Hated Tonight, and Now Woj + Shams Both Hint at Vuce Interest

[PAOBoston]

I am pro Vucevic. He’s underrated by most in here. He’s not the defender all is but he’s a much better and well rounded offensive player. Most importantly, he’d be a good fit in this system. He can provide the best interior scoring option they have had in a long time.

Honesty not concerned about PG. I think they are going to go with more point Hayward this year.

I suspect they’ll bring Rozier back.

I wouldn’t be surprised. But Rozier cant run an offense either so I still think they don’t need a traditional big name PG on the roster.

[Silky]

So looking more and more like rozier is back. Puke.

Vooch i like but he needs ti get the ball. Rozier aint oassing. Sigh.

Draft was awful.

Awful. Awful. Awful.

Right now. Danny is on hotseat. Wastedbthe best assets in the nba. Complete waste.

The only thing that might save this offseason amd make it a "b" is for a trade to happen adding more than just vuc.

Otherwise we are the new orlando, sitting firmly in nba purgatory

[boscel33]

Only thing I hated about tonight was the CSN show.  Those four were god awful!

[jbpats]

what kind of money would Vucevic command? Steve Adamsesque contract? More/Less?

[CF033]

I reserve judgment until midway through the regular season next year. As I said before I didn't care who we drafted last night because no one is capable of predicting which later picks will become good to great nba players. Not us, not the talking heads on ESPN, not the scouts, not Danny. We'll have to wait and see what happens.

[RodyTur10]

I usually only come on here during the offseason and trade deadlines so my apologies if this has been brought up but in just browsing I didn't see it here yet, but both Woj and Shams reported on interest the C's have in going after Vucevich in FA.

That's be the perfect topping on this crap-sundae.

I think Danny panicked after everything w/ Kyrie and Al, plain and simple. I don't think he knew what to do tonight so he played half upside and potential (Langford) and half playoff team pushing for wins (GW) and it ended up netting us a wing who can't shoot and plays like a poor man's Melo and a woefully undersized 4 who either needs to gain 2 inches or drop 20 lbs and add speed in order to be able to guard anybody in the nba.

And then the Vuce news.  I for the life of me will never understand why we'd trade a $5M center who can play defense and is coachable, just to clear space for a (will be) 29 year old  Center who granted has skills offensively, but will be a poor replacement for Al on offense and/or Baynes on D. 

Am I crazy?  Just punt rebounding (it clearly wasn't enough of an issue for you to worry about addressing with any of your 3 picks tonight).  Worry about the youth movement and building a core that can grow together and maybe get to the point of contending for a title in 2-3 years.  If I'm wrong tell me but isn't that the most logical path to take at this point?  And if so, wouldn't the only FAs who fit that profile this offseason be one of either Randle, Brogdon, or (my preference) D'Lo?

I have respect for Vuce's game but he's been around or above a 20 PER player since his 2nd year in the league and it's just made no difference for his team (nevermind the fact that prior to this past season he had 2 years in a row where his DRtg was higher than his ORtg).

Someone talk some sense into me?

TP. That's all I can give you as comfort. It's sickening. We're the laughing stock of the NBA and rightfully so.

Our arrogance of ''having a cake and eating it too'' has backfired majorly. The Celtics FO wanted to contend with Irving-Hayward-Horford, without sacrifing any youth or draft picks, and then continue that with Brown and Tatum as cornerstones without sacrificing any veterans.

With our bag full of assets they thought we were untouchable, every team in the NBA was at the mercy of the Boston Celtics. Well guess what, there are 29 other teams in the league who have zero interest in cooperating with the perfect Celtics scenario. And they'll be opportunistic, savvy and ambitious and totally screw up your plans if given the chance.

Boston gave them that chance. We didn't make a big trade for a superstar, neither did we grab a potential All Star talent.
That big bag full of assets has vanished. We had all bases loaded, but we got three outs this week.

