Author Topic: Celtics out of gas but still no 15th man!  (Read 13428 times)

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Celtics out of gas but still no 15th man!
« on: March 06, 2023, 08:08:38 AM »

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The Celtics were totally out of gas last night and have the Cavs today and yet still no 15th man. This made me mad and seems like a massive cheap out in what could be a championship year. Brad and the ownership need to get off their asses and bring in a live body to finish this season out.

Re: Celtics out of gas but still no 15th man!
« Reply #1 on: March 06, 2023, 08:14:30 AM »

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It's really sad to me.  We've had an open roster spot since early January, during a time period in which there have been serious injuries to Smart, JB and Timelord.  Even if the team doesn't want to immediately commit to somebody for the rest of the season, we have the option of signing somebody to a 10-day deal just to get us through. 

For anybody still on the "Brad has an unlimited budget" train, there have been zero reports that we offered the DPE to anybody, and the payroll now is less than it was on opening night.  That's amazing to me:  a contender shedding salary as the season goes on, too cheap to fill the roster.


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Re: Celtics out of gas but still no 15th man!
« Reply #2 on: March 06, 2023, 08:23:38 AM »

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It's really sad to me.  We've had an open roster spot since early January, during a time period in which there have been serious injuries to Smart, JB and Timelord.  Even if the team doesn't want to immediately commit to somebody for the rest of the season, we have the option of signing somebody to a 10-day deal just to get us through. 

For anybody still on the "Brad has an unlimited budget" train, there have been zero reports that we offered the DPE to anybody, and the payroll now is less than it was on opening night.  That's amazing to me:  a contender shedding salary as the season goes on, too cheap to fill the roster.

It makes me sick. They cheaped out last year too. No one ever won a ring by cheaping out. They've had every opportunity... Running guys into the ground without a full roster is not a winning move.


Re: Celtics out of gas but still no 15th man!
« Reply #3 on: March 06, 2023, 08:35:18 AM »

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It’s not like we’re playing Blake Griffin anyways, nor Kornet and Pritchard for more than a minute or two.  The 15th man wouldn’t play, which is why no one of any quality would have signed.

Re: Celtics out of gas but still no 15th man!
« Reply #4 on: March 06, 2023, 08:41:25 AM »

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It’s not like we’re playing Blake Griffin anyways, nor Kornet and Pritchard for more than a minute or two.  The 15th man wouldn’t play, which is why no one of any quality would have signed.

I feel like that's really the reason. Can we find someone who is a) better than Blake, Luke or Payton; b) will fit in with the rest of the players better and not affect on court chemistry; c) be willing to sit the pine for long stretches only to come in during injury; and d) be willing to do all this on the cheap. Blake is willing to do it, as is Luke - we've already heard reports that Payton isn't happy and would rather find more time elsewhere. Not making excuses for Brad, but it's not easy to find these types of players.

Oh and e) can quickly gain the trust of the coach and players that he can be relied upon, so close to the end of the season. If you look at Ime last year, he had a small circle of trust in terms of the players he used, he played a playoff rotation all the way through the playoffs. Joe has been willing to play more guys overall but as the season comes to an end he's shrank his rotation down to the people that he thinks will be able to deliver for him in the playoffs, in an effort to improve the chemistry and combinations so that the guys who are there don't have to think about what their teammates are doing, they just know what they are going to do, where they will be, etc.

I do agree they could bring someone on on a 10 day if it got to the point where we really needed someone, but what happens if that guy plays and is a disaster like Vonleh or Justin Jackson? It's a double edged sword - another player would help us (and would be exciting to the fans) but how to find the right player when the ones we already have aren't being used as much as they could be?

Any odd typos are because I suck at typing on an iPhone :D

Re: Celtics out of gas but still no 15th man!
« Reply #5 on: March 06, 2023, 08:58:18 AM »

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I'll hear people say "it doesn't matter", well then why did Dallas, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Toronto, etc. all add these pieces? 2 of those teams are also decent favorites to win it all, already with pretty stacked rosters.

