are we a playoffs contenders if kg pp jet and doc stayed?

[MISSERY]

so you are picking the raptors to win in a crucial 7 game series?

Yes.

As much as defending Lowry has been a problem, I think that Pierce, KG, and Kirilenko have all looked like they've been playing in cement at times.  It's probably not a coincidence that the Nets made their huge run with those guys on the bench.

so if kg and pierce will not bring celtics to championship hopes if they have stayed and same as the nets
with lopez injury, do you think they made the right decision by signing jason collins? he is the guy i think can at least defend  valenciunas 1on1

Jason Collins sucks.

I was glad when he was gone, and was glad when he went to another team. God forbid, we tried to pick him up for no reason, but to add publicity, which is exactly what the Nets did.

There is a reason why Collins came out. It isn't, because he wanted to go down in history as the first gay basketball player, but that it would've helped him find another place willing to take him in for the extra media press.

Collins can't guard a fly, and only thing he can do remotely well is set good screens.

I don't think he came out just for the press, but I agree that he's not a particularly remarkable NBA player at this state of his career.

Would say its a mix of both.

Collins had been looking for a job for a while now. He stated that he desperately wanted to join any team, and even rebuilding teams wouldn't matter. He just wanted to play.

It isn't coincidental that the moment he came out, majority of teams were now 'interested,' in him.

i think this is all media and the number one best selling jersey, and the 1st team to acquire a 1st openly gay player

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

Did you see the hobbled team we made it in with last season? Of course we make it to the playoffs and probably a decent seed seeing as the east STUNK TO HIGH HEAVEN this season. Contenders? No sir, I doubt we would make it far enough to see Mia, if we did, I think we would give them more trouble than you'd think, basically we would be matchup dependent.

AB was much better offensively and with KG he wouldn't have to worry about how bad our bigs were because KG would help and also make our bigs better with his coaching.

Jeff would probably be playoffs Jeff if PP is here and taking pressure off of him.

Sully would have no choice but to work harder b/c KG would chew him out (also help make him better), so he would probably have been a double double machine by mid season and ready to take off by playoff time.

Kelly may not have gotten 20 mins a game but who knows how much better he would be defensively with KG giving him the tricks of the trade (he already works hard). Maybe he would have gotten those same mins because KG can't play too much and Hump wouldn't be here to take any mins. Kelly also made our offense better, imagine being out there with PP.

Bass would have been the same old reliable Bass.

Still would have Lee who was shooting lights out and with AB could hound on defense.

Crawford would have been just fine as starter until RR came back and then be a nice sub off the bench after.

Press would probably see those same mins when RR was out but be a break the glass guy when he came back.

I know we stunk record wise but we weren't as bad as it looked, we lost a LOT of close ones... with PP, I doubt we lose as many as we did.

Then you add to it that PP is still where he wants to be and not in a situation where he is forced to be a marginal role player and I could see him still performing much better than with BKN. They wouldn't have to work on chemistry, they had it here.


I'm sure I'm missing some points but I don't feel like typing more.

[Celtics4ever]

Playoffs yes, but contenders I think not.  A contender is someone who can win it.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

At this point, KG looks pretty cooked.  As a fan, I supported keeping the guys in green, but Danny made the right call.

yup. 2012 conference finals was his last hurrah basically and DA knew it.

so the raptors are 3 and nets are 2
are the nets winning it in a crucial 7 game series and move to the 2nd round playoffs

so if the nets are a 1st round exit team, this trade is win-win for us and a loss for brooklyn?

I think the Raptors will win one of the next two.

I see the trade as a win for us, and I think Brooklyn would reverse it if they could.

Agreed

[MISSERY]

At this point, KG looks pretty cooked.  As a fan, I supported keeping the guys in green, but Danny made the right call.

yup. 2012 conference finals was his last hurrah basically and DA knew it.

so the raptors are 3 and nets are 2
are the nets winning it in a crucial 7 game series and move to the 2nd round playoffs

so if the nets are a 1st round exit team, this trade is win-win for us and a loss for brooklyn?

