Confidence in our youth movement

[BudweiserCeltic]

Much of the discussions through the last season was about wether we gave up too much youth for a chance to win the championship.

I really don't care about that discussion, we won the championship and I doubt ANYONE would argue against doing what we did last year.

But, for those that were worried about our youth movement going forward, do you feel better about our prospects in the future after the draft we had? 

I know it's premature as we don't actually know what we have in some of our young guys, but I'm wondering of what your intuition and feelings tell you on how we'll survive the transition from the Big 3 and onward... As it is curretly, how do you feel about our situation?  And also consider that we still have some years to keep acquiring young players.

Currently we have:

Rajon Rondo
Gabe Pruitt
Kendrick Perkins
Tony Allen (maybe)
Leon Powe
Glenn Davis (don't know if he'll be here beyond this season)
J.R. Giddens
Bill Walker (maybe)
Semih Erden (maybe)

[BudweiserCeltic]

Lol, forgot about Pruitt... added him to the list.

[Who]

It's a good start. About as good as you could expect this early.

Worth noting all the best youth presently on the squad is the youth the team kept - Rondo, Perk, Tony. They were 3 of the top 4 young players before the trades of last summer too (Big Al clearly the best). Powe is probably the next best young player on the roster too, another player the team kept.

Rondo is clearly head and shoulders above the rest. He's the only one that's proven himself to be of the team's foundation when they retool. Perkins has a good shot too.

I'm happy with the draft. We'll see where what caliber of young players they're able to add over the next 2-3 years. Good start.

[indeedproceed]

Everyone on that list to me is a question mark to me, although with Perkins, Rondo, and Powe its a little more of "how much better will they get" than whether or not they'll pan out.

As far legit superstar quality, which there is no question you need in the NBA, I don't think there is one on that list, which means in 3-4 years we'll need to really re-tool our roster.

[BudweiserCeltic]

It's a good start. About as good as you could expect this early.

Worth noting all the best youth presently on the squad is the youth the team kept - Rondo, Perk, Tony. They were 3 of the top 4 young players before the trades of last summer too (Big Al clearly the best). Powe is probably the next best young player on the roster too, another player the team kept. Rondo is clearly head and shoulders above the rest.

I'm happy with the draft. We'll see where what caliber of young players they're able to add over the next 2-3 years. Good start.

I'm pretty much with you.

We also got to remember that we have quite a handful of players that were projected to be early first rounders, even lottery picks at some point or another. So I think we have some good talent at the moment, as much as you would hope for this early in our "youth rebuilding mode" (if there's such a thing).

Everyone on that list to me is a question mark to me, although with Perkins, Rondo, and Powe its a little more of "how much better will they get" than whether or not they'll pan out.

As far legit superstar quality, which there is no question you need in the NBA, I don't think there is one on that list, which means in 3-4 years we'll need to really re-tool our roster.

Yeah, I hear you. I know there's a bunch of question marks, but for what you expected our youth situation to be in this point in time compared to how it currently is, I think we are in much better shape than some expected right? Even with those question marks.

I think there's some chance Rondo could become a top-tier player in the next 3-4 years. A chance... I think that will help matters.

I'm pretty high on Bill Walker's prospect for the future... Let's hope he gets healthy.

It'll also depend for how long Garnett, Pierce, and/or Ray stay with the team. That'll help matters a ton. I can see Garnett staying here for the next 6 or so years. Pierce for another 4 or 5. Ray is more of a question mark.

[lon3lytoaster]

Well Rondo is clearly the best player there and while I believe he can be an allstar type PG in maybe even a year or so but you just don't know yet what you will get from him when Pierce, Ray, and KG aren't there. He's shown flashes of being a nice scorer when he's aggressive...

Then you don't really know anything about anyone else. Pruitt didn't even play 100 minutes, I don't think. Giddens could be a good player or not so much of a good player... Who knows?

I think the real wild card is Bill Walker, though. He was touted as the next Vince Carter not too, too long ago and reports say he's lost about 25 or so pounds since the end of K-State's season, helping him gain a lot of explosion back... He could still be a Vince Carter type, you never know.

[CoachBo]

Everyone on that list to me is a question mark to me, although with Perkins, Rondo, and Powe its a little more of "how much better will they get" than whether or not they'll pan out.

As far legit superstar quality, which there is no question you need in the NBA, I don't think there is one on that list, which means in 3-4 years we'll need to really re-tool our roster.

Exactly.

Rondo, if he develops an offensive game, could be a star. The other returnees are complementary pieces at best.

Saw Walker play about 40 times out here over two years, and the Vince Carter comparisons are absurd. He will defend, he's a smart player but his temperment is going to have to change. Giddens, if he's outgrown his character issues, could also be a decent role player.

But there are no superstars in that group, and beyond Rondo, it's next to impossible that there will be.

[kozlodoev]

I think the real wild card is Bill Walker, though. He was touted as the next Vince Carter not too, too long ago and reports say he's lost about 25 or so pounds since the end of K-State's season, helping him gain a lot of explosion back... He could still be a Vince Carter type, you never know.

He could, complete with the injuries...

[Jon]

In a previous thread I got into an argument with a guy who was wishing that we could be like Detroit and be good but have solid youngsters ready to step up.  But you know what, I think we're in a better spot than Detroit right now.  As good as Stuckey might be, Rondo already is better and will be better.  Maxiell's OK, but he's an undersized PF, not too much unlike Powe or Big Baby.  So I think Danny's doing a nice job. 

