C's future should be win now

[jc3celticsphan]

We are going to become an attractive destination for FAs that want to win.

Yeah, because making the playoffs as a middle of the road team has really made the Denver Nuggets a hot free agent destination.

but rondo will
and that is dannys plan he has the pieces to go after someone that can make this team legit

and what if we got bosh for crawford plus lee and bass

and then made a trade for melo if the clippers dont give up blake

rondo
bradley
melo
bosh
faverani/olynyk

[gpap]

I know people all over this forum are talking about trades,tanking and etc. But I really want to throw my view on this celtics teams future and on Danny Ainge. I honestly believe maybe tanking was in mind preseason but now that brad Stevens and the celtics have over achieved in many peoples views but I think this has helped the celtics. Danny ainge really is a win now gm now I believe, after getting ray and kg I believe he sees the bigger picture and wants to pursue creating a new big 3. He may not have what he had for assets as he did before but it's definitely possible. In order to keep rondo he needs to build fast. I know nobody on CB wants Carmelo but I think hes boston bound, he's clearly the best AVAILABLE, closest nba player to superstar status that might be able to get on the cheap. Meaning he's already said he's gonna opt out to test waters so sign and trade is easily attainable on the somewhat cheap, cause at least Knicks will get smt in return if he decided to walk out. I would love to keep Jeff green with rondo n melo but I know most likely that won't happen. Next player they will get is wide open.. I wouldn't go with Kevin love.. If you could keep green would go with asik.. Rondo Bradley green melo asik would be a contender without question.. This draft is stacked but unless u have a lebron proven player coming out the draft is a risk, we can prob name plenty of top ten picks that are riding the pine or oversees. Sorry this is so long, just tryinh to put it all out there, I believe ainge has something up his sleeve that's the opposite of a rebuild.. He wants to keep the fan base he regained not lose them.. Tickets are so cheap and easy to come by, not even close to the last few years

I like where you are headed. The race to the top is a lot easier than the race to the bottom. The Celts are one superstar away from being another power house in the East.  Granted, that superstar could come from the draft, but there already too many other bad teams in the league and I personally have NO interest in a draft pick in the 11th-20th range.

To me, the Celtics are about winning and pride, not purposely losing games for some Johnny Come Lately about to make the switch from college to the big leagues, who may or may not pan out.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

I know nobody on CB wants Carmelo

Not me. I'm on board with any trade that will involve Carmelo Anthony landing here without giving up Rondo.

He is on of the best scorers in the game, and IMO despite what people think, is a good teammate.

My only concern is will he stay for good. If we are to trade for him, we need assurance that he would at least give us three years.

[BballTim]

We are going to become an attractive destination for FAs that want to win.

Yeah, because making the playoffs as a middle of the road team has really made the Denver Nuggets a hot free agent destination.

  I'm sure you could come up with examples of 40-ish win teams signing free agents. I'll start the list off with the 2010 Heat, 5th seeded team in the playoffs and easily dispatched in the first round of the playoffs.

[PhoSita]

Until I see the Celtics over 500, I will think making the playoffs is not in the Celtics best interest.




Don't tank.


But making the playoffs just because the rest of the teams around you can't win is not the way to build towards the future.  It's a trap of being mediocre. 




I believe that Ainge, given time, can rebuild the Celtics into a true contender.  I don't want to see his ability to be hampered because of other teams ineffectiveness.

I agree with all of the above.


That's why, if there are deals to be made around the time of the deadline for the role players on this team, I expect Danny to make them.  There's no sense in tying up payroll in middle-class players when you still need to acquire the core guys.

I'm not saying Danny should just dump decent players for nothing, but if there are deals that send future value while allowing Danny to clear up the payroll for the next few seasons, I think he ought to go for it.

[PhoSita]

We are going to become an attractive destination for FAs that want to win.

Yeah, because making the playoffs as a middle of the road team has really made the Denver Nuggets a hot free agent destination.

  I'm sure you could come up with examples of 40-ish win teams signing free agents. I'll start the list off with the 2010 Heat, 5th seeded team in the playoffs and easily dispatched in the first round of the playoffs.

Your example illustrates the point I was getting at, though, which is that simply winning enough games to make the playoffs doesn't mean much.

It hasn't helped the Nuggets attract star free agents (or even to keep their own).  Neither did George Karl, who, like Stevens, got a lot out of a team with good depth but not much elite talent.

The Heat, though, had a proven superstar wing player in Dwyane Wade(yes, he was a FA that summer too, but he never considered leaving), they had a GM / President with a long track record of championship success in Pat Riley, and they had a great location in South Beach.

[Jailan34]

We are going to become an attractive destination for FAs that want to win.

Yeah, because making the playoffs as a middle of the road team has really made the Denver Nuggets a hot free agent destination.

but rondo will
and that is dannys plan he has the pieces to go after someone that can make this team legit

and what if we got bosh for crawford plus lee and bass

and then made a trade for melo if the clippers dont give up blake

rondo
bradley
melo
bosh
faverani/olynyk

You're dreaming if you think we have enough assets to get Melo. You're likely having another dream if you think the two time champion heat are going to give up bosh for a 1st, lee and bass. They just won two titles with that group.

