Thoughts/Impressions On Our Roster After The Preseason.

[sam_I_am]

This team reminds me of 2006 team that was a surprise .500 team and traded for Antoine Walker and made a spirited run against Preseason favorite to win the East in playoffs.

I am excited by this team. A mid season deal could make us relevant. Last season's Suns could be a reasonable comparison.

[165bows]

Fascinating to see what Sully can pull off. He was the second leading shot taker last year and was pretty much a bricklayer on the whole. Having him get back in the black will go a long way.

Of course he didn't look as dominant against a real team like Toronto (like the rest of the team), so I'm cautiously optimistic but not reading too much into how they beat these D League squads.

I want them to take a shot at Gasol and the other big boy centers, but if they strike out I actually like the McGee idea for next year as a stop gap. See if they can recreate the magic of his solid playoff appearance that year with the Nuggets. Then on to bigger and better things.

[DarkAzcura]

I think our shortest path to prosperity is turning the offensive load over to Sully. There's no reason he can't put up 20 and 12 and look good doing it. Then we flip him + assets for a stud who can partner up with Rondo. And then we get another star in here, by trading more assets (players, picks).

If that makes it sound like I'm looking past 2014, I am. I was encouraged by the preseason and I'll watch a lot of games this season, but it's not going to be pretty. (I do agree that we're a rim protector away from a decent record, but getting one is easier said than done.)

Players I am looking forward to watching: Sully, Rondo, KO, Smart, Green, Thornton, Young.

Turner started off the preseason great and then tailed off. I am cautiously optimistic. Like everyone else, I was disappointed by Zeller. I would think Bass and Thornton are gone at some point. I hope Bradley can do a little more offensively than shoot 3s.

At this point, if you can get Sully to be an efficient 20/12 PF with 3 point shooting, we shouldn't trade him. Just sign the "third star" in the summer. The three star concept is overrated anyway. It's become a silly checklist at this point. I like what they are doing right now.

If we can't pull a guy like Marc Gasol (or similar quality center) with Rondo, 20/12 Sully, and a potential all rookie/all defender in Marcus Smart, there is even more wrong with our franchise's marketability than I thought, heh.

Fascinating to see what Sully can pull off. He was the second leading shot taker last year and was pretty much a bricklayer on the whole. Having him get back in the black will go a long way.

Of course he didn't look as dominant against a real team like Toronto (like the rest of the team), so I'm cautiously optimistic but not reading too much into how they beat these D League squads.

I want them to take a shot at Gasol and the other big boy centers, but if they strike out I actually like the McGee idea for next year as a stop gap. See if they can recreate the magic of his solid playoff appearance that year with the Nuggets. Then on to bigger and better things.

Well to be fair, Sully did have 10/8/7 in his first game vs Toronto. He would have had a triple double if he played 30+ minutes. In his last two games against Brooklyn, he was mostly matched up with Plumlee who played with Team USA this past summer (rightful or not, he was still there ). Brooklyn may have had their third string out there in the latest game, but Sully's work was mostly against Plumlee.

[sully00]

3rd best in the East = 12th best in the NBA.

While that seems like a tough spot not when you have a roster full of guys on rookie scale deals and a boat load of other team's picks.

The problem with this roster I have is that we have 8 guys for roles 4-6 and obviously no 1 or maybe even a 2. I was going to star a thread about a 10 rotation. That clearly was not an option for OB or Doc who come from the Riley school of play 8 and trust 6. I am not saying rolling 10 deep is a championship concept but with a roster like this and a coach who seems to have enough RAM to remember that he just had 3 empty trips and Marcus Thornton is sitting two seats away from him maybe.

I think we can have a fun season with Stevens pushing buttons. We just have to keep it in perspective whether you win 30 or 50 games with Bass and Thornton they are who they are. It doesn't mean you have to trade them just know what it is.

[ConstableGeneva]

Not even this dumb article will kill by Celtics buzz: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_ ... -in-boston Who is this Jack Hamilton clown?

[shawn unkempt]

Not even this dumb article will kill by Celtics buzz: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_ ... -in-boston Who is this Jack Hamilton clown?

Wow, I am not very high on this team at all and even to me this feels way overboard.

[KamikazeK]

Not even this dumb article will kill by Celtics buzz: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_ ... -in-boston Who is this Jack Hamilton clown?

This guy called Sully a center?

[ConstableGeneva]

November pain in Celtics' forecast?: http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/i ... s-forecast

These young Celtics, coming off a 25-win season, are getting thrust right into the fire and it won't take long to figure out what they are made of. It's a dangerous slate, particularly because losses could potentially be deflating for a team whose confidence has been refreshed by the onset of a new season.

"We're just going to have to play really well," Stevens said. "But we can't get too high or too low. That's going to be huge early on.

"It doesn't really matter what I believe in how good the team is or what our weaknesses may be," said Ainge. "It really matters what they believe internally. I think it's really important, not only each game, but during each season, you're going to have ups and downs, you have to find ways to get out of them quickly. You can't have long ruts in games, or you are going to come out on the wrong end of the stick.

