So without a large trade next years Celtics...

[ssspence]

Our bench for next year sucks right now.

  Our starting lineup in 2025 is horrible right now as well.

Well, we have a lot of cap space then. We'll be well over the cap next summer.

  Well, if you're able to authoritatively predict how much cap room we'll have in 15 years then I guess I'll have to take your word for next year's poor bench.

Considering your glib remarks about... whatever you're talking about.... I'm assuming you don't plan to add anything interesting about Boston's thin crew for next year and financial constraints.

  Other than we had no cap room last year and still signed some players? They'll have Sheed and Baby. They can sign Nate and TA without using the MLE. I don't see the crisis.

Sure. Guess the status quo will do.

  Are you serious? You go from saying our bench will suck next year to complaining about the status quo? Pick a side and stick with it.

You called the bench good, not me. Our bench has been better the last 3,4 games. It's been wildly inconsistent otherwise. Meanwhile, the starters need them more and more.

The kool-aid you drink is your problem, not mine.

Meanwhile, when you have a meaningful plan to upgrade this team over the summer, I'm all ears.

 I never called our bench good. I never called our bench bad. I just made light of your nonsensical comment about the fact that, as of February 18th, our bench for the 2010-2011 season sucks. Clearly my explaining that we won't necessarily have a bad bench because we could sign most of the players we have now and still have the MLE makes me a kool-aid drinker. Heaven forbid I take a fairly objective look at the team when I could be wringing my hands because KG and Paul will never be even slightly healthier than they are now.

Take a look thru the thread. What fairly objective look are you talking about? That looking at next year is like looking ahead to 2025? That we signed some players last season so it’ll all work out? That’s just arguing for arguments sake, not objectivity. 

Players signed on the Cs bench for next season are Sheed and Baby. The Celtics have very limited financial options (for example, no LLE, lack of Bird Rights on key players) in maintaining their current players should they wish to, or to add new players – whether for the bench or the starting line up. That’s an objective view. There’s nothing subjective about it.

If we want to be subjective, we can discuss what a disappointment the bench has been this season despite all the chatter about how ‘deep’ the Celtics are. Or that the guy we signed last summer and who will take up a big chunk of our 2010-2011 payroll (Sheed) has been the worst offseason signing league-wide thus far and appears to not care a lick on a night-to-night basis. Or maybe we can talk about what on earth the bench players were on last night? It looked like they’d all been snarfing nitrous balloons before the game. How about Quis’ line? 13 minutes, 0 points on 0-0 shooting, 1 board, 2 turnovers, minus 19 while on the floor. Wow. Those of Davis, Sheed and TA are just as ugly.

Happy to take it there if you like, though there doesn’t seem to be much to say – the group will obviously have to improve for the Cs to have a good chance of winning a championship this spring. Maybe Nate can provide the spark needed. In the meantime, I’m open to hearing a more detailed, objective plan about how the Cs are going to improve their team over the summer. With the trade deadline gone, and for the financial reasons I stated, it’s my belief that it’s going to be very difficult and if the team doesn’t win in 2010, more drastic measures will likely have to be considered than resigning Tony Allen or Marquis Daniels if we hope to continue to be a genuinely competitive ballclub.

[wiley]

I tend to think that if we win a title this year we will then be too tired to repeat next year....
That may be also true if we come very close but don't win it....

But if we have a second consecutive early exit from playoffs, and KG can get healthier for next year than he was this year, then I think we could win a title next year with a similar team and a solid addition....all health dependent....

I'd be tempted to change the starting lineup next year to Rondo, TA, Pierce, Sheed, Perk
With Ray. KG and Baby(center) off the bench and of course Ray and KG in at the end of games....

[BballTim]

Take a look thru the thread. What fairly objective look are you talking about? That looking at next year is like looking ahead to 2025? That we signed some players last season so it’ll all work out? That’s just arguing for arguments sake, not objectivity. 

  Sure, let's start there. Looking at next year's bench only in terms of players that are currently signed through nexxt year is somewhat like looking ahead to 2025. It's ridiculous, unless your claim is that we won't attempt to re-sign any of our players that will be out of contract. What's your objective basis for making that claim?

Players signed on the Cs bench for next season are Sheed and Baby. The Celtics have very limited financial options (for example, no LLE, lack of Bird Rights on key players) in maintaining their current players should they wish to, or to add new players – whether for the bench or the starting line up. That’s an objective view. There’s nothing subjective about it.

  The Celts can re-sign TA, Scal and Nate (and possibly Marquis) without needing to dip into their MLE. That's an equally objective view. You're trying to portray the situation as we have to fill our entire bench aside from Baby and Sheed with the MLE and minimum contracts and draft picks. That's obviously not the case.

In the meantime, I’m open to hearing a more detailed, objective plan about how the Cs are going to improve their team over the summer. With the trade deadline gone, and for the financial reasons I stated, it’s my belief that it’s going to be very difficult and if the team doesn’t win in 2010, more drastic measures will likely have to be considered than resigning Tony Allen or Marquis Daniels if we hope to continue to be a genuinely competitive ballclub.

  Sure, but if we're going to be objective we have to consider the fact that, barring a setback, KG's knee will likely be healthier next year than it has been or will be at any time this year. It's the same healing track that almost every other athlete would be on, and I don't consider him to be an exception. If KG's healthier, Rondo and Perk continue to improve and we make good use of our MLE then how drastic do the measures that we take need to be?