Dalembert and other Peter May ideas

[PortCelt]

Celts ought to consider, but wait out the market on Dalembert. At times he's down right reckless out there, and he doesn't play with his back to the basket. Maybe he just needs a change a scenery, but committing more than a 3 year MLE deal is too risky.

Landry (S/T) for Davis (S/T) is an option. One thing about Landry, he can create his own offense and score in the post. That's a pair of deficiencies the Celts need to address. But BB is much better defensively and has played on the big stage. He could be used as part of a larger 'longshot' package for a 5 (Nene or D. Jordan) or in conjunction with RR, and draft picks for CP3. No doubt Danny will be accepting offers for BB.

[Evantime34]

I like JR Smith and Jamal Crawford (mentioned by the globe) as MLE guys who can score in large bunches off the bench.

[Chris]

I like JR Smith and Jamal Crawford (mentioned by the globe) as MLE guys who can score in large bunches off the bench.

Yeah, I think they are both legitimate options, if they find another way to address the center position. 

[the_Bird]

I like JR Smith and Jamal Crawford (mentioned by the globe) as MLE guys who can score in large bunches off the bench.

I wouldn't *mind* Crawford...  but I'm OK going into next season with a three-guard rotation of Rondo/Delonte/Ray (and giving Bradley a chance to crack in as a fourth guy).  I'm assuming Delonte comes back. 

I'd rather see the MLE monies spent at either the PF or the C positions, two areas I see as being a greater need.  They've got to find a way to get KG's minutes down, and it would be real nice if they could find someone else who can score down low.  Sucks to be a jump-shooting team when the shots ain't falling.

[Fafnir]

I really am at a loss to what the C's can realistically add to help them next year. So far none of the options mentioned have gotten me excited.

Still just down from last week I guess.

[winsomme]

I really don't want Dalembert.  On the surface he brings exactly what we are looking for, but when you dig deeper you realize he is the opposite of everything this team was built on.  He does not play team defense, and has a reputation as a bad lockerroom guy.  He basically does his own thing, and has little interest in being part of the system.

I like Howard, Thornton, and Landry, although they are all "if the price is right" guys.  Much like last summer, they need to figure out what they are doing in the middle before worrying about filling other holes like those guys fill. 

but we absolutely need a starting caliber defensive-minded center. The reason they get overpaid is because there aren't a lot of them out there.

Not sure how Danny swings this because our biggest chip isn't really at his biggest trade value at the moment. Green struggled with the Cs even though he has a ton of talent so I'm not sure this is the best time to trade him.

that said, I would really like both Thornton and Howard as replacements for Jeff Green if we could use him to land a starting center.

[snively]

I like Carl Landry, although he's not much of a post presence, which would be ideal.

I go back and forth on Landry.  He was great in Houston, mediocre in Sacramento, and then very good in NOH.  I think he is very similar to Davis, except he brings more consistent offense, and less bulk defensively.  He won't improve them much on the boards, but he also won't be as much of a headache as Davis is.

He certainly is someone I would like, but much like with Davis, I wouldn't pay a ton for him on this team.

His offensive efficiency is much more valuable than Davis' bulk for their respective roles though, perhaps more for Baby's woeful inefficiency than Landry's excellence.  Landry's a bit of Powe-Baby hybrid offensively, has the best attributes of both players in that department: Powe's foul-drawing ability and forcefulness in the paint and Baby's ball skills and range. 

I'd prefer a much better rebounder, but I think Landry would be a big upgrade to Big Baby.

[Chris]

but we absolutely need a starting caliber defensive-minded center. The reason they get overpaid is because there aren't a lot of them out there.

Absolutely, but I don't think Dalembert is that guy.  He would actually be a step down from Nenad Krstic in our system.  Other than blocking shots (and he goaltends nearly as many as he blocks), he gives you almost nothing defensively.  He is always out of position, and is constantly exploited for it. 

[Evantime34]

I like JR Smith and Jamal Crawford (mentioned by the globe) as MLE guys who can score in large bunches off the bench.

Yeah, I think they are both legitimate options, if they find another way to address the center position. 

I think Center is certainly a bigger need than a wing scorer. However, I don't see a good center that could be had for the MLE. Maybe it's just me but all of the options I see on the free agent list are either not good enough for the MLE or too expensive for the MLE.

[Brendan]

Where are people on KG at C?

If they got Landry and Green plays some PF minutes, it could move KG to the 5 for significant minutes a game. Not necessarily ideal, but not a terrible option either.

[Chris]

I like JR Smith and Jamal Crawford (mentioned by the globe) as MLE guys who can score in large bunches off the bench.

Yeah, I think they are both legitimate options, if they find another way to address the center position. 

I think Center is certainly a bigger need than a wing scorer. However, I don't see a good center that could be had for the MLE. Maybe it's just me but all of the options I see on the free agent list are either not good enough for the MLE or too expensive for the MLE.

Agreed.  I think if they can't find a way to get a legit starter, which would likely take a trade, they are probably better off going after a depth guy or two (Mohammed, Kwame Brown, Foster, Przybilla), and then trying to throw the remaining money at a more impactful wing backup PG.

I could certainly see them do something like resign Krstic, Green, and West, sign Mohammed or Brown to the LLE, and then throw the MLE at someone like Crawford or JR Smith.  They would still have JO as their starting center, with a couple legitimate backups in Krstic (who should be better with more time in the system) and then the LLE guy.

