prediction....Ainge reloads next year but this team will look different.

[cman88]

all this talk about if KG will retire, i'm not buying it...both WOJ/Jmac have said that there is movement to resign KG on a 1 year deal...I dont see anything changing in less than a week

with a Weak free agent class this year and a supposedly "so so" draft class next year, I think ainge is going to do his best to put a contending team out there.

I have a feeling Ainge uses his 2 late first rounders(and maybe Bass if he wants to leave or Ray) to move up into the lottery to take either a Power-forward or a Shooting guard(austin rivers maybe?)

so, potentially you could see a team next year

Rondo/Moore
Bradley/Lottery pick
Pierce/Green
Bass/JJJ
KG/FA center/Steimsma

[action781]

A random scenario regarding reloading that I'd like to get on paper...

Memphis wants to get rid of Rudy Gay it seems?  I'm guessing mostly because of his contract.  Would they be interested in Pierce's shorter deal?  + a draft pick?

If we could swing that trade (or something similar) and bring back Bass at his option, resign Jeff Green and KG, then we'd have next year:

Rondo/Bradley/Gay/Bass/KG with Green as a 6th man.  Very solid team, 4 seed type, with potential to make noise in the playoffs similarly to this season if certain things fall into place.

Then Josh Smith is a free agent the next offseason.  If we were prudent in what we spent on our bench and got KG for less than 10M per year and let Bass walk, the following season we could have enough cap space to sign Smith and have a starting lineup of:

Rondo/Bradley/Gay/Smith/Center(Maybe KG) with Green as a 6th man.

I think this would be one of the most talented lineups in the league.  And it would be built around a young core that could contend for several years and be built around an excellent defensive group of players.  And it would be a very fun team to watch.

I know people want to keep Pierce in town and I know Gay is overpaid, but I want to see a team contend and I think this team could do so for quite a few years.

[tyrone biggums]

A random scenario regarding reloading that I'd like to get on paper...

Memphis wants to get rid of Rudy Gay it seems?  I'm guessing mostly because of his contract.  Would they be interested in Pierce's shorter deal?  + a draft pick?

If we could swing that trade (or something similar) and bring back Bass at his option, resign Jeff Green and KG, then we'd have next year:

Rondo/Bradley/Gay/Bass/KG with Green as a 6th man.  Very solid team, 4 seed type, with potential to make noise in the playoffs similarly to this season if certain things fall into place.

Then Josh Smith is a free agent the next offseason.  If we were prudent in what we spent on our bench and got KG for less than 10M per year and let Bass walk, the following season we could have enough cap space to sign Smith and have a starting lineup of:

Rondo/Bradley/Gay/Smith/Center(Maybe KG) with Green as a 6th man.

I think this would be one of the most talented lineups in the league.  And it would be built around a young core that could contend for several years and be built around an excellent defensive group of players.  And it would be a very fun team to watch.

I know people want to keep Pierce in town and I know Gay is overpaid, but I want to see a team contend and I think this team could do so for quite a few years.

The problem with Gay is this

1)He's unable to stay healthy for an extended period of time

2)His production peaked when he signed that extension

I'd rather take Pierce and the rest of his contract over taking Gay's bloated one. If you could assure me he'd be the player he was before signing that deal with Memphis then we could talk. I would hate a lineup with Gay and Smith as they're the same type of player only Smith is better.

[Who]

A random scenario regarding reloading that I'd like to get on paper...

Memphis wants to get rid of Rudy Gay it seems?  I'm guessing mostly because of his contract.  Would they be interested in Pierce's shorter deal?  + a draft pick?

If we could swing that trade (or something similar) and bring back Bass at his option, resign Jeff Green and KG, then we'd have next year:

Rondo/Bradley/Gay/Bass/KG with Green as a 6th man.  Very solid team, 4 seed type, with potential to make noise in the playoffs similarly to this season if certain things fall into place.

Then Josh Smith is a free agent the next offseason.  If we were prudent in what we spent on our bench and got KG for less than 10M per year and let Bass walk, the following season we could have enough cap space to sign Smith and have a starting lineup of:

Rondo/Bradley/Gay/Smith/Center(Maybe KG) with Green as a 6th man.

I think this would be one of the most talented lineups in the league.  And it would be built around a young core that could contend for several years and be built around an excellent defensive group of players.  And it would be a very fun team to watch.

I know people want to keep Pierce in town and I know Gay is overpaid, but I want to see a team contend and I think this team could do so for quite a few years.

I would be very happy with a Paul Pierce for Rudy Gay trade.

I think a Rondo-Gay duo would be very attractive to key FAs in future off-seasons.

[action781]

A random scenario regarding reloading that I'd like to get on paper...

Memphis wants to get rid of Rudy Gay it seems?  I'm guessing mostly because of his contract.  Would they be interested in Pierce's shorter deal?  + a draft pick?

If we could swing that trade (or something similar) and bring back Bass at his option, resign Jeff Green and KG, then we'd have next year:

Rondo/Bradley/Gay/Bass/KG with Green as a 6th man.  Very solid team, 4 seed type, with potential to make noise in the playoffs similarly to this season if certain things fall into place.

Then Josh Smith is a free agent the next offseason.  If we were prudent in what we spent on our bench and got KG for less than 10M per year and let Bass walk, the following season we could have enough cap space to sign Smith and have a starting lineup of:

Rondo/Bradley/Gay/Smith/Center(Maybe KG) with Green as a 6th man.

I think this would be one of the most talented lineups in the league.  And it would be built around a young core that could contend for several years and be built around an excellent defensive group of players.  And it would be a very fun team to watch.

I know people want to keep Pierce in town and I know Gay is overpaid, but I want to see a team contend and I think this team could do so for quite a few years.

I would be very happy with a Paul Pierce for Rudy Gay trade.

I think a Rondo-Gay duo would be very attractive to key FAs in future off-seasons.

I think so as well and I think the underrated part of this core would be Avery Bradley.  The three of them would form a phenomenal 1-3 defensive trio while Rondo and Bradley's low combined salary would allow the cap space to sign that key FA.

[LarBrd33]

I think this team had an incredible run considering what they were dealing with.  I think they absolutely overachieved.  Next year, I think our best option is to bring everyone back (especially KG), but add some help.  Hopefully that means Jeff Green, our rookies (or rookie if we trade up)... I don't think we'll have any cap space after re-signing everyone, but we might have a MLE to use.  

Next year, I truly believe our team will be better.  Unfortunately, that doesn't mean we'll get as far as we did this year.

Note:  Don't count on any Paul Pierce trade.  He supposedly already blocked a trade to the Nets at the trade deadline.  I'm under the impression he'd rather retire than play outside Boston.  Good news is that Paul Pierce for the next two years will remain a better basketball player than Rudy Gay (or Danny Granger... or any other overpaid younger small forward you can think of)... and our window to legitimately compete for a title only remains open as long as Kevin Garnett continues to play for Boston at a high level (which at most is 2 years anyways).