With the current roster, is the Celts a playoff team??

[LooseCannon]

Miami, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, and probably Chicago look to be virtual locks for the playoffs.  The Hawks lost Smith, but picked up Millsap.  They'll likely be a playoff team again.  That leaves two spots up for grabs as far as I can see.  I don't see any reason why we couldn't claim one of those spots.

If Carmelo tears his ACL in November and Amare plays as much as he did last season, do the Knicks make the playoffs?

[Celtics18]

Miami, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, and probably Chicago look to be virtual locks for the playoffs.  The Hawks lost Smith, but picked up Millsap.  They'll likely be a playoff team again.  That leaves two spots up for grabs as far as I can see.  I don't see any reason why we couldn't claim one of those spots.

If Carmelo tears his ACL in November and Amare plays as much as he did last season, do the Knicks make the playoffs?

No.

[birdwatcher]

I don't think we're going to suck as much as some people assume we will. Playoffs? Maybe we can sneak in the 8th spot, but again, who really wants us to do that?

We really have no idea what style of ball we're going to see on the floor--we don't know if defense will be the hallmark of this team, or if we're going to use youth an athleticism to try and run people off the floor. Rondo is great in the half court, but guys like Green, Bradley and Wallace are terrific in transition. I think the plan is to get to the rim and rely less on jumps shots like we have the last few years; the balls stops moving when we iso our "scorers" and play like we're allergic to the paint. None of us want to see any of our guys taking jump shots every possession.

All that aside, I think youth in the end will be our down fall for this season, as I think it will be hard for not only all the young players to remain focused, but our new coach who only played like 30 games a year. The vets will have to carry them, and they may not be so interested in that. If Rondo is our future, then it starts with him. If he comes back healthy, more mature and ready to lead, he may be able to will this team into the post season, or at least be the catalyst for that to happen.

[Who]

Stevens was a defense-first coach at Butler.  With most of a full season of a Bradley/Rondo backcourt, I can see him putting together a top-10 team on defense.  It might require finding a cheap but adequate true center on defense, but it is possible. 

Yeah, I think they'll definitely need a shot-blocker to have a plus defense next year. I would expect them to be middle of the pack without one. Or possibly slightly below average (17-20th) depending on how disciplined Humphries/Sully are (or not) on rotations.

A good post defender and rim protector who they could funnel dribble penetration into would take them into the top ten if he were a big minute player. Say 30 minutes a night. A small minute center, say 20mpg, I would think would make Boston more likely to be just outside the top 10 but above average.

[Celtics18]

I don't think we're going to suck as much as some people assume we will. Playoffs? Maybe we can sneak in the 8th spot, but again, who really wants us to do that?

We really have no idea what style of ball we're going to see on the floor--we don't know if defense will be the hallmark of this team, or if we're going to use youth an athleticism to try and run people off the floor. Rondo is great in the half court, but guys like Green, Bradley and Wallace are terrific in transition. I think the plan is to get to the rim and rely less on jumps shots like we have the last few years; the balls stops moving when we iso our "scorers" and play like we're allergic to the paint. None of us want to see any of our guys taking jump shots every possession.

All that aside, I think youth in the end will be our down fall for this season, as I think it will be hard for not only all the young players to remain focused, but our new coach who only played like 30 games a year. The vets will have to carry them, and they may not be so interested in that. If Rondo is our future, then it starts with him. If he comes back healthy, more mature and ready to lead, he may be able to will this team into the post season, or at least be the catalyst for that to happen.

Me.

[aingeforthree]

If Rondo & Sullinger are healthy, most definitely a playoff team. Although the roster isn't officially set, we still have good players on the roster.

Wallace, Humphries, & Olynyk will surprise many on here. All solid.

My guess is 7th seed out of the East.

[LooseCannon]

I don't think we're going to suck as much as some people assume we will. Playoffs? Maybe we can sneak in the 8th spot, but again, who really wants us to do that?

To compare two extreme cases, if the Celtics sneak into the playoffs due to the young players clearly learning and improving within smart offensive and defensive schemes, I'd take that over the Celtics finishing with the worst record due to poor coaching/leadership that creates a dysfunctional Wizards-like atmosphere. 

[danglertx]

I don't think we are better than any team in the Atlantic.  Even the Sixers have Hawes, Lavoy Allen, Evan Turner, and Thadeous Young.  That is probably a wash against us at worst.

Toronto should easily be better than us.  Aaron Gray is better than any of our post players.  They also have DeRozan, Fields, Lowry, and Rudy Gay.  No way we are better than them.

Looking through rosters it is pretty bleak looking for us.  The Magic?  They at least have a stud C.    I'm not sure we are even better than the Bobcats and Suns.  Bleak indeed. 

Sure everything could break our way, no injuries, players have career years and make giant leaps, our rookies are better than expected but realistically we have just as good a chance of having several injuries, players having the worst years of their careers and our rookies being non factors.

[LooseCannon]

Toronto should easily be better than us.  Aaron Gray is better than any of our post players.  They also have DeRozan, Fields, Lowry, and Rudy Gay.  No way we are better than them.

Your third sentence contradicts your first sentence.

[kg is king]

I don't think we're going to suck as much as some people assume we will. Playoffs? Maybe we can sneak in the 8th spot, but again, who really wants us to do that?

