Your top priority off-season (with a constraint)

[gouki88]

Till the day the Sixers trade Simmons, my top priority would always be to create a big 3 of Tatum-Brown-Simmons.

Generally speaking, I reckon we desperately need better ball movement. We could have a use for a pass-first player. He doesn't have to be a star. He doesn't have to be a PG either. For instance, I'd love us to go after Joe Ingles or Kyle Anderson.

This is one of the few plans that the J's may actually work together. Simmons has the weight to actually call for the ball and receive it, and stop the J's from sometimes shooting the team in the foot. Our switch happy coach would be in heaven.

End of the Rob Williams era.

Gotta move on from a non-shooting / garbage man center to a floor spacing center (like Myles Turner). Or small ball with Simmons at center.

It would be pretty cool to see Simmons at center, the Jays at forward and two guards who handle it and shoot. Whether that be as a starting unit or a death lineup ala GSW with Draymond. That lineup would be so tough to matchup with.

I also love the defensive capacity of M.Turner & B.Simmons with the Jays as the 3rd and 4th best defenders in the lineup. That is an amazingly talented defensive unit. They should have excellent offensive chemistry as well as everyone is in their comfort zone and allowed play to their strengths.

I do disagree on Timelord, but I like your thinking on bringing in more defense. I would take M. Turner for the 4 spot, if we can get him without giving up Smart:
1 -TL
2 - Turner
3- Tatum
4 - Brown
5 - Smart

That’s a lineup with plenty of defensive prowess

You know what. I'm kind of a fan of that.

Not sure about having TL run around so much as a 4, but maybe we'd be camping in the paint more in that case.

That's a bad shooting lineup (Smart is terrible, Turner is below average and Williams simply doesn't shoot) and is a really bad passing lineup. Turner's inability to pass cannot be overstated

[Jvalin]

Till the day the Sixers trade Simmons, my top priority would always be to create a big 3 of Tatum-Brown-Simmons.

Generally speaking, I reckon we desperately need better ball movement. We could have a use for a pass-first player. He doesn't have to be a star. He doesn't have to be a PG either. For instance, I'd love us to go after Joe Ingles or Kyle Anderson.

This is one of the few plans that the J's may actually work together. Simmons has the weight to actually call for the ball and receive it, and stop the J's from sometimes shooting the team in the foot. Our switch happy coach would be in heaven.

End of the Rob Williams era.

Gotta move on from a non-shooting / garbage man center to a floor spacing center (like Myles Turner). Or small ball with Simmons at center.

It would be pretty cool to see Simmons at center, the Jays at forward and two guards who handle it and shoot. Whether that be as a starting unit or a death lineup ala GSW with Draymond. That lineup would be so tough to matchup with.

I also love the defensive capacity of M.Turner & B.Simmons with the Jays as the 3rd and 4th best defenders in the lineup. That is an amazingly talented defensive unit. They should have excellent offensive chemistry as well as everyone is in their comfort zone and allowed play to their strengths.

Agreed with the bolded part. I was thinking something like this.

PG: Pritchard
SG: Brown
SF: Ingles
PF: Tatum
C: Simmons

No need to start two Guards alongside a Point Center. Simmons would be the primary ball handler in the open court and a secondary ball handler in the half court. At the same time, most guards are undersized in a switch-heavy defensive scheme. Adding a third wing would allow us to take better advantage of Simmons' defensive versatility.

Pritchard is a lethal shooter with deep range. He'd be a perfect fit next to Simmons on the offensive side of the ball.

Ingles is a terrific shooter and a willing passer. Again, perfect fit next to Simmons. Apparently, his D isn't what it used to be, which is why the Jazz are open to moving him.

Too bad it's probably an unrealistic scenario. I highly doubt the Sixers want to deal with us.

[pokeKingCurtis]

Till the day the Sixers trade Simmons, my top priority would always be to create a big 3 of Tatum-Brown-Simmons.

Generally speaking, I reckon we desperately need better ball movement. We could have a use for a pass-first player. He doesn't have to be a star. He doesn't have to be a PG either. For instance, I'd love us to go after Joe Ingles or Kyle Anderson.

This is one of the few plans that the J's may actually work together. Simmons has the weight to actually call for the ball and receive it, and stop the J's from sometimes shooting the team in the foot. Our switch happy coach would be in heaven.

End of the Rob Williams era.

Gotta move on from a non-shooting / garbage man center to a floor spacing center (like Myles Turner). Or small ball with Simmons at center.

It would be pretty cool to see Simmons at center, the Jays at forward and two guards who handle it and shoot. Whether that be as a starting unit or a death lineup ala GSW with Draymond. That lineup would be so tough to matchup with.

