Celtics to pursue Harrison Barnes in Free Agency

[Marvel]

I hate this whole " meh the cap is going up anyway so **** it let's just sign the guy" attitude. Barnes is Jeff Green all over again.

[SMTBSI]

There are times and places to gamble on a young guy's development.

Right after he signs a max contract is not one of them.

[BannersOnly]

What a joke....... this guy is the fn Avery Bradley of small forwards. Nice player but hardly a star or difference maker. Max deal? Absurd.

[Fidel Sarcasmo]

There are times and places to gamble on a young guy's development.

Right after he signs a max contract is not one of them.

Wise words

[ddb]

I like Barnes more then Jeff Green. Barnes can actually shoot and plays with much better composure then JGreen. Barnes is 23 and will improve.
So I absolutely like him, but not at 20 million. No way.

[CharlesBradleyLikesToDunk]

Eh, Barnes is a nice player and he's young enough that he could develop more. He's solid defensively and he's got some tools on offense too. Good size, decent athletically. But he didn't live up to his rep at UNC and hasn't set the world on fire in Golden State. He's been fine for the Warriors obviously, but he also doesn't have to do a ton of heavy lifting. Is he capable of doing that heavy lifting? Umm, maybe? Is he cut out for the heavy lifting? That's the bigger question in my mind.

That's a helluva gamble to take at the numbers being thrown around.

[ddb]

Eh, Barnes is a nice player and he's young enough that he could develop more. He's solid defensively and he's got some tools on offense too. Good size, decent athletically. But he didn't live up to his rep at UNC and hasn't set the world on fire in Golden State. He's been fine for the Warriors obviously, but he also doesn't have to do a ton of heavy lifting. Is he capable of doing that heavy lifting? Umm, maybe? Is he cut out for the heavy lifting? That's the bigger question in my mind.

That's a helluva gamble to take at the numbers being thrown around.

He wasnt even that great at UNC either. That team was balanced with Marshall, Zeller, Henson, and Barnes. Barnes was good, but never the superstar people were touting him as. His role in the NBA has sorta mirrored his role at UNC.
He is a #4 on a historically great team. I think he could be a #3 on a title team...so he can be better and have more responsibility, but he certainly isn't a 1 or 2.
Very solid player. Rock solid actually. Just not a Star

[Marley2Hendrix]

Eh, Barnes is a nice player and he's young enough that he could develop more. He's solid defensively and he's got some tools on offense too. Good size, decent athletically. But he didn't live up to his rep at UNC and hasn't set the world on fire in Golden State. He's been fine for the Warriors obviously, but he also doesn't have to do a ton of heavy lifting. Is he capable of doing that heavy lifting? Umm, maybe? Is he cut out for the heavy lifting? That's the bigger question in my mind.

That's a helluva gamble to take at the numbers being thrown around.

He wasnt even that great at UNC either. That team was balanced with Marshall, Zeller, Henson, and Barnes. Barnes was good, but never the superstar people were touting him as. His role in the NBA has sorta mirrored his role at UNC.
He is a #4 on a historically great team. I think he could be a #3 on a title team...so he can be better and have more responsibility, but he certainly isn't a 1 or 2.
Very solid player. Rock solid actually. Just not a Star

Yeah, though, in the absence of other moves, say we lose Sully/Turner, and add Barnes/Bender, doesn't seem like the needle moves much at all for us, both in terms of wins and in attracting other players. Again, I don't buy it anymore than rumors of us being interested in Harris last year, and I don't see Ainge making this move unless there is a 2nd massive move already in the works.

[ddb]

Eh, Barnes is a nice player and he's young enough that he could develop more. He's solid defensively and he's got some tools on offense too. Good size, decent athletically. But he didn't live up to his rep at UNC and hasn't set the world on fire in Golden State. He's been fine for the Warriors obviously, but he also doesn't have to do a ton of heavy lifting. Is he capable of doing that heavy lifting? Umm, maybe? Is he cut out for the heavy lifting? That's the bigger question in my mind.

That's a helluva gamble to take at the numbers being thrown around.

He wasnt even that great at UNC either. That team was balanced with Marshall, Zeller, Henson, and Barnes. Barnes was good, but never the superstar people were touting him as. His role in the NBA has sorta mirrored his role at UNC.
He is a #4 on a historically great team. I think he could be a #3 on a title team...so he can be better and have more responsibility, but he certainly isn't a 1 or 2.
Very solid player. Rock solid actually. Just not a Star

Yeah, though, in the absence of other moves, say we lose Sully/Turner, and add Barnes/Bender, doesn't seem like the needle moves much at all for us, both in terms of wins and in attracting other players. Again, I don't buy it anymore than rumors of us being interested in Harris last year, and I don't see Ainge making this move unless there is a 2nd massive move already in the works.

I agree. We already know what plan A is. Land an All-Star around the draft, sign Durant and another stud. Once we start looking at Plans B, C, D and E things to start opening up. Really hard to know what will transpire this offseason. Aside from the known fact that Ainge is going for Durant

[15th overall]

FWIW a couple weeks ago the Herald also reported that we "shouldn't be surprised" if Ainge pursues Harry Barnes in FA.

Can't remember if it was Murph or Bulpett--- either way I'm not buying it.

