"Change on C's Horizon" Boston Herald article

[Eddie20]

Didn't see this on here, so I figured some might like to read. Murphy gives a breakdown of the roster and speculates who will be back...

http://bostonherald.com/sports/celtics_nba/boston_celtics/2014/04/change_on_celtics_horizon

Change on Celtics' horizon


Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Author(s):
Mark Murphy

There’s much Brad Stevens wants to change by next season.

The Celtics coach, for instance, wants to cut back on his lineup changes. Injuries and the ebb and flow of a lottery team made that goal virtually impossible in 2013-14.

Stevens employed 24 different starting lineups. Twelve different players — from Vitor Faverani’s eight starts to Jeff Green’s team-high 82 — were part of the first five at some stage this season.

He admits to not knowing what changes are about to come via the NBA draft and free agency — especially with one of the league’s renowned risk-takers leading the front office. But roster stability never is a bad thing to wish for.

“First the goal is to be a lot better, but the thing I would like to do is have less guesswork going into it regarding who the rotation will be,” Stevens said. “Doesn’t mean they won’t change based on their work ethic, based on their commitment level, based on injury, based on performance, but to have a better idea of it going in of who the guys in your rotation are and how they will fit. That way you’re not trying to figure out who’s playing; you’re trying to figure out how they’re playing.”

But first, some players will depart. It’s not a stretch to think that at least half the players on this season’s roster could be in another uniform for 2014-15. Everything will pivot on the May 20 lottery followed by draft night itself, and whether the Celtics are able to net a great young talent.

Nobody on a 25-57 team ever is truly untouchable.

Joel Anthony

Celtics stats: 20 games, 0.7 points, 1.1 rebounds per game.

Skinny: The backup center has indicated he will pick up a $3.8 million player option for next season, an amount that would have been difficult for the veteran to recoup once free agency begins July 1. But he will continue to have trade value.

Chris Babb

Celtics stats: 14 games, 9.3 minutes, 1.7 points per game.

Skinny: He’s loved by the coaching staff as a hustler who understands that the way to survive as a role player is through work in the defensive end. He was signed with three non-guaranteed years on his contract, starting next season at $816,450. He’s an easy throw-in and an inexpensive player at the end of the roster.

Brandon Bass

Celtics stats: 82 games, 11.0 points, 5.7 rebounds per game.

Skinny: Perhaps the steadiest player on the roster, he won the Auerbach Award. But considering he nearly was dealt to Houston as part of a package for Omer Asik, C’s president Danny Ainge easily could revisit talks with Rockets general manager Daryl Morey. If the Celtics don’t land Kansas center Joel Embiid on draft night, Asik and thus Bass could be back in play. Celtics assistant Ron Adams, who coached Asik in Chicago, considers the young Turk the best defender he’s ever worked with.

Jerryd Bayless

Celtics stats: 41 games, 10.1 points, 3.1 assists per game.

Skinny: Bayless, an impending free agent, ideally is a third guard on a team that has nothing but third guards beyond Rajon Rondo. He would like to stay but probably could do better elsewhere. His biggest value is as a sign-and-trade chip.

Keith Bogans

Celtics stats: Six games.

Skinny: Bogans quickly forgot why he was brought north from the Nets, for an expiring $5 million contract (plus two non-guaranteed seasons) that instantly became a great trade asset. Leading candidate to be traded and released.

Avery Bradley

Celtics stats: 60 games, 14.8 points per game, .394 on 3-pointers.

Skinny: He’s an undersized shooting guard — ideally a third guard — who made great strides as a shooter late in the season. His pull-up 3-pointer is a legitimate weapon. He also turned down a four-year, $24 million extension from the C’s that will be hard to recoup now as a restricted free agent. He’s never had a healthy season and might be the kind of player who sacrifices his body too much to stay on the floor. He’s a sign-and-trade option.

Vitor Faverani

Celtics stats: 37 games, 4.4 points, 3.5 rebounds per game.

Skinny: The Brazilian rookie center faces a summer of rehabilitation from knee surgery, and at the relatively advanced age of 27, he might not have much trade value. But the Celtics need rim protection. They want to see more.

Jeff Green

Celtics stats: 82 games, 16.8 points per game, .389 on field goals.

Skinny: He was a volume scorer and shooter on a bad team, with two more years at $9.2 million each — the second not guaranteed — left on his contract. He’s eminently available if there’s a contender who believes Green can fit in as a third or fourth guy.

Kris Humphries

Celtics stats: 69 games, 8.4 points, 5.9 rebounds per game.

Skinny: The impending free agent wants to stay — it would have to be for a fraction of the $12 million he earned this season — and given steady minutes, he’s a double-double machine. That’s also what makes Humphries appealing to contenders as a role player. C’s coaches, though, value his professionalism and leadership with younger players.