I also love the defensive capacity of M.Turner & B.Simmons with the Jays as the 3rd and 4th best defenders in the lineup. That is an amazingly talented defensive unit. They should have excellent offensive chemistry as well as everyone is in their comfort zone and allowed play to their strengths.

Agreed with the bolded part. I was thinking something like this.

PG: Pritchard
SG: Brown
SF: Ingles
PF: Tatum
C: Simmons

No need to start two Guards alongside a Point Center. Simmons would be the primary ball handler in the open court and a secondary ball handler in the half court. At the same time, most guards are undersized in a switch-heavy defensive scheme. Adding a third wing would allow us to take better advantage of Simmons' defensive versatility.

Pritchard is a lethal shooter with deep range. He'd be a perfect fit next to Simmons on the offensive side of the ball.

Ingles is a terrific shooter and a willing passer. Again, perfect fit next to Simmons. Apparently, his D isn't what it used to be, which is why the Jazz are open to moving him.

Too bad it's probably an unrealistic scenario. I highly doubt the Sixers want to deal with us.

Would you do it if it got the Sixers Dame

[Jvalin]

Till the day the Sixers trade Simmons, my top priority would always be to create a big 3 of Tatum-Brown-Simmons.

Generally speaking, I reckon we desperately need better ball movement. We could have a use for a pass-first player. He doesn't have to be a star. He doesn't have to be a PG either. For instance, I'd love us to go after Joe Ingles or Kyle Anderson.

This is one of the few plans that the J's may actually work together. Simmons has the weight to actually call for the ball and receive it, and stop the J's from sometimes shooting the team in the foot. Our switch happy coach would be in heaven.

End of the Rob Williams era.

Gotta move on from a non-shooting / garbage man center to a floor spacing center (like Myles Turner). Or small ball with Simmons at center.

It would be pretty cool to see Simmons at center, the Jays at forward and two guards who handle it and shoot. Whether that be as a starting unit or a death lineup ala GSW with Draymond. That lineup would be so tough to matchup with.

I also love the defensive capacity of M.Turner & B.Simmons with the Jays as the 3rd and 4th best defenders in the lineup. That is an amazingly talented defensive unit. They should have excellent offensive chemistry as well as everyone is in their comfort zone and allowed play to their strengths.

Agreed with the bolded part. I was thinking something like this.

PG: Pritchard
SG: Brown
SF: Ingles
PF: Tatum
C: Simmons

No need to start two Guards alongside a Point Center. Simmons would be the primary ball handler in the open court and a secondary ball handler in the half court. At the same time, most guards are undersized in a switch-heavy defensive scheme. Adding a third wing would allow us to take better advantage of Simmons' defensive versatility.

Pritchard is a lethal shooter with deep range. He'd be a perfect fit next to Simmons on the offensive side of the ball.

Ingles is a terrific shooter and a willing passer. Again, perfect fit next to Simmons. Apparently, his D isn't what it used to be, which is why the Jazz are open to moving him.

Too bad it's probably an unrealistic scenario. I highly doubt the Sixers want to deal with us.

Would you do it if it got the Sixers Dame

Yes. I like the Celtics more than I dislike the Sixers. In fact, I'd do literally any deal as long as we ended up with Tatum-Brown-Simmons. I'd be willing to overpay in terms of picks cause I'd expect us to be legit contenders for years to come.

[gouki88]

Till the day the Sixers trade Simmons, my top priority would always be to create a big 3 of Tatum-Brown-Simmons.

Generally speaking, I reckon we desperately need better ball movement. We could have a use for a pass-first player. He doesn't have to be a star. He doesn't have to be a PG either. For instance, I'd love us to go after Joe Ingles or Kyle Anderson.

This is one of the few plans that the J's may actually work together. Simmons has the weight to actually call for the ball and receive it, and stop the J's from sometimes shooting the team in the foot. Our switch happy coach would be in heaven.

End of the Rob Williams era.

Gotta move on from a non-shooting / garbage man center to a floor spacing center (like Myles Turner). Or small ball with Simmons at center.

It would be pretty cool to see Simmons at center, the Jays at forward and two guards who handle it and shoot. Whether that be as a starting unit or a death lineup ala GSW with Draymond. That lineup would be so tough to matchup with.

I also love the defensive capacity of M.Turner & B.Simmons with the Jays as the 3rd and 4th best defenders in the lineup. That is an amazingly talented defensive unit. They should have excellent offensive chemistry as well as everyone is in their comfort zone and allowed play to their strengths.

