Author Topic: If we received the number 1 pick in the lottery...  (Read 11687 times)

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If we received the number 1 pick in the lottery...
« on: April 24, 2008, 09:32:59 PM »

Offline mahonedog88

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First, keep in mind that I'm ecstatic that we have KG and that we have Ray Allen and are now a veteran team.

But me and a few friends were talking last night while watching game 2 and imagine if we got the number 1 pick...

Ainge, in case some of you don't know, has come out and said that if we got the number 1 pick in the lottery he would've chosen Kevin Durant.  That means that we probably would've traded Pierce.  I understand that we would've gone young again and we would be entering the youth movement yet again at least for another year, but just think about the young core we'd be building around.

Obviously Rondo is our future point guard, but we're mainly building around Kevin Durant and Al Jefferson.  Maybe I'm just in such a good mood that we're doing so well that nothing looks bad in hinesight, but just the thought that we'd be building around Big Al and Durant...that's a pretty amazing tandom if you ask me that in 3 or 4 years, could be incredibly dangerous.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2008, 09:43:07 PM by mahonedog88 »

Re: If we received the number 1 pick in the lottery...
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2008, 09:56:15 PM »

Offline Redz

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Ainge would have had a riot on his hands if he passed on Oden.
Yup

Re: If we received the number 1 pick in the lottery...
« Reply #2 on: April 24, 2008, 10:02:39 PM »

Offline Roy Hobbs

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I don't believe that Danny would have taken Durant.  Nothing anybody can say will convince me that Danny would have passed on a 7-foot, dominant center prospect.

I would have been thrilled to have a young core based around Rondo, Oden, and Big Al; those are the three most important positions on the court filled for years to come.  We could have moved Pierce for prospects, or held on to him; either way, the future would have been bright with that team.

However, I'm very happy with where we are now.  No matter who we drafted, there's no guarantee -- or even likelihood -- that we'd ever be the favorite to win the NBA championship.  Currently, that's where we are, and I'm ecstatic about it.

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Re: If we received the number 1 pick in the lottery...
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2008, 10:07:48 PM »

Offline Bahku

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Ainge would have had a riot on his hands if he passed on Oden.

Absolutely ... Danny would have taken Greg, or may have jeopardized his position. It's fun to fantasize, but it's water under the bridge ... and I think things ended up fairly decent. (understatement) That said ... who knows?!?
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Re: If we received the number 1 pick in the lottery...
« Reply #4 on: April 24, 2008, 10:24:27 PM »

Offline BudweiserCeltic

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There's nothing to say that we wont have a bright future with this team either.  I don't like how there are many around ready to assume that we don't have a future, that we sold it for short term success.  This isn't a one year wonder, we have quite a wide window of excellent basketball.  Our current young core is quite promising, we have at least a five year window to rebuild our young core around our veterans.  That's 5 years at the least of draft picks (some are traded away) and trade opportunities to keep the ball rolling after our stars talent degrade to a point of unproductivity.  We have plenty of time to make a progressive transition.

Re: If we received the number 1 pick in the lottery...
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2008, 10:39:42 PM »

Offline Andy Jick

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i'm still pondering what would have happened if the cav's took lenny bias and we would have grabbed up brad daugherty... :)
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Re: If we received the number 1 pick in the lottery...
« Reply #6 on: April 24, 2008, 11:02:50 PM »

Offline Roy Hobbs

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There's nothing to say that we wont have a bright future with this team either.  I don't like how there are many around ready to assume that we don't have a future, that we sold it for short term success.  This isn't a one year wonder, we have quite a wide window of excellent basketball.  Our current young core is quite promising, we have at least a five year window to rebuild our young core around our veterans.  That's 5 years at the least of draft picks (some are traded away) and trade opportunities to keep the ball rolling after our stars talent degrade to a point of unproductivity.  We have plenty of time to make a progressive transition.

It's going to be tough, though.  It's going to be tough to have any sustained success after KG, Paul, and Ray leave.  We're going to be filling the team in with picks in the 25 - 30 range, and signing MLE or less free agents.  It's not even certain that we make our draft picks, as we traded away next year's pick, and Danny has already talked about using this year's pick in a trade for somebody that can help us win now.  Looking to free agency, even after Ray expires, we won't have cap room; the only hope to revitalize the franchise is if we can package Ray in some sort of sign-and-trade for an impact free agent in the future.

