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.

—–

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!

Willie Andrews Arrested Again

Posted by Morry Levine June 30, 2008 at 5:45 pm

More trouble for Patriots Defensive Back Willie Andrews today.  He was arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon after allegedly pointing a 9 milimeter handgun at his girlfriend’s head after she accused him of cheating.

The arrest was Andrews second this year.  He was charged with possession of marijuna in February.

Statement from the New England Patriots regarding Willie Andrews:

“The New England Patriots take the conduct of our players very seriously. We are aware of the very disturbing and alarming reports regarding Willie Andrews. We will not offer any additional comment, as is our policy regarding pending legal matters.”

Posey Opting Out

Posted by Morry Levine June 30, 2008 at 4:31 pm

As expected – Celtics forward James Posey will officially become an unrestricted free agent.  Posey will not exercise the 3.2 million dollar option on his contract.  Free agency begins tomorrow and then players can sign with new teams beginning July 8th.  You better believe Posey will have plenty of offers.

 

Hot Stove Melts Ice

Posted by Adam Hart June 30, 2008 at 4:08 pm

Sounds like a name of one of those Emo bands the kids rave about. Hot Stove Melts Ice opens for Panic At The Disco and Taking Back Sunday! Anyway, Mr. Mike Giardi already outlined a few free agent targets for the Boston Bruins. Here are my backup plans should things go awry.

Brooks Orpik D – 1 goal, 11 assists, +11 rating, 57 penalty minutes
A 2001 NCAA Champion with the BC Eagles, Orpik is more of a physical force than an offensive minded defenceman. He is expected to command upward of 3 million dollars on the open market. The Bruins should at the very least put feelers out there. Orpik, while playing a different style of hockey, could be a replacement for Denis Wideman should Peter Chiarelli believe Wideman’s arbitration number will come in higher than Chiarelli is comfortable with. Of course, there is that business of having traded Brad Boyes for Wideman. You know, the same Brad Boyes who scored 43 goals for St. Louis this season. It would be a shame to let Wideman walk after that. I wouldn’t mind having both defenceman on the B’s, because with Orpik around no opposing forward would be allowed a free skate behind the net.

Markus Naslund LW — 25 goals, 35 assists, 9 power play goals, 13 power play assists

Nas may not fit into Chiarelli’s plan to get young, but he is a veteran talent who served as captain for the Vancouver Canucks. And he is far more mobile than Glenn Murray. Heck, Bambi is more mobile on the ice at this point. Naslund has proven more capable of putting on sick moves in open ice. An unrestricted free agent, the Swede could be a backup plan should Marian Hossa sign elsewhere. Don’t get me wrong, I want Hossa — he scores even when playing for a team wearing clown jerseys. It’s just that teams with more money to offer, i.e. Montreal, also have Hossa on their wish list. But, you know, it’s like people only do things because they get paid, and that’s just really sad.

Radim Vrbata RW — 27 goals, 29 assists, +6 rating, 5 power play goals, 10 power play assists

Vrbata would bring size to the Bruins offense, a quicker size than the speed-of-molasses-size fans have seen in Glenn Murray the past two seasons. He is a threat in the shootout and a proven goal scorer. Vrbata is 27 and made 1.25 million last season. He will obviously be looking for an upgrade in salary. Aren’t we all? Hahahaha…… such a clever observation. Not.

The Rocky Mountain News also bills Ron Hainsey as a top unrestricted free agent. But I don’t see it. Any defenceman who makes a habit of losing fights to Tuomo Ruutu is not a Bruins caliber player. Claude (CLODE!) would not approve of his light hitting ways. Orpik or Brian Campbell would be a better fit.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

Tuesday, July 1st, marks the opening of the free agent market. Tampa Bay has gotten aggressive, trading for the exclusive negotiating rights to forwards Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts, then signing both. The Lightning also traded for the rights to former Bruin Brian Rolston. The new ownership in Tampa Bay is going all out. There is no guarantee that Rolston signs, though. With three straight 30 goal seasons under his belt in Minnesota, he would be a good replacement for Glen Metropolit. Metropolit, known to do all the little things well, did not have near the goal production of Rolston.

That’s it. That’s my free agent wish list should Hossa and Campbell sign elsewhere. Let’s see if I’m as good at selecting Bruins free agent targets as I am at predicting Celtics draft picks.  The End.

