c_note

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2847755

Apparently Boston didn't consider this a minor problem.

mook

wow. didn't think they'd go that far without first trying to trade him over the summer.

so basically Boston gave us Brandon Roy for nothing. I don't understand how a GM can keep his job after doing that.

Ed O

Two things:

1. They haven't done anything. They are waiting until the "facts are determined".

2. The Celtics are one of the worst teams in the NBA for a reason: they make bad decisions. So it's not like them making a rash move would be coming from a team that's demonstrated wise decision-making in the past.

Finally, from Telfair's perspective: given that he's in trouble (which is certainly a bad thing), doesn't it seem like a good thing for him to get paid by, but not have to play for, a team like the Celtics?

Ed O.

__________________
"In the end, it all comes down to talent. You can talk all you want about intangibles, I just don't know what that means. Talent makes winners, not intangibles. Can nice guys win? Sure, nice guys can win -- if they're nice guys with a lot of talent. Nice guys with a little talent finish fourth, and nice guys with no talent finish last."

-- Sandy Koufax

It's_GO_Time

"I wanted to let you know that we have removed Sebastian's nameplate from his locker in Waltham. The facts and circumstances of his case have not been determined but he does not have a Celtics locker and we do not anticipate that he will," Celtics managing partner Wyc Grousbeck wrote in an e-mail to the Boston Globe on Tuesday.


Doesn't sound like they are waiting to me . . . actions speak louder than words.

Ed O

Well, read all his words to determine his actions:

"We take this very seriously and will act accordingly once the facts have been determined," Grousbeck said Friday night.

They've removed his nameplate. Big whoop.

He's explicitly said that they haven't "acted accordingly" because they don't know what happened. There's been no placement on waiver or fine just yet.

Ed O.

__________________
"In the end, it all comes down to talent. You can talk all you want about intangibles, I just don't know what that means. Talent makes winners, not intangibles. Can nice guys win? Sure, nice guys can win -- if they're nice guys with a lot of talent. Nice guys with a little talent finish fourth, and nice guys with no talent finish last."

-- Sandy Koufax

HispanicCausinPanic

The Brandon Roy trade is looking better and better by the minute. With Theo and Bass basically gone, would someone remind me what they have to show for it.

It's_GO_Time

That is the second time I have read "big whoop" when it comes to Telfair (don't think it was you who said big whoop about the charge, but someone used the exact same expression).

And it is a big whoop . . . a major whoop. They took away his locker . . . isn't that equivalent to taking away someone's office.

Anyways, you said they haven't done anything yet. I guess I read the article differntly, to me they did do something big, they took away his locker. Very symbolic action, if nothing else.

crandc

No, it is most definitely not better for Bassy to be paid by the Celtics without playing. That might be true if he was 37, injured, at the end of his career. But now? For someone with NBA aspirations, it is far better to play for a bad team, even a dreadful team, than to have no NBA job at all. And to have left under a cloud.

Play well for a bad team, and someone might try to trade for you or sign you when you're a free agent. Get booted off the team (if the Celts go that far), especially after playing poorly, and you have no options. Bassy will have to consider himself lucky if he gets any NBA offers at all. He surely can't pick and choose.

I'm sorry because he seemed like a nice kid in a lot of ways and certainly not someone who's always had it easy, but he made some bad decisions. He's an adult now, making a lot of money, and he has to live with his mistakes. Just like the rest of us peons.

__________________

Ed O

Nobody's saying it's better for him not to be playing while getting paid. It IS better to be getting paid by the Celtics without playing for them, however. The team is a mess and they've got good depth at the PG spot with Rondo and even West.

He can get another job. With whatever team will be willing to pay him. If he's waived by Boston and not claimed, he becomes a free agent and can sign anywhere... and he can end up making more money than he otherwise would have.

If there are legal repercussions, they will be far more significant than the Celtics making a PR move of cutting him... just like the fact that he played like horsecrap for the Celtics is far more significant than the current situation he's in.