Then, they could try to sign a Craig Smith or Joey Dorsey to take Baby's place, and hope the extra scoring punch on the bench is enough to make up for the dropoff at center.  

It's not ideal, but might be what they are looking at.

[Evantime34]

Where are people on KG at C?

If they got Landry and Green plays some PF minutes, it could move KG to the 5 for significant minutes a game. Not necessarily ideal, but not a terrible option either.

I think if KG plays at Center he is probably going to take more of a beating than at pf. This does not lend itself well to him being healthy for the entire year.

To me that is a good idea for spot minutes but overall we should play him at pf.

[theswitch]

The biggest question I have might be: what can we get from Avery Bradley next year? Unfortunately, nobody really knows. He's got the upside to be a terrific combo guard, but we've seen his limited ballhandling and inconsistency. Maybe only Doc knows, but it's a huge question. With an improved Bradley, we have a very solid guard rotation of Rondo, Ray, Delonte (assuming he's back) and Avery, and we can focus on big men like with the MLE and either a shooter or another big guy with the bi-annual exception and the 1st rounder.

With an Avery Bradley we can't count on, we might have to spend the MLE on a guy like JR Smith and work on our big guys with vet-min, bi-annual and draft pick guys. It's a pretty big difference, and I really hope Avery makes strides this offseason so we can go out and get a guy like Carl Landry or DeAndre Jordan (pipedream but you know what I mean) with the MLE, giving us the versatility to go BPA (big with a guy like JaJuan Johnson or wing with a guy like Marshon Brooks) in the draft and bi-annual exception.

What do you guys think we can get from Avery? A jump to that potential that we saw briefly against the Knicks' backups and in high school or more inconsistency that can't be counted on? Sometimes, the best way to get better is to get on the court, but it could be trial by fire.

[the_Bird]

Agreed.  I think if they can't find a way to get a legit starter, which would likely take a trade, they are probably better off going after a depth guy or two (Mohammed, Kwame Brown, Foster, Przybilla), and then trying to throw the remaining money at a more impactful wing backup PG.

I could certainly see them do something like resign Krstic, Green, and West, sign Mohammed or Brown to the LLE, and then throw the MLE at someone like Crawford or JR Smith.  They would still have JO as their starting center, with a couple legitimate backups in Krstic (who should be better with more time in the system) and then the LLE guy.

Then, they could try to sign a Craig Smith or Joey Dorsey to take Baby's place, and hope the extra scoring punch on the bench is enough to make up for the dropoff at center.  

It's not ideal, but might be what they are looking at.

If you re-sign West and Green, do you need Crawford?  I know you're gambling a little on West's health, but I'd take my chances with West as Rondo's primary backup and with giving Pierce a few minutes at the offguard, letting Green play SF.  Give Avery Bradley a chance to crack the rotation.  Bring back Arroyo (or someone like that) as the 3rd-string PG.  

I just think we have enough options to cover the SG spot behind Ray fairly well with players we can resign fairly easily (Delonte doesn't want to play anywhere else).  I'd rather spend the MLE at the PF spot, where the in-house options (Baby, giving PF minutes to Green) are less attractive.  

Plus...  KG *really* needs the rest, I think more than Ray.   Ray's older, but he's not showing the wear and tear like KG is.  They all need to see their minutes cut, but I'd really like to see KG be at...  maybe around 28/game?

EDIT: As to Krstic, I don't mind him as the third center but I'd really like to have someone at the 4 or 5 who can bang a little.  Plus, I'm not convinced he's going to be any better with a training camp behind him; as far as I can see, his numbers when he was here weren't that far off from what he's done previously in his career (at least since after his first few years in NJ).  The Krstic we saw seemed to be an awful lot like the Krstic the Thunder saw for three seasons.

[Evantime34]

The biggest question I have might be: what can we get from Avery Bradley next year? Unfortunately, nobody really knows. He's got the upside to be a terrific combo guard, but we've seen his limited ballhandling and inconsistency. Maybe only Doc knows, but it's a huge question. With an improved Bradley, we have a very solid guard rotation of Rondo, Ray, Delonte (assuming he's back) and Avery, and we can focus on big men like with the MLE and either a shooter or another big guy with the bi-annual exception and the 1st rounder.

With an Avery Bradley we can't count on, we might have to spend the MLE on a guy like JR Smith and work on our big guys with vet-min, bi-annual and draft pick guys. It's a pretty big difference, and I really hope Avery makes strides this offseason so we can go out and get a guy like Carl Landry or DeAndre Jordan (pipedream but you know what I mean) with the MLE, giving us the versatility to go BPA (big with a guy like JaJuan Johnson or wing with a guy like Marshon Brooks) in the draft and bi-annual exception.

What do you guys think we can get from Avery? A jump to that potential that we saw briefly against the Knicks' backups and in high school or more inconsistency that can't be counted on? Sometimes, the best way to get better is to get on the court, but it could be trial by fire.

I think Bradley will give us some solid minutes next year. The times when he looks like he belongs will increase and the times he looks lost will decrease. However, there still will be times he looks utterly lost.

Expecting things from Bradley is a good way to create a glaring hole on your team. If you have the opportunity to get a guy like JR Smith or Jamal Crawford (I'd lean towards Crawford just because he's older and potentially more willing to give defense a try) you jump on it.