Do the Celtics have the match up C they need?

[Somebody]

The game against the Cavs showed us how an opposing Center can hurt the Celts.
Tristan Thompson ended up getting 19 points and 13 rebounds, 8 offensive boards.

Thompson pretty much does this to every team. He's just a great, great offensive rebounder.

Then it would be a good thing if the Celts can get Thompson for Kanter, Poirier, Ojeleye, a draft pick, and maybe Langford or Theis, right?

Not really, no. Giving up Kanter (who is about the same level of rebounder, superior offensively, and worse defensively), the guy we picked #14 before we see what we have with him, PLUS our depth AND a first rounder for an overpaid big man might make sense if he was gonna put us over the hump, but he won't.

This team needs more than a change from Kanter to Tristan Thompson to win a championship this year. Overpaying for a marginal upgrade would just set us back long term

How is it overpaying when Kanter is not a long term solution at Center?

Langford is a gamble.

And the 1st rounder is not the Memphis pick.

Also, why would the Celts lose depth when the Celts will still have RWill and GWill.

Remember, Brad only plays 9 players in the playoffs.

A marginal upgrade is better than no upgrade at all.

If you don't like Tristan Thompson then who do you like?

Whether it's Thompson or not, Ainge can't let the Celts go in the playoffs without making a move to upgrade the frontcourt.

I'd much rather have Dedmon than TT tbh. But waiting for waivers isn't a bad idea, teams can always release a decent big man or two for us to pick up.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

I disagree with the notion that we can't go into the playoffs without an upgrade. It's drawing a line in the sand unnecessarily.

[Fierce1]

The game against the Cavs showed us how an opposing Center can hurt the Celts.
Tristan Thompson ended up getting 19 points and 13 rebounds, 8 offensive boards.

Thompson pretty much does this to every team. He's just a great, great offensive rebounder.

Then it would be a good thing if the Celts can get Thompson for Kanter, Poirier, Ojeleye, a draft pick, and maybe Langford or Theis, right?

Not really, no. Giving up Kanter (who is about the same level of rebounder, superior offensively, and worse defensively), the guy we picked #14 before we see what we have with him, PLUS our depth AND a first rounder for an overpaid big man might make sense if he was gonna put us over the hump, but he won't.

This team needs more than a change from Kanter to Tristan Thompson to win a championship this year. Overpaying for a marginal upgrade would just set us back long term

How is it overpaying when Kanter is not a long term solution at Center?

Langford is a gamble.

And the 1st rounder is not the Memphis pick.

Also, why would the Celts lose depth when the Celts will still have RWill and GWill.

Remember, Brad only plays 9 players in the playoffs.

A marginal upgrade is better than no upgrade at all.

If you don't like Tristan Thompson then who do you like?

Whether it's Thompson or not, Ainge can't let the Celts go in the playoffs without making a move to upgrade the frontcourt.

I'd much rather have Dedmon than TT tbh. But waiting for waivers isn't a bad idea, teams can always release a decent big man or two for us to pick up.

Last season that didn't work out for the Celts.

Celts were waiting for Kanter.
But Kanter chose the Blazers because he knew he would get more playing time there.

Dedmon is not a defensive Center.
Celts don't need another player whose strength is on offense.

[Fierce1]

I disagree with the notion that we can't go into the playoffs without an upgrade. It's drawing a line in the sand unnecessarily.

Last month it was Ainge himself who said the Celts are not an elite team yet.

Steve Bulpett of the Herald reported that the Celts are not done dealing.

[droopdog7]

I'm hoping that guy can be Robert Williams.

[Fierce1]

I'm hoping that guy can be Robert Williams.

No doubt RWill can be the starting C for the Celts for many years to come.
But right now he just doesn't have enough experience.
RWill tends to jump every time an opponent pump fakes.
That puts RWill out of position and the opponent scores every time.

[Donoghus]

I'm hoping that guy can be Robert Williams.

No doubt RWill can be the starting C for the Celts for many years to come.
But right now he just doesn't have enough experience.
RWill tends to jump every time an opponent pump fakes.
That puts RWill out of position and the opponent scores every time.

And how do you gain that experience?  By playing.

Hopefully, these games in Oct/Nov/Dec accelerate his development in time for April/May.

[jambr380]

I know you have been pushing the Thompson agenda for weeks now, Fierce. We all know that Thompson is a decent player, but most don't seem to be willing to give up for him what you are proposing - especially since he is an expiring contract. Heck, at least Kanter is (kind-of) signed through next season.

It might be best to just put what you need to about Thompson in your signature and move on to other items. That way people will see how you feel about him in every single post and you won't have to keep trying to convince the forum that he should be our main target.

[BitterJim]

The game against the Cavs showed us how an opposing Center can hurt the Celts.
Tristan Thompson ended up getting 19 points and 13 rebounds, 8 offensive boards.

Thompson pretty much does this to every team. He's just a great, great offensive rebounder.

