Prediction: We contend next season...for worst record

[lightspeed5]

if the bobcats can get monta ellis, that would do wonders for our tanking prospects.

[tarheelsxxiii]

Actually excited to see Detroit and Cleveland this year.

Lot of variables at play, but Cleveland could cause a ruckus this year as a sleeper in the playoffs.

[vjcsmoke]

According to my source inside the Celtics organziation: "We are not Tanking, come on, this is the Celtics!"

 

Thank you Sully's cousin's nephew's friend's brother in law.

Seriously though, we don't really have star power.  But I wonder if our core is bad enough to lose enough games for a top 3 pick.  Rondo should be good.  Green should improve.  And Sully is a double double machine. 

But our defense should be pretty bad and if Fab Melo/Olynyk see a lot of playing time, well our odds are awful of winning many games at all.

[tarheelsxxiii]

if the bobcats can get monta ellis, that would do wonders for our tanking prospects.

Yep. It's gonna be weird to see us and the Lakers drafting in the lottery this year.

Maybe if we can morph the Harrison brothers into one, we could have Kyrie 2.0

[syfy9]

if the bobcats can get monta ellis, that would do wonders for our tanking prospects.

Yep. It's gonna be weird to see us and the Lakers drafting in the lottery this year.

Maybe if we can morph the Harrison brothers into one, we could have Kyrie 2.0

What if the Lakers drafted one Harrison brother and we drafted the other!?!?! 

[tarheelsxxiii]

if the bobcats can get monta ellis, that would do wonders for our tanking prospects.

Yep. It's gonna be weird to see us and the Lakers drafting in the lottery this year.

Maybe if we can morph the Harrison brothers into one, we could have Kyrie 2.0

What if the Lakers drafted one Harrison brother and we drafted the other!?!?! 

...blood is thicker than rivalry? 

[Yogi]

Just boggles the mind...

Atlanta has like 3 NBA players on their roster.  Lou Williams, Paul Millsap and Al Horford.  Rondo, Green and Bass are better than those three.  But Atlanta is somehow a lock for the playoffs and Boston is not.

Is there some kind of disease going around that causes this mass delusion?

[syfy9]

if the bobcats can get monta ellis, that would do wonders for our tanking prospects.

I think the Bobcats are going the positive direction with the Big Al signing. My guess is that they push for the playoffs either way.

I'd rather he go to either a potential tanking team (like Dallas, Minnesota, Portland, and Utah) to encourage them not to tank or an already bad team (Sacramento, Phoenix, Orlando) that is looking to tank. Any team that is still garnering assets.

[syfy9]

Just boggles the mind...

Atlanta has like 3 NBA players on their roster.  Lou Williams, Paul Millsap and Al Horford.  Rondo, Green and Bass are better than those three.  But Atlanta is somehow a lock for the playoffs and Boston is not.

Is there some kind of disease going around that causes this mass delusion?

No, Atlanta doesn't have 3 players on their roster. They are more or less keeping the same-ish squad. That's with Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, and Harris. They are above the Celtics because they were a 4-5 seed last year with Josh Smith. Paul Millsap isn't that far off from Smith, and some may even say he's a much better fit. Meanwhile, Horford gets to be the go-to guy - the super talented, coveted center that people were saying the Hawks wouldn't trade for Rondo + assets.

Your take that Rondo, Green, and Bass over Lou, Millsap, and Horford is also incredibly debatable. There's much more value in a dominant center than a dominant point guard.

[syfy9]

if the bobcats can get monta ellis, that would do wonders for our tanking prospects.

Yep. It's gonna be weird to see us and the Lakers drafting in the lottery this year.

Maybe if we can morph the Harrison brothers into one, we could have Kyrie 2.0

What if the Lakers drafted one Harrison brother and we drafted the other!?!?! 

...blood is thicker than rivalry? 

Isn't there rivalry in blood, though? 

That would be epic - the ultimate sibling rivalry!

Gosh...I wish Marc Gasol was on the '08 team...

