Is it smarter to rest the Big Three(not tank) for the rest the regular season ?

[PLamb]

It's starting to get fairly obvious to even those of us that wear the greenest of green tinted glasses that this team in it's current condition and make up can not win a championship this year

KG's knee has never been right, Pierce has a myriad of injuries that is making him inconsequential in any manner this year, Rondo is most effective as a 33 MPG player but unfortunately has to play 40 MPG on this team, Davis is still too fat and nonathletic to be an effective low post player, Rasheed's game just is un-Celtic like and offensive to my palate, Tony Allen is still Tony Allen and will never be the Tony Allen of 16 games in 2007, Ray is aging gracefully and Nate is going to take too much time to adjust

So I ask, is it smarter to sit KG and Pierce the rest of the regular season to recuperate, cut Rondo's and Ray's minutes to 30 per game and do everything you can to look competitive but lose from this point forward

Right now the Celtics are tied with Atlanta at 36-20 and considering they swept the Celtics, if the season ended today would be drafting in the 24th spot

Here's the thing though, only 5 games separate the Celtics from the 24th drafting spot this summer and the 17th

Just 5 games of tanking gets the Celtics still in the playoffs but in prime position in a very deep NBA Draft
 
The Celtics could then start putting KG and Pierce back in in April to get them going for the playoffs and suddenly the Celtics have a prime picking spot for the draft AND officially become the team no one wants to face in the first round because they are rested and a great road team

BTW, before thinking this is nuts here are some names recently taken between #17 and #21 in the draft

Ty Lawson
Darren Collison
JJ Hickson
Roy Hibbert
Danny Granger
Rajon Rondo
Josh Smith
JR Smith
Jameer Nelson
David West
Zach Randolph

The fall off in talent in the area right outside the lottery to about the 21st pick to there after is usually a very significant drop off

By resting people and tanking the regular season the Celtics could rest themselves for a playoff run coming out of the 5th through 7th seed while giving themselves the chance at a future by possibly being able to finally add a young stud talent in the upcoming very deep draft

Maybe the C's bottle lightning and being rested go on one of those historic playoff runs, maybe not

Either way they still get some playoff revenue, their players are healthier and hopefully that will mean good things for next year AND they get to add someone that could be a building block for the future

[Drucci]

Rest Pierce as long as he needs to rest, but why would you rest other players if they don't need to?

I'm OK with reducing Ray's and Rondo's minutes (I think Doc will do it once Nate is fully integrated to the system) but there is no need for resting KG, on the contrary, he needs to play to improve his conditioning, he is looking better game after game so why would you stop the process?

There is no need for draft picks, and if we can secure the 2nd or 3rd spot in the East (and we can), we have to do so because it's a tight race with Orlando and Atlanta and the difference is so thin that it would be stupid to stop competing now.

If we were down by 5 or 6 games behind them for the 2nd or 3rd spot, I would consider your idea but right now... no.

And yes, this team can still win a championship this season, it's not a matter of green tinted glasses.

[PLamb]

Have to respectfully disagree with you Drucci

This team is NOT winning a championship this year

KG is NOT looking better game by game

There IS a MAJOR need for high draft picks

And we would NOT be stupid by stopping to compete now because those teams you want to try and beat out for a higher playoff seed have DOMINATED us no matter where we have played them

[Drucci]

Have to respectfully disagree with you Drucci

This team is NOT winning a championship this year

KG is NOT looking better game by game

There IS a MAJOR need for high draft picks

And we would NOT be stupid by stopping to compete now because those teams you want to try and beat out for a higher playoff seed have DOMINATED us no matter where we have played them

By dominated, you mean, getting dominated by the C's for a half before coming back and winning it?

Do you mean Atlanta "dominated us" when they played us 3 times without KG and 1 time without KG AND Sheed, yet won the game thanks to the refs?

Please. The Celtics certainly don't look like the favorites overall and they've disappointed all season long but you're jumping the bridge a little bit too far.

And KG is looking better and better game after game, that's a fact, you can't deny it. Sure, he will never be the '08 KG again but he is more and more like the '09 Late november/December KG and that will be enough in order to win the championship this season.

And it's totally useless to "tank" at this point because you won't get a LeBron James like talent in this draft, especially with our picks (even if we tank), so it would be totally pointless. Our future looks bad, I agree with that, but I still see this team as a championship contender this season, and the facts are here to support my belief.

Playing very well for 3 quarters against the Cavs without Pierce, with a sick Marquis and without using Nate at its full potential (not to be overlooked because the Cavs guards really struggle to defend on quick guards), and losing in the 4th, although it is frustrating and disappointing, is not the kind of game you should use to claim that this team is going nowhere this season, assuming we are healthy in the playoffs.