Ultimately, he needs Rondo and someone else to emerge as stars, keep salary flexibility, and when the Big Three leave, have money to bring in another superstar. 

[amenhotep04]

Much of the discussions through the last season was about wether we gave up too much youth for a chance to win the championship.

I really don't care about that discussion, we won the championship and I doubt ANYONE would argue against doing what we did last year.

But, for those that were worried about our youth movement going forward, do you feel better about our prospects in the future after the draft we had? 

I know it's premature as we don't actually know what we have in some of our young guys, but I'm wondering of what your intuition and feelings tell you on how we'll survive the transition from the Big 3 and onward... As it is curretly, how do you feel about our situation?  And also consider that we still have some years to keep acquiring young players.

Currently we have:

Rajon Rondo
Gabe Pruitt
Kendrick Perkins
Tony Allen (maybe)
Leon Powe
Glenn Davis (don't know if he'll be here beyond this season)
J.R. Giddens
Bill Walker (maybe)
Semih Erden (maybe)

Having Rondo on the team makes me feel better.  I don't believe we are in some youth movement.  Danny's MO appears to be to collect enough bargaining chips and go after a player, or players.  Of the list above, Rondo is going to be a star.  He can dominate a game.  Of the others, Giddens has done that most of his career.  So I would say that in five years, if most of those guys are still with the team, they will be role players (which is actually a compliment), with Rondo and possibly Giddens as stars.  Over the next five years, if Danny can get us another big that can play, then who knows.  I think Danny has placed the team now on par to be competitive for the next decade, maybe longer.  We may or may not win a title during that time, but we'll be mentioned in the discussion.

[BudweiserCeltic]

Much of the discussions through the last season was about wether we gave up too much youth for a chance to win the championship.

I really don't care about that discussion, we won the championship and I doubt ANYONE would argue against doing what we did last year.

But, for those that were worried about our youth movement going forward, do you feel better about our prospects in the future after the draft we had? 

I know it's premature as we don't actually know what we have in some of our young guys, but I'm wondering of what your intuition and feelings tell you on how we'll survive the transition from the Big 3 and onward... As it is curretly, how do you feel about our situation?  And also consider that we still have some years to keep acquiring young players.

Currently we have:

Rajon Rondo
Gabe Pruitt
Kendrick Perkins
Tony Allen (maybe)
Leon Powe
Glenn Davis (don't know if he'll be here beyond this season)
J.R. Giddens
Bill Walker (maybe)
Semih Erden (maybe)

Having Rondo on the team makes me feel better.  I don't believe we are in some youth movement. 

Never inteded to make it sound as if we were in some youth movement, as we are clearly not.

[fairweatherfan]

Everyone on that list to me is a question mark to me, although with Perkins, Rondo, and Powe its a little more of "how much better will they get" than whether or not they'll pan out.

As far legit superstar quality, which there is no question you need in the NBA, I don't think there is one on that list, which means in 3-4 years we'll need to really re-tool our roster.

Exactly.

Rondo, if he develops an offensive game, could be a star. The other returnees are complementary pieces at best.

Saw Walker play about 40 times out here over two years, and the Vince Carter comparisons are absurd. He will defend, he's a smart player but his temperment is going to have to change. Giddens, if he's outgrown his character issues, could also be a decent role player.

But there are no superstars in that group, and beyond Rondo, it's next to impossible that there will be.

Maybe I'm a little optimistic, but I think Powe has a chance to be an All-Star someday.  He was 10th in minutes per game but 5th in PPG and 6th in RPG, he picked up his game as the year went by, scored some in the clutch, and is going to spend 3 or 4 years learning from the best.  I think once he becomes consistent in his play he could eventually put up very good double-double figures.  I'm not sure if it would happen on this team, but in 4 or 5 years I think he'll be good enough to get there.

[BudweiserCeltic]

Hopefully the superstar we need will come via free-agency as our big contracts start expiring.  When the Big 3 era is all set and done, I hope that we at least are in a good position financially to get a really good player the or one of the final pieces to the remaining guys in our roster.

[wdleehi]

The 'youth movement' on this team is about roll players.   And that's fine since this is a team designed to win now. 


I would be shocked if more then two of those players (most likely Rondo and Perkins) are still part of this team when the 3 stars have moved on and the Celtics have rebuilt themselves into a playoff team. 

[Mon]

Much of the discussions through the last season was about wether we gave up too much youth for a chance to win the championship.

I really don't care about that discussion, we won the championship and I doubt ANYONE would argue against doing what we did last year.

But, for those that were worried about our youth movement going forward, do you feel better about our prospects in the future after the draft we had? 

I know it's premature as we don't actually know what we have in some of our young guys, but I'm wondering of what your intuition and feelings tell you on how we'll survive the transition from the Big 3 and onward... As it is curretly, how do you feel about our situation?  And also consider that we still have some years to keep acquiring young players.

Currently we have:

Rajon Rondo
Gabe Pruitt
Kendrick Perkins
Tony Allen (maybe)
Leon Powe
Glenn Davis (don't know if he'll be here beyond this season)
J.R. Giddens
Bill Walker (maybe)
Semih Erden (maybe)

I love Rondo (who doesn't) and extremely hopeful about Giddens and Walker.

Powe and Glenn seem limited.