Official Boston Celtics Thread

[areobee401]

Official Boston Celtics Thread

I have faith in Brad learning and improving going forward. He should look to replacing Micah Shrewsberry with someone who can help in those areas.

Would love to turn back time for the chance to see what the Celtics would have become had Hayward never broke his ankle.

Crazy ride we’ve encountered since the day Hayward and Irving were introduced to were we are today.

[R1zzo23]

Re: Official Boston Celtics Thread

I agree that the Celtics if they decide to keep Kyrie need to find an assistant with the credentials to keep superstar egos in check. Without that I think Irving will again undermine Brad throughout the season and we know that didn’t help much at all this year.


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[tonybologna]

Re: Official Boston Celtics Thread

I agree that the Celtics if they decide to keep Kyrie need to find an assistant with the credentials to keep superstar egos in check. Without that I think Irving will again undermine Brad throughout the season and we know that didn’t help much at all this year.


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I really don't think Kyrie undermined Stevens throughout the season. I just think Kyrie put it upon himself to try & do too much for this multi-talented team. No doubt Kyrie overall is our best offensive weapon but we have multiple scorers on the court at any one time. He didn't need to score 30+ every game like he was trying to do most of the season & in the playoffs.

In the Pacers series Kyrie turned back his forcing of shots quite a bit & only had one game in which he scored over 25 points in that series (26 in game #1). That just proved Kyrie didn't need to score so many points for us to win. I do think he needed to turn it up a notch though vs the Bucks because they are a juggernaut team & nothing like the Pacers. On this Celtics team if Kyrie can't accept the role of leading with ~20 PPG average then he's not a right fit for this team.

He shoots like he needs to average 30+ PPG when on this team he doesn't. On other teams 30+ might be the best option for him but not on this team that has at least 4-5 other players that can score 15-20 PPG. We have Kyrie giving us 20, Tatum 16-18, Horford 15-17, Hayward 14-16, & Brown 13-15 then that would be the ideal situation.

I don't mention Morris here because he will be an UFA. Even Horford has a player option for next season just like Kyrie but all signs point to Horford picking up that option. It's not pointing to Kyrie definitely doing this but it's also not clear cut that he's leaving either. I think Kyrie wants to see if we can get AD in a trade. Now, if we do make that trade we take probably Tatum & Brown both off this Celtics team even though Ainge has stated Tatum would be a Celtic for a long time.

The Pelican have made it clear in return they want both Tatum & Brown & that was the snag in us pulling the plug on a possible AD deal this season. Ainge wasn't willing to part ways with Tatum. He might do that though now once FA starts. I would love for us to keep Tatum over Brown but Brown outplayed Tatum in the playoffs plus the last 8-10 games of the regular season. We are going to have to part ways with both probably on an AD trade. Is AD worth getting rid of for 2 still young & potentially upcoming All-Star players?

I would say one of them but not both. The Pelicans also want Rozier & Yabusele plus rumors now so Hayward would need to be added to an AD deal to Boston. We would get AD & another Pelicans player in return. So, it would be a 5-2 trade. We give up 5 players while the Pelicans give up 2 players. It would be fair in a 5 for 2 player trade if we don't give up too much for AD because the other Pelicans player probably would just be a fill-in type player or a bench/role player only.

I do think Kyrie will wait on his player option decision until we have a chance to see what or if we can make a deal for AD. I do not think he has mind set right now to leave Boston. He might get a little more money signing elsewhere but after next season he will be available for the Max with us so that might also play a role into his decision.

[jeremym480]

Re: Official Boston Celtics Thread

This was certainly a really disappointing season. I think Kyrie deserves his share of the blame but so does everyone else. At the end of the day, these young guys need to step up and play basketball. Whether they're not happy about their role, minutes, or whatever, they're still NBA players and Kyrie or Brad can't put the ball in the basket for them or keep them from doing stupid **** on the court (like taking bad shots, running over defenders, etc.).

