The Value of a Posey

And so it ends.

The last coveted unrestricted free agent is off the board with the signing of James Posey.

The winner?

Not the 2007-2008 NBA Champion Boston Celtics (who were reported to be reluctant in offering Posey his desired full mid-level exemption four-year deal) but the up-and-coming New Orleans Hornets.

At 31, James Posey had every right to go out and look for some security, which he found in the Hornets $25 million offer. I honestly believe that the Celtics should have not scrimped on this one, as Posey is a true “glue guy.” The Cleveland Cavaliers will tell you. So will Miami Heat President Pat Riley.

Posey was the Celtics unsung hero in the NBA Finals a few short weeks ago. An intelligent weak side defensive helper who helped NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett on one end and supplied the C’s with timely three point bombs on the other. In fact, Celtics Captain Paul Pierce felt that Posey contributions were so "invaluable" that his squad wouldn’t lose anything if he were to sit down.

Who can argue with success?

After all, Posey has only won two NBA Championships in the last three years with the Heat in 06’ and the Celtics in 08’

Could Hornets in 09’ be a possibility?

Maybe...

Just don’t question the value of a Posey.

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The seemingly invincible Boston Celtics have shown a weakness

When you really think about it, the playoffs are truly the NBA’s second season.

Seeding really just equates to home court advantage, as all sixteen teams records are the same 0-0.

Some teams see it that way. Others just follow the proverbial script.

Enter the match up between the first seed Boston Celtics and the eighth seed Atlanta Hawks.

The Boston Celtics (66-16) are the NBA’s most prolific team this year—breezing through the regular season and finished as the top dog (along with the highly coveted home court advantage throughout the playoffs). Their match up with the Atlanta Hawks was projected to be a laugher—a sweep. But after the Hawks won all of their home games and clearly diverted from the “script,” the Celtics are in the fight of their lives and “adlibbing” from here on out.

If not for quirky NBA Eastern and Western Conference Playoff format, the Atlanta Hawks (37-45) really don’t have any business being in the NBA Playoffs (especially with a team like the Golden State Warriors that finished with a 48–34 record and still didn’t make the playoffs). But here they are and they are showing that they belong after sending the Celtics to their third loss in a week to even their best-of-seven first round series at three-a-piece.

What are these highflying Hawks doing right?

Well, they are attacking the basket strong on offense. Going for offensive rebounds. And most importantly, they are running.

Running.

The kink in the vaunted Boston Celtics defense has been exposed.

Don’t get me wrong, the Celtics play a great brand of basketball, but I believe that they haven’t been in enough of these situations wherein they play the same team over-and-over again. A team—these eighth seed Atlanta Hawks—that have had some medium of success over them.

I’ve always wondered if the bench of the Celtics would be good enough this year to lend a helping hand to “The Big Three” of Garnett, Pierce, and Allen.

So far, it’s been sketchy.

The Boston Celtics are 27-0 lifetime whenever they have lead 3-2 in a best-of-seven series.

The Atlanta Hawks have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Come game seven, their records will be 0-0.

Can these Hawks become only the fourth team since 1994 to upset a first seed?

Watch.

It could happen.

Just ask Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks.

Addendum:

•Only three eighth seeded teams have managed to win a series versus a first seed: These are the 1994 Denver Nuggets when they finished off the George Karl led Seattle SuperSonics in six games; the underdog New York Knicks that went on to the 1999 NBA Finals after they eliminated the Miami Heat (3-2) in the first round; and most recently, last year’s feel good team—the Golden State Warriors who trumpeted the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in their 2007 First Round Western Conference match up.

•With their win over the 67-15 Dallas Mavericks, the Golden State Warriors also became the first eighth seed to beat a first seed in the best-of-seven format.

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What if LeBron James was a member of Celtic Pride

I saw this picture today and I just couldn't resist.

It was taken sometime during the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers match up last night at The Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

Instead of being clad in wine and gold...how about green and white for LBJ?

Pretty neat starting five huh?

Tsk! Tsk! The fantasy implications that would have had...

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Yi Jianlian--NBA All-Star?

The proud city of New Orleans. 58 Days to go. NBA All-Star 2008.

The annual (a.k.a. "most likely") West starters most likely Yao Ming at Center (no contest here with an entire country voting for him); Tim Duncan (which was sketchy at first since he was initially listed as a Center. But now since he was able to sequester a reprieve on his All-Star ballot position listing (which would have most likely taken him out of the West starters if he didn't get it since Yao Ming has owned the Center slot since he entered the league in 03') and last year's league MVP Dirk Nowitzki at Forward; and Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady at Guard.