Rondo has the chance to be an excellent player.  The rest of our guys are going to be somewhere in the mediocre-to-above-average range.  I don't think that will be enough to stay competitive beyond the "big three" era.  I'd be happy for Danny to prove me wrong, of course, but I'm skeptical that it's possible.  I think this team should maximize its resources for it's 3 - 5 year run, and worry about the future when it gets here.

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Re: If we received the number 1 pick in the lottery...
« Reply #7 on: April 24, 2008, 11:13:03 PM »

Offline JSD

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i'm still pondering what would have happened if the cav's took lenny bias and we would have grabbed up brad daugherty... :)

Thats something to think about...

 Would it have altered the reality so much where Len was disappointed he wasn't coming to Boston that he didn't celebrate and went on to have an NBA career?

4 and 5 -  Brad, Kevin, Robert

3 -  Larry and Reggie

That could have put us over the top in 87 and maybe even 88
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Re: If we received the number 1 pick in the lottery...
« Reply #8 on: April 24, 2008, 11:21:31 PM »

Offline Fan from VT

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Yeah, first of all, i really hope we win a title this year or the next two. After that, the future's not exactly dire. we own almost all of our own picks now. And you never know what disgruntled vet could be had in a sign and trade for sequentially expiring allen, pierce, garnett contracts. Also, we might luck into the phoenix route...trade a vastly overrated joe johnson for  a surprisingly solid diaw and some number 1s. Remember, the suns almost ended up with the 4th overall pick last year...imagine them plus thadeus young. what if when bbd or powe is up for extension we can do something similar?

Re: If we received the number 1 pick in the lottery...
« Reply #9 on: April 25, 2008, 12:11:14 AM »

Offline Andy Jick

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i'm still pondering what would have happened if the cav's took lenny bias and we would have grabbed up brad daugherty... :)

Thats something to think about...

 Would it have altered the reality so much where Len was disappointed he wasn't coming to Boston that he didn't celebrate and went on to have an NBA career?

4 and 5 -  Brad, Kevin, Robert

3 -  Larry and Reggie

That could have put us over the top in 87 and maybe even 88

yeah, because when you think of it, the ainge trade was precipitated by injuries and lack of front court depth (pinckney and kleine).  the loss of walton would have been minimized by daugherty.  the celtics brought in the fossilized arthritis gilmore (yikes!) to help with a lack of depth as well.

but i guess it's time to move on in my life... :D
"It was easier to know it than to explain why I know it."

Re: If we received the number 1 pick in the lottery...
« Reply #10 on: April 25, 2008, 12:12:53 AM »

Offline BudweiserCeltic

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There's nothing to say that we wont have a bright future with this team either.  I don't like how there are many around ready to assume that we don't have a future, that we sold it for short term success.  This isn't a one year wonder, we have quite a wide window of excellent basketball.  Our current young core is quite promising, we have at least a five year window to rebuild our young core around our veterans.  That's 5 years at the least of draft picks (some are traded away) and trade opportunities to keep the ball rolling after our stars talent degrade to a point of unproductivity.  We have plenty of time to make a progressive transition.

It's going to be tough, though.  It's going to be tough to have any sustained success after KG, Paul, and Ray leave.  We're going to be filling the team in with picks in the 25 - 30 range, and signing MLE or less free agents.  It's not even certain that we make our draft picks, as we traded away next year's pick, and Danny has already talked about using this year's pick in a trade for somebody that can help us win now.  Looking to free agency, even after Ray expires, we won't have cap room; the only hope to revitalize the franchise is if we can package Ray in some sort of sign-and-trade for an impact free agent in the future.

Rondo has the chance to be an excellent player.  The rest of our guys are going to be somewhere in the mediocre-to-above-average range.  I don't think that will be enough to stay competitive beyond the "big three" era.  I'd be happy for Danny to prove me wrong, of course, but I'm skeptical that it's possible.  I think this team should maximize its resources for it's 3 - 5 year run, and worry about the future when it gets here.

It's tough for everyone, just as there's talent on the lottery there's talent everywhere else in the draft.  You simply have to be "lucky" and make the right choices.  Many lottery picks amount to nothing, so it's a gamble just the same going the youth route.  When you see the opportunity to win you need to take it period, and even if we had the #1 pick last year I would've traded it away if it meant getting us the team we have now, or just Garnett for that matter.  I'm still not sold on Oden, we don't know how he'll translate his game to the NBA.  We don't know if his career will be injury plagued.  There are too many unknowns.  Our future is just as bright as any in the league.

