Dwight says he would listen if Ainge called about him

[ianboyextreme]

We need people outside the clerics organization to make public comments about how great the celtics organization is for players that want to win.

You mean like Warrior class players and rogue class players?

lol yeah like mage class players

[ScoobyDoo]

I'm always suprised at how negatively some view the Celtics prospects after this year or how miserable of a destination they project Boston to be for free agents.

The Celtics have one of the best, if not the best and most knowledgeable fan bases in basketball. It is a great, great sports city. You do well here, you are legend for life.

Also, name another team with:

1. Three HOF players still good enough to play complimentary roles on a championship team
2. Loads of cap space
3. A good young core of players in Rondo, Bradley, Pietrus, Green, Bass and to a lesser extent at this point, Stiemsma, JJJ and Moore
4. Two first round draft picks in a deep 2012 draft.
5. Doc Rivers as it's head coach - a guy known around the league as a complete player's coach.
6. A championship pedigree with the deepest traditions in the game
7. A GM who's proven once he gets the key pieces can then surround those pieces with the right compliments.
* We'd likely have 3 rings in four seasons - if not four straight - were it not for injuries to KG, Powe, Perkins adn then Shaq and Rondo - respectively. That's is a legit statement.
8. An ownership that publicly states they will spend when it's right and then back it up by doing exactly that.
9. A parade of HOF legends hanging around all the time...

You'd think we were the LA Clippers of the past 30 years for God's sake.

Anyone watched Paul Pierce lately, once he's gotten in shape? Barring a catastrophic injury, that dude "easily" has another couple good years in him.

The combo of Howard, Pierce and Rondo immediately puts you in serious contention the next two years. A lineup of:

Howard
KG
Pierce
Ray
Rondo
 
Will win you a ring next year. All KG and Ray basically need to do is run up the floor, spread it, let Rondo and Howard run pick and role all night and wait for the open J's. Pierce will still be cutting people up for another two years as well adn the fact remains that both KG and Ray as supporting role playing starters, will be amongst the best in the league at their positions. Rondo doesn't need to shoot, at all.

KG at D, and he will still hit J's at a great rate. Ray with shooting as well.

You add in Green / Bass / Pietrus? It is over, no team has a shot at beating that team. None.

So Howard wins a ring or two next year or two and after that, Pierce comes off the books...

More cap to replace Pierce, if Green hasn't already. Two draft picks from this draft rounding into shape...

Even without Howard we are in great, great shaped to rebuild very quickly.

With Howard and Rondo - you are like one more relatively minor move away from having a team to compete - Howard changes things that much.    

When all things are added up Boston has more to offer that almost any other team in the league.  
  
Doesn't Doc also have a good relationship with Howard, the two of them living in Orlando, etc.?

[manl_lui]

I'm always suprised at how negatively some view the Celtics prospects after this year or how miserable of a destination they project Boston to be for free agents.

The Celtics have one of the best, if not the best and most knowledgeable fan bases in basketball. It is a great, great sports city. You do well here, you are legend for life.

Also, name another team with:

1. Three HOF players still good enough to play complimentary roles on a championship team
2. Loads of cap space
3. A good young core of players in Rondo, Bradley, Pietrus, Green, Bass and to a lesser extent at this point, Stiemsma, JJJ and Moore
4. Two first round draft picks in a deep 2012 draft.
5. Doc Rivers as it's head coach - a guy known around the league as a complete player's coach.
6. A championship pedigree with the deepest traditions in the game
7. A GM who's proven once he gets the key pieces can then surround those pieces with the right compliments.
* We'd likely have 3 rings in four seasons - if not four straight - were it not for injuries to KG, Powe, Perkins adn then Shaq and Rondo - respectively. That's is a legit statement.
8. An ownership that publicly states they will spend when it's right and then back it up by doing exactly that.
9. A parade of HOF legends hanging around all the time...

You'd think we were the LA Clippers of the past 30 years for God's sake.

Anyone watched Paul Pierce lately, once he's gotten in shape? Barring a catastrophic injury, that dude "easily" has another couple good years in him.

The combo of Howard, Pierce and Rondo immediately puts you in serious contention the next two years. A lineup of:

Howard
KG
Pierce
Ray
Rondo
 
Will win you a ring next year. All KG and Ray basically need to do is run up the floor, spread it, let Rondo and Howard run pick and role all night and wait for the open J's. Pierce will still be cutting people up for another two years as well adn the fact remains that both KG and Ray as supporting role playing starters, will be amongst the best in the league at their positions. Rondo doesn't need to shoot, at all.

KG at D, and he will still hit J's at a great rate. Ray with shooting as well.

