Roster AS IS will Dominate

ddb · Post #1 » by **ddb** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 1:54 pm

Fist off, I'm guilty of tinkering around with trade ideas. It's fun. BUT the more I look at it the more I realize that the Celtics current roster AS IS has a great chance to be DOMINATE. Think about it. Pierce, Allen, and KG are future HOFers and we all know they have some great ball left in the tank. Rondo is blossoming into a stud.. Perk has evolved into one of the better defensive centers in the Eastern Conf. He knows his role. Baby (if re-signed) has proven to be a very solid rotation player. Eddie House, although one dementional, is very good at coming in and knocking down open shots..He hustles. I think Bill Walker will be a solid contributer this season. I really like his game.

So as of right now, Ainge has 5 starters and 3 solid bench players if Baby and House come back. That's not counting Scal, T Allen, and Marbury (if resigned). Scal, Allen, and Marbury will all contribute if they're back next season. And then there's Powe. I don't see him leaving. He could be a nice addition to the team at the all-star break and help us down the stretch.
So really, all Ainge needs to do is round out the bench ala Sheed, McDyss, or whoever he can lure to Boston. If all goes well, let's take a look at what a projected rotation could look like..

Perk, KG, Pierce, Allen, Rondo. (incredible)
Bench: Sheed (?) Baby, Walker, House, Marbury (?) (There are a dozen scenerio's) Point being, we don't need to chance a damn thing. Round out the bench, stay healthy, and cruise to title # 18!

spf211 · Post #2 » by **spf211** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 2:02 pm

Roster as is, staying healthy, can dominate.

I'd expect KG could make it through the year, Pierce and Allen are another issue.

LenBiasBaller · Post #3 » by **LenBiasBaller** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 2:22 pm

I go back and forth on this all the time. Bottom line if we can get younger by using Ray's expiring deal then I think we have to do it. I don't know how much longer pierce can be that slasher for us that gets to the line.

With everyone scrambling to gear up for the 2010 free agent class I def. think we can steal one this year. To me its not about winning it now but trying to position ourselves to compete for the next 5 years. It is tough and DA has his work cut out for him.

Fortunately between all the great FA's this year and the dumping of draft picks by gm's this might be the perfect opportunity to pick up a young stud and some nice FA pickups.

I think DA is going to get another guy this year like Rondo that will continue to slide. I can't wait for this draft.

cfan79 · Post #4 » by **cfan79** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 2:26 pm

Maybe during the season, but our bench isn't good enough to continue the dominance into the playoffs. If we brought in some vets like Mcdyess and brought back Marbury maybe you'd be right on with your assumption.

Celtics>Breathing · Post #5 » by **Celtics>Breathing** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:04 pm

LenBiasBaller wrote:I go back and forth on this all the time. Bottom line if we can get younger by using Ray's expiring deal then I think we have to do it. I don't know how much longer pierce can be that slasher for us that gets to the line.

With everyone scrambling to gear up for the 2010 free agent class I def. think we can steal one this year. To me its not about winning it now but trying to position ourselves to compete for the next 5 years. It is tough and DA has his work cut out for him.

Fortunately between all the great FA's this year and the dumping of draft picks by gm's this might be the perfect opportunity to pick up a young stud and some nice FA pickups.

I think DA is going to get another guy this year like Rondo that will continue to slide. I can't wait for this draft.

Some great points. I think everyone is gearing up for 2010. We need to take advantage of it now!!

jfs1000d · Post #6 » by **jfs1000d** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:14 pm

Roster as is is susceptible to injury, and we are missing major depth at the wing and at center.

If we don't make a trade and go status quo (which I am actually in favor of despite by Rondo ragging), we have to get an athletic SF who can fill in for pierce and allen. Also, some length at center.

ddb · Post #7 » by **ddb** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:18 pm

agreed. Take advantage of the 2010' mania. Ainge has a great oppt to position this team to win another title this year. He needs to take advantage of it this offseason. our starters are fine. 17-2 last season out the gate. the ball movement was incredible. Injuries depleted our roster. and Ainge failed at replacing Posey...Now he has another chance to rebuild the Bench.

Tricky Ricky · Post #8 » by **Tricky Ricky** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:25 pm

I agree I think KG got hurt early last year but many people forget how good of a start we had last season.

Celtics>Breathing · Post #9 » by **Celtics>Breathing** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:32 pm

I want this team to be great for many years. I hope Danny is thinking like this as well. We are going to end up like the SAS are right now. The difference is they had their run when Duncan was young. We didn't start our run until all of our core players were in there 30's. PP was 29 last year.

Celtics>Breathing · Post #10 » by **Celtics>Breathing** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:36 pm

ddb wrote:agreed. Take advantage of the 2010' mania. Ainge has a great oppt to position this team to win another title this year. He needs to take advantage of it this offseason. our starters are fine. 17-2 last season out the gate. the ball movement was incredible. Injuries depleted our roster. and Ainge failed at replacing Posey...Now he has another chance to rebuild the Bench.

Our starters (3/5ths) of them are aging and making a ton of money. Rondo wants to get paid but can't shoot FT better than 65%, and Big Perk has a shoulder issue. Shoulder issues are tough. They never heal. I know I have one. I play ball a couple of times a week. My shoulder goes out all the time. I love Ray but he has to be the one to go because of his contract.

