would you prefer tanking again ?

[BballTim]

- Lose Rondo
- Lose most of our games
- Get screwed in the lottery again.

Why do you guys insist on doing this? It isn't going to work.. 

Because youth...potential...higher ceilings!!!!   

I find it interesting that a lot of the posters who advocate against tanking are some of the same posters that very loudly proclaim that the Celtics are 'all about Championships' or some other mostly useless Lombardi-esque nonsense. It seems to me that those people would be willing to recognize that winning a championship with a superstar on a rookie deal is, on paper, easier than winning one with max-deal vets, at least as far as roster construction is concerned.

As for me, I don't want to tank again because I want to watch entertaining basketball. The Celtics did not play entertaining hoops last year.

  I'd guess that the only teams to win titles with their (at least arguably) best player on a rookie contract since Bird were the Spurs with Duncan and the Heat with Wade.

[BballTim]

Nope. But complete this rebuild properly.  Trade rondo.

I want smart, gordon and hairston

"I don't want to tank, but we have to trade our best player..."

Not sure I see the logic in this?

Unless you're being serious when you think Olynyk is a future perennial allstar...

I actually believe in our young players. You can talk all the crap about them if you want

So Rondo, at age 28, is too old?  Or do you just not believe in him?

I believe Rondo can't excel unless he is surrounded by HOFs like KG, PP, Allen.  I believe he will never be a consistent confident shooter. And i don't believe he is a max player though he will want to get paid like one.  You can't have him lead your team and expect to get anywhere

  We've gotten to the finals and the conference finals with Rondo leading the team. The odds on being able to say something similar about any of the young players on the team or those players you want to draft are remote at best.

[Tr1boy]

Nope. But complete this rebuild properly.  Trade rondo.

I want smart, gordon and hairston

"I don't want to tank, but we have to trade our best player..."

Not sure I see the logic in this?

Unless you're being serious when you think Olynyk is a future perennial allstar...

I actually believe in our young players. You can talk all the crap about them if you want

So Rondo, at age 28, is too old?  Or do you just not believe in him?

I believe Rondo can't excel unless he is surrounded by HOFs like KG, PP, Allen.  I believe he will never be a consistent confident shooter. And i don't believe he is a max player though he will want to get paid like one.  You can't have him lead your team and expect to get anywhere

  We've gotten to the finals and the conference finals with Rondo leading the team. The odds on being able to say something similar about any of the young players on the team or those players you want to draft are remote at best.

Tim we have had this talk a million times now. It was not Rondo that carried the team on his back.  The big three or two were also there.  You know how much focus KG , PP, Allen required?  There almost needed to be 1.5 guys on each at all times.   The attention on Rondo was less, he received the passes or had pathways to come through for the team and did so. 

It's like a guy is double teamed and another lower level player open for the jump shot. Some don't make it still but others can make it all game long. Rondo took adv . Rondo is sneaky

Now that the limelight is on Rondo how has he fared since the beginning of the 2012 season?  You put on a fairly good defender on rondo and he can't shoot, he can't drive in for layups. All he can do is try to pull multiple guys in to make his passes (unnessary at times).  You put Tony Allen on Rondo and the rest of the team is instructed to not lose sight of their man and Rondo has little to no impact for the game

[Clench123]

There is no other way to put this.  HELL NO!

[freshinthehouse]

If we trade Rondo, my hope would be to draft Smart, Gordon, and Stauskas.  A young corps of Smart, Bradley, Stauskas, Gordon, Sully, and Olynyk would be intriguing.

A poster after my own heart.  Those are the exact three players I'd love to see us target (assuming Wiggins, Parker, Embiid, and Exum are gone).  I doubt Stauskas would last until 17, so here's hoping we can package our 17 with a future pick (LAC2015?) to move up a few spots. 

[freshinthehouse]

I'm up for it.  If possible, I'd like to move Rondo for another top 8 pick in this draft.  Pick some keepers in this draft, go with a youth movement in 2014-15 (aka tank), and then go into 2015 with a good lotto pick and some serious cap room.

What good is cap room in that offseason really?

