Update: Tanguay's GUT says Rasheed Wallace to Boston looks to be a done deal

[Casperian]

I disagree. Last year we were too young for a championship team. A contender just can`t have 4 projects on the roster like we had in Pruitt, Giddens, Walker, POB. That is suicide!

We need 3 really good veteran players on the bench and Sheed brings everything we need. Length, shooting, defense! He is a perfect fit! Even at 35 he still has a lot to give especially in a new situation. He looked bad in DET last season because he wanted out! Here he would be motivated and would be a different player!

Hill is another player who would help us immensely. He had a terrific season in PHO last year! Watching him I couldn`t believe he still is this good...

Would it be better to get good players who are a few years younger? Sure, but there just aren`t many available. Who is a better option than Rasheed for us?

We will still have Wlaker, Giddens, Pruitt (or Hudson) returning and that is more than enough young players...

Young doesn´t necessarily mean "project". Rondo and Perk are/were also young, but they´re good enough to contribute to a contender.

The thing is, Walker, Giddens or Pruitt were never asked to produce in the playoffs. They were not part of our playoff-rotation, so to say they were too young for a championship team is a bogus argument. I´ve listed our 9-men-rotation, 6 guys are over 30.

We are too old, not too young.

[thebirdman]

I just think we need quality, no matter what age...

Young doesn`t necessarily mean better. We need players that can help us win now!

[screwedupmaniac]

I disagree. Last year we were too young for a championship team. A contender just can`t have 4 projects on the roster like we had in Pruitt, Giddens, Walker, POB. That is suicide!

We need 3 really good veteran players on the bench and Sheed brings everything we need. Length, shooting, defense! He is a perfect fit! Even at 35 he still has a lot to give especially in a new situation. He looked bad in DET last season because he wanted out! Here he would be motivated and would be a different player!

Hill is another player who would help us immensely. He had a terrific season in PHO last year! Watching him I couldn`t believe he still is this good...

Would it be better to get good players who are a few years younger? Sure, but there just aren`t many available. Who is a better option than Rasheed for us?

We will still have Wlaker, Giddens, Pruitt (or Hudson) returning and that is more than enough young players...

Young doesn´t necessarily mean "project". Rondo and Perk are/were also young, but they´re good enough to contribute to a contender.

The thing is, Walker, Giddens or Pruitt were never asked to produce in the playoffs. They were not part of our playoff-rotation, so to say they were too young for a championship team is a bogus argument. I´ve listed our 9-men-rotation, 6 guys are over 30.

We are too old, not too young.

I am curious as to what your list of young talent that aren't projects are, cuz i just don't see a whole lot of options out there that we can afford this off season. If they're projects, then they come cheap but don't have much to offer us. If they're proven young players, they'll be looking for lengthy, expensive contracts (ben gordon, milsap, etc.).

i would have said "lets wait and see what happens" last year, but we all saw where that got us...we missed out on every good name available. I say, if he wants to play for us, send him an offer ASAP and get this done. Sheed off the bench would be better than Detroit using him in the starting rotation...he'd last a lot longer into the year playing less minutes, and we'd get just what we need. i'm not a huge fan of his offensive game, but he'd be a good defender for our defensive schemes, and i think him and KG being around each other would fuel an unstoppable fire.

Worst case scenario, at least we'll have someone else besides Perk to draw technicals!


our potential bench this year:

Sheed
Baby
FA/Scal
FA (Dahntay Jones?)/Eddie
Marbury

I'm not complaining about that bench at all...beats most benches in the league, and beats LA's joke of a bench this past year, IMO

[Jon]

Though I was pulling for McDyess, since I thought that Wallace would want too much money and might be too much of a gamble coming off the bench, it's hard to deny that his immense talent is tantalizing. He almost makes Davis's return fairly irrelevant, as come playoff time, he could play all the backup minutes at the 4 and 5. 

If he wants to come here for the MLE, I'd give it to him, but keep the years to a max of 3.  Then Danny can dedicate all his time and energy to getting someone like Grant Hill here for the LLE. 

[CoachBo]

I disagree. Last year we were too young for a championship team. A contender just can`t have 4 projects on the roster like we had in Pruitt, Giddens, Walker, POB. That is suicide!

