How many years until we make the playoffs again?

[LarBrd33]

Celtics will make the playoffs next season.

That would be a nightmare.

  Certainly not compared to your plan. I think there's a pretty good chance we make the playoffs this year as well.

  All your plans seem to include "let's just get bad and get Wiggins". That's kind of like saying "let's just clear some cap space and sign a franchise player". There's no need to rush into the plan of last resort and not much benefit from rushing into it either.

No Timmy.

I, like Ainge (I assume), think that if you tank... your best case scenario is landing a franchise player.  Your wost case scenario is a top 5 pick that you either use to add a building block... or a key asset towards a trade.   This approach worked very well for Ainge in 2007.  It's a great way to build the foundation for a franchise. 

Good news is, Ainge apparently agrees.  He's going to dump Pierce and KG for draft picks and cap space... he devised a scheme to have Doc go to a contender since Doc doesn't want to spend his time babysitting a 25 win team and Boston doesn't want to pay millions to a guy babysitting a 25 win team.  The question is... how many years do you think it will take Ainge to field a competitive team again?  4 years like last time?

[droopdog7]

Celtics will make the playoffs next season.

That would be a nightmare.

Well get ready then.  And please stop with the wiggens talk.  Might as well bank on winning the lottery. 

[Celtics18]

Ainge makes a shocking sign-and-trade deal of Lee, unguaranteed Chinese league dudes, and a draft pick for someone like Paul Millsap and the Celtics make the playoffs next season.

At least, that's what I am rooting for.

I know some people are pulling for that.  I'm not feeling it.  I'd rather acquire young assets and try to put together building blocks for a contender.  You suffer for 3-5 years and then have a period of glory.   In a way, winning 43 games and getting beat in the first round is worse to me than bottoming out. It's really easy to get stuck in that loop of mediocrity.  Like the 4 years we spent as a playoff team in the early 2000s.  That team wasn't going to win a title.  Danny was smart enough to see that, dump Walker and let this squad bottom out. 

I'm guessing that's what he'll do here.  Dump everyone... maybe hang onto Rondo until the offer is right.

It's not like you're going to add Millisap and contend.  You might be good enough to miss out on a lotto pick, but you're not going to win anything substantial.  Those 4 years of crappy Jim O'Brien basketball weren't a lot of fun to me.  It was ugly basketball from a flawed team with no hope of legitimately contending.

It's just as easy, probably easier, to get stuck in a "loop of terribleness."  Given the choice between terrible and mediocre, I choose mediocre, with good to great, of course, always being the ultimate goal.

When you're terrible you acquire assets.  As bad as the Pistons are, they have two players on that team with a boatload of trade value (Monroe and Drummond)... and they could either cash them in or hang onto them and hope that the pieces finally fall into place.

When you're mediocre... you usually just stay mediocre.

Also... give Ainge credit.  The dude is good at spotting talent.

I am giving Ainge credit.  When you are mediocre you can acquire assets as well, particularly when you are as good at spotting talent as Ainge is. 

[tyrone biggums]

The East is terrible. I still don't see a scenario unless we sit Rondo out trade Sullinger and Bradley for nothing ...sign a bunch of d league talent and Antoine Walker. Other than those scenarios I doubt the Celtics miss the playoffs

[LarBrd33]

Celtics will make the playoffs next season.

That would be a nightmare.

Well get ready then.  And please stop with the wiggens talk.  Might as well bank on winning the lottery.

Man if you guys honestly think they are going to make the playoffs next year... you haven't been paying very close attention to the motives behind the Doc deal.  Boston is fully prepared to get really bad really quickly.  There is no quick fix here.  If this team had any intention of being competitive next year, we wouldn't have found a contender for Doc to coach and we wouldn't be planning on trading KG and Pierce within the next week.

[D.o.s.]

Ainge makes a shocking sign-and-trade deal of Lee, unguaranteed Chinese league dudes, and a draft pick for someone like Paul Millsap and the Celtics make the playoffs next season.

At least, that's what I am rooting for.

I know some people are pulling for that.  I'm not feeling it.  I'd rather acquire young assets and try to put together building blocks for a contender.  You suffer for 3-5 years and then have a period of glory.   In a way, winning 43 games and getting beat in the first round is worse to me than bottoming out.  It's really easy to get stuck in that loop of mediocrity.  Like the 4 years we spent as a playoff team in the early 2000s.  That team wasn't going to win a title.  Danny was smart enough to see that, dump Walker and let this squad bottom out. 

