Celtics Off-Season News

[Roy H.]

I find the Svi comparisons to be fascinating.  I guess I'll just throw out a general reminder that this is a guy who played 32 games last season and wasn't in high demand this off-season in the NBA.  It's pretty unlikely that he finds the rotation, even on a Celtics team that is likely to feature a number of injuries.

Having him as a 14th man to roll the dice on is fine (although not my preference).  But, just in the past half-dozen posts or so, I've seen references to Strus, Hayward and Fournier.  I don't think that Svi is close to that class of player.

The other thing:  what value do fans place in YouTube highlights, particularly those that don't break down a player's game?

Is he really that far down the depth chart?  Everyone agrees on the top-8. Then the interesting discussion begins:

I think there's some competition for the 9, 10, 11, 12 among Sam Hauser, Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh and Svi. These guys are all similar height, around 6'7".

Deep bench is Kornet, Davison, Scrubb and Banton. (You could put rookie Walsh here, but I'd like to see him get on the court with his elite defense.)

Based on that, I think Svi is no lower than 12th, especially if Walsh is on the deep bench.

I never quote myself, but felt a need to highlight my contention that Svi will be higher than 14th on the depth chart. If you put Jordan Walsh in the "deep bench" category, Svi is somewhere in the 9-11 range.

It really is sobering to think that we only have seven reliable rotation players:  KP, Horford, Timelord, Tatum, Brown, Brogdon, White.

Of those seven, four of them are likely to miss significant time, whether it's due to injury or load management.

After that, we have seven guys who are borderline:  Pritchard, Brisset, Hauser, Kornet, Svi, Banton, Walsh

I think that Brad botched this off-season.  A championship contender shouldn't have half its roster full of fringe rotation players, especially with so many of our guys almost guaranteed to miss significant time.

[Roy H.]

The good news:  Spotrac is reporting that only $200k of Svi's contract is guaranteed, the same amount as Banton.  Seemingly, Brad sees those two as the fringe NBA players that I do.

Update:  And there's the tweet from Keith Smith:

Keith Smith: Svi Mykhailiuk’s one-year contract with the Boston Celtics is partially guaranteed for $200K, a league source tells @spotrac . If Mykhailiuk makes the opening night roster, his guarantee increases to $1.2M. The deal becomes fully guaranteed on the league-wide date in January. – via Twitter KeithSmithNBA

[gouki88]

The good news:  Spotrac is reporting that only $200k of Svi's contract is guaranteed, the same amount as Banton.  Seemingly, Brad sees those two as the fringe NBA players that I do.

Update:  And there's the tweet from Keith Smith:

Keith Smith: Svi Mykhailiuk’s one-year contract with the Boston Celtics is partially guaranteed for $200K, a league source tells @spotrac . If Mykhailiuk makes the opening night roster, his guarantee increases to $1.2M. The deal becomes fully guaranteed on the league-wide date in January. – via Twitter KeithSmithNBA

Strange that he chose this deal over playing a big role in Europe for (I would imagine) fairly comparable money

[Kernewek]

The good news:  Spotrac is reporting that only $200k of Svi's contract is guaranteed, the same amount as Banton.  Seemingly, Brad sees those two as the fringe NBA players that I do.

Update:  And there's the tweet from Keith Smith:

Keith Smith: Svi Mykhailiuk’s one-year contract with the Boston Celtics is partially guaranteed for $200K, a league source tells @spotrac . If Mykhailiuk makes the opening night roster, his guarantee increases to $1.2M. The deal becomes fully guaranteed on the league-wide date in January. – via Twitter KeithSmithNBA

Strange that he chose this deal over playing a big role in Europe for (I would imagine) fairly comparable money

He's young enough to bet on himself and get a big deal next season in Europe if he wants it (and you can't discount the incentive of playing in the best league in the world against the best players) - but nearly all Euro leagues start before the NBA tip off date, so it is certainly a risk.

