If you are what you are.....

[Chris]

I think the Celtics will be fine in the first round.  Plenty of rest between games in the first round which will benefit the Celtics. 

But, in the second round when you play every other night, I think the age/lingering injuries of this team will start to show. 

While I somewhat agree with this, my fear from watching this team comes from us taking inferior opponents way too lightly (especially since Christmas).

We might go 7 against Cleveland, Atlanta or Orlando and lose in 5 to Miami.

I have a feeling they won't take anyone lightly once the playoffs start.  I think you will see the Celtics play a very strong and impressive first round.

  The 2nd round could be a franchise-altering series. If Cleveland spanks the Celts Danny might make bigger moves sooner. If the Celts beat the Cavs, the 2nd round exit might be enough to send LeBron packing.

Eh, while I think the way the C's fare in the playoffs could help with fan backlash, the decision on what to do this offseason is going to have a lot more to do with the kind of value Danny can get for certain players.

I think Danny already knows what he has here, and their performance in the second round of playoffs are not going to change that opinion. 

[BballTim]

I think the Celtics will be fine in the first round.  Plenty of rest between games in the first round which will benefit the Celtics. 

But, in the second round when you play every other night, I think the age/lingering injuries of this team will start to show. 

While I somewhat agree with this, my fear from watching this team comes from us taking inferior opponents way too lightly (especially since Christmas).

We might go 7 against Cleveland, Atlanta or Orlando and lose in 5 to Miami.

I have a feeling they won't take anyone lightly once the playoffs start.  I think you will see the Celtics play a very strong and impressive first round.

  The 2nd round could be a franchise-altering series. If Cleveland spanks the Celts Danny might make bigger moves sooner. If the Celts beat the Cavs, the 2nd round exit might be enough to send LeBron packing.

Eh, while I think the way the C's fare in the playoffs could help with fan backlash, the decision on what to do this offseason is going to have a lot more to do with the kind of value Danny can get for certain players.

I think Danny already knows what he has here, and their performance in the second round of playoffs are not going to change that opinion. 

  I don't know that he does. Is this a team with chemistry/focus issues that needs a bigger jolt than Nate Robinson, or is this a team that's going to be at their best in the playoffs? We don't know, and Doc doesn't seem to be sure.

[MMacOH]

If the Cavs fall short of at least being in a game 7 in the finals, Lebron is going to the big apple.

Right....so he can start over completely again on a team with no talent outside of him alone.  Might as well start from scratch again right?   

[BballTim]

If the Cavs fall short of at least being in a game 7 in the finals, Lebron is going to the big apple.

Right....so he can start over completely again on a team with no talent outside of him alone.  Might as well start from scratch again right?   

  If they get a 2nd star, why not? Shaq's old, Z's old, Mo's not the answer. James on the Knicks or Nets might get to the top as fast as Cleveland retools.

[Chris]

I think the Celtics will be fine in the first round.  Plenty of rest between games in the first round which will benefit the Celtics. 

But, in the second round when you play every other night, I think the age/lingering injuries of this team will start to show. 

While I somewhat agree with this, my fear from watching this team comes from us taking inferior opponents way too lightly (especially since Christmas).

We might go 7 against Cleveland, Atlanta or Orlando and lose in 5 to Miami.

I have a feeling they won't take anyone lightly once the playoffs start.  I think you will see the Celtics play a very strong and impressive first round.

  The 2nd round could be a franchise-altering series. If Cleveland spanks the Celts Danny might make bigger moves sooner. If the Celts beat the Cavs, the 2nd round exit might be enough to send LeBron packing.

Eh, while I think the way the C's fare in the playoffs could help with fan backlash, the decision on what to do this offseason is going to have a lot more to do with the kind of value Danny can get for certain players.

I think Danny already knows what he has here, and their performance in the second round of playoffs are not going to change that opinion. 

  I don't know that he does. Is this a team with chemistry/focus issues that needs a bigger jolt than Nate Robinson, or is this a team that's going to be at their best in the playoffs? We don't know, and Doc doesn't seem to be sure.

Oh, I think Danny certainly thought the team could use more than Nate at the deadline.  I just don't think he was willing to sacrifice the future financial flexibility just to "shake it up". 

It will be the same thing this summer.  Danny will look for any way he can to shake things up, but he won't make a short-sighted move that ties them up, or is a backwards move talent-wise just for the sake of it. 

[BballTim]

I think the Celtics will be fine in the first round.  Plenty of rest between games in the first round which will benefit the Celtics. 

