by Paul Gartlan

One of many unsung heroes last season for the Boston Celtics was James Posey. Overshadowed by the trio of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett, James Posey never got the attention he deserved, and it is showing now in this year’s free agency period. Rather then re-sign Pierce, the Celtics seem preoccupied with offensive minded players such as Corey Maggette or Darius Miles, as if the Celtics offense was not potent enough. They also drafted J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker, both capable of fulfilling any role that Posey assumed offensively, but defensively are no where close.

Don’t get me wrong, I thought picking Giddens was genius on the part of the Boston Celtics since he has the talent to be a top 15 pick and they would not have gotten much value with the last pick in the first round anyway. Bill Walker was the same kind of deal later in the second round. However, if the Celtics drafted these two so that James Posey became expendable, they have made a huge mistake. It was the Celtics’ tough, in-your-face defense that won them the title, and no Celtic was better at it this past season then James Posey.

The main issue that wins people over in the case for keeping Posey is his role as Paul Pierce’s backup. James Posey coming off the bench to give Paul Pierce a breather or to fill in with Pierce is in foul trouble is an ideal situation for any team. Posey is a great shooter and can help partially fulfill the offensive duties that Paul Pierce takes on when he is in the game. Even Paul Pierce spoke out when he heard that Posey might be going to another team. “He’s invaluable to me, and you could see it in these playoffs when I got into foul trouble. When I go out, he comes in and fills in so amazingly that I can sit out, and it doesn’t hurt us too bad….” At the very end of his statement, Paul Pierce also mentions James Posey’s defense, as if that was not his best attribute. James Posey is a better defender then Paul Pierce ever was hands down.

When James Posey was in the game during the playoffs and was matched up against the opposing team’s best player, he did a way better job then Pierce did. It is immeasurable statistically since Pierce played way more then Posey, but if you watched the games and actually noticed the job Posey did defensively, you would be left very impressed. Sure, Pierce frustrated LeBron the first few games against each other, but Posey did as well, and did even better against Joe Johnson, Tayshaun Prince, and Kobe Bryant. Pierce plays good D, but to have a bench player come in and replace an all-star and play better defense then him and help shut down the opposing team’s greatest scoring threat, you have a huge rarity in this league.

Ok, so they had Pierce, Allen, and KG. Three superstars who seemed bound for championship glory during the regular season. Rajon Rondo matured a ton over the season, and Kendrick Perkins improved tremendously. Would they still have won the whole thing if they did not have Posey? I’m not so sure. Judging by the way the Celtics beat the Lakers in the NBA Finals, the Celtics gave off a lasting impression of complete dominance the entire way. Many people forget that they were a finger roll away from losing to Cleveland, a few missed free throws away from losing to Detroit, and a repeat performance of Game 6 by the Hawks from losing to the Hawks in Game 7 in the first round.

Losing a superstar is one thing, as contract issues arise and superstars become very expensive to keep around sometimes, but when you have a 6^th man with the defensive capabilities that James Posey has along with his shooting ability, you not only have a backup for Paul Pierce, you have a huge force off your bench that you simply could not fit into your starting lineup with the amount of all stars they have. You can’t let something like that go. Very few teams have something like that in this league, and if they do, they’re not as good as Posey.

Look at the Miami Heat when they had James Posey. The Heat became NBA champions two seasons ago when Dwyane Wade and Shaq led them through the playoffs. Who shut down the opposing team’s best player EVERY game for them? James Posey. Next season, the Heat lose Posey and they have the worst record in the league, along with being the worst defensive team in the league. Do the Heat win that championship without Posey? I do not think so. Without Posey, nobody would have been able to guard Dirk or Josh Howard in that series (Note: 7’0 tall Dirk Nowitzki and 6’5 Josh Howard, Posey guarded BOTH, even though Dirk was taller and Howard was quicker).

I’m not saying the Celtics will turn into the Miami Heat of next season at all, but defensively, they will take a huge hit that may go unnoticed. The Celtics were simply tougher then any team they faced in the playoffs this past season, and it showed in the playoffs the most as they were willing to get more physical on defense then any other team would. In his time on the floor, Posey was the most physical defender on that whole team.

J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker will probably be able to do what Posey did offensively, maybe even more so with their athleticism. Defensively however, there may not be a more underrated player in this league. When Paul Pierce gets in foul trouble next season against the Cavs in the playoffs, and the Celtics do not have James Posey to guard LeBron, expect the Celtics to suffer.