Good-bye, Sweetney

The Celtics announced (on Twitter) that they have cut Mike Sweetney. (Hat tip: CelticsBlog).

Frankly, I did not understand the strange infatuation with the possibility of Mike Sweetney making the team. We all love underdog stories, but this was just not going to happen—at least not now. The Celtics already have the maximum 15 players guaranteed money, so there was no room on the roster for Sweeney unless they a) ate somebody’s contract and waived them; or b) constructed some sort of 2-for-1 or 3-for-2 player trade that would have opened up a roster spot and likely involved at least one of the C’s expiring contracts.

And I’m sorry, but you don’t do that for Mike Sweetney. Not when he’s laughably out of shape, and not when those expiring contracts could net you something at the trade deadline. I don’t think it’s likely the C’s will use those contracts (TA, Scal, Giddens, House, Williams, etc.) to make a deadline deal, but there’s a chance of it—and you don’t trade that chance for Mike Sweetney. Not now.

Again, this is not to say I don’t like Mike Sweetney. I grew up rooting for Georgetown and still hold a soft spot for Hoya alums. Sweetney undeniably has NBA post skills, soft hands, a nice touch, etc. He could absolutely be a productive NBA player.

But he’s fat. And the Celtics have 15 players on their roster. It just feels like the Sweetney story—specifically, the possibility of him earning a roster spot—got a little more attention (including here) than it merited.

Either way: Good luck, Mike. I hope we haven’t seen the last of you in the NBA.

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