But, in the second round when you play every other night, I think the age/lingering injuries of this team will start to show. 

While I somewhat agree with this, my fear from watching this team comes from us taking inferior opponents way too lightly (especially since Christmas).

We might go 7 against Cleveland, Atlanta or Orlando and lose in 5 to Miami.

I have a feeling they won't take anyone lightly once the playoffs start.  I think you will see the Celtics play a very strong and impressive first round.

  The 2nd round could be a franchise-altering series. If Cleveland spanks the Celts Danny might make bigger moves sooner. If the Celts beat the Cavs, the 2nd round exit might be enough to send LeBron packing.

Eh, while I think the way the C's fare in the playoffs could help with fan backlash, the decision on what to do this offseason is going to have a lot more to do with the kind of value Danny can get for certain players.

I think Danny already knows what he has here, and their performance in the second round of playoffs are not going to change that opinion. 

  I don't know that he does. Is this a team with chemistry/focus issues that needs a bigger jolt than Nate Robinson, or is this a team that's going to be at their best in the playoffs? We don't know, and Doc doesn't seem to be sure.

Oh, I think Danny certainly thought the team could use more than Nate at the deadline.  I just don't think he was willing to sacrifice the future financial flexibility just to "shake it up". 

It will be the same thing this summer.  Danny will look for any way he can to shake things up, but he won't make a short-sighted move that ties them up, or is a backwards move talent-wise just for the sake of it. 

  My point was that Danny probably doesn't know exactly what he has here until the playoffs start and how they fare could change their opinion of what he tries to do next year.

[Chris]

I think the Celtics will be fine in the first round.  Plenty of rest between games in the first round which will benefit the Celtics. 

But, in the second round when you play every other night, I think the age/lingering injuries of this team will start to show. 

While I somewhat agree with this, my fear from watching this team comes from us taking inferior opponents way too lightly (especially since Christmas).

We might go 7 against Cleveland, Atlanta or Orlando and lose in 5 to Miami.

I have a feeling they won't take anyone lightly once the playoffs start.  I think you will see the Celtics play a very strong and impressive first round.

  The 2nd round could be a franchise-altering series. If Cleveland spanks the Celts Danny might make bigger moves sooner. If the Celts beat the Cavs, the 2nd round exit might be enough to send LeBron packing.

Eh, while I think the way the C's fare in the playoffs could help with fan backlash, the decision on what to do this offseason is going to have a lot more to do with the kind of value Danny can get for certain players.

I think Danny already knows what he has here, and their performance in the second round of playoffs are not going to change that opinion. 

  I don't know that he does. Is this a team with chemistry/focus issues that needs a bigger jolt than Nate Robinson, or is this a team that's going to be at their best in the playoffs? We don't know, and Doc doesn't seem to be sure.

Oh, I think Danny certainly thought the team could use more than Nate at the deadline.  I just don't think he was willing to sacrifice the future financial flexibility just to "shake it up". 

It will be the same thing this summer.  Danny will look for any way he can to shake things up, but he won't make a short-sighted move that ties them up, or is a backwards move talent-wise just for the sake of it. 

  My point was that Danny probably doesn't know exactly what he has here until the playoffs start and how they fare could change their opinion of what he tries to do next year.

I suppose...although I find it hard to believe how they fare would change anything.  Whether they win a championship, or lose in the first round, it does not change the fact that they are getting old fast, and are right in the middle of a couple critical years where they will need to set up a base for the future of the franchise. 

I think the only thing that could really affect Danny's decision is if they actually win the championship.  If they do, he might get too much pressure from the front office to keep the core together.  However, I think that is even far fetched.  I think no matter what happens, he is looking for value this offseason.  And will go where the value takes him, whether that is blowing it up, or just tweaking things and being patient.

[BballTim]

I think the Celtics will be fine in the first round.  Plenty of rest between games in the first round which will benefit the Celtics. 

But, in the second round when you play every other night, I think the age/lingering injuries of this team will start to show. 

While I somewhat agree with this, my fear from watching this team comes from us taking inferior opponents way too lightly (especially since Christmas).

We might go 7 against Cleveland, Atlanta or Orlando and lose in 5 to Miami.

I have a feeling they won't take anyone lightly once the playoffs start.  I think you will see the Celtics play a very strong and impressive first round.

  The 2nd round could be a franchise-altering series. If Cleveland spanks the Celts Danny might make bigger moves sooner. If the Celts beat the Cavs, the 2nd round exit might be enough to send LeBron packing.