Agreed with the bolded part. I was thinking something like this.

PG: Pritchard
SG: Brown
SF: Ingles
PF: Tatum
C: Simmons

No need to start two Guards alongside a Point Center. Simmons would be the primary ball handler in the open court and a secondary ball handler in the half court. At the same time, most guards are undersized in a switch-heavy defensive scheme. Adding a third wing would allow us to take better advantage of Simmons' defensive versatility.

Pritchard is a lethal shooter with deep range. He'd be a perfect fit next to Simmons on the offensive side of the ball.

Ingles is a terrific shooter and a willing passer. Again, perfect fit next to Simmons. Apparently, his D isn't what it used to be, which is why the Jazz are open to moving him.

Too bad it's probably an unrealistic scenario. I highly doubt the Sixers want to deal with us.

Would you do it if it got the Sixers Dame

Yes. I like the Celtics more than I dislike the Sixers. In fact, I'd do literally any deal as long as we ended up with Tatum-Brown-Simmons. I'd be willing to overpay in terms of picks cause I'd expect us to be legit contenders for years to come.

As much as I loathe Simmons, a Pritchard-Brown-Ingles-Tatum-Simmons team would be lots of fun (with competent coaching)

[Jvalin]

Till the day the Sixers trade Simmons, my top priority would always be to create a big 3 of Tatum-Brown-Simmons.

Generally speaking, I reckon we desperately need better ball movement. We could have a use for a pass-first player. He doesn't have to be a star. He doesn't have to be a PG either. For instance, I'd love us to go after Joe Ingles or Kyle Anderson.

This is one of the few plans that the J's may actually work together. Simmons has the weight to actually call for the ball and receive it, and stop the J's from sometimes shooting the team in the foot. Our switch happy coach would be in heaven.

End of the Rob Williams era.

Gotta move on from a non-shooting / garbage man center to a floor spacing center (like Myles Turner). Or small ball with Simmons at center.

It would be pretty cool to see Simmons at center, the Jays at forward and two guards who handle it and shoot. Whether that be as a starting unit or a death lineup ala GSW with Draymond. That lineup would be so tough to matchup with.

I also love the defensive capacity of M.Turner & B.Simmons with the Jays as the 3rd and 4th best defenders in the lineup. That is an amazingly talented defensive unit. They should have excellent offensive chemistry as well as everyone is in their comfort zone and allowed play to their strengths.

Agreed with the bolded part. I was thinking something like this.

PG: Pritchard
SG: Brown
SF: Ingles
PF: Tatum
C: Simmons

No need to start two Guards alongside a Point Center. Simmons would be the primary ball handler in the open court and a secondary ball handler in the half court. At the same time, most guards are undersized in a switch-heavy defensive scheme. Adding a third wing would allow us to take better advantage of Simmons' defensive versatility.

Pritchard is a lethal shooter with deep range. He'd be a perfect fit next to Simmons on the offensive side of the ball.

Ingles is a terrific shooter and a willing passer. Again, perfect fit next to Simmons. Apparently, his D isn't what it used to be, which is why the Jazz are open to moving him.

Too bad it's probably an unrealistic scenario. I highly doubt the Sixers want to deal with us.

Would you do it if it got the Sixers Dame

Yes. I like the Celtics more than I dislike the Sixers. In fact, I'd do literally any deal as long as we ended up with Tatum-Brown-Simmons. I'd be willing to overpay in terms of picks cause I'd expect us to be legit contenders for years to come.

As much as I loathe Simmons, a Pritchard-Brown-Ingles-Tatum-Simmons team would be lots of fun (with competent coaching)

If they were teammates, Ingles could even persuade Simmons to play for Australia. Perhaps you wouldn't hate him that much anymore.

[Surferdad]

Till the day the Sixers trade Simmons, my top priority would always be to create a big 3 of Tatum-Brown-Simmons.

Generally speaking, I reckon we desperately need better ball movement. We could have a use for a pass-first player. He doesn't have to be a star. He doesn't have to be a PG either. For instance, I'd love us to go after Joe Ingles or Kyle Anderson.

This is one of the few plans that the J's may actually work together. Simmons has the weight to actually call for the ball and receive it, and stop the J's from sometimes shooting the team in the foot. Our switch happy coach would be in heaven.

End of the Rob Williams era.

Gotta move on from a non-shooting / garbage man center to a floor spacing center (like Myles Turner). Or small ball with Simmons at center.

It would be pretty cool to see Simmons at center, the Jays at forward and two guards who handle it and shoot. Whether that be as a starting unit or a death lineup ala GSW with Draymond. That lineup would be so tough to matchup with.

