We are YOUNG

[BballTim]

You can't have pensioners as two of your starters and fairly call your team young.

  We were perfectly fine with Paul and KG in the starting lineup with three young players. That third older player just made us too unathletic.

[mctyson]

Totally agreed. People are falling all over themselves annointing a questionable shooter star status.

Bradley's career path is encouraging, but he is in no way at "building block" status at this point.

See the splits I posted.  Bradley shot 50% from the floor, 46% from 3, and 80% from the FT line in the 28 games he started.  Saying he is a questionable shooter is simply, factually, wrong.

[wdleehi]

Totally agreed. People are falling all over themselves annointing a questionable shooter star status.

Bradley's career path is encouraging, but he is in no way at "building block" status at this point.

See the splits I posted.  Bradley shot 50% from the floor, 46% from 3, and 80% from the FT line in the 28 games he started.  Saying he is a questionable shooter is simply, factually, wrong.

28 games in not enough to say "this is who he will be for his career"

[BballTim]

There are young players, but only one young building block.  


The other role players.  Some are coming off worry some injuries.

How is Avery Bradley not a building block?  And do we even know what JJJ or our draft picks will be in 1-2 years?

Less then a full season of being a strong role player and already he is a building block?  



He is a starting role player.  He is not a star.  Celtics need at least one young star and one young fringe star to go with Rondo.  Bradley fit in there as a starter (maybe), but he is not the guy you use as the foundation.  

Totally agreed. People are falling all over themselves annointing a questionable shooter star status.

Bradley's career path is encouraging, but he is in no way at "building block" status at this point.

  Whether he can continue to play like he did for the last month or so of the season is questionable, but if he can I'd call him a building block. A 21 year old that plays defense like Bradley and gives you 15 or so points a game is quite a prospect. He could be a flash in the pan, but there's a decent chance he'll turn into a pretty good player.

[BballTim]

Totally agreed. People are falling all over themselves annointing a questionable shooter star status.

Bradley's career path is encouraging, but he is in no way at "building block" status at this point.

See the splits I posted.  Bradley shot 50% from the floor, 46% from 3, and 80% from the FT line in the 28 games he started.  Saying he is a questionable shooter is simply, factually, wrong.

28 games in not enough to say "this is who he will be for his career"

  But it's too many games in a young player's first year as a rotation player to dismiss the likelihood that he will. He's no lock, but I wouldn't bet the farm on his reverting back either.

[ThaPreacher]

McTyson-pretty good post.

Celtics are young.
Celtics are old.

It depends on how you look at it.

However, we were a couple of minutes out of the finals.

Celtics likely will attempt to keep KG, Bass,Green Wilcox and Ray.
They will attempt to move up in the draft for a couple of players Danny covets.
They will examine options on the free agent market.

How would these Celtics have fared with Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox and Avery Bradley?

Wouldn't be surprised to see Etwann and or JJ dealt in an attempt to move up.

Steisma is a back-up Center.  Who cares if he's a 2 or 3.  

Avery Bradley is a defensive monster.  Don't kid yourself. 

Havelicek was a role player.  It varied throughout his career.


OKC in 7

[vinnie]

(edit)   Moore and Steisma are lucky to be in the league and I'm not sure they will in a year or two.

Also, Bass is opting out so cross him off your list.

Barring injury, I think Stiemer has a good 10yr career as a backup center in the NBA.

10 years? He is already 26 or 27. From what I saw, he has one skill -- blocking shots. He cannot defend the pick and roll or defend anyone 1-on-1. He can hit a flat footed jump shot if no on is in the same county defending him. I think he is a career third stringer at best.

[wdleehi]

Totally agreed. People are falling all over themselves annointing a questionable shooter star status.

Bradley's career path is encouraging, but he is in no way at "building block" status at this point.

See the splits I posted.  Bradley shot 50% from the floor, 46% from 3, and 80% from the FT line in the 28 games he started.  Saying he is a questionable shooter is simply, factually, wrong.

28 games in not enough to say "this is who he will be for his career"

  But it's too many games in a young player's first year as a rotation player to dismiss the likelihood that he will. He's no lock, but I wouldn't bet the farm on his reverting back either.

The Celtics can't go into the offseason looking at players outside of Rondo as building blocks.  There could be outside chances one of them may be a fringe star, but just as good of a chance that they will be out of the league in 3 years.

With Bradley, I don't think the 2nd option will likely happen.  

[mctyson]

Totally agreed. People are falling all over themselves annointing a questionable shooter star status.

Bradley's career path is encouraging, but he is in no way at "building block" status at this point.

See the splits I posted.  Bradley shot 50% from the floor, 46% from 3, and 80% from the FT line in the 28 games he started.  Saying he is a questionable shooter is simply, factually, wrong.

28 games in not enough to say "this is who he will be for his career"

  But it's too many games in a young player's first year as a rotation player to dismiss the likelihood that he will. He's no lock, but I wouldn't bet the farm on his reverting back either.

This is correct.  We can only go off of what he has showed us so far.  I say so far, so good, and the numbers back that up.  He shot 46% from 3! That's like Steve Novak. 