[green_bballers13]

I find the Svi comparisons to be fascinating.  I guess I'll just throw out a general reminder that this is a guy who played 32 games last season and wasn't in high demand this off-season in the NBA.  It's pretty unlikely that he finds the rotation, even on a Celtics team that is likely to feature a number of injuries.

Having him as a 14th man to roll the dice on is fine (although not my preference).  But, just in the past half-dozen posts or so, I've seen references to Strus, Hayward and Fournier.  I don't think that Svi is close to that class of player.

The other thing:  what value do fans place in YouTube highlights, particularly those that don't break down a player's game?

Is he really that far down the depth chart?  Everyone agrees on the top-8. Then the interesting discussion begins:

I think there's some competition for the 9, 10, 11, 12 among Sam Hauser, Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh and Svi. These guys are all similar height, around 6'7".

Deep bench is Kornet, Davison, Scrubb and Banton. (You could put rookie Walsh here, but I'd like to see him get on the court with his elite defense.)

Based on that, I think Svi is no lower than 12th, especially if Walsh is on the deep bench.

I never quote myself, but felt a need to highlight my contention that Svi will be higher than 14th on the depth chart. If you put Jordan Walsh in the "deep bench" category, Svi is somewhere in the 9-11 range.

It really is sobering to think that we only have seven reliable rotation players:  KP, Horford, Timelord, Tatum, Brown, Brogdon, White.

Of those seven, four of them are likely to miss significant time, whether it's due to injury or load management.

After that, we have seven guys who are borderline:  Pritchard, Brisset, Hauser, Kornet, Svi, Banton, Walsh

I think that Brad botched this off-season.  A championship contender shouldn't have half its roster full of fringe rotation players, especially with so many of our guys almost guaranteed to miss significant time.

I disagree. I loved shipping out Grant Williams and even Marcus Smart. Both had worn out their welcome. We picked up a 7'3 guy that can shoot and block shots. Jordan Walsh looks like a nice piece. I think this was a good offseason.

[gouki88]

The good news:  Spotrac is reporting that only $200k of Svi's contract is guaranteed, the same amount as Banton.  Seemingly, Brad sees those two as the fringe NBA players that I do.

Update:  And there's the tweet from Keith Smith:

Keith Smith: Svi Mykhailiuk’s one-year contract with the Boston Celtics is partially guaranteed for $200K, a league source tells @spotrac . If Mykhailiuk makes the opening night roster, his guarantee increases to $1.2M. The deal becomes fully guaranteed on the league-wide date in January. – via Twitter KeithSmithNBA

Strange that he chose this deal over playing a big role in Europe for (I would imagine) fairly comparable money

He's young enough to bet on himself and get a big deal next season in Europe if he wants it (and you can't discount the incentive of playing in the best league in the world against the best players) - but nearly all Euro leagues start before the NBA tip off date, so it is certainly a risk.

And for the best team

[Vermont Green]

The good news:  Spotrac is reporting that only $200k of Svi's contract is guaranteed, the same amount as Banton.  Seemingly, Brad sees those two as the fringe NBA players that I do.

Update:  And there's the tweet from Keith Smith:

Keith Smith: Svi Mykhailiuk’s one-year contract with the Boston Celtics is partially guaranteed for $200K, a league source tells @spotrac . If Mykhailiuk makes the opening night roster, his guarantee increases to $1.2M. The deal becomes fully guaranteed on the league-wide date in January. – via Twitter KeithSmithNBA

Strange that he chose this deal over playing a big role in Europe for (I would imagine) fairly comparable money

He's young enough to bet on himself and get a big deal next season in Europe if he wants it (and you can't discount the incentive of playing in the best league in the world against the best players) - but nearly all Euro leagues start before the NBA tip off date, so it is certainly a risk.