We really have no idea what style of ball we're going to see on the floor--we don't know if defense will be the hallmark of this team, or if we're going to use youth an athleticism to try and run people off the floor. Rondo is great in the half court, but guys like Green, Bradley and Wallace are terrific in transition. I think the plan is to get to the rim and rely less on jumps shots like we have the last few years; the balls stops moving when we iso our "scorers" and play like we're allergic to the paint. None of us want to see any of our guys taking jump shots every possession.

All that aside, I think youth in the end will be our down fall for this season, as I think it will be hard for not only all the young players to remain focused, but our new coach who only played like 30 games a year. The vets will have to carry them, and they may not be so interested in that. If Rondo is our future, then it starts with him. If he comes back healthy, more mature and ready to lead, he may be able to will this team into the post season, or at least be the catalyst for that to happen.

Me.

Please explain why. If the satisfaction of a first round exit coupled with a non lottery pick outweighs the pain of mediocrity for you, then by all means...

[mmmmm]

-bucks are for sure a playoff team, no idea why it was on that list.
-cavs are a playoff or borderline playoff team. to think otherwise would be to undermine that teams talent.

-wiz with john wall recovered will be much better, potentially playoff team but borderline.

-piston with josh smith are now a playoff or borderline playoff team


we're in the same bad boat with the magic, bobcats, raptors and sixers, but the sixers may be better with noel, bobcats have al jefferson which is better, magic have harkless/harris/vucevic growing, and raptors with rudy gay were better.... we're stuck with gerald freakin wallace and jeff green


we're for sure the top 4-5 worst teams in the east, but could easily be the  worst team to 3rd worst depending on magic, bobcats, and raptors performance.

The 76ers are almost certainly tanking.  They unloaded Holiday for a player who won't even play until late in the season.  They have a lot of incentive to suck.   If for no other reason than to try to take up one of the 5 top picks so that the Pelicans will have less of a chance of being in 1-5.   They own the Pelicans' top-5 protected pick.

Aside -The Pelicans themselves are looking like a decent team, on paper.  But if things go bad for them - injuries or whatever, don't be surprised to see them suddenly tank as hard as they can in order to keep that pick.

The Bucks?  You think they look like a playoff team?


There are still a lot of things that could change between now and the start of the season, of course.

[LilRip]

i don't understand the 40-45 win projections from some of the posters.

The only way i can see that happening is if they truly believe that Humphries and Wallace are UPGRADES from KG and Pierce. imo, they're inferior players. Both offensively and defensively. And if they do believe that, then they must've been absolutely ECSTATIC with the trade because not only did we upgrade Pierce and KG but we also got three 1st round picks.

Not only that but i see some people saying that Olynyk will come out and consistently produce 12ppg? in 20mpg, Sully averaged 6ppg and 6rpg. I'm expecting something similar from Olynyk. I mean, unless Olynyk is super efficient and ready for an 82-game grind (which many rookies aren't. They usually hit a "rookie wall") , i can't see him doing that over the course of a season.

I swear, it saddens me to see many posters here not only undervalue the impact both KG and Pierce had, but actually insinuate that garbage players like Humphries and Wallace and unproven players like Olynyk are upgrades over them and will actually improve the team.

[rondoallaturca]

Toronto should easily be better than us.  Aaron Gray is better than any of our post players.  They also have DeRozan, Fields, Lowry, and Rudy Gay.  No way we are better than them.

Your third sentence contradicts your first sentence.

I'm sure you meant to bold Lowry instead of Fields. 

[Smitty77]

-bucks are for sure a playoff team, no idea why it was on that list.

No team should be considered a lock for the playoffs unless it can withstand injuries.  Will the Bucks be in the playoffs if their top two players both miss at least a third of the season?

I could easily see the Bucks getting off to a slow start and becomes one of those dysfunctional locker room teams.  I could see OJ Mayo being much worse than people expect and having a terrible year.  I can also seeing the team over-achieve and surprise people, but missing the playoffs wouldn't be a shock.

I may have missed something, but I'm not sure what the Bucks have done to get better.  I don't see Mayo as an improvement on Ellis.  I do like Sanders, and think he'll continue to improve.  They've got some talent, but are still very young.  I'm not a believer in Brandon Jennings. 

Miami, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, and probably Chicago look to be virtual locks for the playoffs.  The Hawks lost Smith, but picked up Millsap.  They'll likely be a playoff team again.  That leaves two spots up for grabs as far as I can see.  I don't see any reason why we couldn't claim one of those spots.

I totally agree C18.  How do so many think the Bucks will be better with no Ellis and no Redick??

Mayo had a 14.71 Efficiency Rating last year and Ellis averaged MORE points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.  Not to mention NO Redick!!!  All of you who believe that the Bucks are a playoff team, please explain your reasoning.

Thanks,

Smitty77

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/oj_mayo/

[rondoallaturca]

Mayo's PER is only 2.30 behind Ellis's last year, and that's including Mayo's unprecedented implosion in the last two months of the season.

Milwaukee has come out and said they will match any offer sheet Jennings receives, so he's staying around. With Skiles finally gone, Ilyasova will actually be unleashed for the whole season for once. Sanders is only going to get better, and Drew already said he'll be looking to develop Henson. For those who don't know, Henson is an extremely promising young big man who put up 17/18, 17/25, and 28/16 when given the run.

People keep calling Redick's departure a huge blow, but the guy's role diminished severely in Milwaukee, and they barely even played him in the postseason. He's a great player to be sure, but Milwaukee never even utilized him to his maximum potential. Besides the point, Milwaukee still has money to spend and I don't doubt it one bit that they will be looking to shore up their wing depth next.