While the annual (a.k.a. "most likely") East starters would be Shaquille O'Neal at Center (no doubt moving to East to South Beach really helped in this department); newcomer Kevin "KG" Garnett and LeBron "LBJ" James as the Forwards; and Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. and Gilbert "Agent Zero" Arenas at the Guard positions.

That is "most likely" and probably how the vote will turn out. New Jersey Nets point guard Jason Kidd (who currently has three triple-doubles this early into the 07'-08' season) should be the most viable replacement for the injured Arenas.

As for the West, I am not a big fan of Tracy McGrady and in all honesty, a natural point guard should start for the West and my vote goes to 2-time MVP Steve Nash (which won't happen because of McGrady's popularity).

Now to the main topic.

Question: Will Milwaukee Bucks forward and China's own Yi Jianlian make the NBA All-Star team?

I say YES!

Not because I'm a fan of Yi (which I am not), nor because the NBA seemingly decided to leave the 20 year-old Jianlian off the All-Star ballot.

Yi Jianlian will make it with his countrymen backing him up via the NBA's online All-Star voting system. They may have taken Yi off the ballot but NBA fans are more educated these days as there is always the "write in player" option.

Yi won't surpass "The Chosen One" LeBron James but he has a shot at Kevin Garnett's starting slot.

Yahoo Sports wrote:

China's basketball press lamented Friday (November 16, 2007) the absence of rookie Yi Jianlian from the 2008 NBA All Star ballot, reporting that the world's top basketball league may fear the voting power of Chinese fans.

Yi's name was absent from the ballot released Thursday (November 15, 2007) in the United States, making it much more difficult for Chinese supporters of the Milwaukee Bucks power forward to vote for him to start in the annual All Star Game.

The 20-year-old rookie has impressed in his first month in the NBA, averaging 11 points and 6.9 rebounds a game and replacing Charlie Villanueva, who is on the ballot, as the Bucks starter.

Yi's absence dominated the sports pages of many Chinese newspapers on Friday.

"The NBA does not dare to put Yi Jianlian on the ballot because the voting power of Chinese fans is too big," Titan Sports Weekly said in an editorial.

"If the NBA put Yi Jianlian on the ballot without careful consideration ... he would surely start for the East.

"The NBA fears that if a guy like Yi becomes an All Star and only scores two points in the game, they would lose the meaning of the All Star (game)."


Wouldn't it be fun to see the system work against the NBA?

So what are you waiting for?

Click here and vote today!

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Move over Bill Walton and Ron Mercer...Boston’s New Employee Number 5 is Kevin Garnett

Longtime Minnesota Timberwolves insider Steve Aschburner brings up a very good point in his article (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/steve_aschburner/10/08/garnett.london/index.html) on newly acquired power-forward Kevin Garnett.

In the 12-years that KG has been with the T-Wolves, how many teammates has he played with?

“… someone call the Elias Sports Bureau -- that Garnett had more teammates come and go, during his 12 seasons in Minnesota, than any other one-, two- or even three-team star in the NBA in that span. From Terry Porter, Sam Mitchell, Doug West and Stephon Marbury near the start, through Tom Gugliotta, Terrell Brandon, Malik Sealy and Wally Szczerbiak in the middle, to Sam Cassell, Latrell Sprewell, Ricky Davis and Randy Foye near the end, Garnett stayed, giving the franchise its face through three or four Wolves generations. Actually, mutations might be a better word, given the often grisly results.”

Now that would be a noteworthy stat or just the work of someone who has too much time on their hands.

But interesting nonetheless…

I wonder if the Elias Sports Bureau does keep such a statistic. Hmmm….

The New Big Three Loves Rondo

From what the Celtics veterans: Kevin Garnett, Walter Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce have been saying, the sky's the limit for sophomore point guard Rajon Rondo.

Here is an except of Garnett's comments from Steve Bulpett's article in bostonherald.com (http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1036344):

"I didn't know how good of a defender he was. I just thought of him as an average defender, knowing what little I did from last year."

"He's come in and he's a very, very hard worker. You know I respect that right off the bat. He comes in and gets his nose dirty. He plays really, really hard. I love him. He's unselfish. I'm trying to get him acclimated with Ray and Paul and myself."

"If Rondo's not good, it'd only be because he doesn't want to be good. The sky's the limit for that kid."

Pierce added:

"You can tell he really worked on a lot of aspects of his game this summer. His confidence is a lot higher. There's times where he's taking his shot. We encouraged him to take it last year, and now he's stepping up and taking the shots that are there. He just seems more comfortable. I think he's really building on the end of the season and what he did last year."

Wow huh? And to think that Ray Allen has even taken Rondo under his wing. I forsee an increase in points, rebounds, assists, and steals for the 21-year old Yarbarker Blogger!

Have a great season Rajon!