Early impressions

[Celtics18]

The most positive impression I have taken from this team so far is that they play defense.  They aren't perfect, they definitely make some bone headed mistakes, and at times they are going to simply get beaten by talented offensive teams, but they work on that end of the floor.  You can see them putting in the effort to be a good defensive team. 

That's been a huge takeaway for me in the early going.  It's not often you see a young, rebuilding team lay out on D on a nightly basis. 

I may be putting to much faith in Rondo, but I think he will help the offense considerably.  His return should be able to boost this offense up to the level of mediocrity.  With a mediocre offense and a mediocre defense, I think this team could be solidly mediocre enough to make the playoffs.

[Vermont Green]

The proper measure for progress or development comes down to one thing in my mind, trade value.  What is the rest of the league seeing in our roster.

So far, I don't think much has changed.  I actually thought Wallace would play better.  A trade is his ticket out of Boston and possibly onto a contending roster yet he plays like he doesn't care.  Bottom line is that his trade value is probably worse than the beginning of the year.

I think the most probable trade chips are Bass, Lee, and Crawford.  They have all played well and I think are very tradable.  I hope they keep it up.

Wallace, Humphries, Brooks, and Bogans are just trade filler at this point (like they were in the trade that got them here).

Faverani, Olynyk, Sullinger, and Bradley are probably promising enough to stick around and not be traded unless we get into talks about a really top player.

Pressey is just an undrafted fringe player that could be duplicated by any number of D-League players so I don't see much value or interest in him (and he doesn't make enough to be filler).

Then of course there is Rondo and Green.  Green is a decent player and someone may want him but I don't see him getting traded.  Rondo is on hold until he gets back.  He obviously has trade value but there have been plenty of posts about that so I will just leave it at that.

[coco]

I can't watch many games here in GA, but I'm interested to hear what your all opinions are regarding my initial impressions.

To me, Faverani seems awful. Green is the same Green we have come to know. Crawford is playing well enough to bring back something decent in a trade (e.g., more than the speculated mid-second round pick that has been stated), and Bradley is a great role/bench player that every championship team needs.

Bright spots? Meh. I think Lee's value has gone up a bit - he appears to be putting up buckets in limited mins. Same with Bass - I always thought he could bring back a decent return (for as much as some may dislike him, he is a solid NBA player). And, in my opinion, Sullinger is a stud - again, I can't watch many games... but his box scores suggest he's a very good basketball player with a bright future.

I am interested to hear what others think about Stevens' constant line-up changes and seemingly sporadic substitutions. I realize he's new, the team has a lot of new faces, etc. But, overall, how do people feel about his growth (in his limited tenure)?

First off, let me tell you how cool it is to know there are some Cs fan here in the South.  Although I am Puertorican, I currently live in South Carolina.

As for watching the Cs, I have NBA League Pass.  No, I am not single.  Just don't go to live games and just watch them on TV.  NBA Pass rocks!  It is my only indulgence I have to say...

As for the Cs:

-Jeff Green is what he is.  A really good 3rd option and at times a better than average 2nd option.  I think his contract value is about right.

-Coach Stevens is really good in my opinion.  I love his rotation.  Always positive, great understanding of situation in hand.  Always seems to have the correct personnel on the floor.

-Jordan C is doing fine.  But tends to slow the ball down at times.

-Sullinger is a stud.  If he keeps it up, he'll get himself a big contract.  Solid player.  Learned how to get a shot off in traffic down low.  Now the sky is the limit.

-AB is shooting too much.  I don't think he should be taking more than 12 shots/gm....in a good game.

-KO is coming along nicely.  I am really surprised with his rebounding.  Don't know what Coach told him, but he has gotten a lot better at it.

-Vitor, isn't too bad.  But got to keep the a short leash on him.  Gives you two good plays in a row, then does three bad ones

-Bass is having a career year, and I can't stand him getting starters minutes.  He is such a one dimensional player.  Still, he is a positive influence and I that should be appreciated.....but not at the cost of KO's development.

