Maybe We already have Kevin Love (Kelly Olynyk)

[footey]

you're all cool with us trading Oly for Love, though... right?

Of course.  Just making a few points: 1. Their games are similar. 2. Factoring in KO's injury, their first seasons statistically not much different. 3.  Love not worth a Max Deal if our goal is to win championships.  I am not saying that they are on the same level right now, or even that Ollie will ever reach that statistical level.

The problem is there are only a handful of truly elite guys out there and 30 teams have the space for a 2, sometimes even 3 max deals each. Unless you are lucky enough to get one of those players in the draft (Celtics ping pong balls failed in 97 for Duncan and 08 for Durant) then you can only trade for them or convince them to come over as a free agent. Unfortunately those first-tier guys almost never become available, and the second tier below them is only occasionally attainable. That's where Love resides.

Instead of seeing Love as overpaid as a max guy, you should wonder instead why LeBron and Durant are massively underpaid compared to the value they bring to the court. The owners want to limit star salaries but the result of that is the top top stars can create these superteams with two other max guys. That would not be possible if LeBron was being paid what he's actually worth.

You see, you are turning this into a diatribe lambasting the salary cap.  Why don't you accept the rules as they are. There is a salary cap. Guys like Lebron are underpaid relative to other guys.  No kidding.  But the mistake you make is to assume that you need to pay the Kevin Love's of this world max money because they are in the next tier of talent (which is ridiculous; guys like Kevin Garnett, in their prime, are in the next tier; Kevin Love is nowhere near that valuable a player).  And where does that get you in the salary cap world?  No room to sign a truly championship caliber guy to a max deal when he comes along.  I'm not saying he will anytime soon. What I am saying is that Kevin Love is not that guy.

I think many fans are just too eager to swing for the fences without really understanding the consequences of what we would be digging ourselves into.  Hey, if Love is traded here, and then agrees, along with Rondo, to take less than max money so that we have cap space to eventually sign a true centerpiece, then by all means sign me (and him) up. But I don't see that happening. Don't sign me up for a team centered around Love and Rondo on max deals, surrounded by complimentary vets and rookies.  That would be ugly.

[footey]

Love is a featured player worth a max contract. 

I guy does not have to be as good as Lebron to get a max contract, but he needs to be good enough to be the centerpiece of an NBA championship team.  Kevin Garnett, for example. Sorry, but Kevin Love is not going to be the centerpiece of an NBA championship-caliber team, in my estimation.  That is not to say other teams would not pay him that much.   Guys get overpaid all the time. And I'm not saying relative to other players, because you could make a very good case on that basis he is worth a max deal. I am saying if you are a smart GM, and I believe that Ainge is, given the salary cap limitations, signing guys to max deals who are not centerpieces to championship teams is how you end up in mediocrity for a very long time.  For the same reason, Danny reportedly will not give Rondo a max deal.

Based on what? All indications from Ainge recently are that he expects Rondo to get a max deal and that's why they haven't tried to sign him to an extension, because Rondo would lose money and it's not worth it for Rondo.

Read this a couple of days ago. Let me try to track down and post the link.  Did not make it up.

[hpantazo]

Love is a featured player worth a max contract. 

I guy does not have to be as good as Lebron to get a max contract, but he needs to be good enough to be the centerpiece of an NBA championship team.  Kevin Garnett, for example. Sorry, but Kevin Love is not going to be the centerpiece of an NBA championship-caliber team, in my estimation.  That is not to say other teams would not pay him that much.   Guys get overpaid all the time. And I'm not saying relative to other players, because you could make a very good case on that basis he is worth a max deal. I am saying if you are a smart GM, and I believe that Ainge is, given the salary cap limitations, signing guys to max deals who are not centerpieces to championship teams is how you end up in mediocrity for a very long time.  For the same reason, Danny reportedly will not give Rondo a max deal.

Based on what? All indications from Ainge recently are that he expects Rondo to get a max deal and that's why they haven't tried to sign him to an extension, because Rondo would lose money and it's not worth it for Rondo.

Read this a couple of days ago. Let me try to track down and post the link.  Did not make it up.

I'm not trying to imply that you are lying, just curious to see where this came from considering what I've read from Ainge indicates otherwise.

[footey]

This is why I keep saying we should use the assets to fill in other holes.  When Kelly was given the minutes he was very effective.  He;'s not the rebounder Love is but he can score much better then people seem to think.  Here's what I wrote in my Celtics review for my blog...

 "If you just take the games where Olynyk played over 20 minutes his numbers are even better. He passed the 20 minute mark 35 times this season putting up 12.3 points, 6.9 boards, and 2.3 assists in 25.6 minutes.  If you narrow it down even more to games where he played over 27 minutes a game (mind you starter minutes are considered around 36 minutes) he went for 18.2, 10, and 3.5 in 30.5 minutes over 11 games.  It?s a small sample size but it?s still really good.  In his last three games of the season, due to injuries to the other bigs, he averaged 34.7 minutes per and went for 25.7, 9.3 and 3.7.  Now that?s a tiny sample but it?s still a very good run."

Also if you look at the post All Star break numbers he shot 51% from the floor, 42.6% from three, and 81.8& from the free throw line. 

I still say spend the assets on a winger and a shot blocking/rebounding center.

Thanks; you are making my point more persuasively than I am!!

[footey]

Love is a featured player worth a max contract. 

I guy does not have to be as good as Lebron to get a max contract, but he needs to be good enough to be the centerpiece of an NBA championship team.  Kevin Garnett, for example. Sorry, but Kevin Love is not going to be the centerpiece of an NBA championship-caliber team, in my estimation.  That is not to say other teams would not pay him that much.   Guys get overpaid all the time. And I'm not saying relative to other players, because you could make a very good case on that basis he is worth a max deal. I am saying if you are a smart GM, and I believe that Ainge is, given the salary cap limitations, signing guys to max deals who are not centerpieces to championship teams is how you end up in mediocrity for a very long time.  For the same reason, Danny reportedly will not give Rondo a max deal.

Based on what? All indications from Ainge recently are that he expects Rondo to get a max deal and that's why they haven't tried to sign him to an extension, because Rondo would lose money and it's not worth it for Rondo.

Read this a couple of days ago. Let me try to track down and post the link.  Did not make it up.

I'm not trying to imply that you are lying, just curious to see where this came from considering what I've read from Ainge indicates otherwise.

I know.  I tried finding it.  I think it was a journalist recently making the point that Ainge would not sign him to a max deal.  It was not a quote from Ainge.