To me, that looks like a lottery team.
Way too much inexperience on the bench. Jeff Green still required to do a lot of heavy lifting on offense (didn't go well this past season).
Also don't like the idea of Speights as a trade target for such a young team.
The trade target is not Speights but rather Harrison Barnes.
I'd look for Sully to start picking up slack on offense, as well as a healthier Rondo. That's a very solid bench loaded with shooters/scorers. Also, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Embiid's name yet. Even if we barely miss the playoffs, it's not like our cupboard is bare. We'd have Rondo/Waiters/Barnes/Sully/Embiid/other youth/picks/cap space going forward.
So Speights is the cost of acquiring Barnes. Except Barnes gets how many minutes off the bench?
For most of the year I can definitely see Barnes getting 25 mpg at SF. While Embiid is out, Olynyk will be at the very least handling backup C responsibilities (if not starting C responsibilities), which will push Green to backup 4 most of the season. This opens up a lot of development minutes for Barnes, who could help form a sharp-shooting lineup along with Waiters, Green and Olynyk.
That's a pretty rough squad. There probably aren't 5 guys in the league who could lead that team to the playoffs.
That team will probably win 30 games next season 
so no, no playoffs. Definitely not a 2nd round exit.
I simply disagree, that's just hyperbole. Is this team dismally worse than last year's ATL and CHA squads? In fact, out of all three teams, I think we have the best player (Rondo). The Cs might have sniffed the playoffs last year if Stevens was committed to playing lineups that even Globe/Herald hacks were screaming about (a.k.a. not tanking) such as the Sully/Olynyk pairing. Stevens continually played awkward combinations, such as Bass/Humphries and Bass/Olynyk (see Kevin O'Connor's tremendous piece on the wonders of shifting last year's lineup around:
http://www.celticsblog.com/2014/1/10/5292768/boston-celtics-frontcourt-brandon-bass-kris-humphries-advanded-kelly-olynyk-jared-sullinger-nba-hump).
The Celtics are at the top of the NBA when it comes to close games lost. The Celtics are T-2nd in games played in which the teams are separated by just 3 points with 3 minutes left. And they're T-3rd in games played in which the teams are separated by just 3 and 5 points with 5 minutes left. Yet their late-game W-L record is abysmal because the 2013-14 BOS offense would constantly stall. Slight offensive upgrades (such as adding Barnes, Waiters, Wilcox, and even Speights, allowing last year's C Sully to shift to his natural position), a year under Stevens' belt, and relieving the tankathon pressure could absolutely push this team to the playoffs.
This teams pretty average... Glaring holes at Center and Shooting Guard... Also majority of our bench are below average players and unless Embiid recovers quickly and plays majority of the season (highly unlikely) as well as plays like Hakeem Olajuwon in his rookie year... This team isnt sniffing amything past a first round sweep by the no 1 or no 2 seed...
Where's all the love for last year's PHX squad that CBers so often confessed during the year?
I wasn't trying to build a contender, I was actually going for a 5-8 seed. But that's not a problem. You
can climb the ladder in the NBA. Literally everyone on the team I assembled above except for Gerald Wallace should see improvement over the following year. The Cs could see game-changing improvement from Waiters, Barnes, Embiid and/or Wilcox (who I think could be the next Danny Green) all within a year. They'd have draft picks to add valuable pieces to their team as well as cap space to go out and strengthen the team's flaws. The 2010 Bulls were once an eighth seed, as were the 2011 Pacers, as were the 2011 Thunder. No man's land (5-8 seeds) is only devastating to a franchise's future if they see no way in which they can significantly improve over the following couple of years (like the 2010 Bucks).
Your trades are a bit of a stretch. I see no way that the Rockets make that trade. They are trying to clear cap a space to make a run at another top player and getting a #1 pick moves them farther away. Waiters is far from a sure thing. Plus why would the Warriors trade you Barnes for what you're offering let alone get them to include Speights. Plus by doing what you're suggesting we are saying good bye to Rondo for the following year...
Why wouldn't Houston make that deal? They're a win-now team. A player selected at #17 is more likely to immediately play a backup role than a player selected at #25 or #42. As for salary, if I'm correct, there's a negligible difference between the salary #17 would receive and the combined salaries of #25 and #42. We could send whichever amount of cash to make up the difference, if there is any.
You're right, Waiters is far from a sure thing. But he's loaded with potential, cheap, and one of the most affordable players via trade if we can't bring in a star like Love. Warriors would do that deal because they have a logjam at SF, Barnes had a disappointing year for them (while Draymond Green managed to make himself look like the next Shane Battier), they need picks and Bass is a better fit for them as backup PF. Bass is also an expiring deal, while Speights still has another two years left on his deal. Essentially you're giving them a better player, greater financial flexibility, and a future first for a guy who might just not fit with the current GSW makeup.
And no, you can't definitively say Rondo would leave. Rondo has repeatedly said he loves Boston and has shown a fondness for Ainge's aggressiveness as a GM. Even if we lose out on Love or Melo, I'm sure Rondo loves to see the position Ainge has put the Celtics in as well as the brazenness he's displaying in trying to capitalize. Putting a young, competitive team around him (as this team is), including a potential franchise player (Embiid), as well as maintaining the space to add a star partner in years to come, could very well entice Rondo to stay.
if you got a point guard who can give you 15 assist per game
1st thing you look for is a center (low post scorers)
rondo - lopez
rondo - gasol
rondo - noah
rondo - varejao
rondo - cousins
I like your thinking but again I'm not trying to assemble a championship cast for next year. I'm trying to look at young, competitive players we could surround Rondo with to make a mini-run at the playoffs this year and improve from thereon out. Embiid could be the best low post scorer out of all of these guys in three years. Sully isn't half bad down on the block either. I wouldn't mortgage such a future to go after the guys who are realistically available on that list such as Varejao or (injury-prone) Brook Lopez.
Topic: If Love Fails, Can Rondo Lead This Team to the Playoffs? (Read 3725 times)