The most fun I've had watching the C's in recent memory.

[D.o.s.]

You're sacrificing 6 years for this goal but to watch this young nucleus take shape from within is amazing. No free agents no trades just get the new big three the old fashion way.

A) Don't take it for granted that you'll be able to see a Celtics team that you enjoy watching in six years.

B) No free agents, no trades... off the top of my head that would deprive the Celtics of Bill Russell, Robert Parish, Paul Silas, Bill Walton, Len Bias (we got that pick in a trade from the Sonics, so Bias's Celtic career was the result of a trade), Rondo (same deal, that was the Suns's pick) and, depending on how you feel about supplemental drafts, arguably Bob Cousy. So, no championships ever, and no truly transcendent teams, but at least we'd have had the joy of watching Gerald Green, 'Bassy Telfair and Al Jefferson do the opposite of win season in and season out.

How about no thanks?

[paidthecost2betheboss]

When I read the first post I thought it was sarcasm. However I guess it wasn't. I suppose there is a chance the team may have been a winner longer but it's kind of hard to see.

The thing is though I can't remember a player that I enjoyed watching more then KG. I was a huge McHale and Bird fan and I can honestly say I enjoyed watching KG as much. You dont get to see that without that trade though, at least not with him playing for the Celtics.

You also miss out on Pierce outplaying both LeBron and Kobe in the playoffs. If you tell anyone you saw that in 10 years they will say you are crazy but you will know better.

No sh**!! The guy who moves like he's got glue on his shoes turning a corner was taking the stars from the sky and I got to see that. He dropped 25 tonight I think. Yeah, he did do that to Kobe and Lebron.
I saw that...

[cb8883]

You're sacrificing 6 years for this goal but to watch this young nucleus take shape from within is amazing. No free agents no trades just get the new big three the old fashion way.

A) Don't take it for granted that you'll be able to see a Celtics team that you enjoy watching in six years.

B) No free agents, no trades... off the top of my head that would deprive the Celtics of Bill Russell, Robert Parish, Paul Silas, Bill Walton, Len Bias (we got that pick in a trade from the Sonics, so Bias's Celtic career was the result of a trade), Rondo (same deal, that was the Suns's pick) and, depending on how you feel about supplemental drafts, arguably Bob Cousy. So, no championships ever, and no truly transcendent teams, but at least we'd have had the joy of watching Gerald Green, 'Bassy Telfair and Al Jefferson do the opposite of win season in and season out.

How about no thanks?

I should have clarified the no trades thing. I meant like KG (established stars on the wrong side of 30 that would represent a quick fix)that's what I meant. Draft day trades of our established guys for draft picks would be great. I feel homegrown talent is the way to go. Every team if they want to stay competitive needs to blow it up every 10 years or so. Look at the Patriots for example. The window has been shut for them for a while but yet they keep on coming with the same roster. Doesn't this get boring after a while? Give me some excitement, give me a future at QB not Brady's last 2 years. We're going to be left with nothing except 4-12 records or even worse 8-8 records which would make the Patriots a treadmill team.

However unlike the NFL it's a lot more critical to tank in the NBA. Tanking enough times will get you that top pick. This is the right draft to tank for. Next year we have the draft of the big man too. The next two years will be amazing to watch in the development of the next generation of Celtics basketball. I'm hoping Rondo is not a part of this as I would love to add Marcus Smart or Exum with another top pick.

[PhoSita]

This season is a lot of things, but fun is not one of them.

I've enjoyed watching Sullinger playing well.  That's the main thing I was looking forward to this season -- big performances by young building blocks.

Also, the fact that the team actually out-rebounds other squads is pretty refreshing, too.  So many offensive rebounds this year compared to previous years.

Still, bad basketball is bad basketball.

[KGs Knee]

This season has sucked, not really any way to sugar coat it.

If someone is enjoying it, good for them I guess. I just have little appetite for intentionally bad basketball. It's a disgrace.

[slamtheking]

This season has sucked, not really any way to sugar coat it.

If someone is enjoying it, good for them I guess. I just have little appetite for intentionally bad basketball. It's a disgrace.

I think it's more a matter of finding the silver lining in this season that's become a mess.

