Craft your 2022-23 Celtics Roster – (20-Man Off-Season)

[BostonCouchGM]

I thought the Payton Pritchard minutes early last night were telling. Very indicative of what needs to improve from a personnel standpoint. I don't mean to trash him individually because he's certainly not THE issue. He's a fine 10th man in the regular season, but he's just not a nightly playoff rotation guy. They NEED a player in that role who can give them 15-20 minutes a night spacing the floor. That will limit some of the exhaustion for the main guys and also give more lineup flexibility to get shooting on the floor to ease the on-ball pressure teams can put on Tatum/Brown.

Personnel wise, that's really the only spot in the rotation to improve without making more significant changes.

no player playing sporadically nor only 5 minutes should be mentioned at all when it comes to laying blame for what is happening in this series. Besides playing mostly tanking or injured teams since January, the other major changes that elevated our play was Ime finally playing Pritchard. Ball movement, team BBIQ and spacing improved dramatically. Post all-star break, despite not ever being on the floor with both the Jays, PP averaged 10-3-2 and shot 47% from three. Ime is kinda clueless when it comes to PP. He clearly has some reluctance, likely due to internal biases or maybe it's just incompetence. It's hard for casuals to properly and fairly evaluate PP with how he's utilized. He's not an off-ball SG like Ime deploys him. He's a bonafide true lead PG in the Paul, Lowry, and VanVleet mode that would put up similar numbers if given the minutes and proper role. But you'll never get that here under Ime and within our system because frankly Tatum wouldn't allow it. So people can ask for point guards but it wouldn't matter. There is nobody better than Pritchard available and even if there was they wouldn't be utilized correctly in our system. It's why I hope Pritchard is moved because he's too good to be playing so little with no clear role for a HC that clearly doesn't believe in him. I'd rather root for him elsewhere.

[BK_2020]

Either Pritchard plays 5 minutes a game because he sucks or the coach who took the hopeless Celtics to the NBA finals is a moron and cannot see Pritchard's dominance on the floor. I lean toward the former explanation.

Pritchard also sets some weakass screens.
https://webm.red/tBBL

We can do better than little PP.

[165bows]

PP is a nice player who would put up pretty solid counting stats if he got minutes somewhere. He also needs an upgrade on this team unless he makes another bit of a jump. The details in the posts above are why I've been advocating for signing Delon Wright. He will only cost money in FA. He isn't the same level shooter but he's not a non-shooter either. And he's not as good as the current guards defensively but he's not small or bad there either, and should be a modest plus.

So nights like the last game where one of the guards (White in this case) doesn't have it he would get some really good run. Other nights maybe only plays 10-15. But he looks like the most attainable fit guy at the moment.

Unfortunately identifying the big man with a similarly solid, broad skill set is not as easy to find.

[BillessuR6]

Pritchard needs to make his threes to be a positive...he is 3 of 12 in the finals and he is pretty much open all the time. He shot over 40 % in the regular season, that is what we need him to do in the finals to be playable...

[hugepatsfan]

I'd like to see us start next year with a rotation of:

Smart / White
Brown / Pritchard
Tatum / ???
Horford / G Williams
R Williams / Theis

I'm not opposed to making bigger moves with the starting 5, but ultimately I just think we're best to run it back. Like 85% of the time everything seems to be clicking and running like a well oiled machine. Key is consistency. I feel like in tight situations they revert back to some bad habits. But for the overwhelming majority of the second half of the year it's been the good habits. I feel like they need a training camp and start to next year to further commit those good habits to memory and block out the bad. So I'd prefer to run it back and see if that happens, then re-evaluate at the deadline next year if we need big picture changes. And I extend that beyond the starting 5 to White/Grant on the bench as well. It's really the top 7 I'm cool with running it back on.

The "???" should be the best perimeter player we can get with the MLE or TPE. I listed him at SF because that's the smoothest presentation but really it can be any player at PG/SG/SF because of lineup versatility and how Ime staggers Tatum's and Brown's rest to always have one on the floor. Those would be the 10 guys I want playing nightly in the regular season. Then come playoff time, Theis and Pritchard drop out. You run with extended minutes for the 5 starters and the 3 best bench players (White, Grant, TPE/MLE acquisition).