[Yogi]

Just boggles the mind...

Atlanta has like 3 NBA players on their roster.  Lou Williams, Paul Millsap and Al Horford.  Rondo, Green and Bass are better than those three.  But Atlanta is somehow a lock for the playoffs and Boston is not.

Is there some kind of disease going around that causes this mass delusion?

No, Atlanta doesn't have 3 players on their roster. They are more or less keeping the same-ish squad. That's with Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, and Harris. They are above the Celtics because they were a 4-5 seed last year with Josh Smith. Paul Millsap isn't that far off from Smith, and some may even say he's a much better fit. Meanwhile, Horford gets to be the go-to guy - the super talented, coveted center that people were saying the Hawks wouldn't trade for Rondo + assets.

Your take that Rondo, Green, and Bass over Lou, Millsap, and Horford is also incredibly debatable. There's much more value in a dominant center than a dominant point guard.

1. Harris already signed with Dallas.
2. Pachulia signed with Milwaukee.
3. Teague also has signed an offer sheet with Milwaukee.
4. When did Al Horford become a dominant center?

[Celtics18]

Teams in the East that I think we have a legitimate shot at being better than next season:

Philadelphia
Toronto
Orlando
Charlotte
Milwaukee
Washington
Atlanta
Cleveland
Detroit

Teams that (barring major injury) will in all likelihood be better than us:

Miami
Indiana
New York
New Jersey
Chicago

Out of that first list of teams, I see Detroit and Washington being likely to make a push for the playoffs.  I guess Milwaukee and Atlanta could be in the hunt, as well. 

In the end, I see us being anywhere from six to eleven in the East.  Sixth would be great, but I'll take eighth. 

[syfy9]

Just boggles the mind...

Atlanta has like 3 NBA players on their roster.  Lou Williams, Paul Millsap and Al Horford.  Rondo, Green and Bass are better than those three.  But Atlanta is somehow a lock for the playoffs and Boston is not.

Is there some kind of disease going around that causes this mass delusion?

No, Atlanta doesn't have 3 players on their roster. They are more or less keeping the same-ish squad. That's with Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, and Harris. They are above the Celtics because they were a 4-5 seed last year with Josh Smith. Paul Millsap isn't that far off from Smith, and some may even say he's a much better fit. Meanwhile, Horford gets to be the go-to guy - the super talented, coveted center that people were saying the Hawks wouldn't trade for Rondo + assets.

Your take that Rondo, Green, and Bass over Lou, Millsap, and Horford is also incredibly debatable. There's much more value in a dominant center than a dominant point guard.

1. Harris already signed with Dallas.
2. Pachulia signed with Milwaukee.
3. Teague also has signed an offer sheet with Milwaukee.
4. When did Al Horford become a dominant center?

1. My bad
2. Pachulia will be missed, but Mike Scott was playing really well before - his offense might > Pachulia's defense.
3. And the Hawks can match this offer if they so desire. There is also talk that they might do a S&T w/ Teague for Jennings. If not, Monta Ellis or Nate Robinson are decent options. There is a lot of flexibility here because they lost out on the Howard signing.
4. Well, he averaged 17 and 10 last season at a 54% clip. He's one of the most coveted centers around.

[syfy9]

Teams in the East that I think we have a legitimate shot at being better than next season:

Philadelphia
Toronto
Orlando
Charlotte
Milwaukee
Washington
Atlanta
Cleveland
Detroit

Teams that (barring major injury) will in all likelihood be better than us:

Miami
Indiana
New York
New Jersey
Chicago

I count 14 teams. 

[action781]

A lot of people are discussing Rondo in our core that's going to lead us to wins and maybe even a playoff birth.  Rondo is going to miss a lot of time.  And with the season essentially a lost cause anyways, there's going to be no reason to rush him back early.  I don't think we'll see him until January.  We'll already be in a big hole in the W-L department by that time.  Early in the season, we won't have any players on the roster who would even be considered top 40 in the NBA at the 2 most important positions on the floor - PG and C.