As much as Kyrie gets on my nerves sometimes with his ball-hogging late in games and nonchalant attitude, I can say that I 100% want him back. For all of the years, after the Big 3, we had some decent teams but we were missing a superstar and that's all I wanted. We finally get one, and he's the main problem? Like I said, he deserves a lot of the blame, especially with his poor performance against the Bucks, but so does Hayward, Tatum, Brad, etc...

My first preference is pairing Kyrie with AD. As much as I know that it's going to suck to give up our young talent, that's the combo that I think gets us closest to a championship (well, KD would work as well if Golden State wants to work out a S&T). If AD doesn't work out and Kyrie does come back, I still feel like there needs to be some major shake ups because I don't think "running it back" (minus Rozier most likely) will get us passed Milwaukee or Toronto (assuming Kawhi stays). I don't know what those shake ups could be but I don't have too much faith in running it back.

If Kyrie does leave, then we're pretty much screwed short-term. On the bright side maybe the team will start playing with heart and toughness again, but I wish they would just do that with Kyrie. Maybe without Kyrie they'll at least be fun to watch again because some of the games last year were unbearable. I will say that if you would have asked me two or three months ago I would have been completely against Kyrie leaving. Now, I want him to say but if he does leave then I'm not going to be too upset. Obviously, I don't want him to leave and form a "super team", especially in the East, that would be worst case scenario, in my opinion.

This off-season should be really interesting with almost half the league being free agents and a lot of teams with cap space there should be a ton of player movement... Probably not for us though. Hopefully, things start off on the right foot for us tonight with winning the lottery and getting the #2 pick. My fingers will be crossed. Good luck, gents

[tonybologna]

Re: Official Boston Celtics Thread

This was certainly a really disappointing season. I think Kyrie deserves his share of the blame but so does everyone else. At the end of the day, these young guys need to step up and play basketball. Whether they're not happy about their role, minutes, or whatever, they're still NBA players and Kyrie or Brad can't put the ball in the basket for them or keep them from doing stupid **** on the court (like taking bad shots, running over defenders, etc.).

As much as Kyrie gets on my nerves sometimes with his ball-hogging late in games and nonchalant attitude, I can say that I 100% want him back. For all of the years, after the Big 3, we had some decent teams but we were missing a superstar and that's all I wanted. We finally get one, and he's the main problem? Like I said, he deserves a lot of the blame, especially with his poor performance against the Bucks, but so does Hayward, Tatum, Brad, etc...

My first preference is pairing Kyrie with AD. As much as I know that it's going to suck to give up our young talent, that's the combo that I think gets us closest to a championship (well, KD would work as well if Golden State wants to work out a S&T). If AD doesn't work out and Kyrie does come back, I still feel like there needs to be some major shake ups because I don't think "running it back" (minus Rozier most likely) will get us passed Milwaukee or Toronto (assuming Kawhi stays). I don't know what those shake ups could be but I don't have too much faith in running it back.

If Kyrie does leave, then we're pretty much screwed short-term. On the bright side maybe the team will start playing with heart and toughness again, but I wish they would just do that with Kyrie. Maybe without Kyrie they'll at least be fun to watch again because some of the games last year were unbearable. I will say that if you would have asked me two or three months ago I would have been completely against Kyrie leaving. Now, I want him to say but if he does leave then I'm not going to be too upset. Obviously, I don't want him to leave and form a "super team", especially in the East, that would be worst case scenario, in my opinion.

This off-season should be really interesting with almost half the league being free agents and a lot of teams with cap space there should be a ton of player movement... Probably not for us though. Hopefully, things start off on the right foot for us tonight with winning the lottery and getting the #2 pick. My fingers will be crossed. Good luck, gents

Nice post Jeremy. Let me ask you a question. If Kyrie does leave should we go after Kemba? He's the closest thing to a superstar that will be on the market at the PG position. Kemba had an excellent 2018-19 season but is he a better fit than Kyrie? Kemba is a scoring PG but he's also a better passer than Kyrie or will pass the ball more than Kyrie. I think a PG that will look to pass a little more than Kyrie would help this team more than say a PG that scores 20+ every night.