- Sully continues to improve
- AB has improved his shot (but appears to be making less of an impact on D)
- Fav looks like he can be a decent backup C
- KO shows signs of being a solid role player
- Chris Johnson looks like a find -- good guard off the bench
- Hump has been a pleasant surprise this season and offers an opportunity for a trade or even just as an expiring contract to free up salary
- Bass has been better this year than last year.  Might bring a decent return in a trade.
- The team hustles almost every game which is a lot better than the team we watched sleepwalk through the last 4 seasons that continually told us they'd turn it on in the playoffs when it mattered but never really did successfully (except 2010 but that loss of homecourt did hurt them in the end IMHO)

[cb8883]

This season has sucked, not really any way to sugar coat it.

If someone is enjoying it, good for them I guess. I just have little appetite for intentionally bad basketball. It's a disgrace.

I think it's more a matter of finding the silver lining in this season that's become a mess.

- Sully continues to improve
- AB has improved his shot (but appears to be making less of an impact on D)
- Fav looks like he can be a decent backup C
- KO shows signs of being a solid role player
- Chris Johnson looks like a find -- good guard off the bench
- Hump has been a pleasant surprise this season and offers an opportunity for a trade or even just as an expiring contract to free up salary
- Bass has been better this year than last year.  Might bring a decent return in a trade.
- The team hustles almost every game which is a lot better than the team we watched sleepwalk through the last 4 seasons that continually told us they'd turn it on in the playoffs when it mattered but never really did successfully (except 2010 but that loss of homecourt did hurt them in the end IMHO)

Doc Rivers hated rebounding. I don't think it's a coincidence that as soon as KG gets traded the Celtics become a much better rebounding squad. Brooklyn meanwhile is ranked 28th or somewhere around that. We are watching Sullinger become an animal before our eyes. We finally are seeing what a young athletic team looks like each night. I really would prefer not having a collection of 30 year olds running up and down the court.

[vinnie]

I have seen more horrible basketball games this year than I have seen in the last 5-plus years. Some games have set the NBA back 50 years. I am happy for those who enjoy watching these games.

[CoachBo]

So you enjoy losing? I'm all for getting a high pick but you're making it sound like you enjoy these tanking seasons more than the seasons we can contend for the championship.

Not at all. But what I love is development.

Then you're contradicting yourself.

The 2007 Celtics were a horrific collection of flotsam that - to this day - has done absolutely nothing in the league. Terrible basketball, every bit as bad as what's being played now. Ainge traded Jefferson, a 5 and two bags of garbage to land two HOFers. He got Garnett and Ray for pennies on the dollars, and I cringe at the mere reminder of that flotsam that we sent out to get them. Thank God the 2007 Celtics are gone.

The truth is some people just get their jollies from picking a favorite player or two. They don't care about the uniform.

It's a perspective that is absolutely and irrevocably foreign to me. Don't understand it, will never, ever agree with it.

[Jon]

I largely agree with CoachBo above.  The first problem in the OP's argument is that the 2007 players we traded away never amounted to anything.  Even Jefferson has proven he can't be a core building block of a championship team--and he was far and away the best of the lot. 

On top of that, while KG and Ray were not homegrown, they were everything that Celtics were supposed to be and it transformed the team into something reminiscent of Russell's dynasty in the '60s where defense and team came first every night.  While I'm still bummed about KG going down in '09, Perk in '10, and Shaq in '11, I constantly reminded myself during the entire time that this is exactly how basketball should be played and it was a thing of beauty.

But my biggest problem with the OP's post is that there is somehow a right or wrong way to build a team.  The only "right" way to build a team is to gather as many assets as you possibly can and make the best use of them depending on the hand you're dealt.  Sure, in theory, homegrown sounds nice.  We can all watch the youngsters grow up and develop and eventually be a dynasty.  It sounds great on paper.  But what happens, if say, you end up getting the #5 pick in the draft instead of getting the #1 or #2? 

I'm sure Danny would have been happy to build around youngsters if he landed Durant, but that's not the hand he was dealt, so he made the best of the one he was.  And that's a sign of a good GM. 

Personally, I don't care how he does it again.  Build up the youngsters, repeat the KG/Ray formula, or do something in between.  But no matter how he does it, I hope it happens sooner than later, because watching these games isn't fun. 

[cb8883]

So you enjoy losing? I'm all for getting a high pick but you're making it sound like you enjoy these tanking seasons more than the seasons we can contend for the championship.