I left Nesmith off the top 10 because he's proven 0 so far but I'm all for bringing him back as a 3rd unit guy, though I acknowledge that if ownership signs off on the TPE they might need to dump Nesmith to offset some of the cost). Guys will get hurt and there will be opportunities for him to get some minutes and you can see what he does with them. But can't go into next year with championship aspirations and trusting him to be a key piece, IMO.

For this season, Pritchard is the 8th man vs 9th which means we need some run out of him and while a nice player, I just don't think he's up to par for a playoff rotation. His weaknesses are too prevalent and his strengths are too subdued. He's a nice find as a regular season rotation guy and there's value in that. You would like to run a longer regular season rotation to keep guys fresher and injuries always happen to where you need guys who can step in. I'm also not opposed to moving on from Theis for a better backup 5. But I feel like the cost-benefit analysis will push against it. You're talking a guy who will project to play 15 minutes in the regular season and then fall out of the playoff rotation. And on a 2 year deal he's a negative value contract. I just don't see a move there being worth it. And as I said with Pritchard above, he's fine in his role as a 9th man. I don't see it worth the money/draft picks to improve on Pritchard/Theis as 9th/10th players.

The key to the offseason though is that "???" spot. We NEED to get one more playoff rotation perimeter player. It doesn't have to be an all star, not even close. I think the most important skill set to prioritize with that player is 3 point shooting. I feel like we very much need a shooter we trust to play up to 20 minutes in a big playoff game. Our spacing looks tough at times. Smart/White isn't enough shooting where you feel great about them playing together, especially with Rob out there as a non-shooter too. Tatum and Brown still struggle in traffic some so you'd like a guy who can keep defenses more honest and less able to collapse in on them. With a switch everything scheme, need someone who won't be a TOTAL liability out there, but we have to find a way to get some shooting in this spot for roe significant minutes. It will be huge in tying our lineups together for who plays with who.

[Larry_Russell]

I'd like to see us start next year with a rotation of:

Smart / White
Brown / Pritchard
Tatum / ???
Horford / G Williams
R Williams / Theis

I'm not opposed to making bigger moves with the starting 5, but ultimately I just think we're best to run it back. Like 85% of the time everything seems to be clicking and running like a well oiled machine. Key is consistency. I feel like in tight situations they revert back to some bad habits. But for the overwhelming majority of the second half of the year it's been the good habits. I feel like they need a training camp and start to next year to further commit those good habits to memory and block out the bad. So I'd prefer to run it back and see if that happens, then re-evaluate at the deadline next year if we need big picture changes. And I extend that beyond the starting 5 to White/Grant on the bench as well. It's really the top 7 I'm cool with running it back on.

The "???" should be the best perimeter player we can get with the MLE or TPE. I listed him at SF because that's the smoothest presentation but really it can be any player at PG/SG/SF because of lineup versatility and how Ime staggers Tatum's and Brown's rest to always have one on the floor. Those would be the 10 guys I want playing nightly in the regular season. Then come playoff time, Theis and Pritchard drop out. You run with extended minutes for the 5 starters and the 3 best bench players (White, Grant, TPE/MLE acquisition).

I left Nesmith off the top 10 because he's proven 0 so far but I'm all for bringing him back as a 3rd unit guy, though I acknowledge that if ownership signs off on the TPE they might need to dump Nesmith to offset some of the cost). Guys will get hurt and there will be opportunities for him to get some minutes and you can see what he does with them. But can't go into next year with championship aspirations and trusting him to be a key piece, IMO.

For this season, Pritchard is the 8th man vs 9th which means we need some run out of him and while a nice player, I just don't think he's up to par for a playoff rotation. His weaknesses are too prevalent and his strengths are too subdued. He's a nice find as a regular season rotation guy and there's value in that. You would like to run a longer regular season rotation to keep guys fresher and injuries always happen to where you need guys who can step in. I'm also not opposed to moving on from Theis for a better backup 5. But I feel like the cost-benefit analysis will push against it. You're talking a guy who will project to play 15 minutes in the regular season and then fall out of the playoff rotation. And on a 2 year deal he's a negative value contract. I just don't see a move there being worth it. And as I said with Pritchard above, he's fine in his role as a 9th man. I don't see it worth the money/draft picks to improve on Pritchard/Theis as 9th/10th players.