Eh, while I think the way the C's fare in the playoffs could help with fan backlash, the decision on what to do this offseason is going to have a lot more to do with the kind of value Danny can get for certain players.

I think Danny already knows what he has here, and their performance in the second round of playoffs are not going to change that opinion. 

  I don't know that he does. Is this a team with chemistry/focus issues that needs a bigger jolt than Nate Robinson, or is this a team that's going to be at their best in the playoffs? We don't know, and Doc doesn't seem to be sure.

Oh, I think Danny certainly thought the team could use more than Nate at the deadline.  I just don't think he was willing to sacrifice the future financial flexibility just to "shake it up". 

It will be the same thing this summer.  Danny will look for any way he can to shake things up, but he won't make a short-sighted move that ties them up, or is a backwards move talent-wise just for the sake of it. 

  My point was that Danny probably doesn't know exactly what he has here until the playoffs start and how they fare could change their opinion of what he tries to do next year.

I suppose...although I find it hard to believe how they fare would change anything.  Whether they win a championship, or lose in the first round, it does not change the fact that they are getting old fast, and are right in the middle of a couple critical years where they will need to set up a base for the future of the franchise. 

I think the only thing that could really affect Danny's decision is if they actually win the championship.  If they do, he might get too much pressure from the front office to keep the core together.  However, I think that is even far fetched.  I think no matter what happens, he is looking for value this offseason.  And will go where the value takes him, whether that is blowing it up, or just tweaking things and being patient.

  Someone asked Danny, after the trade deadline, why he didn't trade Ray when he was in favor of breaking up the original big three. He said that they knew that the Celts from that era wasn't going to compete for a title but hte current team still can. I think that a poor showing in the playoffs could change his mind after the way the last half of the season went.

[nickagneta]

I suppose...although I find it hard to believe how they fare would change anything.  Whether they win a championship, or lose in the first round, it does not change the fact that they are getting old fast, and are right in the middle of a couple critical years where they will need to set up a base for the future of the franchise. 

I think the only thing that could really affect Danny's decision is if they actually win the championship.  If they do, he might get too much pressure from the front office to keep the core together.  However, I think that is even far fetched.  I think no matter what happens, he is looking for value this offseason.  And will go where the value takes him, whether that is blowing it up, or just tweaking things and being patient.

I don't know Chris, I think how they perform in the playoffs could tell Danny a lot about this team.

If they come out strong and go deep, maybe even to an ECF or Finals appearance, then Danny will know that it was injuries and a lack of caring about the regular season that caused the regular season record and hence, he should keep the team intact.

If however, they bomb in the playoffs and show a constant pattern of giving no defensive effort, showing no heart and collapsing in the fourth quarters, he might decide the problem is coaching and fire Doc. He could also decide that it's not the coaching but chemistry and personnel issues and blow the thing up.

If they show their same inconsistent, up and down pattern, win one lose and get to the second round and no more, he might decide Doc is not the problem but the players and rework the talent on the team. Nothing major but some stuff here and there.

I think what happens in the playoffs could help Danny decypher exactly what really happened this year.

[Chris]

I think the Celtics will be fine in the first round.  Plenty of rest between games in the first round which will benefit the Celtics. 

But, in the second round when you play every other night, I think the age/lingering injuries of this team will start to show. 

While I somewhat agree with this, my fear from watching this team comes from us taking inferior opponents way too lightly (especially since Christmas).

We might go 7 against Cleveland, Atlanta or Orlando and lose in 5 to Miami.

I have a feeling they won't take anyone lightly once the playoffs start.  I think you will see the Celtics play a very strong and impressive first round.

  The 2nd round could be a franchise-altering series. If Cleveland spanks the Celts Danny might make bigger moves sooner. If the Celts beat the Cavs, the 2nd round exit might be enough to send LeBron packing.

Eh, while I think the way the C's fare in the playoffs could help with fan backlash, the decision on what to do this offseason is going to have a lot more to do with the kind of value Danny can get for certain players.

I think Danny already knows what he has here, and their performance in the second round of playoffs are not going to change that opinion. 

  I don't know that he does. Is this a team with chemistry/focus issues that needs a bigger jolt than Nate Robinson, or is this a team that's going to be at their best in the playoffs? We don't know, and Doc doesn't seem to be sure.

Oh, I think Danny certainly thought the team could use more than Nate at the deadline.  I just don't think he was willing to sacrifice the future financial flexibility just to "shake it up". 

It will be the same thing this summer.  Danny will look for any way he can to shake things up, but he won't make a short-sighted move that ties them up, or is a backwards move talent-wise just for the sake of it. 

