Next Season

[djbilly33]

No trades, sign Landry and keep everyone from this past season.  Insert our draft pick and we'll be set.

2012-2013

Starters

Rondo
AB
Green
Landry
Draft Pick (Leonard, Melo, Moultrie)

Bench

Moore
Ray
Paul
Bass
KG

Wilcox
JJ
Stiemsma

Run the starters most of the minutes keeping the Big 3 fresh for the playoffs.  Starters will gain chemistry and confidence playing together all season.  Our bench will be unstoppable and deep come playoff time. Thoughts?

[TheRev72]

Let Ray go, but keep the rest of the band together. The lineup at the end of the season with Rondo and Bradley in the backcourt was killing people. Keep Pierce and KG in the starting lineup but limit their minutes to no more than 28 per game by resigning Green and Wilcox to back them up.

No reason this team can't contend again next year with some fresh legs, Jeff Green in the mix, and a little luck on the injury front. The following year, when KG and PP retire, use the cap space for Dwight Howard and Josh Smith to team up with Rondo and for the most fun, fast breaking (worst free-throw shooting) team in the League.

[gpap]

Disagree. If this year's team couldn't win a championship, then why would we bring back the same team next year?

I think we need to start thinking about some new blood in green next year (as much as we love KG, Ray, etc..)

[perks-a-beast]

starters

rajon rondo
avery bradley
pal pierce
lamar odom
kevin gafrnett

bench

jeff green
brandon bass
danny green
chris wilcox
greg stiemsma
jajuan johnson
will barton

[mctyson]

Disagree. If this year's team couldn't win a championship, then why would we bring back the same team next year?

Because this year's team was not the team that fell in Game 7.  We did not have Avery Bradley, Jeff Green, or Chris Wilcox.  All of these players would have received significant minutes in the playoffs, and you could make the case that we would have won with Avery Bradley.

[blink]

If this was before his trade-to-Dallas-meltdown I would have been all on board for this lineup.  I don't think if I am the GM / Coach that I would bring LO in though.  Just can't get past the quitting on his team crap, no matter what team it was. 

starters

rajon rondo
avery bradley
pal pierce
lamar odom
kevin gafrnett

bench

jeff green
brandon bass
danny green
chris wilcox
greg stiemsma
jajuan johnson
will barton

[esel1000]

Disagree. If this year's team couldn't win a championship, then why would we bring back the same team next year?

Because this year's team was not the team that fell in Game 7.  We did not have Avery Bradley, Jeff Green, or Chris Wilcox.  All of these players would have received significant minutes in the playoffs, and you could make the case that we would have won with Avery Bradley.

you could also argue that with all of those guys if the Bulls were fully healthy we wouldnt have made it out of the 2nd round again, and if Bosh was healthy we wouldnt have gone 7 games with the Heat. Look injuries are part of the equation, forget this "if we had these guys" stuff, sure we would better but no one was 100% this year and guys could be injured next year as well.

Look I'm all for keeping Pierce until his contract is up next year and allowing him to retire as a celtic. I'd love kg back on a one year deal if his contract can fit the puzzle. However, neither should be the main focus of the team. They should compliment the newer/younger players and help ease the transition to post big 3. We need to stop hoping that Paul, Ray, and KG can lead us to another title... I'm afraid that's too much to expect at this point, its time to make changes, and a GM like Danny knows this.

[Evantime34]

Bring the band back together, sign Kaman as an fa, draft Harkless and Nicholson. A good deep team with young players to move forward with.


1-Rondo, Dooling, Moore
2-Bradley, Ray,
3- Pierce, Green, Harkless
4- Bass, Wilcox, Nicholson, JJJ
5- KG, Kaman, Stiemsma

[anthony83]

I think Ainge must resign KG and Ray, they still can to play at high level in this league, though his minutes should be less, they can not to play 40 minutes all nights or 35, as this season, the same with Pierce.

 Then, I will resign Bass and no more, Pietrus is a irregular player and Dooling, we haven´t bench, and about Jeff Green and Wilcox I have doubts.

 For me would be interesting to get free agents, but this depend if KG and Ray resigns and the money.

 I would like Kaman, any possibility for Terry?, Elton Brand, Odom, I think there is an interesting list of free agents.

 The priority now is the continuity of KG, he is still a top defender and attack remains an incredible player, this year playing as a center. It is a decision not exclusively Ainge, KG is a decision, frankly I think KG will not play elsewhere if not in Boston.

 Right now everything is uncertain

[mctyson]

Disagree. If this year's team couldn't win a championship, then why would we bring back the same team next year?

