Does this team make any sense to anyone?

[LarBrd33]

Rondo is the part of the puzzle that doesn't makes sense to me with the drafting of Smart.  If Rondo had 2 years left on his contract instead of 1 it would make total sense to have Smart playing behind Rondo to learn the league and position. But in the current situation it seems like you have to trade him and get something back to improve the team and then sign a lesser PG until Smart is ready to drive the team full time.

It makes sense to me.

One, when you're picking that high, you should usually draft the best player available.  You don't want to be Portland, who took Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan because they had Jim Paxson coming off his second straight All-Star game appearance as their incumbent shooting guard and rookie Clyde Drexler behind him.

Two, I think Ainge's dream has been to have a three-guard rotation with a combo guard coming off the bench as a SMOY candidate.

Not sure Smart was the best player available, though...  Have a feeling we could regret passing on Randle... but we already have 15 PFs on this team... so it makes sense why we passed on him.

[SmoothTsunami]

I think this season is going to be focused on showing off promise of both our assets (for potential trades) and our team (for free agents). Last season we acquired a pretty decent asset, but we had to lose to get it. Now, I think the focus will be building the value of our pieces; both the young guys (Sully losing weight, Olly continuing his upward trajectory, Smart and Young becoming more than just potential) and our vets who might bring something back (Rondo coming back all the way from injury, Jeff Green... being less Jeff Green-ish?).

Depending on how this plays out, Ainge will be able to cash in on some value, if not through trades, then (hopefully) as showing that we are an up and coming team that smart players should come to. Hopefully Stevens proves himself to be a good hire and establishes himself as a guy people want to play for. I think success on the court will be more important than trying to get draft assets, so it won't be in our interest to lose games.

We're not the Wolves, our picks shouldn't all be complete failures from day one. I believe Smart will retain the value that a top pick would have had in a trade, so we really haven't lost anything as far as trading power. If teams still want the sexiness of picks, well, we still have those. This year, I think, will be a rehab year, with Sully's value increasing the most. The roster is weird, but less weird than last year, I think, and we'll be able to transition into Phase 2 of rebuild--the one Philly is trying so hard to avoid--in which we start climbing our way up form the depths.

[nzea]

I'm a pessimist.  Sometimes it's good to hear a different perspective.  Is there anyone out there who looks at this team and thinks, "yeah... that makes sense" or... "I see what Danny is doing"?

Our team right now...

POINT GUARDS

Rondo -  Ball-dominating PG.  Former star.  Definitely a PG.
Bradley -  He pretends to be a SG, but he's actually a defensive role playing PG without PG ability.
... Backing those 2 up:  Smart - another ball-dominating PG. 
Dregs of the bench:  Pressey.  Another PG.
... The player we reportedly made our top free agent target?... a 5'9 PG.

Every single one of those guys is 6'2 and under without shoes.


POWER FORWARDS

Brandon Bass - longtime starting PF still under contract
Oly - He showed promise in the irrelevant part of the season.  Everyone agrees he's a stretch PF... too slow for SF and way too much of a defensive liability at center.
Sully - Fat kid has some game.  Long term future probably a back-up PF, but he might have a future as a starting PF.   Nobody realistically thinks he's anything other than a PF.
Humph - another PF.  Apparently we want to re-sign him.

SMALL FORWARDS
Green's natural spot is SF
Wallace is a backup SF
We just drafted an 18 year old who is apparently a SF.

....

DOes any of the above make sense?  We passed on bringing in Asik... we clearly had an expendable 1st rounder to get him if he wanted.  We passed on bringing in Afflalo even though it would have merely cost us a marginal young talent.

Clearly this is a team that has to make a trade at some point, right?  It looks like a bunch of "stuff" that we undoubtedly wanted to send for Kevin Love... but if that falls through we're just stuck with a bunch of stuff that doesn't fit together.   Does anyone actually look at that collection of "stuff" and say to themselves, "Yeah, that works.  Faverani can play center.  Lack of size doesn't matter.  Two ball-dominating PG's who can't shoot totally fits Brad's vision."   ... or do we all just agree that we're waiting for the other shoe (or shoes) to drop?

