If we keep the 6th pick, depending on the pick, how it affects the lineup

[Tr1boy]

Gordon - Definitely one of Green or Wallace has to go to make room for Gordon. Wallace and his contract will be difficult to move.  So either trade Green or move him to the SG spot.  Trade could be better to bring in a starting center. Gordon is really young but i believe with his iq, strength, motor, skills BS will eventually have no choice but to start or play him alot of mins

Randle - If he has developed a jump shot , i can see him temporarily play at the PF spot. If not we will have a trio of Sully,KO, Randle rotating upfront. Green can stay as the sf and AB stays as the SG (if a deal can be worked out).   If we get a starting center, there is a pretty bad logjam at the pf/C spot and a move will have to be made.  The lineup from last season might not regress but might not improve

Smart - Could play with rondo and be the teams sg. With both Smart and Rondo not considered natural shooters, alot of problems can result because of this. Teams can lay off on both, dare them to shoot, help more to cover everyone else.  I like smart but if he hasn't improved his shot, he is eventually going to be injured often and frequently the way he plays (like dwade)

Vonleh - Unlike Randle could play more of the pf/c role. Has the length to be a part time C. PRovides the team excellent rebounding and decent rim protection skills. Good shooter and has some promising looking post moves. Feel for the game is mediocre but he could fill in alot of holes the team has

Saric - A complete SF. But there are concerns regarding his foot speed/defense (like KO) and if he will come to NA. Also he is a player that needs to ball in his hands alot and needs sometimes to grab a rebound and take up the ball himself. Not sure if Rondo can work with him (plus  you also got a similar player in KO , who also likes to be the faciliator once in a while)


Imo Vonleh makes alot of sense in terms of filling team needs and drafting based on upside.  However i don't think BS is going to enjoy coaching him due to his mediocre iq/feel for game/turnover prone tendencies.  BS is a coach brought in to win ASAP more than develop players. He is not patient as we saw several times where one rookie mistake could mean your yanked from the floor.

Randle is a bad fit but knows how to play the game. He has polished post skills that are hard to find from young players these days.  He was considered in the beginning of the year as one of the can't miss top 3 or 4 prospect of the draft.

Lastly as people know here i like Gordon alot. I like his character, work ethic, underrated skills, unlike Vonleh low turnover numbers, nice defensive, team  1st mentality.  If he doesn't wow the celts in his private workouts by hitting jump shots, it will be understandable if he is passed on.   But i think that's unlikely.   Jeff Green is a horrible SF in that he shys away from contact, is a poor rebounder and provides very little rim protection. Don't remember the last time i saw him take a chage.  If Sullinger and KO start next season bc the team cannot workout a deal or bring in a proper center, i can see Gordon helping them out alot on things they are not good at. Helping them rebound, protect the rim and get in tips ins out of nowhere (small but important tool to have).   Rondo also will have someone he can lob balls to more, a skill he hasn't been able to utilize really since guys like KG, Wilcox have left the team.

I like your analysis and I would probably say that Gordon is a decent fit for the Cs right now if he can develop his shot (huge if), but I don't just think he's the best overall player that will be available at #6. Smart and Saric are both superior all-around players IMO and each could become a go-to player in the NBA. Gordon will have a fine career, likely 10 years as a solid contributor to pretty much any type of team, but the Celtics are rebuilding and need to get the absolute best available player to develop. The pieces can and should be moved around in a year or two once the team begins to form a real identity. On that note, I think Smart and Saric could both fit into this roster in their own unique ways.

Smart at the 2 would require our frontcourt to stretch the floor and play inside-out. Luckily, all of our bigs and wings can stretch the floor and pass while KO can slash. Both Rondo and Smart can slash and the tandem would bring an intensity, toughness, and physicality that few teams could deal with. It would likely be an elite rebounding unit on both ends. That lineup would have no problem guarding the 1-3 with Rondo, Smart, and Green, though it would lack a rim-protector. An Asik-type could rotate with KO playing PF and C at times, especially when a deep threat like Bradley is out to allow the bigs to play the post conventionally. That seems like a playoff team to me.

Saric is a fascinating piece that's a bit more difficult to project, though I see him fitting nicely as a wing in various alignments.

you make a good point about Smart + Rondo combination. Smart also can post up and punish you down low. So instead of having a traditional PF like KO do this, you can let smart do it and have him play the score/pass out game with guys like KO who can shoot the three or slash in for a bucket.  The team's rebounding would get better and Smart is versatile on the defensive end

I like Saric and all he has done so far is win. But the league he plays in is equivalent if not worse than the d league. Like the Rudy Fernandez hype could stuggle offensively bc he can't do as many things as he is used to doing anymore and could be taken to school on the defensive end even though the effort is there.   It's really hard to say

[jr_3421]

I know I'm in the minority but I think Randle is by far the best player of that group. I know he's a PF but there really isn't any good fit in that range so I think you have to go with the bpa.

[Tr1boy]

I know I'm in the minority but I think Randle is by far the best player of that group. I know he's a PF but there really isn't any good fit in that range so I think you have to go with the bpa.