Some risk for him, yes, but how likely is that that he wouldn't make the team?  Who does he have to beat out?  No one right now and even if the Celtics bring in another guard or wing, he could still beat out Banton.  I see the likelihood of him still being on the team in January as very high.  He's not Justin Jackson or Justin Champagnie.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I find the Svi comparisons to be fascinating.  I guess I'll just throw out a general reminder that this is a guy who played 32 games last season and wasn't in high demand this off-season in the NBA.  It's pretty unlikely that he finds the rotation, even on a Celtics team that is likely to feature a number of injuries.

Having him as a 14th man to roll the dice on is fine (although not my preference).  But, just in the past half-dozen posts or so, I've seen references to Strus, Hayward and Fournier.  I don't think that Svi is close to that class of player.

The other thing:  what value do fans place in YouTube highlights, particularly those that don't break down a player's game?

Is he really that far down the depth chart?  Everyone agrees on the top-8. Then the interesting discussion begins:

I think there's some competition for the 9, 10, 11, 12 among Sam Hauser, Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh and Svi. These guys are all similar height, around 6'7".

Deep bench is Kornet, Davison, Scrubb and Banton. (You could put rookie Walsh here, but I'd like to see him get on the court with his elite defense.)

Based on that, I think Svi is no lower than 12th, especially if Walsh is on the deep bench.

I never quote myself, but felt a need to highlight my contention that Svi will be higher than 14th on the depth chart. If you put Jordan Walsh in the "deep bench" category, Svi is somewhere in the 9-11 range.

It really is sobering to think that we only have seven reliable rotation players:  KP, Horford, Timelord, Tatum, Brown, Brogdon, White.

Of those seven, four of them are likely to miss significant time, whether it's due to injury or load management.

After that, we have seven guys who are borderline:  Pritchard, Brisset, Hauser, Kornet, Svi, Banton, Walsh

I think that Brad botched this off-season.  A championship contender shouldn't have half its roster full of fringe rotation players, especially with so many of our guys almost guaranteed to miss significant time.

I disagree. I loved shipping out Grant Williams and even Marcus Smart. Both had worn out their welcome. We picked up a 7'3 guy that can shoot and block shots. Jordan Walsh looks like a nice piece. I think this was a good offseason.

Roy makes a good point, though: What happens/how are things looking when Timelord and KP are out with injuries and Al is playing only every other game? And maybe Brogdon is out injured as well? A starting lineup of something like Tatum/Brown/White/Brissett/Pritchard, backed by Kornet/Hauser/Svi/Banton/Walsh, is pretty thin on talent after the top 3 guys.

I hope every Celtics fan realizes what this team is in for with injuries. Out of the many "hospital Celtics" teams, this one could end up taking the crown as the most "hospital Celtics" of them all.

[gouki88]

I find the Svi comparisons to be fascinating.  I guess I'll just throw out a general reminder that this is a guy who played 32 games last season and wasn't in high demand this off-season in the NBA.  It's pretty unlikely that he finds the rotation, even on a Celtics team that is likely to feature a number of injuries.

Having him as a 14th man to roll the dice on is fine (although not my preference).  But, just in the past half-dozen posts or so, I've seen references to Strus, Hayward and Fournier.  I don't think that Svi is close to that class of player.

The other thing:  what value do fans place in YouTube highlights, particularly those that don't break down a player's game?

Is he really that far down the depth chart?  Everyone agrees on the top-8. Then the interesting discussion begins:

I think there's some competition for the 9, 10, 11, 12 among Sam Hauser, Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh and Svi. These guys are all similar height, around 6'7".

Deep bench is Kornet, Davison, Scrubb and Banton. (You could put rookie Walsh here, but I'd like to see him get on the court with his elite defense.)

Based on that, I think Svi is no lower than 12th, especially if Walsh is on the deep bench.

I never quote myself, but felt a need to highlight my contention that Svi will be higher than 14th on the depth chart. If you put Jordan Walsh in the "deep bench" category, Svi is somewhere in the 9-11 range.

It really is sobering to think that we only have seven reliable rotation players:  KP, Horford, Timelord, Tatum, Brown, Brogdon, White.