[ILC]

I think our shortest path to prosperity is turning the offensive load over to Sully. There's no reason he can't put up 20 and 12 and look good doing it. Then we flip him + assets for a stud who can partner up with Rondo. And then we get another star in here, by trading more assets (players, picks).

If you have Sully pulling of 20/12 in his second healthy season, you don't trade him. That's Kevin Love with better defense in the making. He's your second star.

And then imagine Smart just exploding and becoming the third star and second coming of a Dwyane Wade. Without that dirty attitude, of course. And all those picks and assets are not needed anymore.

[Parliament10]

Imagine, for a Moment . . .

Rondo, Bradley, Sullinger, and maybe Green, make the All-Star team.
ROY = Smart.
Turner and Thornton come through.
Bass, for all his shortcomings, continues his money-shot, and some defense.
Crash, has a resurgence.
Olynyk, starts taking those shots that he's been passing up.
Zeller does OK.
Young cracks the rotation, cause he deserves it.
Leaving Pressey, Faverani and Powell. Who all can be surprise contributors.

This is -- all without a trade, without a "Rim Protector".

We are Definitely getting to the Playoffs this year, with the aforementioned team. As is.

And WHEN (not if, but when) Danny makes our needed changes, and improves upon the Diamonds-in-the-Rough, that we Already have. Well then.

Imagine, for a Moment . . .

[Valid]

Imagine, for a Moment . . .

Rondo, Bradley, Sullinger, and maybe Green, make the All-Star team.
ROY = Smart.
Turner and Thornton come through.
Bass, for all his shortcomings, continues his money-shot, and some defense.
Crash, has a resurgence.
Olynyk, starts taking those shots that he's been passing up.
Zeller does OK.
Young cracks the rotation, cause he deserves it.
Leaving Pressey, Faverani and Powell. Who all can be surprise contributors.

This is -- all without a trade, without a "Rim Protector".

We are Definitely getting to the Playoffs this year, with the aforementioned team. As is.

And WHEN (not if, but when) Danny makes our needed changes, and improves upon the Diamonds-in-the-Rough, that we Already have. Well then.

Imagine, for a Moment . . .

It would be a huge surprise if two Celtics made the All-Star team, and you are imagining four?

There is no way this team is a "definite" playoff squad. Could they make it? Sure, but an awful lot needs to go right.

I am excited to watch the Celtics this season, but some of the statements I have seen on this forum recently (like someone in this thread comparing us to the 2006 champion Miami Heat; really?) boggle my mind.

[ILC]

Wow, and I thought I was optimistic with all-star Rondo and breakthrough Sully.

[DarkAzcura]

Wow, and I thought I was optimistic with all-star Rondo and breakthrough Sully.

Me too. It's alright, though. I'm not gonna hate on being overly optimistic.

Let's goooo.

[Fidel Sarcasmo]

*Love the draft picks. Excited to see both develop

*Love the scheme. Coach Stevens getting comfortable in this league is bad news for the East

*Ball movement. We haven't seen the ball move this way in a long time

*Defense. We're one rim protector away from being a top defensive team in the league. Even without, we're top 10

*Depth. A lot of players, who all have or will have defined rolls. Huge for guys like Thornton, Turner, Zeller

We're going to be better than a lot of people think, including the expectations of about 75% of this board.

I agree. But it all boils down to health in my opinion. We can't have any health issues. This team can't afford to compete where I think there capable of if we have key guys in the first and second unit go down for an extended period of time. I really really really want to see what this team can do with a clean bill of health. Cause that's the only way i'll know how good we can be.

[bbd24]

*Love the draft picks. Excited to see both develop

*Love the scheme. Coach Stevens getting comfortable in this league is bad news for the East

*Ball movement. We haven't seen the ball move this way in a long time

*Defense. We're one rim protector away from being a top defensive team in the league. Even without, we're top 10

*Depth. A lot of players, who all have or will have defined rolls. Huge for guys like Thornton, Turner, Zeller

We're going to be better than a lot of people think, including the expectations of about 75% of this board.

I agree. But it all boils down to health in my opinion. We can't have any health issues. This team can't afford to compete where I think there capable of if we have key guys in the first and second unit go down for an extended period of time. I really really really want to see what this team can do with a clean bill of health. Cause that's the only way i'll know how good we can be.

Without a doubt. Definitely need to stay healthy. I won't be that mad though if guys like Smart and Young benefit in playing time if injuries do occur. I think we're building for the future still, and these guys need the experience and court time.

[darrendaye]

Only so much to take from preseason, imo.

Sullinger's shot was falling at a great clip. As Scalabrine mentioned in the broadcast, he's taking uncontested 3 pointers, so quell the enthusiasm a bit. But they were in-game 3's and you want good shot selection. That said, one can't start talking all-star until he's got a target on his chest as a go-to scorer type and defenses plan accordingly.