  My point was that Danny probably doesn't know exactly what he has here until the playoffs start and how they fare could change their opinion of what he tries to do next year.

I suppose...although I find it hard to believe how they fare would change anything.  Whether they win a championship, or lose in the first round, it does not change the fact that they are getting old fast, and are right in the middle of a couple critical years where they will need to set up a base for the future of the franchise. 

I think the only thing that could really affect Danny's decision is if they actually win the championship.  If they do, he might get too much pressure from the front office to keep the core together.  However, I think that is even far fetched.  I think no matter what happens, he is looking for value this offseason.  And will go where the value takes him, whether that is blowing it up, or just tweaking things and being patient.

  Someone asked Danny, after the trade deadline, why he didn't trade Ray when he was in favor of breaking up the original big three. He said that they knew that the Celts from that era wasn't going to compete for a title but hte current team still can. I think that a poor showing in the playoffs could change his mind after the way the last half of the season went.

Spin.  We all know he was shopping Ray.  But his price wasn't met.

Yes, this team still has an outside chance at a championship.  Even if they get kicked in the first round this season, they will have a shot next year as well if he keeps the core together but makes some minor additions/tweaks.  

But its all about value.  No matter what happens, he is not going to trade Garnett or Pierce for pennies on the dollar, and he is not going to take on garbage contracts.  However, if someone will give him good value, and not mess up their financial situation, then he will pull the trigger.

Its really pretty simple.

[Chris]

If however, they bomb in the playoffs and show a constant pattern of giving no defensive effort, showing no heart and collapsing in the fourth quarters, he might decide the problem is coaching and fire Doc. He could also decide that it's not the coaching but chemistry and personnel issues and blow the thing up.

There is zero chance he fires Doc, zero.  Doc will walk away before it ever gets to that point.

And he will only blow the team up if the right deals are there...which he has shown over his entire career that he will make no matter what the circumstances.

I really think you guys are projecting your own feelings on Danny.  He gets to see a lot more of these guys than we do.  He knows what is going on in the lockerroom, and he sees what happens in practice.  If he does not know what this team is by now, then he is the one who should be fired. 

[nickagneta]

If however, they bomb in the playoffs and show a constant pattern of giving no defensive effort, showing no heart and collapsing in the fourth quarters, he might decide the problem is coaching and fire Doc. He could also decide that it's not the coaching but chemistry and personnel issues and blow the thing up.

There is zero chance he fires Doc, zero.  Doc will walk away before it ever gets to that point.

And he will only blow the team up if the right deals are there...which he has shown over his entire career that he will make no matter what the circumstances.

I really think you guys are projecting your own feelings on Danny.  He gets to see a lot more of these guys than we do.  He knows what is going on in the lockerroom, and he sees what happens in practice.  If he does not know what this team is by now, then he is the one who should be fired. 

TP. Excellent observation. Fans do tend to do that sometimes.

But by the same token, Doc has even admitted publicly he doesn't know why this team has been doing what it's been doing for the past few months. If he doesn't, then how is it Danny would.

[Chris]

If however, they bomb in the playoffs and show a constant pattern of giving no defensive effort, showing no heart and collapsing in the fourth quarters, he might decide the problem is coaching and fire Doc. He could also decide that it's not the coaching but chemistry and personnel issues and blow the thing up.

There is zero chance he fires Doc, zero.  Doc will walk away before it ever gets to that point.

And he will only blow the team up if the right deals are there...which he has shown over his entire career that he will make no matter what the circumstances.

I really think you guys are projecting your own feelings on Danny.  He gets to see a lot more of these guys than we do.  He knows what is going on in the lockerroom, and he sees what happens in practice.  If he does not know what this team is by now, then he is the one who should be fired. 

TP. Excellent observation. Fans do tend to do that sometimes.

But by the same token, Doc has even admitted publicly he doesn't know why this team has been doing what it's been doing for the past few months. If he doesn't, then how is it Danny would.

Well, first, I think Doc, whenever he said that, was not being completely honest.  I think he has a very good idea of what has been going on (and he has said that as well many times).  This is what a combination of injuries, declining skills, and boredom gets you.  Doc knows, and Danny knows it.  They have been talking about it since the preseason.

The thing is, there are two things that are not going to change in the offseason.  Guys who are injury prone are not going to become un-injury prone, and guys who are old, are not going to get younger. 

Danny is a realist, he knows this.  He also knows that just because there were some chemistry issues this year does not necessarily mean they will be there next year, just as good chemistry does not always last over the summer. 

