Josh Smith rumor / Atlanta interested?

[Moranis]

Our best chance at a championship this year is with the current core. I wouldn't trade ray or kg for anyone.besides sg is probably our thinnest position.

Its more likely orlando trades for him imo

no it isn't.  Boston's core will not beat the Heat.  There has to be moves unless by some miracle another team knocks off Miami before Boston has to play them.

If I'm not mistaken a dallas team with not as many "star" peices as us just beat the heat...our best player who runs our offense was injured and we got nothing out of our bench. We have rond and play team ball like dallas and we could beatthe heat

Ray was our best player last season. You don't create new holes to create others. Our sg spot is thin.

Dirk is significantly better then anyone currently on the Celtics.  That is the difference.

  Boston, with a healthy pg and center, would have dispatched the Heat just like the Mavs did.

I think Boston with a healthy Shaq would have dispatched the Heat.

  Honestly a healthy JO would have done the trick.

No it wouldn't have.  The Celtics are old.  They wore down in every game down the stretch in that series because the players don't have the stamina they once had.  A healthy JO, Shaq, and Rondo wouldn't have solved that problem, especially if Haslem and Miller were healthy.  You see all teams have injuries, we just only focus on the Celtics' injuries and not the other teams.

The Celtics are only going to get older and the Heat are going to be significantly better as they add pieces around James, Wade, and Bosh.  The only way the Celtics will compete with the Heat going forward is drastic changes to the roster.

[lepoooo]

Our best chance at a championship this year is with the current core. I wouldn't trade ray or kg for anyone.besides sg is probably our thinnest position.

Its more likely orlando trades for him imo

no it isn't.  Boston's core will not beat the Heat.  There has to be moves unless by some miracle another team knocks off Miami before Boston has to play them.

If I'm not mistaken a dallas team with not as many "star" peices as us just beat the heat...our best player who runs our offense was injured and we got nothing out of our bench. We have rond and play team ball like dallas and we could beatthe heat

Ray was our best player last season. You don't create new holes to create others. Our sg spot is thin.

Dirk is significantly better then anyone currently on the Celtics.  That is the difference.

  Boston, with a healthy pg and center, would have dispatched the Heat just like the Mavs did.

I think Boston with a healthy Shaq would have dispatched the Heat.

  Honestly a healthy JO would have done the trick.

No it wouldn't have.  The Celtics are old.  They wore down in every game down the stretch in that series because the players don't have the stamina they once had.  A healthy JO, Shaq, and Rondo wouldn't have solved that problem, especially if Haslem and Miller were healthy.  You see all teams have injuries, we just only focus on the Celtics' injuries and not the other teams.

The Celtics are only going to get older and the Heat are going to be significantly better as they add pieces around James, Wade, and Bosh.  The only way the Celtics will compete with the Heat going forward is drastic changes to the roster.

I agree 100% with your point.

Imho, thinking otherwise is just lying to ourselves about the state of the C's big 3.

[celticinorlando]

no thanks. josh smith is not a complete player

[Fafnir]

no thanks. josh smith is not a complete player

What do you mean by complete?

[Change]

no thanks. this would be an end to 2012 plan.

[jambr380]

no thanks. josh smith is not a complete player

But Ainge is definitely now really into players that would perform well at an NFL combine. He has said that he wants to get younger, faster,  and more athletic and has pointed to the Heat as an example. I find it hard to believe that Ainge isn't a little excited that the Celtics are on his short list.

[PosImpos]

no thanks. this would be an end to 2012 plan.

what 2012 plan?  sign Dwight Howard?  please.  not happening.

this is the first time we've heard that a player with All-Star level talent (and DPOY potential, too) actually wants to play here. 

I say do whatever it takes to get J-Smoove.  He'd be a great guy to combine with Rajon Rondo moving forward.

[BballTim]

Our best chance at a championship this year is with the current core. I wouldn't trade ray or kg for anyone.besides sg is probably our thinnest position.

Its more likely orlando trades for him imo

no it isn't.  Boston's core will not beat the Heat.  There has to be moves unless by some miracle another team knocks off Miami before Boston has to play them.

If I'm not mistaken a dallas team with not as many "star" peices as us just beat the heat...our best player who runs our offense was injured and we got nothing out of our bench. We have rond and play team ball like dallas and we could beatthe heat

Ray was our best player last season. You don't create new holes to create others. Our sg spot is thin.

Dirk is significantly better then anyone currently on the Celtics.  That is the difference.

  Boston, with a healthy pg and center, would have dispatched the Heat just like the Mavs did.

I think Boston with a healthy Shaq would have dispatched the Heat.

  Honestly a healthy JO would have done the trick.