To put it another way, let's say he started 28 games and had shooting splits of 35%/35%/70%.  If I came out and said that he is a good shooter, and that you can't judge him based on only 28 games, I am sure there would be plenty of people here that said those 28 games proved to them AB was a poor offensive player.

[clover]

Bass will likely opt out and cash in on his playoff performance.

  Probably belongs in a different thread, but am I the only one who doesn't think the playoffs did a ton to raise Bass's stock?

I think so.  Above 4 mill a year?

He has the same flaws we all knew.  But he certainly deserves more than 4 mill.

The thing is though that I don't think anyone is fooled (including Bass himself) into thinking Rondo isn't a big part of his success.  Which is why I can see him opting in.

I think a multiyear contract is what makes the most sense for Bass, which is why I'm hopeful he'll be moving on.

[Evantime34]

We have young players at every position, this is great if enough develop, useless if they don't.

IMO the plan should be bring back KG, Ray, Bass, Wilcox and Green. Sign a veteran big like Kaman. Draft at least one big. That way we will not be depending on young players at any position but if they prove themselves they can pass some of the rotation vets. In the best case scenario one/two of Moore, Johnson, and the two first rounders are able to become rotation players by the end of the year.
Since we will have signed almost everyone to one year deals after next season ideally we would be in the position to go after some marquee free agents (Dwight Howard, Serge Ibaka, James Harden, Josh Smith), have Avery and two of the group listed above become contributors and move onto the future with that group.

[CFAN38]

In terms of the talents/roles of our young players this is what I see.

using a 1-10 scale with 10 bring MVP level talent, 8 some time all star, 5 being boarder line starter/6th man, 1 being low ceiling D-League call up.

For next season

Rondo - 9, shows flashes of a 10

AB- 6.5, remember he finished the regular season as a 15pt game player with elite D in his first season of action

J Green - 7 (if back healthy) only 23 was a 15pt 6rb guy, with a passing point and health could become a 18pt 6rb SF

Bass - 5 great jump shooter and finisher. Average defender. Below average rebounder

Stemsma - 4 never will be a legit starter do to limitations as a rebounder, but he is a nice backup center

JJJ - 3 alot of unknowns, I honestly expect a Hakim Warrick like jump in production next season that could make him a

Moore -2 he is a NBA player just I dont think he finds the minutes with the Cs.

Looking at the vets   

KG - 8 reg season, was a 9 in playoffs

PP - 8 injures hampered him

Ray - 7 reg season, 5 playoffs  injures

Dooling -3 solid vet on bench

Pietrus -4.5

Cs top 6 2013?

RR    - 9
AB    - 6.5
PP    - 8
BB    - 5
KG    - 8
JG    - 7
TOTAL - 43.5

Looking at other teams
Miami

Chalmers - 5
Wade     - 9
Lebron   - 10
Bosh     - 8.5
Haslem   - 6
Battier  - 5
TOTAL    - 43.5`

OKC

Perk      -5
Ibaka     -7
Duranat   -10
Thabo     -5
Westbrook -9
Harden    -8.5
Total     -44.5

[Brendan]

Looking at ages of players on teams, hardly tells you how old the team is.

Project out the average age per minute played to get a better feel.

If you expect KG & Bass to play 30, Ray & Pierce to play 32, and Rondo to play 40, then your starting lineup is averaging 30.9 per minute. An in basketball terms, that's old.

Even if  everyone had been healthy - AB (third guard - 24 MPG), Jeff Green (sf/pf - 24 MPG), some combination of steisma, JO, and Wilcox getting rest of big minutes, the average minute player would still be ~29.5.

You get different answers, and I'm sure there are problems with methodology, but basically players peak in their mid to late 20s. See this for example.
 
Now - I'd still rather have old elite talents especially tall players, that play well together, and can shoot - but breaking up the big 4 so one of them is on the bench at the start of the game, seems to make a lot of sense.

My thought is that should Pierce, so he can play every minute when Rondo sits. As the two of them are the best creators on offense - and so he doesn't have to take the workload he does defensively - best wing players in the NBA are at SF, not SG, IMO.

[cman88]

People forget that bradley was ranked higher than kohn wall coming out of hs.

His injury/ok year at texas/leaving early allowed him to drop to #19.

I think he ls a 12ppg guy next season

[BballTim]

Totally agreed. People are falling all over themselves annointing a questionable shooter star status.

Bradley's career path is encouraging, but he is in no way at "building block" status at this point.

See the splits I posted.  Bradley shot 50% from the floor, 46% from 3, and 80% from the FT line in the 28 games he started.  Saying he is a questionable shooter is simply, factually, wrong.

28 games in not enough to say "this is who he will be for his career"

  But it's too many games in a young player's first year as a rotation player to dismiss the likelihood that he will. He's no lock, but I wouldn't bet the farm on his reverting back either.

The Celtics can't go into the offseason looking at players outside of Rondo as building blocks.  There could be outside chances one of them may be a fringe star, but just as good of a chance that they will be out of the league in 3 years.

  I don't think that they can pencil him in as a building block yet, but if they're trying to reload around PP/KG/Rondo I think they can pencil him in as the starting sg that *could* turn into a building block.