CAN the Celtics be Fixed this year?

[cl2117]

I wouldn't do anything drastic.

Brad needs to reign in how we're playing. Scheme better around our core duo (Tatum taking more 3's, Jaylen sticking with his aggressiveness without it being hero ball). Gotta bring it back to fundamentals of ball movement and high intensity defense. Play like we did as underdogs. We essentially need a template to simplify how we want to play and stop deviating from that when we get punched in the mouth or lose a guy for a stretch. Consistency is key and that comes from discipline.

Danny can't panic. He's missed his shot to get better veteran players via trades with our better picks. Can't fix that now. He's gotta try and identify another key cog that he can bring in via that TPE. It's gotta be somebody with multiple years left on the contract and who fills a need. I don't think that trade has to happen this year. I'm fine with waiting for the summer if teams are asking for a king's ransom for guys like Harrison Barnes because it's a sellers market. He's gotta make that count because it's one of the only ways to add significant salary in the near-term. Guys like Barnes, Aaron Gordon, Jerami Grant (pipedream), Vucevic would be solid options, but not if you've got to overpay to get there (Grant potentially being the lone exception to that).

If not this year for the Hayward TPE, he's gotta add some vets who can contribute, but aren't going to cost more than 2nds. Give Brad some talent so he has more options outside of rookie scale guys, but keep it cheap (Wayne Ellington/HassanWhiteside types).

The East isn't scary. We just need to settle down, start playing to our strengths and find a rhythm. If Danny can add some vet talent on a small scale that'll really help (or Romeo/Nesmith finding a way to contribute). If he can get a bigger piece without selling the farm even better. There is no player who will be our salvation out there though unless we address the systemic issues we have on both sides of the ball.

When we're firing on all cylinders we can beat anyone in the East in a series. It's just about finding consistency, which has been nigh impossible this year.

[return2glory]

I’m not hearing many positive comments about Brad from his players lately. Maybe silence is fine, but maybe this is getting close to a classic time for a coaching change to shake things up and revitalize a seemingly moribund franchise. Marcus Smart can’t be the ONLY emotional leader. “Step in” still kills me.

Brad’s been great. But we seem to need a lot more coaching than we’re getting right now. I’d be happy to send him and his nameless band of low-tier assistants packing (no disrespect to ET, who just got here — late — and has apparently done Jack squat).

I couldn’t disagree more with this.

This is frustration speaking, not logic. It happens almost after every bad stretch this team goes through. Fire Danny! Fire Brad!

You guys need to remember this is a strange season. There wasn’t already any off season. Hardly any preseason and hardly any practice time between games.

It’s not a coaching issue. It that was the case a lot of teams would have fired their coaches every time fans get inpatient. Especially this year. The coaches in Miami and Toronto would be fired if it was up to you guys.

Ainge did a horrible job this offseason. The team lost Hayward and Kanter and picked up Teague and TT. Hayward is having an all star type year and Kanter is starting and averaging a double double. He recently put with 17 points and 18 rebounds vs Embiid and had 21 and 13 against Drummond.

Meanwhile TT and Teague have been horrible. The 14th pick hasn’t been playable. Kemba, who was our 2nd all-star other than Tatum last season, missed the beginning of the season and still needs a few weeks to get back to himself.

This team will be playing better in early March. But Ainge still needs to this talentless team (outside of Tatum, Walker, Brown, Smart, Theis, and Pritchard), this rest of this team is G league level.

[playa-hater]

edit

[playa-hater]

Make no mistake, we are on the ship. a reference from a previous post.
If you don't have time skip to the 3.05 minute mark.. says it all.

Watch on YouTube

[playa-hater]

So many things wrong. I have said it all throughout the years (only 8 months on here) they always come true. whatever.

Not going to list ALL the things Broken. Just the the biggest one.

Accountability. Start at the Top, work your way down.

[Fencer reregistered]

Also, Robert Williams should switch rotation roles with Tristan Thompson. He should be Theis' backup when we start one big, and a starter when we go with two. He should start games when Theis is out. Etc.

[Jaqua92]

Replace Brad. Gut the team outside of Brown and Tatum.

Blah blah, it won't be enough. The teams issue is a personality issue. First and foremost. Brad fosters a lame unenrgetic culture. You all are naive if you think a roster improvement will improve the team.

This team has a personality issue. Whatever remedies this is the fix.



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[GoGreen]

Bring in a new GM. I know that sounds drastic, and he's not going anywhere, but Ainge put us in this mess. I can't see him digging his way out.

[Triple7]

Replace Brad. Gut the team outside of Brown and Tatum.

Blah blah, it won't be enough. The teams issue is a personality issue. First and foremost. Brad fosters a lame unenrgetic culture. You all are naive if you think a roster improvement will improve the team.

This team has a personality issue. Whatever remedies this is the fix.



Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Brad is the problem. Players are probably bored as hell with his style. This team lacks identity. Same old problem every year.

[gocelts]

Got to keep playing Kemba. We’re trapped and have no other choice. If we keep losing so be it. He has to get into playing shape to either help us or be traded.

We won’t have to fire Brad...he’ll leave on his own.

I’d start bringing in free agents now, Dedmon, IT, anyone who can play and might be able to help. Got to do SOMETHING.

[Fencer reregistered]

Guys who obviously should play include the Jays, Kemba, Smart, Pritchard, Theis and Timelord. Rotations and schemes should be designed starting with them and assuming unspecified other wing/swing players.

For the rest? Well, the two centers will surely need help from Thompson. Otherwise, keep giving chances to Grant, Nesmith, Carsen, eventually Romeo and hope a couple of them can make it work.