We need 3 really good veteran players on the bench and Sheed brings everything we need. Length, shooting, defense! He is a perfect fit! Even at 35 he still has a lot to give especially in a new situation. He looked bad in DET last season because he wanted out! Here he would be motivated and would be a different player!

Hill is another player who would help us immensely. He had a terrific season in PHO last year! Watching him I couldn`t believe he still is this good...

Would it be better to get good players who are a few years younger? Sure, but there just aren`t many available. Who is a better option than Rasheed for us?

We will still have Wlaker, Giddens, Pruitt (or Hudson) returning and that is more than enough young players...

Young doesn´t necessarily mean "project". Rondo and Perk are/were also young, but they´re good enough to contribute to a contender.

The thing is, Walker, Giddens or Pruitt were never asked to produce in the playoffs. They were not part of our playoff-rotation, so to say they were too young for a championship team is a bogus argument. I´ve listed our 9-men-rotation, 6 guys are over 30.

We are too old, not too young.

I think there's likely a very good practice-related reason why Walker, Giddens and Pruitt never got any playoff burn. One of the big misconceptions on this board is that because "we" have never seen them in action, the collective "we" doesn't know what they can do. Not true. "We" don't matter. Doc and his staff are what matters.

[nickagneta]

I think Casperian's claim we are too old is bogus. Sorry Casp.

The Big Three, Mikki, Marbury, Scal and Eddie were all older than 30 but after the Big Three there's no guarantee that any of those guys will be back. Eddie could opt out, Scal could be traded, and Marbury and Moore are already not our property. That leaves:

Walker - 21
Rondo - 23
Pruitt - 23
Davis - 23
Giddens - 23
Perkins - 24
Powe - 25
Allen - 27

That's pretty [dang] young.

[CoachBo]

Agreed, Nick. This team was FAR too young last year after Garnett and Powe went down.

Too many projects and suspects, also.

[Casperian]

I disagree. Last year we were too young for a championship team. A contender just can`t have 4 projects on the roster like we had in Pruitt, Giddens, Walker, POB. That is suicide!

We need 3 really good veteran players on the bench and Sheed brings everything we need. Length, shooting, defense! He is a perfect fit! Even at 35 he still has a lot to give especially in a new situation. He looked bad in DET last season because he wanted out! Here he would be motivated and would be a different player!

Hill is another player who would help us immensely. He had a terrific season in PHO last year! Watching him I couldn`t believe he still is this good...

Would it be better to get good players who are a few years younger? Sure, but there just aren`t many available. Who is a better option than Rasheed for us?

We will still have Wlaker, Giddens, Pruitt (or Hudson) returning and that is more than enough young players...

Young doesn´t necessarily mean "project". Rondo and Perk are/were also young, but they´re good enough to contribute to a contender.

The thing is, Walker, Giddens or Pruitt were never asked to produce in the playoffs. They were not part of our playoff-rotation, so to say they were too young for a championship team is a bogus argument. I´ve listed our 9-men-rotation, 6 guys are over 30.

We are too old, not too young.

I am curious as to what your list of young talent that aren't projects are, cuz i just don't see a whole lot of options out there that we can afford this off season. If they're projects, then they come cheap but don't have much to offer us. If they're proven young players, they'll be looking for lengthy, expensive contracts (ben gordon, milsap, etc.).

As I said, I also want veteran players, but they should be 28-31, not 35+.
There are a lot of options, from guys like Gortat or Pachulia to Brandon Bass.

[BudweiserCeltic]

I disagree. Last year we were too young for a championship team. A contender just can`t have 4 projects on the roster like we had in Pruitt, Giddens, Walker, POB. That is suicide!

We need 3 really good veteran players on the bench and Sheed brings everything we need. Length, shooting, defense! He is a perfect fit! Even at 35 he still has a lot to give especially in a new situation. He looked bad in DET last season because he wanted out! Here he would be motivated and would be a different player!

Hill is another player who would help us immensely. He had a terrific season in PHO last year! Watching him I couldn`t believe he still is this good...

Would it be better to get good players who are a few years younger? Sure, but there just aren`t many available. Who is a better option than Rasheed for us?

We will still have Wlaker, Giddens, Pruitt (or Hudson) returning and that is more than enough young players...

Young doesn´t necessarily mean "project". Rondo and Perk are/were also young, but they´re good enough to contribute to a contender.

