# Celtics, Pollard agree on deal



## Avalanche (Nov 17, 2005)

*Pollard Signed (apparently)*

Not officially confirmed yet, but:
http://www.boston.com/sports/basket...eal/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Boston+Celtics+news



> The Celtics agreed to terms with free agent forward/center Scot Pollard yesterday, according to executive director of basketball operations/general manager Danny Ainge. The 6-foot-11-inch, 265-pound Pollard got a one-year deal believed to be worth the veteran minimum ($1.2 million for 10 years service). He adds a much-needed big man to the Celtics' frontcourt and raises the number of players under contract to 12, one shy of the league minimum.


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## R-Star (Jun 13, 2002)

*Re: Pollard Signed (apparently)*

Not a bad pick up. He wont do anything spectacular out there, but hes a guy you can throw out there who plays with a lot of heart, and gives you a good defensive big man.


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## Avalanche (Nov 17, 2005)

*Re: Pollard Signed (apparently)*

His rebounding and defense will help out up front, seems like a good locker room guy too.

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:lol:


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## Premier (Oct 30, 2003)

*Re: Pollard Signed (apparently)*

Rather disappointed with this signing. Veteran's minimum signings save them a lot of money, as the league pays for a significant portion of it, but Pollard is an end of the bench type of guy. He's not someone I want in my rotation. The only positive characteristic about him, really, is his personality [and hair]. The Celtics could have chosen a different direction, but are now counting on a guy that played 110 minutes last season to play at least 900 this season.


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## Causeway (May 18, 2005)

Cheap deal:



> The Celtics agreed to terms with free agent forward/center Scot Pollard yesterday, according to executive director of basketball operations/general manager Danny Ainge. The 6-foot-11-inch, 265-pound Pollard got a one-year deal believed to be worth the veteran minimum ($1.2 million for 10 years service). He adds a much-needed big man to the Celtics' frontcourt and raises the number of players under contract to 12, one shy of the league minimum.


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## agoo (Jun 1, 2003)

So can we get Jalen Rose and Mutumbo now?

I'm not liking that we're not attracting those "championship chasing" vets at the moment.


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## Ruff Draft (Nov 21, 2004)

Solid pick-up. He may not be the ideal back-up, but if Mutombo falls through I think he will do.


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## Truth34 (May 28, 2003)

Boy, with House and Pollard it is going to be one interesting locker room.

Good rebounder, practice body, friend of Pierce, locker room joker. I went to HS with him. Good kid...but the "Hey, kids, do drugs," comment was over the line. Some things just aren't funny.

So, this puts us at 14 if we sign the 2 second-rounders. Maybe they can still get two vets and cut Brandon Wallace? If not, we're looking at one more player. Mutombo? PJ Brown?


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## Ruff Draft (Nov 21, 2004)

I think picking up Mutombo could put an end to the off-season. He's a great choice for them.


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## silverpaw1786 (Mar 11, 2004)

Does he still have those side burns?


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## silverpaw1786 (Mar 11, 2004)

I can't believe noone else realized that the side burns are the make or break part of this deal.


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## mrsister (Sep 9, 2002)

Anyone know why Pollard barely played for the Cavs? Looking at their roster, they don't have many big men, and only he and Dwayne Jones (who played even less) are listed as forward-centers. Z only played 27 minutes a game. So who played the other 21? Varejao and Gooden?


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## BostonBasketball (Jan 10, 2005)

mrsister said:


> Anyone know why Pollard barely played for the Cavs? Looking at their roster, they don't have many big men, and only he and Dwayne Jones (who played even less) are listed as forward-centers. Z only played 27 minutes a game. So who played the other 21? Varejao and Gooden?


Yup, and Donyell Marshall.


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## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

mrsister said:


> Anyone know why Pollard barely played for the Cavs?


Because his back is shot and he sucks.


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## Bubbles (Nov 12, 2005)

Fact or Fiction: He tells more kids to do drugs in Boston, than he does score points.


