This is going to be a long season

[rutzan]

A) This season will be like being on a yo-yo
B) This season will be like being on a roller-coaster
C) This season will be like being a ping-pong ball

choose your poison...

get used to a buffet of close losses mixed in with blow-out losses...with the occasional fool's gold game win thrown in for good measure...

you can already tell that there will be no consistency...game to game...by either the team or individual players...

i will not use the dreaded "T word...

but...

this is definitely a player development year...

give the minutes to Sully, Olynyk, Faverini...heck...even Pressey...

if i'm rondo...i'm not rushing back...ala gronk...

if i'm the celtics...i'm not rushing back rondo...

i'm considering all trade possibilities including AB and Green...

this is going to require major blow-up...

the only rub is how you get fair market value for humphries, bass, lee, wallace, bogans et al without playing them...playing them only turns blow-out losses into the fool's gold of close losses at best...

this is the future of celtics until DA can cash in on the draft picks in the next 3 or 4 years...

all the people that wanted to trade the Capt and KG...you got what you wanted...

[fairweatherfan]

It'll be rough but the season'll probably feel a little short around April. 

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Funny, 'cause I was just thinking the same thing as I looked at the boxscore of tonight's game. I'm excited about the young players and the good possibilities they represent, but let's just say I don't think anyone here has to worry about not getting a good draft pick next year.

[JSD]

Victory is sweetest when you've tasted defeat, and we'll get a real good taste of it this season.

[guava_wrench]

The season won't feel as long if you don't overthink it.

[indeedproceed]

Bet on games. It'll help.

[indeedproceed]

Also if you have a group of friends willing to play along, making a drinking game for Cs contests would be an excellent idea. However, If you do it alone, you have a 'problem'.

[Celtics4ever]

I think Ainge real smart.   He has a team that will play hard and compete but won't win crap.   We are not tanking but our roster allows us to tank without tanking.

I love watching any incarnation of the C's.   There are fun things to watch even in down years.   I like watching guys like Sully and KO develop.   I have found Wallace really fun to watch as well.  Is it as good as KG and PP, I am afraid not, but it is still Celtic Basketball.   I like watching Stevens grow too.   Jeff Green better start being the man soon.

[hwangjini_1]

.

all the people that wanted to trade the Capt and KG...you got what you wanted...

Good observations that pretty much sum up the general consensus on this board. As for the final sentence, this state of affairs was coming regardless of the trade, just a year or two later. And I do not believe you are correct if you think "this" is want was desired by trade advocates.

Trade advocates want a good team, just as you do. But many of them wanted the process started sooner rather than later. No one among us rejoices at the current team, we just accept it as a necessary evil.

[indeedproceed]

I think Ainge real smart.   He has a team that will play hard and compete but won't win crap.   We are not tanking but our roster allows us to tank without tanking.

I love watching any incarnation of the C's.   There are fun things to watch even in down years.   I like watching guys like Sully and KO develop.   I have found Wallace really fun to watch as well.  Is it as good as KG and PP, I am afraid not, but it is still Celtic Basketball.   I like watching Stevens grow too.   Jeff Green better start being the man soon.

This is probably the healthiest mix of pragmatism and optimism I've seen in a post describing the Celtics in a long time.

[D.o.s.]

Also if you have a group of friends willing to play along, making a drinking game for Cs contests would be an excellent idea. However, If you do it alone, you have a 'problem'.

What about imaginary friends?

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

My imaginary friends are sober :-(

[Bahku]

Yeah, if you expect too much it will be a long season.

I have long ago come to the conclusion that we are now in rebuilding mode, that whatever games we do win will be a plus, and that it will be fun watching these kids develop and learn to work together.

I guess maybe it's an age thing, but many people such as myself reach a point in life where they live for each day, don't expect anything, and embrace the positive as a blessing.

I've lived through Celtics "lean years" before, so it's not a big struggle, beyond the fact that I hate to lose, (or see my teams lose), and I honestly think we'll be in better shape by spring than many people think.