The key to the offseason though is that "???" spot. We NEED to get one more playoff rotation perimeter player. It doesn't have to be an all star, not even close. I think the most important skill set to prioritize with that player is 3 point shooting. I feel like we very much need a shooter we trust to play up to 20 minutes in a big playoff game. Our spacing looks tough at times. Smart/White isn't enough shooting where you feel great about them playing together, especially with Rob out there as a non-shooter too. Tatum and Brown still struggle in traffic some so you'd like a guy who can keep defenses more honest and less able to collapse in on them. With a switch everything scheme, need someone who won't be a TOTAL liability out there, but we have to find a way to get some shooting in this spot for roe significant minutes. It will be huge in tying our lineups together for who plays with who.

It boils down to, like you posted, a playoff proven forward. Ideally I want a big forward who can give me PF minutes if needed as well.

And you cannot discount the need for a real contributor at backup center. Theis doesnt really give anything, and if Rob is hampered, we need a legit guy back there to fill in.

So my two targets are that.

Forward options in free agency with MLE
Ingles
Anderson
Warren
Prince

Center options in free agency with MLE
Nurkic
Ibaka
Bryant


TPE fits
Robinson
Powell
McDermott
Richardson
Kuzma
Hart
Oubre
Covington



Should be lots of options out there

[Fencer reregistered]

I thought the Payton Pritchard minutes early last night were telling. Very indicative of what needs to improve from a personnel standpoint. I don't mean to trash him individually because he's certainly not THE issue. He's a fine 10th man in the regular season, but he's just not a nightly playoff rotation guy. They NEED a player in that role who can give them 15-20 minutes a night spacing the floor. That will limit some of the exhaustion for the main guys and also give more lineup flexibility to get shooting on the floor to ease the on-ball pressure teams can put on Tatum/Brown.

Personnel wise, that's really the only spot in the rotation to improve without making more significant changes.

no player playing sporadically nor only 5 minutes should be mentioned at all when it comes to laying blame for what is happening in this series. Besides playing mostly tanking or injured teams since January, the other major changes that elevated our play was Ime finally playing Pritchard. Ball movement, team BBIQ and spacing improved dramatically. Post all-star break, despite not ever being on the floor with both the Jays, PP averaged 10-3-2 and shot 47% from three. Ime is kinda clueless when it comes to PP. He clearly has some reluctance, likely due to internal biases or maybe it's just incompetence. It's hard for casuals to properly and fairly evaluate PP with how he's utilized. He's not an off-ball SG like Ime deploys him. He's a bonafide true lead PG in the Paul, Lowry, and VanVleet mode that would put up similar numbers if given the minutes and proper role. But you'll never get that here under Ime and within our system because frankly Tatum wouldn't allow it. So people can ask for point guards but it wouldn't matter. There is nobody better than Pritchard available and even if there was they wouldn't be utilized correctly in our system. It's why I hope Pritchard is moved because he's too good to be playing so little with no clear role for a HC that clearly doesn't believe in him. I'd rather root for him elsewhere.

A lot of us would rather that you rooted elsewhere.

Attributing the Cs' midseason turnaround almost solely to opposition+Pritchard, however, is bizarre.

[165bows]

I'd like to see us start next year with a rotation of:

Smart / White
Brown / Pritchard
Tatum / ???
Horford / G Williams
R Williams / Theis

I'm not opposed to making bigger moves with the starting 5, but ultimately I just think we're best to run it back. Like 85% of the time everything seems to be clicking and running like a well oiled machine. Key is consistency. I feel like in tight situations they revert back to some bad habits. But for the overwhelming majority of the second half of the year it's been the good habits. I feel like they need a training camp and start to next year to further commit those good habits to memory and block out the bad. So I'd prefer to run it back and see if that happens, then re-evaluate at the deadline next year if we need big picture changes. And I extend that beyond the starting 5 to White/Grant on the bench as well. It's really the top 7 I'm cool with running it back on.

The "???" should be the best perimeter player we can get with the MLE or TPE. I listed him at SF because that's the smoothest presentation but really it can be any player at PG/SG/SF because of lineup versatility and how Ime staggers Tatum's and Brown's rest to always have one on the floor. Those would be the 10 guys I want playing nightly in the regular season. Then come playoff time, Theis and Pritchard drop out. You run with extended minutes for the 5 starters and the 3 best bench players (White, Grant, TPE/MLE acquisition).

