If we keep the Big three+Rondo for next year..which starting Centers can we get?

[Who]

I have been saying all the time before. We should have gotten Kwame Brown for the 2010-2011 season

Obviously, he wasn't going to live up to his potential of a #1 Pick in the draft

But he is a very very good post defender, shot blocker. Young. Score a little points. And most of all, He's never injured

Played very well for the Bobcats this year

Yeah, Kwame was a guy I liked too.

Pursuing Tyrus Thomas was my first choice last summer but that was clearly a non-starter with the money Charlotte were offering. My second preference was to split the MLE between Dorell Wright and Kwame Brown. Those two guys would have been nice.

Although, I was very happy with how Free Agency played out in the end. Was uncomfortable with Jermaine at the MLE but delighted when Delonte and Shaq signed up for the minimum. Those three guys together for an MLE deal was a fantastic get.

[PosImpos]

Your starting center ought to be Jermaine O'Neal. He had a great playoff stretch and was definitely not the reason we are going to be out in the semi's. I'm not so sure that Shaq can't do some major re-hab and come back strong if he is able to shed a lot of weight. Let's not forget how dominant we were at the beginning of the season with him in the starting lineup. I don't think our problem is at the center spot. I think we just ran into a younger version of ourselves that gelled at the right time. That coupled with injuries to Shaq and Rondo and it was enough.

That mens you will have a starting center that probably won't be able to play more than 25 minutes per game.

. . . and probably won't play more than 40-50 games on the season.

[Who]

Your starting center ought to be Jermaine O'Neal. He had a great playoff stretch and was definitely not the reason we are going to be out in the semi's. I'm not so sure that Shaq can't do some major re-hab and come back strong if he is able to shed a lot of weight. Let's not forget how dominant we were at the beginning of the season with him in the starting lineup. I don't think our problem is at the center spot. I think we just ran into a younger version of ourselves that gelled at the right time. That coupled with injuries to Shaq and Rondo and it was enough.

That mens you will have a starting center that probably won't be able to play more than 25 minutes per game.

. . . and probably won't play more than 40-50 games on the season.

Need a quality third string center to provide insurance. For games missed due to injury + limited playing time while recovering from injuries.

A backup PF who can also give some minutes at the five would be useful too -- Joey Dorsey !!!

[the_Bird]

I have been saying all the time before. We should have gotten Kwame Brown for the 2010-2011 season

Obviously, he wasn't going to live up to his potential of a #1 Pick in the draft

But he is a very very good post defender, shot blocker. Young. Score a little points. And most of all, He's never injured

Played very well for the Bobcats this year

Yeah, Kwame was a guy I liked too.

Pursuing Tyrus Thomas was my first choice last summer but that was clearly a non-starter with the money Charlotte were offering. My second preference was to split the MLE between Dorell Wright and Kwame Brown. Those two guys would have been nice.

Although, I was very happy with how Free Agency played out in the end. Was uncomfortable with Jermaine at the MLE but delighted when Delonte and Shaq signed up for the minimum. Those three guys together for an MLE deal was a fantastic get.

Yeah, I don't blame Danny for the offseason, other than not pursuing another legit SF besides Quis.  Jermaine at the MLE was fair, given that it was only two years.  You expected both he and Shaq to miss a lot of time, but they only had about $7M committed between the two of them; I always looked at it basically as a package deal.  Couldn't have predicted all of Delonte's injuries.

The one decision that in the end hurt us more than any was the one I don't think too many disagreed with - letting TA walk.

[Shamrocker]

I have been saying all the time before. We should have gotten Kwame Brown for the 2010-2011 season

Obviously, he wasn't going to live up to his potential of a #1 Pick in the draft

But he is a very very good post defender, shot blocker. Young. Score a little points. And most of all, He's never injured

Played very well for the Bobcats this year

Yeah, Kwame was a guy I liked too.

Pursuing Tyrus Thomas was my first choice last summer but that was clearly a non-starter with the money Charlotte were offering. My second preference was to split the MLE between Dorell Wright and Kwame Brown. Those two guys would have been nice.

Although, I was very happy with how Free Agency played out in the end. Was uncomfortable with Jermaine at the MLE but delighted when Delonte and Shaq signed up for the minimum. Those three guys together for an MLE deal was a fantastic get.

 Couldn't have predicted all of Delonte's injuries.

What? He’s never come close to playing a full season!

[the_Bird]

I have been saying all the time before. We should have gotten Kwame Brown for the 2010-2011 season

Obviously, he wasn't going to live up to his potential of a #1 Pick in the draft

But he is a very very good post defender, shot blocker. Young. Score a little points. And most of all, He's never injured

Played very well for the Bobcats this year

Yeah, Kwame was a guy I liked too.

