Is the picture starting to come into focus with the Celtics' losing ways?

[MichaelJ]

As it stands right now, the Celtics have the fifth worst record in the NBA.  Obviously if this trend continues their lottery odds increase and the more likely it is that they can land a franchise caliber player.  See if my logic follows:

1) Celtics revisit the Asik trade and are able to acquire him for a package centered around Bass.  Ainge obviously would like to add Asik as the center of now and tomorrow.

2) Celtics will target Jabari Parker in the draft.  Assuming the team finishes high enough to draft him outright or they're close enough to pull off a trade to get him, I think this is who Ainge wants.  They already have a connection and Parker is another "Carmelo Anthony in the making".  He could step into a scoring role immediately and be a franchise player for a very long time.

3) The Celtics will target Gordon Hayward as a FA and land him.  I think the Stevens-connection is strong here and Hayward would likely play in the backcourt with Rondo.  He won't be necessarily have to be a main scorer, but as a second or third option and his familiarity with Stevens' system could make him a great fit.

That would put the lineup as:

PG - Rondo
SG - Hayward
SF - Parker
PF -
C - Asik

If the Celtics don't trade major pieces for Asik, draft Parker outright, and land Hayward as a free agent they'll have 4 of 5 starting positions filled with enough assets (Green, Sullinger, slew of #1 picks) to make a blockbuster trade for a stud PF.  The team could be a serious contender as early as next season and stay one for some time given the age of the players involved.

This overall look at the poster's development is why I was so in favor of the Asik trade.  He's not a glamorous piece but he could be foundational for the role he'd play and for the assets his acquisition would leave untapped for other improvements.

[86MaxwellSmart]

This almost exactly what I am hoping for---the Plan, maybe not those exact players....but something like this.

[EDWARDO]

No Hayward.  Bradley stays and Kevin Love at the 4.  That's far more interesting. Asik and Love together makes a ton of sense.

[Jailan34]

No Hayward.  Bradley stays and Kevin Love at the 4.  That's far more interesting. Sail and Live together makes a ton of sense.

I'd take Hayward over bradley, hes a better playmaker and scorer and while bradley is one of the best on ball defenders in the nba, he will always be limited by his size.

Also, if we trade for Love which is already far fetched because he wants to go to LA, we'd have to give up our top pick to land him.

[beklog]

No Hayward.  Bradley stays and Kevin Love at the 4.  That's far more interesting. Sail and Live together makes a ton of sense.

I'm on Hayward if we already have a mini-Love on our roster so no need for him

[get_banners]

We need to land the #1 or #2 pick to land Parker (assuming things go as they have in college hoops this year). There is no chance he slides below that, unless he really slumps, gets injured, or states he's going on a mission. Given our "luck" with the lottery, I'm not holding out much hope of getting him. Rondo will be coming back soon-ish...I seriously doubt we end up any lower, standing-wise (5th worst team), than where we are right now, and suspect we end up picking in the 8-10 range.

[moiso]

That team that was constructed looks good, but isn't it way premature to assume that we would land Parker?  The odds are very small that we would actually land him, no matter what our record is.

Also, I don't think Hayward will be leaving Utah. 

[EDWARDO]

I likeHayward more too,, but you are going to pay him a lot more and he needs the ball a lot to be effective. I don't think he can be the second best guy on a title team, but is about to get paid that way.

Don't think Love is a pipe dream at all. He's about to walk next year and we offer Love and 3 unprotected #1s, some from a disaster in Brooklyn and they say no??   Not so sure they would. 

[chambers]

No Hayward.  Bradley stays and Kevin Love at the 4.  That's far more interesting. Asik and Love together makes a ton of sense.

Forget both of those chumps.
Lance Stephenson is the guy Danny will target.
Gordon Hayward is the definition of over rated. 30% from three point land and people want him as our starting SG thinking he'll take us anywhere near a championship? Below Average defender that played with Stephens so some how he'll end up here?
NOT happening!

[aporel#18]

I think this season is not about focus, but getting the most flexibility/options you can to make a big move or two next season.

I don't think Danny has 1 or 2 targets, he's thinking about 50 different plans/scenarios and right now he's trying to make them as viable as possible. He'll do any trade that brings back young players/picks/financial flexibility, and my bet is he won't send assets to trade for a non-building block.

So to speak, I don't think he trades for Asik unless Morey is willing to take 50 cents on the dollar. About Hayward, I would say Danny won't give him 12M/year, and I'd rather sign Bradley for 8-9M/year, but Danny will try to resign Bradley for slightly less.

We don't need Love (I mean Kevin), we need Marc Gasol or Joel Embiid. You add one of those two (or even better, both) to our current team with healthy Rondo and you have a contender.

But we're not getting a top 5 pick unless the lottery gods help us (not happening), so you can't plan to get Embiid or Parker or Wiggins. What you can plan is to set your cap situation to make some moves, and Ainge is doing that very well.