[zoyathedestroya]

If our top stars aren't ball-movers (not exactly "to rack up assists" but to get the ball moving and to shift the defense and make it easier for everyone to score), they'd have to be super efficient scoring like they did early in the season. And they'd have to do it even against the toughest competition. Any shooting slump from our top three while they do this my-turn-your-turn offense (Kemba & Jaylen vs. WAS; Jaylen & Jayson vs. DET) will not lead to many wins. I think what actually triggers our "ball movement" is doubling our stars, mostly Tatum. Try playing us in an aggressive zone (Miami series) or switch (Detroit) or funnel to the middle (Philly in regular season) if the other team has the length will make us struggle. So maybe that's the main reason why we do mismatch-hunting offense. Maybe Stevens knows he doesn't have the right players to run a motion offense (no natural passers/cutters) so we try and force double teams just to get the ball moving easier. I don't know if that makes sense. That's what I noticed anyway.

Not putting the fault solely or even largely on the Jays and dunno the solution either. I just know them taking it upon themselves to score (while also doing all the other things) will not lead to sustainable, winning basketball. They've already regressed defensively due to the scoring load affecting the team defense overall. I think what other teams have figured out is anytime the Jays have the ball, just clog the paint and make it difficult for them to get to the rim. It's a higher defensive percentage play. Either they force the shot or they kick out and the other Cs players don't know what to do with the ball other than chuck it. We really miss Hayward in this regard. He's a triple threat in the very sense of that phrase. Kick out to Semi, 90% of the time he will just shoot it. Ball movement dies before it barely begins. People ragged on Hayward for not "being aggressive" enough when he catches the ball. I always thought it was about establishing good habits with the rest of the team and getting the ball movement going. Not forcing the issue when he can't beat his man off the dribble. He's been doing the same now in Charlotte.

So yeah, maybe I'm wrong, maybe getting a poor man's Hayward in Barnes or even Gallo could help, I dunno. Maybe they'd trust the pass more if the guys they're passing it to could actually do something productive with the ball.

Silver-lining time: The starting lineup from last season's playoffs has only played 21 minutes together so far. They shot 52.6% from the field and 45.5% from 3 and outscored the opposing lineups by 9 points. In a very small sample of 44 possessions, 122.7 offensive rating and 104.7 defensive rating. Both those numbers would lead the league.

So the initial strategy could be as simple as get Smart healthy (while hoping for no more injuries) and get a piece or two to improve the bench. Evaluate from there.

[zoyathedestroya]

Another thing, fans like to point to Kawhi as someone who also doesn't put up high assist numbers. That's indeed true. I think even now, he and Tatum average about the same potential assists per game. Here's the difference with the teams he was playing with when he won titles. Spurs already had an established culture when he was on the rise. They were known for their "beautiful basketball" led by their big 3. Kawhi didn't even lead the team in playoff scoring. He wasn't the hub of the offense. Post-Duncan-prime, it was Tony Parker running the show. When he was traded to the Raptors, it was similar but to a lesser degree. Toronto players sans DeRozan knew how to share the ball. They just needed to find a balance with that style and Kawhi's strength as an iso player. KD joining the Warriors was the same. Clippers offense with Kawhi and PG struggled in the playoffs when it mattered since Doc was just also letting them take turns trying to score. No real offensive system like we have now.

While sure, adding a piece or two could help the team some and ease the scoring burden on our top 3 guys, establishing a style of play and mindset or even installing a proper offense won't happen overnight.

[playa-hater]

I can't believe for the 2nd time in this thread, late at night, I wrote like 5 paragraphs with what I considered detailed thoughts only to hit an Erase button by accident.

So here are the Cliff notes.

Priority number 1 for an immediate FIX, is get Kemba out of the starting lineup and get Tatum especially, and JB feeling like it is their team again. Get them, especially Tatum going early, or the disinterest that Tatum is showing and JB's ever increasing tunnel vision, gets beyond repair.

why it probably won't happen coincides with Stevens' #1 weakness. Too damn soft/scared. I truly believe he knows this to be true. but just doesn't have the nerve to approach Kemba with that suggestion. Of course if he really is the HC, it doesn't have to be a suggestion.

[sunshinekids99]

I'm in the if it's not Brown or Tatum I'm pushing to make moves. I'm going after Horford and Beal.

[BillessuR6]

1. Would Masai be interested in taking over here? If so, fire Ainge and get him. He will take care of this mess.

1A. We probably have no interest in Masai or firing Stevens so: get two senior assistants one for offense and one for defense... Start playing team basketball…

[Drax]

How i would fix this team, look at my signature, get a sharpshooter for the bench, call it a day.

[BK_2020]

Two words: Yam Madar

[dans1230]

Its become very clear how important Marcus Smart is to this team, he determines the pulse on many nights. They need guys to be contributing without scoring the ball, set great screens, move off the ball, find the open player...etc. Anytime anyone on this team is passed the ball they immediately go into iso or shoot. Brad has it in their heads to always shoot an open shot, but lets sometimes find a better shot.
Horford WOULD look good here right now, thats exactly how he plays.

[zoyathedestroya]

Yep, Smart's absence is being felt. On both ends. After losing Hayward, he's our best playmaker left. Pritchard could take over next season but without an offseason and without practices, he isn't familiar with the team's sets (contrary to popular opinion, we do have those). We look even more limited offensively without the longest-tenured Celtic on the roster. Right now, Tatum is being asked to become the primary facilitator (his potential assist per game has been up to more than 13 last 5 games from less than 9 prior) while Jaylen remains in his finisher role and Kemba tries to get his groove back. The games where this team has great ball movement and shot selection will be few and far between. I think in the meantime, Cs need to restore their defensive identity to give itself a chance. 'Cos we can't rely on our offense game to game.