Posey vs. Maggette... vs. Miles?
The C's are taking a look at free agents but right now the key move is to figure out what to do with your sixth man. While re-signing James Posey seemed like a no-brainer, the fact that he wants the full MLE for five years is enough to give any team pause. Is it wise to invest that kind of money on a 31 year old swingman? When the alternatives are Corey Maggette and fellow Clipper teammate Darius Miles, the answer is yes.
Maggette is younger than Posey and he'd help add scoring to the second unit but his defense is a problem. Ray Allen wasn't known as a great defender but made due here last season but the big difference is that Ray knows how to play defense and could fit the system while Maggette's never really shown that he understands defense. In fact, there are a lot of questions about how well Corey understands offense outside of being able to create his own.
As for Miles (who I didn't even consider in my top 75 free agents), he has the potential to be a very good defensive player but he's an All-Time headcase and has chronic knee problems. And even if he helps on defense, Miles is a problem on offense. It's hard to have a sixth man whom you pretty much can't play at the same time as your starting PG. No team is going to lose sleep leaving Rondo and Miles wide open on the perimeter. But that's getting ahead of ourselves because the bottom line is that Miles is the kind of attitude that could bristle even when KG, Pierce, or Ray Allen try to keep him in line. In the end, Miles would be taking Scot Pollard's 15th man spot and I'm not sure if Darius is the kind of guy you want with idle time on his hands. Honestly, I hope Miles can turn his career around and make a great comeback. I'd just rather not take the risk on him.
In the end, while I'm not sold on Posey getting a big five year deal, he's looking like the best option out there (although I'd still like the C's to take a look at Kelenna Azuibuike).
On a related note, while I think John Hollinger's scouting reports are usually a great read, nothing is better than this little blurb on James Posey.
2007-08 outlook: The Celtics signed Posey to a two-year, $7 million deal, one that I think might disappoint them a bit. While Posey answers their need for somebody who can guard LeBron James come playoff time, he struggles defending quicker guards and is unlikely to be much help the likes of Dwyane Wade or Ben Gordon. Additionally, he's likely to drop off a bit from his numbers of a year ago.
The bigger reason he'll disappoint, though, is that he's not Ruben Patterson -- the player Boston passed up in order to sign him. Comparing the two, I'm struggling to fathom how the Celtics came to this decision, and I think it's one they'll regret.
