Stevens and Ainge are finally getting it

[cman88]

I hope we dont win another game. the only winnable games I see are Atlanta and Philly...but philly beat us in boston

no point to win any more games. get the 4th worst record and land a top 3 pick. I would be happy with either wiggins/parker or Embiid

[BballTim]

It's about time.  Just swallow your pride everyone. You were great all season. No one can doubt your allegiance.  You stayed true all year.  You didn't root for tanking. Congratulations.

Back to the real world... We are just this close to a number 4 lottery position. Our team is very talented with a great coach and some real assets.

Would you like Wiggins?  Or embid?  You don't have to feel bad about being excited about those players.  You're still a Celtics fan.  And if you can't handle showing others that excitement, just quietly watch and smile, and knew that our team could be really good for a very long time.

  Hopefully the team will be really good for a very long time, although the thought that a top 4-5 draft pick somehow insures that is hopelessly naive.

Despite what West and Ainge have said this draft is worth tanking for. You have 4 legit superstar potential players and a few all stars at the top of the draft. Best overall crop since 2003. Complete the tank! Get the next superstar in here asap.

  It's not just what Danny's said. Most of the people who were proclaiming that this was a superstar-laden draft have been distancing themselves from those claims.

If that was the case then how come the Sixers Lakers Bucks and even the Celtics are putting on the biggest tank show since 2007? All smoke and mirrors. This class is 100% the real deal especially if Parker comes out.

  This isn't "the biggest tank show since 2007". There are no more really bad teams than usual, and on the whole the bad teams aren't worse than normal. The problem is you don't follow the league very closely. Go back and look at the standings between this year and 2007 and then tell me why you're so sure that there's a huge tank job this season.

[D.o.s.]

I think the difference is that there's been a bigger spotlight on teams that haven't actively gone out of their way to be better this season.

[winsomme]

It's about time.  Just swallow your pride everyone. You were great all season. No one can doubt your allegiance.  You stayed true all year.  You didn't root for tanking. Congratulations.

Back to the real world... We are just this close to a number 4 lottery position. Our team is very talented with a great coach and some real assets.

Would you like Wiggins?  Or embid?  You don't have to feel bad about being excited about those players.  You're still a Celtics fan.  And if you can't handle showing others that excitement, just quietly watch and smile, and knew that our team could be really good for a very long time.

  Hopefully the team will be really good for a very long time, although the thought that a top 4-5 draft pick somehow insures that is hopelessly naive.

I think what is hopelessly naive is the idea that Danny can turn this current batch of talent into a contender without that top pick.

It certainly doesn't ensure anything but it's the most realistic chance he has...

This team with the #8-10 pick coming out of a woeful season would be in severe danger of losing Rondo. A mid lottery pick doesn't have the cache to make a trade for a top player and has less chance of landing a top talent if used to draft a player.

[BballTim]

It's about time.  Just swallow your pride everyone. You were great all season. No one can doubt your allegiance.  You stayed true all year.  You didn't root for tanking. Congratulations.

Back to the real world... We are just this close to a number 4 lottery position. Our team is very talented with a great coach and some real assets.

Would you like Wiggins?  Or embid?  You don't have to feel bad about being excited about those players.  You're still a Celtics fan.  And if you can't handle showing others that excitement, just quietly watch and smile, and knew that our team could be really good for a very long time.

  Hopefully the team will be really good for a very long time, although the thought that a top 4-5 draft pick somehow insures that is hopelessly naive.

I think what is hopelessly naive is the idea that Danny can turn this current batch of talent into a contender without that top pick.

  Exactly how high does the draft pick have to be before the team's screwed for the long term because the pick isn't higher? Look at how hard it is to get teams to include 1st rounders in trades, look at how many of those the team has over the next few years and then explain to the more naive posters how there's no way on earth Danny could flip all those picks for some valuable players, including the "franchise killing" top 10 pick we'll have this year.

[truthteller]

It's about time.  Just swallow your pride everyone. You were great all season. No one can doubt your allegiance.  You stayed true all year.  You didn't root for tanking. Congratulations.

Back to the real world... We are just this close to a number 4 lottery position. Our team is very talented with a great coach and some real assets.

Would you like Wiggins?  Or embid?  You don't have to feel bad about being excited about those players.  You're still a Celtics fan.  And if you can't handle showing others that excitement, just quietly watch and smile, and knew that our team could be really good for a very long time.

  Hopefully the team will be really good for a very long time, although the thought that a top 4-5 draft pick somehow insures that is hopelessly naive.

I think what is hopelessly naive is the idea that Danny can turn this current batch of talent into a contender without that top pick.

  Exactly how high does the draft pick have to be before the team's screwed for the long term because the pick isn't higher? Look at how hard it is to get teams to include 1st rounders in trades, look at how many of those the team has over the next few years and then explain to the more naive posters how there's no way on earth Danny could flip all those picks for some valuable players, including the "franchise killing" top 10 pick we'll have this year.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm not hopelessly naive.   I've never promised fairy dust by getting a top 3 pick.  All management can do, or fans can root for is the "best possible option."  To me, what that means is obtaining talent and chemistry.  In my humble opinion, there is a big difference between the potential of J. Parker and the potential of M. Smart.  I am rooting for a top 3 pick because I personally love the potential of those players. 