I'm sure top-tier free agents will be tripping over themselves to come play with Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk.

Cap space has more benefits than just signing top-shelf FAs.

With cap space you can:

-Give free agent role players a slight overpay if you think they are a good fit for your team.

-You can sign players (your own and FAs) to front loaded deals that will help you maintain cap space for years to come.

-You can pick up bad 1 year contracts from teams looking to lose salary, picking up draft picks in the process (ex. Golden State/Utah trade last summer).

[Smokeeye123]

I don't want to ever root for my team to lose games again.

When the Celtics tank another season I will make sure to keep as far away from them as possible.

[Waew]

I don't want to ever root for my team to lose games again.

When the Celtics tank another season I will make sure to keep as far away from them as possible.

kelly olynyk will not win us a championship. might as well try to gamble in the lotto.

[Kuberski33]

As someone who buys tickets, if they purposely tank again, I'm probably out as far as spending money to attend games.  I have a feeling that a lot of season ticket holders would probably echo that sentiment.  They wouldn't get me back till there was some sign of this turning around.

[knuckleballer]

I'm up for it.  If possible, I'd like to move Rondo for another top 8 pick in this draft.  Pick some keepers in this draft, go with a youth movement in 2014-15 (aka tank), and then go into 2015 with a good lotto pick and some serious cap room.

What good is cap room in that offseason really?

I'm sure top-tier free agents will be tripping over themselves to come play with Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk.

Cap space has more benefits than just signing top-shelf FAs.

With cap space you can:

-Give free agent role players a slight overpay if you think they are a good fit for your team.

-You can sign players (your own and FAs) to front loaded deals that will help you maintain cap space for years to come.

-You can pick up bad 1 year contracts from teams looking to lose salary, picking up draft picks in the process (ex. Golden State/Utah trade last summer).

You can also trade for players without sending unwanted salaries back.

[Tr1boy]

some of you guys are really good fans. When the team stinks you put a paper bag over your head

When the team does well you come out cheering like your the #1 fans. 

The team right now is not going to win a championship tomorrow. It needs time and trust to grow and succeed.  Ainge does not need to make quick moves and screw up the team like the Knicks are screwed up now.   

[Surferdad]

I'm up for it.  If possible, I'd like to move Rondo for another top 8 pick in this draft.  Pick some keepers in this draft, go with a youth movement in 2014-15 (aka tank), and then go into 2015 with a good lotto pick and some serious cap room.

What good is cap room in that offseason really?

I'm sure top-tier free agents will be tripping over themselves to come play with Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk.

Cap space has more benefits than just signing top-shelf FAs.

With cap space you can:

-Give free agent role players a slight overpay if you think they are a good fit for your team.

-You can sign players (your own and FAs) to front loaded deals that will help you maintain cap space for years to come.

-You can pick up bad 1 year contracts from teams looking to lose salary, picking up draft picks in the process (ex. Golden State/Utah trade last summer).

You can also trade for players without sending unwanted salaries back.

I think both teams have to be under the cap. If your trading partner is over, they must abide by the "within 15%" salary rule.

[freshinthehouse]

some of you guys are really good fans. When the team stinks you put a paper bag over your head

When the team does well you come out cheering like your the #1 fans. 

The team right now is not going to win a championship tomorrow. It needs time and trust to grow and succeed.  Ainge does not need to make quick moves and screw up the team like the Knicks are screwed up now.

TP!

[knuckleballer]

You can also trade for players without sending unwanted salaries back.
[/quote]
I think both teams have to be under the cap. If your trading partner is over, they must abide by the "within 15%" salary rule.
[/quote]

I just assumed you could.  What's the logic behind that?  The team over the cap, dumps salary while the team under the cap adds salary.

[Sixth Man]

some of you guys are really good fans. When the team stinks you put a paper bag over your head

When the team does well you come out cheering like your the #1 fans. 

The team right now is not going to win a championship tomorrow. It needs time and trust to grow and succeed.  Ainge does not need to make quick moves and screw up the team like the Knicks are screwed up now.

I could not possibly agree more, Triboy.  Thank you for your post.