Let Kyrie walk, don't go after AD, build around young core

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

I have no interest in dropping back down to a borderline playoff team (if even that) & rebuilding again.

At this point, I have little faith that contention is happening in the next few years regardless, so my #1 goal is to actually like the team again and to look forward to seeing them play.


So sign me up for Kyrie going to New York to be part of a franchise that deserves him.  Let Rozier get paid starter money for the Orlando Magic, or whatever. 

Let's sign a veteran point guard.  Let's use all our draft picks.  Let's re-sign Horford to a long term deal at less money.  Let's add some high character veterans to round out the bench. 


Then let's see how good Jayson, Jaylen, and Hayward can be over the next 4-5 years. 

Let's watch Smart and Horford play in green until they're ready to retire.

Let's talk about a Brad Stevens team that overachieves, plays harder in the regular season than basically anybody, that is greater than the sum of their parts.

Hey, let's sign Isaiah Thomas to a MLE deal and see what he has left in the tank.


I'm all in on feeling good about the Celtics again.  I don't care if it means the ceiling is reaching the ECF again and losing to a team with an MVP talent. 

It's better than this mess.

then go to the movies or root for another team. i honestly think you are a troll and not a celtics fan with these borderline asinine posts.

[pistal47]

With no due respect, ok soind like some clown hippie/yuppie hybrid fair weather broad who proudly wears a pink hat and skirt to Red Sox games.

You're talking like Boston is the same type of market that NY or LA is. Guess what? It's not, and never will be. When was the last time Boston was THE destination or preferred market for NBA star players and free agents? Maybe you should take your pink hat, skirt, tree hugging and wine sipping effeminate garbage with you to one of those cities and add to their ever growing list of fair weather fans. You are the antithesis of a Boston sports fan. Beat feet somewhere else.

[seancally]

With no due respect, ok soind like some clown hippie/yuppie hybrid fair weather broad who proudly wears a pink hat and skirt to Red Sox games.

You're talking like Boston is the same type of market that NY or LA is. Guess what? It's not, and never will be. When was the last time Boston was THE destination or preferred market for NBA star players and free agents? Maybe you should take your pink hat, skirt, tree hugging and wine sipping effeminate garbage with you to one of those cities and add to their ever growing list of fair weather fans. You are the antithesis of a Boston sports fan. Beat feet somewhere else.

There’s a lot wrong with this.

[PAOBoston]

Letting Kyrie leave would set the franchise back years.

[jambr380]

I've only read about half the responses, but I just don't get this take at all. You let your superstar entering-his-prime PG walk for nothing and then hope Tatum or Brown somehow turn out to be as good as Kyrie?

As far as AD goes - if the Rich Paul/Lakers thing never happened, we would all be peeing ourselves at the possibility of trading Tatum, matching contracts, and picks for him. Many of us still are!

This seems like a classic example of not seeing the forest for the trees. We are all so disgusted by what is happening in the here and now when we really only have like another 20 games (and the post-season) to get through before our team could truly transform.

By letting Rozier and Morris walk and trading Tatum and one of Brown/Smart for AD, we thin the herd quite a bit and hopefully solve some of the relationship issues on this team (young guys vs veterans, FAs looking for their own vs guys playing within the system, etc).

Our starting line-up would be Kyrie, Smart/JB, Hayward, Horford, and AD. Sorry, but I take that over the chance that Tatum/Brown somehow turn out to be as good as Kyrie/AD - especially when you get to keep one of them anyway! This all just sounds like a defeatist attitude to me. Don't worry guys, it will all be over soon!

[PAOBoston]

Also, not sure if you heard Jackie Mac’s comments today about the Lakers rumor for AD on ESPN. She said her sources told her the Lakers didn’t offer what we all heard on the rumor mill for AD. Might still be a chance to get AD without giving up Tatum.

[bopna]

Sign Kyrie if he stays, Go after AD and hope we use only one of JB or Tatum. Contend for the next 8 yrs with prime Kyrie, prime AD and whats left of our young core.

[droopdog7]

Building around the young guys would be really dumb for a number of reasons.  First, we have ONE maybe star in Tatum and that's it.  Simply won't get it done.  Second, we'll have to pay Tatum and Brown like stars and then how do we improve?  We could perhaps hit on another draft pick but other than that, the team might be tapped out (or near it) in terms of salary cap space.

No, the move to make it the opposite and most obvious one.  Trade the young guys for Davis.  A team of Davis, Horford, Kyrie, Smart, and Hayward should compete for several years.

Nah, it's not dumb because this is only the second year after IT and the promise of a "young team for years to come". It's a lack of vision to all a sudden change to want a vet that you have to gut the entire roster for.

That vet team yall are talking about have about 3-4 years before they become "the aging 3" and looking to trade with more young guys.

That sounds close to incompetence to me when you have A decent stream of picks to reinforce the young guys.

Even if the vets click a lil bit and luck is on their side...it won't last long.

And Davis, Hayward, and Kyrie are not really Paul, Kevin, Ray and Rondo.  They won't even be able to afford a Perk...who Danny somehow thought wasn't valuable anyway....after a ring at that.

All those guys were unselfish and good passers for their careers...so they didn't have to adjust, it was how they played all the time.

Okay first, it’s not a lack of vision.  It is simply a different vision.  Second,  3-4 year window is about as big and you could reasonably hope for in most situations.  The idea (that some have mentioned) that you could somehow have a 8-10 year window with young guys is not realistic.  Never mind that the real championship window could be zero years with the young core.  Last year not withstanding, that team might never be a true contender.

