Poll options are a little mixed/vague but I thought those were the major feelings we'd all be having.
Personally I'm ecstatic.
I'll gloat in saying I've been one of the few on this board who were seriously desperate for Danny to go down this asset acquisition/tank/rebuild mode.
To me the timing is just too perfect for us not to roll the dice on the 2014 and 2015 drafts. We got some really nice picks and assets for a 36 and 37 year old.
I love KG and Pierce but now that Doc's gone I don't think it's wrong to send them to LAC or Brooklyn- particularly if going to those teams gives them a shot at a deep playoff run again. I mean Indiana's size gave Miami fits. A starting 5 of
Deron Williams
Joe Johnson
Pierce
KG
Lopez
Is a legit team now- very long in the tooth- but legit.
I'd rather they play there and have fun/compete instead of rotting away here as the 7th seed or while we tank.
But for us, we need to take back contracts like Wallace adn Bogans to get these picks. We also need to fill a certain percentage of the salary cap while we tank.
It's the cost of rebuilding. On the bright side even a bum like Humphries will bring us back a late first rounder or an expiring deal in one year.
Sit back and remember that Ainge has done all of this is in a 5 day span and he's done it without giving up Bradley, Sully, Green. Heck he's even held on to Melo so we'll at least get to see him on an NBA court.
The next big question...I don't know what happens to Rondo now.
Seems to me Danny is immediately going after size.
We'll have Olnyk, Iverson, Melo.
He's also gone after Lamont Jones and Pressey.
I'm looking at Olnyk/Sully and Rondo/Lamont/Pressey and
I'm seeing loads of pick and roll with athletic bigs ala a poor Memphis Grizzlies prototype. Two bigs that can shoot/rebound surrounded by crafty PG's that use speed and agility to distribute (cheap versions of Damian Lillard). Lamont is a cold blooded 3 point shooter and Pressey was basically the assists king of one of the best offenses in the NBA. Perhaps they're hoping to find a poor man's Mike Conley/Lillard type PG here?
We've seen the size of teams like Memphis and Indiana give Miami and OKC huge fits and perhaps Danny's decided to start going down this road.
Again, I don't know what this means for Rondo.
Do we bring him back quickly to showcase his health and improved stats? (his scoring and stock will rise undoubtedly).
Or do we slowly work him back in while we suck and hopefully get one All Star level prospect out of all our trading/assets and another star from tanking?
Something like Rondo for Cousins looks more realistic to me now.
What are your thoughts? Do you think Danny has a specific plan of attack moving forward? I think we might slowly see a shift back to the 'size matters' days of pre Miami Heat/OKC dominance. It's also very possible he's just collecting eggs for the basket and will do so in preparation for the 2014 draft.
All I know is that I'm very happy we've finally pulled the trigger and that Danny had the heart and balls to do it.
This is how he got us KG and Ray 6 years ago.
Hopefully it gets us Wiggins or Jabari Parker. If the draft fails then we'll hopefully have enough assets for a sign and trade of Kevin Love or Marc Gasol in the summer of 2015...
All I can say is Rondo being traded for a big man or being traded for another 2014 top 5/10 pick looks very possible to me.Probably means it will be by February as well.
Which lottery bound teams will need a good point guard?
Orlando (still no Bledsoe)
Charlotte (Kemba Walker. Lawl)
Philly (Drue Holiday is gone, Noel+ Mcelmore will need a floor general/leader)
Sacramento (Isiah Thomas or Jimmer lawl)
In Ainge we trust.