James Posey Wants to Stay in Boston

It's a good thing that James Posey is letting his agent handle negotiations with the Celtics. As an unrestricted free agent, Posey has received interest from all over the league, but he made it clear that he's still holding out hope to stick with the Celtics. From the Boston Globe:

"That's my No. 1 choice," said Posey. "I've stressed that to the organization and to everybody. At the same time, I'm still waiting. So we'll see what's going to happen."

We've known for a while that Boston's offer wasn't up to par, and now we know the details: Gary Dzen of the Boston Globe revealed that the C's are apparently offering the full MLE for only two years, while Posey is hoping to receive the full MLE for at least four seasons. So far no other team hasn't stepped up to meet his demands, though the Hornets have been talking with his agent since the first day they've been allowed.

While Posey is gung-ho about returning to Boston, his agent, Mark Bartelstein, refuses to do the team any favors, telling the Boston Herald last week that he will not give the Celtics a chance to match any offers:

"It'd be totally unfair for me to do that to the other teams that are involved in this. You can't ask them to make an offer just so you can take it back to Boston and see if they'll match it. I think that once you're a free agent, you're a free agent. You have to be fair to any team that's willing to make you an honest offer."

In the end, other teams may be able to offer Posey more than just two additional years or a bit more cash but also a chance to compete for a starting job. So long as Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are wearing green, Posey will be stuck on Boston's bench. Should he defect to New Orleans, though, he might supplant Morris Peterson. Posey has almost all of Peterson's long-distance range and is a much better defender and rebounder, and if you believe in intangibles, his two NBA titles may help this young team get over the hump.