I don't think Ainge would get stuck like that.  I think there is enough there that the Celtics should go on a path of trying to improve the team between now and the summer of 2014, without spending too much in the way of assets and picks, and then you blow it up if things don't appear to be working.

]I'm okay with eventually coming to a decision to blow things up, but I am not okay with trying to force the team to bottom out in time for the highly vaunted draft of 2014.

I'm slowly coming to realize that I don't need to post in threads when LooseCannon has been there first.

[LarBrd33]

The East is terrible. I still don't see a scenario unless we sit Rondo out trade Sullinger and Bradley for nothing ...sign a bunch of d league talent and Antoine Walker. Other than those scenarios I doubt the Celtics miss the playoffs

Boston with Rondo, Bradley, Lee, Terry, KG, Bass, Sully, Green, etc... was below .500

You think eliminating KG and Pierce will make us better?

[bfrombleacher]

Ainge makes a shocking sign-and-trade deal of Lee, unguaranteed Chinese league dudes, and a draft pick for someone like Paul Millsap and the Celtics make the playoffs next season.

At least, that's what I am rooting for.

I know some people are pulling for that.  I'm not feeling it.  I'd rather acquire young assets and try to put together building blocks for a contender.  You suffer for 3-5 years and then have a period of glory.   In a way, winning 43 games and getting beat in the first round is worse to me than bottoming out.  It's really easy to get stuck in that loop of mediocrity.  Like the 4 years we spent as a playoff team in the early 2000s.  That team wasn't going to win a title.  Danny was smart enough to see that, dump Walker and let this squad bottom out. 

I don't think Ainge would get stuck like that.  I think there is enough there that the Celtics should go on a path of trying to improve the team between now and the summer of 2014, without spending too much in the way of assets and picks, and then you blow it up if things don't appear to be working.

I'm okay with eventually coming to a decision to blow things up, but I am not okay with trying to force the team to bottom out in time for the highly vaunted draft of 2014.

Well said. TP.

When you stink, the stench stays with and you have to spend a few years getting rid of it.

[LarBrd33]

Ainge makes a shocking sign-and-trade deal of Lee, unguaranteed Chinese league dudes, and a draft pick for someone like Paul Millsap and the Celtics make the playoffs next season.

At least, that's what I am rooting for.

I know some people are pulling for that.  I'm not feeling it.  I'd rather acquire young assets and try to put together building blocks for a contender.  You suffer for 3-5 years and then have a period of glory.   In a way, winning 43 games and getting beat in the first round is worse to me than bottoming out.  It's really easy to get stuck in that loop of mediocrity.  Like the 4 years we spent as a playoff team in the early 2000s.  That team wasn't going to win a title.  Danny was smart enough to see that, dump Walker and let this squad bottom out. 

I don't think Ainge would get stuck like that.  I think there is enough there that the Celtics should go on a path of trying to improve the team between now and the summer of 2014, without spending too much in the way of assets and picks, and then you blow it up if things don't appear to be working.

I'm okay with eventually coming to a decision to blow things up, but I am not okay with trying to force the team to bottom out in time for the highly vaunted draft of 2014.

I'm slowly coming to realize that I don't need to post in threads when LooseCannon has been there first.

Why?  Last time we won a title and built a contender it was due to Boston literally throwing games... benching players like Gomes late and force-feeding minutes to players like Gerald Green.  It was a blatant tank-job.  Best case scenario we would have gotten Kevin Durant (who Danny coveted) ... Worst case scenario you end up getting the #5 pick... and we know what Danny was able to do with that worst-case scenario.

It's a solid approach.  You can't poo-poo a tank job when the entire origin of our 3.5 year window was due to a proper tank.

And now at this point Danny says to Doc, "we're rebuilding again" (Aka: Tank City) .... "How do you feel about being at the helm of a tank job and throwing games for the greater good?" ... Doc clearly wasn't too excited about it... So Danny found him a better situation.  It was a mutual decision.  Doc gets to coach a contender with the best PG alive... Boston gets to bottom out.

[droopdog7]

Celtics will make the playoffs next season.

That would be a nightmare.

