Better to be swept in Round 1 and pick #15... or have 9th best draft odds?

[CFAN38]

I cant vote because I am so torn on the issue.

Winning is only going to help the young players on the roster grow and any player available at 9-11 who DA loves he can likely trade up for.


Having the 9th spot in the lottery would give the Cs a 1.4% chance at the #1 pick. That's slim but it is still a chance at a franchise changing prospect.

I basically follow the Cs with a split personality. When I watch I want them to win. When I check the standings each morning (and they aren't in the playoffs) I want them bumped down as low as possible.     to be a fan in the NBA...... 

this is why the league needs lottery reform

[Celtics4ever]

How many of these guys will be here next year?   I am rooting for the playoffs but are not most of these guys free agents in one form or another?   So a lot of that so called experience is going to walk out that door.  It will help some of our rookie contract guys and AB.

[Quetzalcoatl]

I'll be a glutton for punishment & take the opportunity to watch postseason basketball involving the Celtics.  (They're not getting swept, though)

You think if we play the Cavs we're not getting swept?  Atlanta could drop a game to us, but they could absolutely sweep us at the same time.  They're a really good team

[Donoghus]

I'll be a glutton for punishment & take the opportunity to watch postseason basketball involving the Celtics.  (They're not getting swept, though)

You think if we play the Cavs we're not getting swept?  Atlanta could drop a game to us, but they could absolutely sweep us at the same time.  They're a really good team

Cavs aren't catching the Hawks.  I absolutely believe the Celtics could win a game or possibly two against ATL.

[Future Celtics Owner]

TP to Lrybrd

IMO we are a team of great backup players/bench players. All we need is an all star or 3.lol.

I vote take the 9th pick....forget the parameters, idc if we even won the series vs the hawks. Its so much more important to add a great player to this team.

[Future Celtics Owner]

btw my beef with all the people that think making the playoffs will raise the value of our pieces....look at Brandon Bass or Hump. Keeping them only got us a late 2nd rounder and te, and the 2nd rounder may not be transferable this year.

Its a joke.

[Quetzalcoatl]

Also who could forget how we developed two of the starters on our championship squad - Rondo and Perk - in our 24-58 season right before.  They sure learned a whole lot of "winning lessons" that year.   

[JHTruth]

Also who could forget how we developed two of the starters on our championship squad - Rondo and Perk - in our 24-58 season right before.  They sure learned a whole lot of "winning lessons" that year.   

Talent trumps all. Talented players eventually find a way to win. Untalented scrubs will always lose..

[JHTruth]

btw my beef with all the people that think making the playoffs will raise the value of our pieces....look at Brandon Bass or Hump. Keeping them only got us a late 2nd rounder and te, and the 2nd rounder may not be transferable this year.

Its a joke.

What raises the value of any player is becoming a better player. Not being on a "playoff" team..

[LarBrd33]

btw my beef with all the people that think making the playoffs will raise the value of our pieces....look at Brandon Bass or Hump. Keeping them only got us a late 2nd rounder and te, and the 2nd rounder may not be transferable this year.

Its a joke.

What raises the value of any player is becoming a better player. Not being on a "playoff" team..

Here's a question for you...

Say Indiana and Boston tied.  Say Boston won the tie-breaker and made the playoffs.  Say Atlanta wins easily.   Is anyone seriously going to suggest that Boston's players are significantly better than Indiana's players?    Does merely making the playoffs regardless of the playoff results somehow negate the fact that we're a below .500 team of role players?   

What if we made the playoffs and got blown out/swept?   Wouldn't our players, getting exposed as chumps in the National Spotlight, end up losing trade value compared to Indiana who avoids the embarrassing 4 games?  Could the playoffs actually hurt our player's trade value?

[LarBrd33]

Isn't stealing two wins from a "clearly better" playoff opponent a great advertisement (or, put differently, an asset) to recruit free agents to come to Boston next offseason?

Edit: conversely, doesn't it also generate buzz about current rostered players who may be seen as trade targets by other teams?

