Time to Blow It Up

[bucknersrevenge]

Pierce has a team buyout option of 5 million to be excercised by July 1. KG has two more years at 11 million per with a no trade clause. If Doc Rivers gets fired and I think he should be after we lose to the Bricks Sunday, then KG will want out.

I think this is the time to make radical changes to the team and it starts with the HC.

There is zero chance of Dox getting fired because of this season. ZERO. Less than zero to be honest.

[SparzWizard]

Pierce has a team buyout option of 5 million to be excercised by July 1. KG has two more years at 11 million per with a no trade clause. If Doc Rivers gets fired and I think he should be after we lose to the Bricks Sunday, then KG will want out.

I think this is the time to make radical changes to the team and it starts with the HC.

There is zero chance of Dox getting fired because of this season. ZERO. Less than zero to be honest.

As long as Ainge is here, Doc ain't getting fired. And last I heard, Wyc likes both Ainge and Doc. What a lose/lose situation for Celtic fans. 

[MVPPierceNoJoke]

What happens if both Pierce and KG call it quits? I am almost 100% that it still counts towards the cap correct? If so that stinks. Then we are really in no mans land. As fans I think we would all hate to see KG and Pierce traded but might be the only way. As someone else said we are in no mans land right now. Not really and good draft picks, and no cap space. Idk I think this off-season makes or brakes Danny. He has to do something. We need a big man.

 
If a player retires with guaranteed salary left on his contract, he still gets paid — but if he’s paid, he’s expected to report. The team & player usually work this out by agreeing to a buy-out — he’s paid less money, and doesn’t have to report. For example, Rasheed Wallace did this with Boston, and there are many other examples.
 
Players can also voluntarily, formally retire by filing paperwork with the league, in which case their contract is cancelled and the player doesn’t get paid. Jason Williams did this with the Clippers in 2008.
 
The other possibility is that the player is forced to retire for medical reasons. He is still owed his money (often paid by insurance), but after a waiting period the team is allowed to apply to have his salary taken off their cap.

***Not my words, Larry Koon's from hoop hype

[Celtics18]

What happens if both Pierce and KG call it quits? I am almost 100% that it still counts towards the cap correct? If so that stinks. Then we are really in no mans land. As fans I think we would all hate to see KG and Pierce traded but might be the only way. As someone else said we are in no mans land right now. Not really and good draft picks, and no cap space. Idk I think this off-season makes or brakes Danny. He has to do something. We need a big man.

 
If a player retires with guaranteed salary left on his contract, he still gets paid — but if he’s paid, he’s expected to report. The team & player usually work this out by agreeing to a buy-out — he’s paid less money, and doesn’t have to report. For example, Rasheed Wallace did this with Boston, and there are many other examples.
 
Players can also voluntarily, formally retire by filing paperwork with the league, in which case their contract is cancelled and the player doesn’t get paid. Jason Williams did this with the Clippers in 2008.
 
The other possibility is that the player is forced to retire for medical reasons. He is still owed his money (often paid by insurance), but after a waiting period the team is allowed to apply to have his salary taken off their cap.

***Not my words, Larry Koon's from hoop hype

TP.

Very informative.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

Pierce has a team buyout option of 5 million to be excercised by July 1. KG has two more years at 11 million per with a no trade clause. If Doc Rivers gets fired and I think he should be after we lose to the Bricks Sunday, then KG will want out.

I think this is the time to make radical changes to the team and it starts with the HC.

yeppers.

[Celtics4ever]

So we blow it up and KG and PP retires how much do we have to make a run at a stud player?

I am not crazy about Josh Smith but Jeff Green and him would be nice bookend forwards.  RR and Bradley are serviceable at guard. 

Howard would be the pick of the litter.

But unfortunately, I don't think we have more than 9 million to toss at someone.

[EJPLAYA]

It's still in KG's hands.

At least all the doubters can now have the proof they need to finally accept how good Rondo is, and how much of a difference he makes on this team.

With Rondo we were one game away from the Finals last year.  Without him this year, we're toast.  You'd have to be blind, or just plain stubborn, to not acknowledge this.

This is all I'm gonna say at this point.  I'm not ready to predict what lies ahead, especially when the direction of the teams lies in the hands of a wounded warrior like KG.  He likely isn't going to decide, himself, until months from now.

That, and, I bummed right now.

With Rondo on this team this year we were still a 500 ball club and still would be first round out.

  We go through long stretches playing .500 ball every year and we've never been first round out before. There's no reason to believe this year is wildly different from the past 3.