[sk7326]

Have to respectfully disagree with you Drucci

This team is NOT winning a championship this year

KG is NOT looking better game by game

There IS a MAJOR need for high draft picks

And we would NOT be stupid by stopping to compete now because those teams you want to try and beat out for a higher playoff seed have DOMINATED us no matter where we have played them

KG is looking better ... BUT ... Cleveland paced themselves, saw us play a perfect half, made a couple adjustments and kicked the snot out of us - they are the best team in the league, and in the East (were before they made any trade) by a wide margin so I won't overreact.

Pacing ourselves is what we have been gunning for - but the reserves are not good enough and our starters are not good enough to just play 30 a night and win enough to be willing to concede having to win 2 series on the road.  Really the gravity of Sheed's awfulness cannot be overstated - and is often understated.

As far as the draft goes ... Devin Ebanks feels like the sort of lying in the weeds homerun threat you can find at #2x ... now remember with those draft picks, you always take a chance on Gerald Green's talent - you just hope the player has the IQ and drive Gerald lacked. 

[Chris]

This thread is officially the low-point of the season for me. 

Seriously?  Tanking for draft position?

No offense, but have some darn pride!

[Greenbean]

This thread is officially the low-point of the season for me. 

Seriously?  Tanking for draft position?

No offense, but have some darn pride!

Co Sign. I shed a tear reading that post.

Not to even mention that it would never happen...especially in boston (could you imagine the local media? Wyc Danny and Doc would have to move to an undisclosed location like Steve Bartman).

In all honesty though I went to last nights game and my heart was ripped out slowy and methodically. I need a break from the Celtics. Ill still check in here but I cant watch for a while. its taking years off my life this season.

[Roy Hobbs]

Tanking with a team full of all-stars and Hall of Famers won't exactly have free agents lining up in droves to sign here for our MLE or a minimum contract.  The lure we have as a franchise is that we're all about winning, and after some rough years, we're trying to earn that reputation back. 

Regardless, it's a moot point, as neither the players nor management would allow tanking here.  Strategic rest heading into the playoffs, sure.  Losing on purpose, no.

[JSD]

At this point playoff seeding is irrelevant and out the window. So I'm all for resting our guys for the postseason run but it should only be done to get healthy, not draft position (although that's a perk).

[Roy Hobbs]

Also, with the way this team has been playing at times, why do we need to tank?

[makaveli]

This thread is officially the low-point of the season for me. 

Seriously?  Tanking for draft position?

No offense, but have some darn pride!

I said to myself Are you kidding me?
Even if we get a nice pick, with Doc, that kid would have 20-30 DNP CD, and would average about 6-7 min PT when he would get a chance regardless of the position he plays(a PG would get a bit more minutes).

[PLamb]

Have to respectfully disagree with you Drucci

This team is NOT winning a championship this year

KG is NOT looking better game by game

There IS a MAJOR need for high draft picks

And we would NOT be stupid by stopping to compete now because those teams you want to try and beat out for a higher playoff seed have DOMINATED us no matter where we have played them

By dominated, you mean, getting dominated by the C's for a half before coming back and winning it?

Do you mean Atlanta "dominated us" when they played us 3 times without KG and 1 time without KG AND Sheed, yet won the game thanks to the refs?

Please. The Celtics certainly don't look like the favorites overall and they've disappointed all season long but you're jumping the bridge a little bit too far.

And KG is looking better and better game after game, that's a fact, you can't deny it. Sure, he will never be the '08 KG again but he is more and more like the '09 Late november/December KG and that will be enough in order to win the championship this season.

And it's totally useless to "tank" at this point because you won't get a LeBron James like talent in this draft, especially with our picks (even if we tank), so it would be totally pointless. Our future looks bad, I agree with that, but I still see this team as a championship contender this season, and the facts are here to support my belief.

I think there's just as many facts to support my belief

Record versus teams with a .600 record or better, teams you need to beat in the playoffs to win a championship

Cleveland 1-1
Lakers 1-1
Orlando 1-3
Denver 0-1
Utah 1-0
Atlanta 0-4
Dallas 0-1
Phoenix 0-2

Total: 4-13 for a winning percentage of .235

In those games they have been outscored 1565 to 1642 or lost the average game 96.5 to 92

A point differential of -4.5 in games they play against the best teams in the league

That is not the sign of a championship contender

And do I need to explain that the Celtics up until early in the season had a record of winning something like 60 straight games in which if they lead by any point in that game by double digits they won the game only to now have lost, what is it now 12 games or 13 games, where they once had a double digit lead

Ominous signs for a supposed championship contender

Injuries or no, bad refs or no, this is no longer a championship team and great players can be found in the middle of a draft, even cornerstone franchise players

Tank the regular season, that's what I say

[PLamb]

Yeah cause we all know this franchise is above tanking, they've NEVER done that before 

[PLamb]

And they've never done it with prideful people like Danny and Doc in charge and Paul Pierce playing on it

[Evantime34]

I think even if we tanked we wouldn't lose all our games and would probably end up the 8 seed in the playoffs. The only way I would tank is if we were in the lottery.