Howard Bryant article on ESPN

[Junkyard Dawg]

well written article, and some good points, but I love how a team that just basically steamrolled over the Eastern Conference and some of the best young players in the league is being talked about in the past tense:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?id=5318581

It hasn't even been a week and the experts are already counting this team out, yet again.  I am loving it.

[bobdelt]

Yeah I dont get it. 4 points within a championship, and we're washed up? Another year later, KG is that much healthier, and Rondo is hopefully that much better. He should shoot over 200 free throws a day this off season. 

Yeah Rasheed might be done, Ray and Pierce another year older, but the competition is imploding just as fast, magic, cavs, etc.

[clover]

I'm with Bryant.  The issue is that the cost of keeping the team together, considering re-upping both Ray and Pierce, would quickly cripple the franchise. 

Thus it's probably a good thing that the wear and the age of the team showed through--despite their overall playing marvelously through the playoffs.  If it hadn't, the fan in Wyc might have pushed Danny to sign some bad contracts.  Instead, it seems Danny's free to do whatever he thinks best for the team.

[boom]

I stopped reading after the first paragraph. We won Banner 17 that season.

[clover]

I stopped reading after the first paragraph. We won Banner 17 that season.

Ha!--of course you're right, didn't even notice that.

[Greenbean]

well written article, and some good points, but I love how a team that just basically steamrolled over the Eastern Conference and some of the best young players in the league is being talked about in the past tense:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?id=5318581

It hasn't even been a week and the experts are already counting this team out, yet again.  I am loving it.

I  hear you but think about it.

Red Auerbach was ALWAYS ahead of the curve. He probably could have stood pat many times with his roster but he was always looking for creative ways to get players he believed in.

I think Danny has some of that in him. Lookhow creative he has been over the years. Some of it has been disastrous and other times glorious. Either way in this league you either get lucky and land a franchise player (or 2) in the lottery, or you wheel and deal your way to a dynasty. Danny will be dealing tonight and I am excited for it.

[celticsclay]

Yeah I dont get it. 4 points within a championship, and we're washed up? Another year later, KG is that much healthier, and Rondo is hopefully that much better. He should shoot over 200 free throws a day this off season. 

Yeah Rasheed might be done, Ray and Pierce another year older, but the competition is imploding just as fast, magic, cavs, etc.

Yeah the magic have some of their own issues. Vince Carter is in my opinion more washed up then Both Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Rashard Lewis looked pretty poor all of last season and into the playoffs. They have several key free agents (I believe Barnes and Reddick at least). Howard will continue to improve, along with nelson. However, so will Rondo. As for the Cavs even if they were to somehow hold on to Lebron the team still has major issues. Nobody discusses the fact that Jamison is 35, big z and shaq are close to 40 (if they are resigned) and Parker is in his mid 30's. On top of that they have some pretty bad contracts on guys like Mo and Varejo. Don't seem they have having the pieces to make any moves. The hawks don't seem in a position to improve unless they somehow get wade, bosh or lebron. So, of all the contenders I don't think we are sliding any worse....

[More Banners]

well written article, and some good points, but I love how a team that just basically steamrolled over the Eastern Conference and some of the best young players in the league is being talked about in the past tense:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?id=5318581

It hasn't even been a week and the experts are already counting this team out, yet again.  I am loving it.

I  hear you but think about it.

Red Auerbach was ALWAYS ahead of the curve. He probably could have stood pat many times with his roster but he was always looking for creative ways to get players he believed in.

I think Danny has some of that in him. Lookhow creative he has been over the years. Some of it has been disastrous and other times glorious. Either way in this league you either get lucky and land a franchise player (or 2) in the lottery, or you wheel and deal your way to a dynasty. Danny will be dealing tonight and I am excited for it.

Very true about Red-tp.

Remember when he traded the starting SG on a title team for a future draft pick?  When it came to trades, the guy had balls that dragged the floor.

[clover]

Yeah I dont get it. 4 points within a championship, and we're washed up? Another year later, KG is that much healthier, and Rondo is hopefully that much better. He should shoot over 200 free throws a day this off season. 

Yeah Rasheed might be done, Ray and Pierce another year older, but the competition is imploding just as fast, magic, cavs, etc.

Yeah the magic have some of their own issues. Vince Carter is in my opinion more washed up then Both Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Rashard Lewis looked pretty poor all of last season and into the playoffs. They have several key free agents (I believe Barnes and Reddick at least). Howard will continue to improve, along with nelson. However, so will Rondo. As for the Cavs even if they were to somehow hold on to Lebron the team still has major issues. Nobody discusses the fact that Jamison is 35, big z and shaq are close to 40 (if they are resigned) and Parker is in his mid 30's. On top of that they have some pretty bad contracts on guys like Mo and Varejo. Don't seem they have having the pieces to make any moves. The hawks don't seem in a position to improve unless they somehow get wade, bosh or lebron. So, of all the contenders I don't think we are sliding any worse....