Olynyk is very fun to watch handle the ball, his vision for a big man, and how quickly the ball leaves his hands. I've always commented on his activity level, which had made me a fan. I am rather disappointed with the number of shots he turned down in the preseason and his aggression to look to score in general. I've mentioned a few times, if I were Stevens I'd strongly consider using him as the second outlet option on the break if he is ahead, both because the team rarely seeks to throw the entry pass to him when he posts up (and will he attack when they do) and with Bradley on the court, there is a big falloff in aptitude beyond the point guard or Turner when he's in the game.

Smart, wait and see how he looks to score and how efficient he is in doing it. What I wanted to see from him, and I have, is looking to advance the ball with the pass. He remained engaged when the outlet pass went to someone else rather than staying back and trotting when it wasn't his turn to advance the ball with the dribble.

Zeller is a decent passing big man himself. Once he is acclimated, he should offer more to the offense than most are giving him credit. Not saying he'll be anything more than a 16-20 minute guy, but I think many are selling him too short.

Thornton has quick hands defensively.

Nearly everything and everyone else I won't draw any conclusions from what I saw in preseason. Thornton played with good energy and focus defensively, but I can't confidently project that will continue. Bradley shooting a higher percentage of 3's as opposed to long 2's was nice to see, but again, let's see it continue for a very extended stretch. Pressey couldn't hit the broad side of a barn from deep. but did you know super-hyped Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn't hit a single 3 pointer in the preseason (0-12). Their rookie season production suggests GA will get it going and Pressey will not, but again, let's let the regular season unfold for a bit before arriving at a conclusion.

[Jammer]

I'm on the trade machine, finding ways to get Brandon Bass on the Grizz (which seems like a perfect match to me) & taking on Nash's big expiring for scraps. So I do a couple trades & figure if we do this trade, we have no big man depth.

I've wanted Bass gone for a while due to the glut at the PF spot. Anthony is gone, Faverani is out for a while, Powell might make the team. We have 4 bigs in Sully KO Bass Zeller. If 1 goes down, we're hurting down low.

Is the want to trade Bass gone for you guys? I think it might be smart to just keep him. Him & Thornton are buddies & I really do enjoy the roster we have. Feel like the have good chemistry & yeah we're not gonna be good, but we're gonna be competitive.

I'd like to clear up some guard/wing glut too, but who goes? Wallace def not. Thornton maybe, but I really think he could help us out since we don't have a lot of players like him.

Now that we seen 8 games of these guys, is there anything you really want to happen to this roster? Cause I don't anymore. But maybe that's just me cause I get attached to the players lol.

This team has a chance to make the playoffs, which is worth about $2.5 million per home game, NET, to ownership between ticket sales, additional TV revenue, concessions, and parking. Plus, making the playoffs really helps merchandise sales.

Bass is an integral part of the current PF rotation, since Sullinger and Olynyk log minutes at Center (as does Zeller). So, I'm on the keep Brandon till his contract expires bandwagon.

I'm also on the keep Jeff Green and Rajon Rondo till their contracts expire bandwagon, as this team should be fun to watch, and give a first round scare to one of the top 3 seeds in the East (Cleveland, Chicago or Miami). Washington may get off to a rough start without Bradley's Beal's double digit offense and excellent defense missing.

Sullinger is still a lousy defender, but he sure beat up second and third stringers in pre-season on the boards, and finally learned to make the 3 point shot that he's missed with impunity the past two years.

Zeller, Sullinger, Bass and Olynyk give decent scoring, some level of rebounding and enough defense to get by as a first round playoff team.

The intensity of the on ball pressure from Smart, Bradley, Walllace, and even Green makes up for this somewhat. I see Evan Turner better offensively and defensively as a PG, and worry that Rondo won't blend in when he comes back because Rondo is known to pound the ball and not whip it around where everyone touches it twice before a shot goes up. The offense is a thing of beauty right now, Rondo could kill that with his hard headed ball dominance which I never thought was optimal. I'm a believer in the fast paced offense from the Celtic years of dominance in the 60's, 70''s and 80's when the ball just got whipped around from in to out and from side to side. That's the way they played this pre-season, and they never really did that under Doc because Doc's teams couldn't get out and run like these youngsters can.

I'm very optimistic about a 42-40 season in spite of a potential 4-10 start.

I don't want to see any trades this year except maybe Jeff Green if Turner can cover SF with Wallace, just let contracts expire, let Bass and Thornton walk at the end of the year.

[LongTimeFan]

Very excited about the roster. Some will progress, some will not and our talent level will improve a lot this year.

If and only if our bigs can control the defensive board, Rondo and the backup PG can position for an outlet and Bradley's world class speed or Green's exceptional athletic for a big becomes a huge point of attack. If this happens, Rondo stays and signs. All is well.

And what is the story with Turner. Sometimes he looks like a future star. Sometimes he looks like a space cadet. If our development types can solve that riddle, then .....

[ILC]

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/bra ... nba-season

Fantastic video of practice scrimmages, Stevens engaged into every play, his little chat with Rondo. Great.

[ConstableGeneva]

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/brad-stevens-gears-his-second-nba-season

Fantastic video of practice scrimmages, Stevens engaged into every play, his little chat with Rondo. Great.

He did say one of the things (if not THE thing) he loves most about coaching is practices. I've never seen him that animated in any actual game ever hehe.