Of those seven, four of them are likely to miss significant time, whether it's due to injury or load management.

After that, we have seven guys who are borderline:  Pritchard, Brisset, Hauser, Kornet, Svi, Banton, Walsh

I think that Brad botched this off-season.  A championship contender shouldn't have half its roster full of fringe rotation players, especially with so many of our guys almost guaranteed to miss significant time.

I disagree. I loved shipping out Grant Williams and even Marcus Smart. Both had worn out their welcome. We picked up a 7'3 guy that can shoot and block shots. Jordan Walsh looks like a nice piece. I think this was a good offseason.

Roy makes a good point, though: What happens/how are things looking when Timelord and KP are out with injuries and Al is playing only every other game? And maybe Brogdon is out injured as well? A starting lineup of something like Tatum/Brown/White/Brissett/Pritchard, backed by Kornet/Hauser/Svi/Banton/Walsh, is pretty thin on talent after the top 3 guys.

I hope every Celtics fan realizes what this team is in for with injuries. Out of the many "hospital Celtics" teams, this one could end up taking the crown as the most "hospital Celtics" of them all.

That's okay - Tatum turns into Michael Jordan when he plays alongside scrub lineups. Just ride that wave

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I find the Svi comparisons to be fascinating.  I guess I'll just throw out a general reminder that this is a guy who played 32 games last season and wasn't in high demand this off-season in the NBA.  It's pretty unlikely that he finds the rotation, even on a Celtics team that is likely to feature a number of injuries.

Having him as a 14th man to roll the dice on is fine (although not my preference).  But, just in the past half-dozen posts or so, I've seen references to Strus, Hayward and Fournier.  I don't think that Svi is close to that class of player.

The other thing:  what value do fans place in YouTube highlights, particularly those that don't break down a player's game?

Is he really that far down the depth chart?  Everyone agrees on the top-8. Then the interesting discussion begins:

I think there's some competition for the 9, 10, 11, 12 among Sam Hauser, Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh and Svi. These guys are all similar height, around 6'7".

Deep bench is Kornet, Davison, Scrubb and Banton. (You could put rookie Walsh here, but I'd like to see him get on the court with his elite defense.)

Based on that, I think Svi is no lower than 12th, especially if Walsh is on the deep bench.

I never quote myself, but felt a need to highlight my contention that Svi will be higher than 14th on the depth chart. If you put Jordan Walsh in the "deep bench" category, Svi is somewhere in the 9-11 range.

It really is sobering to think that we only have seven reliable rotation players:  KP, Horford, Timelord, Tatum, Brown, Brogdon, White.

Of those seven, four of them are likely to miss significant time, whether it's due to injury or load management.

After that, we have seven guys who are borderline:  Pritchard, Brisset, Hauser, Kornet, Svi, Banton, Walsh

I think that Brad botched this off-season.  A championship contender shouldn't have half its roster full of fringe rotation players, especially with so many of our guys almost guaranteed to miss significant time.

I disagree. I loved shipping out Grant Williams and even Marcus Smart. Both had worn out their welcome. We picked up a 7'3 guy that can shoot and block shots. Jordan Walsh looks like a nice piece. I think this was a good offseason.

Roy makes a good point, though: What happens/how are things looking when Timelord and KP are out with injuries and Al is playing only every other game? And maybe Brogdon is out injured as well? A starting lineup of something like Tatum/Brown/White/Brissett/Pritchard, backed by Kornet/Hauser/Svi/Banton/Walsh, is pretty thin on talent after the top 3 guys.

I hope every Celtics fan realizes what this team is in for with injuries. Out of the many "hospital Celtics" teams, this one could end up taking the crown as the most "hospital Celtics" of them all.

That's okay - Tatum turns into Michael Jordan when he plays alongside scrub lineups. Just ride that wave

Yeah, might not have any other choice.

