MVN - Most Valuable Network

Just Joshin’ Around

Chase Keuch at MVN’s Impending Firestorm recently wrote about how they needed their Josh’s resigned, and he is undoubtedly correct. But with James Posey still waiting in the wings, one of the Josh’s is being bantered on some boards (e.g., Celticsblog and Celtics17) as being a potential replacement. That would be the multi-faceted Josh Childress.

Keuch at MVN writes:

The biggest problem I see this summer is if the team forgets how important and invaluable a player like Josh Childress is. He would be an absolute steal if a team got him as a mid-level contract, and if Atlanta isn’t careful, they’ll focus too much on one Josh and let one of the most essential players get away from them. Childress brings an energy and deceptive talent and athleticism that is nearly impossible to find. While Smith is going to attract the most attention, it may actually be Childress that is the more valuable Josh to this team.

So there’s a solid endorsement for Childress by a Hawks fan. We would like him as a Celtic too, and it would be a bit of dream for Celtics to be able sign someone of Childress caliber if Posey “follows the money”. But it would be a fantasy situation for Childress, because Atlanta wouldn’t be stupid enough not to match a mid-level exception (MLE) offer by another team, would they? But stupid does exist in the NBA, as I read today that Denver just traded Camby to the LA Clippers for . . . an exchange of 2nd round picks???

Anyway, more with the Childress fascination. tenaciousT (Tom Halzack of the ConnPost.com) posted at the Celtics17 board :

Childress, like Posey, is not a player who can be judged strictly by his numbers. One of the reasons his numbers are erratic is because he is asked to do different things on different nights. His role isn’t always the same. He does a lot of stuff that doesn’t make a stat sheet. Coach Woodson has mentioned often that Childress is a key person to resign. Joe Johnson definitely wants him back. Before the play-offs, when Paul Pierce talked about Atlanta having ‘guys who really play’, Josh Childress was one of the guys he specifically mentioned. Childress gets a lot of respect from other players around the league.

From what I see of him, which I’ll admit isn’t much more than most of you, he appears to be a consummate team player. Like a lot of other players, he would do well on this version of the Cs. Dude is a long and capable defender, IMO.

Childress is a career 52% FG, 36% 3PT, 80% FT shooter. Good rebounder, athletic. Yea, Atlanta would certainly match any MLE that would come his way. . . . Oh well . . .

And yes, Childress has tremendous shooting percentages despite one of the ugliest shot forms in the NBA (he launches it from his chest with his elbows out). But if it works for him who cares? But for the record, I looked at NBA.com’s Hotspots, and no wonder his FG% is greater than 50% . . . 80% of his shots appear to be dunks, lay-ups or bunny shots - I’m NOT Joshin’!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 at 6:11 am and is filed under Celtics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.