I've noticed for years now that Danny avoids going after veteran bench players, almost like the plague or something.
Every team in the league looks to add some veteran scoring, defense, or whatever may have you. Just not us.
Our bench is so young, it's scary. I'm afraid that we just won't have enough, even if the stars play out of their minds. Do we really need 3-4 rookies on a contending team? Clippers and Lakers aren't doing that, neither is Houston or Milwaukee.
Why are ok with riding with what we have?
You're absolutely right. This team has shown to be competitive with just everybody. Apart from the Bucks they don't need to fear any team. However they are
not going to win the NBA title this year, unless they get really lucky.
The lack of experience is going to cost them 50/50 games (like last game in LA). Even though rookies as Langford and G.Williams have surprisingly well adjusted defensively to the NBA, they aren't going to be a big factor against elite competition.
If the Boston Celtics would've been serious about contending this season they should've made moves at the trade deadline. I find it a missed opportunity because you can rave about the promising future that lays ahead of us and that we shouldn't burn assets for short term success, the future is also uncertain.
A lot can happen. What if Walker gets seriously injured, loses his athletism and becomes a liability on court and financial wise? Or if Hayward leaves us because some team offers him a max contract?
I'm pleasantly surprised by the level the Celtics have played this year and I think they're right there. Of course the Bucks would be favorites, but are we just going to wait until there's not an elite team around (after the Warriors, now the Bucks)?
We didn't need to shake up the whole roster to make significant improvements for our bench. With all our assets (draft picks, rookies) we could have easily gotten some reliable veteran role players that can be trusted in the playoffs without damaging our future or creating locker room issues.
Right now we have 6 players (Walker, Tatum, Brown, Hayward, Theis, Smart) that can be trusted with heavy minutes. Then you have Wanamaker and Kanter who will (hopefully) just play some short stints. Everybody else is just a liability on either defense or offense. Rob Williams is the wildcard, and we
will need him, but I'm not expecting too much after being out for months.
My expectation is that we'll finish 3rd in the conference, win our first playoff series (against Indiana?) and then play a very enjoyable series against the Raptors which we'll lose in 6 or 7.