David West "might" have been nice, but...

[ScoobyDoo]

In some ways, I am glad we didn't sign him.
* Had we signed him I think it would have allowed us to potentially sign only one max player in the off season next year.
* Yes, it "might" have helped us win #18, but I'm not convinced of that and we would have him on the books for another 2 years as well, which may have helped keep us mediocre.
* There is also no guarantee that his rehabbed knee will hold up and he might not be the same player - he may have lost a step. Also he's 31 or 32... 

Here's the other thing, KG and Ray will be 37 and 36 to start next season. I do think they will compete and perform at a high level once again this year, but the time is now upon us to really rebuild.

So, barring a blockbuster trade for a franchise player - read Chris Paul or Dwight Howard level guys - I'd much rather pursue the following path.

1. Watch yet another season of highly competitive basketball from some great, hall of fame warriors of the hard court. Guys who play with so much heart and who might suprise us with one last run. They may win it or not, I don't care. I enjoy them and will enjoy watching them again this year. They've given us a great five year ride.

2. I'd like to appreciate them for what it is and pull for them every night.

Then...again, if we can't pull off some blockbuster deal...

3. Keep Rondo, Green, Bradley, J. Johnson, E'Tuan Moore

4. Use my Clipper pick and possibly my own first round pick - maybe the 22nd or 23rd pick? - and try to maybe move up into the 8-11 spot in the lottery? Take another nice young player with that pick

5. If KG and Ray don't come back, maybe we have a down year or two and maybe we get lucky with a couple nice lottery picks

6. Keep my cap space and target a max free agent or two as they become available.

* Rondo, Green, Bradley, J. Johnson, E'Tuan Moore
* Possible lottery pick this year ( Clipper's + our own to move up
* Maybe a year or two of lottery picks
* Sign a young, max free agent or two that fit in with our young and improving core

Be in the mix again as Rondo is turning 28 / 29. A High octane team built for a an old school fast breaking Celtics team.

Kind of like how OKC was built and how the Bulls were built when Jordan came on.
 

         

[Sketch5]

I like your style.

Im just happy to see these guys play again. I don't think West was the key to winning the title, he would have helped, but people were acting like Howard was coming to town for JO.

Could pick up Austin Rivers, thats been talked about. Father coaching son. He's a bit small for the two, but he may grown an inch or two over the year. Jordan did.

Maybe depending on how the season goes Danny trades some one for a pick or young player to some one that has a shot at the title. They can rent them out from the C's for the rest of the year. But only if it looks like no shot in hell.

[PosImpos]

In some ways, I am glad we didn't sign him.
* Had we signed him I think it would have allowed us to potentially sign only one max player in the off season next year.
* Yes, it "might" have helped us win #18, but I'm not convinced of that and we would have him on the books for another 2 years as well, which may have helped keep us mediocre.
* There is also no guarantee that his rehabbed knee will hold up and he might not be the same player - he may have lost a step. Also he's 31 or 32... 

Here's the other thing, KG and Ray will be 37 and 36 to start next season. I do think they will compete and perform at a high level once again this year, but the time is now upon us to really rebuild.

So, barring a blockbuster trade for a franchise player - read Chris Paul or Dwight Howard level guys - I'd much rather pursue the following path.

1. Watch yet another season of highly competitive basketball from some great, hall of fame warriors of the hard court. Guys who play with so much heart and who might suprise us with one last run. They may win it or not, I don't care. I enjoy them and will enjoy watching them again this year. They've given us a great five year ride.

2. I'd like to appreciate them for what it is and pull for them every night.

Then...again, if we can't pull off some blockbuster deal...

3. Keep Rondo, Green, Bradley, J. Johnson, E'Tuan Moore

4. Use my Clipper pick and possibly my own first round pick - maybe the 22nd or 23rd pick? - and try to maybe move up into the 8-11 spot in the lottery? Take another nice young player with that pick

5. If KG and Ray don't come back, maybe we have a down year or two and maybe we get lucky with a couple nice lottery picks

6. Keep my cap space and target a max free agent or two as they become available.

* Rondo, Green, Bradley, J. Johnson, E'Tuan Moore
* Possible lottery pick this year ( Clipper's + our own to move up
* Maybe a year or two of lottery picks
* Sign a young, max free agent or two that fit in with our young and improving core

Be in the mix again as Rondo is turning 28 / 29. A High octane team built for a an old school fast breaking Celtics team.

Kind of like how OKC was built and how the Bulls were built when Jordan came on.
 

         

you talk a lot about signing a max free agent.


when have the celtics EVER signed a max free agent, the kind that you build a team around?  how often, especially these days, do such players actually reach free agency?  most likely our cap space will be used to make savvy trades and sign future rookies to extensions.

the one area i can agree with you for sure is that david west would have helped keep us mediocre but not terrible over the next few years.   since we want to be terrible once we start rebuilding, that would have been a bad thing.  but giving us a chance to be truly competitive this year would have been worth it, in my opinion. 

plus, the proposed deal was a reasonable one, so west would have been very tradeable after this season as long as he played well.

we can talk ourselves into believing things worked out for the best, but the bottom line is the team would have been a lot better with david west than without him, and might have been the difference between this year being just a farewell tour and it actually being worth getting our hopes up for what they might do in the post-season.

[ScoobyDoo]

Thanks and agree. And who knows, if things are falling apart this year coming towards the t to the trade deadline, maybe KG and Ray will want to be moved to a team who's got a legit shot at a ring.

* Maybe we get a nice young player or two out of it to add to our young core
Maybe they get a title and then choose to come back to Boston in reduced roles.

I'm pretty flexible at this point and I'd just keep an open, honest dialogue with Ray and KG this year. If it's not going well and they wanted to stay anyway, I'd keep them.

If they wanted to get traded to a team at the deadline for a legit shot at a ring this year if it's falling apart with us, and if we could get a nice player or two out of it, I'd do that....

Either way, I'm rebuilding and I wouldn't mind a year or two of "very" tough times if it meant I might get a shot at a franchise player in the lottery as a result.

Also, I've got that cap flex to add max players to my young core if the pieces fit...

    

[ScoobyDoo]

Yeah, I'm not saying I would've hated the West signing, it could have possibly put us over the top this year and "maybe" we win it...

So next year....we trot out

KG - 36
West - 33
Pierce - 34
Ray - 37
Rondo - 26

I'm not trying to talk myself out of being disappointed we lost David West. All I'm saying is I feel like the time is truly upon after this season to rebuild.

* And I'd rather go "all in" on that effort. 
* If we can't do a blockbuster, fast track deal...
* I'd go all in on youth for 2-3 years if necessary
* I'd rather take my 14th and 22nd, try to move up
* Maybe have a few "very" bad seasons and get lucky in the lottery with a franchise pick
* We may not get a max free agent - but we'd certainly have enough money to add the next young David West level guy to our young crop or a similar level talent at another position if it's not a max guy....

We need to get on with it....

Lastly, I would, if it meant we could get Dwight Howard right now, completely blow up this current team to do it.