Because this year's team was not the team that fell in Game 7.  We did not have Avery Bradley, Jeff Green, or Chris Wilcox.  All of these players would have received significant minutes in the playoffs, and you could make the case that we would have won with Avery Bradley.

you could also argue that with all of those guys if the Bulls were fully healthy we wouldnt have made it out of the 2nd round again, and if Bosh was healthy we wouldnt have gone 7 games with the Heat. Look injuries are part of the equation, forget this "if we had these guys" stuff, sure we would better but no one was 100% this year and guys could be injured next year as well.

When evaluating our current roster, you have to include the fact that Jeff Green missed the whole season and Avery Bradley only started 28 games before missing the rest of the playoffs.

To use your Chicago analogy: the Bulls know exactly what type of team they have with Derrick Rose.  I don't think there are many Bulls fans that are questioning the basic composition of their roster, only lamenting that Rose blew out his knee which killed their chances of going deep in the playoffs.  I bet every Bulls fan believes that if Rose comes back full strength, they are Finals favorites again next year.

With the Celtics it is different.  Our team was at its peak with Avery Bradley at the starting 2, and we did not really get to evaluate this team in the playoffs.  Further, we have no idea what kind of an impact Jeff Green will have on our team.  I'd say those are two big questions we as fans should have about the Celtics, not a "what if" scenarios but more about how good is our current roster and what do we need to add to get better.  I don't think those questions are there for the Bulls, but I could be wrong.

[bbd24]

Celtics resign Kevin Garnett.
Celtics resign Ray Allen.
Brandon Bass opts in on the 1yr 4.5M contract with Celtics.

Celtics resign Keyon Dooling, Mickael Pietrus, Chris Wilcox, Marquis Daniels, Sasha Pavlovic, and Greg Stiemsma.

Celtics trade E'twaun Moore, the #21 & #22 picks of the 2012 NBA draft, to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Paul Millsap & Utah's 2nd round pick in 2012 (#47 overall).

Due to heart condition, Jeff Green is not cleared to play.

Depth chart after camp:

Rondo/Dooling/Allen
Bradley/Allen/Pietrus
Pierce/Pietrus/Daniels/Pavlovic
Millsap/Bass/Johnson
KG/Stiemsma/Wilcox

Open roster spot for 2nd round pick.

With some luck in health, rebounding help in Millsap, Championship banner #18 is sewn & threaded, ready for display in 2013.

**If Jeff Green is cleared, I of course look to sign him which would eliminate one if not two bodies

[Celts Fan 92]

rofl at some of these teams yall constructed i mean honestly Pietrus, dooling, quis, sasha, wilcox, hollins are guys who are wildly inconsistent nd can be replaced. Bass I want back, Steimsma i want back, KG I want back Ray is gone IMO we gotta get some younger more athletic role players hopefully signing em to 1 year deals nd waitin til da free agent class of 2013 which is beta then dis years

[TheRev72]

Since this year's free agency crop sucks, why not just keep the rights to all of our players and play it out again with a similar team as went on a tear at the end of the season? No need to renounce anyone for cap space this year.

Resign KG. Sign Green to a reasonable multi-year contract with some health-related options. Bring back Pietrus, Stiemsma, and Wilcox (especially if Bass walks). Hell, you could even throw more money at Ray than anyone else for one year.

Your "guards" are Rondo, Bradley, and Pierce with Green and Pietrus/Ray off the bench.

Your "bigs" are KG, maybe Bass, Wilcox, Stiemsma, JJJ, and Green in Doc's small-ball lineup.

With Green and Wilcox healthy (hopefully) and injected into the mix with Bradley, that's some good youth and athleticism to go with the old guys and Rondo. Limit Pierce and KG's minutes. Pray for health. Save the cap space for Dwight, etc. next summer.

[BballTim]

Disagree. If this year's team couldn't win a championship, then why would we bring back the same team next year?

Because this year's team was not the team that fell in Game 7.  We did not have Avery Bradley, Jeff Green, or Chris Wilcox.  All of these players would have received significant minutes in the playoffs, and you could make the case that we would have won with Avery Bradley.

you could also argue that with all of those guys if the Bulls were fully healthy we wouldnt have made it out of the 2nd round again, and if Bosh was healthy we wouldnt have gone 7 games with the Heat. Look injuries are part of the equation, forget this "if we had these guys" stuff, sure we would better but no one was 100% this year and guys could be injured next year as well.

  Do you just ignore injuries though? Should we have broken up the team in 2009 because we barely escaped the first round when KG was out?

Look I'm all for keeping Pierce until his contract is up next year and allowing him to retire as a celtic. I'd love kg back on a one year deal if his contract can fit the puzzle. However, neither should be the main focus of the team. They should compliment the newer/younger players and help ease the transition to post big 3. We need to stop hoping that Paul, Ray, and KG can lead us to another title... I'm afraid that's too much to expect at this point, its time to make changes, and a GM like Danny knows this.

  You can't expect them to lead the team to a title but you can expect them to be important pieces on a title team.

[Chief Macho]

Blow it up.