I left Nesmith off the top 10 because he's proven 0 so far but I'm all for bringing him back as a 3rd unit guy, though I acknowledge that if ownership signs off on the TPE they might need to dump Nesmith to offset some of the cost). Guys will get hurt and there will be opportunities for him to get some minutes and you can see what he does with them. But can't go into next year with championship aspirations and trusting him to be a key piece, IMO.

For this season, Pritchard is the 8th man vs 9th which means we need some run out of him and while a nice player, I just don't think he's up to par for a playoff rotation. His weaknesses are too prevalent and his strengths are too subdued. He's a nice find as a regular season rotation guy and there's value in that. You would like to run a longer regular season rotation to keep guys fresher and injuries always happen to where you need guys who can step in. I'm also not opposed to moving on from Theis for a better backup 5. But I feel like the cost-benefit analysis will push against it. You're talking a guy who will project to play 15 minutes in the regular season and then fall out of the playoff rotation. And on a 2 year deal he's a negative value contract. I just don't see a move there being worth it. And as I said with Pritchard above, he's fine in his role as a 9th man. I don't see it worth the money/draft picks to improve on Pritchard/Theis as 9th/10th players.

The key to the offseason though is that "???" spot. We NEED to get one more playoff rotation perimeter player. It doesn't have to be an all star, not even close. I think the most important skill set to prioritize with that player is 3 point shooting. I feel like we very much need a shooter we trust to play up to 20 minutes in a big playoff game. Our spacing looks tough at times. Smart/White isn't enough shooting where you feel great about them playing together, especially with Rob out there as a non-shooter too. Tatum and Brown still struggle in traffic some so you'd like a guy who can keep defenses more honest and less able to collapse in on them. With a switch everything scheme, need someone who won't be a TOTAL liability out there, but we have to find a way to get some shooting in this spot for roe significant minutes. It will be huge in tying our lineups together for who plays with who.

A cheap option I haven’t seen mentioned is Tomas Satoransky. Should be available in FA for them.

He’s not the shooter you are looking for but if they go wing I’ve talked myself back into Bruce Brown. Great versatility and fits the defensive culture. Also he’s young where they wouldn’t be paying for the back half of someone’s career like most MLE deals. And while spacing does need some work, spacing can come from guys that can score at the rim as well which they need more of.

My issue with having their big acquisition be a wing is they just aren’t going to play much. Brown alleviates that a good bit as he can fill so many niches including attacking the rim.

Speaking of, I think the big guy move that makes the most sense is Richaun Holmes. Sounds like he will become available and they should pay a bit to get him. More interior scoring gravity is another option to open things up on the floor.

Smart-Brown-Tatum-Rob-Horford
Pritchard-White-Bruce Brown-Grant Williams-Holmes

(Edit: fixed the order above a little)

That would be a really tough, versatile and deep team. Resign Horford on a cheaper deal and they’d have the whole crew locked in for a couple more years. It would also be reasonably attainable without blowing deep into future assets.

[djFan71]

I still like Burks into TPE and SloMo for TPMLE. Hope SloMo recovers his shot and Burks can step us his D in our system.

Nesmith/53 for Burks/42 saves them some money and they get to see what Aaron can become.
We get more of a win-now scorer.

EDIT: Obviously don't do if they are still high on Nesmith.

[playa-hater]

If Boston doesn't win this title, I am hoping for more than just adding a vet.. I have no desire to run it back with this group..

will detail during summer break. Focus is only on now...

[Spotter]

Boston has basically the following options to add to the roster this summer. Fournier TPE of 17.1 mil expires 7/18. Thompson TPE of 9.7 mil expires 7/7. Use of tax payer mid level exception of 6.3 mil. Finally the last option is filling out the roster with minimum salary contracts. How much luxury tax is ownership willing to pay in 2022-23? 5 mil, 10 mil, 15 mil, or 20 mil? The budget will drive the choices. The Fournier TPE offers a player upgrade opportunity. Players that teams are looking to trade away for assets or for salary relief? Celtics could target someone specifically on a multi year contract to control future costs. Another option is the Hernangomez TPE of 6.9 mil that expires 1/19/23. That slot could grab a TMLE player signed this summer for 6.3. Unfortunately the TPE expires before the trade deadline and will teams want to wait till the end for the best potential offer? Horford’s expiring contract could be an option this summer and all the way up to the deadline. Looking ahead a Grant Williams extension and a player acquired with the Fournier TPE might replace the Horford salary in the 2023-24 season. Finally, the Celtics need to use that Fournier TPE and add to the rotation. They didn’t use it on the White trade and gave up second round picks to acquire it. Time to cash it in this summer for a rotation piece.

