Is anyone still mad we traded KG and Pierce??

[Rhyso]

We're on pace to win 27 games, but we've actually been even worse lately... dropping back-to-back-to-back games against equally horrific tanking teams.

Just curious... In an alternate universe where Ainge brings back everyone during this past offseason and trotted out a lineup of PG - Rondo, SG - Ray Allen, SF - Pierce, PF - KG, C - Perk... with Tony Allen and Glen Davis off the bench...

How many games does that team win?  Let's pretend they had this post-prime version of Rondo all season.

Well that starting 5 never lost a series, so i would say 52 wins for 4th seed and championship.

[SHAQATTACK]

I wasn't mad, I was sad.
Great trade for boston.  If the nets don't win this year a horrible trade for them AND this year is their only chance

Pretty much my thoughts.   I was very sad.

The situation is not that cut and dry.

Doc lied ,  he didn't want to help rebuild a team.   

With him wanting out changed DA plan significantly I'd say or strategy for an overhaul

So,  from just a medium rebuild , Celtics went to a complete team overhaul .

It's going to be a long road back.

NBA doesn 't let you buy a team anymore ....like the Lakers and Yankees

A lot of Luck involved building a team

[cman88]

lets not overlook the fact that while KG/Pierce are still valuable players, they arent even near where they were last year.

KG is averaging 6.8ppg and pierce 13.5ppg..

if we still had them on the team and they were putting up those kind numbers half the board would be jumping on ainge for hanging onto them for too long...

I think I more miss what KG/Pierce WERE than what they are now as players....the Pierce who could go toe to toe with Lebron only can show up once in awhile now...and Ainge saw that we cant contend with this team. we would likely be like the nets. competitive enough to reach the 2nd round..and then get bounced by Indiana or Miami.

the big-3 era was supposed to be a 3-year plan and ainge was able to Milk them for 5-6years.

but the winner of that trade wont really be determined until we see what ainge does with those picks

[Vermont Green]

I am not mad (I assume this is asking mad at Danny Ainge).

I am not sure that this was a "disrespectful" trade in terms of how Ainge treated Pierce and KG.  KG had a no trade so he could of chosen to stay but the plan was to trade Pierce and KG to a title contender team and give them one or two more shots at the title.

It didn't turn out that way for the Nets but that isn't Ainge's fault.  Lopez hurt and Williams really still not what he once was is the problem but this was supposed to be a top team.

In terms of when the next contending team will be ready, keeping KG and PP would not have sped things up.  I don't think we would have been much better than last year if we had kept them.  With Rondo and maybe if KG put a healthy run together, we win one round.

Whether we trade them or not, to get back on top is going to take a series of good moves (drafts, trades, FA) and of course some luck.  Having all of the future draft picks from the Nets increases the odds that we will get lucky in the draft and get that transcendent player.  It might take a few years, it might take 20.

[Moranis]

If the trade didn't happen, we're probably have 4th or 5th seed in the east with a 1st round exit, and get a 20-25th pick in the 2014 draft.

And after KG and Pierce retires lets say in 2015 or 2016, we would be stuck without anybody or any assets for the future.

I was really sad the trade happened, but a part of me knows that it was necessary if we want to be real contenders again.

  Real contenders? When 2018, 2020, realistically when?

Definitely not another 22 years.
Maybe 2 to 4 years, we'll be back as real contenders.

  2 to 4 years?  When has a team stripped itself and been real contenders in 2 to 4 years?

The Lakers, Thunder, Heat, Jazz, Grizzlies, and Bulls have all done it fairly recently (at least stripped a team and became a contender in 4ish years - obviously they all weren't champions before that).

[cman88]

It didn't turn out that way for the Nets but that isn't Ainge's fault.  Lopez hurt and Williams really still not what he once was is the problem but this was supposed to be a top team.

Honestly, I didnt think KG/Lopez mixed very well...Brooklyn/KG have played much better since lopez got hurt because at this point, KG is a center IMO

I still think they have the tools to maybe upset a team or two..but they need Deron Williams to play like an allstar.

[SHAQATTACK]

Nets aren't going anywhere ...but a first round exit from the playoffs .......and a monster luxury tax bill .

Pierce and KG will be older and less effective next year ...if they play......DWill already seems 40 years old as he is always broken or hurt.

Lopez is always unhealthy .....may never start and play another full season without the constant injury issues.

Nets took a long shot at a title for this year.

At best they are a second round out.......not even in the same league as Pacers , Heat or Spurs .

[cb8883]

Hell no. The Celtics killed the Nets in that deal. We traded a bunch of old guys for a young athletic team. I'm just mad that Ainge didn't have the guts to bottom out and blow it all up. Philly is doing it the right way, Boston is doing it half way and will be rewarded with a pick in the 7-10 range because of it. Top 5 pick in the best draft in a decade or Bass and Green...hmm...

[sed522002]

From a fan's aspect it was sad...I wasn't mad though. Let's say we kept them and we're still struggling just to get out of the 1st or 2nd round and later on found out what BKN tried to offer. I think we'd have some people wanting Ainge's head if he didn't make that deal.

[Fafnir]

As IP said I wasn't  .

I was  . It was time, I'm happy that Ainge managed to parley three first round picks and a swap out of the break up of that team.

[fairweatherfan]

I was never really mad about it - even right afterward, I knew it was a great deal even with swallowing Wallace's contract.  And nothing's really happened since then to dissuade that.

Disagree with the OP on one thing though - with a healthy Rondo we beat the Knicks last year.  That team was so deeply flawed, there's no way they get past our full roster.  Indiana would've pounded us into dust, though.

[manl_lui]

Hell no. The Celtics killed the Nets in that deal. We traded a bunch of old guys for a young athletic team. I'm just mad that Ainge didn't have the guts to bottom out and blow it all up. Philly is doing it the right way, Boston is doing it half way and will be rewarded with a pick in the 7-10 range because of it. Top 5 pick in the best draft in a decade or Bass and Green...hmm...

I think that is up for debate in a few years of who gets to the playoff/contending first. You still need pieces to move forward with. 76ers HAD no one to move forward with. I honestly feel they will now build around MCW in a year or two.

I still think this team is in the 1-5 range

[Fafnir]

I was never really mad about it - even right afterward, I knew it was a great deal even with swallowing Wallace's contract.  And nothing's really happened since then to dissuade that.

Disagree with the OP on one thing though - with a healthy Rondo we beat the Knicks last year.  That team was so deeply flawed, there's no way they get past our full roster.  Indiana would've pounded us into dust, though.

Yeah New York couldn't score on us. They matched up better with the Pacers because the Pacers big style left them more vulnerable to the Knicks scheme.

The fact that Bass could play Melo straight up with only a little help and the C's could just switch Pierce/Green/Bass made a lot of New York's attack predictable.

But we couldn't score or even dribble the ball up the court for much of that series....

[Celtics17]

Trading away the face of the franchise does hurt but I was never mad about it. I loved watching PP and really KG even more but if loyalty to players costs the team opportunities then is it really serving the fan? You can, of course, debate wether this helped the team long run or not but it looks like it will.

If this years pick turns into a superstar or even a perennial all-star then it's worth doing. I do kind of hope PP rejoins the C's next year and retires a Celtic.

[GreenWarrior]

i'm not mad, never was. danny did the right thing for all the parties involved. he wasn't going to be able to get KG & pierce the help they needed. so he gave them an opportunity to win, which they deserved.