Lets look for a PF/C

[OHCeltic]

Why are we looking for a center we should be looking for a PF/C.
That way KG and the new guy can switch when playing together and give each other rest minutes.

[lightspeed5]

wilcox

[BRC-14]

I still think we need a center though..

[hpantazo]

Ersan Ilyasova. He's the perfect fit for our team imo. Young, can play PF or C, can hit the three to stretch the floor, rebounds well, and is a solid defender.

[Kane3387]

Below is a breakdown of how Ainge might go about the off-season.

The first thing that we have to remember is that while Ainge has freed up some cap space, this is not like, for example, the 2010 Miami Heat, who had virtually no committed salary that summer. Boston has Pierce ($16.8 million) and Rondo ($11 million) on the books for next season, so the Celtics wouldn't be starting from scratch. Basically, Ainge is starting with the same foundation he had in the summer of 2007, just five years older.

Ainge has two players operating on first-round rookie contracts, Bradley and Johnson, who are locks to return. Moore and Stiemsma are on nonguaranteed deals, but they provide quite a bit of production (or potential production) for very little remuneration, so pencil them in as well. Then you've got the two first-rounders and a second-rounder, the No. 51 pick of the draft. The second-rounder could be traded or used to speculate on an overseas talent. Leaving that out, we're already accounting for eight roster spots.

The wild card in Ainge's plans is Bass, who is coming off a solid season. Statistically, he's had better seasons, but the Celtics took off when he moved into the starting lineup and Garnett began playing center. Bass has a player option for $4 million that will also likely include an extra $250,000 in easily reached contract bonuses. What is Bass worth on the open market? At $4.25 million, he's a solid value. In terms of perceived value around the league, it seems likely he could get more. From Bass' standpoint, there is little financial downside in becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Leaving Bass out, then, we've got this eight-man roster, which includes Chad Ford's latest draft projections

CENTER: Greg Stiemsma, Fab Melo
GUARDS: Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, E'Twaun Moore
FORWARDS: Paul Pierce, JaJuan Johnson, Royce White

This octet plus five minimum-salary roster holds would cost about $38.6 million, leaving Ainge with around $22 million in cap space given a 2012-13 salary cap of $60.5 million. (We won't know the exact figure until July 1.)

The first thing this group screams for is a starting center. Who is on the free-agent market? You've got Roy Hibbert, JaVale McGee and Brook Lopez hitting the market as restricted free agents. Chris Kaman and Spencer Hawes top the unrestricted market. To get one of the restricted guys, you're going to have to offer a poor-value deal. McGee is too undependable for that, while Lopez and Hibbert are probably going to be retained by the Nets and Pacers, respectively, who also have plenty of flexibility. Hawes is an intriguing possibility and will have a lot of suitors this summer, including his current team, the Sixers.

However, the best option might be simply to bring back Garnett. It worked awfully well this season, and playing center could prove to be the key to KG's lasting another 2-3 years. He's well-known as a loyal player, and coach Doc Rivers would love to have him back, of course. While Garnett is not going to get max dollars, you still have to think that eight figures per season is likely.

If Allen got two years, $20 million from Ainge in 2010, Garnett could probably get something like two years, $30 million plus a player option on the open market if every team had cap space to spend. Garnett might have 17 years of NBA mileage behind him and may not be the player he once was, but the late-career plateau he's established over the past three years still mark him as a very valuable player.

However, every team doesn't have cash to spend. It's inconceivable that Garnett would go to a noncontender, so the list of teams that might want to pursue him would be the likes of the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat -- teams that aren't going to be able to offer more than the midlevel exemption. If Garnett wants to max out on dollars, he would have to go to somewhere where he'd rather not play. Chances are, he'd rather retire. No, the Celtics still make the most sense for Garnett, and vice versa, especially since Ainge can draft a young center like Fab Melo to groom. If Garnett is willing to sign a two-year, $25 million deal plus a player option, Ainge would still have about $10 million to spend.

Most of that money could be used to retain Bass because of his fit alongside Rondo and Garnett. The ideal scenario for Boston would be for Bass to exercise his player option, but if he doesn't, it would likely cost the Celtics somewhere around $6-7 million next season to keep him around.

After that, you have scraps left for the shooter our projected roster screams for. And guess who's the best fit there? Allen, of course. Allen probably wouldn't be able to land more than a full midlevel exception on the open market, not with a title contender anyway, so Ainge might have to spend only another $5-6 million. When you consider the possible free-agent options -- O.J. Mayo, Nick Young, Jamal Crawford, J.R. Smith -- it's tough to see a better fit at that salary level than Allen, especially now that he's shown the ability to come off the bench. However, Ainge will surely hope to spread his resources around to retain Green, so Allen could prove to be the most expendable of the Big Three.

In the end, we may be looking at basically the same roster for the Celtics, with two rookies, a different cast of minimum-salaried veterans to fill out the depth chart, and some wannabe version of Allen, if not Allen himself. If Ainge is forced to hit the free-agent market to build his team for next season, he's going to find that this route makes the most sense. It's not ideal by any stretch, because the gap between Miami and Boston is only going to keep growing. You're basically hoping for a repeat of this year's injury epidemic in order to escape the East in the next two seasons.