Banks2Pierce · Post #11 » by **Banks2Pierce** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:46 pm

It gets interesting because we can be dominant this year and future years with the right roster moves. It might be smarter to Keep Ray for the trade deadline because teams will be out of the hunt...like Phoenix.

ddb · Post #12 » by **ddb** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:54 pm

Few things. Ray Allen is the LAST GUY I worry about on this team. His game translates well as he gets up there in age. He's not 40! He's going to be 33-34. Reggie Miller played at a high level until he was 40. Ray Allen keeps himself in great condition and never complains about ANYTHING! He's a model citizen and an amazing ball player. O, and he only hit 76 shots to tie or win games this season. hMr. Clutch anyone???. I'm sorry but I'm keeping him and letting him expire. Maybe even signing him to an extention after the season.
Also, if you trade RONDO you will regret it ala Billups. It takes most PG's a few years to be good in this league. They're essentially quarterbacking a TEAM. For Rondo to win a title in his 1st year as a starter and to take ANOTHER huge step forward this year is amazing. He will get better and better and better.

It's a tough decision for Ainge. All I'm saying is he needs to be careful. I think it could be a major mistake to unload Ray and Rondo. There are other ways to keep this team competitive for 5 plus years.

Celtics>Breathing · Post #13 » by **Celtics>Breathing** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:58 pm

Banks2Pierce wrote:It gets interesting because we can be dominant this year and future years with the right roster moves. It might be smarter to Keep Ray for the trade deadline because teams will be out of the hunt...like Phoenix.

A great point but I just don't see Danny making a move with Ray mid-season.

MyInsatiableOne · Post #14 » by **MyInsatiableOne** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:40 pm

cfan79 wrote:Maybe during the season, but our bench isn't good enough to continue the dominance into the playoffs. If we brought in some vets like Mcdyess and brought back Marbury maybe you'd be right on with your assumption.

Our roster **** SUCKED at the end of the season last year. We had 6-7 guys carrying the team (playing 40+ min a game) to 62 games and within a game of the ECF...through sheer force of will...

BRUNiNHO91 · Post #15 » by **BRUNiNHO91** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:46 pm

ddb wrote:Few things. Ray Allen is the LAST GUY I worry about on this team. His game translates well as he gets up there in age. He's not 40! He's going to be 33-34. Reggie Miller played at a high level until he was 40. Ray Allen keeps himself in great condition and never complains about ANYTHING! He's a model citizen and an amazing ball player. O, and he only hit 76 shots to tie or win games this season. hMr. Clutch anyone???. I'm sorry but I'm keeping him and letting him expire. Maybe even signing him to an extention after the season.
Also, if you trade RONDO you will regret it ala Billups. It takes most PG's a few years to be good in this league. They're essentially quarterbacking a TEAM. For Rondo to win a title in his 1st year as a starter and to take ANOTHER huge step forward this year is amazing. He will get better and better and better.

It's a tough decision for Ainge. All I'm saying is he needs to be careful. I think it could be a major mistake to unload Ray and Rondo. There are other ways to keep this team competitive for 5 plus years.

Ohh man..I couldn't have put this any better myself.

cfan79 · Post #16 » by **cfan79** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:54 pm

MyInsatiableOne wrote:
Our roster **** SUCKED at the end of the season last year. We had 6-7 guys carrying the team (playing 40+ min a game) to 62 games and within a game of the ECF...through sheer force of will...

Yep, it was hard to watch some of the games. I kept yelling at the tv and myself "f*cking Doc, put Walker in." I didn't care how many games we lost during the season.

celticsnut · Post #17 » by **celticsnut** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 6:35 pm

If we can add a solid wing player, Anthony Parker I have always liked and resign BBD and Marbury, I think we definitely win next year if healthy.

Hemingway · Post #18 » by **Hemingway** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 7:00 pm

I agree with the op. We are one of the few teams in the league that DOES NOT have to make move to have a real shot at a title. Think about that for a second. That said, the window is on its way down. If we can get a good deal now that keeps us a front runner and opens the window up for a few more years we have to seriously look at it. A few thoughts:

1 As long as we have KG and PP we are one of the best teams in the NBA.

2 Of the big 3 Ray is the most expandable and now is he is an expiring.

a We can always trade Ray at the deadline
b we can always extend ray for a year and be in the same boat next year

AlCelticFan · Post #19 » by **AlCelticFan** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 7:17 pm

The roster can dominate. The real issue is extending the team into the future by trading expiring contracts for pieces we can add to extend the life of the team. Ray Allen is oldest, so if we can trade him to get a younger star then we sort of have to do it, even if it makes the next season less certain. It makes the next season less certain, but I think it makes the two seasons after more certain.

Dave_From_NB · Post #20 » by **Dave_From_NB** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 8:06 pm

Cleveland and Orlando aren't going to stand pat, if the Celtics just stay as-is they can easily be surpassed even with everyone healthy. Biggest flaw with the as-is approach is you're assuming that other teams also stand still and don't improve.

Although Rondo and Perkins are improving, RA, PP, KG are declining. Powe is going to at best be a shadow of himself, and he might not even make an impact by playoffs. Hopefully some of the young guys can make some contribution, although I suppose with Giddens, Walker and Pruitt the bar is set so low that they can't help but do better. No backup Center. No backup PG, unless Moore and Marbury are resigned, but since they're not signed they really can't be considered part of the roster.

Personally I think standing still could result in the Pistons issue of the last few years. Good but not good enough, until finally everyone gives up and blows things to pieces.

I think it's dangerous to become compacent, the roster can always be made better.