Kemba is a little older than Kyrie but this guy can still play his game. He is also an exciting player to watch play. Kyrie can be too but it seems he's more into what he can put up on the scoreboard & the stat sheets. Don't get me wrong though. Kyrie wants to win. He just didn't perform well enough & his actions didn't show that he cared more about winning than his own stats. I think this PG situation is going to come down to if we can get AD. If we can then I think Kyrie is going to stay. If not then I say he goes to another team.

However, even if we do get AD we are going to be looking at a different team in a trade for AD. At least 4-5 players from this current Celtics bunch will be gone. That's why I said to pair with AD, Kyrie, & Horford we need more than that as our key players. Especially if Hayward ends up also being part of that trade to the Pelicans. I don't think Morris will be back & he was probably our most consistent player for this entire 2018-19 season.

He has probably garnered a pretty decent upcoming contract with his play this season. He might end up coming back if we pay him but I think he gets more money from another team. If Kyrie ends up gone then I say we aggressively go get Kemba regardless if a trade for AD goes down. AD, Horford, & Kemba are 3 pretty solid players & all 3 have been All-Stars before.

[jeremym480]

Re: Official Boston Celtics Thread

Nice post Jeremy. Let me ask you a question. If Kyrie does leave should we go after Kemba? He's the closest thing to a superstar that will be on the market at the PG position. Kemba had an excellent 2018-19 season but is he a better fit than Kyrie? Kemba is a scoring PG but he's also a better passer than Kyrie or will pass the ball more than Kyrie. I think a PG that will look to pass a little more than Kyrie would help this team more than say a PG that scores 20+ every night.

Kemba is a little older than Kyrie but this guy can still play his game. He is also an exciting player to watch play. Kyrie can be too but it seems he's more into what he can put up on the scoreboard & the stat sheets. Don't get me wrong though. Kyrie wants to win. He just didn't perform well enough & his actions didn't show that he cared more about winning than his own stats. I think this PG situation is going to come down to if we can get AD. If we can then I think Kyrie is going to stay. If not then I say he goes to another team.

However, even if we do get AD we are going to be looking at a different team in a trade for AD. At least 4-5 players from this current Celtics bunch will be gone. That's why I said to pair with AD, Kyrie, & Horford we need more than that as our key players. Especially if Hayward ends up also being part of that trade to the Pelicans. I don't think Morris will be back & he was probably our most consistent player for this entire 2018-19 season.

He has probably garnered a pretty decent upcoming contract with his play this season. He might end up coming back if we pay him but I think he gets more money from another team. If Kyrie ends up gone then I say we aggressively go get Kemba regardless if a trade for AD goes down. AD, Horford, & Kemba are 3 pretty solid players & all 3 have been All-Stars before.

I'd much prefer to keep Kyrie. Kemba would be about as great of a Plan B as you could ask for but I'm not sure that could work out salary wise unless there a massive roster overhaul. If there's one thing that we've learned from this season it's the the NBA isn't NBA 2K so you can just put the best players on the same team and hope that it works out. Chemistry and continuity do matter (even though I think that NBA players should be good enough to get over their feelings) so a big overhaul will be a gamble... Especially, if AD is involved and on an expiring deal.

Speaking of being players being in their feelings, it looks like Rozier is going the scorched-earth route. I was kind of hoping that he would stick around if Kyrie left but it looks like he was apart of the problem last year. Him leaving may be addition by subtraction... not that he played that well last year anyway.

[tonybologna]

Re: Official Boston Celtics Thread

I'd much prefer to keep Kyrie. Kemba would be about as great of a Plan B as you could ask for but I'm not sure that could work out salary wise unless there a massive roster overhaul. If there's one thing that we've learned from this season it's the the NBA isn't NBA 2K so you can just put the best players on the same team and hope that it works out. Chemistry and continuity do matter (even though I think that NBA players should be good enough to get over their feelings) so a big overhaul will be a gamble... Especially, if AD is involved and on an expiring deal.