Ainge could elect to shake things up via the trade route. Pierce could be dealt , for example, to his hometown Lakers for Pau Gasol. Rondo has been the subject of many trade rumors over the years and has a lot of value in a league short of pure playmakers. Garnett could be included in a sign-and-trade. But is Ainge going to be able to construct a new core that can compete with Miami over the next two seasons, given what's going to be available? It's asking a lot. If Ainge can't find suitable trade partners and doesn't want to do a complete tear-down, then treading water via the status quo is really the only option he has left.

Two years isn't such a long time, though, and Ainge's fan base would be pacified with more of the Big Three plus Rondo, especially if it seems that a promising group of young players is developing behind them. By the summer of 2014, the landscape in the Eastern Conference could dramatically change, and Ainge would still be in position to strike, while Pierce, Garnett and Allen ride off together into the sunset. That's the thing about flexibility -- it gives you the option not to act.

[CelticG1]

^^^ yup as much as people and even Ainge may want to move on from some of the older guys, it just makes too much sense to ride with those guys again

[freshinthehouse]

I would much rather pick up Omar Asik then overpay for any of the big name centers out there.

[rondohondo]

there will be quite a few big name free agent big men in the next few years

d12
Josh Smith
Hibbert
Ibaka
Al Jefferson
Chris Kaman
Paul Millsap
Kris Humpheries

If the c's resign KG for 8 a year then you add players on one year contracts for next year and try to take a run at the title, but still have enough cap room coming off in 2013 to sign one of the better big men(D12,Hibbert,Ibaka,Jefferson)

If Bass doesn't opt out, c's will have 24 mil in cap room,so for 2012 ...

-So sign KG to a 3 yr/24 mil deal
-sign Jeff Green for 1 year 5 mil
-Sign Kaman or Humpheries for a 1 yr 8 mil deal
-resign ray for 1 yr/ 3 mil

2012 Roster

PG: Rondo             / Vet Min
SG: Bradley           / Ray
SF: PP                / Green
PF: Humpheries or KG  / Bass
 C: KG or Kaman       / Draft pick


This way you strengthen the team from this year that are already contenders and add Green and Humpheries or Kaman to that would make them very strong contenders again next year .

Then like I said in 2013 you can go after d12,Josh Smith, Big Al or Ibaka and try to land one of them with all the cap room we will still have in 2013.

The key to all of this though is to only add players on one year deals. ( Green might be able to get a mulit year deal because with bass coming off the books in 2013 that would give the c's even more cap room)

[pearljammer10]

Hibbert and Smith are the two on my wish list. Even though Hibbert is a straight center and Smith is a 3/4.

[ManUp]

Hibbert and Smith are the two on my wish list. Even though Hibbert is a straight center and Smith is a 3/4.

Both players would be a nice fit with Rondo, but they would cost too much.

[birdwatcher]

How about Lamar Odom?

[CFAN38]

I also like the versatility of picking up a 4/5. I have posted numerous times that I would like to see the Cs try to package 21+22+JJJ to move up if either Sullinger or T Zeller (I view him as a Lamarcus Aldridge like 5/4, not as good but similar) fall outside of the top 12.

Bringing in a young 4/5 gives future roster flexibility that a true big man doesn't, and true in the middle centers are very rare in today's NBA.

[pearljammer10]

Hibbert and Smith are the two on my wish list. Even though Hibbert is a straight center and Smith is a 3/4.

Both players would be a nice fit with Rondo, but they would cost too much.

Agree completely and that is very unfortunate. Id love to see what Hibbert could learn playing alongside Garnett for a year or two.

[Evantime34]

Going off the quoted article by Kane here is what I think happens.
1. KG resigns on a one year $10 MM deal, although he could get more, nothing is more important to KG than winning and taking less money would allow the team to bring in better players.
2. Let me be the first to go on the record and say Bass will re up. He hasn't exactly killed it in the playoffs this year, showing that he doesn't do a ton when he isn't hitting his jumper.
3. With about $7 MM left I think we try to lure a veteran on a one year deal to try and win a title  (or two veterans splitting the money). Here are some guys I think we will target.
    a. Chris Kaman
    b. Jason Kidd
    c. Jason Terry
    d. OJ Mayo (assuming MEM doesn't offer QO)
    e. Lou Williams
    f. Ray Allen
    g. CJ Miles
    h. Grant Hill
    i. Mike Beasley (assuming MN doesn't offer QO)
    j. Kris Humphries
    k. JJ Hickson
    
4. Use "room exception" (like MLE for teams that start offseason under cap then go over at $2.5 M) to sign Jeff Green to a one year deal

5. Fill out Roster with three of Hollins, Sasha, Dooling, Sean Williams, Quis or other good veteran free agents.

Then again if we win the title I expect KG, Pierce, and Ray to retire, with Bass going elsewhere.

[pearljammer10]

How about Lamar Odom?

After his season last year he could fall to us cheap... I would absolutely love to have Odom here off the bench in a 20 to 25 minutes a game role. He could be a perfect compliment to our end of game "small ball" line up and give us extra length.