Boston legitimately 4th seed

[oldtype]

Would have liked to see Pierce and KG here. Or Brad Stevens here a few years back.

The Spurs arguably don't have a #1 player but are doing so great because of great coaching.

Duncan was a transcendent player. Right now he's a very, very, very, very good player showing flashes of greatness.

This team might have been very analogous to the Spurs with Pierce, KG, Rondo and BS.

Sully in all likelihood won't sniff Duncan. But prime Sully vs. 36, 37 year old Duncan? Maybe if we make up the difference in other positions.

I don't think Stevens would have been able to get everybody on board with his culture if it was still a locker room dominated by gigantic personalities like Pierce and Garnett.

[SHAQATTACK]

Add Asik  with Rondo and Green and Sully ....this team ......this year would fall right in behind Indy and Miami in th East.

[ManUp]

I think it's a mix of Brad Stevens having us over-achieve and other teams under-achieving or tanking. teams like Detroit, Brooklyn, and Washington should be better based on the level of talent they have.

Brooklyn and Chicago are the only teams with a worse record that I thought would be better than Boston.  Detroit and Washington are doing about as well as I thought they would, given their rosters.

Detroit's roster is flawed (not enough shooting), but I thought in the east they'd be able to coast off of talent. Washington has a decent starting lineup (Wall, Beal, Ariza, Nene, Gortat) I can only assume their bench is why they aren't more competitive. Seems like they've drafted a bunch of busts outside of Wall and Beal.

[LarBrd33]

Add Asik  with Rondo and Green and Sully ....this team ......this year would fall right in behind Indy and Miami in th East.

Of course they would.  We are only a game out of the 3rd seed as is... But we're on pace to finish like 20 games behind Miami and 30 games behind Indiana.

And then what?

[action781]

Boy the Celtics success must be legitimately killing you guys.

Sullinger was a #21 pick and is turning into a stud.

Rondo was a #21 pick and is a 4 time All Star, multiple time All-Defense and multiple time assists per game leading player.

Bradley was a #19 pick and has already been an All Defense team member and is becoming one heck of a shooter.

Yet you're lamenting these same players doing well so that the C's can get a top pick yet can't see the forest through the trees and see that you can get difference making All Star type players in the draft exactly where the C's are projected to be drafting.

This just illustrates what a master GM Danny Ainge is.  I'm not all that concerned.  I think we can cash in some assets now and become a solid middling playoff team for the foreseeable future.  One of those also-ran teams that nobody cares about.  Nuggets East.

Glad your outlook has become so rosy. Me, I see greatness for this team due to the players they have now, players that will be added in future drafts and their ability to develop those players into stars.

I also see Brooklyn absolutely sucking in a few years and the C's cashing in on a lottery superstar then that they will add to a playoff team with a young core of stars.

You see greatness... Do you see anyone on this team capable of being the #1 player on a champion?  Who do you envision as being our franchise player?  Sully?

Who knows?  If someone looked at the Pacers 3 years ago claiming to see greatness another person likely would have mocked them saying, "Who do you envision as being our franchise player?  Paul George?  Hibbert?"  To which any reader likely would have laughed.

We have a lot of young players with potential to grow - Rondo, Bradley, Green, Sullinger, Olynyk and many future draft picks.  I too think there is a franchise player or 2 in that bunch, even if he isn't realized yet.

[LooseCannon]

Add Asik  with Rondo and Green and Sully ....this team ......this year would fall right in behind Indy and Miami in th East.

Of course they would.  We are only a game out of the 3rd seed as is... But we're on pace to finish like 20 games behind Miami and 30 games behind Indiana.

And then what?

Well, Asik would give the Celtics a chance to exploit Miami's rebounding weakness and close the gap enough to where Boston has a chance if you believe that Brad Stevens can out-coach Spoelstra.

At worst, it would probably make the Celtics look like they are a player away from being a contender and make Boston an attractive destination for a free agent who respects Stevens, so that the team could have legitimate title hopes for 2014-2015.

[LarBrd33]

Boy the Celtics success must be legitimately killing you guys.

Sullinger was a #21 pick and is turning into a stud.

Rondo was a #21 pick and is a 4 time All Star, multiple time All-Defense and multiple time assists per game leading player.

Bradley was a #19 pick and has already been an All Defense team member and is becoming one heck of a shooter.

Yet you're lamenting these same players doing well so that the C's can get a top pick yet can't see the forest through the trees and see that you can get difference making All Star type players in the draft exactly where the C's are projected to be drafting.

