8 games left. I think we finish 5th worst with 29.2% chance of a top 3 pick.

[slamtheking]

heading into the NCAA championship tonight, C's look like they'll finish no worse (better?) than the 6th worst record.

only a game behind Orlando, 1 in front of Utah and 2 in front of the Lakers with 5 to go. 

unreal that a team that has the veterans it has, didn't jettison any significant talent and has been relatively injury free (Rondo being the only real exception) could wind up amongst the teams that had at least one of those factors to explain their record.

[PhoSita]

heading into the NCAA championship tonight, C's look like they'll finish no worse (better?) than the 6th worst record.

only a game behind Orlando, 1 in front of Utah and 2 in front of the Lakers with 5 to go. 

unreal that a team that has the veterans it has, didn't jettison any significant talent and has been relatively injury free (Rondo being the only real exception) could wind up amongst the teams that had at least one of those factors to explain their record.

Rondo is a pretty major exception.  He's the only player even close to All-Star status on the roster.

Also, I think you could add "roster has lacked a true center all season long" as a factor.

I mean, for significant stretches of the season they've relied on Jordan Crawford, Chris Johnson, Vitor Faverani, Brandon Bass, Kris Humphries, Phil Pressey, Jerryd Bayless, and the corpse of Gerald Wallace for major minutes.

I'd say the Celtics are right where they belong.

[slamtheking]

heading into the NCAA championship tonight, C's look like they'll finish no worse (better?) than the 6th worst record.

only a game behind Orlando, 1 in front of Utah and 2 in front of the Lakers with 5 to go. 

unreal that a team that has the veterans it has, didn't jettison any significant talent and has been relatively injury free (Rondo being the only real exception) could wind up amongst the teams that had at least one of those factors to explain their record.

Rondo is a pretty major exception.  He's the only player even close to All-Star status on the roster.

Also, I think you could add "roster has lacked a true center all season long" as a factor.

I mean, for significant stretches of the season they've relied on Jordan Crawford, Chris Johnson, Vitor Faverani, Brandon Bass, Kris Humphries, Phil Pressey, Jerryd Bayless, and the corpse of Gerald Wallace for major minutes.

I'd say the Celtics are right where they belong.

Granted not having Rondo is pretty significant but considering many here exclaim the benefit of having veterans over young players and the fact it's a fairly veteran teams to start the season where many of those vets were rotation-quality players, I would have expected better.

Green, Bass, Hump, Wallace, Lee (then Bayless), AB (4th year), Crawford should have been better.  not great, but better than the other teams we're surrounded by at the bottom of the standings.  considering Sully as a second year player has been pretty solid, this team really should have been better.

[freshinthehouse]

heading into the NCAA championship tonight, C's look like they'll finish no worse (better?) than the 6th worst record.

only a game behind Orlando, 1 in front of Utah and 2 in front of the Lakers with 5 to go. 

unreal that a team that has the veterans it has, didn't jettison any significant talent and has been relatively injury free (Rondo being the only real exception) could wind up amongst the teams that had at least one of those factors to explain their record.

I figured we'd end up with the 6th worst record this year, finishing around 28 wins.  I think this team has lost an inordinate amount of close games, which has helped(hurt?) it sink as low as it has, wins-wise.

[PhoSita]

Granted not having Rondo is pretty significant but considering many here exclaim the benefit of having veterans over young players and the fact it's a fairly veteran teams to start the season where many of those vets were rotation-quality players, I would have expected better.

It's a talent league.  Talent wins. 

I think experience matters between teams of comparable talent.  The Celtics have comparable talent to the teams below them and near them in the standings, especially when you consider Rondo is on track to play less than half of the 82 game season. 

The Celtics will finish above Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Orlando, and possibly Utah.  There's your veteran effect.

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

I would call the roster we have more structural tanking than outright. There's talent but its so poorly distributed positionwise. The little 3 point shooting we had went with Courtney Lee, Brooks and Crawford, we have had anemic  interior offense, and are constantly overpowered in defending  the paint. You could say we were the anti-Rockets this season.

[D.o.s.]

I would call the roster we have more structural tanking than outright. There's talent but its so poorly distributed positionwise. The little 3 point shooting we had went with Courtney Lee, Brooks and Crawford, we have had anemic  interior offense, and are constantly overpowered in defending  the paint. You could say we were the anti-Rockets this season.

You know, I totally forgot Courtney Lee was on the roster this season.

[PhoSita]

I would call the roster we have more structural tanking than outright. There's talent but its so poorly distributed positionwise. The little 3 point shooting we had went with Courtney Lee, Brooks and Crawford, we have had anemic  interior offense, and are constantly overpowered in defending  the paint. You could say we were the anti-Rockets this season.

