"2017 Boston Celtics post" Wed Feb-22-17 03:55 PM by SoulHonky
Couldn't find a season post so let's have at it.
Obviously, the big question at the trade deadline is how much are you willing to give up for Paul George or Jimmy Butler and who would you prefer? Or do you wait and hope Brad and Danny can recruit Gordon Hayward or Blake Griffin. (The former seems more likely than the latter but neither is probably most likely.)
And who else are you going after if we deplete our rotation a little by landing either of those guys.
First off, Ainge is outdoing himself when it comes to lowballing: "One agent with ties to a potential deal insists that even preliminary talk between the Bulls and Celtics recently went nowhere when the C’s did not want to include this summer’s Nets choice." Not sure how he thought that deal was going to go down, especially if he ALSO didn't want to give up Jae.
Meanwhile, Bulpett also talks up the #1 pick in a nice move that gets the fan base excited about the potential pick and ease the disappointment of no big splash.
"All of this could mean Ainge is posturing to drive a better bargain, or that he really does want to get a shot at some of the potentially transformative players at the top of the coming draft. Washington freshman Markelle Fultz may be the prize."
Now I'm just hoping the C's might at least try to make a small trade to bolster their defense/rebounding - maybe see if John Henson could be had for cheap.
Staying put and keeping the picks aren't a bad move at all.
With that said, with Love out and Cleveland quietly scrambling for finishing pieces.. adding a PG or Butler to the roster might could put us in upset mode. I'd love to see a premature finals trip.
and i felt the same last year when they didn't make a big splash. i'm all for using draft picks as trade pieces cause they're an unknown value, i also don't want them to make a move just for the sake of making a move. luckily ainge thinks about the long game, but on the other hand he does low-ball on trade offers.
7. "I'm nervous about age and fit but yeah." In response to Reply # 2
Isaiah is 28. Horford is 30. Feels like we need to win now if we're going to win with them.
Also, we're guard heavy and this is a PG-centric draft. And, honestly, if we have the usual Celtics lotto luck and end up with #3, I'm not sure I trust Danny to make the right call there.
That being said, the C's payroll is NOTHING. We could have 40 million dollars to spend next season. It's not completely out of the question that with no trades the C's next season could have:
Crowder averages 14 a game flirting with 50/40/90 and making less than the mle signed through 2020. He is an absolute steal of an entity. Danny knows what he has. I would be trying to hold on to him too.
6. "Absolutely. At the same time, if you can get Paul George" In response to Reply # 3
I'm not sure you turn it down because Jae is such a bargain. Jimmy makes me a little nervous; I don't think turning down Jae and the Nets pick is a bad call at all. I'm a big fan of PG13 and even with the contract issue, I still think he's worth trading in our significant chips to get.
I'd love Nerlens but even getting Bogut as well would make me happy.
Apparently, he's had a great season in Europe and boosted his stock. Rumor is that there have been calls about him but he's only on the table if a star is coming back. Glad to hear he's doing well (not wild about the reports on Yabusele) but I feel like we hear this all the time about Euro bigs so it's hard to gauge the value of the report.
10. "All Clear! No moves." In response to Reply # 0
Would have loved Nerlens, especially for the crap that Philly got for him.
Was kind of hoping for a small move but maybe we can sign Bogut.
But cap space and Ainge's valuations vs. The Rest of the World's seems to have won the day. Can't say I'm upset since I've talked myself into Hayward/Millsap '17 and we could always trade the pick on draft day. George and Butler stayed home so it's not like we won't have another crack at them.
Pels also waiving Terrence Jones. We're probably not his best option but I'd love to see if he's interested.
auragin_boi Member since Aug 01st 2003 20939 posts
Fri Feb-24-17 09:47 AM
11. "Ok...my question about the C's is this:" In response to Reply # 0
Why couldn't they go after both butler and george?
They have the assets to get it done.
To Bulls: Smart, Crowder, Nets 2017 first for Jimmy To Pacers: Bradley, Brown, Nets 2018 first for George
If both don't bite, throw in another 1st rounder (Memphis' 2019 and Boston's own 2018).
When the smoke clears: IT3 (Age 28) George (26) Butler (27) Horford (30) Olynyk (26) Amir (29) James Young (21) Rozier (22) Mickey (22) Green (31) Zeller (27)
You still have Zizic (age 20) and Yabusele (age 21) coming in next year, three 2017 second rounders which can be part of a trade this summer, a few later years 2nds (Miami and Detroit) and the clippers 2019 1st which is looking like it could very well be a lotto pick.
This team competes for a title THIS year (that starting 5 would be bananas) and then Zizic and Yabusele come in to help carry it on for the next 3-5 years with the potential to net another lotto pick with the clippers possible rebuild/fade. Amir can eventually be replaced by Yabusele and when Horford starts fading Zizic can step in. And all of these players are young enough to push for a title for 3-5 years if not more.
