Poll: Is the Cs roster better than last season?

[celticinorlando]

Roster:

Kemba/Pritchard
Smart/Langford/Edwards
Brown/TBA wing/semi
Tatum/nesmith/g. Williams
Thompson/theis/Williams

TBA player from trade exception

[RodyTur10]

Roster:

Kemba/Pritchard
Smart/Langford/Edwards
Brown/TBA wing/semi
Tatum/nesmith/g. Williams
Thompson/theis/Williams

TBA player from trade exception

We don't know exactly how our roster will look like, but my problem is your starting line-up. I pray Stevens doesn't go for this small ball line-up. With Langford injured you have Pritchard/Edwards as your guard back-ups, while Grant and Robert Williams have become 3rd stringers.

Just start the combo Thompson/Theis and keep Smart as the 6th man, it makes the rest of the rotation much more logical.

[Neurotic Guy]

Roster:

Kemba/Pritchard
Smart/Langford/Edwards
Brown/TBA wing/semi
Tatum/nesmith/g. Williams
Thompson/theis/Williams

TBA player from trade exception

We don't know exactly how our roster will look like, but my problem is your starting line-up. I pray Stevens doesn't go for this small ball line-up. With Langford injured you have Pritchard/Edwards as your guard back-ups, while Grant and Robert Williams have become 3rd stringers.

Just start the combo Thompson/Theis and keep Smart as the 6th man, it makes the rest of the rotation much more logical.

I like Theis/Thompson/Tatum/Brown/Kemba a lot!   Theis is money midrange. Thompson cleans up.  The "Big 3" score!  Good defensive group.  Bench has Smart, Bob, Grant, Nesmith, Pritchard, Romeo... and someone else to be named later.

[RockinRyA]

On paper no. but it depends in what kind of growth the young ones achieves. This is what's good about a young team, you can lose people and still have a chance to be better based on development alone.

[Who]

Roster:

Kemba/Pritchard
Smart/Langford/Edwards
Brown/TBA wing/semi
Tatum/nesmith/g. Williams
Thompson/theis/Williams

TBA player from trade exception

We don't know exactly how our roster will look like, but my problem is your starting line-up. I pray Stevens doesn't go for this small ball line-up. With Langford injured you have Pritchard/Edwards as your guard back-ups, while Grant and Robert Williams have become 3rd stringers.

Just start the combo Thompson/Theis and keep Smart as the 6th man, it makes the rest of the rotation much more logical.

I like Theis/Thompson/Tatum/Brown/Kemba a lot!   Theis is money midrange. Thompson cleans up.  The "Big 3" score!  Good defensive group.  Bench has Smart, Bob, Grant, Nesmith, Pritchard, Romeo... and someone else to be named later.

I don't see that starting lineup working well. The one with Smart in there is a much tougher defensive group. Theis is less effective defensively covering PFs (who are SFs really nowadays) than at C. It's Theis' superior quickness and mobility at C that makes him effective defensively. He loses that and is at a disadvantage in terms of quickness and mobility at PF. Smart gives this team far superior defensive footspeed both at point of attack and on defensive rotations. So there is a downgrade there on the perimeter defensively.

Then offensively, the Theis and Thompson duo is far too limited. One of the worst in the league if not the worst starting big man duo offensively. So a huge drop off on offense with a small drop off on defense. A bad tandem.

[Roy H.]

If you look at the team we could actually rely upon in the playoffs, I think we’re better now.

[Neurotic Guy]

Roster:

Kemba/Pritchard
Smart/Langford/Edwards
Brown/TBA wing/semi
Tatum/nesmith/g. Williams
Thompson/theis/Williams

TBA player from trade exception

We don't know exactly how our roster will look like, but my problem is your starting line-up. I pray Stevens doesn't go for this small ball line-up. With Langford injured you have Pritchard/Edwards as your guard back-ups, while Grant and Robert Williams have become 3rd stringers.

Just start the combo Thompson/Theis and keep Smart as the 6th man, it makes the rest of the rotation much more logical.

I like Theis/Thompson/Tatum/Brown/Kemba a lot!   Theis is money midrange. Thompson cleans up.  The "Big 3" score!  Good defensive group.  Bench has Smart, Bob, Grant, Nesmith, Pritchard, Romeo... and someone else to be named later.

I don't see that starting lineup working well. The one with Smart in there is a much tougher defensive group. Theis is less effective defensively covering PFs (who are SFs really nowadays) than at C. It's Theis' superior quickness and mobility at C that makes him effective defensively. He loses that and is at a disadvantage in terms of quickness and mobility at PF. Smart gives this team far superior defensive footspeed both at point of attack and on defensive rotations. So there is a downgrade there on the perimeter defensively.

Then offensively, the Theis and Thompson duo is far too limited. One of the worst in the league if not the worst starting big man duo offensively. So a huge drop off on offense with a small drop off on defense. A bad tandem.

I defer.    Thanks for the analysis -- always appreciated.

[gouki88]

If you look at the team we could actually rely upon in the playoffs, I think we’re better now.

Teague & Thompson are much better playoff players than Wanamaker and Kanter. Won't be hard to replicate Hayward's often nonexistent playoff production either

[DefenseWinsChamps]

I think part of the reason Ainge hasn't made big moves is because he likes the young guys.

The roster will be better if Tatum plays like he did the last half of the season and playoffs and Brown takes another step forward as a playmaker and defender.

[SparzWizard]

Now we just need Thompson to neutralize Embiid, Sabonis, Jordan, and Giannis in the playoffs

[gouki88]

Now we just need Thompson to neutralize Embiid, Sabonis, Jordan, and Giannis in the playoffs

Jordan? You're not seriously worried about DeAndre Jordan are you?

[mobilija]

We’ve clearly upgraded our center rotation, TT>Kanter. And our guard rotation Teague>wanna. That’s gonna make a big difference come playoff time. If we can manage to minimize the loss of Hayward and get some wing depth with another vet, a shooter, or a reliable 3&D type...we’ll be looking pretty good.

[Uncle_Stingfinger]

Teague and Thompson both suck now.  You guys literally celebrate any garbage Ainge brings in.   
Is this part of the great rebuild plan?  What a joke.

[nickagneta]

If you look at the team we could actually rely upon in the playoffs, I think we’re better now.

Exactly. This last year Hayward, Kanter and Poirier contributed nothing positive in the playoffs. Wanamaker gave us some quality minutes.

But that same group minus Hayward, Poirier, Kanter and Wanamaker and plus Thompson, Teague, the rookies and maybe someone else is a better team. Now build in some development in Tatum, Brown, the Williams and Langford and they may be a much better team.

[BoulderMike]

Tristan Thompson and Jeff Teague are worse than nothing.