We are within reach of that, and every day I get a little more excited to see what next year's team will look like.  AND I KNOW... before you bite my head off, we all know that that doesn't guarantee anything.

[winsomme]

It's about time.  Just swallow your pride everyone. You were great all season. No one can doubt your allegiance.  You stayed true all year.  You didn't root for tanking. Congratulations.

Back to the real world... We are just this close to a number 4 lottery position. Our team is very talented with a great coach and some real assets.

Would you like Wiggins?  Or embid?  You don't have to feel bad about being excited about those players.  You're still a Celtics fan.  And if you can't handle showing others that excitement, just quietly watch and smile, and knew that our team could be really good for a very long time.

  Hopefully the team will be really good for a very long time, although the thought that a top 4-5 draft pick somehow insures that is hopelessly naive.

I think what is hopelessly naive is the idea that Danny can turn this current batch of talent into a contender without that top pick.

  Exactly how high does the draft pick have to be before the team's screwed for the long term because the pick isn't higher? Look at how hard it is to get teams to include 1st rounders in trades, look at how many of those the team has over the next few years and then explain to the more naive posters how there's no way on earth Danny could flip all those picks for some valuable players, including the "franchise killing" top 10 pick we'll have this year.

Well I certainly was hoping for a top 3 pick once Pierce and KG were moved. If Parker declares and Exum in, I would say top 4 could put you in position for KLove type move. Anything lower and I think you are looking at a draft night type deal with a team who falls in love with a particular player...

That's my best guess anyway.

As for Danny's stockpile of picks, none have a premium feel. The Nets look to be a playoff team moving forward, so while those picks might solidify a deal they don't seem like center pieces to me.

[BballTim]

I think the difference is that there's been a bigger spotlight on teams that haven't actively gone out of their way to be better this season.

  Yes, and that spotlight has been shown (and bought into) by people who don't have much of a perspective on the yearly ins and outs of the nba.

[Celtics18]

Well, as bad as we've been lately, a shot at a top three pick is still highly unrealistic.  A shot at a pick in the 4 through 8 range, however, is very realistic.  The fact is that even if we win a couple of our remaining games, we'll most likely not move beyond that eighth slot.

I also feel that there doesn't seem to be much separation in value among the guys who are likely to go in that 4 to 8 range.  It looks like the candidates are Smart, Exum, Randle, Vonleh and Gordon.

It seems to me that there will be some serious interest from a number of GMs in any one of those guys.  I think Danny will be in a position to use the pick to make a really positive move this off-season.

Then, considering the apparent depth of this draft and Danny's history with later first round picks, I'm hoping he picks up a diamond in the rough at around 17 to 20 with the Brooklyn/Atlanta pick.

I'm looking forward to this off-season and the future, and I'm going to keep rooting for wins to close out the 2013-2014 campaign. As much as most seem to see it differently, I don't believe those two wishes are at odds with each other. 

[LilRip]

It's about time.  Just swallow your pride everyone. You were great all season. No one can doubt your allegiance.  You stayed true all year.  You didn't root for tanking. Congratulations.

Back to the real world... We are just this close to a number 4 lottery position. Our team is very talented with a great coach and some real assets.

Would you like Wiggins?  Or embid?  You don't have to feel bad about being excited about those players.  You're still a Celtics fan.  And if you can't handle showing others that excitement, just quietly watch and smile, and knew that our team could be really good for a very long time.

  Hopefully the team will be really good for a very long time, although the thought that a top 4-5 draft pick somehow insures that is hopelessly naive.

I think what is hopelessly naive is the idea that Danny can turn this current batch of talent into a contender without that top pick.

  Exactly how high does the draft pick have to be before the team's screwed for the long term because the pick isn't higher? Look at how hard it is to get teams to include 1st rounders in trades, look at how many of those the team has over the next few years and then explain to the more naive posters how there's no way on earth Danny could flip all those picks for some valuable players, including the "franchise killing" top 10 pick we'll have this year.

top 3 or top 4 will have a very high price, IMO, and I hope we draft Wiggins.

i don't know how many else share this viewpoint, but i've maintained that there's no franchise-killing or end-of-the-world scenario. Even if Rondo walks away in FA and we're left with nothing, I don't consider that franchise-killing either. The rebuild will probably take longer though, as will the losing.

That said, I think a top pick in this draft will help tremendously in speeding things up.

[BballTim]

It's about time.  Just swallow your pride everyone. You were great all season. No one can doubt your allegiance.  You stayed true all year.  You didn't root for tanking. Congratulations.

Back to the real world... We are just this close to a number 4 lottery position. Our team is very talented with a great coach and some real assets.

Would you like Wiggins?  Or embid?  You don't have to feel bad about being excited about those players.  You're still a Celtics fan.  And if you can't handle showing others that excitement, just quietly watch and smile, and knew that our team could be really good for a very long time.