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## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

Quite Frankly said:


> Fact or Fiction: He tells more kids to do drugs in Boston, than he does score points.


Fact. Dozens of people saw that comment.


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## WhoDaBest23 (Apr 16, 2003)

Kind of a disappointing signing. Pollard's a guy that you typically have at the end of your bench, not a big you really put in your rotation. We'll just have to see if he can give some productive minutes or not. Maybe he'll surprise everyone! Now you just need a veteran swingman.

How much money does Boston have left now to sign FAs?


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## whiterhino (Jun 15, 2003)

I like Pollard as another locker room vet presence but not in the rotation, c'mon he didn't even know if he'd play another season bc of his back.
Brandon Wallace and Jackie whats his name r not guaranteed yet, I want some guys who can and will play please.


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## Truth34 (May 28, 2003)

Well, I believe they got Pollard for the veteran's minimum, which to my knowledge DOES NOT count against the MLE. 

So they still have $3.8 or so of the MLE to play with.


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## Avalanche (Nov 17, 2005)

Truth34 said:


> Well, I believe they got Pollard for the veteran's minimum, which to my knowledge DOES NOT count against the MLE.
> 
> So they still have $3.8 or so of the MLE to play with.


i was under the impression they still had the whole thing, house was signed with the LLE and Pollard at the vet minimum


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## agoo (Jun 1, 2003)

Avalanche said:


> i was under the impression they still had the whole thing, house was signed with the LLE and Pollard at the vet minimum


I'm sure Prem will be providing linkage and a full explanation soon, but I believe you are correct.

We have the full MLE to play with. Hopefully we can split it between Mutumbo/Brown and Jalen Rose.


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## blh5387 (Apr 6, 2006)

Hold on, so people here are still talking about Mutombo, but what about the veteran point guard we desperately need? BTW, this signing does really nothing for us... except now, we officially have our "team clown".


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## Marcus13 (Jul 17, 2002)

****, not what i was hoping for. Im praying for Mutumbo


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## Premier (Oct 30, 2003)

agoo101284 said:


> I'm sure Prem will be providing linkage and a full explanation soon, but I believe you are correct.
> 
> We have the full MLE to play with. Hopefully we can split it between Mutumbo/Brown and Jalen Rose.


 Pollard signed for the veteran's minimum, or 1.22M. House reportedly signed for veteran's minimum, or 1.03M, according to Shira [not Sheila ].

<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="alt2" style="border: 1px inset ;"> House, entering his eighth NBA season, stands to make $1.1 million with the veteran minimum. Manuel, coming off a season with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA development league, did not receive a fully guaranteed deal. </td> </tr> </tbody></table> 
However, ESPN is still reporting the Celtics used 1.5M of their MLE to sign House.

So, either the Celtics have their full LLE and MLE [hopefully] or they have their full LLE and 3.8M left on their MLE.


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## crimedog (Jun 3, 2003)

either way, i'm afraid the celts still have the worst 4-15 in the league...though they also have the best 1-3...very curious to see how this works out


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## L (Sep 20, 2005)

Next up: either Mutombo or PJ brown, and a vet pg.


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## Truth34 (May 28, 2003)

Jasikevicius's agent is telling the media he wants to go to Boston. I would LOVE to get him. He is slated to make $4M this season. Is this possible? I think Danny liked him before Indy got him.


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## banner17 (Jun 28, 2003)

I view the signing, kinda like House. Certainly not a knock your socks off pick up, but can fill a need. We needed off the bench scoring in case Tony Allen isn't ready. House fits that bill nicely. We needed another big off the bench. Pollard fits that. He and Veil will be the two token white dudes fighting to commit fouls while Powe at this point gets the majority of the back up C and PF minutes. 

