Please Don't Run it back Danny.

[Bosstown]

I was against running it back a few days ago but seeing this team and what KG and Pierce (but mostly KG) still had left in the tank made me change my mind : with an healthy team, i.e Rondo and Sully back, and a couple of reinforcements to add depth (and rest the old guys during the season), I think we can go far next year.

Plus, I just don't see an alternative scenario that helps us in the future.

And have a first or 2nd round exit? We want championships. Mediocore teams aren't good enough for championships and aren't bad enough for high draft picks. We are a mediocore team, lets move on.

Congratulations, you won't see even a contender for 5 years, let alone a championship if you rebuild.

It's better then getting knocked out in the first or 2nd round. Once PP or KG are gone which MIGHT be this summer, we will rebuild anyway.

[syfy9]

I think we should go for a partial rebuild.

Get a lottery pick - it gives us at least a minimal chance to get a #1 or #2 pick. We could pull a Chicago Bulls and luck out (ex Derrick Rose). Even if we don't win the sweepstakes, someone like Julius Randle, Harrison bros, etc would be a fine consolation.


A decent lottery pick might mean giving up Bradley, Sully...maybe even Rondo, if the right deal presents itself. With that, we shoot for the playoffs with what we have and ride it one last time.

[D.o.s.]

I'd like to see Doc take a more aggressive approach to resting Pierce and KG in the regular season, similar to the way that Pop and the Spurs have been able to extend the careers of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli.

[guava_wrench]

I was against running it back a few days ago but seeing this team and what KG and Pierce (but mostly KG) still had left in the tank made me change my mind : with an healthy team, i.e Rondo and Sully back, and a couple of reinforcements to add depth (and rest the old guys during the season), I think we can go far next year.

Plus, I just don't see an alternative scenario that helps us in the future.

And have a first or 2nd round exit? We want championships. Mediocore teams aren't good enough for championships and aren't bad enough for high draft picks. We are a mediocore team, lets move on.

We are a mediocre team in the regular-season but considering how the team managed to win two critical games in the playoffs without Rondo and Sully, I think it's fair to say we would have played much better overall with them.

Obviously it's only a game of "what if" so it's kind of useless but the best scenario, to me, is to try one more run with the current team and try to get as high as possible in the 2014 draft which is going to be great, from what we can read and hear everywhere. I know it's two  opposite ways but an in-between would be fine.

Meh. Those games wer "critical" to the Celtics. The games were not critical to their opponent. So all I can take from this series is that we looked bad.

[crimson_stallion]

I'm proud of this team, but seriously lets quit while we're ahead. Paul and KG need to retire or go in some aspect and we need to tank next year. We need to start the rebuild, this whole watching a old PP and KG is just sad at this point.

The 2014 Draft Class is looking to be the best class since 2003. I'd rather suffer through a few crappy seasons watching young talent develop then watch 2 HOFers regress. But thats just me. 

That kind of thinking turns you into the Bobcats, Magic, Detroit, Kings, etc. It's not pretty, and it's based on luck.

This.

The Magic have gone from a serious contender to a league-wide joke in the space of one season.  I would not like to be an Orlando fan right now.

[syfy9]

I was against running it back a few days ago but seeing this team and what KG and Pierce (but mostly KG) still had left in the tank made me change my mind : with an healthy team, i.e Rondo and Sully back, and a couple of reinforcements to add depth (and rest the old guys during the season), I think we can go far next year.

Plus, I just don't see an alternative scenario that helps us in the future.

And have a first or 2nd round exit? We want championships. Mediocore teams aren't good enough for championships and aren't bad enough for high draft picks. We are a mediocore team, lets move on.

We are a mediocre team in the regular-season but considering how the team managed to win two critical games in the playoffs without Rondo and Sully, I think it's fair to say we would have played much better overall with them.

Obviously it's only a game of "what if" so it's kind of useless but the best scenario, to me, is to try one more run with the current team and try to get as high as possible in the 2014 draft which is going to be great, from what we can read and hear everywhere. I know it's two  opposite ways but an in-between would be fine.

Meh. Those games wer "critical" to the Celtics. The games were not critical to their opponent. So all I can take from this series is that we looked bad.

At first. Then we left a great lasting impression - we were resilient up to the very end. Many of my Blazers fan friends were cheering the Celtics on during their 4th quarter run.

I don't think as a whole that the general fan bases think we look bad. We were depleted and in their eyes, we weren't going to amount to much anyway. Underachieving is getting swept. Beating the Knicks would've been a major upset. 

[guava_wrench]

I think we should go for a partial rebuild.

Get a lottery pick - it gives us at least a minimal chance to get a #1 or #2 pick. We could pull a Chicago Bulls and luck out (ex Derrick Rose). Even if we don't win the sweepstakes, someone like Julius Randle, Harrison bros, etc would be a fine consolation.


A decent lottery pick might mean giving up Bradley, Sully...maybe even Rondo, if the right deal presents itself. With that, we shoot for the playoffs with what we have and ride it one last time.

I'm sorry, but instead of choosing between the options most are considering, you came up with something far worse than either. Considering ditching Rondo for a draft pick means you are essentially putting out the same bad team (post Rondo injury) from this season next season. If we are going to put a team like that on the floor, we might as well save money and drop Pierce.

Plus, you have made our future even more uncertain than it is now.

There is also the problem of the player we get most likely not being as good as Rondo down the road.

If you are going to dump players for draft picks, you are best off including Pierce and KG since you are passing on next season.

[syfy9]

I'm proud of this team, but seriously lets quit while we're ahead. Paul and KG need to retire or go in some aspect and we need to tank next year. We need to start the rebuild, this whole watching a old PP and KG is just sad at this point.

