Latest from Bill Simmons

[ticket18]

Couple of Celtics tweets from Simmons:

@BillSimmons  ?  47m
My gut feeling is that Minnesota keeps Love. But the chef convention in Golden State's kitchen right now is high comedy.

@BillSimmons  ?  32m
Prediction: if Celts can't get Love or Embiid, they will pursue Sac's no. 8 pick plus more with Rondo as bait (to end up with 6 + 8 + 17).


Seems like the steam behind Flip keeping Love is picking up...Fascinating if that's the decision he makes...And, if Love isn't in Boston by draft night, I could definitely see Rondo being dealt.

The fact that Saunders could keep Love or get very little in return(deadline deal) is so astonishingly silly I can't even believe it's an option for that franchise. How is Saunders selling that to ownership? Flip, he's not staying! 

[gpap]

Isaiah Thomas, McClemore & #8 is a very nice haul for Rondo IMO. Not earth shattering but very good & build a very good young nucleus. We could let Bradley walk if he's asking for too much & we save money for the 2015 class.

Isaiah is a free agent, isn't he? Thus, such a deal couldn't be made on draft night, right?

I only ask because I was wondering the same thing about whether the Celts could offer Bradley in a draft night trade for Love.

[lon3lytoaster]

I would like that Rondo to Sacramento deal. It would have to a post-draft deal since the Kings must have picks every other season.

So something like this:

Rondo
Wallace

for

Rights to the #8 pick
McLemore
Terry (expiring/ buyout candidate)
D. Williams (expiring)
Gray (sign and trade in where he gets a lucrative 1 yr deal like Bogans did to make the numbers work)

I think that's a great deal for us. We would likely get Gordon or Smart at #8. McLemore has a lot of potential. Terry, Williams, and Gray would all be expiring, unlike Thompson, and would create cap space next summer. The dumping of Wallace's deal is said to cost one future 1st rd pick according to Mannix.

All that can actually happen draft night, except the Gray S&T. I wouldn't make them take Wallace. They're fairly high on McLemore as is and getting him, plus 8, plus expirings is a bit much. Realistically, I don't think they'd want that at all.

I'd be happy with the same deal minus Wallace from Boston and Gray and Terry. Have them send McLemore, 8, Outlaw and Williams for Rondo. I'd imagine that's solid enough for both sides.

[RyNye]

Isaiah Thomas has a lot of potential, so that wouldn't be a bad return for Rondo. Not great, but not bad by any means.

Not sure why people are so obsessed with getting McLemore, though. He was one of the worst players on the Kings last year, which is saying something. He didn't show any signs of improvement. He's a bad defender, a bad rebounder, a bad passer, a terrible scorer (32% from inside the arc ... ugh). Not sure what anybody sees in him. Just because he's young doesn't mean he has potential. Is everyone just slobbering over that one good game he had against the Suns?

I don't want anything to do with McLemore, and a package of him plus the 8th pick isn't enough for Rondo. Not even close. The only players on the Kings of any interest are Thomas and Cousins, and they ain't giving up Cousins. I can live with Thomas and the 8th, though, that's a good trade.

[Smokeeye123]

I'm pretty sure Bill Simmons just regurgitates the hottest rumors of the moment.

[hpantazo]

I'm most confused about his statement that the Kings trade will be pursued if we can't get Love or Embiid. Why if we can't get Embiid? Why not go for that trade even if we get Embiid? Unless he is implying that we have to move 6 and 17 in a deal to move up to get Embiid, but even then we could still trade Rondo for the #8 plus Mclemore and Thomas.

It's not like getting Embiid would convince Rondo to stay, at best of health he's a raw product who will miss half the season.

[JBcat]

I hope if we draft Embiid that we also keep Rondo.  Playing with Rondo could be great for Embiid's development. 

If Love is not traded now his value will only decrease as we get closer to when he hits free agency, while our younger players value could potentially increase.   No harm done in revisiting Love coming here by the trade deadline or next summer especially when we could have up to 3 first round picks at that time.  I realize it also risks losing Rondo as well but if Embiid is anywhere close to the hype he might stay anyway.  I can risk that, and we can use other assets TPE, Bogan's contract ect to still try and improve the team.

[hpantazo]

I hope if we draft Embiid that we also keep Rondo.  Playing with Rondo could be great for Embiid's development. 

If Love is not traded now his value will only decrease as we get closer to when he hits free agency, while our younger players value could potentially increase.   No harm done in revisiting Love coming here by the trade deadline or next summer especially when we could have up to 3 first round picks at that time.  I realize it also risks losing Rondo as well but if Embiid is anywhere close to the hype he might stay anyway.  I can risk that, and we can use other assets TPE, Bogan's contract ect to still try and improve the team.