I also love the defensive capacity of M.Turner & B.Simmons with the Jays as the 3rd and 4th best defenders in the lineup. That is an amazingly talented defensive unit. They should have excellent offensive chemistry as well as everyone is in their comfort zone and allowed play to their strengths.

I do disagree on Timelord, but I like your thinking on bringing in more defense. I would take M. Turner for the 4 spot, if we can get him without giving up Smart:
1 -TL
2 - Turner
3- Tatum
4 - Brown
5 - Smart

That’s a lineup with plenty of defensive prowess

You know what. I'm kind of a fan of that.

Not sure about having TL run around so much as a 4, but maybe we'd be camping in the paint more in that case.

That's a bad shooting lineup (Smart is terrible, Turner is below average and Williams simply doesn't shoot) and is a really bad passing lineup. Turner's inability to pass cannot be overstated

The team has been shooting poorly lately, but that won't last.  Both Tatum and Brown are good shooters and Myles can hit the 3.  Rob Williams needs to learn to shoot but not a 3.  I suggest he work on a baseline turnaround, a drop-step and a foul line extended.  Smart isn't a great shooter, I admit.  Rob Will has some passing ability and he can be utilized more in the high post.

[Roy H.]

My biggest priority would be moving Smart.  You can’t pay a very good (but no longer great) defensive player $19 million per season.  Those guys are routinely available on rookie / minimum deals.

Hopefully, in conjunction with that trade or otherwise, we can bring in a solid PG.  We also need to move Tatum back to PF.

[Moranis]

PF.  PG is still by far the most overrated position in the league.  Aside from Chris Paul last year, when was the last time a team had a PG with a high amount of assists even make the finals.  Sure you have guys like Curry and Irving making the Finals, but those guys are scorers 1st, not passers, and they are elite level scorers.  You don't need the Stockton, Kidd, Nash, etc. level of passer to win.  You need guys that can score and that can be any position.  And frankly until Curry/Irving there were so few PG's that even made the all star team on either team in the Finals.  I think it is less than 5 between Magic and Curry (it is less than 10%).  It has always been the least important position and will continue to be the least important position. 

The Celtics need a PF because then Tatum is at SF which is by far his best position.  That is why Ime keeps starting Horford and Rob, because he knows Tatum is at his best at SF it is just that Horford and Rob aren't a great fit especially with Horford shooting so poorly.

Tatum is playing mostly at SF this year and having by far the worst year of his career.

Not sure I agree with that. The outside shooting is terrible, without question. But his ability to drive the rim and get to the free throw line are way up. His passing is uneven, but he’s trying to do a lot more, and he’s getting blitzed more. Net, the only clear drop is his shooting. Hard to say that’s because he’s at SF.

I believe this is correct and Tatum isn't the only shooter struggling to shoot this year.  I mean even the greatest shooter in history is way off this year, as Curry is shooting just 37.6%.  Aside from his 5 game season, Curry has never shot lower than 41.1% and his career average is 42.9%, and yet there he is at 37.6% this year or off over 5%.  Shooting is down across the league this year and it isn't a coincidence.  I believe the ball and rule changes have taken a long time to adjust to, but eventually the players will figure it out. 

[Vermont Green]

Of course bringing in a really good PG or a really good PF would in either case improve the team.  The question in my mind is which are is in the greater need to improvement.

I think we are fine at PG.  Smart and Schroder are fine.  There are better PGs around but I just don't see this as a weakness.  If we had a good PF though, that would be improving upon Al Horford and Grant Williams.  Our biggest need is a PF or more broadly, a skilled big.  We start Horford and RWill and then our first "big" off the bench is GWill.  That is where our biggest need is.

And this idea about ball movement.  Ball movement is not about one player or position.  One player can stop ball movement but a new or better PG is not a singular fix to that problem.  Smart is not a classic or traditional PG but he is a good passer.  He is a good floor general.  His issue is shooting.  Schroder is more of the traditional type but he dribbles around too much and the result is actually less ball movement.

[Jvalin]

My biggest priority would be moving Smart.  You can’t pay a very good (but no longer great) defensive player $19 million per season.  Those guys are routinely available on rookie / minimum deals.

Hopefully, in conjunction with that trade or otherwise, we can bring in a solid PG.  We also need to move Tatum back to PF.

Smart isn't just a defensive specialist. He's also a reliable PnR ball handler. This is a very useful combo which makes him a 2-way player. How many defensive-minded guards can you name who are reliable facilitators out of the PnR?