-Lee found his niche and Pressey will be lost in translation as soon as Rondo gets back.

-Humphries has earned Cs fans respect.  Always hustles, never complains about minutes or losing.....eeehemm  Wallace.

-Wallace?  Well, if there is one thing the Cs need is a Scoring wing off the bench.  Wallace isn't that.

[LarBrd33]

The most positive impression I have taken from this team so far is that they play defense.  They aren't perfect, they definitely make some bone headed mistakes, and at times they are going to simply get beaten by talented offensive teams, but they work on that end of the floor.  You can see them putting in the effort to be a good defensive team. 

That's been a huge takeaway for me in the early going.  It's not often you see a young, rebuilding team lay out on D on a nightly basis. 

I may be putting to much faith in Rondo, but I think he will help the offense considerably.  His return should be able to boost this offense up to the level of mediocrity.  With a mediocre offense and a mediocre defense, I think this team could be solidly mediocre enough to make the playoffs.

And then remain mediocre for the foreseeable future.  Welcome to NBA hell.

If you're correct... let's all cross our fingers we keep Rondo out for the season.  You add one of the 7 studs in this draft to a mediocre team, you might actually have something.

[Jailan34]

The most positive impression I have taken from this team so far is that they play defense.  They aren't perfect, they definitely make some bone headed mistakes, and at times they are going to simply get beaten by talented offensive teams, but they work on that end of the floor.  You can see them putting in the effort to be a good defensive team. 

That's been a huge takeaway for me in the early going.  It's not often you see a young, rebuilding team lay out on D on a nightly basis. 

I may be putting to much faith in Rondo, but I think he will help the offense considerably.  His return should be able to boost this offense up to the level of mediocrity.  With a mediocre offense and a mediocre defense, I think this team could be solidly mediocre enough to make the playoffs.

And then remain mediocre for the foreseeable future.  Welcome to NBA hell.

If you're correct... let's all cross our fingers we keep Rondo out for the season.  You add one of the 7 studs in this draft to a mediocre team, you might actually have something.

Agree completely right now we have a bunch of players who would look great if there was just one more star player to build around, be it a wing player or center. We have the team needed to surround a superstar, minus a few veteran free agent signings.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

The most positive impression I have taken from this team so far is that they play defense.  They aren't perfect, they definitely make some bone headed mistakes, and at times they are going to simply get beaten by talented offensive teams, but they work on that end of the floor.  You can see them putting in the effort to be a good defensive team. 

That's been a huge takeaway for me in the early going.  It's not often you see a young, rebuilding team lay out on D on a nightly basis. 

I may be putting to much faith in Rondo, but I think he will help the offense considerably.  His return should be able to boost this offense up to the level of mediocrity.  With a mediocre offense and a mediocre defense, I think this team could be solidly mediocre enough to make the playoffs.

And then remain mediocre for the foreseeable future.  Welcome to NBA hell.

If you're correct... let's all cross our fingers we keep Rondo out for the season.  You add one of the 7 studs in this draft to a mediocre team, you might actually have something.

yep. NBA hell is not good enough to contend and not bad enough to get a lotto pick. We need TWO stars to play with rondo and sully. either through the draft and/or trades/free agency. That would be our core 4.

[stes]

The most positive impression I have taken from this team so far is that they play defense.  They aren't perfect, they definitely make some bone headed mistakes, and at times they are going to simply get beaten by talented offensive teams, but they work on that end of the floor.  You can see them putting in the effort to be a good defensive team. 

That's been a huge takeaway for me in the early going.  It's not often you see a young, rebuilding team lay out on D on a nightly basis. 

I may be putting to much faith in Rondo, but I think he will help the offense considerably.  His return should be able to boost this offense up to the level of mediocrity.  With a mediocre offense and a mediocre defense, I think this team could be solidly mediocre enough to make the playoffs.

And then remain mediocre for the foreseeable future.  Welcome to NBA hell.