A few corrections

-James Young is a 2
-Brandon Bass is not our 'longtime starting PF'
-Rondo is not a former star
-Bradley is a 2
-Smart is a combo guard

It's odd to think that having high IQ, passing instincts, ball handling, disruptive defense and explosiveness are bad things.
The way it will be by the time the season starts will be rondo and smart as the top 2 pg's and Bradley and young as the top 2 sg's. Lots of versatility because defensively you can put them on positions 1-3 more or less.

[arctic 3.0]

One of rondo, Bradley or smart has got to be moved.
I just don't see the logic of giving Bradley that contract if smart is going to take the starting 2 guard role in the next few years.
If smart is going to be our future starting pg then rondo is on the way out.

I truly hope that the Bradley signing was part of a sign and trade deal to bring in big time help.
I understand he would have had to negotiate with the other team and it's unlikely that such a deal could be kept under wraps but a man can hope.

What could Bradley, sully and a pick get us?
Not much I fear.

[Who]

One of rondo, Bradley or smart has got to be moved.
I just don't see the logic of giving Bradley that contract if smart is going to take the starting 2 guard role in the next few years.
If smart is going to be our future starting pg then rondo is on the way out.

Agreed -- do not understand Bradley contract if Bradley is not starting and playing 30+mpg.

[Birdman]

yea, if this team win 30 games, I be shock!!!

[TheTruthFot18]

While I like AB coming back (not so much for the price) it does make this roster packed at certain spots. I also like Hump but how can we seriously bring him back without limiting KO and Sully's minutes which should and need to increase this year.

But here's how I see it:

1. Develop young guys under contract: Smart, Young, AB, Sully, KO, (Fav?)
2. Rondo, Bass, and Anthony expire in 2015 which opens up $23 mil. Or use them as expiring contracts for trades.
3. Plenty of future picks to either bring in youth or trade for vets.

We're not making noise this year but a rebuild could be worse or never-ending like the Hawks, (current) Hornets, Bucks, Sacramento, Detroit.

[Rondo9]

We're barely into the offeseason and people are complaining? Give it some time! What makes you think Danny is done?

[djbilly33]

Bradley sucks and is highly overpaid, hopefully he will be traded soon.  The team sucks and I don't understand what Ainge is doing or where he is going. I wish we could of got into some of these free agents, I don't hear the Celtics in any trade discussions.  I guess we are in for another 22 year drought for a title.  6 years and counting.

[Future Celtics Owner]

I'm a pessimist.  Sometimes it's good to hear a different perspective.  Is there anyone out there who looks at this team and thinks, "yeah... that makes sense" or... "I see what Danny is doing"?

Our team right now...

POINT GUARDS

Rondo -  Ball-dominating PG.  Former star.  Definitely a PG.
Bradley -  He pretends to be a SG, but he's actually a defensive role playing PG without PG ability.
... Backing those 2 up:  Smart - another ball-dominating PG. 
Dregs of the bench:  Pressey.  Another PG.
... The player we reportedly made our top free agent target?... a 5'9 PG.

Every single one of those guys is 6'2 and under without shoes.


POWER FORWARDS

Brandon Bass - longtime starting PF still under contract
Oly - He showed promise in the irrelevant part of the season.  Everyone agrees he's a stretch PF... too slow for SF and way too much of a defensive liability at center.
Sully - Fat kid has some game.  Long term future probably a back-up PF, but he might have a future as a starting PF.   Nobody realistically thinks he's anything other than a PF.
Humph - another PF.  Apparently we want to re-sign him.

SMALL FORWARDS
Green's natural spot is SF
Wallace is a backup SF
We just drafted an 18 year old who is apparently a SF.

