If This Is the Jeff Green We're Getting...

[LilRip]

stop wit beggin Josh Smith to come here man he's a terrible shooter yet continues to shoot nd is one of da worst decision makers  in da open court for every great play wit him you'll get 2 idiotic decisions. Jeff green has been more aggressive then he was his last stint here we're gonna see an improved more confident player let Green cook

I understand you are 'patriotic' towards Celtics players, and I understand your love for Green becuase I feel great about us having him too.

But, there comes a time where you need to draw the line between being a loyal fan and being a blind fanboy.

Smith had a net off/def rating of +6.1 last season, which was above both Joe Johnson (+5.9) and Jeff Teague (+5.4). 

Josh Smith also had a +/- rating of +271 which led the Hawks and ranked him 24th in the NBA.  Our highest ranked player was KG who was two spots below him at 26th (+266).

He also ranked 12th in the NBA in Efficiency rating (22.1) and 22nd in Efficiency per 48 minutes.  Again KG led Boston in the EP48, ranking 15th overall.  Our next highest ranked player was Pierce at 62nd overall.

You can say what you want about Josh Smith's decision making, but he obviously does contributes more than enough in other aspects of his game to make up for it...and on a team as stacked as Boston his decision making would be less obvious because he'd be playing alongside an elite playmaker in Rondo, and wouldn't be forced to shoulder the offensive load like he did in ATL.   

Does all of this mean I'm begging for Josh Smith to come here?  At the beggining of this off-season hell yes..right now not so much. I would absolutely LOVE to have J-Smooth in Boston, but right now I feel like he would cost too much in terms of trade value to get him.

- Green is desperately needed to fill the backup SF role
- Bradley is desperately needed or his defensive impact
- Terry is critical for his clutch and bench scoring
- Lee is critical for his ability to defend bigger guards

That means the only two guys we could trade away (without losing too much) would be Bass, Sullinger and Melo...but I doubt Atlanta would give him up for those three guys alone, and I doubt the contracts would match anyway.

I'm pretty sure that financially we'd need to send either Lee, Terry or Green out, and I don't want to lose either one of those guys...so right now I'm content with keeping what we have.  I'd rather work out a sign-and-trade deal once Smith becomes a free agent.

TP. as good as Green is playing now and as likeable as he is, i would trade him and Bass and a pick for Josh Smith in a heartbeat. If the team wants to run and match up well against the Heat, getting Josh Smith is an ace move.

[blink]

Does anyone else other than me want to see this team in real game action before we even think about trading anyone?  Especially any of our young upcoming players.  Lets see how things go this season before we start calling for a big trade.  I think we are going to be better than most people expect.

Plus I was always of the opinion that big mid season trades really can derail a good team's chemistry.

Also, does anyone else see a time when PP might eventually have to move to the bench depending on JG's development?  Say he has a great year this year, putting up better numbers than the captain.  We know how the RA transition to the bench turned out.  I hope that even if PP ends up coming off the bench in the next couple years he stays with the C's.

[bfrombleacher]

Does anyone else other than me want to see this team in real game action before we even think about trading anyone?  Especially any of our young upcoming players.  Lets see how things go this season before we start calling for a big trade.  I think we are going to be better than most people expect.

Plus I was always of the opinion that big mid season trades really can derail a good team's chemistry.

Also, does anyone else see a time when PP might eventually have to move to the bench depending on JG's development?  Say he has a great year this year, putting up better numbers than the captain.  We know how the RA transition to the bench turned out.  I hope that even if PP ends up coming off the bench in the next couple years he stays with the C's.

It's just you and me probably.

I remember when everyone wanted to "blow it up". Man...

[GreenFaith1819]

I'm loving what I'm seeing from James Worthy - I mean - Jeff Green, too.

As Redz stated - he does seem to have a fire in his eyes this season, which is going to be good for BOS.

As for those who may want to trade him for Josh Smith or some other package? As much as I'm a Josh Smith fan, I'd rather wait a bit before I part with Jeff Green in ANY trade package -

Who would backup Paul (or even KG) in some cases? Can JS play SF?

I'd rather stand pat with what we have here...I'm sure Danny is keeping an eye out for ways to improve the team.

But I'd HATE to part with Jeff Green...I think he's got a future here.

[chambers]

He looks really good out there but he's playing against complete bums.
He's going to be playing against elite 3's and 4's and he still has some work to do.
His footwork is still just atrocious at times. He jumps off the wrong foot and lands awkwardly all the time- as if his brain can't process jumping off the opposite foot sometimes.

I've been very impressed by his shooting and his willingness to go to the hole. His free throw shooting needs to shape up if he's going to attack the basket more too.

I hate Hollinger but I kinda agree that we shouldn't get TOO excited just yet.
I'll be happy with 14ppg and 6 rpg from the big man, sprinkled in with some good defense against elite forwards.
Here's hoping he resembles some of that brilliant player that started at the 3 spot for OKC when Durant was injured. When he did start at the 3 in those 6-7 games he was playing an All Star caliber brand of ball so he's definitely got it in him.
C'mon Jeff!

[Kwhit10]

While the numbers don't necessarily look any better than he has in the past, I think he looks much better in aspects that can't be quantified.  He seems much more active out there.  I like how he's been driving to the hoop and playing more down low.  He also brings something to this team we've been missing the past few years--the ability to get out and run with Rondo.  These things may not show up in the stat line, but it definitely makes the team better.