Now, I may be overstating my case a bit here, because he can certainly learn some things from the playoffs, but I just do not think it will be what makes him decide to "blow it up".  And by blow it up, I mean moving any of the starting 5. 

I think bench guys could be evaluated by their performance in the playoffs.  Daniels, Tony, Nate, Davis, and even Sheed all could go a long way to determining whether they will be in Green next year (or at least shopped...there may not be any takers) by their performance in the playoffs.  But that is no different from any other teams peripherary guys. 

But the Core will either stay or leave based on determinations of value Danny has already made, and how that value works on the market. 

[PosImpos]

Only way Doc gets fired is if the Celtics play like the Hornets did last year and get blown out by 60 in a game in the first round.

[BballTim]

I think the Celtics will be fine in the first round.  Plenty of rest between games in the first round which will benefit the Celtics. 

But, in the second round when you play every other night, I think the age/lingering injuries of this team will start to show. 

While I somewhat agree with this, my fear from watching this team comes from us taking inferior opponents way too lightly (especially since Christmas).

We might go 7 against Cleveland, Atlanta or Orlando and lose in 5 to Miami.

I have a feeling they won't take anyone lightly once the playoffs start.  I think you will see the Celtics play a very strong and impressive first round.

  The 2nd round could be a franchise-altering series. If Cleveland spanks the Celts Danny might make bigger moves sooner. If the Celts beat the Cavs, the 2nd round exit might be enough to send LeBron packing.

Eh, while I think the way the C's fare in the playoffs could help with fan backlash, the decision on what to do this offseason is going to have a lot more to do with the kind of value Danny can get for certain players.

I think Danny already knows what he has here, and their performance in the second round of playoffs are not going to change that opinion. 

  I don't know that he does. Is this a team with chemistry/focus issues that needs a bigger jolt than Nate Robinson, or is this a team that's going to be at their best in the playoffs? We don't know, and Doc doesn't seem to be sure.

Oh, I think Danny certainly thought the team could use more than Nate at the deadline.  I just don't think he was willing to sacrifice the future financial flexibility just to "shake it up". 

It will be the same thing this summer.  Danny will look for any way he can to shake things up, but he won't make a short-sighted move that ties them up, or is a backwards move talent-wise just for the sake of it. 

  My point was that Danny probably doesn't know exactly what he has here until the playoffs start and how they fare could change their opinion of what he tries to do next year.

I suppose...although I find it hard to believe how they fare would change anything.  Whether they win a championship, or lose in the first round, it does not change the fact that they are getting old fast, and are right in the middle of a couple critical years where they will need to set up a base for the future of the franchise. 

I think the only thing that could really affect Danny's decision is if they actually win the championship.  If they do, he might get too much pressure from the front office to keep the core together.  However, I think that is even far fetched.  I think no matter what happens, he is looking for value this offseason.  And will go where the value takes him, whether that is blowing it up, or just tweaking things and being patient.

  Someone asked Danny, after the trade deadline, why he didn't trade Ray when he was in favor of breaking up the original big three. He said that they knew that the Celts from that era wasn't going to compete for a title but hte current team still can. I think that a poor showing in the playoffs could change his mind after the way the last half of the season went.

Spin.  We all know he was shopping Ray.  But his price wasn't met.

Yes, this team still has an outside chance at a championship.  Even if they get kicked in the first round this season, they will have a shot next year as well if he keeps the core together but makes some minor additions/tweaks.  

But its all about value.  No matter what happens, he is not going to trade Garnett or Pierce for pennies on the dollar, and he is not going to take on garbage contracts.  However, if someone will give him good value, and not mess up their financial situation, then he will pull the trigger.

Its really pretty simple.

  Disagree. I think that the trades he was looking for were trades that would bring back younger talent without making us significantly less competitive in the short run. If the team loses in the first round or (probably worse) struggles in the first round and gets killed in the second round that will obviously affect his mindset. For instance, there was talk last summer of trading Perk for a top 5 pick. If the team looks bad in the postseason he might look for a trade like that. It might also affect whether he brings Ray back and signs another wing or lets Ray go or does a sign and trade to bring in a younger player at a different spot.

  I don't see our performance in the playoffs having little or no impact on how Danny thinks the team will do next year, and I don't see whether or not Danny thinks we can contend with a few tweaks or not as having zero impact on his decisions this summer. I don't think that he has only one plan for the next 2 years regardless of how competitive he thinks they'll be over that timeframe.