Speaking of being players being in their feelings, it looks like Rozier is going the scorched-earth route. I was kind of hoping that he would stick around if Kyrie left but it looks like he was apart of the problem last year. Him leaving may be addition by subtraction... not that he played that well last year anyway.

I would prefer Kyrie over Kemba too. I was just asking in a scenario in which Kyrie leaves the next best PG available on the market would be Kemba. That's why I picked him. I would definitely like to see us aggressively pursue Kemba if Kyrie does leave. And, like you said Rozier has sour apples against us now: http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...ts-stay-intact

No way he would stay but there's also no way he's our starting PG even if Kyrie leaves & Rozier stays. He's just not proven himself. If he could go back to his 2018-19 playoff performance & play like that then yes he could go to another team & be a starting PG. If he thinks it's going to be that easy for him to hit FA & garner a starting PG position he better rethink that option.

As of this season, Rozier is still a backup PG in the NBA. I can't think of a team right off the top of my head that Rozier could go to & start now. He would be in the same role he's in now backing up another PG. He might go to another team & get a few more minutes coming off the bench but that's about it. He only played 18 minutes per game this season & he could possibly go to a very few select teams & get 20-24 minutes per game. Rozier wouldn't have even gotten 18 minutes per game if Stevens didn't have Kyrie & him both in there together at times.

If he straight played behind Kyrie only then it would have been no more than 12 minutes per game. Do I think Rozier could turn into a starting PG? I think it's possible but it would have to be an another team & like I said as of right now I can't think of one but maybe in 2 years if he's improved quite a bit then he could get himself up to that role. He definitely DID NOT like playing behind Kyrie this season.

He blamed his bad play on the lack of playing time from Stevens basically. It does seem Rozier is a better player as a starter. Look what he did in the playoffs last season & also this season in which the games Kyrie was injured or didn't play. He looked like a starting PG for those times but other than that he has looked like a backup PG at best.

[jeremym480]

Re: Official Boston Celtics Thread

I would prefer Kyrie over Kemba too. I was just asking in a scenario in which Kyrie leaves the next best PG available on the market would be Kemba. That's why I picked him. I would definitely like to see us aggressively pursue Kemba if Kyrie does leave. And, like you said Rozier has sour apples against us now: http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...ts-stay-intact

No way he would stay but there's also no way he's our starting PG even if Kyrie leaves & Rozier stays. He's just not proven himself. If he could go back to his 2018-19 playoff performance & play like that then yes he could go to another team & be a starting PG. If he thinks it's going to be that easy for him to hit FA & garner a starting PG position he better rethink that option.

As of this season, Rozier is still a backup PG in the NBA. I can't think of a team right off the top of my head that Rozier could go to & start now. He would be in the same role he's in now backing up another PG. He might go to another team & get a few more minutes coming off the bench but that's about it. He only played 18 minutes per game this season & he could possibly go to a very few select teams & get 20-24 minutes per game. Rozier wouldn't have even gotten 18 minutes per game if Stevens didn't have Kyrie & him both in there together at times.

If he straight played behind Kyrie only then it would have been no more than 12 minutes per game. Do I think Rozier could turn into a starting PG? I think it's possible but it would have to be an another team & like I said as of right now I can't think of one but maybe in 2 years if he's improved quite a bit then he could get himself up to that role. He definitely DID NOT like playing behind Kyrie this season.

He blamed his bad play on the lack of playing time from Stevens basically. It does seem Rozier is a better player as a starter. Look what he did in the playoffs last season & also this season in which the games Kyrie was injured or didn't play. He looked like a starting PG for those times but other than that he has looked like a backup PG at best.

There's not going to be any room to sign Kemba, well unless Ainge can work out a S&T with Charlotte for someone like Horford or Hayward. Which I don't think is likely.

The Salary Cap is expected to be around $109M and without Kyrie Boston is going to be over $100M already. There's a possibility that maybe Horford will opt-out and restructure his deal for less money this season but more years in the future. I wouldn't hold my breath on that but that's what I am hoping for (with or without Kyrie). Even if that happens then that's still not going to free up enough money for a player like Kemba.

