James Posey and the Free Spending NBA: A Contract Analyzed

The 2007-08 Boston Celtics were appropriately tagged "The Big Three." However, shortly after the NBA free agent period began on July 1, even a casual reader of ESPN.com would be left to believe that the team would be more appropriately labeled as "The Big Four."  

No, not Rajon Rondo, the lightning quick point guard who played premier on ball defense and abused Derek Fisher with his quickness in the NBA finals.  And no, not Kendrick Perkins, often called the best interior defender in the league by NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett.

The topic of rumors and discussion was none other than James Posey—known to many fans throughout the regular season for his engulfing "man hugs" delivered to the Celtics starters prior to each game.  

This is not to mitigate the accomplishments of Posey or the Celtics—they accomplished perhaps the most remarkable single season turnaround in history, regardless of sport.

Rather, the point of mentioning the attention given to Posey is to demonstrate the skewed market that has come to be known as the NBA's free agency.

After deliberation and offers from reportedly half a dozen teams, James Posey signed with the New Orleans Hornets, a team ripe with talent and desperate for the playoff experience that Posey can offer.

However, this team also offered Posey exactly what he wanted: an extra lucrative, long-term deal by way of four years and $25 million.  Not bad for a guy who averaged 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game during this past regular season.  

Posey's rise to become one of the most coveted free agents on the market was due in large part to his superb performance throughout the playoffs, highlighted by smooth three-pointers and versatile defense against stars ranging from Joe Johnson and LeBron James to Rasheed Wallace and Kobe Bryant.  

It probably wasn't hurt by Jeff Van Gundy's (commentator for ABC in the finals) continuous praise of Posey, often citing him as the type of player that he would love to have or coach. In a series marked by Paul Pierce's grit and Kobe's acrobatics, Van Gundy made more than enough time to drool over Posey's intangibles.  

When the free agent market opened on July 1, the Celtics faced indeed a difficult task: to resign a player who they knew would draw interest from other clubs, or, to reassess areas of need moving forward to defend their championship and reallocate their newly inherited salary cap flexibility (cap set at $58.68 million for 2008-09 season).  

Posey insisted that he wanted a long-term deal worth near or most of the mid-level exception (set at $5.585 million for 2008-09 season).  The Celtics, led by Danny Ainge, were ready to make a commitment.

They, however, envisioned a shorter deal that still left Posey with a huge raise from a year prior.  

Each year there seems to be a player who makes his name during the playoffs and commands large dollars when he hits the free agent market.  A year ago, Daniel "Boobie" Gibson drew national attention with an eye-opening three-point clinic which helped the LeBron-led Cavaliers to the Finals.  

Gibson recently re-signed with the Cavs, and sources have said that the contract is worth somewhere in the $21-$27.5 million range. Again, not bad for a guy who averaged a shade over 10 points per game and actually lacks a true position.

Posey undoubtedly fills a need for the Hornets that may put them over the top in the ever-difficult NBA Western Conference, but also represents a major contract on the books for four years.  

Chris Paul's extension coupled with the large contracts of David West, Peja Stojakovic, and Tyson Chandler, means the Hornets have committed a great deal of their spending to a third of the players on their team. Throw in Posey's contract and the Hornets will likely remain quiet on the free agent market going forward.  

From the Celtics' standpoint they lose a guy who provided a winning attitude and the versatility that all GMs covet.  Posey was a tough defender who could guard the No. 3 and the No. 4, and occasionally the No. 2 position against larger shooting guards.  

He made countless big threes in the playoffs and played with a grit that was reflective of teammate Kevin Garnett.  Yet the commodity of a tough defender and solid three-point shooter is not limited to Posey.  

Posey's limitations are overshadowed by what he brings to the table, but should be brought into the conversation as well.  Posey is a limited offensive player beyond his three-point shot and is 31 years old.  

Posey is set to make over $6 million at the age of 35, a risky endeavor for any team to take on.  And ultimately, he and the Celtics could not make ends meet with a contract to retain a key contributor to their franchise's 17th championship.

The Celtics reportedly offered Posey a three-year deal worth a total of $12-15 million.  This represents the shorter-term contract that they desired and also marks a raise for Posey.  Ultimately the long-term security lured Posey away from Boston to the Hornets.

Celtics fans who are left upset by Posey's departure should take solace in the fact that this is not as crushing a blow as local sportscasters might have made it seem. 

Anytime a team loses a player of note, or of any caliber for that matter, they must believe that their team is still formidable. They must invest their extra money in a player that either replaces the recently departed player or addresses another need. 

For years the New England Patriots have followed this philosophy, often letting talent go, only to have that player replaced the following year and forgotten by most fans.

Lawyer Milloy's abrupt departure was quickly appeased by the Patriots' thrashing of the entire league that year on their way to a 32-29 Super Bowl XXXVIII over the Carolina Panthers. 

Deion Branch's demand for a huge contract has left him in Seattle where he has averaged 51 catches a year (seven games missed) and has since been replaced with players like Wes Welker and Jabar Gaffney. 

The Patriots' addition of an extra first round pick allowed them the leverage to trade their own first rounder to San Francisco, in what turned out to be the No. 7 selection in this year's draft, plus a fourth rounder a year ago.

The bottom line is that losing a player can be crippling only if the organization is of the mind that he is irreplaceable. 

James Posey was a key loss, no doubt, but the Celtics have options to replace him.  The team was criticized for its lack of a solid ball-handling backup point guard (sorry, Sam Cassell) and limited depth at the two-guard position. 

These would seem to be ideal options to explore with the extra money from Posey's departure.  (Note: The Celtics just re-signed both Eddie House and Tony Allen to two-year deals). 

A year from now, some NBA player will be sitting in the exact same position that Posey was in just recently.  Whether it be for an offensive explosion or lockdown defense, a free agent will be paid premium dollars for his work. 

I do not blame Posey and will not blame a player for accepting the most lucrative contract on the table. It's tough to say no to an extra $10-12 million.

I do however find it interesting that NBA GMs so freely spend the limited amount of cap space on a single player, not opting to divide the cash among a few areas of need.