The need for proven veterans

[nickagneta]

I have harped on the need for this team to have had more veterans added last year ad nauseum over the last 8-10 months so I won't rehash that, but I think once again it needs to be said that it is something that Danny Ainge needs to concentrate on over the off season. I just don't buy into the argument that many put forth last year that Danny needed players with some risk because you never know just how much more they could bring to the team as opposed to a veteran that will only bring so much because that's all he ever brought. The thinking I guess being that the team could be good now and good later because of the players possible development to a level better than that that a veteran could give.

Well, add too much risk and we see what can happen. I now wan to see what can happen when just vets are added to this club. Does anyne realize just how young the Celtics are if not taking into consideration the Big Three? Including Eddie House, who I am convinced is returning, the eight players that are returning(Eddie, Tony, JR, Walker, Scal, Rondo, Perk, Pruitt) have an average age of only 25.5 years old. That would place them in the lower quarter of the league for average team age if only those players were considered. That's young.

And unfortunately, veterans bring more than just a known on the court commodity. They bring off the court certainty that younger players don't. They know when not to party, they know when to call it a night, they know when to eat and what to eat. Most are just more dependable and many times practices will go smoother as corrections and teaching doesn't have to occur nearly as often.

Anyone who has ever coached understands the need for veterans and the unmeasurable intangibles that players who have already been there and know what to do and when to do it bring. Anyone who has coached understands the comfort level that veterans bring to the head coach and the coaching staff.

And, unfortunately, Doc is more comfortable coaching veterans. Some will argue that its because he isn't a good coach but Joe Torre is considered one of the best coaches in baseball and he is just better at managing veteran players and egos and getting them to function as a group than he is teaching and bringing on young players and integrating them into a group.

And that isn't taking into effect that Doc has had an exceptional record of developing young talent because he has. But a coach coaches differently and wants different players when he is in a win it all now mode instead of a lets build a winner mode.

So, if Danny Ainge reads Celticsblog, I implore him, as apparently Doc did in his Mark Spears interview, bring in proven, productive veterans that can help this team win now and not 5 years from now. Don't go out and get a first round draft pick unless you are trading away or releasing JR Giddens, Bill Walker or Gabe Pruitt. Three projects on a championship contending team is plenty and more is way too much. Don't sign the low risk, high reward projects. Don't counton the projects you have to be anything more than what they are, projects.

Go get a proven big man that can man the middle(Nesterovic, Wallace, etc). Get a proven, reliable SF backup. Go make a trade where some of the younger flotsam and jetsam go and a vet that produces and can be counted on comes in. And if you have to, make a blockbuster but do so knowing that you're bringing in a replacement for that player traded and a vet who will fill a need off the bench.

[CoachBo]

Co-sign and TP.

I don't want to take on other people's eight or nine with my five next year.

[Casperian]

3 months ago, I would have agreed 100%, but now? I´d say I´m at 80%.

My fear is that we only add guys 35+ (Rasheed, Hill etc.)

I want proven role-players, guys who know their roles and can perform consistently, but I don´t want this to become the
"Shady Acres" retirement home.

Players over 35 are the same "low risk, high reward" additions as Draft Picks, because you simply cannot count on them to stay healthy. The key word here is balance.

And you can`t include Walker or Giddens into your average team age equation, since they never played anyway. If you only count the players that were asked to produce, you get an average team age of 29.1, which is pretty old (KG. Pierce, Ray, Perk, Rondo, House, Baby, Powe, Scal and Marbury).

I´ll give you a TP for the effort and the general tendency of your post, but if we only add players 35+, we´re in big trouble, imo.

[nickagneta]

3 months ago, I would have agreed 100%, but now? I´d say I´m at 80%.

My fear is that we only add guys 35+ (Rasheed, Hill etc.)

I want proven role-players, guys who know their roles and can perform consistently, but I don´t want this to become the
"Shady Acres" retirement home.