Pursuing Tyrus Thomas was my first choice last summer but that was clearly a non-starter with the money Charlotte were offering. My second preference was to split the MLE between Dorell Wright and Kwame Brown. Those two guys would have been nice.

Although, I was very happy with how Free Agency played out in the end. Was uncomfortable with Jermaine at the MLE but delighted when Delonte and Shaq signed up for the minimum. Those three guys together for an MLE deal was a fantastic get.

 Couldn't have predicted all of Delonte's injuries.

What? He’s never come close to playing a full season!

Delonte's a relatively young guy that's had a lot of freak injuries.  Shaq and JO are old guys whose issues seem to be chronic.  They weren't counting on Delonte much, either, he just kind of fell into their laps after the roster was mostly settled.

[Shamrocker]

I have been saying all the time before. We should have gotten Kwame Brown for the 2010-2011 season

Obviously, he wasn't going to live up to his potential of a #1 Pick in the draft

But he is a very very good post defender, shot blocker. Young. Score a little points. And most of all, He's never injured

Played very well for the Bobcats this year

Yeah, Kwame was a guy I liked too.

Pursuing Tyrus Thomas was my first choice last summer but that was clearly a non-starter with the money Charlotte were offering. My second preference was to split the MLE between Dorell Wright and Kwame Brown. Those two guys would have been nice.

Although, I was very happy with how Free Agency played out in the end. Was uncomfortable with Jermaine at the MLE but delighted when Delonte and Shaq signed up for the minimum. Those three guys together for an MLE deal was a fantastic get.

 Couldn't have predicted all of Delonte's injuries.

What? He’s never come close to playing a full season!

Delonte's a relatively young guy that's had a lot of freak injuries.  Shaq and JO are old guys whose issues seem to be chronic.  They weren't counting on Delonte much, either, he just kind of fell into their laps after the roster was mostly settled.

This revisionist history is going too far. They weren’t counting on him that much? He was slotted to be the team’s primary back up point guard for crying out loud. Nate Robinson would thus be freed up to look for his offense. 

And this notion that he’s only suffered freak injuries isn’t consistent either. You don’t have six years worth of freak injuries! He’s had multiple wrist injuries, finger injuries, shoulder injuries, hip pointer injuries etc. that have all cost him time over his career.

[the_Bird]

This revisionist history is going too far. They weren’t counting on him that much? He was slotted to be the team’s primary back up point guard for crying out loud. Nate Robinson would thus be freed up to look for his offense.  

And this notion that he’s only suffered freak injuries isn’t consistent either. You don’t have six years worth of freak injuries! He’s had multiple wrist injuries, finger injuries, shoulder injuries, hip pointer injuries etc. that have all cost him time over his career.

They signed Delonte on September 1st.  He wasn't even waived until August 3rd.  They'd already re-signed Ray, Paul, Quis, and Nate.  They'd brought in JO and Shaq and Von Wafer.  All of those transactions happened four to six weeks before they signed Delonte, and almost all of them before Delonte was even a free agent.  Free agency was basically done, they might have been looking for another guy to maybe fill the end of the bench but by the time West was set loose most teams were already pretty much settled.  

He kind of fell into their laps, which was great because we still had a need for him,.  But they weren't counting on Delonte being available when they re-upped Nate Robinson (otherwise, they might well have let Nate walk and spent those monies on TA).

[Roy H.]

Delonte's a relatively young guy that's had a lot of freak injuries.  Shaq and JO are old guys whose issues seem to be chronic.  They weren't counting on Delonte much, either, he just kind of fell into their laps after the roster was mostly settled.

I like Delonte, but much like Marquis, I think his skeleton is made of glass.  He's just a brittle player.

Still, it was a good signing; for the minimum, signing a guy like Delonte is a risk you have to take.

[Shamrocker]

This revisionist history is going too far. They weren’t counting on him that much? He was slotted to be the team’s primary back up point guard for crying out loud. Nate Robinson would thus be freed up to look for his offense.  

And this notion that he’s only suffered freak injuries isn’t consistent either. You don’t have six years worth of freak injuries! He’s had multiple wrist injuries, finger injuries, shoulder injuries, hip pointer injuries etc. that have all cost him time over his career.

They signed Delonte on September 1st.  He wasn't even waived until August 3rd.  They'd already re-signed Ray, Paul, Quis, and Nate.  They'd brought in JO and Shaq and Von Wafer.  All of those transactions happened four to six weeks before they signed Delonte, and almost all of them before Delonte was even a free agent.  Free agency was basically done, they might have been looking for another guy to maybe fill the end of the bench but by the time West was set loose most teams were already pretty much settled.  

He kind of fell into their laps, which was great because we still had a need for him,.  But they weren't counting on Delonte being available when they re-upped Nate Robinson (otherwise, they might well have let Nate walk and spent those monies on TA).