If some of our guys are apparently unplayable, or clearly fatigued, then idk how someone like Stanley Johnson can't help. Timelord has always been a walking injury risk, but nah we're okay relying on him and letting someone like Noel go somewhere else.
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Re: Celtics out of gas but still no 15th man!
« Reply #6 on: March 06, 2023, 08:58:58 AM »

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It’s not like we’re playing Blake Griffin anyways, nor Kornet and Pritchard for more than a minute or two.  The 15th man wouldn’t play, which is why no one of any quality would have signed.

I feel like that's really the reason. Can we find someone who is a) better than Blake, Luke or Payton; b) will fit in with the rest of the players better and not affect on court chemistry; c) be willing to sit the pine for long stretches only to come in during injury; and d) be willing to do all this on the cheap. Blake is willing to do it, as is Luke - we've already heard reports that Payton isn't happy and would rather find more time elsewhere. Not making excuses for Brad, but it's not easy to find these types of players.

Oh and e) can quickly gain the trust of the coach and players that he can be relied upon, so close to the end of the season. If you look at Ime last year, he had a small circle of trust in terms of the players he used, he played a playoff rotation all the way through the playoffs. Joe has been willing to play more guys overall but as the season comes to an end he's shrank his rotation down to the people that he thinks will be able to deliver for him in the playoffs, in an effort to improve the chemistry and combinations so that the guys who are there don't have to think about what their teammates are doing, they just know what they are going to do, where they will be, etc.

I do agree they could bring someone on on a 10 day if it got to the point where we really needed someone, but what happens if that guy plays and is a disaster like Vonleh or Justin Jackson? It's a double edged sword - another player would help us (and would be exciting to the fans) but how to find the right player when the ones we already have aren't being used as much as they could be?

We basically played 6 guys in a double overtime game on the first night of a back to back down the stretch run of the season. I think we can find someone who can at least take some time off the starters in a double overtime back to-back game. I've already suggested Stanley Johnson and Juan Toscano-Anderson as guys who can play. Tatum 49 minutes and Brown 47 minutes and AL 46 minutes. Who knows who will play tonight?


Re: Celtics out of gas but still no 15th man!
« Reply #7 on: March 06, 2023, 09:14:55 AM »

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It’s not like we’re playing Blake Griffin anyways, nor Kornet and Pritchard for more than a minute or two.  The 15th man wouldn’t play, which is why no one of any quality would have signed.

I feel like that's really the reason. Can we find someone who is a) better than Blake, Luke or Payton; b) will fit in with the rest of the players better and not affect on court chemistry; c) be willing to sit the pine for long stretches only to come in during injury; and d) be willing to do all this on the cheap. Blake is willing to do it, as is Luke - we've already heard reports that Payton isn't happy and would rather find more time elsewhere. Not making excuses for Brad, but it's not easy to find these types of players.

Oh and e) can quickly gain the trust of the coach and players that he can be relied upon, so close to the end of the season. If you look at Ime last year, he had a small circle of trust in terms of the players he used, he played a playoff rotation all the way through the playoffs. Joe has been willing to play more guys overall but as the season comes to an end he's shrank his rotation down to the people that he thinks will be able to deliver for him in the playoffs, in an effort to improve the chemistry and combinations so that the guys who are there don't have to think about what their teammates are doing, they just know what they are going to do, where they will be, etc.

I do agree they could bring someone on on a 10 day if it got to the point where we really needed someone, but what happens if that guy plays and is a disaster like Vonleh or Justin Jackson? It's a double edged sword - another player would help us (and would be exciting to the fans) but how to find the right player when the ones we already have aren't being used as much as they could be?

We basically played 6 guys in a double overtime game on the first night of a back to back down the stretch run of the season. I think we can find someone who can at least take some time off the starters in a double overtime back to-back game. I've already suggested Stanley Johnson and Juan Toscano-Anderson as guys who can play. Tatum 49 minutes and Brown 47 minutes and AL 46 minutes. Who knows who will play tonight?