Hollinger and fans of the rest of the league can keep talking about how a waste it was to sign Green, but I'm glad he is here. I think at the moment I'd rather have the combination of Bradley, Green, Lee than Smith.

[SHAQATTACK]

Green is in a no win situation to stay on the Celtics.

 If he under achieves , he gets dumped becasue of his salary.

Then on the other hand if Green lives up to his salary or better , his value is higher ,making him a more likey canidate for a Josh Smith trade.

I could live with Bass & Green for Smith. Smith playing along side KG and PP would be totally awesome.  WIth Sully and KJ as the backups.

 But to trade Sully and AB would tear my heart out. They are too unique and potiental seems very high.

[pearljammer10]

To have the potential starting lineup in the future of rondo Bradley green and sully with a true center and lee as a 6th man while they learn from pierce and kg as they're youngsters is definitely something to be excited about

[Celts Fan 92]

only on Celtics Blog where a player plays quality ball nd is used as a trade chip before da season starts. If he plays bad da Perk trade was "one of da worst in celtics history" Jeff Green cant win get outta here wit those stats dat nobody discusses offline (still dont kno wat PER is) he looks more aggressive nd I like wat im seeing movin forward to da regular season

[bfrombleacher]

Green is in a no win situation to stay on the Celtics.

 If he under achieves , he gets dumped becasue of his salary.

Then on the other hand if Green lives up to his salary or better , his value is higher ,making him a more likey canidate for a Josh Smith trade.

Only if celticsblog users are the GM. Maybe he'd stick if he lives up to his salary.

[thirstyboots18]

He just wants to shut Hollinger up as soon as possible

If that is his goal, he is going about it in exactly the right way!!!!

[Goldstar88]

what's with the fanboying with josh smith? no way josh smith near the potential that jeff green brings us..

He's a freak athlete with career averages of 15.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, 2.2 BPG.

He averaged 16.8 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 4.8 APG in the playoffs last season, so he ups his game ever further on the big stage.

He can play either SF or PF and even C at a squeeze

He barely missed being an All-Star last season (pretty much certain he will be this season)

He's a skilled scorer, an excellent rebounder, an elite passing bigman - this skillset makes him a triple double threat on any night

He's an elite defensive player with the legitimate potential to be a future DPOTY

He's 27 years old and only JUST beginning to tap into his potential, which makes all of the above even more impressive.

I love the things Smith brings to the table, and he would instantly propel this team to elite status.

All of that said, it would still be really hard for me to see guys like Sullinger, Green and Lee go after how well they have played for us so far in the preseason.

All three of those guys have been incredible for us, they are all great locker room guys, and they all seem so happy to be here...I'm starting to get attached to this group!

Still, just imagine that starting lineup...

Rajon Rondo
Avery Bradley
Paul Pierce
Josh Smith
Kevin Garnett

Can you imagine Miami trying to score against that team, with:

* Rondo defending the perimeter
* Bradley harrassing Wade
* Pierce harassing Lebron
* Smith protecting the paint
* KG harassing Bosh

Bradley and Pierce defend Wade and Lebron as well as anybody in the league, and Bosh always has a hard time against KG. Rondo's out there cheating and getting in the passing lanes, and then even if Wade/Lebron DO get past their defender, you have an elite shot-block in Josh Smith rotating over to help.

There is no lineup in the league that would give Miami headaches like that one.

We are talking about Josh Smith here, not Magic Johnson.So hes been in the league 8 going on 9 years and hes just beginning to tap into his potential.... Pretty sure hes reached it at this point. Hes not a triple double threat on any night either, or he wouldn't have a career average of 3.1 assists per game with 2.5 Turnovers. His offense is a liability. Jump shot is terrible, FT shooting is 67% career, shot selection has not improved in 8 years. He may be a better individual defender than Green but the Celtics stress team defense not individual. Jeff Green is a more intelligent person and will make better decisions at the end of games. If Smith is as great as you say, why didn't he get an extension from Atlanta? Why were they trying to unload him last year? Case closed...

[billysan]

To have the potential starting lineup in the future of rondo Bradley green and sully with a true center and lee as a 6th man while they learn from pierce and kg as they're youngsters is definitely something to be excited about

This for me. I also think I would like to give this team a chance to play together for at least the first half of the regular season. All these players who are being designated as trade bait may be very necessary as depth.

If we do trade Bass/Green and parts for Smith (hypothetical) and he gets hurt? Who do we use as his backup? Green and Bass are gone so that leaves only Sully who may be backing up KG.

Rather have Bass and Green for the depth if they continue to play as well as they are now. Green is proving he can play two positions and Bass is also versatile. I would be much more comfortable using Jeff Green as Pierce's temp replacement for ten games that I would Joseph or starting Sullinger and moving Smith to the three. It just leaves us with a really weak bench IMHO.

[Clench123]

I love Green so far but please let's wait and see what he brings against elite players in games that actually counts. 

I would still take Josh Smith in a heartbeat.  It would be nice to have another superstar on the team because let's be real, superstars wins championships

[BudweiserCeltic]

I love Green so far but please let's wait and see what he brings against elite players in games that actually counts. 

I would still take Josh Smith in a heartbeat.  It would be nice to have another superstar on the team because let's be real, superstars wins championships

I guess he hasn't played against players like Gerald Wallace, Carmelo Anthony, and Thaddeus Young. These are good NBA players.

That said, Jeff Green is coming off the bench, so we'll have to see how much he plays against the elite throughout the season... and there's only so much "eliteness" to go about.

But yeah, when it actually counts is the most important part.