So you concede the injury argument? As for his significance, you place far too much weight on when the signing was completed.  When West was dealt to Minnesota on July 27th, it was inevitable he would be bought-out, and in fact he was just a week later. Thus, the Celtics knew he was going to be available. Delonte, much like Leon Powe has consistently maintained that he wanted to return to Boston. So in terms of summer planning, the Celtics went into it with the mindset that Delonte, absent a sizeable offer from another team, would be willing to sign and become the backup 1.  The timeline of when he was signed is irrelevant. 

[chambers]

So what does everyone think about Marcin Gortat as a starting center? He's stuck playing backup to Lopez which isn't right.
My ideal off season (if we could make serious moves) would include gaining a shooting guard for Ray (send him to phoenix for Gortat + young PF) and going after someone like Danny Granger to replace Ray as a long term prospect. Some young legs that can play all season and play freely with Green giving PP and KG loads of rest.

Surely there's a way we could move Ray + Baby+ some scraps and pick up Gortat + Granger.
Using the logic that;
 Ray = similar value as Granger
and
Baby =Similar Backup Value as Gortat.
Throw in extras and you have some nice new pieces.

[the_Bird]

This revisionist history is going too far. They weren’t counting on him that much? He was slotted to be the team’s primary back up point guard for crying out loud. Nate Robinson would thus be freed up to look for his offense.  

And this notion that he’s only suffered freak injuries isn’t consistent either. You don’t have six years worth of freak injuries! He’s had multiple wrist injuries, finger injuries, shoulder injuries, hip pointer injuries etc. that have all cost him time over his career.

They signed Delonte on September 1st.  He wasn't even waived until August 3rd.  They'd already re-signed Ray, Paul, Quis, and Nate.  They'd brought in JO and Shaq and Von Wafer.  All of those transactions happened four to six weeks before they signed Delonte, and almost all of them before Delonte was even a free agent.  Free agency was basically done, they might have been looking for another guy to maybe fill the end of the bench but by the time West was set loose most teams were already pretty much settled.  

He kind of fell into their laps, which was great because we still had a need for him,.  But they weren't counting on Delonte being available when they re-upped Nate Robinson (otherwise, they might well have let Nate walk and spent those monies on TA).

So you concede the injury argument? As for his significance, you place far too much weight on when the signing was completed.  When West was dealt to Minnesota on July 27th, it was inevitable he would be bought-out, and in fact he was just a week later. Thus, the Celtics knew he was going to be available. Delonte, much like Leon Powe has consistently maintained that he wanted to return to Boston. So in terms of summer planning, the Celtics went into it with the mindset that Delonte, absent a sizeable offer from another team, would be willing to sign and become the backup 1.  The timeline of when he was signed is irrelevant. 

Except that they had already re-signed Nate Robinson (July 19th) before Delonte went to the T-Wolves.  I'm convinced Danny was going to take his chances with Nate as Rondo's primary backup.  

Remember, Nate was coming off some pretty good showings in the playoffs, and Danny thought highly enough of him to get rid of one of our clutch shooters (along with Giddens and Walker) for him.

I'll concede that Delonte's had troubles staying on the court, but I'm not going to concede that they viewed his contributions as anything other than the proverbial gravy.

[stylo617617]

we have 37 plus million in expiring contracts & glen's option to sign & trade him or get an exception from him the only way we get a good center is if we use our resources i mentioned above

[the_Bird]

So what does everyone think about Marcin Gortat as a starting center? He's stuck playing backup to Lopez which isn't right.
My ideal off season (if we could make serious moves) would include gaining a shooting guard for Ray (send him to phoenix for Gortat + young PF) and going after someone like Danny Granger to replace Ray as a long term prospect. Some young legs that can play all season and play freely with Green giving PP and KG loads of rest.

Surely there's a way we could move Ray + Baby+ some scraps and pick up Gortat + Granger.
Using the logic that;
 Ray = similar value as Granger
and
Baby =Similar Backup Value as Gortat.
Throw in extras and you have some nice new pieces.

Wait, what?

At this stage of their careers, Granger >>>>>> Ray Allen.  Indiana's not trading him, anyway.  After they got rid of O'bie, the team played reasonably good ball for the first time in years; they aren't blowing everything up now.

Gortat >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  Baby Davis.  Ain't gonna happen.

[Lucky17]

The great unknown here is what plans, if any, Ainge has for the cap space for 2012. How committed is he to maintaining that? We all assume he wants cap space, but how much?

Would he be willing to offer the full MLE on Deandre Jordan?

Would a Sheed-like deal (paying two/three years of non-guaranteed full MLE) be enough to get Kenyon Martin?

I wouldn't be surprised if Ainge looked overseas for a big man, either (although I have no idea who's out there).

As I've stated elsewhere, I don't agree that the team has to be blown up. It's still very much a contending-caliber roster, but it does need an infusion of new blood. Ainge has his work cut out for him.