Look at the Hawks and Knicks, littered with first round and lottery picks... and I don't see them going anywhere with that group of people.  Not now, not later.  Look at Chicago.

The NBA is a league of the now instead of the league of the future. The reason for this is because resources are limited, both in roster space and money.  Just as "hard" as it'll be for us after our veterans leave us, it'll be just as hard for those young teams to amount to anything because teams can't keep pilling up projects and prospects hoping that one year every one of them comes through together and they make a serious run at the championship.

That's why I said that the progressive transition we'll see through the following 5+ years will be without a doubt the best way to handle a team. You still have some young exciting players, and you collect some draft choices for now, make trades that can help both now and in the future, and when our Paul Pierce and Garnett go away, you play the free-agency.  I really can't see any better way to go about it.

A core of Rondo, Pierce, Jefferson, and Oden would be exciting, but how long will it take for that group to become a champioship caliber team? Two years? Three years? Five years? Are we sure they would become one?  There has to be a balance, and I think we have it right now.  Great veterans and a couple of young players that are competent. It would be a different matter if you could stash all these young guys somewhere and make a competent veteran and talented team year after year, but it's not possible in this league. We can't stash potential and bring it up when they're ready for the NBA.

So just as some see a dire future, I see a future as bright as any.  And having a guy like Rondo 5+ years from now, with the promising future he seems to be showing, I don't see us having many problems rebuilding after all of this is said and done; let's just hope that Danny plays the draft right, makes smart trades, and plays the free-agency well and that's true for every team in the league.

Anyways, just as skeptical as you are of our future beyond the big three, I'm just as skeptical of the future of the young teams in the NBA currently, and just as skeptical that a team of Rondo, Pierce, Big Al, and Oden would amount to anything.  There's a timing factor to consider, would Pierce still be playing high level when these guys decided to play at their peak? Would their peak be good enough? Would Rondo have progressed the same without the veteran presence he's enjoyed this year? Is Oden the real deal? If Pierce was traded for prospects, would they amount to anything? If they amount to anything, would they amount to it at the right time? I sure as heck don't know. And I really don't want to find out. One thing I'm not skeptical about is that our current group of players will win championships for the next 5 years or at the least have a chance to do so every year.

Very few teams, if any, have enjoyed success from purely building the team up through the draft.  That's why we need to be in a position to win with our veterans and play the free-agency wisely when they leave while hoping to get lucky in the draft through the next 5+ years (and everyone is in that boat).
« Last Edit: April 25, 2008, 12:20:37 AM by BudweiserCeltic »

Re: If we received the number 1 pick in the lottery...
« Reply #11 on: April 25, 2008, 12:21:43 AM »

Offline Who

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A core of Rondo, Pierce, Jefferson, and Oden would be exciting, but how long will it take for that group to become a champioship caliber team? Two years? Three years? Five years? Are we sure they would become one? 
They'd have been a contender their first year out

Re: If we received the number 1 pick in the lottery...
« Reply #12 on: April 25, 2008, 12:25:19 AM »

Offline BudweiserCeltic

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A core of Rondo, Pierce, Jefferson, and Oden would be exciting, but how long will it take for that group to become a champioship caliber team? Two years? Three years? Five years? Are we sure they would become one? 
They'd have been a contender their first year out

Which would make it at best next year (though we wouldn't have known that at the time). So we would've ended up with yet another crappy season with just about the same group of players we had last year.  Of course, there are other trades to be made, but we don't know what opportunities there would've been.

Re: If we received the number 1 pick in the lottery...
« Reply #13 on: April 25, 2008, 12:39:01 AM »

Offline BASSTHUMPER

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trade our pick and get walker back...

Re: If we received the number 1 pick in the lottery...
« Reply #14 on: April 25, 2008, 01:20:16 AM »

Offline TripleOT

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I think Danny would have tried to maneuver with the team picking second in order to grab a valuable asset (player or draft pick), and then picked Durant.  I also think he would have won Memphis' Gasol fire sale with Theo's expiring contract (assuming that Memphis still had the fourth pick and felt the need to dump Gasol).

The Cs would have had a solid core of Pierce, AL, Gasol and Durant.