13. "not worth giving up all 3 yeoman imo" In response to Reply # 11
any package of deals that includes Smart, Bradley, AND Crowder ensures that team doesn't win anything imo
cant play Butler, PG, and IT 44 minutes a game every night and Young/Rozier/Mickey offer them nothing of substance right today.
the move was any 3 of Brown/Young/Nets1/Nets2 for one of them because Smart, Bradley, and Crowder are the bulldogs. Teams dont give up their bulldogs and then go win something.
1. That only works if both the bulls and the pacers agree. Not sure the Cs had that in the bag. One of those moves without the other isn't as clear cut as both at once. Plus, the cap crunch would be *real* in the short term future, i believe.
2. Integrating two superstars who both want the ball in their hands (along with IT3 who also wants the ball in his hands) in February is not gonna win this year. So why do that now when you'll have arguably more leverage in the offseason and/or could just go out and sign Hayward or shock the world and go for Blake (leaks they wanted him make me think that's a goal)? Or try to get the rim protector they really need more than the swingman they would like but don't absolutely, desperately need?
15. "Those deals wouldn't work." In response to Reply # 11 Fri Feb-24-17 12:03 PM by SoulHonky
For starters, the salaries don't match so you'd have to throw other people in. At minimum, it's Zeller into the Bulls deal and Jerebko into the Pacers deal. Not the end of the world.
The bigger issue is I don't think the Pacers go for Bradley, Brown, Nets 2018 (and filler). And the C's remaining assets aren't likely to tip the scales since it would be throwing a few more nickels and dimes to get a dollar. Both teams would likely fight for the 2017 pick which is more of a given. Both teams might prefer Smart over AB since they'd be rebuilding almost from scratch and while AB is only 26, he's got 6 years of the NBA on his body and it hasn't exactly held up (He's still not ready to play right now.)
And with neither team necessarily needing and not completely wanting to trade their stars, I wouldn't be surprised if both negotiations would have had them wanting just one more piece to make them feel more comfortable with dealing their star.
Finally, there's the issue that the C's have cap space this offseason and could add a couple of very good players without having to give up anything. Also, if you make moves in the offseason, it would probably be easier to negotiate an extension with George to make trading for him less of a risk.
16. "So do we draft 1of these all-world guards, what to do w/ our own?" In response to Reply # 0 Sun Feb-26-17 12:57 PM by Jon
Ball and Fultz look insanely good, I'm especially impressed with Ball (when building for a long future, I tend to prefer the guy whose greatness is more likely to survive a knee injury or something)
But we already have a truck full of talented guards on the team and didn't bother trading any for a big such as our fantastic rebounding defensive hometown hero Nerlens
So do we just go ahead and get a Jonathan Isaac type even if we get the top pick?
Say we draft Ball...Do we bench Smart and move IT to shooting guard?
17. "what about avery, and rozier?" In response to Reply # 16
>Ball and Fultz look insanely good, I'm especially impressed >with Ball (when building for a long future, I tend to prefer >the guy whose greatness is more likely to survive a knee >injury or something) > >But we already have a truck full of talented guards on the >team and didn't bother trading any for a big such as our >fantastic rebounding defensive hometown hero Nerlens > >So do we just go ahead and get a Jonathan Isaac type even if >we get the top pick? > >Say we draft Ball...Do we bench Smart and move IT to shooting >guard?
I do think Ball is the better fit. Just cause he can come in and he will play within the system and he doesnt need his own shots to make plays.
--- "though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought
19. "Fultz/Ball better than all but IT; AB/IT/Smart FA after next year" In response to Reply # 16 Sun Feb-26-17 03:03 PM by SoulHonky
First, I think it's a no-brainer that you don't pass on Fultz or Ball because of AB, Smart, and Rozier.
Second, after next season, Isaiah, Avery, and Marcus all hit the market (Marcus is an RFA.) IT is a max guy while AB and Smart could get near max offers. I'd be surprised if AB and Smart were both Celtics at the start of next season given the money they're going to make in a year and the fact that Ainge and Co. seem to believe that Rozier is ready to take over one of those spots.
The C's are already thriving with two undersized guards so I don't see Fultz or especially Ball being an issue. Ball might be more of a shooting guard than any of the guys in our rotation. Isaiah is also 28 years old so I could see Fultz or Ball understudying for a couple of years and then taking the reins or IT being dealt.
If the pick drops to #3, I wouldn't be stunned if Ainge reached for Lauri Markannen but I hope not. But, more likely, if Fultz and Ball are off the table, we'll be trading the pick for a veteran.
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