Washington/Phoenix trade Being reported Gortat, Okafor

[Endless Paradise]

Whether or not you believe the Celtics would be better than other teams in this conference with a legitimate center doesn't really matter; Danny's moves and statements (including admitting that this team can't compete for a title this season) indicate that he's not particularly concerned with how good they are this year.

The Wizards are choosing the wrong year to actually try to make the playoffs. One more year in the lottery and they would have been in much better shape.

I disagree.  I think the Wizards are an example of what happens when a team picks in the lottery many years in a row and ends up with too many young talents to develop.  At some point you need to try to make something of the young core that you have and actually make an effort to win games.

  That's the great problem to have though. Take one of your young talents and trade him for a couple of veterans to help your younger players win sooner.

That's what they just did, isn't it? They traded their 2014 rookie for Gortat.

They made themselves at best a 5-6 seed with this trade, most likely a 7-8 seed. They are not going to contend by trading what could have been a lottery pick in a historically deep draft for an aging, average center. I understand drafting every year with the hope of finding a DWade or Lebron is not the best strategy, but they have a decent set of young guys to build around with Wall and Beal, and possibly Porter, they could have landed a great young big man in the upcoming draft and put themselves in OKCs position, but instead they chose mediocrity.

How is making the playoffs for the first time in how many years a bad thing?  You say this as if they've completely mortgaged their future for an eighth seed ceiling.  They gave away a single pick and considering the top 12 protection, all they're forfeiting is a projected role player, since you're not drafting a LeBron/KD/Duncan/etc. type in the mid-teens.  Role players are a dime-a-dozen; they don't need to draft one, they can just sign one in free agency or trade for one.

That's just not true. The difference is not giving up what you call a role player, it's giving up their best chance at a franchise player or all-star big man to fill out their core of Wall and Beal. You can't view the pick as a mid-teens pick. If they had not made the deal it would very likely be a top 5-8 pick, which in this draft has a high chance of being a great player. Big mistake imo. They stuck themselves into mediocrity, As for signing good free-agents as you imply, what good free agents have ever signed with Washington? Good luck with that.

Gortat's not good enough to be the difference between a top pick and a mid-teens pick.  He is nothing more than a serviceable center.  His WS/48 rating indicates he's an average player and he's largely been a career backup outside of the past two seasons with the Suns.  Even still, they only have him for a year and all they did was give up a pick.  How is that equivalent to having "stuck themselves into mediocrity?"  It's a pick.  It's not multiple picks.  It's not a multi-year contract.  They traded for a player with an expiring contract using one of their picks that was likely going to be less valuable this year.  Are Wall and Beal not 23 or younger?  Are they not likely to improve over time?  This idea that they're somehow now stuck at an 8th seed ceiling is just absurd.

Washington is specifically pushing for the playoffs and they had a relatively decent record when Wall returned, so they likely weren't in play for a top pick, anyway.  This isn't Orlando in the early stages of its rebuild; this is a team that's been rebuilding since 2010 and is ready to make the leap.  All this trade does is insure that they'll make the playoffs as opposed to just missing them as the 9th seed.  If you think Gortat has somehow taken them from a bottom feeder to an 8th seed, you're greatly overrating him.  All he did was make sure they'll be at least an 8th seed as opposed to the 9th.

What good free agents have signed with Washington? I don't know.  Check the history of free agents who've signed and identify those who were nothing more than role players; there you go.  I didn't say they can get Michael Jordan; I said they can get a serviceable role player.  Case in point: Al Harrington.  He's not an amazing player, but for a guy who knows his strengths and plays to them, he's good enough.  That's really all they need at this point.  They've already acquired their core, now they just need complementary players.

[Celtics18]

Whether or not you believe the Celtics would be better than other teams in this conference with a legitimate center doesn't really matter; Danny's moves and statements (including admitting that this team can't compete for a title this season) indicate that he's not particularly concerned with how good they are this year.

What an absurd statement.  The fact that Danny doesn't think the Celtics can win a title this year doesn't mean that he's not concerned with how good they will be. 

You are clearly projecting your own your goals for the team for this season on to the GM of the team. 

A lot of the folks around here who are rooting for losing seem to be justifying their take on the team by pretending that Danny Ainge sees things the same way.  There's no evidence to suggest that this is true, however. 

[Endless Paradise]

Believe what you will.  He spent his free agency signing an undrafted point guard and a rookie center.  He hired a coach who has never coached a professional basketball game.  His trades were centered around receiving draft picks rather than any considerable talent that could immediately contribute which - gasp - indicate he's looking with an eye towards the future.  The players themselves are preaching about having "patience" as things clear themselves out.  He's clearly not too concerned with this season.

