Is Stevens going to start the rookies in April?

[hwangjini_1]

Sounds like Joel Anthony is the guy Brad's thinking of sticking into the starting lineup.

great put babb in also

And start olly at pg! Wasn't he a pg in HS? Let's see what he has. And just imagine if Chris Johnson can hack it as a center.

The sky's the limit for the clerics these last few games! 

[ScoobyDoo]

Do you really think Olynyk could play point? 

On one hand it's been a tough season - I get that. I look at it differently and in some ways it's therefore been an awesome season.

1. I used to love watching the original big three - they were young and I knew we had a long run ahead of us. 8-10 years, solid.

2. With the PP, KG, RA big three, after the first few years, I felt like we were living on borrowed time, playing out the string. I still loved the runs but the end was clearly visible.

3. With this team I find watching them exciting because I think we are on our way to becoming a very good team in a fairly short amount of time and i also think this new iteration will have a very long run in front of them.

Nick, is it force feeding rookies minutes or using game time to develop them? It's not like these guys are a collection Fab Melo's.

Sully, Olynyk, Pressey and even Johnson and Babb have proven to a large extent they can play some quality reserve minutes in the NBA - for Sully & Olynyk they've proved they could possibly be long term starters. I say grind them hard these last 8 games as they head into summer league.

I really don't view it as tanking or force feeding minutes. I just see absolutely zero value in using this valuable time on a bunch of mid talent vets (Humphries, Bayless, Bass) who while they might be solid role players for me down the down the road, are not going to lead me to the promised land any time soon. I could also easily see a scenario where Jeff Green is moved as well.

I'd prefer to invest my time and resources into guys I see playing a larger role in the future, than not.     

[hwangjini_1]

Do you really think Olynyk could play point? 

On one hand it's been a tough season - I get that. I look at it differently and in some ways it's therefore been an awesome season.

1. I used to love watching the original big three - they were young and I knew we had a long run ahead of us. 8-10 years, solid.

2. With the PP, KG, RA big three, after the first few years, I felt like we were living on borrowed time, playing out the string. I still loved the runs but the end was clearly visible.

3. With this team I find watching them exciting because I think we are on our way to becoming a very good team in a fairly short amount of time and i also think this new iteration will have a very long run in front of them.

Nick, is it force feeding rookies minutes or using game time to develop them? It's not like these guys are a collection Fab Melo's.

Sully, Olynyk, Pressey and even Johnson and Babb have proven to a large extent they can play some quality reserve minutes in the NBA - for Sully & Olynyk they've proved they could possibly be long term starters. I say grind them hard these last 8 games as they head into summer league.

I really don't view it as tanking or force feeding minutes. I just see absolutely zero value in using this valuable time on a bunch of mid talent vets (Humphries, Bayless, Bass) who while they might be solid role players for me down the down the road, are not going to lead me to the promised land any time soon. I could also easily see a scenario where Jeff Green is moved as well.

I'd prefer to invest my time and resources into guys I see playing a larger role in the future, than not.     

No. 

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

Sounds like Joel Anthony is the guy Brad's thinking of sticking into the starting lineup.

great put babb in also

And start olly at pg! Wasn't he a pg in HS? Let's see what he has. And just imagine if Chris Johnson can hack it as a center.

The sky's the limit for the clerics these last few games! 

lol

[crimson_stallion]

The differences in a couple spots in the draft is using it to trade for an allstar/draft a future allstar or becoming a treadmill team like the Hawks/Grizzlies and never competing for a championship. Sixers and Magic GM's have smartly realized this and traded useless pieces from their teams to fully bottom out. Apparently Ainge didn't want to do that...You can't build a mansion until you've laid the foundation. What is our foundation? Rondo? Sullinger? Is that a championship winning caliber foundation?

That's a cliche that I read a lot on this forum.   

Are you actually saying that if we don't get a top three pick this year, the team "will never compete for a championship"?  That's just a completely unfounded statement that is thrown out there way too often. 


I also am stunned that you use the Magic and Sixers as examples of franchises who we should aspire to be like.

I don't think that's what the above is suggesting, but I think it's suggesting that our probability is much higher.

The big thing this year is the famed quality of the draft.  There are teams out there that would practically kill to get a top 4 pick in this years draft. 

If you secure one of those draft positions then even if you aren't entirely convinced on the players themselves, your draft pick immediately becomes an incredibly valuable trade asset. 

There are teams out there who would potentially deal All-Star or borderline All-Star calibre talent (I'm talking about guys like LeMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, Carmello Anthony, DeMarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe, Chris Bosh) for a combination of a top 3 pick and a young prospect (Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley). 

Even if you wait until after the draft, if you secure any of Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins or Dante Exum...teams will be kneeling at your feet begging you to listen to their valuable trade offers.  Rather than take the risk on the unproven player, you can trade them away before they play a single game.  This way they don't go the Thomas Robinson route and dissapoint once they step on the court.

