Posey signs with Hornets

[Yeagermeister]

Hornets, free agent Posey agree to four-year, $25M deal
July 16, 2008
CBSSports.com wire reports


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NEW ORLEANS -- James Posey has won NBA championships with two teams. The New Orleans Hornets hope to be his third.
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Posey, a 6-foot-8 forward who last season helped the Boston Celtics win their first championship since 1986, agreed Wednesday to a four-year, $25 million contract with New Orleans, said his agent, Mark Bartelstein.

Posey also was part of the Miami Heat's championship squad in 2005-06. His record of playing a prominent reserve role on title-winning squads made him a top free-agent target for the Hornets, who are coming off their best season in franchise history and looking to contend for a first championship of their own.

The Celtics hoped to keep Posey, and Posey himself struggled with the decision, knowing that joining All-Stars Chris Paul and David West in New Orleans would mean leaving behind Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in Boston, where as recently as Tuesday Posey was signing copies of the Celtics' championship DVD for fans.

"It was a really tough decision for him," Bartelstein said. "Boston was an incredible experience for him every way you look at it. If he was going to leave Boston, he wanted to make sure it was for a team that would compete for championship immediately and the Hornets certainly are in that world."

Riding the play-making ability of Paul, who'll also play point guard for the United States at the Summer Olympics, the Hornets won a franchise-record 56 regular season games and the Southwest Division for their first division crown.

New Orleans beat Dallas in five games in the opening round of the playoffs and came within a victory of reaching the Western Conference finals, losing to San Antonio in a seven-game, second-round playoff series.

The Hornets' weakness was an inconsistent bench.

Posey, meanwhile, averaged 22 minutes of playing time during Boston's playoff run, scoring 6.7 points and grabbing 3.6 rebounds per game.

Shortly before the draft, the Hornets traded away their only draft choice, the 27th overall pick, to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for $3 million in cash with the stated purpose of using that money toward a proven player in free agency who could help them win right away.

The Hornets inquired about several free agents, including Corey Maggette, Eduardo Najera and Jarvis Hayes, but as those players signed with other teams it was clear that Posey was the player the Hornets' coveted most.

With the money they received from Portland, combined with the savings that came from not having to shell out guaranteed money to a first-round draft pick, the Hornets were able to offer a generous enough deal to bring Posey to New Orleans.
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[Krystalina_]

I expect the Hornets to have about the same record as last year....which sucks in the sense that the Spurs also have to worry about the Mavs and Houston...The Southwest Division is stacked...fortunately and unfortunately.

 

[Nors]

I expect the Hornets to have about the same record as last year....which sucks in the sense that the Spurs also have to worry about the Mavs and Houston...The Southwest Division is stacked...fortunately and unfortunately.

I keep hearing the West is Stacked. Boston went through the West 33-9 and owned Lakers in finals. New Orleans nice sign in Posey.

That hurt the Celtics bench a lot.

 

[WoodysGirl]

More than a pocketful for Posey in this lucrative deal
By John Hollinger
ESPN Insider
(Archive)
Updated: July 16, 2008
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Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

The shine of playing for the title-winning team pays off for James Posey. But is he worth it?
You knew this was coming -- the inevitable overreaction to a role player on a championship team in free agency. Every year there's one guy whom teams can't stop fawning over, and this year it was James Posey. Sure, he was an integral part of championship teams for both Miami and Boston, but as with a lot of players who win rings it can be hard for us to look at him rationally.



That's why role players on title winners tend to get unusually generous contracts, and Posey appears to be the latest example. The same guy who inked a two-year deal (the second was a player option) for just a portion of the midlevel exception last summer to join the Celtics suddenly finds himself enriched with a four-year, $25 million deal by the Hornets. If that seems excessive for a 31-year-old who hasn't averaged more than 8.1 points per game in any of the past four seasons, it's because it is.



It's true that Posey brings three things to the table: defense, rebounding and 3-point shooting. He's not an all-defense guy, but he's an above-average defender who can play multiple positions, and that's certainly helpful. So are the 3s -- in his past three campaigns he's hit 40.3 percent, 37.5 percent and 38.0 percent from downtown. And he's an underrated defensive rebounder who had the third-best defensive rebound rate among small forwards last season.