Joe doesn't strike me as a load management guy, or rather he doesn't give out minutes just to spell players (a characteristic he shares with Ime). If he's going to give someone minutes they have to be worth it. Otherwise we'd see much more time for the likes of Blake, Luke, Payton, etc. who are already on the team and don't need to be acclimatized.
Any odd typos are because I suck at typing on an iPhone :D

Re: Celtics out of gas but still no 15th man!
« Reply #8 on: March 06, 2023, 09:31:05 AM »

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It’s not like we’re playing Blake Griffin anyways, nor Kornet and Pritchard for more than a minute or two.  The 15th man wouldn’t play, which is why no one of any quality would have signed.

I feel like that's really the reason. Can we find someone who is a) better than Blake, Luke or Payton; b) will fit in with the rest of the players better and not affect on court chemistry; c) be willing to sit the pine for long stretches only to come in during injury; and d) be willing to do all this on the cheap. Blake is willing to do it, as is Luke - we've already heard reports that Payton isn't happy and would rather find more time elsewhere. Not making excuses for Brad, but it's not easy to find these types of players.

Oh and e) can quickly gain the trust of the coach and players that he can be relied upon, so close to the end of the season. If you look at Ime last year, he had a small circle of trust in terms of the players he used, he played a playoff rotation all the way through the playoffs. Joe has been willing to play more guys overall but as the season comes to an end he's shrank his rotation down to the people that he thinks will be able to deliver for him in the playoffs, in an effort to improve the chemistry and combinations so that the guys who are there don't have to think about what their teammates are doing, they just know what they are going to do, where they will be, etc.

I do agree they could bring someone on on a 10 day if it got to the point where we really needed someone, but what happens if that guy plays and is a disaster like Vonleh or Justin Jackson? It's a double edged sword - another player would help us (and would be exciting to the fans) but how to find the right player when the ones we already have aren't being used as much as they could be?

We basically played 6 guys in a double overtime game on the first night of a back to back down the stretch run of the season. I think we can find someone who can at least take some time off the starters in a double overtime back to-back game. I've already suggested Stanley Johnson and Juan Toscano-Anderson as guys who can play. Tatum 49 minutes and Brown 47 minutes and AL 46 minutes. Who knows who will play tonight?

Joe doesn't strike me as a load management guy, or rather he doesn't give out minutes just to spell players (a characteristic he shares with Ime). If he's going to give someone minutes they have to be worth it. Otherwise we'd see much more time for the likes of Blake, Luke, Payton, etc. who are already on the team and don't need to be acclimatized.

We'll see all of those guys tonight. We could signed a guy two months ago or we could just keep saving money and then say what's the point of signing a guy with only a month to go? It's cheap BS. It all really goes back to the summer and not using the big TPE.

Re: Celtics out of gas but still no 15th man!
« Reply #9 on: March 06, 2023, 09:32:33 AM »

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It’s not like we’re playing Blake Griffin anyways, nor Kornet and Pritchard for more than a minute or two.  The 15th man wouldn’t play, which is why no one of any quality would have signed.

I feel like that's really the reason. Can we find someone who is a) better than Blake, Luke or Payton; b) will fit in with the rest of the players better and not affect on court chemistry; c) be willing to sit the pine for long stretches only to come in during injury; and d) be willing to do all this on the cheap. Blake is willing to do it, as is Luke - we've already heard reports that Payton isn't happy and would rather find more time elsewhere. Not making excuses for Brad, but it's not easy to find these types of players.

Oh and e) can quickly gain the trust of the coach and players that he can be relied upon, so close to the end of the season. If you look at Ime last year, he had a small circle of trust in terms of the players he used, he played a playoff rotation all the way through the playoffs. Joe has been willing to play more guys overall but as the season comes to an end he's shrank his rotation down to the people that he thinks will be able to deliver for him in the playoffs, in an effort to improve the chemistry and combinations so that the guys who are there don't have to think about what their teammates are doing, they just know what they are going to do, where they will be, etc.

I do agree they could bring someone on on a 10 day if it got to the point where we really needed someone, but what happens if that guy plays and is a disaster like Vonleh or Justin Jackson? It's a double edged sword - another player would help us (and would be exciting to the fans) but how to find the right player when the ones we already have aren't being used as much as they could be?

