I like James Posey quite a bit and I think he'd really give the Cavs a solid veteran presence off the bench (in addition to his actual basketball skills) but I'm wary of over paying another role player.Free agent forward James Posey of Twinsburg is likely to sign a multi-year deal in "a day or two," agent Mark Bartelstein said Wednesday evening.
Asked if the Cavaliers were still in the mix, Bartelstein said, "We're still talking." Posey, who played a key role in the Boston Celtics' 2008 NBA championship run, remains the most attractive unrestricted free agent on the market, after Elton Brand and Corey Maggette agreed to terms with Philadelphia and Golden State, respectively.
With his strong defensive abilities and 3-point shooting, he'd be an interesting addition to the Cavs' lineup, even if he's not the perimeter scorer or low-post resence many thought the team was looking to add.
Posey, 31, is believed to be seeking the mid-level exception, which will be $5.585 million for the upcoming season. In addition to the Cavs, his suitors are believed to include the Celtics, Lakers, New Orleans, Washington and Houston -- at least. Posey lives in Texas in the off-season. The San Antonio Spurs, who had been interested in aggette, are another possibility.
Don't get me wrong, he's produced for championship teams in the past and he's a local kid, but he is 31 years old and he's won championships... so he might be looking to get paid. I don't think anyone is going to offer him a ton of money per year, but if it might take a 4-5 year deal to sign him... and I'm not sure if I want the Cavs to be paying a 36 year old James Posey $6-7 million (3 years with a club option for the 4th would be ideal).
Of course, his resume has some pretty good recommendations:
The Globe adds this from the Heat's Dwayne Wade, Posey's former teammate."I don't think Boston is letting Posey go," Wade said recently. "I was looking at Posey the whole playoff series and thinking, 'Man, he was good for us.' It's indescribable what he does. He's one of those guys that won't get the national attention, but he will get the locker room respect. That's probably more important, when you get the locker room respect. I miss him and miss what he does on the court, for sure. I'll be surprised [if he leaves Boston]."
Signing Posey won't propel the Cavs to the Finals, but it is a step in the right direction (provided they make another trade or four).
3 comments:
Posey is fine, but I'm not sure what he means to the Cavs w/o a #2 option next to LeBron. Ferry absolutely can not give him a 4 year deal unless the last year is a team option. No more sh*tty contracts - and Posey almost assuredly will be in 4 years.
typical agent speak. they are always going to say they're talking to everyone and anyone just to keep the perceived value of the player he represents up higher than maybe where it should be. what do you think he's going to say "no, they're out of the picture" and take away any sort of leverage they might have to use them to up the price somewhere else??? it's one of the oldest tricks in the book. just look at what happened to the browns with jeff garcia when they basically caved into his outrageous contract demands mainly because of his dad scaring them with all the smack he was talking about jeff going to tampa bay instead of cleveland when tampa bay was never really as serious as what the browns thought they were. the browns ended up basically just bidding against themselves. if you ask me, agents are the root of all evil when it comes to sports. they can say all they want about looking out for the best interests of their client and trying to do the best job they can for their client, but in all reality, it's always about getting the most money for their client so they get a big fat commission for themselves. nothing more, nothing less. that being said, i think posey would merely be an upgraded version of devin brown, the "half" that lebron talked about when he said that the cavs were "one and a half players away from winning a championship". they still need to get that other legitimate all-star caliber player that can create his own offense. we can only hope.
the issue is, will it take 4 years to sign him? I'd prefer that fourth year to be a club option, but if the Cavs have to guarantee it... then fine.
If Posey (and the random all-star) help the Cavs win a championship (and keep LeBron here) then dealing with a bloated contract is a small price to pay.
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