But those strengths need to be seen in the context of the bigger picture. The guy has all but abandoned shooting anything besides a 3 -- two-thirds of his shots were triples, the fourth-highest rate in the league and the highest among nonguards -- so despite the 3s, he's a fairly inert offensive player.



And, as I mentioned, he's a 31-year-old who will be handsomely paid 'til age 35. Nobody wanted to pay him this kind of dough when he was 30, and his production wasn't any different last year -- just the result in June.



And since this is so hard for people to remember, I'll say it again: The Hornets aren't paying for what Posey gave the Celtics last year, or what he gave the Heat in 2006, but for what he can potentially give the Hornets from 2008 to 2012. And that production is likely to diminish substantially from its already modest levels.



Comb through the books and try to find perimeter players who played well until 35 -- it's tough. Now try to find some who played well 'til that age after scoring single figures in their 20s. Good luck.



For better insight into Posey's future, let's take a look at what happened to some similar players -- those who rated as statistically similar based on their performance at the same age, played primarily on the wing and were in his league as a defender. The top names on that list are Bryon Russell, Dan Majerle, Jaren Jackson, Rick Fox and Raja Bell.

• Bell is only a year older and declined noticeably last season.
• Majerle declined sharply starting at 30 and had his last useful season at 32.
• Jackson had a quality season at 32 but played 25 games the rest of his career.
• Russell lost it at 31 and never got it back, though he managed to hang around for four more years.
• Fox played reasonably well until 33 and then lost it, hard, and was out of the league by 35.



Swim deeper in the similarity pool and you'll find similar stories from Walter McCarty, Shandon Anderson, Lucious Harris, Doug Christie, Eddie Jones and Aaron McKie.


Yes, you'll find a couple exceptions if you look hard enough, most notably Mario Elie and Bruce Bowen. But the big-picture takeaway is that most players decline sharply between ages 31 and 35, and if Posey wasn't that good at 31 he's likely to be unplayable by the time he's 35. That's why nobody else wanted to give him four guaranteed years.



I have two other problems with this signing from the Hornets' perspective. First, it doesn't address their main weaknesses. New Orleans badly needs additional frontcourt depth and it seemed only reasonable that it would use the midlevel exception to address that need.



If not a frontcourt player, one presumed the Hornets would at least use the midlevel to target a shooting guard, where Morris Peterson was up and down this past season. Perhaps they think Posey can play the 2 full time, but that seems a major stretch for a guy who has played almost exclusively the 3 and 4 with Miami and Boston.



Second, Posey creates a playing-time problem because he's a natural 3 who can swing to the 4 in small-ball lineups -- just like their 2007 first-round pick, Julian Wright. Presumably Wright will now be buried on the bench -- even though he was immensely productive in his limited minutes last season and figures to be better in his second season.



As for Boston, losing Posey certainly was a blow, but it was correct not to match the Hornets' overreaction. If Tony Allen comes back healthy he can replace a lot of the defensive mettle Posey provided, while the hope is that rookies J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker can also fill in some of the departed production. And if those options don't work out, of course, it's easier for the Celtics to sign or trade for a replacement if they're not saddled by a long-term midlevel commitment to Posey.



So I'm not a big fan of his move. The Hornets have the nucleus of an outstanding team with Chris Paul, David West and Tyson Chandler, but I worry that they're forcing the issue with big-money veteran signings like Posey and Peja Stojakovic two years ago instead of a more patient approach. The fact that this move didn't address any apparent need, while overpaying a player who seems certain to decline, only makes it more puzzling. New Orleans has enough talent on hand that the Hornets may very well make a deep playoff run anyway, but it's hard for me to see how this improved their odds much.



John Hollinger writes for ESPN Insider. To e-mail him, click here.

 

[Rampage]

I keep hearing the West is Stacked. Boston went through the West 33-9 and owned Lakers in finals. New Orleans nice sign in Posey.

That hurt the Celtics bench a lot.

do you not believe the west is stacked?

 

[Nors]

That story makes me feel a little better - Posey was a key bench guy but 4 years guaranteed, 25M may have been to much a price.