We basically played 6 guys in a double overtime game on the first night of a back to back down the stretch run of the season. I think we can find someone who can at least take some time off the starters in a double overtime back to-back game. I've already suggested Stanley Johnson and Juan Toscano-Anderson as guys who can play. Tatum 49 minutes and Brown 47 minutes and AL 46 minutes. Who knows who will play tonight?

Toscano-Anderson was never released by the Jazz after his trade there (he played last night even) so you really need to stop mentioning him as an option.

But look, they played a lineup with Jaylen and Tatum at the 2 and 3 most of last night.  Hauser exists, and gets a few minutes a night.  Pritchard rarely plays.  There are options on this team if Mazzulla is concerned about workload down the stretch, but he is clearly not.  I wanted Barton, because I thought he was the only buyout guy who stood a chance of getting some real minutes, because he might have been above the Hauser line.  Stanley Johnson is below the Grant/Muscala/Hauser line, so he’s not playing.

And Mazzulla has said why he’s not concerned about workload.  He thought that the team had reduced minutes too much down the stretch leading into the playoffs last year, and wants them playing more in March this year.  Whether that’s the correct strategy or not, we’ll find out in May and June, but the 15th man wouldn’t play, and we know this because better players on this team already don’t play.

Re: Celtics out of gas but still no 15th man!
« Reply #10 on: March 06, 2023, 09:38:26 AM »

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It’s not like we’re playing Blake Griffin anyways, nor Kornet and Pritchard for more than a minute or two.  The 15th man wouldn’t play, which is why no one of any quality would have signed.

I feel like that's really the reason. Can we find someone who is a) better than Blake, Luke or Payton; b) will fit in with the rest of the players better and not affect on court chemistry; c) be willing to sit the pine for long stretches only to come in during injury; and d) be willing to do all this on the cheap. Blake is willing to do it, as is Luke - we've already heard reports that Payton isn't happy and would rather find more time elsewhere. Not making excuses for Brad, but it's not easy to find these types of players.

Oh and e) can quickly gain the trust of the coach and players that he can be relied upon, so close to the end of the season. If you look at Ime last year, he had a small circle of trust in terms of the players he used, he played a playoff rotation all the way through the playoffs. Joe has been willing to play more guys overall but as the season comes to an end he's shrank his rotation down to the people that he thinks will be able to deliver for him in the playoffs, in an effort to improve the chemistry and combinations so that the guys who are there don't have to think about what their teammates are doing, they just know what they are going to do, where they will be, etc.

I do agree they could bring someone on on a 10 day if it got to the point where we really needed someone, but what happens if that guy plays and is a disaster like Vonleh or Justin Jackson? It's a double edged sword - another player would help us (and would be exciting to the fans) but how to find the right player when the ones we already have aren't being used as much as they could be?

We basically played 6 guys in a double overtime game on the first night of a back to back down the stretch run of the season. I think we can find someone who can at least take some time off the starters in a double overtime back to-back game. I've already suggested Stanley Johnson and Juan Toscano-Anderson as guys who can play. Tatum 49 minutes and Brown 47 minutes and AL 46 minutes. Who knows who will play tonight?

Toscano-Anderson was never released by the Jazz after his trade there (he played last night even) so you really need to stop mentioning him as an option.

But look, they played a lineup with Jaylen and Tatum at the 2 and 3 most of last night.  Hauser exists, and gets a few minutes a night.  Pritchard rarely plays.  There are options on this team if Mazzulla is concerned about workload down the stretch, but he is clearly not.  I wanted Barton, because I thought he was the only buyout guy who stood a chance of getting some real minutes, because he might have been above the Hauser line.  Stanley Johnson is below the Grant/Muscala/Hauser line, so he’s not playing.

And Mazzulla has said why he’s not concerned about workload.  He thought that the team had reduced minutes too much down the stretch leading into the playoffs last year, and wants them playing more in March this year.  Whether that’s the correct strategy or not, we’ll find out in May and June, but the 15th man wouldn’t play, and we know this because better players on this team already don’t play.

