So I lead myself into a question for you Roy: Are we going to be in trouble cap wise for the next few years. Or is there a way that Ainge can make some moves?
It depends what we do in free agency, etc. We're over the cap (and the luxury tax) next season, pretty much no matter what. The following year, we could end up very slightly under the cap, if we allow Ray to walk; if we re-sign him to a reasonable deal and sign some of the other guys on our roster (including extending Rondo) we won't be under the cap, but we may be able to stay under the luxury tax.
For '11-'12 and beyond, we're in good shape, with only KG's contract expiring in '11-'12 to be concerned with. (Giddens and Walker will also be under team options at that point). Hopefully we will have worked out extensions with Rondo, Perk, and BBD by that time. As for the window, I personally don't think Rondo, Perk, and BBD is the nucleus of a championship-caliber team; a lot will depend upon how Danny can supplement the team through trades and free agency. For the long term, I'd rather be in the Bruins position.
Thanks. I agree that those three are not the nucleus for a team but I think they can be leaned on a little heavier if the continue to improve. We would need to get some star power to keep contending. But its good to know that we wont be hurting that long. My biggest fear is going back to the dark ages again. I really dont want to have to wait a decade to become relevant again.
For the short term future(next 2 years or so), I think the Celtics will be fine. With the right trades and free agent signings, I think the Celtics can reload for another legitimate title run around our current starting 5, if everyone is healthy.
I don't think the Celtics should worry about the cap if they want to win a championship, we won't have enough cap room to sign a quality free agent anyway. We should wrap up Rondo long term so we don't have to give him a max contract in 2010, since so many teams are shedding salary. If we can trade our expiring players for a quality overpriced player(Nocioni comes to mind), I would do it. Add some quality veteran MLE or LLE players to the mix, I think we have a shot in 2009.
As for the Bruins, they have a bright future, they need to add some good players too, but they do have more of an extended window than the Celtics do. As for Bruins fans hating on Celtics fans, I find that funny. More people would have been following the Bruins over the years if it wasn't for their terrible owners who only care about money. They finally got some hockey guys running things, and hopefully they can win a cup within the next 3 years.