Run It Back

[RAcker]

What if the Spurs had blown it up last year--we would not be watching this quality team oriented basketball.  The only reason Danny should be blowing it up now is if he is certain Rondo will not be ready next year.  Why not try it one more time --let Jeff Green grow, let Sully play healthy and let PP and KG retire with the dignity they deserve.  Danny is wrong and Doc, and KG are wanting out rather than put up with Danny's stupid, disloyal crap!

When did you interview KG and Paul?  Or how did you otherwise come up with this inside info?   

[rutzan]

One of the greatest, if not the greatest, Celtics Rant of All-Time!!!

[PhoSita]

I applaud the OP's faith in the Celtics and unwavering optimism.

Still, I can't help but think that it's perspectives like this that fuel Felger's rants about "Green Teamers."

[mmmmm]

The Problem is Ainge didnt put the right young talent around to run it back with...He should have been acquiring young players and developing them similar to The spurs , so you could mix the youth with the vets we didnt really do that

Yeah, why bother gathering old farts like Rondo, Jeff Green, Avery Bradley, Jared Sullinger,  Courtney Lee, Brandon Bass, Jordan Crawford, Fab Melo, DJ White and Terrence Williams???

Sure, those guys all have shown they can play at the NBA level (well, maybe not Fab or White yet) - but they are all SO OLD!

I've heard that some of those guys - who comprise 10 of our possible 15 roster spots, are actually close to 28 years old!!!!  And not one of them under 20!

Stupid Danny.  And now he'll probably go draft some guy over 19 years old with his draft pick!  Then we'll have ELEVEN freaking guys all between ages 20 and 28!

What a geriatric disaster!   Break out the walkers!

[PhoSita]

The Problem is Ainge didnt put the right young talent around to run it back with...He should have been acquiring young players and developing them similar to The spurs , so you could mix the youth with the vets we didnt really do that

Yeah, why bother gathering old farts like Rondo, Jeff Green, Avery Bradley, Jared Sullinger,  Courtney Lee, Brandon Bass, Jordan Crawford, Fab Melo, DJ White and Terrence Williams???

Sure, those guys all have shown they can play at the NBA level (well, maybe not Fab or White yet) - but they are all SO OLD!

I've heard that some of those guys - who comprise 10 of our possible 15 roster spots, are actually close to 28 years old!!!!  And not one of them under 20!

Stupid Danny.  And now he'll probably go draft some guy over 19 years old with his draft pick!  Then we'll have ELEVEN freaking guys all between ages 20 and 28!

What a geriatric disaster!   Break out the walkers!

Hold on a second there, my sarcasm meter just exploded.

[mmmmm]

If we were cruising along looking like world beaters before all the injuries, I would agree with the run it back philosophy. Weren't we something like 20-22 and in the midst of a 5 or 6 game losing streak? That's with Rondo, Bradley, Pierce, Sully & Garnett all in the line up, the way we had it planned all along.

"before all the injuries"

When was that?

We started the season with Bradley & Wilcox injured and Green clearly not fully recovered and we lost Darko to his sick mother.  Two of those guys are among our top 5 players on the team.

There was no 'before the injuries' last year and there was no 'after the recoveries' either.  Because just as Bradley and Green were 'back' we lost Rondo & Sully & Barbosa.   Two of those guys were starters!  And all three were top rotation players when they went down.

The roster was NEVER stable until we'd patched it with rescues from the China League and the bench of the Washington Wizards.

The roster that we have on paper that would start 2013-14 right now (barring trades) was NEVER healthy and able to play together last season.

I'm not sure whether to 'run it back' is the best plan.  But this mythology that it means running the same team as last year is ridiculous.   It would be a totally different team.

[CelticsFanNC]

Sorry no.  Relevant for the Boston Celtics is a title contender.  Nothing less. We weren't even close to being that last season.  Barely a .500 team and out on the first round is good enough for the Bobcats/Hornets but not good enough for the Celtics.

Every year we "run it back" is one more year before we become relevant again.

Relevant is the Conference Finals, inches from the finals.
Relevant is making a 20 pt. comeback down 3-2 against the number 2 team.
This without Rajon playoffs Rondo.

DeAndre Jordan 10 million dollar 40 percent from the ft line contract and one number one pick- let's see, Clippers pick this year is 25.  Doesn't Do it!

[BballTim]

Every year we "run it back" is one more year before we become relevant again.