[hodgy03038]

I am glad to see that many of the people actually loved our draft. Many hated it. Seems to be love or hate and no in between. I am unsure because frankly I don't know enough about the new guys. And I don't know Ainge's plan for bigs but if it's Adams or Capela or Vucevic or two of the above then maybe it will work out for the better. I know this ....last year sucked and Kyrie was cancer and thank god we have a smart and unafraid young man in Jaylen Brown that didn't want to put up with the BS. I know Hayward wasn't happy with Kyrie and I'm sure it affected his game for the worse. Chemistry is a big thing and is what fueled the team last year and we can get a non cancerous chemistry going again then maybe we will be okay. I just need to wait to see the full plan develop before I can condemn it.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

I am pro Vucevic. He’s underrated by most in here. He’s not the defender all is but he’s a much better and well rounded offensive player. Most importantly, he’d be a good fit in this system. He can provide the best interior scoring option they have had in a long time.

Honesty not concerned about PG. I think they are going to go with more point Hayward this year.

I suspect they’ll bring Rozier back.

I wouldn’t be surprised. But Rozier cant run an offense either so I still think they don’t need a traditional big name PG on the roster.

We can have Hayward run the offense. Have Rozier play off ball and be a hound on defense against the opposing PG.

[Fafnir]

I wouldn't count on Rozier being an effort defender after his awful showing this past year.

[Surferdad]

What a disappointing night.  No players picked in areas of real need (center and PG).  More wings?  Now Danny has a bucket-o-wings.  Enjoy your wings Danny, but eat your vegetables too.

I kept waiting for a trade, or something.  Baynes to PHO really hurt.  $5M for a big guy who can defend the paint and occasionally hit a 3 is a bargain.  It was essentially a rollover of that 1st round pick to next year (MIL's pick) but we threw in Baynes as well for their trouble.

I don't buy the argument to reserve judgement until after June 30th.  I believe these draft picks can be viewed independently, unless Danny was drafting for someone else.  We could have had Brandon Clarke or Hachimura (who I REALLY like) or even Bol. 

[BringToughnessBack]

So, if we do somehow get Vuce at max contract and Brown and Tatum get their max going forward. Where does this leave us cap wise in 2021? Will we have room for another max that year or will the Vuce contract prohibit us and this will be are starting lineup going forward?

 I am not in love with signing a borderline star(good player, dont get me wrong) as a stop gap that stops us from being able to rope another big star here in two years. Stop gaps that plug the hole with cement for four years does not sound like the way to the promised land unless we firmly believe in two years time, one of Brown and Tatum will already be that amazing closer to take us there night in and night out. I guess it is possible but they will still only be 23 and 24 in two years time so not too sure about this. Maybe it is not a 2 year window I should be looking at I guess....maybe we are looking not at 21 but rather 23 when our young players are entering their prime and Vuce will be coming off a 4 year deal he might sign with us now. Hard to know...the idea of just being in the middle of the pack the next few years is not that appealing to me although I will of course enjoy watching our young players evolve and grow.

I guess there is also hope Hayward comes back close to full strength next year. That is the wildcard in this. With Vuce, and fully recovered Hayward, there is a chance we hover around 50 wins again with maybe a 2nd round appearance. If Hayward truly shines, we could shock our way to the conference finals as well.

[bellerephon]

What a disappointing night.  No players picked in areas of real need (center and PG).  More wings?  Now Danny has a bucket-o-wings.  Enjoy your wings Danny, but eat your vegetables too.

I kept waiting for a trade, or something.  Baynes to PHO really hurt.  $5M for a big guy who can defend the paint and occasionally hit a 3 is a bargain.  It was essentially a rollover of that 1st round pick to next year (MIL's pick) but we threw in Baynes as well for their trouble.

I don't buy the argument to reserve judgement until after June 30th.  I believe these draft picks can be viewed independently, unless Danny was drafting for someone else.  We could have had Brandon Clarke or Hachimura (who I REALLY like) or even Bol. 

I don't think the Celtics were in a position that drafting for need makes any sense. They simply needed to pick the player that they thought was the best available. The 14th pick in a weak draft isn't likely to get you anything more than a future role player in any case. Now lots of people think that Romeo wasn't the best available, personally I don't put any stock in internet draft boards or media rankings. NBA teams have their own draft boards and have more information about these players than the media do, I have no problem with the fact that Danny has different values on these players than the media. I'm not saying he is right, but the fact that his draft board doesn't match the internet consensus doesn't bother me at all. The draft is a crap shoot anyways.