Chris Johnson

Celtics stats: 40 games, 6.2 points per game, .391 on field goals.

Skinny: Combine Johnson’s relentless motor with Green’s talent and athleticism, and you have an All-Star. The rookie’s energy and knack for little things should earn him a spot late in the rotation. But like Babb and Phil Pressey, he has three non-guaranteed years left. He easily could be included in an outbound package.

Kelly Olynyk

Celtics stats: 70 games, 8.4 points, 5.2 rebounds per game.

Skinny: Injuries and opportunity found the rookie power forward in good form during the last month of the season. He’s a gifted playmaker who does wonders for offensive movement, but has a long way to go defensively. No one on this roster is off limits, but Olynyk is a nice piece for the future.

Phil Pressey

Celtics stats: 75 games, 2.8 points, 3.1 assists per game.

Skinny: Opportunity made all the difference for this undrafted 5-foot-8 rookie. He was able to not only show off his playmaking capabilities, but the toughness that already has carried Pressey further than most thought possible. He has three non-guaranteed years on his contract. To repeat, everyone on this team is a trade option. Even the next guy . . .

Rajon Rondo

Celtics stats: 30 games, 11.7 points, 9.8 assists, 5.5 rebounds per game, .403 on field goals.

Skinny: So much depends on where the Celtics end up in the draft lottery, as well as whom they take on draft night. If a point guard along the lines of Dante Exum or Marcus Smart is available, much thought will be given to what Rondo can fetch in a trade. But the combinations of picks and players are endless. He’s the cornerstone of this franchise, as co-owner Wyc Grousbeck has said. Unless that right deal comes along . . .

Gerald Wallace

Celtics stats: 58 games, 5.1 points, 3.7 rebounds per game.

Skinny: His frank assessments sometimes made management cringe, but Wallace had great value as a leader, albeit one no longer capable of a substantial offensive role. With two more years and $20 million left on his contract, Wallace is here.

Jared Sullinger

Celtics stats: 74 games, 13.3 points, 8.1 rebounds per game, .269 on 3-pointers.

Skinny: He’s one of the best young post scorers in the NBA, and along with Olynyk a terrific facilitator. That 3-point shooting percentage might look like a blemish, but with the coaching staff encouraging Sullinger to stretch the floor, he improved from downtown considerably late in the season. They do, however, want better conditioning, a message he seems to have taken to heart. He should be one of the new faces of the franchise.

Then again . . .

[Celtics39]

Nobody on a 25-57 team ever is truly untouchable.

So this guy thinks that Kevin Durant could've been traded when the Seattle Sonics went 20-62 in 08, or the next year when OKC went 23-59 in 09? Interesting...

[PhoSita]

Nobody on a 25-57 team ever is truly untouchable.

So this guy thinks that Kevin Durant could've been traded when the Seattle Sonics went 20-62 in 08, or the next year when OKC went 23-59 in 09? Interesting...

Back then, I recall that there were still questions about Durant's game.  Could he be a truly efficient scorer?  Could he develop other aspects of his game (rebounding, defense, passing)?  Could he be the main guy on a team that actually wins games?

He was probably close to untouchable, but not entirely so if somebody had offered Seattle an established superstar or something -- e.g. Dwight Howard.

[D.o.s.]

Right -- Durant was essentially where DeMarcus Cousins was a couple years ago (and arguably still is).

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

thanks for the link!

[PhoSita]

Right -- Durant was essentially where DeMarcus Cousins was a couple years ago (and arguably still is).

I think Durant has more than proved that he's a great, winning player at this point.  No, he hasn't won the title yet, but I think any team of decent players with Durant on it would win a lot of games.  He's probably going to win the MVP this season, and unlike Derrick Rose a few years back, he 100% deserves it.


Cousins is in the same boat as Kevin Love -- statistically dominant.  Is probably gonna be a 20/10 guy for years to come, barring major injuries.  But he's yet to show he can be the main guy on a good team.

[Birdman]

Offseason will be more entertaining than when the C's were playing 

[slamtheking]

sad that the one player who is by far the most likely to still be on the roster next year is Wallace.

[D.o.s.]

Right -- Durant was essentially where DeMarcus Cousins was a couple years ago (and arguably still is).

I think Durant has more than proved that he's a great, winning player at this point.  No, he hasn't won the title yet, but I think any team of decent players with Durant on it would win a lot of games.  He's probably going to win the MVP this season, and unlike Derrick Rose a few years back, he 100% deserves it.


Cousins is in the same boat as Kevin Love -- statistically dominant.  Is probably gonna be a 20/10 guy for years to come, barring major injuries.  But he's yet to show he can be the main guy on a good team.

I was speaking of Durant in those early, bad Sonics/OKC years.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

sad that the one player who is by far the most likely to still be on the roster next year is Wallace.

yep.