Official Boston Celtics Thread

[Silas]

very good question Jao....

I don't think people understand that in 3-4 years, Ray Allen will still be very, very good. He's like Reggie Miller. Even as his athleticism declines, he has a fantastic jump shot to fall back onto, which means he's still going to be very effective.

As a sonics fan, I'm not sure I really like this trade. I love Ray Allen, and seeing him leave really, really kills me. If they lose Rashard as well, which I doubt will happen, this team will be rebuilding for some time.

Also, I'm not sure why they've chosen to acquire so many fowards. As it stands now, the Sonics have Rashard, Durant, Jeff Green, Carl Landry, Chris Wilcox, Nick Collison, Damien Wilkins, Wally, and Andre Brown all at forward. Wilcox, Durant, Rashard, Collison, Wally, and Wilkins are all starter quality players. I'm not really sure how they're going to work things out when it comes to a lineup.

Wilkins and Either Collison or Wilcox will have to come off the bench, and if they choose to start both Collison and Wilcox (which they did this past season), they'll have to move either Rashard or Durant to SG. They'll also have to do that if they want to start Jeff Green, or at least play him at the same time as those guys. And when you move either of those men to SG, where does that leave Wally? If you want to play Wally, one of them must move to PF, and you can no longer play Green, or Andre Brown, or Damien Wilkins. This also produces the problem of how they intend to play their three prospects at Center: Sene, Petro, and Swift.

It's going to be interesting to see what they decide to do with that mess at the Forward spot. They've become the next Atlanta Hawks, but at least the fowards they have to choose from are much better, and they've got a Point Guard to lead them.

I think the Boston fans will have to give it some time, but in the end they'll like Ray Allen. He's a true proffessional and he comes to play every night. Few players have as consistent a jump shot as him. I think their only real problem that results from this draft is, like Jao said, who wears no. 34?

[1CenT]

Celtics will make the playoffs now.. barring HUGE injury issues..

Jefferson, Pierce, Allen... Pierce and Allen are alright defenders. they have athleticism from Tony Allen, Rondo and a backup pg from the trade too...

They should be in the playoffs....
Who are the better teams in the East?

Bulls(with noah and 1 more year of exp), Pistons(getting worst but still), Cavs(more exp), Nets(Kristic's back), Wizards(big 3 + young), Raptors, Heat

I can barely remember the playoff teams in the East..
Magic??!!? .....

They'll make the playoffs... i think they will be a 6-8 seed.. and have a legit chance at 2nd round... Common Pierce, Jefferson and Ray, with an avg supporting cast, in green, tony allen, kendrick, err.. pretty weak eh?

But giving up #5, Delonte West and Wally isn't that great...
West is good..., Wally is a 15point scorer... #5 can be a star, (brewer, green, wrights, yi)

I guess at least they are a playoff team now..

If they drafted like a Yi or someone like that.. they would still prob be missing the playoffs, but not by much.. and in 3-4 years.. Pierce is gone.. and #5 pick will be their center piece to go into lottery again.. Might as well give it a try.. they can be a 2nd round contender...

[---]

I just posted on RealGM about the Celtics position. But this is how I see it:

They have two All Star level players in Allen and Pierce, and also have an up an coming star in Al Jefferson.

I would say Golden State, Dallas, Phoenix, Denver and Washington are all better offensive teams at this point. That being said, in the weak Eastern Conference, they could be able to sneak into the playoffs. I think they will be alot better in the playoffs than the regular season, but I don't know if they can make it there. Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Miami, New Jersey, Toronto and Washington are all better teams in my opinion. The fact that New Jersey and Toronto are in their division doesn't help at all.

[Sauru]

i think people actually over estimate allen. he is a reall good shooter, maybe the best in the nba, but thats where it ends. i dont see allen as being really really good in 3-4 years, he will be a good shooter then sure, but i see 70 year old men who cant miss every week at the local park. just cause he will be able to shoot the ball does not mean he is the best for us. allen will help us, i am sure of that, but he will only help us to the 6th seed at best and thats minus any injuries. i am not so excited to see celtic playoff basketball that i want a team out there that will at best get us 2 first round wins before we call it a season.

this trade was only done to make pierce happy, how dumb will ainge be at the end of next season when pierce still wants out.

oh and btw, 34 will stay with pierce, i guarentee that

[maes]

Well if you're happy with how Ray plays now, i guess you'll be happy w/ the trade because Ray's decline already happened, he'll be playing like this for years IMO. In his 30s he's now a specialized shooter, mostly as a spot up, with poor defense.

What made Ray special back in the day was that he was an elite level athlete but unlike most other athletic wings he actually had a very refined outside game. Now it's just the outside game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI7A3ILE6Ks

You don't really see Ray doing this kind of stuff anymore...like at 0:55 where he starts his dunk from the free throw line, pulls the ball down to avoid the block and still has enough air to finish the dunk at the hoop.

I still think there's going to be some issues if Ray's running through screens for 15 seconds and pierce is still dribbling the ball, or when the offense comes down & Ray just pops up a 3 without Pierce getting a touch.