[green_bballers13]

The Celtics might not have the same sense of urgency that many of us fans have. It doesn't appear that they have made any significant moves to risk future draft picks for short term gain. Both D. White and Brogdon were brought in for late first rounders (not a big risk). Brad & co. believe that the Celtics have a multiple year window here, and I believe they will start combining draft capital and young players when a two-way player becomes available. They still have an unproven young coach, so maybe they need to sort this out before really going for it.

My belief that the Celtics will eventually trade multiple firsts for a Lillard type might be naive. They may also continue to hold their course, but my sense of urgency is heightening.

[Surferdad]

I find the Svi comparisons to be fascinating.  I guess I'll just throw out a general reminder that this is a guy who played 32 games last season and wasn't in high demand this off-season in the NBA.  It's pretty unlikely that he finds the rotation, even on a Celtics team that is likely to feature a number of injuries.

Having him as a 14th man to roll the dice on is fine (although not my preference).  But, just in the past half-dozen posts or so, I've seen references to Strus, Hayward and Fournier.  I don't think that Svi is close to that class of player.

The other thing:  what value do fans place in YouTube highlights, particularly those that don't break down a player's game?

Is he really that far down the depth chart?  Everyone agrees on the top-8. Then the interesting discussion begins:

I think there's some competition for the 9, 10, 11, 12 among Sam Hauser, Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh and Svi. These guys are all similar height, around 6'7".

Deep bench is Kornet, Davison, Scrubb and Banton. (You could put rookie Walsh here, but I'd like to see him get on the court with his elite defense.)

Based on that, I think Svi is no lower than 12th, especially if Walsh is on the deep bench.

I never quote myself, but felt a need to highlight my contention that Svi will be higher than 14th on the depth chart. If you put Jordan Walsh in the "deep bench" category, Svi is somewhere in the 9-11 range.

It really is sobering to think that we only have seven reliable rotation players:  KP, Horford, Timelord, Tatum, Brown, Brogdon, White.

Of those seven, four of them are likely to miss significant time, whether it's due to injury or load management.

After that, we have seven guys who are borderline:  Pritchard, Brisset, Hauser, Kornet, Svi, Banton, Walsh

I think that Brad botched this off-season.  A championship contender shouldn't have half its roster full of fringe rotation players, especially with so many of our guys almost guaranteed to miss significant time.

I'm going to disagree on these two points, Roy. I add Pritchard to make eight rotation players, and that's all a team needs for the playoffs. Then don't forget that Brad is leaving one spot open (as usual, going into the season) so that even if Pritchard is not the 8th guy, there's a good chance Brad fills that spot before the trade deadline. So with 8 main players, that leaves 7 as "fringe rotation players" which is indeed almost half the roster. I think that's typical for a deep playoff team (admittedly, I haven't done the research).

[celticinorlando]

I find the Svi comparisons to be fascinating.  I guess I'll just throw out a general reminder that this is a guy who played 32 games last season and wasn't in high demand this off-season in the NBA.  It's pretty unlikely that he finds the rotation, even on a Celtics team that is likely to feature a number of injuries.

Having him as a 14th man to roll the dice on is fine (although not my preference).  But, just in the past half-dozen posts or so, I've seen references to Strus, Hayward and Fournier.  I don't think that Svi is close to that class of player.

The other thing:  what value do fans place in YouTube highlights, particularly those that don't break down a player's game?

Is he really that far down the depth chart?  Everyone agrees on the top-8. Then the interesting discussion begins:

I think there's some competition for the 9, 10, 11, 12 among Sam Hauser, Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh and Svi. These guys are all similar height, around 6'7".

Deep bench is Kornet, Davison, Scrubb and Banton. (You could put rookie Walsh here, but I'd like to see him get on the court with his elite defense.)

Based on that, I think Svi is no lower than 12th, especially if Walsh is on the deep bench.

I never quote myself, but felt a need to highlight my contention that Svi will be higher than 14th on the depth chart. If you put Jordan Walsh in the "deep bench" category, Svi is somewhere in the 9-11 range.