Embiid just had surgery to implant screws into his broken foot. I don't see him playing before the all-star break. I know they list 4-6 months as his recovery time, which brings it to October to December, but any team that drafts him would be idiotic to bring him back fast. I also don't see Rondo wanting to stay if we use our picks instead of trading them for vets. Rookies are rookies, no matter how good they are. They need 3-4 years to get up to speed enough to contend, and Rondo will be too old then.

[Donoghus]

I hope if we draft Embiid that we also keep Rondo.  Playing with Rondo could be great for Embiid's development. 

If Love is not traded now his value will only decrease as we get closer to when he hits free agency, while our younger players value could potentially increase.   No harm done in revisiting Love coming here by the trade deadline or next summer especially when we could have up to 3 first round picks at that time.  I realize it also risks losing Rondo as well but if Embiid is anywhere close to the hype he might stay anyway.  I can risk that, and we can use other assets TPE, Bogan's contract ect to still try and improve the team.

Embiid just had surgery to implant screws into his broken foot. I don't see him playing before the all-star break. I know they list 4-6 months as his recovery time, which brings it to October to December, but any team that drafts him would be idiotic to bring him back fast. I also don't see Rondo wanting to stay if we use our picks instead of trading them for vets. Rookies are rookies, no matter how good they are. They need 3-4 years to get up to speed enough to contend, and Rondo will be too old then.

Whoever drafts Embiid should seriously consider just sitting him out the entire season.

[hpantazo]

I hope if we draft Embiid that we also keep Rondo.  Playing with Rondo could be great for Embiid's development. 

If Love is not traded now his value will only decrease as we get closer to when he hits free agency, while our younger players value could potentially increase.   No harm done in revisiting Love coming here by the trade deadline or next summer especially when we could have up to 3 first round picks at that time.  I realize it also risks losing Rondo as well but if Embiid is anywhere close to the hype he might stay anyway.  I can risk that, and we can use other assets TPE, Bogan's contract ect to still try and improve the team.

Embiid just had surgery to implant screws into his broken foot. I don't see him playing before the all-star break. I know they list 4-6 months as his recovery time, which brings it to October to December, but any team that drafts him would be idiotic to bring him back fast. I also don't see Rondo wanting to stay if we use our picks instead of trading them for vets. Rookies are rookies, no matter how good they are. They need 3-4 years to get up to speed enough to contend, and Rondo will be too old then.

Whoever drafts Embiid should seriously consider just sitting him out the entire season.

I fully agree. Sit him the whole year, let him recover, and have the medical staff develop a training plan to prevent future injuries to his feet and back.

[bknova]

Couple of Celtics tweets from Simmons:

@BillSimmons  ?  47m
My gut feeling is that Minnesota keeps Love. But the chef convention in Golden State's kitchen right now is high comedy.

@BillSimmons  ?  32m
Prediction: if Celts can't get Love or Embiid, they will pursue Sac's no. 8 pick plus more with Rondo as bait (to end up with 6 + 8 + 17).


Seems like the steam behind Flip keeping Love is picking up...Fascinating if that's the decision he makes...And, if Love isn't in Boston by draft night, I could definitely see Rondo being dealt.

Bill Simmons has been trying to trade Rondo for ages.  In fact nobody has tried to trade Rondo more, even moreso than Stephen A. Smith.  I'm not saying that it won't happen, but I'd hardly waste my time analyzing anything Simmons or SAS has to say. 

[Evantime34]

I think it is far more likely they deal Rondo if they draft Embiid. If Embiid is going to miss time with an injury he probably won't be completely up to speed in his rookie season. I think to convince Rondo to stay the Celtics need to add someone who improves their chances of winning immediately.

[dreamgreen]

I'm not a fan of trading Rondo, but I could see it if Danny decides the only option is to go young. In which case I could see him being moved to LAL for the 7th pick.

[BigAlTheFuture]

I'm not a fan of trading Rondo, but I could see it if Danny decides the only option is to go young. In which case I could see him being moved to LAL for the 7th pick.

Lakers don't offer us the young players SAC can, though. Yeah, 7 is higher than 8, but who else would they give us? Nash? I rather take SAC's offer of Thomas, McLemore, and #8.

[Birdman]

I really like Thomas

Sully
Green
Bass
Bradley
KO
McLemore
Thomas
#6
#8
#17

Not Bad.... 35 win team?