The "stretch" of 500 ball was the entire season up to that point with us rarely going on a winning streak longer than a few games. That doesn't really qualify as a "stretch". That is who we were. As far as no reasons to believe you're kidding yourself. KG is clearly much less himself physically and getting older by the second out there. PP is clearly doing the same. Father time has finally caught up to those two warriors and their play shows it. It won't get better. You may disagree with the teams winning ability, but to say there are "no reasons" to believe that they aren't just as good as 3 yrs ago isn't a legitimate argument. Clearly Ainge doesn't agree with you either which is why he tried real hard at the trade deadline to move them both. Face it. It's over. How long is determined by how hard we try to "hold on".

[aporel#18]

The only upside I can think of for this impending embarrassment at the hands of the Knicks is that it should leave no doubt whatsoever that this team is past the point where it can compete anymore.

Missing Rondo is huge.  Don't get me wrong. 

But if Danny Ainge, figuratively speaking, looks all of us Celtics fans in the eyes this summer and says "We're going to contend again next year," he should be fired.  I've generally been a Danny supporter, but if this team isn't fully committed to a rebuild at the start of next season, I want him gone.  Running back this tired group again would be GM malpractice.

The run last summer gave us all hope that we could have a couple more years of being relevant.  It's pretty clear now that that was a foolish dream.  It's too bad that this era couldn't end on a positive note more like last season, but it is what it is. 

It's time to start over.

I don't see any reason to blow it up.  Just keep Rondo out for most of next year.  Let Bradley, Green, Sullinger, our first rounder from this year,  Bass, T-Will, Fab, and the rest of the guys continue to develop.  If Paul and KG want to stick around, great.  Up to them.

Then come back for the 2014-2015 strong with Rondo, Bradley, Green, Sully, our mid first rounder from this year, our lottery pick from the the 2014 draft, whatever other pieces we add in the meantime, and we're back!!  We might even be able to add a high caliber free agent to that mix.

The immediate future isn't looking too hot right now, but I think our long term future looks very solid. 

Patience, patience.

TP. We don't have to play Rondo and Sully a lot next season, let them get 100% healthy, Rose style.

If KG is retiring anyway, trade him for an amnesty candidate like Charlie V.(+ Kyle Singler) or Turkoglu and their 2014 or 2015 first round pick. Then KG fills the papers and goes back to the Cs as a member of the coaching staff. Those teams would save boatloads of money, so it would be a good deal for both parts. Those players won't ruin your tank plans, and they'll be expiring contracts at the 2014 deadline. Good assets.

If Pierce doesn't want to retire, pick his option and use his contract in the trade deadline, or even better, trade&retire. I don't want to see either one playing for another team.

This way the Celtics could be relevant again in 2015, even if ping pong balls are not our friends.

[BballTim]

It's still in KG's hands.

At least all the doubters can now have the proof they need to finally accept how good Rondo is, and how much of a difference he makes on this team.

With Rondo we were one game away from the Finals last year.  Without him this year, we're toast.  You'd have to be blind, or just plain stubborn, to not acknowledge this.

This is all I'm gonna say at this point.  I'm not ready to predict what lies ahead, especially when the direction of the teams lies in the hands of a wounded warrior like KG.  He likely isn't going to decide, himself, until months from now.

That, and, I bummed right now.

With Rondo on this team this year we were still a 500 ball club and still would be first round out.

  We go through long stretches playing .500 ball every year and we've never been first round out before. There's no reason to believe this year is wildly different from the past 3.

The "stretch" of 500 ball was the entire season up to that point with us rarely going on a winning streak longer than a few games. That doesn't really qualify as a "stretch". That is who we were.

  It was a little longer that the 34 game stretch of .500 ball to start the 2012 season (when we went to the ecf) and a little shorter than the 54 game stretch of .500 ball in the 2010 season when we went to the finals. If you want to call it something other than a stretch, fine. If you want to say we haven't seen the same thing before you weren't paying a lot of attention those seasons.

[letsgoblue86]

So we blow it up and KG and PP retires how much do we have to make a run at a stud player?

I am not crazy about Josh Smith but Jeff Green and him would be nice bookend forwards.  RR and Bradley are serviceable at guard. 

Howard would be the pick of the litter.

But unfortunately, I don't think we have more than 9 million to toss at someone.

Bump that.  Save the money and tank for a stud in the 2014 draft.

[KGs Knee]

Tank...tank...tank!

And run the risk of being the Bobcats.

Yeah, screw that.

If we're going to rebuild , it will be through trades and free agency.  Book it.

[JHTruth]

Tank...tank...tank!

And run the risk of being the Bobcats.