With Knight gone to the Clips, I am unaware of another impact Vet PG out there. The way this team is set up now, the offense is going to go through Pierce and KG the majority of the time anyway. Whatever money is left is going to a big. I see minimum contracts going to development league players as back up PG's only if Rondo goes down. The reality is that Rondo is in shape enough that he can and will play 40 mpg. I think that's the way Danny looks at things. It's Rondo or bust. Not saying that's a good thing, but it is what I see Doc and Danny planning for.

Whatever dough they got left with the MLE, I hope they'll spend on PJ, Deke or Webber. The latter being my preference due to his passing ability. If we can't sign a vet pg, get a guy who can pass/mimic Garnett out of the high post. Webber's the only guy out there who can do that and the fact that he was a role player in Detriot, gives me no worries that he can't do the same coming to Boston.

Danny hope you're reading this


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## L (Sep 20, 2005)

I think they should go after Charlie Bell if he isnt signed yet. Can play 1-3 positions and is a good defender and shooter. Anyways, thats my opinion on the best available target.


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## Pacers Fan (Aug 25, 2002)

Nice signing. He has a bad back right now, which will probably knock 20 games out of next season. He'll be good for 10 minutes off the bench, 6 fouls, rebounding, and a positive effort, but his athleticism is gone. Boston still needs a backup Center. Still, this signing was worth it enough for Boston fans to see Pollard's pre-game and half-time moments.

As for Sarunas, he makes 4 million next season. Unless Boston has a trade exception or the Warriors cut him, the Celtics would have to somehow convince Golden State to take Scalabrine.


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## Truth34 (May 28, 2003)

I'm not aware of a trade exception...so maybe getting Jaskevicius is not possible.

Three observations:

1)Webber's knees are so shot, I don't think he can defend at all. Great passer, yes, but I think he is looking at Detroit and Dallas. I would love PJ Brown, but don't know if he'd take $3.8M.

2) I think Doc needs to make sure these vets allow Rondo to play "his game." We don't need him to just get it across halfcourt and get it into one of the stars' hands. We need him to play his creative game, let him penetrate some, and create. Also, we can still run a little w/Rondo.

3) People may laugh at House and Pollard, but they fit our style. House is a shooter; you can never have to many of those. And with KG on the floor, whoever is at the other post position (either Powe, Big Baby or Pollard) will have a field day on the offensive glass. And that is an area where Pollard has been solid. So no, we haven't built a championship bench yet, but these two players are good rent-a-vets whose skills complement what we have...for cheap.


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## c_dog (Sep 15, 2002)

i'm looking at barnes though, and wondering how we let him slip.. he's signing for roughly 3 million with the warriors.. now he wouldn't do that if he got a decent offer from some other team. 12mils for 3 years would be excellent value for a player like barnes, imo.


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## silverpaw1786 (Mar 11, 2004)

c_dog said:


> i'm looking at barnes though, and wondering how we let him slip.. he's signing for roughly 3 million with the warriors.. now he wouldn't do that if he got a decent offer from some other team. 12mils for 3 years would be excellent value for a player like barnes, imo.


He settled for a hometown discount because he loves Golden State. Maybe if someone offered him 12 mil (which we couldn't) he would have considered leaving.


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## BackwoodsBum (Jul 2, 2003)

Truth34 said:


> I'm not aware of a trade exception...so maybe getting Jaskevicius is not possible.
> 
> Three observations:
> 
> ...


Good post, I agree 100%! I don't want Webber and while I'd like to have Brown I doubt it will happen. House and Pollard bring qualities that this team can use while saving the MLE for someone who can possibly fill more substantial needs. Rondo is going to amaze people this year...write it down  With the shooters he has to pass to his assist totals will be mind blowing and without feeling the need to be a shooter he'll be able to focus more on distributing the ball, rebounding, and playing defense which are his natural strengths.


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## Premier (Oct 30, 2003)

Herald is reporting that Ainge used the LLE to sign Pollard:



> The *Celtics* [team stats] continued to build what should become an important reserve unit by signing veteran center Scot Pollard to a one-year contract yesterday, reportedly using their $1.5 million exception on the deal.