The Melo trade to the Knicks?  The Knicks sent out of some of their best young talent to get that guy, so the Nuggets were still competitive.  This trade?  It brought back the Nets' castoffs.

No one's stopping you from expecting the team to be good this season, but everything I've seen so far has me convinced that this season is not the priority.

[Birdman]

I like this Washington team..but it all comes down if Nene can stay healthy and play like he did in Denver..plus like Al Harrington signing

[hpantazo]

Whether or not you believe the Celtics would be better than other teams in this conference with a legitimate center doesn't really matter; Danny's moves and statements (including admitting that this team can't compete for a title this season) indicate that he's not particularly concerned with how good they are this year.

What an absurd statement.  The fact that Danny doesn't think the Celtics can win a title this year doesn't mean that he's not concerned with how good they will be. 

You are clearly projecting your own your goals for the team for this season on to the GM of the team. 

A lot of the folks around here who are rooting for losing seem to be justifying their take on the team by pretending that Danny Ainge sees things the same way.  There's no evidence to suggest that this is true, however.

I have to agree with EP. All of Ainge's moves clearly indicate he does not want a good team this year, I don't know how anyone can see it otherwise. We are in all out rebuild mode, and winning a few games in the short term is not in the plan.

[Celtics18]

Believe what you will.  He spent his free agency signing an undrafted point guard and a rookie center.  He hired a coach who has never coached a professional basketball game.  His trades were centered around receiving draft picks rather than any considerable talent that could immediately contribute which - gasp - indicate he's looking with an eye towards the future.  The players themselves are preaching about having "patience" as things clear themselves out.  He's clearly not too concerned with this season.

The Melo trade to the Knicks?  The Knicks sent out of some of their best young talent to get that guy, so the Nuggets were still competitive.  This trade?  It brought back the Nets' castoffs.

No one's stopping you from expecting the team to be good this season, but everything I've seen so far has me convinced that this season is not the priority.

Well, he knows he has one of the league's superstars returning from injury, possibly as early as later this month or some time next month.  I don't see Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries as being purely "castoffs."  I think they have both so far shown that they can still play the game at a highly competitive level.  He has a couple of youngsters in Sullinger and Bradley who look like they will continue to develop nicely.  He drafted a rookie in the middle of the first round, who looks like he has a chance to be the steal of this draft, and he signed an undrafted, free agent center from Europe who already looks like he can play in the NBA.

Add to this that the competition for a bottom 3 or 4 spot in the overall league rankings will probably be tougher than the competition for seventh or eighth place in the East.

Has he set the team up for a title or even deep playoff run this season?  No.  Of course, he hasn't.  Is his eye toward the future?  Absolutely.

I believe Danny Ainge when he says that this team has more to gain by learning how to be competitive and playing for wins every night, rather than playing for lottery balls.  The reason I believe him is not because I think he's the paragon of forthrightness, and that Danny Ainge "would never tell a lie."  It's more because the things that Danny Ainge has told the media about this team's goals for the immediate future and long term future make sense to me.  They make sense to me whether Danny says them publicly or not. 

In short, I agree that this the season is not "the priority," but I also believe that being competitive this season does more for the long-term health of the franchise than completely "tanking" the season does. 

It's my opinion that Danny Ainge likely shares this opinion. 

[D.o.s.]

Whether or not you believe the Celtics would be better than other teams in this conference with a legitimate center doesn't really matter; Danny's moves and statements (including admitting that this team can't compete for a title this season) indicate that he's not particularly concerned with how good they are this year.

What an absurd statement.  The fact that Danny doesn't think the Celtics can win a title this year doesn't mean that he's not concerned with how good they will be. 

You are clearly projecting your own your goals for the team for this season on to the GM of the team.

A lot of the folks around here who are rooting for losing seem to be justifying their take on the team by pretending that Danny Ainge sees things the same way.  There's no evidence to suggest that this is true, however.

[Celtics18]

Whether or not you believe the Celtics would be better than other teams in this conference with a legitimate center doesn't really matter; Danny's moves and statements (including admitting that this team can't compete for a title this season) indicate that he's not particularly concerned with how good they are this year.

What an absurd statement.  The fact that Danny doesn't think the Celtics can win a title this year doesn't mean that he's not concerned with how good they will be. 

You are clearly projecting your own your goals for the team for this season on to the GM of the team.

A lot of the folks around here who are rooting for losing seem to be justifying their take on the team by pretending that Danny Ainge sees things the same way.  There's no evidence to suggest that this is true, however.

I don't claim to know what Danny Ainge's exact plan is.

All I've said is that what he has publicly stated meshes with my beliefs about what this team should be trying to accomplish this year.

Cute picture.