Better Celtic Team: KG-Pierce-Allen v Pierce-Gasol-Jefferson

[tombattor]

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Of course you could have a better result. Namely, a hypothetical team that not only wins a title this year, but continues to win well into the foreseeable future.

But I think you're missing the point of this thread. It's not that I wish we had traded for Gasol instead of KG; I'm thrilled with the current team and am very happy with everything that has happened. Instead, it's meant more as a fun thought experiment, i.e. what would have happened if Ainge had done X instead of Y. Some people enjoy abstract thought, hence threads like this. It doesn't mean they like the current team any less.

No, I understand your point. What you're asking is whether we're willing to throw away this year's results for maybe a longer window of opportunity to win and potentially win even more titles, right?

That's pretty much exactly what I said about the lottery example. Title is a title. You can't give it up for a chance to maybe win more but also a chance we won't win any.

[sully00]

I think we could have talent wise made deals to land Gasol, Ray Allen and kept Big Al. But we couldn't pay for it, it is just too much money for a team that could set an NBA record for scoring but not stop anyone. I don't think two great scoring bigs is the answer anyhow. The answer is two great defensive bigs who can score that is what we have.

I think that KG/Perk are a really good fit. Add PJ who is what we really need Perk to become. Perk is avg a double double per 36 mix in PJ and Baby and what we get from Powe behind KG and I am sure your getting almost the kind of productoin you would see with Al/Pau and way way more defense.

Perk had the 4th highest defensive rating in the league and KG was first. Obviously Boston had 5 guys in the top 10 so it can be lost in the shuffle but Perk was also in the top 20 in defensive win shares. All of these types of ratings are worth what they are worth but Perk had a higher roland rating than Big Al and while Gasol is a very good player he is probably half of Garnett.

[TheSheriff]

How about

Rondo
Ray Allen
Pierce
Jefferson
Gasol

Because we probably could have had that team. Tons of offense, but no defense.

[Rondo_Fan]

Obviously it's about the defense this year, and you can't get away from KG's role in that. It's more than what he does on the floor. It's the mindset that he brings to the whole team. You just can't be a slacker when KG's on the court with you, or glaring at you from the bench.

I've never been a big Gasol fan, and I've posted that numerous times on this board. I was against trading the lottery pick for Gasol. I haven't seen anything in this series to change my opinion of him. Ask the Dallas Mavericks fans if they're happy with their team. Some of them probably are. But here we are all about winning the championship.

[BeanTownBrawler]

Al Jefferson and Oden would have been nice too, while we're on it.

[UNLVNugsFan]

I was just lurking and checked out this thread, and the one factor that has not been mentioned much, that I think makes all the difference, is the energy and attitude shift that KG brought to the celtics. IMO KG changed the whole attitude of your organization, and in a way, inspired Peirce to become a very good defensive player, and probably influenced guys like Powe to improve their game.

Would Gasol do the same? Would Al Jeff grow into that role? It's hard to say, but KG didn't just bring his stats to Boston, he brought an attitude and a sense of urgency, that I have a hard time beleiving Gasol would have brought to this team.

[tombattor]

I was just lurking and checked out this thread, and the one factor that has not been mentioned much, that I think makes all the difference, is the energy and attitude shift that KG brought to the celtics. IMO KG changed the whole attitude of your organization, and in a way, inspired Peirce to become a very good defensive player, and probably influenced guys like Powe to improve their game.

Would Gasol do the same? Would Al Jeff grow into that role? It's hard to say, but KG didn't just bring his stats to Boston, he brought an attitude and a sense of urgency, that I have a hard time beleiving Gasol would have brought to this team.

That's actually an excellent point!

[CeltsfaninDC]

soft, weak, and no defense.

[Gomes3PC]

The biggest problem I have is that neither Gasol nor Jefferson are centers. They both hate playing tough, on the ball defense against a true center. Eddie Curry and the like used to eat Big Al alive (I think Curry literally wanted to ). We'd score in droves but play no defense. Basically, we'd be the Denver Nuggets, or at best a lesser 07-08 Lakers squad.

Nope, I'll hold onto KG, Allen, and 2-0 in the Finals. I think Ainge did well for himself.

[captain_cheapseats]

No, I understand your point. What you're asking is whether we're willing to throw away this year's results for maybe a longer window of opportunity to win and potentially win even more titles, right?

Wrong:

not only wins a title this year, but continues to win well into the foreseeable future.

a team that would still be the odds on favorite to win it all

I think the hypothetical team would win it this year and have a longer window, which is why I responded that I think it would be the better option.

But more to the point, these kinds of threads aren't about comparing the actual results from this year to what could have happened. That's a pointless excercise, because so many random things occur over the course of a season that effect the overall results (injuries, team chemistry, etc.). It's more about which team is better on paper, which is why the "we're up 2-0 in the finals" argument doesn't work at all in this context. You could use that to say that our current team is better than any hypothetical club one could dream up, e.g. I could say "CP3, Kobe, Lebron, Garnett and D12 would be better than our current club," and you'd respond "impossible! the current team is up 2-0 in the finals!"