Next Years Record is going to be UGLY

[ManchesterCelticsFan]

The C's went 17-18 in their last 35 games. Looks like they'll finish under 0.500 next year based on that (injuries or not, those old bones will probably be just as banged up next year), without some significant roster changes plus another year of age.  Worse if Ray Allen decides to move on.

The ride was fun while it lasted. 2008 NBA Championship was the BEST season I've ever witnessed and trading for KG/RA was totally worth it just for that.  But its time to move on. Gut the team for Draft picks Danny! No sentimentality in business. 

Oh... Danny... don't forget to trade expensive aging talent (Paul Pierce, whatever is left of KG, etc.) to teams in the West like Denver and Dallas to overtake the Lakers. 

[lon3lytoaster]

Trade Perk and whatever else to move up in the draft.. Gotta do something like that. Can't trade Pierce, though. Wyc is in love with him, and I don't think he'd sign off on a deal unless it was something real good.

I don't know how many options are realistic to us, honestly. I think our only option is trying to add to what we have now, take a look at the coaching situation and wait for KG to expire then rebuild.

[PosImpos]

The C's went 17-18 in their last 35 games. Looks like they'll finish under 0.500 next year based on that (injuries or not, those old bones will probably be just as banged up next year), without some significant roster changes plus another year of age.  Worse if Ray Allen decides to move on.

The ride was fun while it lasted. 2008 NBA Championship was the BEST season I've ever witnessed and trading for KG/RA was totally worth it just for that.  But its time to move on. Gut the team for Draft picks Danny! No sentimentality in business. 

Oh... Danny... don't forget to trade expensive aging talent (Paul Pierce, whatever is left of KG, etc.) to teams in the West like Denver and Dallas to overtake the Lakers. 

My guess is the Celtics will win 40-45 games next year; they likely won't have the same illusions about being a contender and they'll play with a bit more intensity.  They'll probably be the 5th or 6th seed and get bounced in the first round.  The East is very weak.

It's also possible they could suffer even more from injuries and drop into the lottery, which might not be such a bad thing all things considered.  Although rookies drafted in 2011 won't get to play any NBA ball until 2012 because of the lockout.

Trade Perk and whatever else to move up in the draft..

How high a pick do you think the C's could trade Perk for?  Danny would have to feel confident he'd get a player with a lot of potential in return.  There are a lot of big men that could go 5-15 in the draft with a lot of star (and bust) potential - but Danny would have to be okay with getting worse in the short term for potential future gain. 

Also, unless Perk performs a lot better in the playoffs, his trade stock has to be down significantly after his performance the last few months.  Trading a decent young center (albeit a flawed one pretty much at his peak) with a reasonable contract for an even younger, undeveloped big man (draft pick) could work out great or be a colossal mistake for Ainge.

[barefacedmonk]

Next Years Record is going to be UGLY

But that shouldn't worry us....the world will end in 2012 anyway.  A couple of mediocre years won't matter, right?

[dark_lord]

Oh... Danny... don't forget to trade expensive aging talent (Paul Pierce, whatever is left of KG, etc.) to teams in the West like Denver and Dallas to overtake the Lakers. 

danny better not trade paul. he needs to be a celtic for life.  i dont care how old and crappy he might be, i want him in green.  i know im speaking with my heart rather than my head, but its truthful nonetheless.

[Roy Hobbs]

Oh... Danny... don't forget to trade expensive aging talent (Paul Pierce, whatever is left of KG, etc.) to teams in the West like Denver and Dallas to overtake the Lakers. 

danny better not trade paul. he needs to be a celtic for life.  i dont care how old and crappy he might be, i want him in green.  i know im speaking with my heart rather than my head, but its truthful nonetheless.

I agree.  Danny may regret that Larry Bird and Kevin McHale retired in green, but I don't.  I don't really care if it means a year or two of extended mediocrity.

I suppose if Pierce forces our hand and won't sign a reasonable deal when his contract expires, that would be different.  However, I'd prefer not to trade him at this point.

As for our record this year, I can't see this team being a sub-500 team.  This same exact team got off to a 23-5 record when they were playing at their best, both physically and mentally.  To describe them as a near-lottery team is, in my mind, not accurate.