The thing is, Walker, Giddens or Pruitt were never asked to produce in the playoffs. They were not part of our playoff-rotation, so to say they were too young for a championship team is a bogus argument. I´ve listed our 9-men-rotation, 6 guys are over 30.

We are too old, not too young.

I think there's likely a very good practice-related reason why Walker, Giddens and Pruitt never got any playoff burn. One of the big misconceptions on this board is that because "we" have never seen them in action, the collective "we" doesn't know what they can do. Not true. "We" don't matter. Doc and his staff are what matters.

Of course there are always reasons, and even if they're understandable reasons, it doesn't make them the right decisions. I could have good reasons to kill a man, but that doesn't mean I did the right thing by killing him... know what I mean?

I can see why Doc didn't play them because he didn't trust them, etc. Completely understandable, but that doesn't mean they couldn't have been productive and give some decent minute out there if given the opportunity, more importantly if they were given the chance to play more minutes during the season (Walker in particular that was with the team through quite an extensive time, plenty of time to get him into some sort of playing rhythm).

[Casperian]

I think Casperian's claim we are too old is bogus. Sorry Casp.

The Big Three, Mikki, Marbury, Scal and Eddie were all older than 30 but after the Big Three there's no guarantee that any of those guys will be back. Eddie could opt out, Scal could be traded, and Marbury and Moore are already not our property. That leaves:

Walker - 21
Rondo - 23
Pruitt - 23
Davis - 23
Giddens - 23
Perkins - 24
Powe - 25
Allen - 27

That's pretty [dang] young.

You forgot Semih Erden, who is also pretty young.

Walker, Giddens and Pruitt are part of the Boston Celtics development team, not of the Boston Celtics championship team. They spent most of their time in the D-League, they were never an option for our playoff-rotation.

Some people act as if our sole hope in the playoffs was a triple-double by Gabe Pruitt, and that´s why we didn´t win a championship. What does a guy who never plays has to do with our average age? If you solely take our rotation, we are clearly an "old" team as it is.

Do people think that because Walker was so young, he somehow influenced Scal and Pierce to play bad? Was J.R. Giddens the reason why Ray Allen played like crap against Orlando? Is it Pruitt´s fault that we had to go 7 games against athletic teams like Atlanta and Chicago?

What does their age have to do with our team? They don´t play.
Sheed will play. His age IS relevant.

[pengaloo]

I disagree. Last year we were too young for a championship team. A contender just can`t have 4 projects on the roster like we had in Pruitt, Giddens, Walker, POB. That is suicide!

We need 3 really good veteran players on the bench and Sheed brings everything we need. Length, shooting, defense! He is a perfect fit! Even at 35 he still has a lot to give especially in a new situation. He looked bad in DET last season because he wanted out! Here he would be motivated and would be a different player!

Hill is another player who would help us immensely. He had a terrific season in PHO last year! Watching him I couldn`t believe he still is this good...

Would it be better to get good players who are a few years younger? Sure, but there just aren`t many available. Who is a better option than Rasheed for us?

We will still have Wlaker, Giddens, Pruitt (or Hudson) returning and that is more than enough young players...

Young doesn´t necessarily mean "project". Rondo and Perk are/were also young, but they´re good enough to contribute to a contender.

The thing is, Walker, Giddens or Pruitt were never asked to produce in the playoffs. They were not part of our playoff-rotation, so to say they were too young for a championship team is a bogus argument. I´ve listed our 9-men-rotation, 6 guys are over 30.

We are too old, not too young.

I think there's likely a very good practice-related reason why Walker, Giddens and Pruitt never got any playoff burn. One of the big misconceptions on this board is that because "we" have never seen them in action, the collective "we" doesn't know what they can do. Not true. "We" don't matter. Doc and his staff are what matters.

I wonder if those three even get time on the floor during practice games.

[screwedupmaniac]

i remember when we traded big al for kg, and everyone was up in arms about how we were "too old" and we "traded away our future". i loved al and the gang, but that "future" went on an 18 game losing streak, and have yet to prove that they can stay healthy and win games.

that said, we brought in kg anyways and won it all. we didn't just win because of KG's greatness...we won because of the people that signed on with us for cheap once we showed we were serious about winning it all (posey, house, PJ). if we do pick up sheed, we won't just be getting him, we will also be getting the confidence of FA's such as Grant Hill and Dahntay Jones that we are serious about winning it all right now, and not just trying to stay relatively competitive and save money like so many franchises are.

