What will make this offseason a Success?

[green_bballers13]

I'm confused by the difference in opinion in the Re-grade Danny Offseason thread. I saw a couple F's and I couldn't understand it.

I'm a big Kyrie fan, and think that he's a top 10 scorer in the league that has yet to play his best basketball.

I'm also a big IT fan. I just think he had a good run here, and it was time to hitch our wagon to a player that has more potential.

Basic moves:

In:
Kyrie
Gordon
Tatum
Morris
Baynes

Out:
IT
Avery
Crowder
Amir
Kelly

So.... what will need to happen for you to think that this offseason was a success?

I already think they have improved on paper, so I'm fine as is.

[Roy H.]

There's a big difference between "a success" and "an A", isn't there?

I can't imagine anything will change my opinion to an A at this point. Perhaps in hindsight.

[green_bballers13]

There's a big difference between "a success" and "an A", isn't there?

I can't imagine anything will change my opinion to an A at this point. Perhaps in hindsight.

Yeah, I just changed it. Good call. I'm using them interchangeably.

The question really is: what will the Celtics need to achieve in 2018 and beyond to make this offseason worthwhile.

Is it by beating the Cavs in the ECF? Beating the Warriors in the finals? I think they can beat CLE but GS is crazy good.

I'm just wondering what standards people are placing on Danny and the Celtics. Is it championship or bust, or are there intermediate steps that they could be taking to better position themselves in the future?

[GreenGoggles]

I think it already is an A. We upgraded at the 1 and 3 and 4 spots, cleared more playing time for our young high potential players and drafted what looks to be another stud.

Easily an A of an off season. Only thing that sucked a little was trading the Brooklyn pick without a protection on it.

[Granath]

You forgot a couple of things:

In:
Kyrie
Gordon
Tatum
Morris
Baynes

Out:
IT
Avery
Crowder
Amir
Kelly
Zizic
BKYN 2018 pick (likely top 5)


On a side note, I find it really interesting that some of the same people who were high on Zizic earlier this year treat his inclusion in the trade like some sort of irrelevant throw-in. CB cognitive dissonance perhaps? But I digress...

I give the offseason a B. The team got younger and more athletic for sure. Hayward is a massive addition to the team. But Danny also rolled the dice and gambled on a guy who, if he doesn't improve, is little more than a 25 year old version of IT. And to get that guy, he gave up IT and a host of other assets.

It's a gamble. If it pays off, he has a core of Hayward, Kyrie, Tatum, Brown and Smart (assuming Smart is resigned) all of whom are young. Barring injuries or players leaving that's a core that could have about an 8 year window (at which point Hayward would be 35 and Kyrie 33). That's a long window and a core like that will attract other players to fill in the gaps.

That looks good on paper. Whether it works on the court or not is a different story. Is Irving truly ready to play defense and lead? Does the locker room mesh? Can we find someone to replace Horford in two years without having the luxury of two top picks in the coming draft? Danny rolled the dice and gutted an ECF team that, if healthy, might have already been good enough to take out Cleveland without the Irving trade. So I give a "B" based on drafting Tatum, getting Morris for Bradley and getting Hayward. I'm giving the Irving trade an "I" until we see if he's ready to be a #1 which includes playing defense.

[Big333223]

I wish their was an easier way but I think the only way to really find out if the offseason was a success will be to see how the team actually plays this year. If the team wins more games and advances farther in the playoffs after having gotten a little younger, it will be hard to argue the offseason as something other than a success.

[Eja117]

Trip to finals. Do well in finals. Make everyone want to play here.