CBS: NBA trade rumors: Celtics have the best hand, & here's how they can play it

[Ilikesports17]

The usual suspects: Boogie, Butler, and George.

None of them in isolation bring us to the ECF, let alone win us a ring.

We would need two of them (without trading away players from our team) to become a contendor. I don't see a trade allowing this to happen.

I do not want to trade valuable picks for players that don't get us to where we want to be (playing GSW in game 7).

So you're saying we would need a elite foursome of Boogie, Butler (or George), Horford and IT to win it all. Besides the fact that it is an almost impossible get, I don't think it is necessary.  Boogie, Horford IT supplemented by the right supporting players should be enough.

That is exactly what I'm saying. We are Player 1 and Player 2 away from a championship contender. We already have #3 and #4 in IT and Horford.

I know IT has been scoring like a mad man, so he might be our #2 guy. Heck, Horford might be our #3. We would need a top 5 (not even top 10) wing to couple with these guys to beat GSW. Lebron, Durant, Kawhi would get the job done.

I know it hurts people's feeling to point out that this league is won by the best players. We need one or two more of the best players to be the best team. Are there exceptions? Sure.

If the Celtics play elite defense, I'd say they're only a guy away from having a legit, though small, chance at a trip to the Finals and a title.  Neither Cleveland nor Golden State strike me as unbeatable foes this season. We'd kind of be the new version of Indiana.

One factor in all this is how long is IT going to last.  God bless him and he deserves all the money he can get after his performance but he's already 27.  Allen Iverson was bigger and at least one entire level above IT and AI started to fall off after 30.

Mike

Iverson claims he didnt lift weights wich leads me to believe he didnt take the necessary measures to keep his body in shape and ensure longevity.

He played in a tougher NBA and Isaiah is stronger than him and is already talking about how he is trying to find other ways to maximize his longevity and effectiveness.

I share the concern for giving an undersized player who is very reliant on quickness and explosion a big money deal into his thirties but there is some reason to believe he could outlast Allen Iverson.

[jpotter33]

Anyone else feel like he greatly undervalues a Boogie trade and greatly overvalues the other two trades, especially for George? Bradley, Crowder, Brown AND the 2017 Brooklyn pick for a guy who essentially has 1.5 years left on his deal, is destined to leave Indy anyways, and who many wonder if he's legitimately a superstar anymore? No thanks.

[td450]

I think Boogie may be enough to win it all, if we could get him without giving up IT or Bradley.

The reason I say that is that both Cleveland and GS are designed to overpower the middle of anyone's lineup. They both have defenses that depend on athletes that are talented enough to cover most NBA players, and can switch off at will.

With Boogie and Horford on one end, and IT and Bradley at the other, we can take that versatility away. We are just too physical on one end, and jet fast on the other. We cede the middle and dominate the ends, and see who wins.

[Geo123]

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-trade-rumors-celtics-have-the-best-hand-and-heres-how-they-can-play-it/

Great read.  I loved how he used a restaurant menu, and I think he is correct for the most part.

But there is no way Bradley and Crowder are going out for Jimmy Butler.

That's probably the cost of trading for a Top 20 player today.  Butler is a great 2 way player who's young, on a good contract (below market) and can create his own shot.  The reasonable contract  allows you to sign someone else.  He's also a 20+ PPG scorer, plus by all accounts he's got a great attitude. 

[Boris Badenov]

I stopped reading when he mentioned Jordan Mickey.

[86MaxwellSmart]

Anyone else feel like he greatly undervalues a Boogie trade and greatly overvalues the other two trades, especially for George? Bradley, Crowder, Brown AND the 2017 Brooklyn pick for a guy who essentially has 1.5 years left on his deal, is destined to leave Indy anyways, and who many wonder if he's legitimately a superstar anymore? No thanks.

Yep---too much. Bird would be laughing about how he was smarter than Ainge and McHale after this. ( considering that Ainge got the better of the Minny deal )

[Evantime34]

I thought most of the deals were reasonable.

I'm all for trading for a star, because that star is probably going to be more valuable than any package we send out. Everyone loves the draft, but draft picks are a crap-shoot, a current superstar is close to a sure thing.

Even if a star doesn't elevate us to championship level, as long as we retain some young players and picks we can still improve. That a trade doesn't make us better than Cleveland immediately doesn't mean it's not a good deal for us.

I think doing a deal in terms of whether or not it makes us better than Cleveland is too black and white/binary way to think. If the star is more valuable than the player who ends up being picked with the Nets pick plus other players then we should do it. If we pass up an opportunity to trade for a star (provided the price isn't too much) we never know when the next star will become available.

[byennie]

The usual suspects: Boogie, Butler, and George.

None of them in isolation bring us to the ECF, let alone win us a ring.

We would need two of them (without trading away players from our team) to become a contendor. I don't see a trade allowing this to happen.

I do not want to trade valuable picks for players that don't get us to where we want to be (playing GSW in game 7).

We're 1 game out of the #2 seed in the east, and adding an All-Star *in isolation* isn't enough for ECF?

How are you going to trade for them in isolation? You have to give up contracts to get someone.

Of course. Not my phrase. That said, we could deal Zeller, Young, Jackson, etc from our bench plus draft picks and essentially add a guy w/o losing anyone in our rotation. If we get a Butler, Cousins, George etc without giving up any of our top-8 players, that would be mostly in isolation relative to this season- and definitely makes us favorites along with CLE in the east.

[dreamgreen]

Give me the Brow!