Well get ready then.  And please stop with the wiggens talk.  Might as well bank on winning the lottery.

Man if you guys honestly think they are going to make the playoffs next year... you haven't been paying very close attention to the motives behind the Doc deal.  Boston is fully prepared to get really bad really quickly.  There is no quick fix here.  If this team had any intention of being competitive next year, we wouldn't have found a contender for Doc to coach and we wouldn't be planning on trading KG and Pierce within the next week.

Let's wait and see what happens with KG and PP.  Ainge may want to trade those guys but he still has to find the right deals.

[Celtics18]

I still think we have a good chance at mediocrity next season. 

[PhoSita]

I'm going to guess 4 years.  Maybe 5.

[D.o.s.]

Ainge makes a shocking sign-and-trade deal of Lee, unguaranteed Chinese league dudes, and a draft pick for someone like Paul Millsap and the Celtics make the playoffs next season.

At least, that's what I am rooting for.

I know some people are pulling for that.  I'm not feeling it.  I'd rather acquire young assets and try to put together building blocks for a contender.  You suffer for 3-5 years and then have a period of glory.   In a way, winning 43 games and getting beat in the first round is worse to me than bottoming out.  It's really easy to get stuck in that loop of mediocrity.  Like the 4 years we spent as a playoff team in the early 2000s.  That team wasn't going to win a title.  Danny was smart enough to see that, dump Walker and let this squad bottom out. 

I don't think Ainge would get stuck like that.  I think there is enough there that the Celtics should go on a path of trying to improve the team between now and the summer of 2014, without spending too much in the way of assets and picks, and then you blow it up if things don't appear to be working.

I'm okay with eventually coming to a decision to blow things up, but I am not okay with trying to force the team to bottom out in time for the highly vaunted draft of 2014.

I'm slowly coming to realize that I don't need to post in threads when LooseCannon has been there first.

Why?  Last time we won a title and built a contender it was due to Boston literally throwing games... benching players like Gomes late and force-feeding minutes to players like Gerald Green.  It was a blatant tank-job.  Best case scenario we would have gotten Kevin Durant (who Danny coveted) ... Worst case scenario you end up getting the #5 pick... and we know what Danny was able to do with that worst-case scenario.

It's a solid approach.  You can't poo-poo a tank job when the entire origin of our 3.5 year window was due to a proper tank.

And now at this point Danny says to Doc, "we're rebuilding again" (Aka: Tank City) .... "How do you feel about being at the helm of a tank job and throwing games for the greater good?" ... Doc clearly wasn't too excited about it... So Danny found him a better situation.  It was a mutual decision.  Doc gets to coach a contender with the best PG alive... Boston gets to bottom out.

I don't see us getting bad enough fast enough to tank for a meaningful position in 2014. I think we'll be bad, I think we might miss the playoffs, but I don't think we'll be able to overcome the head start that teams like Charlotte and SacTo have on us for either part of the Wiggens-Parker prize.

Our players are bad by the standards of a title-contending team. Our players are not bad enough to burn it down for two seasons, and we have too many "bad" deals for the guys that we'd need to play as assets--Bass, Lee, etc.

[LarBrd33]

I think you're underestimating how bad we'll be with Rondo sitting out with the ACL injury and KG/Pierce playing for contenders.

The Celtics have a willingness to be terrible this season.  It's pretty obvious.  I just wonder how long it will take until we dig out of the trenches.

Before the Clippers reached out to the Celtics on Sunday morning, Rivers had informed Boston general manager Danny Ainge that he planned to return for the 2013-14 season as coach, a source told Y! Sports. Rivers had been balking at returning to the Celtics out of disillusionment over having to preside over a rebuilding process. In the end, though, Boston was glad to shed the $21 million owed to Rivers over the next three years, clearing the way for them to hire a less-expensive coach with the organization no longer in championship contention mode.

In other words... Boston's in tank mode and Rivers wasn't too keen on presiding over a tank job.  This way, Rivers not only gets paid bank, but gets to continue increasing his prestige by coaching a playoff team.  In Boston, he wouldn't have been coaching a playoff team... just would have been making bank.

Boston:  Tank + Bank
Clips:  Bank No Tank

Best of both worlds.

[SparzWizard]

If we get the right pieces this summer, we'll make the playoffs next season.

But definitely won't be winning another championship for another projected...4 or 6 years?