Or you can keep that player and you have a high talent guy with the potential to become a future All-Star, who you are only paying a MLE contact to for the next couple of years...then you can sell high after they prove themselves later.  Just imagine what talent the Pelicans could get in return for Anthony Davis right now.  Or you can keep them, build around them and laugh at any team that offers you a trade package (as the Pelicans would would with Anthony Davis).

If you end up with a guy like Smart, Randle, Vonleh or Gordon then sure, opposing teams will still have SOME trade interest...but nowhere near the same.  Portland would never offer you LeMarcus Aldridge for Julius Randle.  Miami would never offer you Chris Bosh for Aaron Gordon.  MAYBE you could get a guy like Gortat (not too bad) or Asik (hell no) in return, but that's about it.   So you pretty much end up just keeping the guy, and he'll probably end up being a Kelly Olynyk / Avery Bradley / Jeff Green calibre player - a nice solid guy who can contribute to a team, but not a difference maker.

[SHAQATTACK]

KO.....doesn 't tank this team...he seems to help a winning effort far more than causing problems

Play the old dudes

Play Joel, Bogins , Bass .....add BAbb and you got instant tank squad.

Or put in the. MAD Bomber ...Bradley to destroy team play .....and throw the ball away , dribble off his foot three tines a game......he just sucks

[Celtics18]

The differences in a couple spots in the draft is using it to trade for an allstar/draft a future allstar or becoming a treadmill team like the Hawks/Grizzlies and never competing for a championship. Sixers and Magic GM's have smartly realized this and traded useless pieces from their teams to fully bottom out. Apparently Ainge didn't want to do that...You can't build a mansion until you've laid the foundation. What is our foundation? Rondo? Sullinger? Is that a championship winning caliber foundation?

That's a cliche that I read a lot on this forum.   

Are you actually saying that if we don't get a top three pick this year, the team "will never compete for a championship"?  That's just a completely unfounded statement that is thrown out there way too often. 


I also am stunned that you use the Magic and Sixers as examples of franchises who we should aspire to be like.

I don't think that's what the above is suggesting, but I think it's suggesting that our probability is much higher.

The big thing this year is the famed quality of the draft.  There are teams out there that would practically kill to get a top 4 pick in this years draft. 

If you secure one of those draft positions then even if you aren't entirely convinced on the players themselves, your draft pick immediately becomes an incredibly valuable trade asset. 

There are teams out there who would potentially deal All-Star or borderline All-Star calibre talent (I'm talking about guys like LeMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, Carmello Anthony, DeMarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe, Chris Bosh) for a combination of a top 3 pick and a young prospect (Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley). 

Even if you wait until after the draft, if you secure any of Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins or Dante Exum...teams will be kneeling at your feet begging you to listen to their valuable trade offers.  Rather than take the risk on the unproven player, you can trade them away before they play a single game.  This way they don't go the Thomas Robinson route and dissapoint once they step on the court.

Or you can keep that player and you have a high talent guy with the potential to become a future All-Star, who you are only paying a MLE contact to for the next couple of years...then you can sell high after they prove themselves later.  Just imagine what talent the Pelicans could get in return for Anthony Davis right now.  Or you can keep them, build around them and laugh at any team that offers you a trade package (as the Pelicans would would with Anthony Davis).

If you end up with a guy like Smart, Randle, Vonleh or Gordon then sure, opposing teams will still have SOME trade interest...but nowhere near the same.  Portland would never offer you LeMarcus Aldridge for Julius Randle.  Miami would never offer you Chris Bosh for Aaron Gordon.  MAYBE you could get a guy like Gortat (not too bad) or Asik (hell no) in return, but that's about it.   So you pretty much end up just keeping the guy, and he'll probably end up being a Kelly Olynyk / Avery Bradley / Jeff Green calibre player - a nice solid guy who can contribute to a team, but not a difference maker.

I grant you that Wiggins, Parker, and Embiid most likely have considerably more value than those other guys, but I don't get the impression that Dante Exum has unanimous separation from the rest of that list.  I would think that any of Smart, Randle, Vonleh, or Gordon could have as much or more value depending on which GM we are dealing with.  There may even be a few other names in this year's lottery that some team would give up quite a bit to get, particularly, if as you say, we include a young up and comer like Sully. 

To me, if you don't land a top three pick, there isn't enough difference between four and nine or ten for me to be sweating it too much. 

As much as I have been against it all season long, the tank has already been accomplished.  I am  rooting for a couple of pride wins to close out the season. 

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

KO.....doesn 't tank this team...he seems to help a winning effort far more than causing problems

Play the old dudes

Play Joel, Bogins , Bass .....add BAbb and you got instant tank squad.

Or put in the. MAD Bomber ...Bradley to destroy team play .....and throw the ball away , dribble off his foot three tines a game......he just sucks

and there ya go!!!! heh