What free agents do you guys think we have a real shot at signing?

[Neurotic Guy]

None that are any good as rebuilding pieces.  The only free agents willing to come to Boston will be complementary players who will want to be paid as if they are key guys -- in other words, players who will want to be overpaid.


As for winning, we won't be doing a ton of that here after this season.  Back to the rebuilding bin after this season, unless the plan is to use cap space to cobble together a borderline-playoff mediocrity with Rondo carrying the show.

I think most here have expectations of a rebuilding process after this year.  Whether it is a 22 year process or 2-4 year process is impossible to predict.  It is baffling to me that you think you know who will or won't come here.  There is more than 1 way to skin a cat -- and DA and Doc have proven that you can get players to want to come here. Yes, the Big 3 have been the lure of the past, but it will take only 1 star to pair with RR to make Boston a desirable destination again. Maybe DA won't be able to find that player -- or maybe he does it in year 1 of the rebuild.  The David West experience does not define the future.

[snively]

Totally forgot about Andrei Kirilenko.  Will be 31 next offseason. He'd be a great add on something like a 3 year deal. 

He has a long term deal with CSKA Moskva. Dont know if he intends to opt out.

It came down to the wire this year.  I'm pretty confident he'll return to the NBA. 

Another player not listed on a lot of free agent lists is Gerald Wallace. Decent chance he opts out of his $9.5 mil, a la David West, in hopes of landing a longer-term deal for similar/greater money.

[Cman]

Totally forgot about Andrei Kirilenko.  Will be 31 next offseason. He'd be a great add on something like a 3 year deal. 

He has a long term deal with CSKA Moskva. Dont know if he intends to opt out.

It came down to the wire this year.  I'm pretty confident he'll return to the NBA. 

Another player not listed on a lot of free agent lists is Gerald Wallace. Decent chance he opts out of his $9.5 mil, a la David West, in hopes of landing a longer-term deal for similar/greater money.

I like Gerald Wallace, but I put him in the David West tier - very good but not elite. For the Cs to be relevant after this year, Danny needs to pair a true star along with Rondo and what I would term a "#3 guy" (i.e.: a David West/Gerald Wallace type player). The question is where the true star comes from - these guys hardly ever hit free agency and are mostly acquired via trade (KG, Pau, CP3).

[RJ87]

Here's a good list of impending free agents: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=FreeAgents-11-12

Just looking at the unrestricted list sans D12, nothing interesting about this free agent class. All the worthwhile guys (Kevin Love, JaVale McGee, OJ Mayo, Eric Gordon) are RFAs aka harder to get.

[PosImpos]

None that are any good as rebuilding pieces.  The only free agents willing to come to Boston will be complementary players who will want to be paid as if they are key guys -- in other words, players who will want to be overpaid.


As for winning, we won't be doing a ton of that here after this season.  Back to the rebuilding bin after this season, unless the plan is to use cap space to cobble together a borderline-playoff mediocrity with Rondo carrying the show.

I think most here have expectations of a rebuilding process after this year.  Whether it is a 22 year process or 2-4 year process is impossible to predict.  It is baffling to me that you think you know who will or won't come here.  There is more than 1 way to skin a cat -- and DA and Doc have proven that you can get players to want to come here. Yes, the Big 3 have been the lure of the past, but it will take only 1 star to pair with RR to make Boston a desirable destination again. Maybe DA won't be able to find that player -- or maybe he does it in year 1 of the rebuild.  The David West experience does not define the future.

Okay, so which of the big name free agents coming up have indicated that Boston is a place they'd like to play?

How about this -- when has a big name free agent ever come to the Celtics?

[snively]

Totally forgot about Andrei Kirilenko.  Will be 31 next offseason. He'd be a great add on something like a 3 year deal. 

He has a long term deal with CSKA Moskva. Dont know if he intends to opt out.

It came down to the wire this year.  I'm pretty confident he'll return to the NBA. 

Another player not listed on a lot of free agent lists is Gerald Wallace. Decent chance he opts out of his $9.5 mil, a la David West, in hopes of landing a longer-term deal for similar/greater money.

I like Gerald Wallace, but I put him in the David West tier - very good but not elite. For the Cs to be relevant after this year, Danny needs to pair a true star along with Rondo and what I would term a "#3 guy" (i.e.: a David West/Gerald Wallace type player). The question is where the true star comes from - these guys hardly ever hit free agency and are mostly acquired via trade (KG, Pau, CP3).

I think it's more realistic to pursue the Detroit Pistons 2004 model, with a few pinches of the New Jersey Nets team that made the finals in back to back year.

Build an ensemble team of excellent players.  We'll already have two next year with Rondo and Pierce.

[SHAQATTACK]

None that are any good as rebuilding pieces.  The only free agents willing to come to Boston will be complementary players who will want to be paid as if they are key guys -- in other words, players who will want to be overpaid.