This just illustrates what a master GM Danny Ainge is.  I'm not all that concerned.  I think we can cash in some assets now and become a solid middling playoff team for the foreseeable future.  One of those also-ran teams that nobody cares about.  Nuggets East.

Glad your outlook has become so rosy. Me, I see greatness for this team due to the players they have now, players that will be added in future drafts and their ability to develop those players into stars.

I also see Brooklyn absolutely sucking in a few years and the C's cashing in on a lottery superstar then that they will add to a playoff team with a young core of stars.

You see greatness... Do you see anyone on this team capable of being the #1 player on a champion?  Who do you envision as being our franchise player?  Sully?

Who knows?  If someone looked at the Pacers 3 years ago claiming to see greatness another person likely would have mocked them saying, "Who do you envision as being our franchise player?  Paul George?  Hibbert?"  To which any reader likely would have laughed.

No they wouldn't have.   Not Pacer fans at least.  I went to their board 3 years ago when the "Paul Pierce for Granger or Paul George" rumors started floating around... Pacer fans were absolutely ADAMANT that Paul George was a "phenom" and future superstar.  Adamant.  They laughed that the ridiculous trade offer and scoffed at the idea they'd trade their future franchise superstar for an old player like Pierce.  They were far more open to moving Granger.

So I'm asking you... who on this team do you envision as being the top dog on an eventual champion?   Olynyk?  You can't be serious.    Sully?... I'm impressed with him too, but... really?    Bradley?  No way.

But you're the one who sees greatness.   Who do you see as being potentially great?

[LarBrd33]

Add Asik  with Rondo and Green and Sully ....this team ......this year would fall right in behind Indy and Miami in th East.

Of course they would.  We are only a game out of the 3rd seed as is... But we're on pace to finish like 20 games behind Miami and 30 games behind Indiana.

And then what?

Well, Asik would give the Celtics a chance to exploit Miami's rebounding weakness and close the gap enough to where Boston has a chance if you believe that Brad Stevens can out-coach Spoelstra.

At worst, it would probably make the Celtics look like they are a player away from being a contender and make Boston an attractive destination for a free agent who respects Stevens, so that the team could have legitimate title hopes for 2014-2015.

I can respect that.  So safe to say you're very interested in an Asik trade?   What are you willing to sacrifice for him?  If you change bodies with Danny Ainge on Thursday, what's the max bid you submit for Asik?  Wow me.

[BigAlTheFuture]

For sure we're gonna get into the playoffs with how bad the other Eastern Conference teams are. I really though after our somewhat surprising start that we were going to eventually come back down to Earth and start losing games left and right, and I was wrong.

Might even sneak into the 2nd round with a healthy Rondo.

[esel1000]

Add Asik  with Rondo and Green and Sully ....this team ......this year would fall right in behind Indy and Miami in th East.

Of course they would.  We are only a game out of the 3rd seed as is... But we're on pace to finish like 20 games behind Miami and 30 games behind Indiana.

And then what?

Well, Asik would give the Celtics a chance to exploit Miami's rebounding weakness and close the gap enough to where Boston has a chance if you believe that Brad Stevens can out-coach Spoelstra.

At worst, it would probably make the Celtics look like they are a player away from being a contender and make Boston an attractive destination for a free agent who respects Stevens, so that the team could have legitimate title hopes for 2014-2015.

I can respect that.  So safe to say you're very interested in an Asik trade?   What are you willing to sacrifice for him?  If you change bodies with Danny Ainge on Thursday, what's the max bid you submit for Asik?  Wow me.

For me personally it's Bass and possibly the Clippers first. I wouldn't trade Green for him and I don't think the Rockets are going to get a much better deal than that seeing that they're desperate and that there's a proven track record of Howard being successful playing alongside Bass

[LooseCannon]

Add Asik  with Rondo and Green and Sully ....this team ......this year would fall right in behind Indy and Miami in th East.

Of course they would.  We are only a game out of the 3rd seed as is... But we're on pace to finish like 20 games behind Miami and 30 games behind Indiana.

And then what?

Well, Asik would give the Celtics a chance to exploit Miami's rebounding weakness and close the gap enough to where Boston has a chance if you believe that Brad Stevens can out-coach Spoelstra.

At worst, it would probably make the Celtics look like they are a player away from being a contender and make Boston an attractive destination for a free agent who respects Stevens, so that the team could have legitimate title hopes for 2014-2015.