....

DOes any of the above make sense?  We passed on bringing in Asik... we clearly had an expendable 1st rounder to get him if he wanted.  We passed on bringing in Afflalo even though it would have merely cost us a marginal young talent.

Clearly this is a team that has to make a trade at some point, right?  It looks like a bunch of "stuff" that we undoubtedly wanted to send for Kevin Love... but if that falls through we're just stuck with a bunch of stuff that doesn't fit together.   Does anyone actually look at that collection of "stuff" and say to themselves, "Yeah, that works.  Faverani can play center.  Lack of size doesn't matter.  Two ball-dominating PG's who can't shoot totally fits Brad's vision."   ... or do we all just agree that we're waiting for the other shoe (or shoes) to drop?

A few corrections

-James Young is a 2
-Brandon Bass is not our 'longtime starting PF'
-Rondo is not a former star
-Bradley is a 2
-Smart is a combo guard

It's odd to think that having high IQ, passing instincts, ball handling, disruptive defense and explosiveness are bad things.
The way it will be by the time the season starts will be rondo and smart as the top 2 pg's and Bradley and young as the top 2 sg's. Lots of versatility because defensively you can put them on positions 1-3 more or less.

Just because smart CAN play the 2 does not mean he can't be a pg. i actually think he is much more of a point guard than a shooting guard.

[Beat LA]

To answer your question, no, this team makes no sense.  We have too many similar players at 2-3 positions and we don't even know who's still going to be here by the start of next season.  Jeff Green has to go.  Personally, I think that he would thrive as the sf on the Grizzlies, but I don't know how that would work, salary wise, so we'd likely need a 3rd team to facilitate such a deal.  Bass, even though I love the guy, belongs on a contender as well.  We can't amnesty wallace for reasons that escape me right now (even though we should probably just wait another year until his contract becomes an expiring one), so that leaves us with what exactly?  We need a center, desperately (although I think that that will try to be solved by tanking next year, only to see us just miss out on all of the top prospects by 1-2 picks, as usual.), and if we get Thomas, which would make absolutely no sense, imo, aren't we basically showing our star player the door?  Please don't trade Rondo.  Please.

I do not feel the same way about jeff green. He is not a player we should be dumping on a team just to get rid of. His stock could not be lower right now and he way our leading scorer last year. Let him play this year and try to get his stock higher. I don't think you will get less that 16ppg with him at worst. And at best he can score in the 20's

I'm not advocating jettisoning the guy - I'm sure that we could get something for him, whether that means players, picks, or a combination of the two.  He's just predictably unpredictable, and it drives everyone nuts, understandably.  It's time for Ainge to admit that the Jeff Green experiment was a resounding failure and move on, imo.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

I'm a pessimist.  Sometimes it's good to hear a different perspective.  Is there anyone out there who looks at this team and thinks, "yeah... that makes sense" or... "I see what Danny is doing"?

Our team right now...

POINT GUARDS

Rondo -  Ball-dominating PG.  Former star.  Definitely a PG.
Bradley -  He pretends to be a SG, but he's actually a defensive role playing PG without PG ability.
... Backing those 2 up:  Smart - another ball-dominating PG. 
Dregs of the bench:  Pressey.  Another PG.
... The player we reportedly made our top free agent target?... a 5'9 PG.

Every single one of those guys is 6'2 and under without shoes.


POWER FORWARDS

Brandon Bass - longtime starting PF still under contract
Oly - He showed promise in the irrelevant part of the season.  Everyone agrees he's a stretch PF... too slow for SF and way too much of a defensive liability at center.
Sully - Fat kid has some game.  Long term future probably a back-up PF, but he might have a future as a starting PF.   Nobody realistically thinks he's anything other than a PF.
Humph - another PF.  Apparently we want to re-sign him.