As for winning, we won't be doing a ton of that here after this season.  Back to the rebuilding bin after this season, unless the plan is to use cap space to cobble together a borderline-playoff mediocrity with Rondo carrying the show.

I think most here have expectations of a rebuilding process after this year.  Whether it is a 22 year process or 2-4 year process is impossible to predict.  It is baffling to me that you think you know who will or won't come here.  There is more than 1 way to skin a cat -- and DA and Doc have proven that you can get players to want to come here. Yes, the Big 3 have been the lure of the past, but it will take only 1 star to pair with RR to make Boston a desirable destination again. Maybe DA won't be able to find that player -- or maybe he does it in year 1 of the rebuild.  The David West experience does not define the future.

Okay, so which of the big name free agents coming up have indicated that Boston is a place they'd like to play?

How about this -- when has a big name free agent ever come to the Celtics?

True...we can dream can't we?

[snively]

None that are any good as rebuilding pieces.  The only free agents willing to come to Boston will be complementary players who will want to be paid as if they are key guys -- in other words, players who will want to be overpaid.


As for winning, we won't be doing a ton of that here after this season.  Back to the rebuilding bin after this season, unless the plan is to use cap space to cobble together a borderline-playoff mediocrity with Rondo carrying the show.

I think most here have expectations of a rebuilding process after this year.  Whether it is a 22 year process or 2-4 year process is impossible to predict.  It is baffling to me that you think you know who will or won't come here.  There is more than 1 way to skin a cat -- and DA and Doc have proven that you can get players to want to come here. Yes, the Big 3 have been the lure of the past, but it will take only 1 star to pair with RR to make Boston a desirable destination again. Maybe DA won't be able to find that player -- or maybe he does it in year 1 of the rebuild.  The David West experience does not define the future.

Okay, so which of the big name free agents coming up have indicated that Boston is a place they'd like to play?

How about this -- when has a big name free agent ever come to the Celtics?

What's so different about Boston than Chicago (got Boozer, got Ben Wallace before that)?

Boston hasn't had a chance to play in the modern free agent market.

[Inside-Out]

Totally forgot about Andrei Kirilenko.  Will be 31 next offseason. He'd be a great add on something like a 3 year deal. 

He has a long term deal with CSKA Moskva. Dont know if he intends to opt out.

It came down to the wire this year.  I'm pretty confident he'll return to the NBA. 

Another player not listed on a lot of free agent lists is Gerald Wallace. Decent chance he opts out of his $9.5 mil, a la David West, in hopes of landing a longer-term deal for similar/greater money.

I like Gerald Wallace, but I put him in the David West tier - very good but not elite. For the Cs to be relevant after this year, Danny needs to pair a true star along with Rondo and what I would term a "#3 guy" (i.e.: a David West/Gerald Wallace type player). The question is where the true star comes from - these guys hardly ever hit free agency and are mostly acquired via trade (KG, Pau, CP3).

I think it's more realistic to pursue the Detroit Pistons 2004 model, with a few pinches of the New Jersey Nets team that made the finals in back to back year.

Build an ensemble team of excellent players.  We'll already have two next year with Rondo and Pierce.

And could possibly add Green and Bass to that list.

PG Rondo
SG Pierce
SF JGreen
PF BBass
C 

[LooseCannon]

I think Ainge will be shopping draft picks and a fat trade exception next offseason.  Luis Scola, Big Al, Josh Smith, Ben Gordon, Mo Williams, Jason Richardson, Andre Iguodala...  Imperfect players that might not be highly valued by their teams by next season.

I'm not sure that any of those players should be highly valued.

[Moranis]

None that are any good as rebuilding pieces.  The only free agents willing to come to Boston will be complementary players who will want to be paid as if they are key guys -- in other words, players who will want to be overpaid.


As for winning, we won't be doing a ton of that here after this season.  Back to the rebuilding bin after this season, unless the plan is to use cap space to cobble together a borderline-playoff mediocrity with Rondo carrying the show.

I think most here have expectations of a rebuilding process after this year.  Whether it is a 22 year process or 2-4 year process is impossible to predict.  It is baffling to me that you think you know who will or won't come here.  There is more than 1 way to skin a cat -- and DA and Doc have proven that you can get players to want to come here. Yes, the Big 3 have been the lure of the past, but it will take only 1 star to pair with RR to make Boston a desirable destination again. Maybe DA won't be able to find that player -- or maybe he does it in year 1 of the rebuild.  The David West experience does not define the future.

Okay, so which of the big name free agents coming up have indicated that Boston is a place they'd like to play?

How about this -- when has a big name free agent ever come to the Celtics?

What's so different about Boston than Chicago (got Boozer, got Ben Wallace before that)?