I think the Raptors will win one of the next two.

I see the trade as a win for us, and I think Brooklyn would reverse it if they could.

Agreed

i like to see a nets and heat 2nd round, fun to watch

[LarBrd33]

We wouldn't have been "contenders"... we haven't been "contenders" since mid 2011.   But those guys would have carried us into the playoffs again with a .500 record.   

Ainge decided it was in our best interest to tank the season.  He was right.

[slamtheking]

we'd get to the playoffs and possibly to the second round.  ImShak had some good points regarding what the team would be like going into the playoffs.  thing is, we'd probably still have Doc so KO's season would never be.

once Rondo returned, the guard rotation of Rondo, AB, Lee, Crawford and Pressey would have been pretty solid against just about any other team in the East.

PP and Green at SF would be solid.

Frontcourt of Sully, Bass, KG and Fav would have had major issues.  KO would not get time under Doc.  No real proven center to eat up minutes and allow KG to cut his minutes back.  Also, KG seems to have dropped off a cliff this year in terms of offensive performance.  Team's D has been in decline since Thibs left, this year would have seen a bigger decline independent of KG's individual decline.

C's would have had enough talent to take out anyone besides the Heat and Indy but not a guarantee that they could.  With Indy's implosion, they may have gotten past them as well.  There would be enough depth to throw at Wade and Lebron but Bosh would have a field day against that line-up of bigs.

[the_Bird]

One thing to keep in mind, if they HAD kept KG and Pierce, they wouldn't have given away Jordan Crawford and Courtney Lee.  As much as you respect a kid like Chris Johnson, if he's playing 20 minutes a game you aren't winning very many.  Danny also would have been more motivated to get a deal for Asik completed (giving up Bass and picks, perhaps?)

It's not hard to imagine a team of:

A motivated-Rondo (Jordan Crawford backing him up)
AB/Courtney Lee (playing very well as of late), Jason Terry fitting into the backcourt somewhere
Pierce/Green
Sully/KO
KG/Asik

Not sore that's a championship squad, but it's a team you wouldn't want to face in the playoffs. 

And, I'm not saying that getting the draft picks for KG/Pierce/Doc was the wrong thing to do, but we'd still be watching Celtics basketball if they hadn't gotten rid of those guys.

[Quetzalcoatl]

I feel like that with DWill and Joe Johnson, the Nets have more firepower than any potential line up we could have put out this year.  They are about to lose in the first round to Toronto.  As a result, we have 3 of their first rounders and the rights to switch firsts with them in 2017.  We made out like total bandits and we're going to have the opportunity to do a lot more than lose to Toronto going forward.

[celticpride1]

Jet was nothing with us last year. PP love him to death same as KG but the time was right to dump them for a huge ransom that may turn out to be the trade of the century after its all said and done.

[Mr October]

At this point, KG looks pretty cooked.  As a fan, I supported keeping the guys in green, but Danny made the right call.

Yup. KG has officially stayed 1 year in the NBA too long. He is a shell of himself.

If Ainge hadn't made the trade we might have the Hawks spot, but i don't even see that. We probably win 35 games. Rondo would still have been at less than full strength.

[cb8883]

The Celtics would have been in the playoffs. That much is a given. But as someone else mentioned they would have been in the Hawks spot. Brooklyn wouldn't have made it and everyone currently in the playoffs would have moved up a spot. No thanks to that. The draft will be much more exciting anyways.

[Mr October]

True, if Lopez still gets injured, the Nets dont make the playoffs, and the Celtics do.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

I feel like that with DWill and Joe Johnson, the Nets have more firepower than any potential line up we could have put out this year.  They are about to lose in the first round to Toronto.  As a result, we have 3 of their first rounders and the rights to switch firsts with them in 2017.  We made out like total bandits and we're going to have the opportunity to do a lot more than lose to Toronto going forward.

yup