  Hopefully the team will be really good for a very long time, although the thought that a top 4-5 draft pick somehow insures that is hopelessly naive.

I think what is hopelessly naive is the idea that Danny can turn this current batch of talent into a contender without that top pick.

  Exactly how high does the draft pick have to be before the team's screwed for the long term because the pick isn't higher? Look at how hard it is to get teams to include 1st rounders in trades, look at how many of those the team has over the next few years and then explain to the more naive posters how there's no way on earth Danny could flip all those picks for some valuable players, including the "franchise killing" top 10 pick we'll have this year.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm not hopelessly naive.   I've never promised fairy dust by getting a top 3 pick.  All management can do, or fans can root for is the "best possible option."  To me, what that means is obtaining talent and chemistry.  In my humble opinion, there is a big difference between the potential of J. Parker and the potential of M. Smart.  I am rooting for a top 3 pick because I personally love the potential of those players. 

  I would guess every Celts fan would rather have a top pick than a lower pick.

[McHales Pits]

That was depressing.  Hopefully we can get a win against the Hawks on Wednesday.

I honestly don't understand this sentiment...

The team was too old and not good enough to get it done in the playoffs last season. The window closed. Ainge did well to get any future assets for KG and PP. Coming into this season, the Cs undisputed best player was out with a torn ACL. Without him, the Cs are not a good team. That is why they have lost over 50 games this season. The playoffs are out of the question, so why shouldn't they try to improve their draft standing? It is not as if they are in a situation where they have the decision to win a few games and sneak into the playoffs as an 8 seed, but instead choose to lose and drop into the lottery. This season is over. At this point, the greater chances to land the top pick the happier I will be.

[Celtics18]

That was depressing.  Hopefully we can get a win against the Hawks on Wednesday.

I honestly don't understand this sentiment...

The team was too old and not good enough to get it done in the playoffs last season. The window closed. Ainge did well to get any future assets for KG and PP. Coming into this season, the Cs undisputed best player was out with a torn ACL. Without him, the Cs are not a good team. That is why they have lost over 50 games this season. The playoffs are out of the question, so why shouldn't they try to improve their draft standing? It is not as if they are in a situation where they have the decision to win a few games and sneak into the playoffs as an 8 seed, but instead choose to lose and drop into the lottery. This season is over. At this point, the greater chances to land the top pick the happier I will be.

I understand your not understanding.  To be honest, I'm getting kind of tired of explaining myself, but I guess I'll try one more time.

At this point, the tank is complete.  No matter how we finish up the season, we are going to be in a good position to have a very fruitful off-season.  Congratulations, Tankers, you got your wish. 

Winning a couple of games to end the season isn't going to convince anyone that the 2013-2014 Celtics were a good team.  Personally, I'd just like to see the guys gain an inkling of pride to close out the season.  I think it might be good for the psyche heading into the off-season if they can get a couple of wins (even more or less meaningless ones) to finish up the season.

It's about pride and competition.  Those guys are desperate for a win right now.  Playing basketball is their job.  Worrying about the future is Danny's. 

I guess in the end, I just like this team despite their miserable season, and I'm rooting for Rondo, Olynyk, Sully, Bass, Hump, CJ, Pressey, Avery (if he plays again), Jeff, and Bayless to taste a small bit of success before this miserable season comes to a close. 

My stance doesn't really have much to do with the future, which I am hoping looks bright, regardless.  It's about pulling for these guys in the present.

As a sports fan and an athletic competition fan, my sentiment makes so much intuitive sense to me.  I understand rooting for ping pong ball odds above anything else, but I have a hard time understanding fans not understanding my sentiment at all. 

[D.o.s.]

I think the difference is that there's been a bigger spotlight on teams that haven't actively gone out of their way to be better this season.

  Yes, and that spotlight has been shown (and bought into) by people who don't have much of a perspective on the yearly ins and outs of the nba.

Agreed. The moves are a little more blatant, maybe, but I think that's a reprecussion of the new CBA more than solely how exciting this draft class is.


Also TP to Celtics18 -- I feel the same way, which is why I'm not going out of my way to watch these last few games.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

It's about time.  Just swallow your pride everyone. You were great all season. No one can doubt your allegiance.  You stayed true all year.  You didn't root for tanking. Congratulations.

Back to the real world... We are just this close to a number 4 lottery position. Our team is very talented with a great coach and some real assets.

Would you like Wiggins?  Or embid?  You don't have to feel bad about being excited about those players.  You're still a Celtics fan.  And if you can't handle showing others that excitement, just quietly watch and smile, and knew that our team could be really good for a very long time.

Exactly......

Danny ...alot riding on this draft........look how Mitch is panicking

Mitch is tanking the Lakers ......hard as he can go.....with Kobe and Magic Johnson's blessing......he is even ignoring the home crowd and holding players out right under their noses.

There is Zero reason to play our best players at this point.

Rondo knows the score ......   

You want help to rebuild .....well here it is just a few games away .

I'm already numb to losing ........a few more an't going to do any more damage to our young teams morale........


Come on Orlando..... Get some wins baby.

GO JAZZ GO MAGIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!