I can respect that.  So safe to say you're very interested in an Asik trade?   What are you willing to sacrifice for him?  If you change bodies with Danny Ainge on Thursday, what's the max bid you submit for Asik?  Wow me.

I am interested.

I did float the idea of Lin, Asik, Montiejunas, and filler for Humphries, Lee, Wallace, a lottery-protected 2014 first and a future first (the lesser of the two 2015 picks owned by the Celtics).  I doubt Montiejunas is available, though.

My max bid is something more than Bass/Lee plus a first and something less than Bass/Lee plus two firsts.  Being able to swap Wallace's contract for Lin's deal (and clear up playing time for that scoring sixth man wing behind Green/Bradley that I would like to acquire) is the sort of thing that could help make me more willing to add the second pick.

[PhoSita]

The Eastern Conference legitimately bad.

The Celtics are still playing at a 37 win pace.  In a normal season that would put them in the 8-10 range.

Which is why at this point they might as well just dump the picks now for instant upgrades.  Try to be competitive now.  The long game isn't going to work out.

Brooklyn is finally coming together, as well.  As expected, all it took was the return of Deron Williams.

Why?  Dump picks that could turn into really nice players (however unlikely) and will at least be cost-controlled for 4+ years in order to acquire more middle of the road players and solidify our team as a perennial 3rd or 4th seed?  We're still talking about picks in the teens.  It's not like we'll be picking at the end of the 1st round.

What's the point of making win-now moves? Simply because the East is terrible this year, why would Ainge change direction and consign this group to be beaten in the 2nd round by Miami or Indiana for the next 3-5 years? 

That may seem like a nice enough fate in the eyes of some, but without the hope of reaching higher, it would quickly grow old, in my opinion.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

Why are so many people hating on being a "middling team"?

I just don't get it. I want someone to find me the stats on the teams who won the championship that weren't "middling"... it seems to me that you don't go from bad(constantly missing playoffs) to great (champ), you go from good (playoffs/contender) to great (champ)!

[chambers]

Don't freak out too much.
I don't think anyone expected us to be doing so well without Rondo- being 4th in the East was a dream.
Stevens has done an amazing job coaching and Sully and Crawford have been unstoppable.
Combine our overachieving with the East's underachieving and we've got what seems like a recipe for mediocrity and a real lost opportunity at this loaded draft.
I am worried about Ainge's strategy at the moment because being 4th in the East with a losing record is what he said he didn't want.

The positives are that Stevens is probably going to be a better coach than Doc- at least technically.

With our team coming 4th and beating up on teams like NY and Minnesota, we are *hopefully* looking appealing to future free agents and stars who are p*ssed off with their teams.
I can only imagine what poor K Love is thinking after losing to our team of veteran scrubs and promising young guys- he must hate his situation in Minny.

We don't know what Ainge's plan, but from now until February tradeline we'll be guessing most outcomes.
There's still time to tank, and there's also still time to keep building this base of Rondo, Sully, Green, Olynyk and draft picks and adding an All Star or two to that core.

It's just very hard to add those expensive pieces with the money tied up in our veterans.
The only way I see us freeing up that money for a Carmelo or a K.Love is by trading those picks with Wallace and Lee and hoping to get lucky in finding a trade partner- but that takes just as much luck at binking a top 3 pick.

In Ainge we trust.

[PhoSita]

Why are so many people hating on being a "middling team"?

I just don't get it. I want someone to find me the stats on the teams who won the championship that weren't "middling"... it seems to me that you don't go from bad(constantly missing playoffs) to great (champ), you go from good (playoffs/contender) to great (champ)!

There's nothing wrong with being "middling" if you have a clear idea of how you're going to climb higher than that.

My issue is with the idea that it's acceptable to just be a 3rd or 4th seed every year and maybe win a game or two against the Heat or Pacers in the second round.  I am not in favor of the team investing any of its resources for a "quick fix" that will just ensure they win 45ish games for a few years.


Trading for Asik and spending money to hold onto Bradley and Crawford after this season could ensure that this team is reasonably competitive for the next couple of years, with Rondo, Green, Sullinger, Bradley, Asik, and a handful of familiar role players off the bench.  That would be a nice feel-good underdog that could maybe peak with 50 wins or so.  But that team would be pretty much topped out money-wise, and there wouldn't be any lottery picks coming to give a major talent infusion.  That's called being stuck in neutral.


But if you're content to just have a team that's reasonably entertaining every night and can play a series or two in the playoffs each April, then that's a sound plan.