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## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

Hopefully the Celts get J, so Pollard can say "Its Jaskcikisvus time...rolls right off the tongue".

"The Indiana Pacers show their appreciation for Scot Pollard....by mispelling my name. One "t" "

"Can I speak to Larry Bird" Secretary: "Scott Pollard. You know, the tall guy *hangs up*"


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## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

Premier said:


> Herald is reporting that Ainge used the LLE to sign Pollard:


Why would they squander the LLE on Pollard with a better free agent class looming in 2008? Christ.


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## Floods (Oct 25, 2005)

Amusing story i think --

I first heard about this on the radio and after the dude mentioned Scot Pollard coming to Boston he said something about 6 million dollars, so I thought Pollard was signed for 6 mil, and I spit my coke all over the dashboard and nearly had a heart attack. :biggrin: 
Found out it's just over 1 million though, thankfully.


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## Avalanche (Nov 17, 2005)

Premier said:


> Herald is reporting that Ainge used the LLE to sign Pollard:


this is the same confusion that happened with the house signing i think.

basically, the vet min is like 1.17mil... the league returns around 400k of that.

then because the celts are over the cap that 770k ish contract becomes 1.5 mil

which is why house was originally thought to have taken some of the MLE, and i think the confusion with pollard is coming from too.

im pretty sure these are both just vet min contracts


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## Causeway (May 18, 2005)

Funny dude:



> “I’m excited to be the cornerstone of this team,” the 32-year-old former Kansas University forward cracked after signing a one-year contract (worth $1.2 million) with his fifth NBA team in an 11-year career. He was joined at the media session by veteran guard Eddie House, who also signed a week after Boston inked all-star Kevin Garnett.
> 
> “Getting Kevin Garnett has been kind of a big deal. But now that us two are here, you really have a chance,” Pollard said.


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## Pacers Fan (Aug 25, 2002)

> “I haven’t talked to him, but I did talk to someone yesterday who has his number, and I told him to call (Miller) up and talk to him,” said Pollard. “In my career I’ve learned that there are certain players you hate to play against, and Reggie is one of those guys. Even though I didn’t guard him I hated the guy. On a side note, I’ve always hated playing against Kevin Garnett, too.”





> House will wear No. 50 and Pollard No. 66. The reason?
> 
> “Because all the other (expletive) numbers were taken here,” Pollard said, looking around a conference room that had the numbers of Bill Russell (6), Tom Heinsohn (15), John Havlicek (17), Robert Parish (00), Larry Bird (33) and Kevin McHale (32) hanging on the wall. . . .


http://celtics.bostonherald.com/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1016384&format=&page=1

...and so the hilarity begins.


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## Ainge for 3 (May 23, 2007)

The Scot Pollard Era has begun. He'll win two NBA Championships with the Celtics and be a folk hero and radio play-by-play guy like Max and call Glen Ordway a fat effing [email protected]


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## Causeway (May 18, 2005)

I actually think having a guy with Pollard personality in the locker room and in practice is a plus. You need a guy to sometimes break things up and keep it loose. We now have KG on the other end to crack the whip and crank up the competitive juices. 

This should be one hell of a fun season.


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## aquaitious (Jun 11, 2002)

So who's the better comedian? Pollard or Scalabrine?


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## Truth34 (May 28, 2003)

Pollard might be the best comedian in the league. Except for the "Hey kids, do drugs."


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## Ainge for 3 (May 23, 2007)

Truth34 said:


> Pollard might be the best comedian in the league. Except for the "Hey kids, do drugs."


No, that was funny, too. Pollard has a dark sense of humor, like the British.


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## -mihkel- (Jan 1, 2007)

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## Auggie (Mar 7, 2004)

good signing


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## Premier (Oct 30, 2003)

Pollard, veterans minimum. House 1.5M of the MLE. So says the Herald [House] and the Globe [Pollard].

According to Paliguca's estimation of 5M-10M in taxes, the Celtics will spend 0.7M to 5.7M more.


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