[crimson_stallion]

I don't like the sound of any of this.

Firstly Idon't think Asik is anywhere close to a center of the future.  He's a role player who isn't that young (27) and who has zero potential to ever get better than he is now.  He's like Tyson Chandler minus the athleticism and shotblocking (Asik averaging about 0.8 blocks per 36) and with even less offensive ability.

Secondly I don't Hayward.  I think he's drastically overrated in that he's scoring similar points per 36 to what Bradley is and similar rebounds, only he's not even nearly as good a defender and is shooting FAR worse percentage.

Finally I don't like Parker.  His close comparison to Carmello is exactly what scares me away.  Melo has been an elite player for hours many, yet how many teams has he played in that you'd call contenders? He's theperfect example of a guy who puts up all the great numbers, butcan't seem to lead his team
ms anywhere.

Don't get me wrong I won't be hating if we do draft Parker I just don't believe much in one-dimensional superstars - I.e. guys who only do it on one end of  the floor.  The only such player I can think of who has won a title recently as the best player on his team was Dirk...and he had an elite defensive big (Chandler) and swingman (Marion) to help nullify his weakness.

Other than that recent titles have been won with two-way stars:
- Lakers (Shaq, Kobe, Gasol, Bynum)
- Spurs (Duncan)
- Celtics (KG, Pierce)
- Miami (Lebron, Shaq, Wade)
- Detroit (Wallace, Hamilton, Billups)

Yes I consider Pierce a solid defensive player later in his career.

If I got the #1 pick I'd go for a guy with big upside who can play on both ends.  That means basically anyone in the top 6 who isn't Parker.   

[obnoxiousmime]

No Hayward.  Bradley stays and Kevin Love at the 4.  That's far more interesting. Asik and Love together makes a ton of sense.

Forget both of those chumps.
Lance Stephenson is the guy Danny will target.
Gordon Hayward is the definition of over rated. 30% from three point land and people want him as our starting SG thinking he'll take us anywhere near a championship? Below Average defender that played with Stephens so some how he'll end up here?
NOT happening!

I like Stephenson more too, though I haven't seen Hayward play much at all. The problem is you can't just sign somebody, they have to agree to come! It's hard to see a scenario where Boston has either offered the most money or the best chance to win, nor is Boston (the city) historically a popular location that would give them an extra edge in the bidding.

The Stevens connection is what makes the Hayward thing sound possible even though Utah has plenty of cap space to match any offer. That and Utah is actually one team with a worse record than the Celtics! If Hayward wants to come here, there are ways he can pressure Utah to sign-and-trade instead of matching, though ultimately Utah still holds all the cards.

So yeah, I think most Celts fans would prefer Stephenson. Maybe even Ainge feels the same way. However, until there's some hint or evidence Stephenson would love to be here it's hard to get excited about it happening.

[RLewis35]

Finally I don't like Parker.  His close comparison to Carmello is exactly what scares me away.  Melo has been an elite player for hours many, yet how many teams has he played in that you'd call contenders? He's theperfect example of a guy who puts up all the great numbers, butcan't seem to lead his team
ms anywhere.

Don't get me wrong I won't be hating if we do draft Parker I just don't believe much in one-dimensional superstars - I.e. guys who only do it on one end of  the floor.  The only such player I can think of who has won a title recently as the best player on his team was Dirk...and he had an elite defensive big (Chandler) and swingman (Marion) to help nullify his weakness.

Other than that recent titles have been won with two-way stars:
- Lakers (Shaq, Kobe, Gasol, Bynum)
- Spurs (Duncan)
- Celtics (KG, Pierce)
- Miami (Lebron, Shaq, Wade)
- Detroit (Wallace, Hamilton, Billups)

Yes I consider Pierce a solid defensive player later in his career.

If I got the #1 pick I'd go for a guy with big upside who can play on both ends.  That means basically anyone in the top 6 who isn't Parker.

This is a pretty poor analysis of a 19 year old kid.  Jabari Parker is a humble, hard working kid who is an amazing offensive player.  To act like he is going to be Carmelo 12 years from now no matter who coaches him, etc. is not only silly, it judges this 19 year old kid unfairly. 

I've watched a lot of Parker, and I think he is more Pierce than Melo.  He gets down and dirty rebounding, and despite low assist totals, he does look for his teammates. etc.  Coached 1 year by Coach K, and then years by Stevens (or another similar coach who won't let his eyes get enormous and will force him to play D), and I see no reason Jabari can't be a Pierce or another average/above-average defender in the league.

This is a kid who is shooting 50% overall and 40% from 3 despite having the biggest target on his back in college basketball.  Meanwhile he's averaging nearly 8 boards a game.  Guaranteed neither Melo nor Pierce averaged nearly 8 boards a game in college. He also averages a block and a steal a game, and by all accounts, he's known as a great kid and very humble and coachable.