[Banks2Pierce]

I've been crunching some numbers in my lab and the only player people are allowed to make Jeff Green comparisons to is Shabazz Muhammad.

[24istheLAW]

I would be horribly disappointed with Barnes at the max.

He can't handle the ball. You see him struggle with anything more than attacking closeouts and obvious mismatches for the Warriors. He doesn't protect his dribble well in traffic, he gets caught in between when his efforts at attacking the hoop get thwarted, he makes bad passes when he has to think on the fly.

Yeah he could improve. But its more likely that he'd get eaten alive if the Celtics sign him to a max deal.

[DarkAzcura]

I like Barnes more then Jeff Green. Barnes can actually shoot and plays with much better composure then JGreen. Barnes is 23 and will improve.
So I absolutely like him, but not at 20 million. No way.

He definitely plays with more composure. Barnes is nice...like 12-14 million nice. He's going to be so overpaid.

Also, I'd be weary of his shooting numbers. If you take a look at the amount of wide open shots the role players in GSW get, it would be pretty shocking. The attention Klay and Steph gather at the 3PT line is just on a completely different level than ever seen before. Guys like Barnes, Iggy, and Green take a disproportionate amount of wide open 3s relative to the rest of the league. It wouldn't shock me at all if a typical 34-35% 3PT shooter became a 38-40% 3PT shooter in GSW. The spacing is just that good. I don't know how seriously I can take Barnes' shooting.

[sam_I_am]

Unlike JGreen, Barnes takes and hits a lot of big shots in playoffs. Would you rather have Barnes #3 pick, 2017 Nets pick and Avery Bradley Or Jimmy Butler? I'd rather sign Barnes and bet on upside with bigger role.

[Queequeg]

Most surprising thing in this thread is people thinking Barnes is a good defender.

This would be a terrible signing, btw. Total worst case scenario IMO, even worse than trading for Boogie or signing Monroe last year. Barnes is so soft he makes Jeff Green look like KG.

After the way you nailed the David Lee stuff in the last off season, I would not doubt your opinion of Barnes.

I am a UNC fan and I waited his during his time there to step up and take over. He never seemed to. He seems to be around on the court, but doesn't impose himself onto the game at all. He is so overshadowed, that when he does anything, you're like wow Barnes is awesome. But when you watch him alone, very underwhelming. Given the types of players that have been put on this team, I don't see how he fits. He has a lot of talent, but no fire that I can see. I need to see some fire.

[CeltsfanSinceBirth]

If you swapped out Barnes for Crowder, are the Celtics better? Nope. Are the Warriors better? They most certainly are IMO.

[2Mas]

I think all this talk is nonsense honestly. Barnes isn't going anywhere. Nor would we want him for that kind of money. Esp if we resign Turner (i'm on that team).

GSW will resign him. The way I see it -- Klay & Dray are on great deals for their value for the next 3/4 years. Steph will get paid next year, but I don't think he'll go super max. Prob save them a couple bucks. That's there 1-4 spots locked in for the next 4 years.

However, I don't expect Ezeli to return. I can picture them signing some older vet for cheaper. I could see a Noah or Gasol signing there. Getting big mins behind Bogut & both are great passers. Also expect Looney to come in & ball next year.

Only other thing i'd do is try to get a real shooter at the back up 2 spot. Imagine Seth Curry signs there?! Guy can ball no doubt. Idk if they'll have money for Noah & Curry, but it'd be awesome to see + a great fit.

Curry - Klay - Barnes - Green - Bogut
Livingston - Curry - Iggy - Looney - Noah

[CeltsfaninDC]

No thank you. I have higher hopes than Harrison Barnes for this team

[Captain_Caveman]

Most surprising thing in this thread is people thinking Barnes is a good defender.

This would be a terrible signing, btw. Total worst case scenario IMO, even worse than trading for Boogie or signing Monroe last year. Barnes is so soft he makes Jeff Green look like KG.

After the way you nailed the David Lee stuff in the last off season, I would not doubt your opinion of Barnes.

I am a UNC fan and I waited his during his time there to step up and take over. He never seemed to. He seems to be around on the court, but doesn't impose himself onto the game at all. He is so overshadowed, that when he does anything, you're like wow Barnes is awesome. But when you watch him alone, very underwhelming. Given the types of players that have been put on this team, I don't see how he fits. He has a lot of talent, but no fire that I can see. I need to see some fire.

He's very similar to Jeff Green, IMO. Does 1-2 things a game that make you say wow, and the other 95% of the time, you forget he is even alive. As a result, he ends up looking better in highlights than upon closer scrutiny.

I mean, he is a very young player who has room to improve and all, but like Jeff Green, I like him to a point and no more. Even accounting for the rise in cap, giving him $20m a year is just not how you get it done in this league IMO.

[threrf23]

However, I don't expect Ezeli to return. I can picture them signing some older vet for cheaper.

Good thought. Ezeli should definitely be part of our offseason discussion. Out of college he was extremely raw for a four year senior but had solid defensive potential. He has become a capable finisher around the rim, his A/TO ratio this season was much higher than in past seasons, and he also posted career bests in foul efficiency and rebounds per 36. Warriors were +3.9 points better with him on the floor. He is, at worst, next in line behind guys like Ian Mahinmi and Alexis Ajinca to make a good name for himself as long as he is healthy.