Not at all. But what I love is development.

Then you're contradicting yourself.

The 2007 Celtics were a horrific collection of flotsam that - to this day - has done absolutely nothing in the league. Terrible basketball, every bit as bad as what's being played now. Ainge traded Jefferson, a 5 and two bags of garbage to land two HOFers. He got Garnett and Ray for pennies on the dollars, and I cringe at the mere reminder of that flotsam that we sent out to get them. Thank God the 2007 Celtics are gone.

The truth is some people just get their jollies from picking a favorite player or two. They don't care about the uniform.

It's a perspective that is absolutely and irrevocably foreign to me. Don't understand it, will never, ever agree with it.

But they had amazing athleticism and talent. Gerald Green still shows that talent to this day. I think if they kept them around plus added the young talent they would have gotten from a Pierce deal plus a Derek Rose then this team would be in much better shape than it is today. Again the title was good but the Celtics failed in making this a legitimate long term contender. Now they have an extremely overrated "star" player that is close to 30 and other than that a lot of young talent that needs to be developed. Youth wins in this league and you cannot win with a star over 30 being your focal point unless you have a freak like Jordan or LBJ guiding you. A normal player like Rondo is not your cornerstone player he's probably the 3rd or 4th most important player on a contender at best. They just need to trade him for anything at this point to keep the tank going for next year. Supposedly is an excellent draft for big men in 2015. Would love to get 2 extremely young franchise players in 2 years. That would give us OKC level of dominance in a garbage conference and the ability to make the finals every year eventually.

[cb8883]

I would also like to clarify that building around youth is the only long term solution. Players will resist coming here via trade (KG did at first) and free agents will not come here. The truth is that Boston has bad weather. Some of the worst in the NBA without a ton of endorsements it falls inline with places such as Milwaukee Cleveland and Utah as least desirable locations to play basketball. Boston will never be a huge free agent attraction it's just too cold of a place. Unless the Celtics can keep that star player around for 6 years and then build a winner in that time period. Then those players might stay. Other than that I think most Celtics fans have come to the sensible conclusion that Boston is a 3rd tier destination for NBA players due to weather and lack of endorsements.

[hwangjini_1]

You're sacrificing 6 years for this goal but to watch this young nucleus take shape from within is amazing. No free agents no trades just get the new big three the old fashion way.

A) Don't take it for granted that you'll be able to see a Celtics team that you enjoy watching in six years.

B) No free agents, no trades... off the top of my head that would deprive the Celtics of Bill Russell, Robert Parish, Paul Silas, Bill Walton, Len Bias (we got that pick in a trade from the Sonics, so Bias's Celtic career was the result of a trade), Rondo (same deal, that was the Suns's pick) and, depending on how you feel about supplemental drafts, arguably Bob Cousy. So, no championships ever, and no truly transcendent teams, but at least we'd have had the joy of watching Gerald Green, 'Bassy Telfair and Al Jefferson do the opposite of win season in and season out.

How about no thanks?

and dont forget kevin mchale.

by the way, good points dos.

[Roy H.]

I would also like to clarify that building around youth is the only long term solution. Players will resist coming here via trade (KG did at first) and free agents will not come here. The truth is that Boston has bad weather. Some of the worst in the NBA without a ton of endorsements it falls inline with places such as Milwaukee Cleveland and Utah as least desirable locations to play basketball. Boston will never be a huge free agent attraction it's just too cold of a place. Unless the Celtics can keep that star player around for 6 years and then build a winner in that time period. Then those players might stay. Other than that I think most Celtics fans have come to the sensible conclusion that Boston is a 3rd tier destination for NBA players due to weather and lack of endorsements.

I think everyone would like to see a dynasty again, and you're right, the most likely way for that to happen is through the draft.

However, "most likely" doesn't mean particularly likely.  The vast, vast majority of teams -- even teams with good management -- never win a single title after rebuilding, let alone multiple championships.

I'm not picky.  If we land dominant players to build around in the draft, awesome.  If we instead end up trading picks and young players for the next couple of end-of-their-prime superstars and that lands us a title, I'm okay with that, too.

[KGs Knee]

We finally are seeing what a young athletic team looks like each night. I really would prefer not having a collection of 30 year olds running up and down the court.

This is just silly.

You'd rather watch this garbage team than the 2008 title team?

I do not believe you.