Then it would be a good thing if the Celts can get Thompson for Kanter, Poirier, Ojeleye, a draft pick, and maybe Langford or Theis, right?

Not really, no. Giving up Kanter (who is about the same level of rebounder, superior offensively, and worse defensively), the guy we picked #14 before we see what we have with him, PLUS our depth AND a first rounder for an overpaid big man might make sense if he was gonna put us over the hump, but he won't.

This team needs more than a change from Kanter to Tristan Thompson to win a championship this year. Overpaying for a marginal upgrade would just set us back long term

How is it overpaying when Kanter is not a long term solution at Center?

Langford is a gamble.

And the 1st rounder is not the Memphis pick.

Also, why would the Celts lose depth when the Celts will still have RWill and GWill.

Remember, Brad only plays 9 players in the playoffs.

A marginal upgrade is better than no upgrade at all.

If you don't like Tristan Thompson then who do you like?

Whether it's Thompson or not, Ainge can't let the Celts go in the playoffs without making a move to upgrade the frontcourt.

Tristan Thompson isn't the long term solution at center, either. Giving up tons of assets just to make the ECF instead of ECSF this year would be a waste (and that's ignoring that Kanter->someone like TT would not be the difference)

I'd rather wait and see how the team looks after a couple of months (and with everyone healthy), and not worry about making a move unless it looks like it would launch us into contention (or set us up for the next few years)

A marginal upgrade is better than no upgrade, but throwing away no assets is better than throwing away assets. You have to weigh them against each other. Giving up multiple picks/prospects and a similar-level player for a marginal upgrade would not be worth it. The Celtics don't need to sell out their future to not win #18 this year

[BitterJim]

I disagree with the notion that we can't go into the playoffs without an upgrade. It's drawing a line in the sand unnecessarily.

Last month it was Ainge himself who said the Celts are not an elite team yet.

Steve Bulpett of the Herald reported that the Celts are not done dealing.

Do you honestly think that the one thing stopping this team from being an elite team is that we have Kanter/Theis/Langford/future picks rather than Tristan Thompson?

[Walker Wiggle]

I disagree with the notion that we can't go into the playoffs without an upgrade. It's drawing a line in the sand unnecessarily.

I also think there's too much emphasis on trading for a center rather than developing someone already on the roster.

The Warriors won a championship with Zaza Pachulia as their starting C. Back in the 90s, the Bulls won their titles with Bill Cartwright and Luc Longley. Of course, those teams had supreme talent at the other positions. But for the Celtics to seriously upgrade their talent at center, they will need to sacrifice talent somewhere else (or part with significant draft capital).

We are six games into an 82-game season, so let's see what we have. In a best-case scenario, Robert Williams takes a big step forward (which would not at all be crazy) by the end of the season, Kanter is a useful scoring big off the bench, and Theis/Poirier/Grant Williams get sprinkled in depending on matchups. I'm not sure a trade gets you something appreciably better than that scenario.

[Fierce1]

The game against the Cavs showed us how an opposing Center can hurt the Celts.
Tristan Thompson ended up getting 19 points and 13 rebounds, 8 offensive boards.

Thompson pretty much does this to every team. He's just a great, great offensive rebounder.

Then it would be a good thing if the Celts can get Thompson for Kanter, Poirier, Ojeleye, a draft pick, and maybe Langford or Theis, right?

Not really, no. Giving up Kanter (who is about the same level of rebounder, superior offensively, and worse defensively), the guy we picked #14 before we see what we have with him, PLUS our depth AND a first rounder for an overpaid big man might make sense if he was gonna put us over the hump, but he won't.

This team needs more than a change from Kanter to Tristan Thompson to win a championship this year. Overpaying for a marginal upgrade would just set us back long term

How is it overpaying when Kanter is not a long term solution at Center?

Langford is a gamble.

And the 1st rounder is not the Memphis pick.

Also, why would the Celts lose depth when the Celts will still have RWill and GWill.

Remember, Brad only plays 9 players in the playoffs.

A marginal upgrade is better than no upgrade at all.

If you don't like Tristan Thompson then who do you like?

Whether it's Thompson or not, Ainge can't let the Celts go in the playoffs without making a move to upgrade the frontcourt.

Tristan Thompson isn't the long term solution at center, either. Giving up tons of assets just to make the ECF instead of ECSF this year would be a waste (and that's ignoring that Kanter->someone like TT would not be the difference)

I'd rather wait and see how the team looks after a couple of months (and with everyone healthy), and not worry about making a move unless it looks like it would launch us into contention (or set us up for the next few years)

A marginal upgrade is better than no upgrade, but throwing away no assets is better than throwing away assets. You have to weigh them against each other. Giving up multiple picks/prospects and a similar-level player for a marginal upgrade would not be worth it. The Celtics don't need to sell out their future to not win #18 this year

I'm not saying the Celts will make a move now.
What I'm saying is making a move in December or January.