It really is sobering to think that we only have seven reliable rotation players:  KP, Horford, Timelord, Tatum, Brown, Brogdon, White.

Of those seven, four of them are likely to miss significant time, whether it's due to injury or load management.

After that, we have seven guys who are borderline:  Pritchard, Brisset, Hauser, Kornet, Svi, Banton, Walsh

I think that Brad botched this off-season.  A championship contender shouldn't have half its roster full of fringe rotation players, especially with so many of our guys almost guaranteed to miss significant time.

This is 100 percent correct. The additions to the bench were guys who are marginal NBA talents. The Celtics still have 3 bigs that will be out due to rest or injury. That leaves Luke Kornet who is a glorified cheerleader as the big.

See lots of people thinking PP is going to be a factor this season but he is still unknown. Hauser is a bit wooden out there. Brissett can't really shoot. Hes a hustle guy. But he is already hurt with a knee. Banton gets in a game things are a blowout or things are bad injury wise. He's not NBA material whatsoever. Svi seems like a Euro Hauser.

Brogdan...no one really knows what his status is. He is the only player off the bench that I trust to give them some scoring.

This team is a few injuries away from having real issues and overtasking JT and JB once again. I think Brad and company talk a big game about adding to a championship window and spending money to win but in the end they  use the "the player has to be a fit" excuse not to spend money or add guys who are at least NBA players.

I would have taken. Warren over Svi, Banton or Brissett. Brad trying to copy the Heat's agenda by signing cheap guys from the G league or off the scrap heap and hoping they hit. Unfortunately we do not have Spo developing these guys. We have Joe.

[Roy H.]

I find the Svi comparisons to be fascinating.  I guess I'll just throw out a general reminder that this is a guy who played 32 games last season and wasn't in high demand this off-season in the NBA.  It's pretty unlikely that he finds the rotation, even on a Celtics team that is likely to feature a number of injuries.

Having him as a 14th man to roll the dice on is fine (although not my preference).  But, just in the past half-dozen posts or so, I've seen references to Strus, Hayward and Fournier.  I don't think that Svi is close to that class of player.

The other thing:  what value do fans place in YouTube highlights, particularly those that don't break down a player's game?

Is he really that far down the depth chart?  Everyone agrees on the top-8. Then the interesting discussion begins:

I think there's some competition for the 9, 10, 11, 12 among Sam Hauser, Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh and Svi. These guys are all similar height, around 6'7".

Deep bench is Kornet, Davison, Scrubb and Banton. (You could put rookie Walsh here, but I'd like to see him get on the court with his elite defense.)

Based on that, I think Svi is no lower than 12th, especially if Walsh is on the deep bench.

I never quote myself, but felt a need to highlight my contention that Svi will be higher than 14th on the depth chart. If you put Jordan Walsh in the "deep bench" category, Svi is somewhere in the 9-11 range.

It really is sobering to think that we only have seven reliable rotation players:  KP, Horford, Timelord, Tatum, Brown, Brogdon, White.

Of those seven, four of them are likely to miss significant time, whether it's due to injury or load management.

After that, we have seven guys who are borderline:  Pritchard, Brisset, Hauser, Kornet, Svi, Banton, Walsh

I think that Brad botched this off-season.  A championship contender shouldn't have half its roster full of fringe rotation players, especially with so many of our guys almost guaranteed to miss significant time.

I'm going to disagree on these two points, Roy. I add Pritchard to make eight rotation players, and that's all a team needs for the playoffs. Then don't forget that Brad is leaving one spot open (as usual, going into the season) so that even if Pritchard is not the 8th guy, there's a good chance Brad fills that spot before the trade deadline. So with 8 main players, that leaves 7 as "fringe rotation players" which is indeed almost half the roster. I think that's typical for a deep playoff team (admittedly, I haven't done the research).

I'd respond by saying:

1.  I like Pritchard, but he had a fairly down year last season, and the coach clearly doesn't trust him.  Historically he's been overmatched in the playoffs.  I don't count him as a reliable player at this point.