The 2014 Draft Class is looking to be the best class since 2003. I'd rather suffer through a few crappy seasons watching young talent develop then watch 2 HOFers regress. But thats just me. 

That kind of thinking turns you into the Bobcats, Magic, Detroit, Kings, etc. It's not pretty, and it's based on luck.

This.

The Magic have gone from a serious contender to a league-wide joke in the space of one season.  I would not like to be an Orlando fan right now.

The Magic aren't the Bobcats. They have good role players in Vucevic, Harkless, and Harris. They also have a capable Afflalo and Big Baby will be back. Getting a point guard leader like Marcus Smart or maybe a Noel (twin towers set up) and they could easily bounce back.

This is the "single season tank", what some Celtics fans are considering doing.

[guava_wrench]

At first. Then we left a great lasting impression - we were resilient up to the very end. Many of my Blazers fan friends were cheering the Celtics on during their 4th quarter run.

I don't think as a whole that the general fan bases think we look bad. We were depleted and in their eyes, we weren't going to amount to much anyway. Underachieving is getting swept. Beating the Knicks would've been a major upset.

Why is looking good to other fan bases important to you? That isn't the success most of us are looking for.

We look like a mediocre team all season, including the playoffs. Personally, I am okay with repeating this with the hope that maybe next season we can make the second round. I am also fine with moving the old guys for guys with a future. I am not a fan of watching players who mostly just remind me during the game how good they once were and how far they have fallen.

If we find ourselves latching on to impressive 10 minute stretches or 2 out of 6 games, we are deluding ourselves. To those who changed their opinions due to 2 wins against a team led by Melo and JR Smith, you might want some perspective.

[syfy9]

I think we should go for a partial rebuild.

Get a lottery pick - it gives us at least a minimal chance to get a #1 or #2 pick. We could pull a Chicago Bulls and luck out (ex Derrick Rose). Even if we don't win the sweepstakes, someone like Julius Randle, Harrison bros, etc would be a fine consolation.


A decent lottery pick might mean giving up Bradley, Sully...maybe even Rondo, if the right deal presents itself. With that, we shoot for the playoffs with what we have and ride it one last time.

I'm sorry, but instead of choosing between the options most are considering, you came up with something far worse than either. Considering ditching Rondo for a draft pick means you are essentially putting out the same bad team (post Rondo injury) from this season next season. If we are going to put a team like that on the floor, we might as well save money and drop Pierce.

Plus, you have made our future even more uncertain than it is now.

There is also the problem of the player we get most likely not being as good as Rondo down the road.

If you are going to dump players for draft picks, you are best off including Pierce and KG since you are passing on next season.

...maybe even Rondo,if the right deal presents itself.

I'm talking about DeMarcus Cousins + their pick, Vucevic + prospects + their pick, Kemba + MKG + Pick, something of that caliber.

Please don't think my sole purpose in life is trying to trade Rondo. I agree with all that you said and I apologize for not expanding on my thoughts beforehand.



I'm really more focused on trading Bradley and/or Sully for a lottery pick. Maybe package them both for an 8th - 13th pick range + decent role player salary dump. It might have to have a 3rd team or something, but if we could pull that off, it'd give us at least a chance to get Wiggins/Parker.

[guava_wrench]

I'd like to see Doc take a more aggressive approach to resting Pierce and KG in the regular season, similar to the way that Pop and the Spurs have been able to extend the careers of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli.

Did Duncan sit more games than KG? Duncan played more MPG and more games than KG.

Duncan is just much more productive at this point in his career. Changing KG's minutes won't change that. Duncan is viewed by most as always having been the superior player, so it isn't surprising that Duncan is still more productive. His style of play also seems to be more conducive to longevity.

[ManUp]

I want to move on from this current core, but to me that doesn't mean tanking. Purposely throwing games will only serve to change the winning culture this team has built the last 6 years. Players don't want to be part of organizations that are happy losing games. Subtracting Pierce and Garnett will take away enough wins no need to intentionally lose games to get a worse record and better pick.

[syfy9]

At first. Then we left a great lasting impression - we were resilient up to the very end. Many of my Blazers fan friends were cheering the Celtics on during their 4th quarter run.

I don't think as a whole that the general fan bases think we look bad. We were depleted and in their eyes, we weren't going to amount to much anyway. Underachieving is getting swept. Beating the Knicks would've been a major upset.

Why is looking good to other fan bases important to you? That isn't the success most of us are looking for.

We look like a mediocre team all season, including the playoffs. Personally, I am okay with repeating this with the hope that maybe next season we can make the second round. I am also fine with moving the old guys for guys with a future. I am not a fan of watching players who mostly just remind me during the game how good they once were and how far they have fallen.

If we find ourselves latching on to impressive 10 minute stretches or 2 out of 6 games, we are deluding ourselves. To those who changed their opinions due to 2 wins against a team led by Melo and JR Smith, you might want some perspective.

There's more than 1 perspective. "Championship or Bust" will leave a lot of people disappointed. Sure, we are the Celtics. Sure, we are the best and most winning franchise in the NBA.

The thing is, we could've been harshly swept in a vigorous fashion by the Knicks. We were on the brink of that. The team showing some form of resiliency - some form of I'm not a quitter for even just 2 games and a 4th quarter is big. It's resounding, and that sort of come back attitude is what wins championships. I don't blame anybody for being satisfied with this series. They certainly did not do "bad" because they didn't exceed the expectations.

You can say they played mediocre basketball, but it was pretty entertaining Celtics mediocre basketball.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

Nothing against OP but Danny, don't listen! I beg for you to give it one more shot with a little retooling!

[Celtics18]

I always think I'll be ready to let go, but I never am.

RUN IT BACK!!!!!