That's one of the reasons why I think that keeping Kyrie is so important, because without him, there's not going to be a lot of options, well not good ones anyway. It's either sign someone with what little space we would have (cough I cough T cough), retain a disgruntled Rozier, let Smart, Hayward (praying that he returns to his Utah form), and maybe a rookie take over the main ball handling role or of course, make a trade... but for who? and with what asset? Especially, if Ainge is still going after AD.


Here's just a quick rundown making the assumptions that we keep picks 14 & 20, and 22 goes overseas. Obviously, things could be much different if a trade is made but without it Boston isn't going to be a player in free agency.

Here's a tool one a Celtics fan that I follow on Twitter created, if anyone wants to play with the roster for themselves: http://roster-builder.com/

[jeremym480]

Re: Official Boston Celtics Thread

Here's an article about Boston's cap situation if Kyrie leaves and/or if Horford opts out and signs a longer deal https://www.masslive.com/celtics/201...he-leaves.html

[tonybologna]

Re: Official Boston Celtics Thread

There's not going to be any room to sign Kemba, well unless Ainge can work out a S&T with Charlotte for someone like Horford or Hayward. Which I don't think is likely.

The Salary Cap is expected to be around $109M and without Kyrie Boston is going to be over $100M already. There's a possibility that maybe Horford will opt-out and restructure his deal for less money this season but more years in the future. I wouldn't hold my breath on that but that's what I am hoping for (with or without Kyrie). Even if that happens then that's still not going to free up enough money for a player like Kemba.

That's one of the reasons why I think that keeping Kyrie is so important, because without him, there's not going to be a lot of options, well not good ones anyway. It's either sign someone with what little space we would have (cough I cough T cough), retain a disgruntled Rozier, let Smart, Hayward (praying that he returns to his Utah form), and maybe a rookie take over the main ball handling role or of course, make a trade... but for who? and with what asset? Especially, if Ainge is still going after AD.

Here's just a quick rundown making the assumptions that we keep picks 14 & 20, and 22 goes overseas. Obviously, things could be much different if a trade is made but without it Boston isn't going to be a player in free agency.

Here's a tool one a Celtics fan that I follow on Twitter created, if anyone wants to play with the roster for themselves: http://roster-builder.com/

Thanks for the post & thanks for the interesting roster builder. I DID NOT realize that Hayward was making near $33 million per. That is crazy! So, for 2 years we've had him. One he missed all but about 3 minutes of the 1st game in the 2018-19 season & this season he never really got it going with any consitentcy at all. Seems like we're getting robbed.

Horford making over $30 million per seems a little much as well. He is a solid player no doubt but he really don't provide enough to garner a $30 million per year contract. More like in the $20-$25 million range would seem more fair to me.

Smart makes $12.5 million but you really can't put a number on Smart because of all the little things he does for this team. Based on offense alone no way he would deserve that much but when combined with his defensive abilities I think it's a pretty fair number. Ainge even gave in on what the Celtics were originally wanting to give Smart. He was telling the media somewhere in the $10-$11 million per range but bumped it up a little to get Smart's name on that dotted line.

Tatum & Brown both are still on their rookie contracts so their salaries are spot on in my opinion. Of course, once they hit FA whether with the Celtics or not they both will be looking at much more money.

Here's an article about Boston's cap situation if Kyrie leaves and/or if Horford opts out and signs a longer deal https://www.masslive.com/celtics/201...he-leaves.html

Interesting. WOW!

[tonybologna]

Re: Official Boston Celtics Thread

Here's an article about Boston's cap situation if Kyrie leaves and/or if Horford opts out and signs a longer deal https://www.masslive.com/celtics/201...he-leaves.html

Jeremy, do you personally think Kyrie will opt-in on that $21.3 million option? I thought his player option was more than that but I was wrong. I was thinking more in the $26-$28 million range.