[CelticFaninLBC]

Can't go into next season with Smart as the third leading scorer. I like Smart as a big versatile pg, who can defend multiple positions, but they need a better third option. There's too much reliance on the Jay's to score.

Harrison Barnes would be an ideal acquisition, but not sure how Stevens makes that happen??

[snowman]

I'd like to see us start next year with a rotation of:

Smart / White
Brown / Pritchard
Tatum / ???
Horford / G Williams
R Williams / Theis

I'm not opposed to making bigger moves with the starting 5, but ultimately I just think we're best to run it back. Like 85% of the time everything seems to be clicking and running like a well oiled machine. Key is consistency. I feel like in tight situations they revert back to some bad habits. But for the overwhelming majority of the second half of the year it's been the good habits. I feel like they need a training camp and start to next year to further commit those good habits to memory and block out the bad. So I'd prefer to run it back and see if that happens, then re-evaluate at the deadline next year if we need big picture changes. And I extend that beyond the starting 5 to White/Grant on the bench as well. It's really the top 7 I'm cool with running it back on.

The "???" should be the best perimeter player we can get with the MLE or TPE. I listed him at SF because that's the smoothest presentation but really it can be any player at PG/SG/SF because of lineup versatility and how Ime staggers Tatum's and Brown's rest to always have one on the floor. Those would be the 10 guys I want playing nightly in the regular season. Then come playoff time, Theis and Pritchard drop out. You run with extended minutes for the 5 starters and the 3 best bench players (White, Grant, TPE/MLE acquisition).

I left Nesmith off the top 10 because he's proven 0 so far but I'm all for bringing him back as a 3rd unit guy, though I acknowledge that if ownership signs off on the TPE they might need to dump Nesmith to offset some of the cost). Guys will get hurt and there will be opportunities for him to get some minutes and you can see what he does with them. But can't go into next year with championship aspirations and trusting him to be a key piece, IMO.

For this season, Pritchard is the 8th man vs 9th which means we need some run out of him and while a nice player, I just don't think he's up to par for a playoff rotation. His weaknesses are too prevalent and his strengths are too subdued. He's a nice find as a regular season rotation guy and there's value in that. You would like to run a longer regular season rotation to keep guys fresher and injuries always happen to where you need guys who can step in. I'm also not opposed to moving on from Theis for a better backup 5. But I feel like the cost-benefit analysis will push against it. You're talking a guy who will project to play 15 minutes in the regular season and then fall out of the playoff rotation. And on a 2 year deal he's a negative value contract. I just don't see a move there being worth it. And as I said with Pritchard above, he's fine in his role as a 9th man. I don't see it worth the money/draft picks to improve on Pritchard/Theis as 9th/10th players.

The key to the offseason though is that "???" spot. We NEED to get one more playoff rotation perimeter player. It doesn't have to be an all star, not even close. I think the most important skill set to prioritize with that player is 3 point shooting. I feel like we very much need a shooter we trust to play up to 20 minutes in a big playoff game. Our spacing looks tough at times. Smart/White isn't enough shooting where you feel great about them playing together, especially with Rob out there as a non-shooter too. Tatum and Brown still struggle in traffic some so you'd like a guy who can keep defenses more honest and less able to collapse in on them. With a switch everything scheme, need someone who won't be a TOTAL liability out there, but we have to find a way to get some shooting in this spot for roe significant minutes. It will be huge in tying our lineups together for who plays with who.

It boils down to, like you posted, a playoff proven forward. Ideally I want a big forward who can give me PF minutes if needed as well.

And you cannot discount the need for a real contributor at backup center. Theis doesnt really give anything, and if Rob is hampered, we need a legit guy back there to fill in.

So my two targets are that.

