How can the Celtics use Kemba next year?

[wdleehi]

We have plenty of trade Kemba threads out there, but what about the other side of the coin?


What if Kemba is a Celtics next year?   What is the best way he fits?



(and please don't say "in a trade", "on another team", ......     There are plenty of threads for that already)

[Goldstar88]

We have plenty of trade Kemba threads out there, but what about the other side of the coin?


What if Kemba is a Celtics next year?   What is the best way he fits?



(and please don't say "in a trade", "on another team", ......     There are plenty of threads for that already)

Develop into a pass first point guard that can run the offense and get his teammates involved. He’s not a great shooter, except from the line, and he needs to understand that just because you aren’t making shots in games, that doesn’t mean you can’t make plays.

At this point, I don’t expect him to change the way he plays basketball, though.

[arctic 3.0]

Posted this in another thread…
Bring him off the bench as a microwave scorer. This fills a need on the team, adds much needed experience to our bench, and may be the best use of his skill set moving forward. (IMO, he’ll do more for us in that role than anyone we bring back if we trade him)

With kemba on the bench we would either need to start smart and target a PF acquisition this off-season , or bring in a point guard and play  JT/JB as the 4.

If we go with option 1 I think we’re looking for a rangey help defender/weak side shot blocking type (assuming RW will miss time and we will need someone like that to provide consistency).
If we go with option 2 I think we target a vet facilitator who can help make life easier on the J’s. (Ricky Rubio? Contract is on the larger side but salaries could be matched with out impacting core or gutting assets.)

[wdleehi]

Posted this in another thread…
Bring him off the bench as a microwave scorer. This fills a need on the team, adds much needed experience to our bench, and may be the best use of his skill set moving forward. (IMO, he’ll do more for us in that role than anyone we bring back if we trade him)

With kemba on the bench we would either need to start smart and target a PF acquisition this off-season , or bring in a point guard and play  JT/JB as the 4.

If we go with option 1 I think we’re looking for a rangey help defender/weak side shot blocking type (assuming RW will miss time and we will need someone like that to provide consistency).
If we go with option 2 I think we target a vet facilitator who can help make life easier on the J’s. (Ricky Rubio? Contract is on the larger side but salaries could be matched with out impacting core or gutting assets.)

I think so too.   My only concern is that this reduces Pritchard to the 3rd PG.   I think he has earned more minutes then that. 

Start Smart, Brown, Tatum, Williams and Langford/Nesmith.   

[Phantom255x]

6th man off the bench. It'd help the 2nd unit and hopefully help Kemba's health as the season progresses if he isn't playing like 30+ MPG regularly.

He's got the skills to be a starter but definitely not the durability. And even then I think Kemba's going to have to learn to function more as a "Rondo or CP3" like PG who gets others involved. Kemba can still do his thing and score, but the ball also needs to move around and others should be getting their shots too.

[td450]

Posted this in another thread…
Bring him off the bench as a microwave scorer. This fills a need on the team, adds much needed experience to our bench, and may be the best use of his skill set moving forward. (IMO, he’ll do more for us in that role than anyone we bring back if we trade him)

With kemba on the bench we would either need to start smart and target a PF acquisition this off-season , or bring in a point guard and play  JT/JB as the 4.

If we go with option 1 I think we’re looking for a rangey help defender/weak side shot blocking type (assuming RW will miss time and we will need someone like that to provide consistency).
If we go with option 2 I think we target a vet facilitator who can help make life easier on the J’s. (Ricky Rubio? Contract is on the larger side but salaries could be matched with out impacting core or gutting assets.)

I fully agree with using Kemba this way. I'm less confident of using Smart as a starting point, unless passing is added. If RWill starts that helps, but you can't run the offense through him. I think its tough to see keeping Kemba and Smart, even this way.

I'd be most in favor of trading Smart and picks to draft Wagner, who can pass very well, and then going out and getting the best point guard we can with what we have left. Point guards are the easiest position to fill. Perhaps we could find a way to also get Ayo Dosunmu in the draft. He's going to be a nice player.

I'd do whatever I could to reconvert Fournier to a TPE if possible by giving up a pick(hopefully a second) to encourage a sign and trade action. With Smart and Fournier not being paid, it won't be so crazy to take back that salary on someone who can help us. We need Langford and Nesmith to become better players than Smart and Fournier are, or we aren't going to be contenders.