SMALL FORWARDS
Green's natural spot is SF
Wallace is a backup SF
We just drafted an 18 year old who is apparently a SF.

....

DOes any of the above make sense?  We passed on bringing in Asik... we clearly had an expendable 1st rounder to get him if he wanted.  We passed on bringing in Afflalo even though it would have merely cost us a marginal young talent.

Clearly this is a team that has to make a trade at some point, right?  It looks like a bunch of "stuff" that we undoubtedly wanted to send for Kevin Love... but if that falls through we're just stuck with a bunch of stuff that doesn't fit together.   Does anyone actually look at that collection of "stuff" and say to themselves, "Yeah, that works.  Faverani can play center.  Lack of size doesn't matter.  Two ball-dominating PG's who can't shoot totally fits Brad's vision."   ... or do we all just agree that we're waiting for the other shoe (or shoes) to drop?

A few corrections

-James Young is a 2
-Brandon Bass is not our 'longtime starting PF'
-Rondo is not a former star
-Bradley is a 2
-Smart is a combo guard

It's odd to think that having high IQ, passing instincts, ball handling, disruptive defense and explosiveness are bad things.
The way it will be by the time the season starts will be rondo and smart as the top 2 pg's and Bradley and young as the top 2 sg's. Lots of versatility because defensively you can put them on positions 1-3 more or less.

Just because smart CAN play the 2 does not mean he can't be a pg. i actually think he is much more of a point guard than a shooting guard.

agreed

[DesertDweller]

Not sure what you're trying to illustrate... we're all quite aware, even Ainge as he's mentioned the need to consolidate, that there's a roster imbalance. And we're 3 days into the NBA Moratorium... what's the issue?

Does Ainge need to make a trade? Sure. Does he need to find a center? Sure. Will he be able to? I'm sure he'll try without compromising anymore next year's free-agency.

Thank you,  you said exactly what I wanted to say without being sarcastic!!! my comment was " I'm sure Danny was sitting around today and realized, Uh oh, something is wrong here".

I think Ainge has set himself up perfect to make his final move for a rim protector, which I believe has already been consummated (Kevin Love),  so he can hand this team over to Brad Stevens and let him run with it.

[ChefEricT]

Keep this in mind:
I am not happy about how Miami is attempting to bend the rules of the salary cap, but they are.  There is a very good chance that Wade and Bosh take big pay cuts, LeBron resigns, and some nice complimentary pieces take small deals to try and get a ring(s).  Would Rondo, Love and some complimentary pieces be enough to beat the Heat and get to the finals?  Would trading Rondo for Hibbert get us closer to "their level"?  I'm gonna say no to both questions.  Maybe Ainge is doing the smart thing and slow playing the rebuild.  Maybe he trades Rondo before the season starts, maybe he trades him at the deadline.  Maybe we add a Center, maybe we roll with guys playing out of position (KO/Sully) and Iverson/Favarani.  If we go this route of slow playing the rebuild, something as bad as Wallace's contract turns into a positive expiring contract before long.  2-3 years from now, Bosh and James are entering their mid-thirties, Wade (and most likely whoever else they add this off-Season) is entering late thirties; Meanwhile, Smart, Young, Olynyk, Sullinger, and company have some much needed experience, we'll have potentially added some other young potential and we will have lots of cap room to add to this young core.  So maybe it's tough for us to put up with losing records, Heat domination of the East, seeing talented veterans leave or get traded, but it could all be worth it as we put together our next Celtic's Dynasty.

[Nikki8]

Hi, as along time Celtics fan I have a question about last season that I would relly appriciate somebody answering for me. I had some bad health problems last season and wasn't able to follow the team to much except for an occasional look at the box score.  When the season first started I remember hearing good things about Victor Faverani but have no idea what happened to him as the season went along. Is he not any good? Is there a chance with a season under his belt he could have improved enough to be a stopgap C until next year. What is the scouting report on him? Thank you very much to anyone that lets me know.