To not draft this kid, if we get the chance, would be folly.  To criticize this kid as a selfish player at age 19 based merely on talking heads' "comparisons" to Melo is simply wrong.

[chambers]

I don't like the sound of any of this.

Firstly Idon't think Asik is anywhere close to a center of the future.  He's a role player who isn't that young (27) and who has zero potential to ever get better than he is now.  He's like Tyson Chandler minus the athleticism and shotblocking (Asik averaging about 0.8 blocks per 36) and with even less offensive ability.

Secondly I don't Hayward.  I think he's drastically overrated in that he's scoring similar points per 36 to what Bradley is and similar rebounds, only he's not even nearly as good a defender and is shooting FAR worse percentage.

Finally I don't like Parker.  His close comparison to Carmello is exactly what scares me away.  Melo has been an elite player for hours many, yet how many teams has he played in that you'd call contenders? He's the perfect example of a guy who puts up all the great numbers, butcan't seem to lead his team
ms anywhere.

Don't get me wrong I won't be hating if we do draft Parker I just don't believe much in one-dimensional superstars - I.e. guys who only do it on one end of  the floor.  The only such player I can think of who has won a title recently as the best player on his team was Dirk...and he had an elite defensive big (Chandler) and swingman (Marion) to help nullify his weakness.

Other than that recent titles have been won with two-way stars:
- Lakers (Shaq, Kobe, Gasol, Bynum)
- Spurs (Duncan)
- Celtics (KG, Pierce)
- Miami (Lebron, Shaq, Wade)
- Detroit (Wallace, Hamilton, Billups)

Yes I consider Pierce a solid defensive player later in his career.

If I got the #1 pick I'd go for a guy with big upside who can play on both ends.  That means basically anyone in the top 6 who isn't Parker.

Who has Melo had to help him though?
He took that team to the WCF in a tough conference against the Lakers that beat us!

He's had Iverson on the way out, and Billups at age 32 on his way out. He's had Amare Stoudemire for 6 months, with Tyson Chandler and JR Smith. Seriously.

What had Paul Pierce done before KG and Ray? He took the C's to a crummy ECF in a terrible conference.

People  just don't give the guy enough credit. Even Lebron said the other night that Melo was the toughest guy to guard in the NBA, followed by Durant.
That's got to count for something doesn't it?
Tell me when he's had the opportunity that Pierce had with KG and Ray, or Lebron had with Shaq in Cleveland, or Miami with Bosh and Wade. Or even Durant with Westbrook and Harden...?

He's basically had a poor man's version of Dirk's 2011 Mavericks with the same center, except Chandler's been injured every 3 months, and his co-superstar hogging 20 million in cap space since he joined the Knicks with knee problems.

Replace Stoudemire's 20 million with another All Star of the caliber that Amare was before his injury and I think the Knicks are probably contending right? I mean Amare was an All Star player and an amazing power forward- his health killed them. It would be like us signing KG to a 5 year deal just as we'd signed Ray and have KG blow his knee out and basically turn him to a cripple that never plays above 50% of his pre-injury ability ever again.
Add to that, when has he had an All Star pass first point guard as a team mate? Billups was 32 when he joined the Nuggets. He had to share the team with Iverson chucking up vomit too.

I don't think he's been given a fair chance if you look at his team mates and bad luck- particularly in New York.

[chambers]

No Hayward.  Bradley stays and Kevin Love at the 4.  That's far more interesting. Asik and Love together makes a ton of sense.

Forget both of those chumps.
Lance Stephenson is the guy Danny will target.
Gordon Hayward is the definition of over rated. 30% from three point land and people want him as our starting SG thinking he'll take us anywhere near a championship? Below Average defender that played with Stephens so some how he'll end up here?
NOT happening!

I like Stephenson more too, though I haven't seen Hayward play much at all. The problem is you can't just sign somebody, they have to agree to come! It's hard to see a scenario where Boston has either offered the most money or the best chance to win, nor is Boston (the city) historically a popular location that would give them an extra edge in the bidding.

The Stevens connection is what makes the Hayward thing sound possible even though Utah has plenty of cap space to match any offer. That and Utah is actually one team with a worse record than the Celtics! If Hayward wants to come here, there are ways he can pressure Utah to sign-and-trade instead of matching, though ultimately Utah still holds all the cards.

So yeah, I think most Celts fans would prefer Stephenson. Maybe even Ainge feels the same way. However, until there's some hint or evidence Stephenson would love to be here it's hard to get excited about it happening.

Well, Stephenson is a restricted free agent, and we'll have Humphries, Bogans, Bradley, Crawford, Bayless all coming off the books- approx 25 million. We can give at least 9 or 10 of that to Lance if we'd prefer him over Bradley. ( Which I think Ainge would).
Our chances are better than you think