  This isn't really true, it would be if it were the case that we'd be bad for a set number of years. Look at the Cavs (LeBron) and the Thunder (Durant). Both of those teams could have been bad for 1 or 20 years before they won those lotteries, getting bad earlier would have just meant sucking for longer.

[CelticsFanNC]

Every year we "run it back" is one more year before we become relevant again.

  This isn't really true, it would be if it were the case that we'd be bad for a set number of years. Look at the Cavs (LeBron) and the Thunder (Durant). Both of those teams could have been bad for 1 or 20 years before they won those lotteries, getting bad earlier would have just meant sucking for longer.

I disagree.  Mediocre is  the worst place to be in the NBA.  We were mediocre all of last season. Running it back with mostly the same cast of characters will lead to mediocre again this coming season. We had injuries last season but KG, and Pierce were mostly healthy.  Depending upon that happening again at their ages isn't very smart IMO.   Same cast of characters, same results or worse.  We are better off in the long run being bad then mediocre. 

[KG_ended_Bias]

Try to get Greg Oden & run it back with the cast. Gotta be better then watching DeAndre Jordan for 13 million.

[LooseCannon]

Every year we "run it back" is one more year before we become relevant again.

  This isn't really true, it would be if it were the case that we'd be bad for a set number of years. Look at the Cavs (LeBron) and the Thunder (Durant). Both of those teams could have been bad for 1 or 20 years before they won those lotteries, getting bad earlier would have just meant sucking for longer.

I disagree.  Mediocre is  the worst place to be in the NBA.  We were mediocre all of last season. Running it back with mostly the same cast of characters will lead to mediocre again this coming season. We had injuries last season but KG, and Pierce were mostly healthy.  Depending upon that happening again at their ages isn't very smart IMO.   Same cast of characters, same results or worse.  We are better off in the long run being bad then mediocre.

Being continually mediocre is a problem.  The Celtics don't have the sort of mentality that teams like Sacramento and Denver have, so as long as Ainge in charge, I don't think the Celtics will get stuck on the "treadmill of mediocrity".

It usually takes a multi-star core to be a contender.  I would argue that Rondo is good enough to be the second-best player on a championship team.  The team's talent base is closer to being a contender than it is to being a very bad lottery team.  If the Celtics get the steal of the draft at #16, then between that guy, Sullinger, Bradley, and draft picks, the Celtics would have the assets to possibly make a move in 2014, maybe even the summer of 2013, maybe not until 2015.  The team is close enough that it makes a certain amount of sense to tread water a bit and try to open a new window in 2014.

[CelticsFanNC]

Every year we "run it back" is one more year before we become relevant again.

  This isn't really true, it would be if it were the case that we'd be bad for a set number of years. Look at the Cavs (LeBron) and the Thunder (Durant). Both of those teams could have been bad for 1 or 20 years before they won those lotteries, getting bad earlier would have just meant sucking for longer.

I disagree.  Mediocre is  the worst place to be in the NBA.  We were mediocre all of last season. Running it back with mostly the same cast of characters will lead to mediocre again this coming season. We had injuries last season but KG, and Pierce were mostly healthy.  Depending upon that happening again at their ages isn't very smart IMO.   Same cast of characters, same results or worse.  We are better off in the long run being bad then mediocre.

Being continually mediocre is a problem.  The Celtics don't have the sort of mentality that teams like Sacramento and Denver have, so as long as Ainge in charge, I don't think the Celtics will get stuck on the "treadmill of mediocrity".

It usually takes a multi-star core to be a contender.  I would argue that Rondo is good enough to be the second-best player on a championship team.  The team's talent base is closer to being a contender than it is to being a very bad lottery team.  If the Celtics get the steal of the draft at #16, then between that guy, Sullinger, Bradley, and draft picks, the Celtics would have the assets to possibly make a move in 2014, maybe even the summer of 2013, maybe not until 2015.  The team is close enough that it makes a certain amount of sense to tread water a bit and try to open a new window in 2014.

  I agree.  Rondo is a good 2nd  best play on a title contender and Green if he continues to play as he did in the second half of last season is a great 3rd star of a title contender. 

Getting that first star though is going to be tough.  They don't just grow on trees.  They aren't very likely(although not impossible)to come to Boston via Free Agency(in-spite of the love by some here Josh Smith certainly doesn't qualify).  It's either draft that guy or trade for him.  Trading for him will almost certainly require a lottery pick even if we have the spare parts and salary dumps teams generally look for.   

  I don't know.  I just think it is tough to get there from a .500 team and an 8th seed.  It is possible I guess.