We should go for the playoffs now!

[YeezusChrist]

We are currently resting at the 10th spot in the east and 2 games back from being in the playoffs. I myself used to be a pro tanker but looking at our roster there are 2 flaws that we have, which are a lack of a go to scorer and a lack of a rim protector. We are too far out in front of the tankers (LA, PHI, NYK, PHI) to get a top 5 pick unless Orlando can start winning games but after firing their head coach I doubt that will happen.

We would currently land in the 8-12 range and that could get us WCS, Myles Turner, or Winslow but Turner is a gamble, Winslow doesn't look like a Star scorer he's a #2 or #3 option at best and Cauley-Stein is great on defense but I am not personally high on this guy becoming a Tyson Chandler type. So I think we should win and try to get to the playoffs maybe Brad can work his magic and make a Cinderalla story happen again. Their are tons of benefits with going to the playoffs like helping give the younger players a winning culture and experience in the big time games. Even if we were bounced in the first round it would help their confidence and we would have the 15th pick in the draft and looking at a few mock drafts out there they have good players falling to the position like Hezonja and WCS but that is wishful thinking but if you want to be realistic about it a prospect i'm high on is Rondae Hollis Jefferson. Who is a sf who can play defense, rebound and is efficient with his shooting. Right now his 3pt % is at 20 but I can't really trust that since he only takes like 1 a game but nonetheless he would be a nice guy to help compliment a future backcourt of Smart and Young. With the Clippers 1st and Philly's 2nd round pick we can look for our center and we could reach and get Dakari Johnson with their pick or take a risk with Robert Upshaw either way those are players we could get and quite a few mock drafts have both of them falling to the second round so we could have a chance at both and try them both out and if one of the 2 are gone by the Philly pick then we could start going international and get Mouhammadu Jaiteh who could be our draft and stash guy and who knows he could turn out to be a Rudy Gobert in the future.

Now those players could cover our rim protector problem and then we could move on to our go to scorer problem. Young could be a guy to look to but that's optimism, we would ideally go after a Superstar through trade *cough* KD. This would happen ideally after the draft with KD having only 1 year left on his deal and frustrated with the team missing the playoffs this year he might be looking to leave. We have enough future picks to entice the thunder to trade straight picks for KD and I think the Thunder would consider 4 first round picks (2016 ours, Brooklyn, Cavs, and 2017 Memphis) and Crowder. But obviously KD would have to agree to an extension first with us and after he's seen us get into the playoffs this year with the young players we had I think he would agree to one. I think this because if you add KD to the roster that's vastly improves us and puts us to the top teams in the East and KD would never have to worry about missing the playoffs again. The finals would almost always be in sight for us by that time and it would make sense for him to abandon the west and take a chance in the east. With that trade we would have a line up of Smart/ AB/ Durant/ Sully/ Upshaw heading into the 15-16 season with the bench looking like Free agent/Young/ Hollis Jefferson/KO/ Zeller or Dakari with our international Players stashed away. Now thats a team that could start a dynasty but at some point money would become a issue after the rookie salaries wear off but that should be about 4-5 years down the line with this roster and with Smart rapidly developing I can see us contending every year if one of the 2 centers pans out.


Tell me what you guys think and thanks for reading i've been a lurker for awhile and i've finally decided to join up and post  [/font]

Picks: http://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Celtics.htm

Mock drafts: http://walterfootball.com/nbadraft2015mock.php
http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2015/
http://hoopshype.com/draft_2015.htm
http://www.mynbadraft.com/NBA-Mock-Draft/
http://www.nbadraft.net/2015mock_draft

[piercetruth34]

I was just going to make the same post lol.  But you nailed some good points.  I'm feeling like this team should finish off strong.  Draft position is not that big a deal as I feel like we have some pieces on this team already.  Smart, Bradley, Sully, KO, Young, Zeller, etc.  With smart in the starting lineup I think we can start developing some identity and chemistry..

We need a rim protector but we have so many options as far as picks we can build with this group.

[piercetruth34]

Jay Crowder too owning Giannis.  I think this could be a fun group come playoff time..

[tazzmaniac]

Yikes!! Green tinted glasses causing grand delusions.  OKC is not going to trade Durant.  Durant is not going to sign an extension with anyone. He is due a massive raise in two years when the new TV deal kicks in.  If Durant does leave OKC, he's got much better options than Boston, a bad team with a bunch of mediocre players, starting with joining Wall in Washington.  We need the best pick possible this year and backing into the playoffs would be a disaster.   

