Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Miller Time in Beantown?
Espn.com reports that Danny Ainge, Director of Basketball Operations of the Boston Celtics, has contacted Reggie Miller to be a role player on the Celtics bench. Miller, a five-time NBA All-Star, would be expected to play about 15 minutes a game as a backup to seven-time All-Star Ray Allen.
If the Celtics sign Miller, they would have filled their 15 roster spots. That would leave them without a quality backup point guard on the roster and three players similar skill-sets in Ray Allen, Miller, and Eddie House. The move may help them, but it might also mean recently signed Jackie Manuel or Brandon Wallace would make a quick exit from Beantown to sign another point guard or big man. Manuel's contract is not guaranteed so releasing him might be a possibility.
Having one of the all-time greatest 3-point shooters on your bench is definitely a great thing. Miller has hit 100+ 3-point field goals in 15 straight years, but those days are far behind him, given that he is 42 years old.
The Celtics are probably better off signing PJ Brown to back up Kendrick Perkins. Even though they signed Scot Pollard yesterday, they are still weak at the center position since Pollard is nothing more than a body to put on the floor that can hammer Shaq and grab 6 fouls a game. The Pollard signing is actually not quite smart because he isn't a good player. The move seems to have been made because of money issues.
The Celtics ownership needs to realize that with the investments they have already made, it would be foolish not to go all out and spend the full mid-level exception to get quality players. The new trio is not enough to contend with the likes of San Antonio and Dallas, among others.
Danny Ainge and the Celtics ownership have a very short amount of time to make the Allen and KG trades turn into a Celtic championship. Ownership should not have signed off on those trades if they were not willing to spend the necessary money to bring a true contender to Boston.
Note: ESPN reports that only 12 players are under contract for Boston. Eddie House and Jackie Manuel are not listed as part of the Boston roster on their website. However, the Boston Herald reported 13 players on the roster prior to the Scot Pollard signing. Unless the rookies are not under contract, the ESPN information is incorrect.
Boston Herald's Breakdown of the Celtics' Bench
3 Comments:
Certainly Miller has experience, but I agree with you, it would probably be wiser to sign a guy like PJ Brown. Also, why hasn't Brevin Knight been contacted? He would be a great fit at the PG spot for this team!
Oops Brevin Knight signed with the Clips. Still, they need a veteran PG who can provide his teammates the ball in positions to score.
I don't think I would mind having Miller. My concern is the roster spots. Maybe they send Big Baby and Wallace (two rookies) down to the D-League with Jackie Manuel in order to sign a few more guys.
Also something to remember about the PG situation is that Pierce and Allen can handle the ball and they have in their previous situations. Allen and Pierce have been forced to handle the ball down the stretch because nobody else could. I certainly don't trust Pruitt, a rookie with the point guard role in any key situations.
According to quotes in the Herald Ainge is still looking for a PG though.
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