Sox Threat

Posted by Morry Levine June 30, 2008 at 1:52 pm

 

Mayday Malone

Posted by Mike Giardi June 30, 2008 at 9:44 am

The dream has died. My terrific plan to put Ryan Malone in a Boston Bruins uniform is no longer a reality. I blame Glenn Murray. Hey, someone has to take the hit for preventing me from reporting on a Stanley Cup parade next year, so it might as well be the unproductive and overpaid Muzz.

In truth, I never thought Malone would end up here. The buzz on the streets since the tail end of last year revolves around two players. The first being Marion Hossa, who seems destined to get at least 8 million per season. The B’s could make him fit by eating salaries and likely walking away from what should be around a 3.5 million dollar arbitration award for Dennis Wideman later this summer. Of course, I don’t know why you’d walk away from Wideman, after dealing Brad Boyes for him, and then letting him skate 20-plus minutes per game. His skills are evident. Wideman just needs to be more consistent, the usual critique of a young player.

The second rumor that won’t go away has the B’s making a play for puck-moving defenseman Brian Campbell. Campbell was a key player for Buffalo two seasons ago, but when they realized they couldn’t pay him, the Sabres shipped him off at this year’s deadline to San Jose. With a premium on Campbell’s skill-set, word is he’s looking for 6 million per season. Certainly more achievable for the B’s than Hossa, and probably allows you to keep Wideman around.

Campbell finished with 62 points last year, including 54 assists. The year before, he was a plus 28 for Buffalo, and finished with 6 goals and 42 helpers. He’s also not shy about throwing the body around. See here, and here, and – if you have it in you – check out what he did to PJ Axelsson at about the 35 second mark.

Manny Messes Up

Posted by Mike Giardi June 30, 2008 at 8:48 am

We’ve been trying to figure out what goes on in Manny Ramirez’s head for 8 years here in New England. And anybody who really tells you they have a clue, its full of what makes the grass grow greener (which could be water, or, um…fertilizer). Regardless, the Sox’s sure to be All-Star slugger didn’t have one of his finer moments this past weekend in Houston.

According to the Providence Journal – and as we’ve been reporting all morning on NECN – Manny got into an argument with the team’s traveling secretary, Jack McCormick. The argument escalated, and got physical. All sides say everything’s peachy, but this is the second Manny outburst this season. The other, of course, coming in the dugout during that June 5th brawl with Tampa, when the Sox leftfielder got into a dust-up with teammate Kevin Youkilis.

What’s remarkable about this is how we’re supposedly being treated to the real Manny, the more talkative, more accessible, more media friendly slugger. This outburst doesn’t jibe with that. I mean, somehow pushing a man in his late 50’s (my guess about McCormick), who never seems to have a beef with anyone, seems a bit excessive, no? You can see how broken up Manny was about it. He homered the day after, his first jack since June 10th. Reminds me of a certain saying that I refuse to use, but I think we can all agree, Manny is one strange cat.

Hideki’s Not Ok…

Posted by Mike Giardi June 29, 2008 at 6:50 pm

Safe to say that after another poor performance from Hideki Okajima, that confidence in the Sox’s primo setup guy from a year ago is at an all-time low. Friend of “Sports Late Night” Lou Merloni made a great point in the postgame today, remarking that Okie isn’t threatening any righthanded hitters on the inner-half of the plate. Then they just sit there on the soft stuff and – for about a month now – have just been feasting on it. Righties were hiting .298 against the 32-year old coming into the day. It just wasn’t that way during his 2007 run.

You want to know how dominant he was against RH? Do you? Wait for it…wait for it…(I’m throwing in a drum roll for the heck of it):

.182.

That’s right. A piddly .182.  

Hard to say if the southpaw can get it back. We just don’t have enough history with Okie to begin with, and considering no one thought he’d be that much, you wonder if he just caught lightning in a bottle in 2007 and now has been exposed.

Me personally, I’ll take the glass is half-full approach. I still believe that Okie can bounce back. Now maybe not to the extent he dominated last year, but with a chance to be a valued and contributing member of the pen once again. And if he can’t…Craig Hansen or David Aardsma better become a heck of a lot more consistent than they’ve been.

Sox Sailing Into the Break

Posted by Mike Giardi June 28, 2008 at 12:20 pm

It’s the midway point of the Sox season (okay, so I missed it by a couple), so I thought I’d do one of those grading things (eloquently explained). Only with a decidedly Mike Giardi-esque take on it (now I’m referring to myself in third person. Wow!). Players equaling Pearl Jam songs. At this point, there’s no place else for me to go but forward…and by the way, the PJ show in Hartford last night was emotional. There is no better band. End of story.