To me, I just don't see him accepting $21.3 million from that option. He can opt-out & go somewhere else to sign a longer term deal for more money. The Knicks come to mind 1st but I think he would be crazy to go there. What do they have to build around? The 3rd pick in the draft is coming but other than that unless they get Kyrie & some other FA's then he would be going to a team that hasn't made the playoffs in years.

I've already made it known that I want Kyrie back & now with the CAP situation I want him back even more. If he does come back & opt-in then we will be dealing with a totally different situation after the 2019-20 season. In my opinion though unless we get AD in a trade I honestly don't think Kyire will accept his player option.

I think he wants a different look to throw out on the court with him. I don't think it's anything personal either for him against Tatum & Brown. I just think he saw how things transpired this season & just wants a new/fresh look from this team. Other than an AD trade then I see him opting out & going elsewhere though.

[jeremym480]

Re: Official Boston Celtics Thread

Jeremy, do you personally think Kyrie will opt-in on that $21.3 million option? I thought his player option was more than that but I was wrong. I was thinking more in the $26-$28 million range.

To me, I just don't see him accepting $21.3 million from that option. He can opt-out & go somewhere else to sign a longer term deal for more money. The Knicks come to mind 1st but I think he would be crazy to go there. What do they have to build around? The 3rd pick in the draft is coming but other than that unless they get Kyrie & some other FA's then he would be going to a team that hasn't made the playoffs in years.

I've already made it known that I want Kyrie back & now with the CAP situation I want him back even more. If he does come back & opt-in then we will be dealing with a totally different situation after the 2019-20 season. In my opinion though unless we get AD in a trade I honestly don't think Kyire will accept his player option.

I think he wants a different look to throw out on the court with him. I don't think it's anything personal either for him against Tatum & Brown. I just think he saw how things transpired this season & just wants a new/fresh look from this team. Other than an AD trade then I see him opting out & going elsewhere though.

Kyrie is 100% opting out of his current deal, opting in isn't even a possibility.

The question is if he will re-sign in Boston or jet to a new team. Boston can pay him more than anyone but the other teams (Knicks, Nets, Clippers) have something that Boston doesn't... cap space... or he could choose to re-up with Lebron in L.A. as well.

If Kyrie goes to any of the above teams you can bet that they're all planning on at least getting AD or KD or both. Kyrie is not going to a team that is worse than what he played on last year so he's not going to a team in a rebuilding situation. The high draft picks of the Knicks and Lakers will be dealt in a heartbeat if they know they have a chance to build a super-team around AD and whoever else.

Ainge will make a play for AD regardless of Kyrie coming back or not, that's how much Ainge wants AD. I think if he can get a deal done on or before draft night (or at least before free agency starts) then there's a good chance Kyrie comes back. If AD goes elsewhere I think Kyrie either follows him or links up with KD in Brooklyn or New York.

[jeremym480]

Re: Official Boston Celtics Thread

Here's another article discussing our options if Kyrie leaves:

https://www.celticsblog.com/2019/5/17/18628727/how-could-the-boston-celtics-summer-go-the-see-ya-kyrie-irving-option-2019-nba-free-agency

Also, it's the first in a series of articles that will be going over the different ways Boston's offseason could play out.

[tonybologna]

Re: Official Boston Celtics Thread

Here's another article discussing our options if Kyrie leaves:

https://www.celticsblog.com/2019/5/17/18628727/how-could-the-boston-celtics-summer-go-the-see-ya-kyrie-irving-option-2019-nba-free-agency

Also, it's the first in a series of articles that will be going over the different ways Boston's offseason could play out.

Very nicely put together read & explanation of the "See ya ,Kyrie option". I wouldn't be upset at all with this option myself. This just might bring us back to the 2018 playoff team that we were with Rozier being our starting PG. Like the article stated, Hayward would be the only difference by replacing Morris.

Just seems like this option would make this team a better fit with these particular players together but you just never know. There's only ONE Kyrie! I also liked the mentioning of the possibility of Rozier parting ways & Ricky Rubio being an option @ PG. Rubio is a pass 1st PG & that just might be the type of starting PG we need. Rubio actually improved his shooting this season & had the best 3-pt. shooting season of his career but he knows he would be a player that would only shoot when necessary with this Celtics team or when having wide open shots.