I also disagree that the window for that team would be as short as you say or that they aren’t Paul, KG and Ray.  Talent wise at least they’re neck and neck.  The chemistry might nkt be the same of course.  And fill8mg the rest of the team would be a challenge but I’m keeping smart and Al so the starting five is solid.

Besides, you’ll have to pay Jaylen and Tatum soon enough too.  And then you’ll still have a tough chance filling in the rest unless you really hit on the draft picks.

[gpap]

I have no interest in dropping back down to a borderline playoff team (if even that) & rebuilding again.

At this point, I have little faith that contention is happening in the next few years regardless, so my #1 goal is to actually like the team again and to look forward to seeing them play.


So sign me up for Kyrie going to New York to be part of a franchise that deserves him.  Let Rozier get paid starter money for the Orlando Magic, or whatever. 

Let's sign a veteran point guard.  Let's use all our draft picks.  Let's re-sign Horford to a long term deal at less money.  Let's add some high character veterans to round out the bench. 


Then let's see how good Jayson, Jaylen, and Hayward can be over the next 4-5 years. 

Let's watch Smart and Horford play in green until they're ready to retire.

Let's talk about a Brad Stevens team that overachieves, plays harder in the regular season than basically anybody, that is greater than the sum of their parts.

Hey, let's sign Isaiah Thomas to a MLE deal and see what he has left in the tank.


I'm all in on feeling good about the Celtics again.  I don't care if it means the ceiling is reaching the ECF again and losing to a team with an MVP talent. 

It's better than this mess.

No, not really. As a fan, you should be rooting for your team to win a championship, not simply just making the ECF as our ceiling. C'mon man!

[Phantom255x]

Just an observation I'm making, but it seems the "veterans" on here are pushing for the AD deal, while the newer and/or younger folks here (myself included) are not so sold on it for several different reasons. Just thought that was interesting 

[Rosco917]

We have a very good young core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and possibly Semi Ojeleye and Robert Williams. Kyrie is without question an elite and unique talent and so is AD. But I for one would rather root for a team that is homegrown and who we developed and have become emotionally attatched to, championship win or not. Rozier has to go, so does Morris. Am Gosford HAS to be retained and Hayward is a great vet to provide leadership for the yoinger guys.

In this upcommimg draft there is a PG named Ja Morant. Unreal athlete, great handle, facilitator, defender, scorer, and someone that you could draft and develope with your already very good young core. It would certainly cost us less to trade up innthe draft to take Morant than it would AD and I havent heard anything negative regarding poor leadership or issues with teammates.

Just an alternate suggestion/theory, I really dont see any hope in KI coming back or us trading for AD or AD even wanting to come here and sign an extension. Why not try to draft a great prospect that would potentially fit in perfectly with oir young core and make our young guys better players?

If you're content with 3 or 4 years of mediocrity this is a way to go.   

[gpap]

Then what was the point of trading for him? Don't you guys get it? Whether you agree or not, Celtics management has already committed to moving forward with Kyrie. There are exactly two options: he signs or he chooses another team. There is no third option that WE LET him walk.

Not trying to be ****, but seriously don't get your hopes up. Barring injury, this will not happen. If they had any thought in their head that it will, he was going to be shipped off at the trade deadline.

I have no interest in dropping back down to a borderline playoff team (if even that) & rebuilding again. 

THANK YOU! it is pathetic we have so called fans in this thread who are fine with mediocrity as long as they are "entertained" If you want entertainment go to THE MOVIES! we are here to WIN! if you do not like it then leave the celtics fandom. real simple. we do not need them. we demand excellence and the best chance to win titles.

Tell 'em Leprechaun. I can't believe in this thread, someone posted to bring back Evan Turner. I am ready to upchuck

[gpap]

With no due respect, ok soind like some clown hippie/yuppie hybrid fair weather broad who proudly wears a pink hat and skirt to Red Sox games.

You're talking like Boston is the same type of market that NY or LA is. Guess what? It's not, and never will be. When was the last time Boston was THE destination or preferred market for NBA star players and free agents? Maybe you should take your pink hat, skirt, tree hugging and wine sipping effeminate garbage with you to one of those cities and add to their ever growing list of fair weather fans. You are the antithesis of a Boston sports fan. Beat feet somewhere else.

Blah..blah...blah

By the way, Al Horford, Rasheed Wallace, Shaquille O'Neal (even if it was his last season) and Gordon Hayward all say hello.

And not for nothing but Kevin Durant took a meeting with us in 2016 and didn't even bother talking to other teams like the Knicks or Lakers.

[gpap]

My feeling is I prefer Kyrie to stay and for Ainge to get AD and talk him into staying.

However, if Kyrie leaves then so be it.

But, that doesn't mean we have to take a step back.

There are other avenues that Ainge can pursue.

He can still make trades, sign a couple free agents and maybe move up in the draft. I'd like to think and hope that Ainge and Stevens want to move forward, not backwards.

Before this 0-4 post All-star slump, I thought KI was staying.

Now, I think it's 50/50 he stays here or goes to the Big Apple.

What if Ainge did a sign and trade for Kemba?

Just saying there's different ways to skin a cat

[jambr380]

Just to be clear, while I would prefer a Kyrie/AD future, my biggest issue with this premise is watching our most valued piece/player walk away for nothing. Kyrie may change his mind and sign with another team, but no way Ainge just lets that happen. Like it or not, Kyrie - if he'll have us - will be our maxed out PG for the forseeable future; if it doesn't work out for both parties, then he will eventually be moved for a big package.

Ainge doesn't just let superstar players walk and people shouldn't be hoping for that.