“Man of the Hour” – J.D. Drew, for carrying the offense for almost the entire month of June. He’s hit 11 homers, while Manny hasn’t gone yard since June 10th.

“Light Years” – To Julio Lugo…for not being anywhere near the player Theo Epstein thought he’d be. We sat around the Fenway cafeteria (I paid 10 bucks for a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios) wondering how they could trade him. We didn’t come up with any good plans, even with the brain trust working on it.

“Sleight of Hand” – Something that has been decidedly missing from Hideki Okajima’s recent outing. If I’ve said it in this space once, I say it a 100 times. The Sox need three arms at the back of the pen, and right now, they have just two. Which leads me to…

“Half Full” Hansen and “Given to Fly” Delcarmen – One night, Craig Hansen is brilliance personified. A 97 MPH heater and a slider that is unhittable. The next night, he’s loading the bases and forcing Tito to go to Papelbon with a 5-0 lead. Ugh. As for the MDC, watching him overpower hitters this last month has been a treat. Its not secret how I feel about his talents, and who doesn’t like the “local boy does good” story? Well, maybe some local boys who didn’t do well…but I don’t pay them any mind.

“Believe You Me” – Dedicated to Dustin Pedroia, my favorite player on this team to watch. 3 weeks ago, he wasn’t hitting, but still putting in great AB’s and not letting it affect his play in the field. Now look at him. He can’t make an out. The reigning Rookie of the Year is going to be here for a long time, barring an injury. He just knows how to play and no one competes harder.

“Break on Through” – Okay, so its a cover of a “Doors*” song. Sue me. This goes out to Jon Lester, who I previously found maddening to watch. Now I look forward to every start. 11 straight outings with 3 earned run or less, and a swagger than I never knew existed. Kid deserves to have nothing but good things happen to him, for all that he’s been through.

(* As reader Meridith wisely pointed out, I incorrectly identified this as a “Who” song originally. As a music junkie, I am more than slightly embarrassed by my faux pas, although not nearly as embarrassed as Adam Hart should be for some of the music he recently linked to. And yes, Adam and I are friends, although perhaps not for long.)

“Last Exit” – Paging Mister Mike Timlin. Paging Mike Timlin.

“Can’t Keep” – Justin Masterson on a big league roster much longer. Not with Clay Buchholz throwing well at Pawtucket, and the fact that Masterson’s too soon call-up is foiling the front office’s master plan.

“Love Boat Captain” – Jason Varitek, for keeping the peace, calling a good game and occasionally swinging the bat. I’m not sure he’s worthy of a Jorge Posada deal, but then when you look across baseball, and through the Sox’s farm system, I don’t see there’s any way around it. Just give him the dough and think about a fallback plan a couple years down the road.

“Do The Evolution” – To Jacoby Ellsbury for providing a team that has been stuck in the mud forever a legitimate speedster who actually knows how to run.

“Stranger Tribe” – Manny…who walked up to the Herald’s Rob Bradford the other day, asked how many outfield assists he had this season and, after getting the answer, laughed and said “that’s ’cause I don’t play the field.” Then he walked away.

“Faithful” – I’m not a big knuckleball fan, or enamored with soft tossers (I’ve witnessed too many Frank Castillo starts to every get past that), but Wake continues to provide for this team. If you dice up the numbers, he’s been the team’s second-most consistent starter. Not bad for a 41-year old.

“Blood” – What Josh Beckett pitches for every time out. I don’t care how good Hanley Ramirez is, or turns out to be, I’d do this trade 100 times out of 100.

“Come Back” – What the Sox need from David Ortiz. 23 games is too long with the Big Papi’s big bat.

“I Believe in Miracles” – Mark it down. If Curt Schilling has some life in that arm after rehab, he will pitch again. Tampa anyone?

“Even Flow” – Mike Lowell is a much better player than I’ve given him credit for. And that’s not to say I didn’t think he was good…but man, the guy is the consumate professional. I’m beginning to think he might be just fine in year 3 of this deal.

“Alive” – Jon Papelbon isn’t throwing like he did a year ago (few have ever chucked it like that during a single season), but he’s still as close to a lock as there is in baseball. And to think this guy was going to be a starter last spring. What a waste that would have been.

I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t blog that…

Posted by Ted McEnroe June 27, 2008 at 4:32 pm

We appear to be back up and running after a couple of issues this week with our little corner of cyberspace. You see, we had this old HAL 9000 computer that we thought would make a nice addition to the NECN team, and well, the excitement of the NBA draft apparently got to it. Anyway, we think we’re back in business.

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