If you're correct... let's all cross our fingers we keep Rondo out for the season.  You add one of the 7 studs in this draft to a mediocre team, you might actually have something.

Agree completely right now we have a bunch of players who would look great if there was just one more star player to build around, be it a wing player or center. We have the team needed to surround a superstar, minus a few veteran free agent signings.

yeah, I'd think we could follow the Pacers path from few years back, needing our Paul George and David West to put us back into the mix. Something like a swingman scorer (Wiggins, Parker, Exuum, Glenn Robinson III or whomever Ainge finds in the draft) and the free agent / trade big man - I myself would hope for Monroe or even Pau Gasol on a cap friendly contract (I don't see us getting Marc or Cousins and I like Sully too much to hope for Aldrige or Love, but that's just me). All things considered, I really like where we're currently standing. Just hope Danny finds a way to trade Bass and maybe Lee for picks and dump Wallace for nothing.

[GreenWarrior]

Sully - I know I'm probably gonna get flamed for this but...the fact that he's a pf in a sf body bothers me, I HATE SMALL BALL. As great as he has been playing I ultimately look at him as a liability on the defensive end. If he could transition to sf permanently then I'd be ok with that. But we're kind of overloaded there.

I don't get it. Are you saying Sully has the body of a SF? He has the body of a PF/C and then some. Unfortunately Stevens has him playing center too much imo. If he sticks to PF he's golden

yes, I think he's too small for pf. particularly on the defensive end.

I do think he's a really good player. but I think most pf's in the league are going to be able to shoot over him with ease.

[BballTim]

Sully - I know I'm probably gonna get flamed for this but...the fact that he's a pf in a sf body bothers me, I HATE SMALL BALL. As great as he has been playing I ultimately look at him as a liability on the defensive end. If he could transition to sf permanently then I'd be ok with that. But we're kind of overloaded there.

I don't get it. Are you saying Sully has the body of a SF? He has the body of a PF/C and then some. Unfortunately Stevens has him playing center too much imo. If he sticks to PF he's golden

yes, I think he's too small for pf. particularly on the defensive end.

I do think he's a really good player. but I think most pf's in the league are going to be able to shoot over him with ease.

  He seems to be a decent defender down low. I don't see him having a lot of luck trying to stay with smaller, quicker small forwards. He's likely to do better vs PFs.

[Snakehead]

Sully - I know I'm probably gonna get flamed for this but...the fact that he's a pf in a sf body bothers me, I HATE SMALL BALL. As great as he has been playing I ultimately look at him as a liability on the defensive end. If he could transition to sf permanently then I'd be ok with that. But we're kind of overloaded there.

I don't get it. Are you saying Sully has the body of a SF? He has the body of a PF/C and then some. Unfortunately Stevens has him playing center too much imo. If he sticks to PF he's golden

yes, I think he's too small for pf. particularly on the defensive end.

I do think he's a really good player. but I think most pf's in the league are going to be able to shoot over him with ease.

  He seems to be a decent defender down low. I don't see him having a lot of luck trying to stay with smaller, quicker small forwards. He's likely to do better vs PFs.

For sure, and he has done a great job on centers, which is maybe the most impressive thing to me.  He really wrestled for position with Duncan, Hibbert, and other legit centers we have been playing lately.  He is great at establishing and keeping position.

He did a great job letting neither of those players really get to where they wanted to post up or get in the paint for rebounds.

[Celtics18]

The most positive impression I have taken from this team so far is that they play defense.  They aren't perfect, they definitely make some bone headed mistakes, and at times they are going to simply get beaten by talented offensive teams, but they work on that end of the floor.  You can see them putting in the effort to be a good defensive team. 

That's been a huge takeaway for me in the early going.  It's not often you see a young, rebuilding team lay out on D on a nightly basis. 

I may be putting to much faith in Rondo, but I think he will help the offense considerably.  His return should be able to boost this offense up to the level of mediocrity.  With a mediocre offense and a mediocre defense, I think this team could be solidly mediocre enough to make the playoffs.

