What are your suggestions to improve the team next year?

[the_Bird]

I don't think you do.

The primary weakness of this team is at the 5.  You aren't signing a good, starting-caliber center for the MLE.  Those kinds of players tend to sign contracts that are...  oh, four years, $32M.  Just pulling those numbers out of thin air.  Yup.

We've got trades and the MLE to work with.  MLE gets you a guy like Jermaine O'Neil, or maybe a Travis Outlaw.  Doesn't get you a player that's going to take you to the next level, it'll get you a good player (if you're lucky) to fill a complementary role or to give you depth.  Not getting a difference-maker.

So, for trades...  well, ain't a lot of trade assets outside of things like Ray's expiring contract.  Trading Ray Allen isn't making us a better squad. 

Given that the team's core is continuing to get older and older, I don't see the limited tools we have to improve as being enough to offset that natural decline. 

The only way we get better is for Rondo to snap out of his funk and start dominating again like he's capable of. 

Outside of that, though...  the window be closing.  Let's just say I wouldn't be buying any Ray Allen jerseys now, they'll be half-price after he gets traded.

[action781]

7 moves:

Resign Baby at 1yr/5mil or 2yr/8mil with bird rights

Trade Rondo + Baby + 2014 first round draft pick for CP3 (I think NO does this, especially if David West is gone)

Match any semi-reasonable contract offer for Jeff Green (less than 4yr/35mil) w/ bird rights

Trade Jeff Green + Avery Bradley + Jermaine Oneal + LAC draft pick acquired from OKC trade + 2012 future first round draft pick for Dwight Howard (I question if this would happen, but superstars have been traded for less recently)

Resign DWest 3yr/7mil with MLE money, resign Von Wafer for as much as possible (2yr/3mil?) with bird rights, resign Krstic w/ bird rights for as little as he'll take.

Fill in the holes (backup 4, backup 3) with the rest of MLE money, LLE (we have this year, right?), and vet min signings.

Draft best available player at any position in 2011 to throw into one of the above trades if necessary.


The celtics then look like:

Chris Paul/Delonte
Ray Allen/Delonte/Wafer
Pierce/MLE or vet
Garnett/MLE of vet
Dwight Howard/Shaq/Krstic

Unreal.  That would be the best NBA team of all time.

[action781]

If you don't think the first Boston/Orlando trade I mentioned goes through, what about this:

Ray Allen, Jeff Green, Avery Bradley, Jermaine ONeal (expiring contract), LAC first rounder, Boston future first rounder for Dwight Howard and JJ Redick?  JJ's contract will be bad value to Orlando if Howard is traded.

[mahonedog88]

They need to draft or sign a decent young center, whether its one who is already somewhat proven or is very rusty and needs to be molded (kinda like in the case of Perk).

If we REALLY want to build for the future, then unfortunately they almost need to hope KG retires and they must must MUST trade Ray Allen at the trading deadline.

I'm ok with letting Pierce stay and retire a celtic.

If the Celtics sign Green longterm (which isn't even a guarantee anyway), he's going to have to start.  He's just not the same player coming off of a bench, whether it be that he starts once Pierce retires or plays the 2 once Ray Allen is traded.

I'm ok with Rondo staying...I understand he's wildly inconsistent and this season has shown that he still has a long way to go in terms of being a top pg in the nba, but he's at least established, he's still one of the top defending guards in the league, so unless you can get a trade for Chris Paul, I say hang onto Rondo.

So to wrap up, I say keep Rondo, Pierce, Jeff Green, trade Ray Allen at the deadline, also hang onto Delonte, try and find a replacement for Davis but if you can't find anything, sign him back, and then look for bigs that aren't injury proned and ready to retire

[SF Celtic]

The biggest move that needs to happen is this one: Doc Rivers GONE

[Rondo9dunx]

Maybe we should ask the lakers for some advice on how to win a championship.

[toneskeet]

1.) Let Shaq retire.

2.) Sign and Trade BBD and our 1st rounder. for Greg Oden s&t with Portland.

3.) Resign Jeff Green.

4.) Resign Delonte.  