I also didn't say Tristan Thompson is the long term solution.
If it doesn't work out then the Celts will just let Thompson go at the end of the season.
That means Thompson's 18.5m will be off the books and the Celts will get some cap relief.

Langford doesn't also have to be included.

Theis, Kanter, Poirier, and Ojeleye for Thompson's 18.5m works.

It doesn't have to be Tristan Thompson.
Thompson is the best I can find that the Celts can afford.

A guy like Steven Adams is out of the Celts' price range.

[Somebody]

The game against the Cavs showed us how an opposing Center can hurt the Celts.
Tristan Thompson ended up getting 19 points and 13 rebounds, 8 offensive boards.

Thompson pretty much does this to every team. He's just a great, great offensive rebounder.

Then it would be a good thing if the Celts can get Thompson for Kanter, Poirier, Ojeleye, a draft pick, and maybe Langford or Theis, right?

Not really, no. Giving up Kanter (who is about the same level of rebounder, superior offensively, and worse defensively), the guy we picked #14 before we see what we have with him, PLUS our depth AND a first rounder for an overpaid big man might make sense if he was gonna put us over the hump, but he won't.

This team needs more than a change from Kanter to Tristan Thompson to win a championship this year. Overpaying for a marginal upgrade would just set us back long term

How is it overpaying when Kanter is not a long term solution at Center?

Langford is a gamble.

And the 1st rounder is not the Memphis pick.

Also, why would the Celts lose depth when the Celts will still have RWill and GWill.

Remember, Brad only plays 9 players in the playoffs.

A marginal upgrade is better than no upgrade at all.

If you don't like Tristan Thompson then who do you like?

Whether it's Thompson or not, Ainge can't let the Celts go in the playoffs without making a move to upgrade the frontcourt.

I'd much rather have Dedmon than TT tbh. But waiting for waivers isn't a bad idea, teams can always release a decent big man or two for us to pick up.

Last season that didn't work out for the Celts.

Celts were waiting for Kanter.
But Kanter chose the Blazers because he knew he would get more playing time there.

Dedmon is not a defensive Center.
Celts don't need another player whose strength is on offense.

What?! Dedmon is a defensive centre, he was a rim protector for San Antonio. A 3 and D centre is perfect for us.

[Fierce1]

I disagree with the notion that we can't go into the playoffs without an upgrade. It's drawing a line in the sand unnecessarily.

Last month it was Ainge himself who said the Celts are not an elite team yet.

Steve Bulpett of the Herald reported that the Celts are not done dealing.

Do you honestly think that the one thing stopping this team from being an elite team is that we have Kanter/Theis/Langford/future picks rather than Tristan Thompson?

Yes.

Langford is a gamble that might or might not pan out.

I think there's a way to keep Theis.

It's not a bad trio if the Celts will have Tristan starting and on bench are RWill and Theis.

Tristan Thompson is not someone who needs to be fed.
He just plays defense and gets a lot of rebounds.
That's what the Celts need.

[Fierce1]

The game against the Cavs showed us how an opposing Center can hurt the Celts.
Tristan Thompson ended up getting 19 points and 13 rebounds, 8 offensive boards.

Thompson pretty much does this to every team. He's just a great, great offensive rebounder.

Then it would be a good thing if the Celts can get Thompson for Kanter, Poirier, Ojeleye, a draft pick, and maybe Langford or Theis, right?

Not really, no. Giving up Kanter (who is about the same level of rebounder, superior offensively, and worse defensively), the guy we picked #14 before we see what we have with him, PLUS our depth AND a first rounder for an overpaid big man might make sense if he was gonna put us over the hump, but he won't.

This team needs more than a change from Kanter to Tristan Thompson to win a championship this year. Overpaying for a marginal upgrade would just set us back long term

How is it overpaying when Kanter is not a long term solution at Center?

Langford is a gamble.

And the 1st rounder is not the Memphis pick.

Also, why would the Celts lose depth when the Celts will still have RWill and GWill.

Remember, Brad only plays 9 players in the playoffs.

A marginal upgrade is better than no upgrade at all.

If you don't like Tristan Thompson then who do you like?

Whether it's Thompson or not, Ainge can't let the Celts go in the playoffs without making a move to upgrade the frontcourt.

I'd much rather have Dedmon than TT tbh. But waiting for waivers isn't a bad idea, teams can always release a decent big man or two for us to pick up.

Last season that didn't work out for the Celts.

Celts were waiting for Kanter.
But Kanter chose the Blazers because he knew he would get more playing time there.

Dedmon is not a defensive Center.
Celts don't need another player whose strength is on offense.

What?! Dedmon is a defensive centre, he was a rim protector for San Antonio. A 3 and D centre is perfect for us.

Not with Atlanta and certainly not with the Kings right now.

Dedmon can't even get 20 minutes per game with the Kings right now.
And the Kings gave him a big contract last summer.

The Dedmon we saw in San Antonio is not the Dedmon of right now.

Dedmon doesn't even average 1 block per game for his career.