Sonics have always played with good passing, nobody holds the ball too long except Ridnour who's always looking to pass. Celtics seem based off one on one, exploiting a mismatch either at Pierce or Jefferson, and everyone else being a roleplayer.

Gonna be interesting.

[Sauru]

ok so someone who knows about college players tell me, how are our second round picks. seems alot of people are happy with how we did in round 2. did we get legit players that could actually help us?

as for ray allen, after a couple days i have thought more about it. i still dont like it. i personally think we should have not only kept the 5th pick, but traded pierce for other young players/picks. the celtics will not even compete for a championship with pierce. by the time the celtics are ready to compete pierce will have long since left/retired.

on the other hand, if the celtics do pretty good this season, make the second round or got willing the ECF then suddenly boston becomes a bit more attractive for other players. personally i dont think anyone of any real talent will want to play in boston til they fix the front offices. always starts at top and right now we are terrible in that department.

[BigKaboom2]

I haven't seen much of Gabe Pruitt, but I know he's a very good shooter and that they'll probably try to put him at PG even though he was a 6'4" SG in college.

Glen Davis is just a huge guy - 6'9" and somewhere over 270 - but he's a very skilled player with a good jumpshot. He also averaged 10.4 rebounds last year.

[Silas]

Well if you're happy with how Ray plays now, i guess you'll be happy w/ the trade because Ray's decline already happened, he'll be playing like this for years IMO. In his 30s he's now a specialized shooter, mostly as a spot up, with poor defense.

What made Ray special back in the day was that he was an elite level athlete but unlike most other athletic wings he actually had a very refined outside game. Now it's just the outside game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI7A3ILE6Ks

You don't really see Ray doing this kind of stuff anymore...like at 0:55 where he starts his dunk from the free throw line, pulls the ball down to avoid the block and still has enough air to finish the dunk at the hoop.

I still think there's going to be some issues if Ray's running through screens for 15 seconds and pierce is still dribbling the ball, or when the offense comes down & Ray just pops up a 3 without Pierce getting a touch.

Sonics have always played with good passing, nobody holds the ball too long except Ridnour who's always looking to pass. Celtics seem based off one on one, exploiting a mismatch either at Pierce or Jefferson, and everyone else being a roleplayer.

Gonna be interesting.

It's true Ray doesn't make plays like that anymore, but I think it's more result of maturation rather than loss of athleticism. Yes, he's a little less athletic, but not much. He still gets the same lift on his jump shot and he can still create in traffic or double teams. He hasn't dunked like that on people on a regular basis since he was young in Milwaukee.

He still has the ability to dunk like that, he just doesn't really do it anymore. He posterized Tim Duncan in the 04-05 playoffs and he posturized Andre Miller in the season finale against the nuggest in 05-06, and there's plenty more in between and after.

I think his lack of "flashy" plays is more a result of him finding the right playing style, less neccessity to do so, and less desire to do so. He doesn't try to make everything a highlight like he did when he was young, and with different players on the Sonics, he doesn't always have to create all the time when he has pass first guys to set him up rather than scorers (i.e. Cassell verses Ridnour/Daniels).

[Indy]

The more I think about this for Boston the more I like it. If they make a push for Garnett and offer Al Jefferson and Gerald Green, they would have by far the best big 3 in the NBA with Allen/Pierce and Garnett.

[hammertime23]

Yeah but they would also be the oldest big 3 in the NBA 31/29/31. It would be a fun 5 or 6 years but they wouldn't have enough time to mesh together as a championship level team. They would definitely make the playoffs though. Regardless of what happens to Boston they won't be good until they have a Trailblazer like period of total team rebuilding. Once PP34 and Ray ray retire/start to suck/get traded the team will be at the lowest of their lows and then rebuild around Al Jefferson and a future rookie.

[Sauru]

The more I think about this for Boston the more I like it. If they make a push for Garnett and offer Al Jefferson and Gerald Green, they would have by far the best big 3 in the NBA with Allen/Pierce and Garnett.

you know, i have been turned around also. i wanted a top player but who knows what would have happened. the more i think about it then more i realize we probably would have taken Yi at 5 if we wanted the pick and he is a big what if kind of player who could flop and be gone in a few seasons. would have liked to gotten brewer but in hind sight i am happy now. i still dont think we will be that good but if we can make atleast 1 more deal to bring another good vet into the mix then the celtics can make a serious push. like you said with garnett.

speaking of garnett, i dont know if the wolves will go for it without the 5th pick. i am sure if we made the trade for garnett they will want jefferson,green, that nice expiring we got and future picks. it would be great to see those 3 of the floor together but its kinda putting all our eggs in one basket with those 3 making so much.

i think since we do have a expiring that teams will like to take on, i would look to try and use that contract, with green, and maybe a future 1st to land a proven point, or a solid center. thing here is, i wanna keep jefferson. if we keep him then add another good player at the 1 or 5 then we can field a seriously good team.

then again who is out there at the 1 or 5 that teams would be willing to part with, that also helps us, for only rat,green, and a future?