Forward options in free agency with MLE
Ingles
Anderson
Warren
Prince

Center options in free agency with MLE
Nurkic
Ibaka
Bryant


TPE fits
Robinson
Powell
McDermott
Richardson
Kuzma
Hart
Oubre
Covington



Should be lots of options out there

I agree with running it back forthe most part, and with this line upexcept:

I have Pritchard as the 3rd point guard, and Theis as the 5th big. I think Nesmith is going to improve enough over this offseason to claim the backup SG spot behind Brown. I have the same top needs as you listed. We really need a backup vet SF behind Tatum and another big that would move Theis to 5th big. We can fill out the 3rd team with guys they want to keep around from the current squad, stashed draft picks, or whatever. So I have it as:

Smart, White, Pritchard
Brown, Nesmith, ???
Tatum, ???, ???
Horford, G. Williams, ???
R. Williams, ???, Theis

Our problem is we have a big TPE, but to use it we have to have:
1) a trade partner that want to move a player for salary reasons, and for future picks. We can't sign a FA with it. And hopefully our future picks are going to be late in the draft, because of our record.
2) the player has to be signed already, to at least a 1 year deal. A sign and trade would hard cap us and that just wouldn't work with the salary we already.

Terrance Ross (6'6), Kelly Oubre (6'7), Josh Richardson (6'5), Larry Nance JR. (6'7), Nerlens Noel (6'10), Justin Holiday (6'6), Rudy Gay (6'8), Kevin Knox (6'7), Jeff Green (6'8), and other I'm sure fit in the TPE, are only signed for 1 year, or are in an option year. None would hard cap us, and all are under 13 mil a season. Most are much less. All fit the size we would be looking for as a big forward. I know some on the list are bad on defense, but they would only be playing limited minutes behind the starters unless a game is missed for an injury or rest. I would like to see Rudy Gay (6,184,500) off the bench behind Tatum, and Nerlens Noel (9,240,000) behind Timelord. Gay and Noel combined make less than 15.5 mil, which fits in our Fournier's 17 mil TPE, or we could use Tristan Thompson's TPE of 9.7 mill for Noel, and the Hernangomez TPE of 6.9 mil for Gay.

Smart, White, Pritchard
Brown, Nesmith, Stauskas or FA
Tatum, Gay, Hauser or FA
Horford, G. Williams, 2022 2nd round pick or FA
R. Williams, Noel, Theis

[Hal14]

Can't go into next season with Smart as the third leading scorer. I like Smart as a big versatile pg, who can defend multiple positions, but they need a better third option. There's too much reliance on the Jay's to score.

Harrison Barnes would be an ideal acquisition, but not sure how Stevens makes that happen??

it worked out pretty good this season. you do realize we're in the nba finals, right?

jeez if i was living under a rock for the past year, then woke up ands read your post, I would have thought we were a lottery team!

[CelticFaninLBC]

Can't go into next season with Smart as the third leading scorer. I like Smart as a big versatile pg, who can defend multiple positions, but they need a better third option. There's too much reliance on the Jay's to score.

Harrison Barnes would be an ideal acquisition, but not sure how Stevens makes that happen??

it worked out pretty good this season. you do realize we're in the nba finals, right?

jeez if i was living under a rock for the past year, then woke up ands read your post, I would have thought we were a lottery team!

No idea why my post suggests this is a lottery team. Nice hyperbole though.

This has been a great year, but have to keep in mind this team beat Milwaukee without Middleton and it looks like GSW will win this series.

Hope I'm wrong about this series, but it doesn't look good. What really stands out in this series is the heavy reliance on the Jay's to score.

[Celts17Pride]

Boston Celtics are very close to winning an NBA championship but with stiff competition in the East (Milwaukee, Miami, Philly, Toronto etc.) the Celtics have to improve the roster and get better.

Going to be really interesting to see what direction the Celtics management is going to go in this off-season which basically begins in 7 days with the NBA draft. Celtics could go in a number of different directions based on opportunity and how bold that they want to be with a team that is in the NBA Finals.

[Marti-mar]

We're losing to a team that's about to pay a $170 million luxury tax bill. That's what some others are willing to pay for championships. This is a potential dynasty core of players in Boston. Don't waste it. You don't have to spend that kind of money of course, but you've got to be bold and get the pieces you need. Next season, we're not getting out of the East with the same core if the other top teams are healthier. We barely got out of the East as it was.

[Hal14]

Can't go into next season with Smart as the third leading scorer. I like Smart as a big versatile pg, who can defend multiple positions, but they need a better third option. There's too much reliance on the Jay's to score.