You know, I totally forgot Courtney Lee was on the roster this season.

It's funny, I was excited when the team acquired Lee, because I liked him before he got here.  For as long as he was with the team, I was generally underwhelmed by him.  Since he was traded, he's played quite well for Memphis.

I guess the fit was just never quite right for Lee in Boston.

[nickagneta]

I think if Courtney Lee played last year like he did all this year, people would have loved him and possibly it would have been Bradley that was traded while Lee was still here. But having such a poor year last year and then when he complained about his playing time, he wrote his ticket out of town.

Reports are that Lee is well liked by his team mates everywhere he has gone but he just continues to get traded from team to team to team. I see smoke. I think fire. Maybe Lee just isn't as well liked by the people that have to coach and manage him.

[fairweatherfan]

I think if Courtney Lee played last year like he did all this year, people would have loved him and possibly it would have been Bradley that was traded while Lee was still here. But having such a poor year last year and then when he complained about his playing time, he wrote his ticket out of town.

Reports are that Lee is well liked by his team mates everywhere he has gone but he just continues to get traded from team to team to team. I see smoke. I think fire. Maybe Lee just isn't as well liked by the people that have to coach and manage him.

I think the more likely explanation is that Lee's good enough to play, but not good enough that anybody considers him at all indispensable or a key future piece.  Combine that with the Rockets, Nets and Celtics all being in a transitional period while Lee was there, and it makes sense that he's been traded a few times.

[D.o.s.]

I think if Courtney Lee played last year like he did all this year, people would have loved him and possibly it would have been Bradley that was traded while Lee was still here. But having such a poor year last year and then when he complained about his playing time, he wrote his ticket out of town.

Reports are that Lee is well liked by his team mates everywhere he has gone but he just continues to get traded from team to team to team. I see smoke. I think fire. Maybe Lee just isn't as well liked by the people that have to coach and manage him.

I think the more likely explanation is that Lee's good enough to play, but not good enough that anybody considers him at all indispensable or a key future piece.  Combine that with the Rockets, Nets and Celtics all being in a transitional period while Lee was there, and it makes sense that he's been traded a few times.

Yeah I'm with FWF on this one.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

I think if Courtney Lee played last year like he did all this year, people would have loved him and possibly it would have been Bradley that was traded while Lee was still here. But having such a poor year last year and then when he complained about his playing time, he wrote his ticket out of town.

Reports are that Lee is well liked by his team mates everywhere he has gone but he just continues to get traded from team to team to team. I see smoke. I think fire. Maybe Lee just isn't as well liked by the people that have to coach and manage him.

I think the more likely explanation is that Lee's good enough to play, but not good enough that anybody considers him at all indispensable or a key future piece.  Combine that with the Rockets, Nets and Celtics all being in a transitional period while Lee was there, and it makes sense that he's been traded a few times.

Yeah I'm with FWF on this one.

Yep good points

[BballTim]

I think if Courtney Lee played last year like he did all this year, people would have loved him and possibly it would have been Bradley that was traded while Lee was still here. But having such a poor year last year and then when he complained about his playing time, he wrote his ticket out of town.

  When Lee was playing for us this year he wasn't much of a catch and shoot player but was good at taking a dribble or two and then shooting a pull-up jumper. He was the same on Memphis. I think he spent too much time last year trying to be a catch and shoot player and I don't think that's his strength.

[D.o.s.]

I think if Courtney Lee played last year like he did all this year, people would have loved him and possibly it would have been Bradley that was traded while Lee was still here. But having such a poor year last year and then when he complained about his playing time, he wrote his ticket out of town.

  When Lee was playing for us this year he wasn't much of a catch and shoot player but was good at taking a dribble or two and then shooting a pull-up jumper. He was the same on Memphis. I think he spent too much time last year trying to be a catch and shoot player and I don't think that's his strength.

Same thing happened to Jason Terry -- I think those guys were (fairly obviously, in retrospect) the wrong fits for Doc's system when they first got to boston.

[LilRip]

I think if Courtney Lee played last year like he did all this year, people would have loved him and possibly it would have been Bradley that was traded while Lee was still here. But having such a poor year last year and then when he complained about his playing time, he wrote his ticket out of town.

Reports are that Lee is well liked by his team mates everywhere he has gone but he just continues to get traded from team to team to team. I see smoke. I think fire. Maybe Lee just isn't as well liked by the people that have to coach and manage him.

I think the more likely explanation is that Lee's good enough to play, but not good enough that anybody considers him at all indispensable or a key future piece.  Combine that with the Rockets, Nets and Celtics all being in a transitional period while Lee was there, and it makes sense that he's been traded a few times.

The perfect description of the journeyman.