding a comeback try of Darius Miles. On paper - and given he was even half the athelete he was, what is doubtful since independent doctors ruled hie injury career ending, but anyways - this might look like a smart, low risk signing. I guess everyone will agree that this guy, once dubbed \"Baby KG\" had tremendous talent, but being one of the worst headcases kept him from becoming a true star. He could be had on the cheap since Portland still pays him massive money, he might be humbled and put in his place by the experience of a supposedly career ending injury and if there was a player known to inspire everybody around him with his dedication and work ethic, it would be \"Adult KG\" himself. And he definitely once had every tool to be both an offensive force and a defensive stopper on 4 positions. Soooo ... but my question is - leaving aside if he still has anything left of his athleticism that made him the talent he was - what will be if he doesn't pan out, wasn't humbeld and could not be kept in line even by KG? Why disrupting an obviously great team chemistry by bringing someone like him in? The only way I could live with such a deal would be, if he was signed to a non guaranteed contract much like Penny Hardaway was last year with the Heat.

Yes, Josh Childress would be a smart move and a steal if he could be had for the MLE, but that would probably depend on the question if someone would offer Josh Smith so much money that the Hawks would have to grossly overpay him, but still so little that they don't just let him leave. All in all, I don't think the C's can land him, because in the first scenario (Smith leaves), the Hawks will use everything they have to keep at least Childress and in the second (Smith stays) all teams with cap room will now go after Childress and offer him far more than the MLE. And I doubt that Childress would take signifact less just to play for a contender ... look like this worked out with Magette.

Other options? I don't believe there is much on the market that would fill the void left behind by Posey adequately. Probably that's why the C's resorted to such crazy stuff as working out Miles...