2.  I don't agree that the modern model is to have 50% of the team being fringe rotation or worse. 

People have pointed to Denver, but we don't have a multiple MVP all-time great at center.  And, Denver got a bit lucky with its health.  On the other end of the spectrum was Miami, which lost two rotation players in the playoffs.  That team had 12 rotation-worthy players, and it showed.

With us having several starters who are very likely to miss substantial time, I'd rather have quality depth than fringe players. 

[Celtics2021]

I find the Svi comparisons to be fascinating.  I guess I'll just throw out a general reminder that this is a guy who played 32 games last season and wasn't in high demand this off-season in the NBA.  It's pretty unlikely that he finds the rotation, even on a Celtics team that is likely to feature a number of injuries.

Having him as a 14th man to roll the dice on is fine (although not my preference).  But, just in the past half-dozen posts or so, I've seen references to Strus, Hayward and Fournier.  I don't think that Svi is close to that class of player.

The other thing:  what value do fans place in YouTube highlights, particularly those that don't break down a player's game?

Is he really that far down the depth chart?  Everyone agrees on the top-8. Then the interesting discussion begins:

I think there's some competition for the 9, 10, 11, 12 among Sam Hauser, Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh and Svi. These guys are all similar height, around 6'7".

Deep bench is Kornet, Davison, Scrubb and Banton. (You could put rookie Walsh here, but I'd like to see him get on the court with his elite defense.)

Based on that, I think Svi is no lower than 12th, especially if Walsh is on the deep bench.

I never quote myself, but felt a need to highlight my contention that Svi will be higher than 14th on the depth chart. If you put Jordan Walsh in the "deep bench" category, Svi is somewhere in the 9-11 range.

It really is sobering to think that we only have seven reliable rotation players:  KP, Horford, Timelord, Tatum, Brown, Brogdon, White.

Of those seven, four of them are likely to miss significant time, whether it's due to injury or load management.

After that, we have seven guys who are borderline:  Pritchard, Brisset, Hauser, Kornet, Svi, Banton, Walsh

I think that Brad botched this off-season.  A championship contender shouldn't have half its roster full of fringe rotation players, especially with so many of our guys almost guaranteed to miss significant time.

I'm going to disagree on these two points, Roy. I add Pritchard to make eight rotation players, and that's all a team needs for the playoffs. Then don't forget that Brad is leaving one spot open (as usual, going into the season) so that even if Pritchard is not the 8th guy, there's a good chance Brad fills that spot before the trade deadline. So with 8 main players, that leaves 7 as "fringe rotation players" which is indeed almost half the roster. I think that's typical for a deep playoff team (admittedly, I haven't done the research).

I'd respond by saying:

1.  I like Pritchard, but he had a fairly down year last season, and the coach clearly doesn't trust him.  Historically he's been overmatched in the playoffs.  I don't count him as a reliable player at this point.

2.  I don't agree that the modern model is to have 50% of the team being fringe rotation or worse. 

People have pointed to Denver, but we don't have a multiple MVP all-time great at center.  And, Denver got a bit lucky with its health.  On the other end of the spectrum was Miami, which lost two rotation players in the playoffs.  That team had 12 rotation-worthy players, and it showed.

With us having several starters who are very likely to miss substantial time, I'd rather have quality depth than fringe players.

I’m going to push back on the Heat having 12 rotation-caliber players, at least as you’re willing to define them.  Entering last season, would you have counted Haywood Highsmith as a rotation-caliber player for the playoffs?  Duncan Robinson?  Cody Zeller? Those were guys who were fringe players or salary-dump candidates (in the case of Robinson).  Nothing in their profile entering last season is substantially different from guys like Pritchard, Hauser, and Brissett.  Heck, Danalo Banton’s career to date stacks up better than Highsmith’s entering last year, and at a younger age.  The difference is Miami played their fringe guys in the playoffs when injuries struck or minutes were needed, and we kept ours glued to the bench.