Celtics will be better than anticipated this year

[Future Celtics Owner]

Well can't pick 31 wins because then I would be agreeing with D.O.S. and I just can't allow myself to do that...

We still do not know the direction of the team. Are we to infer that Rondo is going to be on the team all year?

I say under 30

[D.o.s.]

Well can't pick 31 wins because then I would be agreeing with D.O.S. and I just can't allow myself to do that...

We still do not know the direction of the team. Are we to infer that Rondo is going to be on the team all year?

I say under 30

Full disclosure, I'm going with 31 to allow them to hit 30 -- since I picked 26 wins last year and they finished with 25. Its foolproof.

[vinnie]

I am so excited to see Jeff Green finally crack the 20 ppg mark next season. Waiting for the 25 ppg predictions to start. I think they will be okay to watch, but given that many of these guys probably won't be around when the team becomes a true competitor again, I do not plan on getting too emotional or attached to any players. I say between 28 and 33 wins.

[86MaxwellSmart]

Look folks...there is NO Freaking way that Brad Stevens is gonna coach like he did last season---he's going all out to win as many games as possible---You think the Celtics as an organization are going to try for the BS Draft Lottery again---? I'll say we win close to 40 games, or more-depending on how our young guys have improved---and if Marcus Smart is any good at all.

[LooseCannon]

I see things in probabilistic terms, so I anticipate the Celtics having between 25 and 45 wins next season.

[BudweiserCeltic]

With the assumption of good health (in particular Rondo) my expectations of this team is a 42-45 win team.

Anything below 40 would be an underpeformance and we'll have to start to question very thoroughly Stevens' coaching ability.

1-4 this team is stupidly deep. Not the best talented, but it is talented and having a deep roster will help during the season to manage the ups and downs.

[Mazingerz]

40 wins. Rondo last year was coasting because of the circumstances. We make a run to the ECF.

[fitzhickey]

40 wins. Rondo last year was coasting because of the circumstances. We make a run to the ECF.

lol 

[Quetzalcoatl]

I think it's totally possible our team makes a 7 or 8 seed, it's just not that likely.  There is less incentive to tank this year than last for the main reason that we have a lot more guys who have a future with the team, where as last year we just had two (Sully & KO).  Now we have Bradley, Vitor & Rondo back from injury, plus Smart, Young, & Zeller.

I just wouldn't get my hopes up.

[chambers]

I wouldn't get too excited just yet.
If we stand pat and don't cut/trade any of our veterans like Green and Bass then we might hit 35 wins. If we trade Green and Bass then we are going to suffer horribly.

We've lost Humphries, Wallace is coming back off another injury. If we lose Bass as well then our nightly battle with NBA big men is going to be a long and tough lesson for Olynyk and Zeller.

Where are our weaknesses? Well they're the same place they were last year, being:
1) we are a below average shooting team again
2) our big man rotation has got to be one of the poorest defensive rotations in the NBA- just as it was last year. All we've done is removed Humphries who was our best big, and inserted Zeller. Now Zeller should be a decent 12 point/10 rebound center one day, but that is unlikely this season, and if it is this season, the majority of his starting center opponents will destroy him on the other end. Rebounding is going to be relied on by Sully, Olynyk, Zeller and Faverani.

All those people talking about 40 wins are extremely optimistic- without a defensive presence in the paint it's just not going to happen.
Just don't be disappointed if this becomes another tank year, because if Danny can move Bass and Green he 100% will, he offered the Warriors Bass for a trade exception earlier in July!

Our go to scorers are basically Thornton, Green and Turner, and their efficiency rates are all poor, as is Evan Turner's. We've now got two Jordan Crawfords but they both play poorer defense.

Let's assume that Green and Bass are traded. How does the following roster stack up? can it beat the Lakers? I think with Green and Bass, we can't beat the Lakers horrid team.

Rondo
Bradley
Turner
Sully
Zeller

guards:

Smart
Young
Thornton
Pressey
Wallace

bigs:
Olynyk
Faverani
Anthony

How many wins does that squad realistically win? Maybe 30 if we're lucky?
Bass, Humphries, Green, Crawford, Bayless all combined were worth at least 10 wins.
Thornton is likely gone

If Bass+ Green stay, we might get  35 wins.
If they're gone before the season starts and we make no other changes, this team is arguably worse than last year. Maybe 25 wins? We are definitely bottom 5 in the NBA without Green+Bass. Turner and Thornton just aren't efficient enough and use so much of the ball, hopefully we get rid of at least Thornton within a few months.

[Beat LA]

We might be able to win a couple more games, if only because, barring a trade, Paul George's injury, coupled with the departure of Lance Stephenson, might give us a decent shot at beating the Pacers once or twice, haha.

[Mazingerz]

40 wins. Rondo last year was coasting because of the circumstances. We make a run to the ECF.

lol 

hey anything is posssssssssiiiiiiiibllllllleeeeeeeee

[Beat LA]

Look folks...there is NO Freaking way that Brad Stevens is gonna coach like he did last season---he's going all out to win as many games as possible---You think the Celtics as an organization are going to try for the BS Draft Lottery again---? I'll say we win close to 40 games, or more-depending on how our young guys have improved---and if Marcus Smart is any good at all.

Yes I do, unfortunately, given their inability to accept that we always get screwed in the lottery, regardless of our record, and next year's draft is supposed to be loaded with guys who can solve our deficiencies inside, on both ends.  Would I like those guys?  Of course - who wouldn't?  Are we going to get any of them on the other hand - no, absolutely not, and if we do, they'll end up being a bust haha.  That's how it seems to work out for us.  What is the old expression, "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me," or should we call that the Danny Ainge methodology haha?

[Waew]

we're not making the playoffs.

Cleveland
Chicago
Washington
Charlotte
Miami
Toronto
Atlanta
Indiana

Brooklyn
New York
Detroit
Boston
Orlando
Milwaukee
Philly

This is how the East stacks up. East got more level as a whole. Brooklyn itself will be a force with deron williams redeeming  himself, KG leaving it all on the court, and brook lopez coming back. plus New york and detroit has more veteran talent than us...

[Celtics4ever]

Yes I do, unfortunately, given their inability to accept that we always get screwed in the lottery, regardless of our record, and next year's draft is supposed to be loaded with guys who can solve our deficiencies inside, on both ends.  Would I like those guys?  Of course - who wouldn't?  Are we going to get any of them on the other hand - no, absolutely not, and if we do, they'll end up being a bust haha.

We drafted Cowens, Bird, McHale and Russell and you think we always get screwed?