[Silas]

You're right about parting with Green/Jefferson for Garnett, but I bet the Celtics could muster up a plausible deal that would include only Green. They could throw in of course Ratliff, and maybe Telfair or Rondo or Perkins, or who knows, but I'm sure they could make a reasonable deal out of it. I'm not sure the Wolves would accept, but there's always that possibility.

I think even if they don't land a third player who's of the caliber of Garnett, they still can be a solid team. What I think their success hinges on, at this point at least, is how much better Jefferson will be next season. If he turns into an all star level player who is a defensive and offensive beast, then they can go places, if he's injury riddled and doesn't progress, then they have another frustrating season to look towards, unless they can acquire another veteran big, such as Garnett or JO.

[Sauru]

that proves to be a good question, how good do we really think jefferson can be? his stock his way up right now, possibly higher than it ever will be his entire career. is it best to trade him and get the most for him now or see what happens? like i said before, i want to keep him. i agree we can make a trade that does not involve him though it wont be for garnett. we dont have to have a garnett. if we trade green and ratliff for a vet point or a vet center who can play in this league and is consist everynight then we are good. we dont need a center who will get us 20 and 12. if we get a big man who gets us 8 points, 12 boards and 2 blocks then we are good. we dont need the point from the 1 or 5 anymore, the offense is covered. we need stopped now. allen wont be holding his player to the perimiter, we need a guy who can shut down the middle when they get by.

[Indy]

The bottom line is that Boston is in pretty good shape for the future no matter what. The worst case scenario is that they have 2 current stars, with 2 budding stars in Green and Jefferson. Their only problem will be rebounding and point guard play.

Garnett would obviously bring them to another level, but I think they could actually compete for a championship with 2 more moves this year.

The first would be Mike Bibby. Bringing in Mike Bibby would give the Celtics a perimiter 3-some that can get you 65-75 points per game. Boston would be awful defensively, but probably one of the top scoring teams in the NBA. Maybe ship us Rajon Rondo in a deal for Jeff Foster, improve your interior defense, and you have got yourself a pretty good club.

[Sauru]

i hope they have atleast 1 more move in mind. ratliff will be great trade bait for most teams. would not mind getting bibby in boston.

[JaoSming]

Ray Allen is taking #20

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/ray_allen/

[Sauru]

saw that yesterday, i knew pierce was gonna keep his number. best thing i liked about allen was when they introduced him he showed the celtics name rather than his name.

[Sauru]

seeing as the celtics are the big story this off season i am gonna bump this thread.

celtics are signing scott pollard to a 1 year deal for league min. personally i love this deal as now we have a high energy player to back up kg and perkins. i would like to get another big as i really think perkins is back up material but i dont see anyone out there willing to play for the min who is a better starter than him. seems the other bigs that we could get are not full free agents and thier teams would most likely match anything the celtics offered.

with house and pollard now the team is starting to round out alot better than i thought it would. i really thought we were going to have to pick up complete trash to meet the league min roster size. i can see a line up of rondo,allen,piece,kg,perkins as being one of the best starting lineups in the league.
Now that we signed house and pollard to come off the bench i am feeling alot better about this team. i dont think our bench is as bas as everyone is saying it is, then again that was said prior to any other moves the celts made. i would still like to see 1 or 2 more players added to give us more punch but if we went with the team we got now i would be happy.

[[Q]]

nice. maybe the kids of Boston will do drugs now after seeing Pollard mouth "Hey kids, do drugs" on tv. i'd say perk isn't starter material but with what they have right now, it's a toss up between starting Pollard and Perkins at C.


btw, i was watching a documentary on the 87-88 Lakers and how they went back to back and they showed a highlight of Magic taking this crazy fadeaway 20 footer at the buzzer and banked it home for the win over Boston.

[Sauru]

there is no need to go bringing that kind of stuff up. those memories are best forgotten.

oh and the kids already do drugs in boston, pollard will fit right in

[Indy]

The more I think about this for Boston the more I like it. If they make a push for Garnett and offer Al Jefferson and Gerald Green, they would have by far the best big 3 in the NBA with Allen/Pierce and Garnett.

Obviously Danny Ainge reads the NLSC and takes my suggestions. I should call him and ask for a check.

[Sauru]

i still think its funny how danny ainge went from being the most hated man in boston (well we still hate pitino alot) to being a favorite.

[Silas]

Maybe Scott Pollard will return to the player he once was. He was never great but he once was good enough to garner a spot on a fantasy team. Either way he's a product of the great state of Washington, so I like him. It's strange... All these players I like are going to the celtics.

[cyanide]

i still think its funny how danny ainge went from being the most hated man in boston (well we still hate pitino alot) to being a favorite.

If the next two seasons don't work out, Danny's likely gonna be ousted.

[Sauru]

i still think its funny how danny ainge went from being the most hated man in boston (well we still hate pitino alot) to being a favorite.

If the next two seasons don't work out, Danny's likely gonna be ousted.

yeah if the celts dont show something by the end of next season he will be gone and never to be hired again lol.

its funny, after the trade i was looking at all the free agents out there and looked at who i thought the celtics could realisticly get and after doing so house and pollard were 1 and 2 on my "wants" list. i find it funny thats who the celts actually landed.