Official Boston Celtics Thread

[BleacherBum2310]

on the Zach Lowe post him and Windy both believe Boston is V confident they are getting a FA or something is going on hence they could've beat the Butler offer easily and for some reason passed. Hopefully they are right.

I really don't want DeAndre. Blake i would be okay with but his injury history there's alot of risk. Heyward would be ideal. and I would love PG if the Salary worked.

[tonybologna]

Well, Blake Griffin has officially opted out along with CP3 from the Clippers. I personally think we have to go after Griffin pretty aggressively although the injury bug with him scares the dickens out of me.

Why wouldn't you guys want DeAndre Jordan too from that same team? You can make the argument that he's been the Clippers MVP 2 out of the past 3 years. He can defend. He's very athletic. He's a dominant shot blocker & rebounder. Of course, his real weakness is FT shooting but we can overcome that by not having him in there at times to close out close games.

Amir Johnson is a better FT shooter & a little better offensive player only because he can shoot the ball a little. All the other things on offense DeAndre can do better except for FT's. I'd take that over what Amir Johnson brings in a heartbeat. Johnson averages 6-8 pts/gm compared to Jordan bringing what 12-14 pts./gm plus way more rebounds per game than Johnson & way more blocked shots with major athleticism.

Now, I'm not saying that Ainge will go after both of them. That would be basically like getting close to two max contacts before even trying to get either Hayward or PG13. Personally, I want PG13 over Hayward but I wouldn't be upset at all if we ended up going with Hayward. Rumors are that Hayward likes the Celtics more than PG13 anyhow.

We probably could get 3 out of 4 of the players mentioned above but we're going to have to give up a few players in return. We have a lot to choose from & IT probably is the only un-touchable one on the roster. I think we can pull off something big to make this team hopefully better than the Cavs because that is the team we're gonna have to go through but we can't forget about the Wizards or Raptors either. Thanks.

[areobee401]

The more I think about the sign Hayward or Griffin, trade for George and then renegotiate and re-sign him next season theory, the more I dislike the idea. Every tradeoff in all possible scenarios do not seem worth it.

[tonybologna]

Quote: Originally Posted by areobee401

The more I think about the sign Hayward or Griffin, trade for George and then renegotiate and re-sign him next season theory, the more I dislike the idea. Every tradeoff in all possible scenarios do not seem worth it.

I see what you're saying but with our current roster after the 2017 draft picks do you really think we can become the best team of the East? I really don't think so therefore I personally think we must make a move for at least one but more than likely two of the bigger name FA's.

That's just how I see it. We only have IT as a superstar & we can't classify any other player on the roster as a star. Crowder & Bradley are close but not stars in my opinion but very good players. Thanks.

[areobee401]

Quote: Originally Posted by tonybologna

I see what you're saying but with our current roster after the 2017 draft picks do you really think we can become the best team of the East? I really don't think so therefore I personally think we must make a move for at least one but more than likely two of the bigger name FA's. That's just how I see it. We only have IT as a superstar & we can't classify any other player on the roster as a star. Crowder & Bradley are close but not stars in my opinion but very good players. Thanks.

Easier said than done. I suggest you take a look at what the roster would be if Ainge were to add two max contract players. Then come back and tell me if that team is in any better shape than the one we have now.

[jeremym480]

Quote: Originally Posted by areobee401

Easier said than done. I suggest you take a look at what the roster would be if Ainge were to add two max contract players. Then come back and tell me if that team is in any better shape than the one we have now.

The more and more I think about it the more I think adding two players just takes away too much of our identity. Plus, there's the fact that I really loved last years team and am a huge Bradley and Smart homer and to a lesser extent Crowder and Rozier. Which I think at least three of those and maybe all four could be gone if we added two of the three players that are being discussed actually happen.

The only way I think it works out is if we gamble by trading for a George, then hoping he extends rather that him extending then trading for him. That way saves us around $10M but is taking a chance that he bolts for after one year. I'd really be happy with just one of the three guys and keeping the majority of our core. I'm not sure that would get us passed Cleveland next season, but if LeBron leaves (or at least as he gets older) then we should easily be in the Eastern conference driver seat going forward.

My main thing is to keep Brown, Tatum and BRK 18. That's our future. If they have to give up any of those for PG13 I would rather just sign (or do S&T) for Hayward or Griffin.

[areobee401]

All four of those guys would be gone, as well as moving from from Thomas after next season. I just don't see it as realistic, or better yet, the smart play.

But if you do go in that direction. You do keep the Tatum, Brown and the 18 Nets' pick thanks to the low salaries.

[jeremym480]

So just to switch gears for a bit, I was wondering what you guys think about the players that Boston took late in the last two drafts? Does anyone have predictions on who (if any) will contribute this year and/or who will end up being the best pro?

I don't really watch much college bball outside of the tournament, so knowledge of most players is gathered from watching highlight videos and from sites like DraftExpress. I have to say that I'm really excited about what I'm seeing from Semi Ojelye. Bird and Allen look good as well, but it's so hard to tell with guards since there are so many and I'm sure that all of their college highlights look good.

As far as who will contribute, obviously it all depends on who we bring in, but in my opinion, Zizic is a lock. He performed well overseas last season and we will likely need some help down low, so him coming over seems inevitable. Yabusele could come, as well, but there are more questions with him than there are with Zizic, so I think there's it's more likely that he will either end up in Maine or back overseas (again depending on how everything shakes out with the free agency).

I've also watched a lot of highlights from Daniel Theis (who were reportedly signing, although I don't think it's official) and I have to say I have a basketball man crush on him He's 25 and was an All-Star starter and Defensive Player of the Year last season in Germany. I think that the combo of him and Zizic could potentially take over Olynyk's and Jerebko's roles from last season. Although, bringing in a vet would make me less nervous that relying on two goes with no NBA experience.

Anyway, regardless of what happens with free agency there's a lot to be excited about with this team. I can't wait for Summer League. I know that Yabu is going to be out and there's no word on whether Thesis will play, but with the guys that we know are going to be there this team should be really interesting.