Ideal big man for this Celtics squad would be Ibaka

[Tr1boy]

A guy that can guard centers, pf , play above the rim, play transition basketball, hit the open jump shot. 

Some here want Marc Gasol and I do like Gasol  but he doesn't really fit with CBS system. CBS would have to rearrange the offense/defense , rotation, to accommodate a mainly half court player like Gasol.   Not saying if you get lucky to sign him you won't "change" some things,  but ideally it's not a flush fit

I like Tyler Zeller and he is a good fit , but is not long/explosive enough to be able to battle elite bigs/top teams.   But we have found our backup center for years to come for sure

Ibaka has two more years left after this season and I wonder if OKC would be willing to give him up for the right price. 

[TheFlex]

I would love Ibaka. Not much I wouldn't give up for him.

[jambr380]

Obviously he would fit very well with our current personnel. I can only imagine what the asking price would be. He is basically everything that is good about Josh Smith and CB pined for him for years.

[jpotter33]

A guy that can guard centers, pf , play above the rim, play transition basketball, hit the open jump shot. 

Some here want Marc Gasol and I do like Gasol  but he doesn't really fit with CBS system. CBS would have to rearrange the offense/defense , rotation, to accommodate a mainly half court player like Gasol.   Not saying if you get lucky to sign him you won't "change" some things,  but ideally it's not a flush fit

I like Tyler Zeller and he is a good fit , but is not long/explosive enough to be able to battle elite bigs/top teams.   But we have found our backup center for years to come for sure

Ibaka has two more years left after this season and I wonder if OKC would be willing to give him up for the right price.

If Durant leaves they very well could blow it up next summer and retry the whole building through the draft idea. Westbrook would love to have his own team, but I'm not sure that he'd want to stay in OKC without Durant. They could pull an Ainge and get a TON of draft picks and good pieces for Ibaka and Westbrook. Hell, they already have two good younger pieces in Adams and Kanter. If they think they can play together at the 4 and 5, that'd be a good start.

[Quetzalcoatl]

He's good, I'd love to have him, but he's still a PF.  We need a Center

[Who]

OKC has no reason to trade Ibaka.

Boston has no short-term assets -- future draft picks not much value to a win-now organization that is scramblning to keep Durant from leaving as a free agent in near future -- to offer that add more value to the OKC Thunder than what Ibaka currently does for them.

[Tr1boy]

He's good, I'd love to have him, but he's still a PF.  We need a Center

I disagree. No you don't. Ibaka is 250 pounds and can guard guys like Deandre Jordan.  Plus the "new" nba is going small, especially in the 4th. It's happening everywhere

[viulo]

OKC has no reason to trade Ibaka.

Boston has no short-term assets -- future draft picks not much value to a win-now organization that is scramblning to keep Durant from leaving as a free agent in near future -- to offer that add more value to the OKC Thunder than what Ibaka currently does for them.

There is only one reason they might consider trading Ibaka - to avoid luxury tax. But I agree with you, if they consider it there are a lot of teams that could give them a better offer in a win now perspective. Although Boston has something most of the teams don't have: a 12M+ TPE.

IF the Kanter experience goes well and they want to keep him and IF they conclude they can only pay two top guys to have a balanced roster and they might want to pursue one or two mid level free agents in the summer, something like this might not be a bad offer: TPE plus a lot of picks for Ibaka; Smart and Sullinger (or Olynyk) for someone they want to get rid of and is making the same money.

Unlikely, but even though Ibaka is a PF I think he is one of the top five rim protectors in the NBA

[CFAN38]

Ibaka is the ideal big man for every team in the NBA.

He is the super rare rim protecting athletic stretch 4/5. The only other players who have even close to that skill set are Bosh and LMA and neither are a great comp. Bosh shoots the 3 like Ibaka but isnt as good a rim protector. LMA while a great player isnt at Ibaka's level from 3 or blocking shots.

The value of this very unique skill set makes a strong case for two potetnial draft prospects. Karl Towns and Prozingis. Towns hasn't shown it in college but reportedly has 3pt range and has proven to be a great college shot blocker. Prozingis is shooting 46% from 3 in the Eurocup with 1.2blks in just 21mpg.