Harrison Barnes would be an ideal acquisition, but not sure how Stevens makes that happen??

it worked out pretty good this season. you do realize we're in the nba finals, right?

jeez if i was living under a rock for the past year, then woke up ands read your post, I would have thought we were a lottery team!

No idea why my post suggests this is a lottery team. Nice hyperbole though.

This has been a great year, but have to keep in mind this team beat Milwaukee without Middleton and it looks like GSW will win this series.

Hope I'm wrong about this series, but it doesn't look good. What really stands out in this series is the heavy reliance on the Jay's to score.

this narrative needs to end that we only beat the bucks because middleton was out.

1) rob missed 4 out of the 7 games and the games he did play in he wasn't even close to 100%. You look at the stats and Rob is just as good (if not better) than Middleton. PER, TS%, rebounding %, blocks. %, BPM, VORP, Offensive rating, Defensive Rating. Win shares per 48 mins. You name it, rob wins. Only thing middleton does better is score points.
2) smart missed 1 of the games to injury
3) it's not like the bucks were like 10 games better than us in the regular season and then all of a sudden middleton is out so we barely beat them in the playoffs. we had the same record as them during the regular season, and over the course of the 2nd half of the season (if you don't realize that the celtics were a MUCH different team from january on then you are living under a rock) the celtics were clearly the better team than the bucks, even with Middleton. and we didn't just beat the bucks - it was one of the more lopsided 7 game series in recent memory. We outscored them by 27 points over the course of the series so it wasn't really even that close. Middleton wouldn't have made enough of a difference - especially if we had a healthy rob and smart.

Oh and which team is more likely to improve next season? The team that has 0 rotation players who are 25 or younger (which means they're players at this point aren't likely to improve much - if anything they are older guys who will only get worse next season) or the team with 5...count them 5 rotation players who are 25 or younger (which means they are still in a place in their career where they are in more of a rapid development phase than guys who are 26+ years old)

Why do you think we improved so much this season? Went from having the 13th highest odds to win the title during the preseason to making the NBA finals. Why'd we improve so much? A big reason is because of our 6 rotation players who are 25 or younger who all got better than they were last year. All 5 (Grant, Rob, Tatum, Brown, Pritchard) will be even better next season, especially in year 2 with Udoka, who had never been a head coach before this season).

The Bucks? They have no youth. No upside. And a coach who has been there forever. Plus they've already won a wing so less of that hunger. No where to go but down.

[CelticFaninLBC]

it worked out pretty good this season. you do realize we're in the nba finals, right?

jeez if i was living under a rock for the past year, then woke up ands read your post, I would have thought we were a lottery team!

No idea why my post suggests this is a lottery team. Nice hyperbole though.

This has been a great year, but have to keep in mind this team beat Milwaukee without Middleton and it looks like GSW will win this series.

Hope I'm wrong about this series, but it doesn't look good. What really stands out in this series is the heavy reliance on the Jay's to score.

this narrative needs to end that we only beat the bucks because middleton was out.

1) rob missed 4 out of the 7 games and the games he did play in he wasn't even close to 100%. You look at the stats and Rob is just as good (if not better) than Middleton. PER, TS%, rebounding %, blocks. %, BPM, VORP, Offensive rating, Defensive Rating. Win shares per 48 mins. You name it, rob wins. Only thing middleton does better is score points.
2) smart missed 1 of the games to injury
3) it's not like the bucks were like 10 games better than us in the regular season and then all of a sudden middleton is out so we barely beat them in the playoffs. we had the same record as them during the regular season, and over the course of the 2nd half of the season (if you don't realize that the celtics were a MUCH different team from january on then you are living under a rock) the celtics were clearly the better team than the bucks, even with Middleton. and we didn't just beat the bucks - it was one of the more lopsided 7 game series in recent memory. We outscored them by 27 points over the course of the series so it wasn't really even that close. Middleton wouldn't have made enough of a difference - especially if we had a healthy rob and smart.

That's quite an assumption that the Celtics were clearly better than Milwaukee, if Middleton played.

[Patsfan1081]

If you can add shooting at the expense of one of Smart/White I would highly consider it. I just think there’s too much money between the two and too poor of outside shooting for a team that relies on it.