You add in Green / Bass / Pietrus? It is over, no team has a shot at beating that team. None.

So Howard wins a ring or two next year or two and after that, Pierce comes off the books...

More cap to replace Pierce, if Green hasn't already. Two draft picks from this draft rounding into shape...

Even without Howard we are in great, great shaped to rebuild very quickly.

With Howard and Rondo - you are like one more relatively minor move away from having a team to compete - Howard changes things that much.    

When all things are added up Boston has more to offer that almost any other team in the league.  
  
Doesn't Doc also have a good relationship with Howard, the two of them living in Orlando, etc.?

I agree with you on most parts...just Rondo and Howard alone isn't enough to win...if the big 3 stays, thats great, but what about their health going forward? Also what about our bench...

but yeh I agree on the with Howard, he can change a lot of things and just building around them wouldn't be so hard

[LarBrd33]

He's just being polite and blowing smoke for the Boston writers.  He has no interest in joining this team.  He probably figures he can't do much with a 35 year old Pierce and a top 10 PG (Rondo).  He's probably right.  The team would need a lot more to be a contender.

Wow! One of the main arguments for the notion that Dwight Howard or other superstars aren't landing in Boston is that they have all expressed no interest in being Celtics.  It's been written so many times that people actually believe that Dwight Howard has said that he doesn't want to be a Celtic.

Now he says that he would consider Boston, and you say that he's just making it up, and he would never want to play here.  This is all based on your intense pessimism about this team, one that I can understand Dwight Howard not sharing.

  Welcome to celticsblog.

Dudes... If Dwight had any serious interest in playing for this team, we'd be one of the handful of teams on his public list of squads he'd accept a trade to. Call it pessimism.  He clearly was blowing smoke for the Boston writer, showing respect for the franchise and keeping his options open.   He wants to be a laker

LOL At you  speaking like fact and you personally know exactly what he wants to do

No I'm basing this off a report last week:  "Magic general manager Otis Smith said Dwight Howard's camp has not informed him that the superstar center has expanded his list of preferred destinations beyond the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Jersey Nets.

Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/218386/Magic_GM_Otis_Smith_Confirms_Howard_Has_Not_Expanded_Trade_List#ixzz1kbIpk6HV
"

If he had interest in BOston, why wouldn't they be on the list?

[beantownboy171]

I get people don't like to set themselves up for disappointment. But if Dwight Howard makes it to free agency of course we have a decent chance of signing him.

We'd be one of a few teams out there with the money, coach and franchise to do so.

People need to stop looking at it as signing up to play with the big 3. The big 3 are done after this year as far as i'm concerned... The path to getting Dwight has two options.

Either we swing a trade for Paul Pierce, and bring in a Rudy Gay or a Danny Granger. And we make an offer to Dwight like this.

A starting line up of Rondo, Ray, Granger, Garnett and Howard, with a deep bench comprised of Pietrus, Bass, Green, Bradley, Dooling and two top 20 draft picks in a deep draft.

OR

We trade Rondo in the offseason for a guy like Monta Ellis, amnesty Pierce (or trade him for an expiring contract and picks.) And sign Derron Williams with the money we saved from getting rid of Pierce.

We'd have a line-up of:

Williams, Ellis, Green, Garnett and Howard, with Ray coming off the bench along with the rest of our core bench players.

It's not about extending the big 3 window, its about creating a new one. We have options guys, plus pessimism is no fun.

[ScoobyDoo]

Good points manl lui and Beantown and agreed. There are a number of ways we can quickly rebuild.

The only extension of KG and Ray's careers I would like to see with Boston is reduced salaries and either as complimentary starters or role players. For 10-15 a night they can still be the best players on any court - they just can't do it for 38 a night. Not a knock on them, just the facts.

Now, could they be critical, key pieces of a championship run with DH in tow - you bet.

Agreed, we'd need more than Rondo and Howard but I guess my point is that IF you do get Howard here and you have Rondo, it will be exponentially easier to get the 3rd piece and to then fill in the spots from there.

It's no different then KG considering the Celtics with Pierce vs the Celtics with Pierce AND Ray...

You need that one big move and then things start rolling down hill for you. Trust me, players will be lining up to paly with a Howard / Rondo tandem. In between those two you put shooters / scorers and you are off to the races.   

[ScoobyDoo]

Getting Howard would make things easier as far as rebuilding and that would be great. But it's not the end of the world if we don't get him.

Bring in Hibbert, McGee or Lopez and you can also build a championship team around any one of those guys, Rondo, a max level player at the 2, 3 or 4 and a good supporting cast.