If we're not better by spring, then the summer will bring about more changes, and in turn create more excitement and conjecture, which I actually find is one of the fun aspects about sports and blogging.

If nothing else we'll have a lot to talk about, (or complain about, as it were), and we'll be watching some of the key players and coaches of the future take shape before our eyes.

It's pretty easy to get discouraged under the conditions we're facing now, but also fairly easy to sit back, take a deep breath, take it all in stride, hope for the best, not expect too much, and be thankful for the good things that do happen.

It's temporary, everything is, and this team and organization has shown many times in the past that it can rise above any adversity that comes it's way ... this is no different.

There are plenty of positive things I've seen so far to be encouraged about, and I truly believe that, especially on the return of Rondo, this team will end the season with their heads held high and a much better record than most people think.

No matter what they'll still be fun to watch, they'll still be my beloved Celtics, and they'll still play each night with the pride and enthusiasm that have become the trademarks of this great franchise.

[aporel#18]

Yeah, if you expect too much it will be a long season.

I have long ago come to the conclusion that we are now in rebuilding mode, that whatever games we do win will be a plus, and that it will be fun watching these kids develop and learn to work together.

I guess maybe it's an age thing, but many people such as myself reach a point in life where they live for each day, don't expect anything, and embrace the positive as a blessing.

I've lived through Celtics "lean years" before, so it's not a big struggle, beyond the fact that I hate to lose, (or see my teams lose), and I honestly think we'll be in better shape by spring than many people think.

If we're not better by spring, then the summer will bring about more changes, and in turn create more excitement and conjecture, which I actually find is one of the fun aspects about sports and blogging.

If nothing else we'll have a lot to talk about, (or complain about, as it were), and we'll be watching some of the key players and coaches of the future take shape before our eyes.

It's pretty easy to get discouraged under the conditions we're facing now, but also fairly easy to sit back, take a deep breath, take it all in stride, hope for the best, not expect too much, and be thankful for the good things that do happen.

It's temporary, everything is, and this team and organization has shown many times in the past that it can rise above any adversity that comes it's way ... this is no different.

There are plenty of positive things I've seen so far to be encouraged about, and I truly believe that, especially on the return of Rondo, this team will end the season with their heads held high and a much better record than most people think.

No matter what they'll still be fun to watch, they'll still be my beloved Celtics, and they'll still play each night with the pride and enthusiasm that have become the trademarks of this great franchise.

couldn't agree more with this. TP, Bahku. High hopes, no expectations, and love for the guys in green.

Go Celtics!

[PhoSita]

I view sports as entertainment, albeit extremely emotionally invested entertainment, so I like to use analogies that speak to that.

In this case, I feel like us die-hard Celtics fans have been watching a really great TV show -- an all-time classic -- these past 5-6 years.  The opening season was amazing, with a finale that knocked our socks off.  The following seasons had ups and downs, but they were overall extremely satisfying.  At the end, however, as with almost all TV shows, it got kind of stale and the people in charge jumped the shark a little bit trying to stay relevant.

Now the show we all love has finally concluded, and we're faced with the prospect of watching the show that replaced it.  That's difficult for us, especially since some of the actors we've grown to love in their familiar roles have moved onto other shows, and it's weird and uncomfortable seeing them each put on a different costume in a different place, performing for a different audience. 

Meanwhile, the new cast is not quite as star studded or talented as we're used to, and the chemistry isn't there yet.  Some, or perhaps all, of these guys are probably not going to stick around very long.  It's not clear yet that the writing is nearly as interesting or clever.  More likely than not, there will be some episodes that are really enjoyable, and others that are a trainwreck.  Sometimes we'll want to shut off the television.

But it's something new.  We don't know what to expect, and that's more than we could say in previous seasons.  This season, we can't hope that the short term results will be better than they have been.  But we can look at what's there and find reasons to believe that in the long run (like, say, a few seasons down the line), we may get something every bit as exciting and satisfying as what came before. 

We've seen that play out in this town before.  Hopefully we don't have to watch too many retreads and single season failures between classic shows, as we did the last time around. 

I have faith, though.  This Celtics network is in good hands.