You're looking at last year's contenders and only in the east.  LeBron in Chicago and a few teams out west are the most likely challenges.

[More Banners]

Yeah I dont get it. 4 points within a championship, and we're washed up? Another year later, KG is that much healthier, and Rondo is hopefully that much better. He should shoot over 200 free throws a day this off season. 

Yeah Rasheed might be done, Ray and Pierce another year older, but the competition is imploding just as fast, magic, cavs, etc.

Yeah the magic have some of their own issues. Vince Carter is in my opinion more washed up then Both Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Rashard Lewis looked pretty poor all of last season and into the playoffs. They have several key free agents (I believe Barnes and Reddick at least). Howard will continue to improve, along with nelson. However, so will Rondo. As for the Cavs even if they were to somehow hold on to Lebron the team still has major issues. Nobody discusses the fact that Jamison is 35, big z and shaq are close to 40 (if they are resigned) and Parker is in his mid 30's. On top of that they have some pretty bad contracts on guys like Mo and Varejo. Don't seem they have having the pieces to make any moves. The hawks don't seem in a position to improve unless they somehow get wade, bosh or lebron. So, of all the contenders I don't think we are sliding any worse....

As the Cavs' acquisition of Shaq proved, constructing a roster to match up with another team is a fool's errand.  The goal should be to build the best team possible, and force the opposition to worry about how to match up with US.

Further, we have no idea, especially this offseason, what the other teams will look like.  We're going to have to make some moves before knowing what the rest of the landscape will present.  Consequently, just building the best team possible is really the ONLY way to go.

Even further, there is more than one way to match up.  Despite all of the talk about Perk neutralizing Howard, a player with an explosive offensive game could probably get him into foul trouble and neutralize him on the bench, or a shooter could take him out of the paint.  There is more than one way to get things done.

[boom]

co-sign ^

[housecall]

Yeah I dont get it. 4 points within a championship, and we're washed up? Another year later, KG is that much healthier, and Rondo is hopefully that much better. He should shoot over 200 free throws a day this off season. 

Yeah Rasheed might be done, Ray and Pierce another year older, but the competition is imploding just as fast, magic, cavs, etc.

Yeah the magic have some of their own issues. Vince Carter is in my opinion more washed up then Both Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Rashard Lewis looked pretty poor all of last season and into the playoffs. They have several key free agents (I believe Barnes and Reddick at least). Howard will continue to improve, along with nelson. However, so will Rondo. As for the Cavs even if they were to somehow hold on to Lebron the team still has major issues. Nobody discusses the fact that Jamison is 35, big z and shaq are close to 40 (if they are resigned) and Parker is in his mid 30's. On top of that they have some pretty bad contracts on guys like Mo and Varejo. Don't seem they have having the pieces to make any moves. The hawks don't seem in a position to improve unless they somehow get wade, bosh or lebron. So, of all the contenders I don't think we are sliding any worse....

As the Cavs' acquisition of Shaq proved, constructing a roster to match up with another team is a fool's errand.  The goal should be to build the best team possible, and force the opposition to worry about how to match up with US.

Further, we have no idea, especially this offseason, what the other teams will look like.  We're going to have to make some moves before knowing what the rest of the landscape will present.  Consequently, just building the best team possible is really the ONLY way to go.

Even further, there is more than one way to match up.  Despite all of the talk about Perk neutralizing Howard, a player with an explosive offensive game could probably get him into foul trouble and neutralize him on the bench, or a shooter could take him out of the paint.  There is more than one way to get things done.

TP...agree with what you said in this post,especially the ways Howard can be neutralized without a player like Perk.I rather have a player that will contribute consistently to the offensive end as well,and can make Dwight work on both ends of the court.I wish we could get a player like Cousins(#5 in the draft),a banger with some offense, and might eventually develop a 15-16ft jumpshot down the road.

[Donoghus]

Bryant always rubbed me the wrong way when he was writing for the Boston Herald. 

He tended to turn almost anything into a race issue.  He always had a chip on his shoulder and it was reflected in his writing.

[PosImpos]

Yeah I dont get it. 4 points within a championship, and we're washed up? Another year later, KG is that much healthier, and Rondo is hopefully that much better. He should shoot over 200 free throws a day this off season. 

Yeah Rasheed might be done, Ray and Pierce another year older, but the competition is imploding just as fast, magic, cavs, etc.

And other competition is rising to take its place.  The Heat, the Bulls, even the Nets...could be juggernauts next season.

[Mr October]

Good read. Unlike this author, i am all for making another run though.

But I agree with him in that I do not want to do so by extending Allen and Pierce to long term contracts. This team realistically has one more shot left, and then the 11-12 season would be the transition year where we give these players their last payouts.

And as much as a I want Pierce to remain a Celtic, everyone on this team is expendable for the good of the franchise going forward.