He's better at penetrating & drawing the defense for the pass to the correct open player for a shot. We could get him for that MLE just like the article stated too. Of the 5 players named for that possible MLE to replace Kyrie I would prefer Rubio over the rest. I do not want Rondo back at this point in his career. Isiah Thomas coming back to Boston would be OK but he's not the same player now after the hip injury.

The only other player @ PG from the article I would like to get other than Rubio that we can afford with the MLE would be Darren Collison. But, I would personally rather have Rubio as 1st choice. Very interesting "See ya ,Kyrie option" article & thanks for sharing Jeremy.

Here's the "Welcome to Boston, AD" option article link: https://www.celticsblog.com/2019/5/2...-anthony-davis

[jeremym480]

Re: Official Boston Celtics Thread

Very nicely put together read & explanation of the "See ya ,Kyrie option". I wouldn't be upset at all with this option myself. This just might bring us back to the 2018 playoff team that we were with Rozier being our starting PG. Like the article stated, Hayward would be the only difference by replacing Morris.

Just seems like this option would make this team a better fit with these particular players together but you just never know. There's only ONE Kyrie! I also liked the mentioning of the possibility of Rozier parting ways & Ricky Rubio being an option @ PG. Rubio is a pass 1st PG & that just might be the type of starting PG we need. Rubio actually improved his shooting this season & had the best 3-pt. shooting season of his career but he knows he would be a player that would only shoot when necessary with this Celtics team or when having wide open shots.

He's better at penetrating & drawing the defense for the pass to the correct open player for a shot. We could get him for that MLE just like the article stated too. Of the 5 players named for that possible MLE to replace Kyrie I would prefer Rubio over the rest. I do not want Rondo back at this point in his career. Isiah Thomas coming back to Boston would be OK but he's not the same player now after the hip injury.

The only other player @ PG from the article I would like to get other than Rubio that we can afford with the MLE would be Darren Collison. But, I would personally rather have Rubio as 1st choice. Very interesting "See ya ,Kyrie option" article & thanks for sharing Jeremy.

Here's the "Welcome to Boston, AD" option article link: https://www.celticsblog.com/2019/5/2...-anthony-davis

Kyrie and AD is may initial want but I'm not going to be too upset if Kyrie leaves. Disappointed probably but Kyrie at these numbers does scare me:

· 2019-20 - $32.7 million
· 2020-21 - $35.3 million
· 2021-22 - $37.9 million
· 2022-23 - $40.5 million
· 2023-24 - $43.2 million (player option)
· Total – 5 years/$189.7 million

If Kyrie leaves, then I think that Rubio would be a great option as a "fill in the gap" kind of a guy. He's a pass first, team player who will keep everyone involved. If Rubio isn't possible, then I'd probably even give Rozier a second chance. He's pretty much the exact opposite of Rubio and sure he sucked last season but maybe as a starter he'll get back to his old self.

As far as IT and Rondo I would love to see either one back in green. Rondo would be great as Kyrie's backup, especially if AD comes (him and AD had great chemistry in 17/18). I'm not sure how Rondo would fit in Stevens' offense (even though he's played in it before but we're a much different team now). However, Rondo is like having another coach on the floor and if anyone can keep the young guys in check I think it's Rondo. I'd love "the little guy" back in green more than anything. However, I think that at least initially I'd ask him to be more of a third PG on a minimum deal, then see if he can eventually get back to form. If he does I think he would be great as a 6th-man and closing games.

Here's a look at the "Run it back" option: https://www.celticsblog.com/2019/5/1...9-kyrie-irving

Rozier would be gone which I think would be addition by subtraction. I'm not sure they would want to go that deep into the luxury tax, unless they really thought this team would be a championship contender so in my opinion Morris might be gone under this scenario, as well. We may end up in the situation that we were in a few years ago, where a lot of rookies were asked to play big minutes. If the team gets back to playing hard and having fun, then I'm all for it.