The Alternate Universe Celtics w/ Durant

[TatteredOnMySleeve]

Woulda coulda shoulda.  The fact is that Durant can't defend a chair.  He doesn't even try.  Until he plays passable defense, he won't win.  End of story.

Same things were said about Paul pierce and Ray allen for nearly 10 years, so I'll take that with a grain of salt, hes what 19? the kid has the body to be an all-time great defender

[Roy Hobbs]

Jeff Green is the best player on that team.  Now if HE had a decent supporting cast, OK City might be going somewhere. 

If Jeff Green is better than Durant... then we are really going to regret the Ray Allen trade.

Haha.  True.  Durant is looking like KG with better range on offense, and he's got the same defensive *potential* (although I really doubt him to get there any time soon).  If Durant realizes his potential and Green surpasses that, then we're going to be looking at one of the top five player duos in NBA history.

[amenhotep04]

Danny said that he really wanted Durant. Durant said the Cs were his first choice. Paul would have been gone. I doubt the bench would have looked the way it does in the original post.  Nevertheless, would Tom Thibodeau have been able to teach these guys how to play defense? If so, they would have been fun to watch for 10 years or more.

And Danny also said he would not have picked Green with the fifth pick in that draft. He was looking at Jianlian.

Regardless, Danny has also filled the team with a lot of young guys again, so the Cs will be at least competitive for several years.

[bdm860]

Danny said that he really wanted Durant. Durant said the Cs were his first choice. Paul would have been gone. I doubt the bench would have looked the way it does in the original post.  Nevertheless, would Tom Thibodeau have been able to teach these guys how to play defense? If so, they would have been fun to watch for 10 years or more.

And Danny also said he would not have picked Green with the fifth pick in that draft. He was looking at Jianlian.

Regardless, Danny has also filled the team with a lot of young guys again, so the Cs will be at least competitive for several years.

With this whole alternate universe thing, you got think Tom Thibodeau wouldn't be here either.  I don't think he'd want to sign with a young team just trying to make the playoffs (unless it's as a head coach).  He'd sign on with a contender or take a head coaching job, but I don't think he'd come to the C's in this alternate universe.

[Fafnir]

Jeff Green is the best player on that team.  Now if HE had a decent supporting cast, OK City might be going somewhere. 

If Jeff Green is better than Durant... then we are really going to regret the Ray Allen trade.

No we are not. Need I remind you of this?

[Fafnir]

Jeff Green is the best player on that team.  Now if HE had a decent supporting cast, OK City might be going somewhere. 

If Jeff Green is better than Durant... then we are really going to regret the Ray Allen trade.

Haha.  True.  Durant is looking like KG with better range on offense, and he's got the same defensive *potential* (although I really doubt him to get there any time soon).  If Durant realizes his potential and Green surpasses that, then we're going to be looking at one of the top five player duos in NBA history.

I don't think he does. He's long but doesn't have nearly the strength KG did at his age. Also he's not 7'1" no matter what KG claims his height is he's a seven footer.

The problem with defensively potential is that defense is all about effort. Will Durant ever be a tireless rebounder like KG? Will he ever take the challenge of defensively removing the best player from the other team completly from the game?

Durant is a scorer. To expect him to change that mentality, especially with how much his team needs him to score is foolish.

Now if he could just become average on D he'd be special. I think he'll be a player along the lines of Tracy McGrady. And that isn't bad! For all the knocks on T-mac lately people forget just how good he was before his back injuries.

[BillfromBoston]

In no way, shape, or form is Jeff Green better than Kevin Durant...any team with both Durant, Jefferson and booke-end defenders in Perk and Rondo would be a contender for a title and need only role player-type moves to become elite...

...this isn't up for debate...

[KCattheStripe]

In no way, shape, or form is Jeff Green better than Kevin Durant...any team with both Durant, Jefferson and booke-end defenders in Perk and Rondo would be a contender for a title and need only role player-type moves to become elite...

...this isn't up for debate...

...in two years.

[Fafnir]

In no way, shape, or form is Jeff Green better than Kevin Durant...any team with both Durant, Jefferson and booke-end defenders in Perk and Rondo would be a contender for a title and need only role player-type moves to become elite...

...this isn't up for debate...

It most certainly is up for debate. Offense is only half of the game. You can say that his teammates can make up for it all you want but that doesn't mean it will work out that way. Especially against the elite teams who will take advantage of matchups ruthlessly in the playoffs.

See PP on Rad Man and Walton.

[bostonfan23]

I would LOVE to pick up Durant in '11. That would be ridiculous. He's not a great defensive player right now, but he's 20. How many 20 year olds are good defensively? He will get better - he has the desire and physical traits.

I think he's a guy who could become LeBron's legit rival. Big SF's. Durant could absolutely put up 35-38ppg some day, he's that talented. One of my favorite players to watch.. just awesome.

[bostonfan23]

by the way, Durant is 8-8 with 19 points in the first half today.

[greg683x]

Theres going to be a lot of teams bidding for Durant.  The best thing we got going for us is KG was Durants Idol growing up and he might LOVE to be in a position to have KG pass the torch to him in Boston, but we're definetly going to have to pay up because if Lebron stays in Cleveland, I could see the Knicks making him a HUGE offer, not to mention the other teams who lost out in 2010 that will be throwing up some dollars.

[Fafnir]

by the way, Durant is 8-8 with 19 points in the first half today.

Against the Kings. Enough said.

[Fafnir]

I would LOVE to pick up Durant in '11. That would be ridiculous. He's not a great defensive player right now, but he's 20. How many 20 year olds are good defensively? He will get better - he has the desire and physical traits.

I think he's a guy who could become LeBron's legit rival. Big SF's. Durant could absolutely put up 35-38ppg some day, he's that talented. One of my favorite players to watch.. just awesome.

Putting up 35 or 38 PPG isn't hard. It is doing so efficiently that is important. I'm not so sure about the desire or the traits to play good defense though.

Offensively though.....wow.

[LarBrd33]

It's just interesting to me...  Especially after watching Big Al own us tonight on the offensive end. 

Rondo, Big Al, Durant and Perk would have been a solid core. 

What would we have gotten for Pierce?  Maybe a "reverse" Sonics trade where we sent him to Seattle for the #5 pick and other prospects.   Yi Jianlian with Rondo, Al, Durant and Perk?

Honestly I'm thinking about what was going on in the NBA at that time...   Kobe was demanding a trade at that point unless they got some help. There were all sorts of Andrew Bynum/Lamar Odom trade rumors.   People thought Kobe was going to Chicago for like Ben Gordon, Ty Thomas and Luol Deng.  I could imagine Pierce getting traded home to LA for a package revolving around Bynum and Kwame's expiring contract.    I could also imagine Pierce getting sent to Chicago for Ty Thomas and Ben Gordon.   Would have been interesting to see what we put on that team around Rondo, Delonte, Durant, Big Al, Perk and Gomes.   And i'd expect the team to stink last year... so who would we have drafted?  Brooke Lopez or something?  OJ Mayo?