Shaughnessy: "For this year's Celtics, optimism may be trumping reality"

[mef730]

Don't know if it's behind a paywall, but it's the usual stuff: No interior D, Kemba can't carry the team, etc.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/celtics/2019/10/20/for-this-year-celtics-optimism-may-trumping-reality/lySYn4Uiavu9K9e98rp6kM/story.html

Mike

[saltlover]

Optimist Celtics are much more fun to watch than Shaughnessy Celtics.

[footey]

Such a typical Shaughnessy piece. 

"Let me think of all of things that are sure to annoy the [Celtic][Patriots][Red Sox] fan base, and throw something together."

He has made a career out of doing that.

[Moranis]

He isn't wrong though.  The team is worse than last year's team. 

[saltlover]

Such a typical Shaughnessy piece. 

"Let me think of all of things that are sure to annoy the [Celtic][Patriots][Red Sox] fan base, and throw something together."

He has made a career out of doing that.

Yep.  It sets him up nicely for the end of season article when a team doesn’t win a title.  “Ultimately the lack of an elite scorer and a true rim protector doomed the was too much to overcome.”  Since virtually no team is ever more likely than not to win a title, it’s an easy gig.  And in the off chance a team does win, he can pretend he was there all along: “Despite not starting anyone taller than 6’8”, the Celtics relied on chemistry and grit to form a cohesive defense, reaching the goals set for last year’s more talented squad.”

[MichiganAdam]

There is a difference between having less talent and having a worse team.  In reality, I'm not sure they even have less talent.  Sure KW and EK have less talent than KI and AH, but they added Poirier, and those draft picks over baynes and Yabu.  They certainly upgraded talent at the bottom of the roster, while losing some at the top.  Time will tell, but I can very easily see a better team(more wins) despite less high end talent due to fit, improvements in the JT, JB, GH type players, and better end of roster talent.

[saltlover]

He isn't wrong though.  The team is worse than last year's team.

You can be wrong together.  Can’t wait for the real games to start!

[gpap]

We'll see. One game at a time.

[Atzar]

While I think it's smart to temper expectations for this group, I also have no use for anything Shaughnessy writes. 

[Surferdad]

There is a difference between having less talent and having a worse team.  In reality, I'm not sure they even have less talent.  Sure KW and EK have less talent than KI and AH, but they added Poirier, and those draft picks over baynes and Yabu.  They certainly upgraded talent at the bottom of the roster, while losing some at the top.  Time will tell, but I can very easily see a better team(more wins) despite less high end talent due to fit, improvements in the JT, JB, GH type players, and better end of roster talent.

Good response to Moranis.  This team hasn't played one real game yet so impossible to judge better or worse.

[gift]

There is a difference between having less talent and having a worse team.  In reality, I'm not sure they even have less talent.  Sure KW and EK have less talent than KI and AH, but they added Poirier, and those draft picks over baynes and Yabu.  They certainly upgraded talent at the bottom of the roster, while losing some at the top.  Time will tell, but I can very easily see a better team(more wins) despite less high end talent due to fit, improvements in the JT, JB, GH type players, and better end of roster talent.

Good response to Moranis.  This team hasn't played one real game yet so impossible to judge better or worse.

Yep, there's a reason they play the games.

[Roy H.]

Such a typical Shaughnessy piece. 

"Let me think of all of things that are sure to annoy the [Celtic][Patriots][Red Sox] fan base, and throw something together."

He has made a career out of doing that.

Yeah, he’s a professional troll.

[tstorey_97]

If you've been paying attention over the years..."if it bleeds? It leads." has always been the media rallying cry. The TV and newspaper media folks I've known always referred to their industry as "the dark side" and in all my years, I've never learned anything that would prove that label wrong.

I am an optimist in general and this year in particular.

Teams are not defined by clouds of statistics on paper. They define themselves.

Each team has weaknesses they must overcome. Steven's teams have a strong regular season track record and, lacking the arrival of an important "big" on the roster, will suffer to some degree in the playoffs.

In turn, one of the current bigs will rise to the occasion this season and help win some games, if not a championship.

Don't know if the Celtics will beat the Clips in the finals, but, I'm going to enjoy watching all seven of those games.

[jambr380]

While I think it's smart to temper expectations for this group, I also have no use for anything Shaughnessy writes.

I haven't lived in Boston/New England for over 10 years - It's a little annoying that Shaughnessy is still around and doing his thing. It's been wonderful not having to deal with the whole Boston media market in general where they seemingly put themselves up to the same level as the actual athletes.

Of course there are exceptions (MacMullen, Holley, Ryan, etc), but the all the negativity from the media in the town sucks and stinks and sucks 

As for the Cs, I genuinely think they will have more wins in the regular season and will hope for the best in the post-season. It does feel like the clouds have cleared and it is a bright and sunny atmosphere. Hopefully the guys maintain a positive attitude, continue to lift each other up, and surprise fools like Shaughnessy.

[Moranis]

There is a difference between having less talent and having a worse team.  In reality, I'm not sure they even have less talent.  Sure KW and EK have less talent than KI and AH, but they added Poirier, and those draft picks over baynes and Yabu.  They certainly upgraded talent at the bottom of the roster, while losing some at the top.  Time will tell, but I can very easily see a better team(more wins) despite less high end talent due to fit, improvements in the JT, JB, GH type players, and better end of roster talent.

Top end talent is what wins in the playoffs though.  The team easily could have more wins than last year in the regular season, but be a worse team come playoff time.  And I'm not so sure the bottom of the roster is actually better.  I mean Theis was basically like the 10th or 11th man last year, and he appears that he is starting this year.  Semi and Wanamaker have seemingly moved up the depth chart a bit as well.  The simple truth is Irving, Horford, Baynes, Morris, and Rozier were basically replaced by Walker, Kanter, Poirier, G. Williams, and Edwards/Langford.  That is a downgrade at every single one of those slots.

Now if Hayward can actually look like Utah Hayward, the team has a chance to be better than last year (even playoff better), but he certainly didn't look like Utah Hayward in the preseason. 

Boston projects as an upper 40's win team and 2nd round at best type team.  They could pretty realistically fall anywhere from 3rd to 9th in the conference in the regular season and could quite easily lose in the 1st round depending on the match-up (even as the 3rd seed).