I guess Posey, PJ and Cassell were "too old" too...oh wait, that's right, we DID win banner 17 with a bunch of old farts haha  

[screwedupmaniac]

I think Casperian's claim we are too old is bogus. Sorry Casp.

The Big Three, Mikki, Marbury, Scal and Eddie were all older than 30 but after the Big Three there's no guarantee that any of those guys will be back. Eddie could opt out, Scal could be traded, and Marbury and Moore are already not our property. That leaves:

Walker - 21
Rondo - 23
Pruitt - 23
Davis - 23
Giddens - 23
Perkins - 24
Powe - 25
Allen - 27

That's pretty [dang] young.

You forgot Semih Erden, who is also pretty young.

Walker, Giddens and Pruitt are part of the Boston Celtics developement team, not of the Boston Celtics championship team. They spent most of their time in the D-League, they were never an option for our playoff-rotation.

Some people act as if our sole hope in the playoffs was a triple-double by Gabe Pruitt, and that´s why we didn´t win a championship. What do the skills of a guy who never plays have to do with our average age? If you solely take our rotation, we are clearly an "old" team as it is.

Do people think that because Walker was so young, he somehow influenced Scal and Pierce to play bad? Was J.R. Giddens the reason why Ray Allen played like crap against Orlando? Is it Pruitt´s fault that we had to go 7 games against athletic teams like Atlanta and Chicago?

What does their age have to do with our team? They don´t play.
Sheed will play. His age IS relevant.

It wasn't those kids' faults that danny and co. filled up 4 of our 15 vauluable roster spots with kids who should probably still be in college or overseas...however, they did, and when injuries came, we had no legit backups for anyone. we never had a valid backup for pierce this season, even from the start, because we were too busy trying to nurture infant billy skywalker. we're in win now mode, folks, and stocking up a team with kids is not the way to do it.

as for the gortat and pachulia ideas, they're both decent players and i see what you're saying, but they will both demand at least the full MLE (probably more, as gortat is looking at good money in NY), and i personally don't feel that either player is worth that much. once again, let's keep in mind the power that getting a proven veteran winner like sheed gives us...it gives us great ability to negotiate with FA's out there who are looking for a place to make a final championship run.

[Casperian]

Agreed, Nick. This team was FAR too young last year after Garnett and Powe went down.

Too many projects and suspects, also.

That´s why I said not every young player is a project.

I agree with the general premise, too many projects and suspects. But that has nothing to do with age.

A project is labeled as a project because his level of play isn´t where you want it to be. You´ll have to invest time and work to get his game to a point where he can contribute. Under this premise, Moore and Marbury, who didn´t play in 2 years, were "projects", too. Pachulia or Gortat are also young, but they´re at a level were you can expect them to produce. They aren´t projects, they are legit players with upside.

[Casperian]

It wasn't those kids' faults that danny and co. filled up 4 of our 15 vauluable roster spots with kids who should probably still be in college or overseas...however, they did, and when injuries came, we had no legit backups for anyone. we never had a valid backup for pierce this season, even from the start, because we were too busy trying to nurture infant billy skywalker. we're in win now mode, folks, and stocking up a team with kids is not the way to do it.

as for the gortat and pachulia ideas, they're both decent players and i see what you're saying, but they will both demand at least the full MLE (probably more, as gortat is looking at good money in NY), and i personally don't feel that either player is worth that much. once again, let's keep in mind the power that getting a proven veteran winner like sheed gives us...it gives us great ability to negotiate with FA's out there who are looking for a place to make a final championship run.

So, what was the problem? Age or depth? Or both?
We had a 9-men-rotation, which imo is enough for the playoffs, and as I said, 6 of these guys were over 30, and Perk has 6 years of NBA experience. The truth is, it was neither age or depth why our bench sucked, it was the quality of our rotation and their one-dimensional skill-sets.

Believe me, I understand the "win now" mode. I already annoyed enough people with my plea for a Posey-extension over the course of the last year. I don´t want young players. I´m not looking beyond next season. I want proven role-players who know their role and can produce. 35+ former all-star Rasheed Wallace doesn´t fit that description.