Yeah, screw that.

If we're going to rebuild , it will be through trades and free agency.  Book it.

Trade who? Sign FAs with what money? I mean sure it sounds all well and good until you get into specifics. We're going to trade Lee and Bradley for Harden? Then move KG for Dwight Howard and Josh Smith? Sign Chris Paul with $8 million? Wake up man

[KGs Knee]

Tank...tank...tank!

And run the risk of being the Bobcats.

Yeah, screw that.

If we're going to rebuild , it will be through trades and free agency.  Book it.

Trade who? Sign FAs with what money? I mean sure it sounds all well and good until you get into specifics. We're going to trade Lee and Bradley for Harden? Then move KG for Dwight Howard and Josh Smith? Sign Chris Paul with $8 million? Wake up man

I'm well awake, are you?

Just simply letting the contract's of KG and Pierce expire at the end of next season would allow us enough salary cap space to sign a near-max FA.  That's without finding a way to trade the contracts of Bass/Terry/etc. for expiring contracts.  You'd be surprised how possible it is to trade guys like them, when you're not asking for anything of substance in return.

[JHTruth]

Tank...tank...tank!

And run the risk of being the Bobcats.

Yeah, screw that.

If we're going to rebuild , it will be through trades and free agency.  Book it.

Trade who? Sign FAs with what money? I mean sure it sounds all well and good until you get into specifics. We're going to trade Lee and Bradley for Harden? Then move KG for Dwight Howard and Josh Smith? Sign Chris Paul with $8 million? Wake up man

I'm well awake, are you?

Just simply letting the contract's of KG and Pierce expire at the end of next season would allow us enough salary cap space to sign a near-max FA.  That's without finding a way to trade the contracts of Bass/Terry/etc. for expiring contracts.  You'd be surprised how possible it is to trade guys like them, when you're not asking for anything of substance in return.

There's been several breakdowns here. Just letting KG and PP walk DOES NOT give us near max cap space. It will at most likely give us around $10 million MAX. And your team just retired its two main reasons to come to Boston, you're going to give it all to a guy like Asik..

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Tank...tank...tank!

And run the risk of being the Bobcats.

Yeah, screw that.

If we're going to rebuild , it will be through trades and free agency.  Book it.

Even without KG and Paul, we are too good to land a top 5 pick with Rondo and Green alone.

We may miss the Playoffs, but we are not getting a top 5 pick with Rondo and Green in our lineup. We'll have to trade one or both of them.

Besides, the 2014 draft is deep with talent, even at the mid rounds we can steal a gem, we dont need to tank. Just look at the guys from this year who are staying in school...

Kyle Anderson, UCLA (Fr., SF, 6-9, 235)
Jahii Carson, Arizona State (Fr., PG, 5-10, 180)
Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky (Fr., C, 7-0, 220)
C.J. Fair, Syracuse (Jr., F, 6-8, 215)
P.J. Hairston, North Carolina (Soph., 6-5, 225)
Gary Harris, Michigan State (Fr., SG, 6-4, 205)
Cory Jefferson, Baylor (Jr., PF, 6-9, 230)
James Michael McAdoo, North Carolina (Soph., PF, 6-9, 230)
Doug McDermott, Creighton (Jr., PF, 6-8, 225)
Mitch McGary, Michigan (Fr., C, 6-10, 250)
Eric Moreland, Oregon State (Soph., F, 6-10, 215)
Shabazz Napier, UConn (Jr., PG, 6-1, 171)
LeBryan Nash, Oklahoma State (Soph., SF, 6-7, 230)
Dwight Powell, Stanford, PF (Jr., 6-10, 235)
Alex Poythress, Kentucky (Fr., PF, 6-7, 239)
Glenn Robinson III, Michigan (Fr., SF, 6-7, 210)
Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State (Fr., PG, 6-4, 225)
Russ Smith, Louisville (Jr., G, 6-0, 165)
Isaiah Sykes, UCF (Jr, G, 6-5, 215)
T.J. Warren, North Carolina State (Fr., SF, 6-7, 230)
C.J. Wilcox, Washington (Jr., SG, 6-5, 195)
Patric Young, Florida (Jr., PF/C, 6-9, 249)

assuming everyone of those goes, along with Wiggins, Parker, the Harrison twins, Tarscewski, AJ Hammonds (love this guy), we don't need to tank to get a quality player to add to Rondo and Green.

We do need to dump some salaries this year. Obviously our signings did not work, we have to somehow flip that for anything we can get and sign some new FA's and see if they can do a better job (MY BOY JASON SMITH is available).