He is a good player but desperately needs to prove he can make the 15 ft jump shot.  If he can't he will drop like no tomorrow. 

If Randle can make the open jump shot, i have no problem taking him.  He is a "take charge" kind of guy , a type of player we are lacking. He has star qualities about him. I also think if the Celts draft him (and his jump shot looks solid), don't get a legit center, they will at some point experiment having him out (as the sf) with KO, Sullinger on the floor at the same time.  Like at the summer leagues

[oldutican]

The more I read, the more I like Saric. Sounds like he has great skill and a high motor. Could become close to what Love has become. Gordon may have the most upside, but he would need to greatly improve his shot. Vonleigh also has high upside, but smells of boom or bust. Smart is a very safe pick who can combo well with any of Celts current guards. Randle makes no sense.

As far as how they immediately fit, Smart and Saric are the only ones who would likely be in regular rotation.

[boscel33]

I saw this on ESPN?  It puts an interesting perspective on this draft.  Thought I posted it earlier, but don't see it in any threads.

"For all the consternation about the Celtics landing the No. 6 pick in the draft, it's not a terrible spot. Sure, every team that missed out on a top-3 spot is kicking the dirt because of the talent available this year, but if the draft is as deep as it's made out to be, those in the 4-6 range stand to get what would normally be a top-3 talent in other drafts."

[jr_3421]

I know I'm in the minority but I think Randle is by far the best player of that group. I know he's a PF but there really isn't any good fit in that range so I think you have to go with the bpa.

He is a good player but desperately needs to prove he can make the 15 ft jump shot.  If he can't he will drop like no tomorrow. 

If Randle can make the open jump shot, i have no problem taking him.  He is a "take charge" kind of guy , a type of player we are lacking. He has star qualities about him. I also think if the Celts draft him (and his jump shot looks solid), don't get a legit center, they will at some point experiment having him out (as the sf) with KO, Sullinger on the floor at the same time.  Like at the summer leagues

The thing about Randle is that the way Kentucky played him didn't allow him to showcase his skills outside of the paint. In high school, he was more of a SF/PF tweener rather than strictly a PF. I don't think he'll ever have consistent 3 point range but a 15 ft jumper is something I would bet on.

[Sketch5]

I'd probably move down and trade it to some one like the Suns that have two. They need a quality player being right on the edge of the playoffs, not a bunch of assets.

And we could use the assets if we don't get a quality player in a trade.

Nik Stauskas   
Rodney Hood         
Zach LaVine
Gary Harris   
James Young   
T.J. Warren   
Shabazz Napier   
Glenn Robinson   

These guys could all be available around the 14th,17th,18th pick. Take some one you're pretty sure of, and than take a semi risk guy, than total risk guy. Move Green to make some room for them since they are all wing players, and let the dice roll.     

[Casperian]

Saric is interesting, and he definitely has somewhat of a mean streak. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing in his case, but I'm leaning towards good.

[LooseCannon]

Of the guys whose names are being tossed around, I think it's possible that Saric might be the guy with the most potential to be a star and the guy with the most potential to be a draft bust.

[Tr1boy]

My cousin (huge Celtics fan) who i haven't seen in ages thinks the Celts if they keep the pick will choose

6th : Randle

reason:  BPA. He makes the opposing teams players scared/uncomfortable. He was too much to handle in the paint that he had to be constantly be double teamed/triple teamed. And usually he would still score on you with crafty flip shots or through contact.   His defense is perfectly acceptable and is a very good post defender. He helped his team get to the finals as a freshman.

His biggest perceived weakness is his lack of exceptional length and no jump shot.  But in the end unless he can be stopped one on one nba or not, we will assume he will continue having his way near the post.   What he needs to worry about more is to better reconize when a double team is coming and make the correct passes.  And unlike say Aaron Gordon who shot at an abysmal rate all over the floor especially at the FT line, Randle at least shot the ball at the FT line at a very respectable rate (70 percent). Usually guys who can make FT's will have an easier time making at least the 15 ft jump shots in real game situations.
 
17th pick: PJ Hairston

reason: The Celtics right now don't have secured a stating SG for next season.   Instead of taking a chance with AB and his contract situation/matching offers, they will pickup a SG that can score at the draft.  They can still bring back AB but it will be on Celtics terms instead (less money or 2 or 3 years only).  If that happens, you still get someone who can come off the bench and score  points in a hurry.    If AB doesn't resign, Hairston is not somebody that is going to need alot of time to need to develop. He is already bigger and stronger than alot of sg's in the nba and his shooting , catch and shoot, dribble and shoot are all advanced. His defense like Randle is perfectly acceptable but his main calling will be to score

By the Celtics adding Randle/Hairston you add inside/outside help which is a good thing for a rebuilding team like the Celtics.  By drafting Randle/Hairston you remedy alot of issues you had last season and you add a legit post scorer/down low presence,  a deadly shooter,  players that can get opposing teams in foul trouble and make FTs, consistent scoring,  size and physicality

Can't agree with some of the things he said but at least he makes some plausable points. Especially how many things can be remedied by just adding these two players. 

Thoughts?