Ed O.

__________________
"In the end, it all comes down to talent. You can talk all you want about intangibles, I just don't know what that means. Talent makes winners, not intangibles. Can nice guys win? Sure, nice guys can win -- if they're nice guys with a lot of talent. Nice guys with a little talent finish fourth, and nice guys with no talent finish last."

-- Sandy Koufax

Boob-No-More

While they haven't done anything specific (other than remove a nameplate), the statement is pretty strongly worded and makes it clear that his days as Celtic are over.

Personally, I think they are waiting to see if he is charged with and convicted of a felony so they can terminate his contract rather than just waive him and eat his salary. While it's almost never enforced, I'm pretty sure most NBA contracts have some sort of moral turptitude clause that could be invoked upon conviction of a felony. They may try to terminate his contract if he's charged with a felony, but may have to end up forking over some cash if he is acquitted or pleads guilty to a lesser charge.

The Blazers tried this with Qyntel Woods as he was originally under investigation for a Class C felony for dog fighting. Qyntel later plead guilty to lesser charge (first degree animal abuse) and filed a grievance against the Blazers. They ended up settling out of court by paying him $660,000 of the $1.1 million remaining on his contract. Plus he also received $350,000 from Miami for playing for them for the rest of the season. So, in the end he still got his $1.1 million (plus 80 hours of community service).

BNM

Ed O

I don't think so. I come into my office five+ days a week. How often would Telfair come in during the offseason? I would be surprised if it's five all told.

It's symbolic, true. But symbolism is irrelevant except for PR and spin.

If they want to waive him, then they will waive him. If they want to trade him, they will trade him. None of that has anything to do with his having a locker or not, except that whatever chances they had to get value for him in trade would seem to be reduced a bit.

Ed O.

__________________
"In the end, it all comes down to talent. You can talk all you want about intangibles, I just don't know what that means. Talent makes winners, not intangibles. Can nice guys win? Sure, nice guys can win -- if they're nice guys with a lot of talent. Nice guys with a little talent finish fourth, and nice guys with no talent finish last."

-- Sandy Koufax

Boob-No-More

Getting cut by the second worse team in the league for off the court issues after a horrendous season on the court is not exactly the best way to enter free agency. If Telfair is charged with a felony, look for the Celtics to try to terminate his contract. Whether or not they are successful will depend on the outcome of his case. In the end, I suspect they'll end up settling out of court for something between $0.00 and the $2,562,425 that remains on the last guaranteed year of his rookie contract.

Make no mistake though, this episode will end up costing Telfair big bucks. Even if he ends up getting his full salary from Boston and gets a minimum contract to play the season elsewhere, it greatly diminishes his already falling endorsement potential and future marketability.

BNM

Ed O

It's better than not being a free agent at all, though. He gets out a year early, which, given the disaster that his year in Boston was, is probably a good thing. There's also no looming restricted free agency, so if Telfair can actually play well in the NBA, he's in a position to make more money, sooner, if he becomes a free agent this summer.

And if he can't... these charges don't really matter unless he does jail time.

Unlike Qyntel Woods, Telfair has money coming in from other sources. He will not need to buckle under and settle out of court... I wouldn't be surprised if Woods didn't even have money to live off of until he settled.

Also unlike Woods, Telfair does not have a long list of off-the-court issues to make him a tough case for the NBA Players Association to support. A single incident in 2005 involving a firearm. That's nothing.

I disagree. He might end up being worthless to Adidas, but it will be because of his lack of game, rather than his ONE arrest on a weapons charge.

Give me a break... you think that kids that buy sneakers are going to be turned off that he was allegedly carrying a gun in his car?

Ed O.

__________________
"In the end, it all comes down to talent. You can talk all you want about intangibles, I just don't know what that means. Talent makes winners, not intangibles. Can nice guys win? Sure, nice guys can win -- if they're nice guys with a lot of talent. Nice guys with a little talent finish fourth, and nice guys with no talent finish last."

-- Sandy Koufax