Your future 9-player rotation!

[ianboyextreme]

I think Melo is the wild card. If he can become a rim protecting, elite defensive center, thats a really good team.

[ianboyextreme]

What that is is a team with money left over for 1-2 more elite players.

You are imagining 2014, I think, so ok... let's replace KG and PP with, say, Pau Gasol and Danny Granger. Sure, I like a team of Rondo, Sullinger, Gasol, Granger, and Bradley  to contend.

I would take Marc in a second though.

[sofutomygaha]

What that is is a team with money left over for 1-2 more elite players.

You are imagining 2014, I think, so ok... let's replace KG and PP with, say, Pau Gasol and Danny Granger. Sure, I like a team of Rondo, Sullinger, Gasol, Granger, and Bradley  to contend.

You like a team with a 35 year old Pau Gasol? hmm

you don't?

[ianboyextreme]

What that is is a team with money left over for 1-2 more elite players.

You are imagining 2014, I think, so ok... let's replace KG and PP with, say, Pau Gasol and Danny Granger. Sure, I like a team of Rondo, Sullinger, Gasol, Granger, and Bradley  to contend.

You like a team with a 35 year old Pau Gasol? hmm

you don't?

uhh, hell no? I dont really like a team with a 31 year old pau gasol who scores 10 ppg in the playoffs.

[ManUp]

That team battles for an 8th seed off of the strength of Rondo. Another Star and we battle for a high seed, 2 And we're contenders. I personally think these guys are trade chips like an earlier poster suggested.

[sofutomygaha]

I think Melo is the wild card. If he can become a rim protecting, elite defensive center, thats a really good team.

The calculus changes if any of the guys we have turn into all stars, but I'm imagining a 2014 where:
- Fab Melo is a decent backup center
- Jared Sullinger grows into something between David Lee and Elton Brand
- Jeff Green is a top-notch 6th man, like maybe Taj Gibson
- Avery Bradley grows into Tony Allen on defense and Mo Williams on offense, and
- Rondo keeps doing what he's doing.
- Bass keeps doing what he's doing.
- Courtney Lee settles down and improves his shot selection

That's not a crazy pie-in-the-sky future where everyone is an all-star, but it's a future where everyone fulfills a big piece of their potential and grows into a formidable group together. Add an all-star scorer or a very good defensive center through free agency and you've really got something there.

[sofutomygaha]

What that is is a team with money left over for 1-2 more elite players.

You are imagining 2014, I think, so ok... let's replace KG and PP with, say, Pau Gasol and Danny Granger. Sure, I like a team of Rondo, Sullinger, Gasol, Granger, and Bradley  to contend.

You like a team with a 35 year old Pau Gasol? hmm

you don't?

uhh, hell no? I dont really like a team with a 31 year old pau gasol who scores 10 ppg in the playoffs.

Everyone has bad stretches. Pau is one of the best and most durable bigs in the league. He plays smart, rebounds well, shoots beautifully, and comports himself with exemplary class and dignity. There are better talents, to be sure, but when Pau Gasol is 35 years old he will still be getting all-star votes and he will still be extremely valuable.

[sofutomygaha]

<deleted- accidental repost>

[sofutomygaha]

but please... stop making me say nice things about Lakers. Let's talk about something else...

[ianboyextreme]

What that is is a team with money left over for 1-2 more elite players.

You are imagining 2014, I think, so ok... let's replace KG and PP with, say, Pau Gasol and Danny Granger. Sure, I like a team of Rondo, Sullinger, Gasol, Granger, and Bradley  to contend.

You like a team with a 35 year old Pau Gasol? hmm

you don't?

uhh, hell no? I dont really like a team with a 31 year old pau gasol who scores 10 ppg in the playoffs.

Everyone has bad stretches. Pau is one of the best and most durable bigs in the league. He plays smart, rebounds well, shoots beautifully, and comports himself with exemplary class and dignity. There are better talents, to be sure, but when Pau Gasol is 35 years old he will still be getting all-star votes and he will still be extremely valuable.

That stuff may be true and I dont have anything against Pau personally, but when the lights get bright, he folds. I would take Marc in a second though because im a big fan of his game and he doesnt fold in the playoffs.

[CFAN38]

I have always liked looking at teams based on grading the players. 10 being super star level,8 allstar, 5 being rotation player level, 4 and under impair their teams ability on that side of the ball

This years top 9
player O grade D grade

Rondo  9       8
AB     6       9
Pierce 8       8
Bass   7       5
KG     8       8
Terry  8       6
Green  7       6
Lee    6       6
Sully  6       5
      65      61

Team of Future

Rondo  9       8
AB     7       9 AB +1 o
Green  8       7 green +1 o and d
Bass   7       5
Sully  8       6 sully +2 O +1 d
Lee    6       6
Darko  4       6
Melo   3       5
Joseph 3       3
      55      55
     
This team of the future would be a perennial 1st round tough out in the playoffs. They would need to add a legit anchor at the 4/5 spot to go any further then that. I believe rondo will be a capable leader. Green and sully will make for above average 2nd and 3rd scoring options. For AB I expect him to progress as an offensive player. Bass and Lee would form a solid 6th and 7th man off the bench. Center will be the biggest hole.

[sofutomygaha]

What that is is a team with money left over for 1-2 more elite players.

You are imagining 2014, I think, so ok... let's replace KG and PP with, say, Pau Gasol and Danny Granger. Sure, I like a team of Rondo, Sullinger, Gasol, Granger, and Bradley  to contend.

You like a team with a 35 year old Pau Gasol? hmm

you don't?

uhh, hell no? I dont really like a team with a 31 year old pau gasol who scores 10 ppg in the playoffs.

Everyone has bad stretches. Pau is one of the best and most durable bigs in the league. He plays smart, rebounds well, shoots beautifully, and comports himself with exemplary class and dignity. There are better talents, to be sure, but when Pau Gasol is 35 years old he will still be getting all-star votes and he will still be extremely valuable.

That stuff may be true and I dont have anything against Pau personally, but when the lights get bright, he folds. I would take Marc in a second though because im a big fan of his game and he doesnt fold in the playoffs.

No arguments on Marc, but I think you have a short memory. Pau was pretty awesome in the playoffs in 2009 and 2010, and merely very good in 2011 and 2012 when the Lakers started running more offense through Bynum instead of Gasol.

Anyone else notice that the Lakers won championships in '09 and '10 when they used Gasol heavily, but fell short in '11 and '12 when they cut Gasol's usage and relied on Bynum heavily?

[sofutomygaha]

player O grade D grade

Rondo  9       8
AB     6       9
Pierce 8       8
Bass   7       5
KG     8       8

Too conservative! You've GOT to still be giving KG a 10 on defense!

[gar]

Add Josh Smith and you have a winner.

Rondo, Lee, Green, Smith & Darko is a line up that can go places. Joseph is a solid backup.

Of course the question is who do you give up to get Smith. Bass and Sulinger are both solid layers but not sure how they fit with the future lineup. Fab also is not someone I would bank on. Obviously if you prefer Bradley to Lee that is fine; but not sure you can keep both. Maybe we can get Moore back as a Combo backup guard.

[arambone]

Have no fear guys, Boston has become a top, if not the top, free agent destination.

Ask Darko, ask Barbosa. Ask Terry. Ask Green. Ask Bass. Even KG.

With Doc on board and the losing era pretty much completely forgotten by the nba players, I'm not worried about the Celtics being able to recruit decent replacements for KG and a backup for Green.

These are the good times, as long as Danny doesn't try to go into total rebuild mode. Celtics should just keep riding the momentum and remain championship level for the foreseeable future.