Rondo is nice but Boston has been and never will be a prime free agent destination, I really wish people would put this thought to bed. The players hate the city, it gets very cold and stays that way for months, it also has very little to do that NBA players consider fun.

[indeedproceed]

We are going to become an attractive destination for FAs that want to win.

Yeah, because making the playoffs as a middle of the road team has really made the Denver Nuggets a hot free agent destination.

  I'm sure you could come up with examples of 40-ish win teams signing free agents. I'll start the list off with the 2010 Heat, 5th seeded team in the playoffs and easily dispatched in the first round of the playoffs.

Assuming all things are equal, I think that's relevant, but of course all things are not equal, and Boston has historically had pretty awful luck luring top-tier FA's.

And by top-tier I mean franchise caliber players..not 'one of the most desirable' ala Shaq or Jermaine O'Neal (at the time).

[Fan from VT]

Depends on long term goals.

Want to be in the low-playoffs for several years in a row? Great.

Want to legitimately contend for titles? Different story.

Frankly, both are valid routes, and I think being a 4-5 side second round playoff team year after year is pretty underrate and can be fun for a fan base.

However, if you are trying to build a true contender, one of the worst things you can do is overacheive, and think that that acheivement represents your "true" talent, convince yourself that you are "one player away", get that player, then be stuck in mediocrity for a while. Happens most obviously in football. Atlanta was "one away," packaged tons of picks for julio jones, and they really lack depth across the roster. With Griffin, the Washington team will be in a rough spot for a while.

Now, the C's are really set up to overrate themselves. Terrible conference, so they may meat the arbitrary 8 team cutoff for "playoff team" despite being terrible. They have vets who know how to play, so they might win games against bad teams, boosting the record. Many in the conference are tanking, so we think we're better than we are. Motivated first year coach. Etc.

We need to think of how this team would be in a normal year or normal division. We'd be bad. We need to build the team as such.

Asik is that kind of a "one away" player. Very good, but his impact is defense and rebounding, not the focal point of a team.

[BleedGreen1989]

I just want to see Danny make his first move so I can get some freaking insight on his direction and train of thought!

[BballTim]

We are going to become an attractive destination for FAs that want to win.

Yeah, because making the playoffs as a middle of the road team has really made the Denver Nuggets a hot free agent destination.

  I'm sure you could come up with examples of 40-ish win teams signing free agents. I'll start the list off with the 2010 Heat, 5th seeded team in the playoffs and easily dispatched in the first round of the playoffs.

Assuming all things are equal, I think that's relevant, but of course all things are not equal, and Boston has historically had pretty awful luck luring top-tier FA's.

And by top-tier I mean franchise caliber players..not 'one of the most desirable' ala Shaq or Jermaine O'Neal (at the time).

  I don't think Boston is the top FA destination but I also wonder when we've ever had tons of cap space and tried to sign a top level FA. The closest example I can think of was Karl Malone, and I think that was just a MLE or so offer.

[indeedproceed]

I just want to see Danny make his first move so I can get some freaking insight on his direction and train of thought!

Agreed. If he moves Jordan Crawford that should be a pretty clear indication.

[Ogaju]

I guess I just disagree with the sentiment that the players hate Boston. Winning cures a lot of things. Give players a chance to see they can win, and a coach that can deliver and they will come.

Part of the problem for Celtics getting FAs in the last 10 years or so has been losing, and a coach that was not committed to Boston.

When your own coach does not even live in the town, it is hard to convince Free Agents to the town. All that will change with the new coach in town.

[BleedGreen1989]

I just want to see Danny make his first move so I can get some freaking insight on his direction and train of thought!

Agreed. If he moves Jordan Crawford that should be a pretty clear indication.

Yeah, Crawford and Bass seem to be the best indicators.

Both guys are useful and both are guys you'd want to keep if you're trying to win this season.

If Danny moves Bass for Meyers Leonard/filler or a similar deal, I think it'll become pretty clear.

Then maybe I can finally relax and stop conjuring numerous trade ideas in my head that don't fit with each other.

[Jailan34]

I just want to see Danny make his first move so I can get some freaking insight on his direction and train of thought!

Agreed. If he moves Jordan Crawford that should be a pretty clear indication.

Yeah, Crawford and Bass seem to be the best indicators.

Both guys are useful and both are guys you'd want to keep if you're trying to win this season.

If Danny moves Bass for Meyers Leonard/filler or a similar deal, I think it'll become pretty clear.

Then maybe I can finally relax and stop conjuring numerous trade ideas in my head that don't fit with each other.

Very true, I feel like our team really lacks direction currently. We win too much to tank but not enough to get to 500, at the same time we have a large amount of mid to low value assets for the future, and a bunch of players valuable to a "win now" team.

Very confusing season.