[PhoSita]

Nominal starter, but for all practical purposes a sixth man.

I'd like him to play a few minutes to start the game, come out and be replaced by ... whoever we have.

Then start the second quarter and be a main scorer with a bench unit. 

The closing lineup for each half will hopefully be the Jays plus a lob threat big (e.g. Rob) plus a couple of defensive guys who can dribble, pass, and hit open threes at a high rate.

[footey]

Posted this in another thread…
Bring him off the bench as a microwave scorer. This fills a need on the team, adds much needed experience to our bench, and may be the best use of his skill set moving forward. (IMO, he’ll do more for us in that role than anyone we bring back if we trade him)

With kemba on the bench we would either need to start smart and target a PF acquisition this off-season , or bring in a point guard and play  JT/JB as the 4.

If we go with option 1 I think we’re looking for a rangey help defender/weak side shot blocking type (assuming RW will miss time and we will need someone like that to provide consistency).
If we go with option 2 I think we target a vet facilitator who can help make life easier on the J’s. (Ricky Rubio? Contract is on the larger side but salaries could be matched with out impacting core or gutting assets.)

I think so too.  My only concern is that this reduces Pritchard to the 3rd PG.   I think he has earned more minutes then that. 

Start Smart, Brown, Tatum, Williams and Langford/Nesmith.

I started another thread proposing this yesterday.  With Kemba coming off the bench, I would advocate trading Pritchard, or making him available in a trade package.  He should have decent trade value. Maybe use him as a chip to trade up in this draft if there is someone we really like.  Pritchard is decent, but just don't see him as a future starting PG.

[Surferdad]

Nominal starter, but for all practical purposes a sixth man.

I'd like him to play a few minutes to start the game, come out and be replaced by ... whoever we have.

Then start the second quarter and be a main scorer with a bench unit. 

The closing lineup for each half will hopefully be the Jays plus a lob threat big (e.g. Rob) plus a couple of defensive guys who can dribble, pass, and hit open threes at a high rate.

Perhaps.  Your idea certainly maximizes Kemba as a scorer, but does NOT minimize him as a defender.  In that respect, I'd like to see Kemba as sixth man so we can start a taller PG, or Smart.  He would get fewer minutes per game, but could possibly play every game in that case(?).

[LilRip]

The way he’s always been used: start him, get points from him, use him as an outside threat, get him back on the FT line.

I don’t see why he should be “6th man” role. If anything, JB should have more run time with the bench. JB is a dynamic scorer, a terror in transition and should be able to get what he wants against weaker bench defenses. Leave Kemba in with the starters where he won’t have to do everything himself.

[slamtheking]

use Kemba as originally intended -- starting PG.  I have less issue with Kemba starting than I do with Smart starting.   Start a SG that's an actual shooter/scorer.   That should let Kemba be more of a facilitator and just better able to pick his spots for scoring.  sub him out when needed if he's having issues on D or not running the offense/scoring particularly well that game.

[spikelovetheCelts]

I say he should start and  prove he can distribute more. If he does not show value by the trade deadline trade him for KP or Love. But i think our team just needs more time on the court together to grow. I am looking forward to next year with Nesmith, Langford and PP's growth along with the Timelord.

[Rikibellevie]

use Kemba as originally intended -- starting PG.  I have less issue with Kemba starting than I do with Smart starting.   Start a SG that's an actual shooter/scorer.   That should let Kemba be more of a facilitator and just better able to pick his spots for scoring.  sub him out when needed if he's having issues on D or not running the offense/scoring particularly well that game.

It depends on many factor. If we keep Kemba and he stays healthy without back to back restriction, OK start him. But if it is like this year to change the lineup each matchs, then bring give him the 6th men and when he is load managed, Pritchard take his role.
I would be OK to start Smart if we could find a deadly stretch 4, to replace Brown at 2 and Tatum at 3. If Timelord stay healthy, with his passing ability and with always 3 or + outside threat (with Walker, Nesmith, Pritchad from the bench), Smart could be the 1c ballhandler/creator, with less volume of shooting, having again a good team for the switch, improving in lenght, strenght and defense. But it is a lot of "if"
The problem is that if we can find this stretch 4 it will be because of a Kemba trade (or later in the season if we can earn the Fourniers TPE).