ESPN: Celtics Unlikely to use Amnesty Cut

[Built Ford Tough]

Most likely amnesty cut: None

 

How likely to use amnesty this season? Jump ball

 

Other amnesty candidates: Jermaine O'Neal

 

Analysis: Struggling to believe that the Celtics, with such a high payroll, plan to amnesty no one? That's how they're leaning as we speak. Boston obviously has a number of highly paid players, but Danny Ainge is by no means entertaining thoughts of cutting loose any of his three veteran stars: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett or Ray Allen.

 

That leaves O'Neal as the most likely Celt to be let go ... except that Ainge is known to be quite fond of O'Neal and thus reluctant to abandon him as well. Don't forget that Boston's payroll, furthermore, is such that releasing O'Neal through the amnesty mechanism wouldn't get the Celts under the salary cap. There is undeniable disappointment after O'Neal played in only 24 regular-season games in his first season in Boston and averaged just 5.4 points and 3.7 rebounds, but luxury-tax breathing room is the lone appeal to Ainge and his bosses.

 

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7147880/nba-most-likely-amnesty-candidates

 

If you were Danny Ainge, would you cut ties with Jermaine O'Neal? If not O'Neal, are there any other players on the roster that you would consider using the clause on? If so, who would it be and why?

[Real Deal]

Technically, Jermaine is the only center they have on the roster right now, when you wipe out all of the free agents...so there's no way I'd do that, unless I know for a fact I'm getting a couple of guys to play the five. After all, it's only a $6.2 million expiring they have on him, and that's actually good money for a center, as long as he can play enough games and minutes to matter.

[Check my Stats]

I would use it on Green on the 5 year 45 million dollar deal they will inevitably give him.