[arctic 3.0]

at the trade deadline perks value was as high as i see it going.
I see teams like dallas or denver maybe looking into trading for KG, but they don't have the young talent we would want in return.
our best bet is to try and target an undervalued youngn' with the mid level this summer (outlaw?). do the same next summer then swing for the fences when KG's contract is up.

[chelsearules]

gotta worry about this year's record first

[Evantime34]

Unless the Knicks get Lebron or two top players I don't see a team unseating us as the division winner. We probably will finish next year with less wins than this year but that doesn't mean we won't win the division.

We will be better than the Nets, who aren't very good.
 
We will be better than a probably Boshless Raptors team, that plays no defense.

Philly could challenge us if they get an impact rookie

New York could challenge us if they sign some great free agents.

If you look at who is in our division you have to like our chances next year.

[droopdog7]

Sorry fellas but DA needs to start the rebuilding process immediately after this year and NO ONE should be off limits.  I think he has to either trade PP next year or let him walk afterwards.  And I am not blaming DA for not trade Ray this year because he was trying to balance winning now with the future.  There will be no such pretenses next year. 

Look at it this way.  Would you rather have an aging PP struggling on a bad Celtics team for the next several years or see him help a contending team?  So long as that contending team isn't the lakers, I would want PP to end his career on a winning note. 

By the next year, I predict KG will be a shell of himself.  Maybe he will have enough to help a contending team but more than likely, we should just let him walk. 

And for the record, I would not trade the last few years for anything.  Championships are rare and the memories can't be taken away.  Beside, you look at Minn, who took our best young players and added them to their best young players and they still stink.

[PosImpos]

gotta worry about this year's record first

At this point, I'm not worried about it; I know pretty much what to expect from the 2009-2010 Celtics now.

We will be better than the Nets, who aren't very good.
 

I wouldn't be so sure.  The Nets have a new owner with lots of money, they just broke ground on their new arena in Brooklyn so they will be the Brooklyn Nets (or Knights) in a year or two, and they'll likely have a very high lottery pick to work with.  Add that to a core of fairly decent young players, including a 22 year old 7 foot center already playing near All-Star level, and the Nets' future doesn't look quite as bleak as you might think given their struggles this year. 

They may be able to use that to lure some impact free agents, which could set them up to immediately become a much better team.

[Bahku]

If I can deal with what I face in the mirror each morning, I can certainly deal with whatever our record will be. That said, I think we'll be on our way to #19.

[Mr October]

Oh... Danny... don't forget to trade expensive aging talent (Paul Pierce, whatever is left of KG, etc.) to teams in the West like Denver and Dallas to overtake the Lakers. 

danny better not trade paul. he needs to be a celtic for life.  i dont care how old and crappy he might be, i want him in green.  i know im speaking with my heart rather than my head, but its truthful nonetheless.

Based on how much Pierce will be making next year, his trade value is not going to be very high.

For comparison, last summer a $20 million Shaq was traded to Clevelend in return for 2 overpaid buyout role players - Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic, and late 2nd round pick and a cash savings of about 5 million. Thats it!

Will a $21 million Pierce fetch more than that this summer? I doubt it. If the Celtics can only get flotsam and jetsome in return, I would much rather have Pierce retire as a Celtic.

KG is probably going to fall into a similar category. We'll see what these guys have in them this spring.

[slamtheking]

Beside, you look at Minn, who took our best young players and added them to their best young players and they still stink.

To be fair, Minn had no good young players when they made that trade.  Other than adding Kevin Love last year and Flynn this year, what have they really added to Al and Gomes?  Sessions is ok but this is a team that has a crappy track record in the front office (Mchale and Kahn).

[ACF]

Oh... Danny... don't forget to trade expensive aging talent (Paul Pierce, whatever is left of KG, etc.) to teams in the West like Denver and Dallas to overtake the Lakers. 

danny better not trade paul. he needs to be a celtic for life.  i dont care how old and crappy he might be, i want him in green.  i know im speaking with my heart rather than my head, but its truthful nonetheless.