[piercetruth34]

Yikes!! Green tinted glasses causing grand delusions.  OKC is not going to trade Durant.  Durant is not going to sign an extension with anyone. He is due a massive raise in two years when the new TV deal kicks in.  If Durant does leave OKC, he's got much better options than Boston, a bad team with a bunch of mediocre players, starting with joining Wall in Washington.  We need the best pick possible this year and backing into the playoffs would be a disaster.

We have Prince and guys like Thornton and Bass who are most likely going to be replaced with a center and scorer at some point but we have so man ydraft picks and options I don't think it's imperative we try to lose games.  I think this could be a good group to get some playoff experience with.  I don't think DA is forced into making any moves as of yet.

The trade deadline is coming up soon. I think this stretch will be telling whether we move prince and guys like thornton and bass or keep them for a playoff push.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

They might as well go for the playoffs—at this point their record is too good for a top draft pick.

[oldtype]

Going for the playoffs is fine and all but let's make things clear: we have beaten a full-strength playoff team exactly once this entire season (Washington). If we get to the playoffs, it is more likely than not that we'll just get swept.

I don't know how much getting eviscerated in the first round is actually going to help in terms of getting the young players experience and making us more attractive to free agents.

[tazzmaniac]

They might as well go for the playoffs—at this point their record is too good for a top draft pick.

Picking 8 to 10 is much better than picking 15 and it is a better trade asset too.  Getting destroyed in the 1st round by Atlanta or even worse Cleveland isn't going to be much fun or much of a learning experience. 

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

Weren't Chicago able to trade a significant way up the draft to get McDermott. If we are say...15th, I can't imagine us not being able to trade our pick plus 2 second rounders to get to say..9th.   

[GratefulCs]

"You're gonna come back, right dad, right?"


....


"Ya, i'll come back ... when the celtics make the playoffs"

[Rosco917]

They might as well go for the playoffs—at this point their record is too good for a top draft pick.

Picking 8 to 10 is much better than picking 15 and it is a better trade asset too.  Getting destroyed in the 1st round by Atlanta or even worse Cleveland isn't going to be much fun or much of a learning experience.

I have to agree with this, the Celtics need size and length in the worst way, I feel the opportunity to draft as high as possible and getting the best player they can is more important than getting crushed in the first round. At least for this year, they need the lottery.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

They might as well go for the playoffs—at this point their record is too good for a top draft pick.

Picking 8 to 10 is much better than picking 15 and it is a better trade asset too.  Getting destroyed in the 1st round by Atlanta or even worse Cleveland isn't going to be much fun or much of a learning experience.

I have to agree with this, the Celtics need size and length in the worst way, I feel the opportunity to draft as high as possible and getting the best player they can is more important than getting crushed in the first round. At least for this year, they need the lottery.

I agree that they badly need size and length, but don't you think all the best bigs will be gone in the top 5 or so picks?

[tazzmaniac]

Weren't Chicago able to trade a significant way up the draft to get McDermott. If we are say...15th, I can't imagine us not being able to trade our pick plus 2 second rounders to get to say..9th.

Chicago traded the 16th and 19th picks to move up to 11th to pick McDermott.  The Celtics aren't going to jump from 15th to 9th for just a couple second rounders. 

[hwangjini_1]

Jay Crowder too owning Giannis.  I think this could be a fun group come playoff time..

if by "fun" you mean that the atlanta hawks would pulverize this team and the celtics would be lucky to win one game while being humiliated numerous times, then yes. this will be a fun team.

i do think they would be "funner" next year if they were to land a better draft pick by not making the playoffs and getting nuked this year.

[tazzmaniac]

Jay Crowder too owning Giannis.  I think this could be a fun group come playoff time..

if by "fun" you mean that the atlanta hawks would pulverize this team and the celtics would be lucky to win one game while being humiliated numerous times, then yes. this will be a fun team.

i do think they would be "funner" next year if they were to land a better draft pick by not making the playoffs and getting nuked this year.

The Hawks would love to face us in the 1st round.  It would probably mean that Brooklyn misses the playoffs and therefore the Hawks would have a lottery pick.