[Tr1boy]

Ibaka is the ideal big man for every team in the NBA.

He is the super rare rim protecting athletic stretch 4/5. The only other players who have even close to that skill set are Bosh and LMA and neither are a great comp. Bosh shoots the 3 like Ibaka but isnt as good a rim protector. LMA while a great player isnt at Ibaka's level from 3 or blocking shots.

The value of this very unique skill set makes a strong case for two potetnial draft prospects. Karl Towns and Prozingis. Towns hasn't shown it in college but reportedly has 3pt range and has proven to be a great college shot blocker. Prozingis is shooting 46% from 3 in the Eurocup with 1.2blks in just 21mpg.

Towns and Porzingis are prob going to be drafted in the top 10.  Towns would be a nice grab. Not sure about Porzingis as he has a long way to go before adding enough weight to play against nba bigs

outside of these guys I'm a big fan of Rakeem Christmas.  Yes a senior but he is closer to being nba ready vs some of these other bigs.   His game reminds me kind of Ibaka (maybe it's more like in between Ibaka and Hickson). His body, quickness, athleticism, shot blocking skills. 250 pounds, 6'9 , 7'4 wingspan

[Endless Paradise]

They're paying the luxury tax now, they're going to pay it next season.  They absolutely would not just dump Ibaka to avoid the luxury tax.

To answer your question: Westbrook, Ibaka, and Durant are unavailable before summer 2016 at the earliest.

[Who]

He's good, I'd love to have him, but he's still a PF.  We need a Center

I disagree. No you don't. Ibaka is 250 pounds and can guard guys like Deandre Jordan.  Plus the "new" nba is going small, especially in the 4th. It's happening everywhere

Agreed. Ibaka is an effective center nowadays. He wasn't when he was younger but he gotten physically stronger and is a much improved man-to-man now.

Ibaka hasn't played many minutes at center since Steven Adams began to establish himself late 18 months ago (Adams & Perk take up almost all C minutes, Collison gets some too) but Ibaka got a fair amount of minutes prior to that. OKC used Durant at PF alongside Ibaka at C in a running lineup. They were lethal in transition and very difficult to defend with that extra spacing on the floor. It was a very effective lineup against the Spurs in particular. Ibaka did well against Duncan. A few years earlier, Ibaka wouldn't have been able to handle Duncan. Duncan was just too big and strong for him. But Ibaka has gotten stronger and improved his post defense considerably since then. He can majority of centers down low now.

I often wonder if Ibaka would be better off at C than a PF. At times he can be neutralized defensively (as a shot-blocker) by teams who play stretch PFs. Ibaka gets pulled away from the basket and is unable to protect the paint. His instinct is always to help on defense and he often over-helps and badly defends perimeter shooters as a result. Ibaka would be much less susceptible to situations like this if he played the C full time and playing closer to the basket would allow him to contest a greater number of shots than playing the PF position does. It would also increase his offensive value because having a center who can knock down 18-20 footers consistently (and sometimes 3s) opens up the paint for everyone else. Improves team speed and transition play (offensively and defensively).

I wouldn't have thought playing center full time was a good option for a Ibaka a few years ago because Ibaka got pushed around too easily in the post but his improved strength and defensive fundamentals have made this a legitimate possibility for him now.

[Eddie20]

Drummond would actually be the perfect guy. Still very young and developing. However, unlike Ibaka, who's isn't the best rebounder around, he's one of the best in the league. He can't space the floor like an Ibaka can, but he's much more deadly on dives to the basket, putbacks, and lobs. Brings skills that we simply don't have.

[SHAQATTACK]

Drummond would actually be the perfect guy. Still very young and developing. However, unlike Ibaka, who's isn't the best rebounder around, he's one of the best in the league. He can't space the floor like an Ibaka can, but he's much more deadly on dives to the basket, putbacks, and lobs. Brings skills that we simply don't have.

Drummond ......drool.      ..LOL .....

He is one of those player s a team will never ever trade unless he first wants out .......and then it's to run to LA or a team with two Elites.

[saltlover]

Ibaka is the ideal big man for every team in the NBA.

Beat me to it.  TP.