Joe has some fundamental guiding principles which we will judge him on in May and June - obviously the in game management is something he's taken stick for all year, and workload is another. He's been on the record numerous times saying that he's not worried about Tatum's workload because Tatum made changes to his fitness regime this season. Some coaches like spreading the minutes around, giving end of benchers a minute here and there a la NBA2k, but I think with Joe and Ime they're really looking at combinations and permutations on the court, and the less of them they have to worry about the more chance those players have to be able to develop synergies and familiarity with each other.
Any odd typos are because I suck at typing on an iPhone :D

Re: Celtics out of gas but still no 15th man!
« Reply #11 on: March 06, 2023, 09:46:07 AM »

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It’s not like we’re playing Blake Griffin anyways, nor Kornet and Pritchard for more than a minute or two.  The 15th man wouldn’t play, which is why no one of any quality would have signed.

I feel like that's really the reason. Can we find someone who is a) better than Blake, Luke or Payton; b) will fit in with the rest of the players better and not affect on court chemistry; c) be willing to sit the pine for long stretches only to come in during injury; and d) be willing to do all this on the cheap. Blake is willing to do it, as is Luke - we've already heard reports that Payton isn't happy and would rather find more time elsewhere. Not making excuses for Brad, but it's not easy to find these types of players.

Oh and e) can quickly gain the trust of the coach and players that he can be relied upon, so close to the end of the season. If you look at Ime last year, he had a small circle of trust in terms of the players he used, he played a playoff rotation all the way through the playoffs. Joe has been willing to play more guys overall but as the season comes to an end he's shrank his rotation down to the people that he thinks will be able to deliver for him in the playoffs, in an effort to improve the chemistry and combinations so that the guys who are there don't have to think about what their teammates are doing, they just know what they are going to do, where they will be, etc.

I do agree they could bring someone on on a 10 day if it got to the point where we really needed someone, but what happens if that guy plays and is a disaster like Vonleh or Justin Jackson? It's a double edged sword - another player would help us (and would be exciting to the fans) but how to find the right player when the ones we already have aren't being used as much as they could be?

We basically played 6 guys in a double overtime game on the first night of a back to back down the stretch run of the season. I think we can find someone who can at least take some time off the starters in a double overtime back to-back game. I've already suggested Stanley Johnson and Juan Toscano-Anderson as guys who can play. Tatum 49 minutes and Brown 47 minutes and AL 46 minutes. Who knows who will play tonight?

Toscano-Anderson was never released by the Jazz after his trade there (he played last night even) so you really need to stop mentioning him as an option.

But look, they played a lineup with Jaylen and Tatum at the 2 and 3 most of last night.  Hauser exists, and gets a few minutes a night.  Pritchard rarely plays.  There are options on this team if Mazzulla is concerned about workload down the stretch, but he is clearly not.  I wanted Barton, because I thought he was the only buyout guy who stood a chance of getting some real minutes, because he might have been above the Hauser line.  Stanley Johnson is below the Grant/Muscala/Hauser line, so he’s not playing.

And Mazzulla has said why he’s not concerned about workload.  He thought that the team had reduced minutes too much down the stretch leading into the playoffs last year, and wants them playing more in March this year.  Whether that’s the correct strategy or not, we’ll find out in May and June, but the 15th man wouldn’t play, and we know this because better players on this team already don’t play.

Then use the 15th man as a practice body, or add a veteran voice to the locker room, or a young guy from Maine that we get a look at more closely.  Not signing anybody is just cheap.

For instance, could we have added a guy like this?

Quote
The Washington Wizards are signing Sydney Kings forward Xavier Cooks -- MVP of the National Basketball League in Australia -- to a deal through the 2023-24 season, Daniel Moldovan of Octagon Sports, his agent, told ESPN on Sunday.

Cooks, who'll join the Wizards as soon as the Kings complete play in the NBL Finals this week, comes to the NBA on a contract buyout and becomes the fifth player in five years to make the leap from that organization to the NBA.

Cooks, a 6-foot-8 power forward, is regarded as a switching, versatile defender with excellent passing skills. An Australian who went undrafted after an outstanding college career at Winthrop, Cooks, 27, is considered one of the NBL's and Kings' outstanding development stories. In his fourth season there, he was the Finals MVP in 2021-22 and the league's MVP in 2022-23.