Players over 35 are the same "low risk, high reward" additions as Draft Picks, because you simply cannot count on them to stay healthy. The key word here is balance.

And you can`t include Walker or Giddens into your average team age equation, since they never played anyway. If you only count the players that were asked to produce, you get an average team age of 29.1, which is pretty old (KG. Pierce, Ray, Perk, Rondo, House, Baby, Powe, Scal and Marbury).

I´ll give you a TP for the effort and the general tendency of your post, but if we only add players 35+, we´re in big trouble, imo.

I agree 100% about the age factor and I actually didn't even think of age when I was typing the post. I would be happy with a Rasho Nestorvic, Zaza Pachulia, James Singleton, Quniton Ross, Dahntay Jones, or Ime Udoka as they are definitely proven vets that can fill needed roles and yet aren't collecting Social Security checks.

[CoachBo]

3 months ago, I would have agreed 100%, but now? I´d say I´m at 80%.

My fear is that we only add guys 35+ (Rasheed, Hill etc.)

I want proven role-players, guys who know their roles and can perform consistently, but I don´t want this to become the
"Shady Acres" retirement home.

Players over 35 are the same "low risk, high reward" additions as Draft Picks, because you simply cannot count on them to stay healthy. The key word here is balance.

And you can`t include Walker or Giddens into your average team age equation, since they never played anyway. If you only count the players that were asked to produce, you get an average team age of 29.1, which is pretty old (KG. Pierce, Ray, Perk, Rondo, House, Baby, Powe, Scal and Marbury).

I´ll give you a TP for the effort and the general tendency of your post, but if we only add players 35+, we´re in big trouble, imo.

I agree 100% about the age factor and I actually didn't even think of age when I was typing the post. I would be happy with a Rasho Nestorvic, Zaza Pachulia, James Singleton, Quniton Ross, Dahntay Jones, or Ime Udoka as they are definitely proven vets that can fill needed roles and yet aren't collecting Social Security checks.

Chuckle. Well, the way Posey's resume gets distorted on this board, I suspect he's about 37 by now, instead of 32.

This is one reason, actually, why I have some interest in Nocioni - age, plus the skillset to defend if someone stays on him about it. He might - underscore might - be a reasonable, albeit expensive, way to acquire some of the skillsets we frittered away last summer.

[nickagneta]

3 months ago, I would have agreed 100%, but now? I´d say I´m at 80%.

My fear is that we only add guys 35+ (Rasheed, Hill etc.)

I want proven role-players, guys who know their roles and can perform consistently, but I don´t want this to become the
"Shady Acres" retirement home.

Players over 35 are the same "low risk, high reward" additions as Draft Picks, because you simply cannot count on them to stay healthy. The key word here is balance.

And you can`t include Walker or Giddens into your average team age equation, since they never played anyway. If you only count the players that were asked to produce, you get an average team age of 29.1, which is pretty old (KG. Pierce, Ray, Perk, Rondo, House, Baby, Powe, Scal and Marbury).

I´ll give you a TP for the effort and the general tendency of your post, but if we only add players 35+, we´re in big trouble, imo.

I agree 100% about the age factor and I actually didn't even think of age when I was typing the post. I would be happy with a Rasho Nestorvic, Zaza Pachulia, James Singleton, Quniton Ross, Dahntay Jones, or Ime Udoka as they are definitely proven vets that can fill needed roles and yet aren't collecting Social Security checks.

Chuckle. Well, the way Posey's resume gets distorted on this board, I suspect he's about 37 by now, instead of 32.

This is one reason, actually, why I have some interest in Nocioni - age, plus the skillset to defend if someone stays on him about it. He might - underscore might - be a reasonable, albeit expensive, way to acquire some of the skillsets we frittered away last summer.

Given that I too like Nocioni's game would you do a Ray Allen for Nocioni and Kevin Martin trade. Sacramento is in extreme financial straights and dumping two long term expensive contracts might be an idea they like.