During our call-in show, I mentioned Raptors guard Anthony Parker as a potential free-agent target. He's a veteran guard (33) who can shoot the ball (10.7 ppg, 39% 3FG). I'm not sure how the Celtics view his defense skills but he averaged 4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. At 6-6, he's capable of playing the 2 or 3 spots.
Parker made $4.5 million last year but will likely see a decrease in pay due to his age. Here are a couple of takes on his value:
He started 70 games at shooting guard and averaged
10.7 ppg while playing solid defense. The problem with Parker is that his minutes
per game match his age (33). The Raptors may extend a reasonable offer to Parker
because he was one of the elder leaders of the team. But, with his age and the
2010 free agent class seen as the ultimate prize, Parker's days in Toronto could
be over. Regardless of their decision on Parker, they need to get younger and
more athletic shooting guards into their rotation.
Anthony Parker, the Raptors' starter for the last three seasons, is a free agent and
has seen his skills erode dramatically over his time in Toronto. While
having a savvy vet like Parker off of the bench makes some empirical
sense, there are factors that point towards his permanent departure
from Toronto. First is the fact that he and Delfino are very similar
players, and typically one would prefer to have a different look come
off of the bench to help shake up opposing defenses. As it pertains to
the Raptors, specifically, they are in desperate need for athleticism,
youth and potent bench scoring and Anthony Parker
does not fit in any of those molds. It is unlikely that Parker is
prepared to be a third-stringer on a rebuilding club, and there will no
doubt be a market for his services elsewhere (either in the NBA or in
Europe), so the odds of his returning look slim at best at this point.
I'm not sure how a guy with a 41% career 3FG wouldn't be considered a potent scorer off the bench. Regardless, if the Celtics are able to ditch Tony Allen, I like Parker as a replacement.
Raptors Republic has put up a link to this story, I'm curious to get some Raptors' fan opinion of Parker.