I don't know what the contract terms are, but if it's a minimum deal, why not?  And if not Cooks, isn't there a similar player in the world, somewhere?  It just seems unlikely to me that there isn't one single available player that could add any benefit at all to the Celtics.


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Re: Celtics out of gas but still no 15th man!
« Reply #12 on: March 06, 2023, 09:47:12 AM »

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I'll hear people say "it doesn't matter", well then why did Dallas, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Toronto, etc. all add these pieces? 2 of those teams are also decent favorites to win it all, already with pretty stacked rosters.

If some of our guys are apparently unplayable, or clearly fatigued, then idk how someone like Stanley Johnson can't help. Timelord has always been a walking injury risk, but nah we're okay relying on him and letting someone like Noel go somewhere else.

The other top teams a stacking up.

Re: Celtics out of gas but still no 15th man!
« Reply #13 on: March 06, 2023, 09:53:35 AM »

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It’s not like we’re playing Blake Griffin anyways, nor Kornet and Pritchard for more than a minute or two.  The 15th man wouldn’t play, which is why no one of any quality would have signed.

I feel like that's really the reason. Can we find someone who is a) better than Blake, Luke or Payton; b) will fit in with the rest of the players better and not affect on court chemistry; c) be willing to sit the pine for long stretches only to come in during injury; and d) be willing to do all this on the cheap. Blake is willing to do it, as is Luke - we've already heard reports that Payton isn't happy and would rather find more time elsewhere. Not making excuses for Brad, but it's not easy to find these types of players.

Oh and e) can quickly gain the trust of the coach and players that he can be relied upon, so close to the end of the season. If you look at Ime last year, he had a small circle of trust in terms of the players he used, he played a playoff rotation all the way through the playoffs. Joe has been willing to play more guys overall but as the season comes to an end he's shrank his rotation down to the people that he thinks will be able to deliver for him in the playoffs, in an effort to improve the chemistry and combinations so that the guys who are there don't have to think about what their teammates are doing, they just know what they are going to do, where they will be, etc.

I do agree they could bring someone on on a 10 day if it got to the point where we really needed someone, but what happens if that guy plays and is a disaster like Vonleh or Justin Jackson? It's a double edged sword - another player would help us (and would be exciting to the fans) but how to find the right player when the ones we already have aren't being used as much as they could be?

We basically played 6 guys in a double overtime game on the first night of a back to back down the stretch run of the season. I think we can find someone who can at least take some time off the starters in a double overtime back to-back game. I've already suggested Stanley Johnson and Juan Toscano-Anderson as guys who can play. Tatum 49 minutes and Brown 47 minutes and AL 46 minutes. Who knows who will play tonight?

Toscano-Anderson was never released by the Jazz after his trade there (he played last night even) so you really need to stop mentioning him as an option.

But look, they played a lineup with Jaylen and Tatum at the 2 and 3 most of last night.  Hauser exists, and gets a few minutes a night.  Pritchard rarely plays.  There are options on this team if Mazzulla is concerned about workload down the stretch, but he is clearly not.  I wanted Barton, because I thought he was the only buyout guy who stood a chance of getting some real minutes, because he might have been above the Hauser line.  Stanley Johnson is below the Grant/Muscala/Hauser line, so he’s not playing.

And Mazzulla has said why he’s not concerned about workload.  He thought that the team had reduced minutes too much down the stretch leading into the playoffs last year, and wants them playing more in March this year.  Whether that’s the correct strategy or not, we’ll find out in May and June, but the 15th man wouldn’t play, and we know this because better players on this team already don’t play.

If you don't know who the 15th man would be or who will be healthy down the stretch you have no way of knowing who would play or not. Why don't we just have 8 guys signed if that's all that's going to play? It's just being cheap.

Re: Celtics out of gas but still no 15th man!
« Reply #14 on: March 06, 2023, 10:06:57 AM »

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It’s not like we’re playing Blake Griffin anyways, nor Kornet and Pritchard for more than a minute or two.  The 15th man wouldn’t play, which is why no one of any quality would have signed.