No it wouldn't have.  The Celtics are old.  They wore down in every game down the stretch in that series because the players don't have the stamina they once had.  A healthy JO, Shaq, and Rondo wouldn't have solved that problem, especially if Haslem and Miller were healthy.  You see all teams have injuries, we just only focus on the Celtics' injuries and not the other teams.

The Celtics are only going to get older and the Heat are going to be significantly better as they add pieces around James, Wade, and Bosh.  The only way the Celtics will compete with the Heat going forward is drastic changes to the roster.

  With a healthy JO playing many of the minutes Baby played the first two games the big three might not have had to play as many minutes. Even without those games we'd have won 3 and 4 and I like our chances after that.

[jdpapa3]

what 2012 plan?  sign Dwight Howard?  please.  not happening.

Clear our cap room to sign Wade, Lebron, and Bosh this summer? please. not happening. Not a fan of definite statements in situations that aren't definite.

[Change]

no thanks. this would be an end to 2012 plan.

what 2012 plan?  sign Dwight Howard?  please.  not happening.

this is the first time we've heard that a player with All-Star level talent (and DPOY potential, too) actually wants to play here. 

I say do whatever it takes to get J-Smoove.  He'd be a great guy to combine with Rajon Rondo moving forward.

bu but but the spacing. Rondo needs shooters to do what he does. They can co-exist in a half-court grind out playoff game. It won't work.

[PosImpos]

what 2012 plan?  sign Dwight Howard?  please.  not happening.

Clear our cap room to sign Wade, Lebron, and Bosh this summer? please. not happening. Not a fan of definite statements in situations that aren't definite.

what evidence have we seen so far to make us think that Dwight Howard to Boston in 2012 is a realistic possibility?  Dwight hasn't even once mentioned that he's interested in coming here, while he has named other places.  we've seen the past couple years what happens when star players make it known to their teams that they are going to leave in free agency; the team finds a trade. 

the celtics dont' have the pieces to compete with the other teams that will want to trade for him.  in 2012, we won't be able to boast that we're a winning team with a championship pedigree anymore, either, since Ray and KG will likely retire.

the only way Dwight Howard ends up here is if he tells Orlando that there's no other team he wants to play for.  no reason so far to think that that will happen.

[Fafnir]

what 2012 plan?  sign Dwight Howard?  please.  not happening.

Clear our cap room to sign Wade, Lebron, and Bosh this summer? please. not happening. Not a fan of definite statements in situations that aren't definite.

Especially when even if you don't get your dream max FA you can do some good things with cap space.

OKC picked up a ton of useful players and picks before they finally used up the last of their cap space signing Perkins. They are an excellent example of how you can use it to rebuild.

New York and Chicago still picked up several good players that helped their team to "win now".

[heitingas]

with Smith's tradekicker he'll make 14.2 million next year, does this mean the last year of his contract is also 15% higher ? meaning he'll make 15.2 an not 13.2 million ?

this should be factored in.

[Fafnir]

what 2012 plan?  sign Dwight Howard?  please.  not happening.

Clear our cap room to sign Wade, Lebron, and Bosh this summer? please. not happening. Not a fan of definite statements in situations that aren't definite.

what evidence have we seen so far to make us think that Dwight Howard to Boston in 2012 is a realistic possibility?  Dwight hasn't even once mentioned that he's interested in coming here, while he has named other places.  we've seen the past couple years what happens when star players make it known to their teams that they are going to leave in free agency; the team finds a trade. 

the celtics dont' have the pieces to compete with the other teams that will want to trade for him.  in 2012, we won't be able to boast that we're a winning team with a championship pedigree anymore, either, since Ray and KG will likely retire.
the only way Dwight Howard ends up here is if he tells Orlando that there's no other team he wants to play for.  no reason so far to think that that will happen.

Why do you assume we'd have to trade for him? With proper cap space the C's can just sign him.

I'll also add that LeBron really didn't send signals about where he'd end up until he was actually a FA, neither did Chris Bosh. Howard is already sending signals that he's going to move on if Orlando doesn't improve the team around him. That's all the signal that the C's need.

[PosImpos]

no thanks. this would be an end to 2012 plan.

what 2012 plan?  sign Dwight Howard?  please.  not happening.

this is the first time we've heard that a player with All-Star level talent (and DPOY potential, too) actually wants to play here. 

I say do whatever it takes to get J-Smoove.  He'd be a great guy to combine with Rajon Rondo moving forward.

bu but but the spacing. Rondo needs shooters to do what he does. They can co-exist in a half-court grind out playoff game. It won't work.

yet Dwight Howard would work great? 

Josh Smith is a very good player with a ton of talent, especially on defense.  Smith isn't completely hopeless from mid-range, either, though he was terrible from there this post-season.

Danny could find a way to make it work, and he'd have quite a few years to do so since both Rondo and Smith are 25.