[Sophomore]

What a disappointing night.  No players picked in areas of real need (center and PG).  More wings?  Now Danny has a bucket-o-wings.  Enjoy your wings Danny, but eat your vegetables too.

I kept waiting for a trade, or something.  Baynes to PHO really hurt.  $5M for a big guy who can defend the paint and occasionally hit a 3 is a bargain.  It was essentially a rollover of that 1st round pick to next year (MIL's pick) but we threw in Baynes as well for their trouble.

I don't buy the argument to reserve judgement until after June 30th.  I believe these draft picks can be viewed independently, unless Danny was drafting for someone else.  We could have had Brandon Clarke or Hachimura (who I REALLY like) or even Bol. 

I'm disappointed in the lack of bigs - I'd have liked Clarke or Goga, or finding a way to move up a few slots to get Washington. I'd even have been interested in Claxton at 24. The one non-disappointment is that we passed on Bol. In fact, every NBA team passed on him in the first round. There is a very good reason - he won't be in a the league a few years from now.

[seancally]

So, if we do somehow get Vuce at max contract and Brown and Tatum get their max going forward. Where does this leave us cap wise in 2021? Will we have room for another max that year or will the Vuce contract prohibit us and this will be are starting lineup going forward?

 I am not in love with signing a borderline star(good player, dont get me wrong) as a stop gap that stops us from being able to rope another big star here in two years. Stop gaps that plug the hole with cement for four years does not sound like the way to the promised land unless we firmly believe in two years time, one of Brown and Tatum will already be that amazing closer to take us there night in and night out. I guess it is possible but they will still only be 23 and 24 in two years time so not too sure about this. Maybe it is not a 2 year window I should be looking at I guess....maybe we are looking not at 21 but rather 23 when our young players are entering their prime and Vuce will be coming off a 4 year deal he might sign with us now. Hard to know...the idea of just being in the middle of the pack the next few years is not that appealing to me although I will of course enjoy watching our young players evolve and grow.

I guess there is also hope Hayward comes back close to full strength next year. That is the wildcard in this. With Vuce, and fully recovered Hayward, there is a chance we hover around 50 wins again with maybe a 2nd round appearance. If Hayward truly shines, we could shock our way to the conference finals as well.

I don't think the team is super concerned with retaining cap space for next season, or even the season after, at least for a major FA signing. They want to retain Brown + Tatum, unless they flip Brown for something, in which case... who knows. ASSUMING we're keeping those two, my feeling is the team wants to make playoff runs with a competitive team now - both to develop chemistry and experience, and because we aren't bad enough to tank anyway. If we roll out Vooch, Tatum, Brown, healthy Hayward, Smart/Rozier, that's a playoff team in the east that has potentially 2-3 all-stars. Over the next few years, you see if Tatum/Brown turn into stars. If they don't, drawing board. If either/both do, then you become an attractive contender-in-waiting for a FA as some contracts come off the books.

[GreenEnvy]

I’m sure the interest is there in Vuc, but who knows whether he will want to leave Orlando (great weather and no taxes) or go elsewhere besides Boston.

That said, if they bring him in, I’d be ok with keeping Rozier. He’s a pretty good spot-up shooter, is careful with the ball, and will have Hayward to take a lot of the playmaking responsibilities.

Rozier
Brown
Hayward
Tatum
Vucevic

That’s a pretty good starting five. How he fills out the bench will be interesting.

If they can bring someone decent in with the RE (I guess that’s around 2yr/$10M), resign Theis, and hope Langford is ready, we could have a shot.

Bench of Smart, Theis, Langford, Semi(?), and the Room Exception wouldn’t be the worst, I guess. Maybe dump Yabu and future first for a high risk/high reward third-year player.

If Tatum and/or Brown take the leap (which is much more possible without Kyrie), we could be a dangerous team. I hope they are hungry and really dig in this offseason. Neither met expectations last season and the Celtics clearly have faith in them.


There’s really no other choice. We can’t really tank. It’ll be a terrible environment for the Jay’s and Hayward would want out.