There may be players on our team who would play better in a more consistent rotation. It's psychological. Olynyk might be one of those guys. That's the $15M question. At that price he would need to start. He does for Canada, and it's like Game 7 Olynyk every night.
Subtracting Amir might result in an addition by subtraction situation if we end up keeping KO.
If only two things could happen at the same time: 1) McHale comes to assistant coach, and 2) someone finally shows him where the weight room is. KO lifting weights should scare opponents alright!
The other addition by subtraction could be clearing out a starting spot for Jaylen Brown. A trade of Bradley or Crowder though...tough call.
Also replacing Smart with a player that also has an offensive game would be an upgrade. We might already have that guy in Rozier.
Plenty of room to grow and improve, but we'll never know without trading the guys holding the spots ahead of them. Olynyk, Brown, and Rozier clearly have the talent but they don't have the consistency yet, though with enough minutes to play through mistakes we might start to see a roster that just might have potential.
Excellent stuff.
Cool idea about bringing the great Kevin McHale back, one of the most skilled big men in history. We all can imagine how much knowledge and wisdom he would impart to the Cs' young bigs. I could see him getting along particularly well with Zizic. As you probably recall, Kevin is of Croatian descent on his mother's side.
I've always believed that KO has been largely mismanaged in his time with the Celtics, whether in terms of erratic court time and/or frequently being on one of the shortest leashes in the NBA.
As you mention, in those situations where his role has been clearly defined and it has been understood that he was a central part of the plan, he has been rock solid and prospered, like at Gonzaga and on the Canadian National team, a workhorse, really. This undoubtedly is what Danny saw in him and expected from him when he made the moves to acquire him.
Some guys just need to know you believe in them. Armed with that knowledge, they proceed to do outstanding if not great things. KO is likely such a player.
I really believe his best ball is in front of him and hope that there is some way the Cs can hold on to him and that, of course, Brad gives him a chance to play with a minimum of strings attached.
When he plays near his diverse capabilities, the Celts almost always win.
