S'quisy

Apparently, the Celtics are set to sign Marquis Daniels. Since the deal can be for no more than two years, I will be curious to see if S'quisy has a player option for year two. The reason this interests me is twofold: James Posey and Glen Davis.

Remember James Posey signed with the Celtics near the end of the summer, when no better offers materialized. He then spent the 2007-08 season proving what a big mistake everyone else made in failing to pony up the dough. Nails was rewarded for his fine play the following summer. Glen Davis was similarly disappointed he fell so low in the 2007 NBA draft. He also negotiated a short contract with the Celtics. Though his payday was smaller, he did get paid more earlier than had he accepted the three-year contract Ainge wanted him to sign.

What do these two players have in common? Supreme confidence in their own abilities, a confidence that says "just give me the playing time, and everything else where take care of itself." It's a classic win-win. The players benefit by showcasing their talents on a world-class team, while the team benefits from the focus, drive, and determination of a player in a contract year.

The Celtics will also benefit from having Tony Allen playing a deep-reserve role, by which I mean roster spots 10-12. One theme I will be exploring this year is Rasheed Wallace's rumored preference to be a spoke in the wheel rather than the hub. Similarly,Tony Allen strikes me as someone who would prefer to play a deep bench role where he's only asked to contribute sporadically. I know this runs counter to the accepted wisdom that Tony Allen actually needs lots of PT to perform. I don't agree. I think he does better when Doc can pick his spots, and there are other players in front of him getting the primary backup minutes. If he's on, Doc keeps him in and he shines. If he's not, Doc pulls him and the damage is mitigated.

If you scroll ahead to about the 4:47 marker in the above video, you see a little bit of what I mean when I describe TA's Deion-Sanders like ability. After scoring on a nice drive against the Raptors, Toronto commences a fast break to the surprise of Allen. It's not the "Oh shit" kind of surprise. Instead, it's a "you gotta be kidding me" kind of surprise. Allen then hustles ahead and effortlessly rejects the shot, thus imposing his will at both ends of the court without seeming to exert much effort. Also note a few minutes earlier in the video, TA takes it to the hoop late in the game against the purple to keep it close.

I like this Tony Allen. It's no shame having him on the roster.