And then remain mediocre for the foreseeable future.  Welcome to NBA hell.

If you're correct... let's all cross our fingers we keep Rondo out for the season.  You add one of the 7 studs in this draft to a mediocre team, you might actually have something.

I'm fine with being in the minority on this.

I still say that we have enough pieces to improve this team to contender status within the next few seasons without tanking. 

There's this bizarre myth out there that being mediocre for a season or two dooms your team to mediocrity forever.  It's a silly theory and a false one. 

I'm going to keep rooting for this team to win.  I'm not guaranteeing a playoff berth (never have), but I'd love to see this developing team make a push for them. 

[Jailan34]

The most positive impression I have taken from this team so far is that they play defense.  They aren't perfect, they definitely make some bone headed mistakes, and at times they are going to simply get beaten by talented offensive teams, but they work on that end of the floor.  You can see them putting in the effort to be a good defensive team. 

That's been a huge takeaway for me in the early going.  It's not often you see a young, rebuilding team lay out on D on a nightly basis. 

I may be putting to much faith in Rondo, but I think he will help the offense considerably.  His return should be able to boost this offense up to the level of mediocrity.  With a mediocre offense and a mediocre defense, I think this team could be solidly mediocre enough to make the playoffs.

And then remain mediocre for the foreseeable future.  Welcome to NBA hell.

If you're correct... let's all cross our fingers we keep Rondo out for the season.  You add one of the 7 studs in this draft to a mediocre team, you might actually have something.

I'm fine with being in the minority on this.

I still say that we have enough pieces to improve this team to contender status within the next few seasons without tanking. 

There's this bizarre myth out there that being mediocre for a season or two dooms your team to mediocrity forever.  It's a silly theory and a false one.

I'm going to keep rooting for this team to win.  I'm not guaranteeing a playoff berth (never have), but I'd love to see this developing team make a push for them. 

There is also a silly theory that if you try to tank too hard your team will develop a losing culture which they will never escape, unless of course they make a run for the 8th seed and lose in the first round.

[Celtics18]

The most positive impression I have taken from this team so far is that they play defense.  They aren't perfect, they definitely make some bone headed mistakes, and at times they are going to simply get beaten by talented offensive teams, but they work on that end of the floor.  You can see them putting in the effort to be a good defensive team. 

That's been a huge takeaway for me in the early going.  It's not often you see a young, rebuilding team lay out on D on a nightly basis. 

I may be putting to much faith in Rondo, but I think he will help the offense considerably.  His return should be able to boost this offense up to the level of mediocrity.  With a mediocre offense and a mediocre defense, I think this team could be solidly mediocre enough to make the playoffs.

And then remain mediocre for the foreseeable future.  Welcome to NBA hell.

If you're correct... let's all cross our fingers we keep Rondo out for the season.  You add one of the 7 studs in this draft to a mediocre team, you might actually have something.

I'm fine with being in the minority on this.

I still say that we have enough pieces to improve this team to contender status within the next few seasons without tanking. 

There's this bizarre myth out there that being mediocre for a season or two dooms your team to mediocrity forever.  It's a silly theory and a false one.

I'm going to keep rooting for this team to win.  I'm not guaranteeing a playoff berth (never have), but I'd love to see this developing team make a push for them. 

There is also a silly theory that if you try to tank too hard your team will develop a losing culture which they will never escape, unless of course they make a run for the 8th seed and lose in the first round.

Who knows?  Maybe they could lose on purpose and bounce back from it, and become a contender in a couple of years, led by a savior who is currently 18 years old.

If the myth that losing on purpose dooms the team to develop a losing culture that will last well beyond this season exists, I am not the one perpetuating it. 

The fact that more than one myth exists doesn't make either one of them a reality. 

It's not a "your mythology is more of a myth than my mythology, therefore my mythology is the truth" type situation.