 

[Nors]

do you not believe the west is stacked?

I think the West is deeper but clearly not Better than 2007/08 Boston Celtics.

 

[irvin88]

I think the West is deeper but clearly not Better than 2007/08 Boston Celtics.

Do you have anybody left on your bench ? Posey, P.J. is retiring, Cassell and House won't be back either. Just Powe and that fat kid ??

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I think the West is deeper but clearly not Better than 2007/08 Boston Celtics.

noone said that

 

[MC KAos]

the hornets are gonna be REAL good next year! top to bottom the west is much better, but its only one team from each conference that plays in the finals and in there, anything can happen, as long as its the celtics or pistons in the finals that is, lol

 

[MC KAos]

i dont think the celtics will be as good next year as they were this year for multiple reasons, but im not gonna count out the defending champs

 

[Nors]

noone said that you moron

Reread thread and stop the personal insults. You want to talk basketball bring something to topic.

 

[Nors]

Posey loss hurts us a lot - he brought a lot to the table.

Tony Allen and the first rounder need to step up. Reality is we are losing 6-8 points a game and 15-20 minutes. 4 and $25M may have been too much for him. Time will tell....

 

[irvin88]

The Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics both missed out on their free agent target on Wednesday, when point guard Tyronn Lue agreed to a two year contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, the East Valley Tribune is reporting.

Lue signed for the bi-annual exception of $1.9 million, which Phoenix did not have available after using the exception on Grant Hill last season.

The move comes as a double blow for the Celtics, who earlier in the day lost free agent James Posey to the New Orleans Hornets.

The Suns will now look at Sam Cassell, Jason Williams, and Shaun Livingston, or they could try to trade to find a backup for Steve Nash.

Via East Valley Tribune

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Reread thread and stop the personal insults. You want to talk basketball bring something to topic.

what does the Southwest being stacked have anything to do w/ the Celtics?

I don't know how you took that comment as a personal affront to them, you're just an idiot I guess

 

[Nors]

what does the Southwest? being stacked have anything to do w/ the Celtics?

I don't know how you took that comment as a personal affront to them, you're just an idiot I guess

Keep building your case

 

[Bob Sacamano]

what does the Southwest? being stacked have anything to do w/ the Celtics?

I don't know how you took that comment as a personal affront to them, you're just an idiot I guess

Keep building your case

thanks for saying something w/o really saying anything

 

[Biggems]

what does the Southwest? being stacked have anything to do w/ the Celtics?

I don't know how you took that comment as a personal affront to them, you're just an idiot I guess

Keep building your case

Well since Posey left the Celtics to join a team in the Southwest Division.....it does have something to do with the Celtics.

Also, you aren't just losing the points with Posey. You are losing veteran leadership, confidence, hustle, rebounding, passing, and clutchness. He is going to be a great addition to the Hornets.........UNFORTUNATELY.

 

[Nors]

Well since Posey left the Celtics to join a team in the Southwest Division.....it does have something to do with the Celtics.

Also, you aren't just losing the points with Posey. You are losing veteran leadership, confidence, hustle, rebounding, passing, and clutchness. He is going to be a great addition to the Hornets.........UNFORTUNATELY.

I agree - Posey is all that - But to give him 4 years $25M was paying too much. He is a nice bench player that gives you 7-8 points a game and 20 minutes. Long term this was a smart move but today our team is weakened.

Ainge is saying he went 3 years same money but 4th year not willing. Allen can replace rhe defense and lets see what our first rounder can do - he has deep shot per scouting reports and off the charts hops.

Ainge also hinted he could find a forward in FA to fill role far cheaper. Don't know I believe that.

Big 3's legacy could be getting a few NBA Titles interchanging the role players. Like Dallas in 1990's football, teams in FA overpay for champs non star players.

 

[Nors]

Well since Posey left the Celtics to join a team in the Southwest Division.....it does have something to do with the Celtics.

Also, you aren't just losing the points with Posey. You are losing veteran leadership, confidence, hustle, rebounding, passing, and clutchness. He is going to be a great addition to the Hornets.........UNFORTUNATELY.

New Orleans is the best team in the West today, I believe that.