Whatever happens we are positioned incredibly well to rebuild quickly - that is the key. We aren't saddled with crippling contracts on overpaid players.

For example, what if we signed no one, KG retired, Ray moved on, Pierce was traded and no major free agents were worth spending our cap on?

So what?

WE go to the lottery for a couple seasons, hopefully get 1-2 blue chippers, maybe one franchise guy and we maintain our cap space for a max level guy when they come avail.

Maybe we're down 2-3 years - Rondo still would be only 28 by the time things started turning the corner.   

[bcgenuis]

Starters
C - Howard
PF - Bass
SF - Green
SG - Pierce
PG - Rondo

Bench
C- Stiemsma
PF - Garnett
SF - Pietrus
SG - Allen
PG - Bradley
F - JJ Johnson
G - Moore

Final Mintues Lineup
Howard, KG, Pierce, Allen, Rondo

Make it happen!!!

[SHAQATTACK]

Oh sure... and pink elephants might fly out my rear.

Maybe if CA drops off into the sea.

His uniform of gold and purple is pressed and waiting in his private locker at Staples Center

[anthony83]

 We are serious, Howard will not sign for Boston.

 He hates the Celtics.

[ScoobyDoo]

TP bcgenius -

Or even with KG and Ray starting, but just playing much more limited minutes...

Howard / Vet min / Stiemsma
KG / Bass / JJJ
Pierce / Green
Ray / Pietrus
Rondo / Bradley

Moore, marquis, Sasha, etc...

Nobody beats that team. KG will still be an elite defender and can focus so much more solely on that role and he will still be a great jump shooter.

Ray could have a career year because of all the open looks.

Pierce is Pierce - he's nowhere near being done.

That team is a bunch of bullies.

Play KG and Ray in 6-7 minute spurts every quarter, keep them at 25-28 minutes a night. They'd love it and have a field day with it, letting the younger guys do the heavy lifting.  

[Celtics18]

He's just being polite and blowing smoke for the Boston writers.  He has no interest in joining this team.  He probably figures he can't do much with a 35 year old Pierce and a top 10 PG (Rondo).  He's probably right.  The team would need a lot more to be a contender.

Wow! One of the main arguments for the notion that Dwight Howard or other superstars aren't landing in Boston is that they have all expressed no interest in being Celtics.  It's been written so many times that people actually believe that Dwight Howard has said that he doesn't want to be a Celtic.

Now he says that he would consider Boston, and you say that he's just making it up, and he would never want to play here.  This is all based on your intense pessimism about this team, one that I can understand Dwight Howard not sharing.

  Welcome to celticsblog.

Dudes... If Dwight had any serious interest in playing for this team, we'd be one of the handful of teams on his public list of squads he'd accept a trade to. Call it pessimism.  He clearly was blowing smoke for the Boston writer, showing respect for the franchise and keeping his options open.   He wants to be a laker

LOL At you  speaking like fact and you personally know exactly what he wants to do

No I'm basing this off a report last week:  "Magic general manager Otis Smith said Dwight Howard's camp has not informed him that the superstar center has expanded his list of preferred destinations beyond the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Jersey Nets.

Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/218386/Magic_GM_Otis_Smith_Confirms_Howard_Has_Not_Expanded_Trade_List#ixzz1kbIpk6HV
"

If he had interest in BOston, why wouldn't they be on the list?

Well, will you look at that conclusive evidence.  There it is!  Case closed.  

[cman88]

Where is the evidence that D.howard hates boston come from?? seems like something people have just said on celticsblog so many times its become some sort of "truth" with no basis.

fact is, this summer if DH reaches free agency theres only a certain amount of teams that have the cap space to sign him and put together a winning roster...Boston is one of those teams...hearing D.howard say he would consider boston as an option and saying those good things about the organization is definitely a PLUS.

I would try and pursue Eric Gordon this summer...sell DH that a lineup of Rondo/Gordon/Pierce/Howard is a contender

[rondohondo]

Where is the evidence that D.howard hates boston come from?? seems like something people have just said on celticsblog so many times its become some sort of "truth" with no basis.

fact is, this summer if DH reaches free agency theres only a certain amount of teams that have the cap space to sign him and put together a winning roster...Boston is one of those teams...hearing D.howard say he would consider boston as an option and saying those good things about the organization is definitely a PLUS.

I would try and pursue Eric Gordon this summer...sell DH that a lineup of Rondo/Gordon/Pierce/Howard is a contender

They can't sign 2 max free agents unless they amnesty PP .

[csfansince60s]

I bet dwight listens when mormons knock on his door too, but I doubt he'll be moving to Utah anytime soon either.

Hope he listens when our Mormon knocks on his door!