Exposure on the national level will have rewards too. The difference between the #9 and the #15 picks is not insignificant, I concede. Personally, I don't think a bottom-ten finish is still realistic. Looking at the remaining schedule, I think Boston manages to play around .500 the rest of the way.

I'm with you Lucky17... if we won a couple surprise games vs Atlanta, it would probably get some attention.  But are you really betting on that happening? 

See my post above.   How does getting destroyed by Atlanta impact the appeal of the team.  If we're exposed as severely worse than the Hawks, doesn't that turn off free agents?  Wouldn't we almost be better off just missing the playoffs entirely and keeping the allure of "well we almost made the playoffs... this scrappy young team is on the rise, baby!"

[Future Celtics Owner]

btw my beef with all the people that think making the playoffs will raise the value of our pieces....look at Brandon Bass or Hump. Keeping them only got us a late 2nd rounder and te, and the 2nd rounder may not be transferable this year.

Its a joke.

What raises the value of any player is becoming a better player. Not being on a "playoff" team..

Here's a question for you...

Say Indiana and Boston tied.  Say Boston won the tie-breaker and made the playoffs.  Say Atlanta wins easily.   Is anyone seriously going to suggest that Boston's players are significantly better than Indiana's players?    Does merely making the playoffs regardless of the playoff results somehow negate the fact that we're a below .500 team of role players?   

What if we made the playoffs and got blown out/swept?   Wouldn't our players, getting exposed as chumps in the National Spotlight, end up losing trade value compared to Indiana who avoids the embarrassing 4 games?  Could the playoffs actually hurt our player's trade value?

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[Lucky17]

btw my beef with all the people that think making the playoffs will raise the value of our pieces....look at Brandon Bass or Hump. Keeping them only got us a late 2nd rounder and te, and the 2nd rounder may not be transferable this year.

Its a joke.

What raises the value of any player is becoming a better player. Not being on a "playoff" team..

Here's a question for you...

Say Indiana and Boston tied.  Say Boston won the tie-breaker and made the playoffs.  Say Atlanta wins easily.   Is anyone seriously going to suggest that Boston's players are significantly better than Indiana's players?    Does merely making the playoffs regardless of the playoff results somehow negate the fact that we're a below .500 team of role players?   

What if we made the playoffs and got blown out/swept?   Wouldn't our players, getting exposed as chumps in the National Spotlight, end up losing trade value compared to Indiana who avoids the embarrassing 4 games?  Could the playoffs actually hurt our player's trade value?

Only if you believe that there is such a thing as negative publicity.

I suppose it would be a negative if Brad Stevens had a mental breakdown after the 3rd loss, where he ended up literally killing a referee at half court, and had to go to jail for aggravated manslaughter.

[Lucky17]

Question: should Charlotte still try to make the playoffs?

[Nerf DPOY]

btw my beef with all the people that think making the playoffs will raise the value of our pieces....look at Brandon Bass or Hump. Keeping them only got us a late 2nd rounder and te, and the 2nd rounder may not be transferable this year.

Its a joke.

What raises the value of any player is becoming a better player. Not being on a "playoff" team..

Here's a question for you...

Say Indiana and Boston tied.  Say Boston won the tie-breaker and made the playoffs.  Say Atlanta wins easily.   Is anyone seriously going to suggest that Boston's players are significantly better than Indiana's players?    Does merely making the playoffs regardless of the playoff results somehow negate the fact that we're a below .500 team of role players?   

What if we made the playoffs and got blown out/swept?   Wouldn't our players, getting exposed as chumps in the National Spotlight, end up losing trade value compared to Indiana who avoids the embarrassing 4 games?  Could the playoffs actually hurt our player's trade value?

Only if you believe that there is such a thing as negative publicity.

I suppose it would be a negative if Brad Stevens had a mental breakdown after the 3rd loss, where he ended up literally killing a referee at half court, and had to go to jail for aggravated manslaughter.

Has there been a live death on national TV since Oswald? I'm liking this hypothetical you've presented.