5.) Draft Lockdown wing defender and a

6.) sign FA veteran bigman who can rebound and protect the paint.

7.) Use remaining spots to sign 1 year deals to veteran FA at whatever we get most insurence and use from.

*Clippers Draft pick #11

PG: Rondo/West/Bradley
SG: Allen/West/Rookie(2)
SF: Pierce/Green/Rookie(2)
PF: Garnett/Green/*Rookie(1)
C: Oden/J. O'neal/FA/*Rookie(1)

IR: 3 free agents

[greensamurai]

Get a solid center. Rest our starters more, since it doesn't seem like we play for seeding anyway, why bother playing them so much?

Let BBD walk.
Resign Delonte, and Jeff Green.

[the_Bird]

Get a solid center.

Sure.  How?  Look at how much last year's free agent big men got paid.  At the time, the consensus was pretty clear that JO was about as good as you could reasonably get with only the MLE to work with.  Brendan Haywood got what, $55M?  Perk's extension was for $8M per.

Plus, even if we were able to find a good free agent 5 willing to pay for the MLE, Miami's trying to sign them for the same (state tax free) dollars, too.

So, yeah.  We need a big man.  Too bad we just traded one would could have resigned using Bird rights, who WANTED to stay herem who was a great fit alongside the other guys on the team.

[slamtheking]

Get a solid center.

Sure.  How?  Look at how much last year's free agent big men got paid.  At the time, the consensus was pretty clear that JO was about as good as you could reasonably get with only the MLE to work with.  Brendan Haywood got what, $55M?  Perk's extension was for $8M per.

Plus, even if we were able to find a good free agent 5 willing to pay for the MLE, Miami's trying to sign them for the same (state tax free) dollars, too.

So, yeah.  We need a big man.  Too bad we just traded one would could have resigned using Bird rights, who WANTED to stay herem who was a great fit alongside the other guys on the team.

excellent point regarding the ability to sign a quality center for next year.  all the more reason Danny should have held on to Perk and tried to sign him after the season to a better deal.  C's have no one for next year except the ghosts of Shaq and JO as well as Krstic. 

[Lucky17]

Get a solid center.

Sure.  How?  Look at how much last year's free agent big men got paid.  At the time, the consensus was pretty clear that JO was about as good as you could reasonably get with only the MLE to work with.  Brendan Haywood got what, $55M?  Perk's extension was for $8M per.

Plus, even if we were able to find a good free agent 5 willing to pay for the MLE, Miami's trying to sign them for the same (state tax free) dollars, too.

So, yeah.  We need a big man.  Too bad we just traded one would could have resigned using Bird rights, who WANTED to stay herem who was a great fit alongside the other guys on the team.

Assuming, of course, that Bird Rights are part of the next CBA.

Also assuming that another team, like OKC, doesn't make a bigger offer with its available cap space.

[slamtheking]

If the team makes the Finals: use MLE to get a HEALTHY CENTER that can eat minutes without killing us.  resign green, west and wafer.  S&T BBD for someone productive for the bench.  fill roster with vet min players: invite Murphy and Arroyo in for camp as non-roster invitees to see if they can actually be helpful with a camp under their belts.

If the team doesn't make the finals but there's a strike-shortened season: pretty much the same thing and hope that a short season keeps the senior citizen brigade interested in the games.

If the team doesn't make the finals and there's pretty much a full season: have a firesale.  plain and simple.  unload everyone you can for quality assets.  KG, Ray, Rondo would all be major assets to teams looking for that last piece to get them over the top.  BBD would be of interest to teams looking for that energy guy off the bench so try for a S&T with him.  (I don't see PP going anywhere)  JO and Bradley are available as well but I don't see much interest in them but see what you can get for them.  S&T Green and Krstic since other teams could see them as good pieces to build a contender.  In short, get lots of good young players and picks to either build with or use as trade assets to put together another group of allstars similar to 2008.

[slamtheking]

The biggest move that needs to happen is this one: Doc Rivers GONE

if the team underperforms in the playoffs, I think this happens without a doubt because it'll be obvious he's not capable of performing his supposedly best skill -- motivation.