Boston hasn't had a chance to play in the modern free agent market.

Chicago overpaid for Wallace who was well past his prime.  Boozer was joining a 41 win team that had 3 players that hadn't yet hit their prime that were all star level or better talent.  Not exactly what the Celtics are going to be this summer.

If the Celtics want to overpay players than yeah they could sign some guys in free agency, but in order to overpay that means they aren't max level players or even near max level players.  The Celtics have no young players aside from Rondo and Rondo can't carry a team and everyone in the league knows this.  He is a great third option, but third options don't win you titles. 

[hpantazo]

None that are any good as rebuilding pieces.  The only free agents willing to come to Boston will be complementary players who will want to be paid as if they are key guys -- in other words, players who will want to be overpaid.


As for winning, we won't be doing a ton of that here after this season.  Back to the rebuilding bin after this season, unless the plan is to use cap space to cobble together a borderline-playoff mediocrity with Rondo carrying the show.

I think most here have expectations of a rebuilding process after this year.  Whether it is a 22 year process or 2-4 year process is impossible to predict.  It is baffling to me that you think you know who will or won't come here.  There is more than 1 way to skin a cat -- and DA and Doc have proven that you can get players to want to come here. Yes, the Big 3 have been the lure of the past, but it will take only 1 star to pair with RR to make Boston a desirable destination again. Maybe DA won't be able to find that player -- or maybe he does it in year 1 of the rebuild.  The David West experience does not define the future.

Okay, so which of the big name free agents coming up have indicated that Boston is a place they'd like to play?

How about this -- when has a big name free agent ever come to the Celtics?

What's so different about Boston than Chicago (got Boozer, got Ben Wallace before that)?

Boston hasn't had a chance to play in the modern free agent market.

I agree. Boston is not Toronto or Minny or something. Yes, it's not LA or NY either, but there is no reason for FAs not to come here over almost any other NBA city except for LA and NY, and those 2 cities can't fit all of them under the cap, so we do have a good shot at some valuable FAs imo. Saying otherwise is illogical.

[nickagneta]

I said in the game thread that if I were Ainge I might throw a very significant offer at Javale McGee this off season and see if they decide not to match.

I think he might be coming into his own and could be a future 18-20 PPG and 10-12 RPG type player with the right coaching and handling.

He'll be 24 years old and a four year vet. He's an athletic freak of nature and is the perfect running type big man to pair with Rondo in the future. He appears to be developing some very nice low post game and with proper coaching could be a defensive presence.

Other than him, Love is the only other guy I would throw big money at and Minnesota will match before the offer gets to them.

[hpantazo]

None that are any good as rebuilding pieces.  The only free agents willing to come to Boston will be complementary players who will want to be paid as if they are key guys -- in other words, players who will want to be overpaid.


As for winning, we won't be doing a ton of that here after this season.  Back to the rebuilding bin after this season, unless the plan is to use cap space to cobble together a borderline-playoff mediocrity with Rondo carrying the show.

I think most here have expectations of a rebuilding process after this year.  Whether it is a 22 year process or 2-4 year process is impossible to predict.  It is baffling to me that you think you know who will or won't come here.  There is more than 1 way to skin a cat -- and DA and Doc have proven that you can get players to want to come here. Yes, the Big 3 have been the lure of the past, but it will take only 1 star to pair with RR to make Boston a desirable destination again. Maybe DA won't be able to find that player -- or maybe he does it in year 1 of the rebuild.  The David West experience does not define the future.

Okay, so which of the big name free agents coming up have indicated that Boston is a place they'd like to play?

How about this -- when has a big name free agent ever come to the Celtics?

What's so different about Boston than Chicago (got Boozer, got Ben Wallace before that)?

Boston hasn't had a chance to play in the modern free agent market.

Chicago overpaid for Wallace who was well past his prime.  Boozer was joining a 41 win team that had 3 players that hadn't yet hit their prime that were all star level or better talent.  Not exactly what the Celtics are going to be this summer.

If the Celtics want to overpay players than yeah they could sign some guys in free agency, but in order to overpay that means they aren't max level players or even near max level players.  The Celtics have no young players aside from Rondo and Rondo can't carry a team and everyone in the league knows this.  He is a great third option, but third options don't win you titles. 

Because you talk to everyone in the league on a regular basis? LOL! Rondo can carry a team, in time you will see it.

[Inside-Out]

I think Ainge will be shopping draft picks and a fat trade exception next offseason.  Luis Scola, Big Al, Josh Smith, Ben Gordon, Mo Williams, Jason Richardson, Andre Iguodala...  Imperfect players that might not be highly valued by their teams by next season.

I'm not sure that any of those players should be highly valued.

You wouldn't come out to see Rondo and Pierce play with Ben Gordon and Josh Smith, with JGreen off the bench?