I feel like that's really the reason. Can we find someone who is a) better than Blake, Luke or Payton; b) will fit in with the rest of the players better and not affect on court chemistry; c) be willing to sit the pine for long stretches only to come in during injury; and d) be willing to do all this on the cheap. Blake is willing to do it, as is Luke - we've already heard reports that Payton isn't happy and would rather find more time elsewhere. Not making excuses for Brad, but it's not easy to find these types of players.

Oh and e) can quickly gain the trust of the coach and players that he can be relied upon, so close to the end of the season. If you look at Ime last year, he had a small circle of trust in terms of the players he used, he played a playoff rotation all the way through the playoffs. Joe has been willing to play more guys overall but as the season comes to an end he's shrank his rotation down to the people that he thinks will be able to deliver for him in the playoffs, in an effort to improve the chemistry and combinations so that the guys who are there don't have to think about what their teammates are doing, they just know what they are going to do, where they will be, etc.

I do agree they could bring someone on on a 10 day if it got to the point where we really needed someone, but what happens if that guy plays and is a disaster like Vonleh or Justin Jackson? It's a double edged sword - another player would help us (and would be exciting to the fans) but how to find the right player when the ones we already have aren't being used as much as they could be?

We basically played 6 guys in a double overtime game on the first night of a back to back down the stretch run of the season. I think we can find someone who can at least take some time off the starters in a double overtime back to-back game. I've already suggested Stanley Johnson and Juan Toscano-Anderson as guys who can play. Tatum 49 minutes and Brown 47 minutes and AL 46 minutes. Who knows who will play tonight?

Toscano-Anderson was never released by the Jazz after his trade there (he played last night even) so you really need to stop mentioning him as an option.

But look, they played a lineup with Jaylen and Tatum at the 2 and 3 most of last night.  Hauser exists, and gets a few minutes a night.  Pritchard rarely plays.  There are options on this team if Mazzulla is concerned about workload down the stretch, but he is clearly not.  I wanted Barton, because I thought he was the only buyout guy who stood a chance of getting some real minutes, because he might have been above the Hauser line.  Stanley Johnson is below the Grant/Muscala/Hauser line, so he’s not playing.

And Mazzulla has said why he’s not concerned about workload.  He thought that the team had reduced minutes too much down the stretch leading into the playoffs last year, and wants them playing more in March this year.  Whether that’s the correct strategy or not, we’ll find out in May and June, but the 15th man wouldn’t play, and we know this because better players on this team already don’t play.

Then use the 15th man as a practice body, or add a veteran voice to the locker room, or a young guy from Maine that we get a look at more closely.  Not signing anybody is just cheap.

For instance, could we have added a guy like this?

Quote
The Washington Wizards are signing Sydney Kings forward Xavier Cooks -- MVP of the National Basketball League in Australia -- to a deal through the 2023-24 season, Daniel Moldovan of Octagon Sports, his agent, told ESPN on Sunday.

Cooks, who'll join the Wizards as soon as the Kings complete play in the NBL Finals this week, comes to the NBA on a contract buyout and becomes the fifth player in five years to make the leap from that organization to the NBA.

Cooks, a 6-foot-8 power forward, is regarded as a switching, versatile defender with excellent passing skills. An Australian who went undrafted after an outstanding college career at Winthrop, Cooks, 27, is considered one of the NBL's and Kings' outstanding development stories. In his fourth season there, he was the Finals MVP in 2021-22 and the league's MVP in 2022-23.

I don't know what the contract terms are, but if it's a minimum deal, why not?  And if not Cooks, isn't there a similar player in the world, somewhere?  It just seems unlikely to me that there isn't one single available player that could add any benefit at all to the Celtics.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t have a 15th guy.  I’m saying that the 15th guy would have zero impact on this team’s play in the past week or in the next month, and has zero bearing on whether or not the team is out of gas.

I’m in favor of signing Tony Snell, but if we sign him or anybody else today vs. three weeks from now it won’t have an impact.