People keep arguing we should trade Smart cause we need better ball movement, yet Smart is arguably our best passer! Unless we swap him for a PnR magician, I highly doubt we'd see a considerable improvement. Don't get me wrong, I totally agree we need better ball movement. We could have a use for a pass-first player, but he doesn't have to be a PG. The way I see it, we'd be better off with a Point Forward. For instance, I'd love us to go after Ryan Anderson or Joe Ingles. To put it another way, we need a Hayward replacement. If we acquire such a player, Ime will hopefully stop using the 2-big lineup.

All that said, we agree on 2 things:
1. Smart's contract may become an issue going forward.
2. Tatum is at his best when playing at PF.

[jambr380]

I mean, what would it take to get Gordon Hayward? Isn't that what we are really talking about here? Some people want a PG, others want a PF; but there are solid arguments about why we are actually okay at those positions (Tatum at PF, Smart at PG). We get shooting, playmaking, size, and versatility with Hayward, and we can move Brown back down a rung as a playmaker so that he can really focus on off-ball movement and scoring.

It sounds ridiculous, but that is the type of player we need on our team right now.

[Jvalin]

I mean, what would it take to get Gordon Hayward? Isn't that what we are really talking about here? Some people want a PG, others want a PF; but there are solid arguments about why we are actually okay at those positions (Tatum at PF, Smart at PG). We get shooting, playmaking, size, and versatility with Hayward, and we can move Brown back down a rung as a playmaker so that he can really focus on off-ball movement and scoring.

It sounds ridiculous, but that is the type of player we need on our team right now.

The Hornets need a Center. Perhaps there's a deal to be made around Hayward-Horford. I'd be willing to include some of our young prospect(s) in that deal to get it done. Not sure whether the Hornets would bite.

Wyc/Danny were unwilling to pay Horford his market value, hence we let him walk in 2019. We then paid a first-round pick for the priviledge of taking back the very same contract we were unwilling to match! It would be funny as hell if we did the exact same thing with Hayward! Hopefully, Wyc will stop being cheap going forward.

[pokeKingCurtis]

Till the day the Sixers trade Simmons, my top priority would always be to create a big 3 of Tatum-Brown-Simmons.

Generally speaking, I reckon we desperately need better ball movement. We could have a use for a pass-first player. He doesn't have to be a star. He doesn't have to be a PG either. For instance, I'd love us to go after Joe Ingles or Kyle Anderson.

This is one of the few plans that the J's may actually work together. Simmons has the weight to actually call for the ball and receive it, and stop the J's from sometimes shooting the team in the foot. Our switch happy coach would be in heaven.

End of the Rob Williams era.

Gotta move on from a non-shooting / garbage man center to a floor spacing center (like Myles Turner). Or small ball with Simmons at center.

It would be pretty cool to see Simmons at center, the Jays at forward and two guards who handle it and shoot. Whether that be as a starting unit or a death lineup ala GSW with Draymond. That lineup would be so tough to matchup with.

I also love the defensive capacity of M.Turner & B.Simmons with the Jays as the 3rd and 4th best defenders in the lineup. That is an amazingly talented defensive unit. They should have excellent offensive chemistry as well as everyone is in their comfort zone and allowed play to their strengths.

Agreed with the bolded part. I was thinking something like this.

PG: Pritchard
SG: Brown
SF: Ingles
PF: Tatum
C: Simmons

No need to start two Guards alongside a Point Center. Simmons would be the primary ball handler in the open court and a secondary ball handler in the half court. At the same time, most guards are undersized in a switch-heavy defensive scheme. Adding a third wing would allow us to take better advantage of Simmons' defensive versatility.

Pritchard is a lethal shooter with deep range. He'd be a perfect fit next to Simmons on the offensive side of the ball.

Ingles is a terrific shooter and a willing passer. Again, perfect fit next to Simmons. Apparently, his D isn't what it used to be, which is why the Jazz are open to moving him.

Too bad it's probably an unrealistic scenario. I highly doubt the Sixers want to deal with us.

Would you do it if it got the Sixers Dame

Yes. I like the Celtics more than I dislike the Sixers. In fact, I'd do literally any deal as long as we ended up with Tatum-Brown-Simmons. I'd be willing to overpay in terms of picks cause I'd expect us to be legit contenders for years to come.

I would be all over it too. Maybe Beal or similar could be substituted for Dame in this case. Simmons would look fantastic here

[boscel33]

I've been spouting for two drafts, a PG.

We took Nesmith when Cole Anthony was right there, unfortunately, the 2019 draft with Romeo didn't have many PG's, but we did actually have Ty Jerome for a nano second (Carsen Edwards we barely knew ya!).