Crossy2008 wrote:vxmike wrote:myronbolitar wrote:lol @ anyone who thinks the Horford signing was bad. Other teams were ready to max him out. He's putting up 15/7/5 with 2 blocks per game, has provided excellent leadership in the lockerroom, made the Celtics players for Durant, and ended the myth that star free agents won't sign in Boston. And, oh yeah, despite injuries to all their best players, they're second in the East right now.
Horford isn't a difference maker in the playoffs. Signing him for huge money into his mid 30s was a bad idea. For $25M he doesn't move the needle like he should.
There were better signings out there or they could have sat on that cap room. They should have pursued either Cousins or Butler with the BKN picks and that could have persuaded another star in FA last summer or this coming one.
Signing stars in FA is much less likely with the new CBA, unfortunately. By the time those BKN picks develop Horford will be old and BOS will be fighting cap hell with new deals for Crowder/Thomas/Bradley.
You mean like the cap hell that the Cavs and Warriors are facing? How many teams in the league would be happy to change places with Boston right now? Ainge has orchestrated an incredibly quick rebuild. It's good to think a few years down the road, but it's not like the Celtics have only one path going forward. There is a lot of flexibility in their future.
The Celtics have a real possibility of getting the top seed in the East, while getting the first pick in a great draft. Think about that for a minute.
Cavs and Warriors have multiple stars or key players signed to pre 2016 contracts. Green, Klay, Love, Kyrie, and Tristan are all signed for multiple seasons at the old max. Boston has only Crowder signed at a cheap deal past next season. The Cavs and GSW also both have owners that will spend any amount to keep their rosters...do the Celtics?
Ainge still has time to trade those picks if he wants, but the clock is ticking. Those two remaining BKN picks could be 4th or lower too. Let's also not pretend that even top picks these days rarely contribute to winning their first few years with everyone coming out at 19 or 20. Not to mention the bust rate on top 5 picks is still significant.