we need improvements everywhere.  we're not set at any position, at least in terms of a quality starter.  if you're talking bench players, then yeah, we're pretty well set

we need improvements everywhere.  we're not set at any position, at least in terms of a quality starter.  if you're talking bench players, then yeah, we're pretty well set

Yup whether those improvements are internal (Smart/Kelly/Young developing) or from new talent.

Smart, Bradley and Turner have all received some criticism throughout the season from the fans, but I'm realy starting to become sold on running it back next year. Turner needs the ball to be most effective. Having him be a point 3 lets Smart ease into his role as starting pg. IT is pretty dame good too, Crowder is getting better and Pressy is good for a 3rd stringer.

Obviously you take star talent if you can get it, but I'm starting to think that a good center is a much much bigger need for next year then a 3.

Obvious spots to improve in the short run are the PG and the PF position. PF being more obvious than the PG, since Smart may still improve. I guess we're looking for a good two-way starting PF (who isn't...).

I don't agree that Turner is the solution moving forward. He's been better than expected this year and he fits in offensively, but his flaws are too serious for him to be a starter on a really good team imo. If he could learn to tame his turnovers, then perhaps his defense would be palatable in the starting lineup, but I'm pretty skeptical.

At the 1 and the 2 we might indeed be set. We have a solid 3-guard rotation, and Pressey and Young are fine options for the end of the bench.

I don't even think we know for sure that Smart or Avery are the answers at 1 and 2.

We are a bad outside shooting team. Crowder and Turner are solid players, but neither can shoot the 3 at the level we really need if we're going to succeed playing this style.

I think Smart can be the shooter we need. Bradley is good enough but not elite. In theory, these two are going to make up for the difference between good and great by playing great defense, so I guess we very well might be set at the 1 and the 2 for a few years.

Zeller and Olynyk are also nice players, but to have an elite team you need at least a few *great* players. Neither one of them is ever going to be one of those.

I should have been more clear in the OP. I mean I think we might be set for next year. Turner at the 3 gives Smart another year to ease into being a full time pg. PGs take a while, look at Billups. Look at Rondo, in his 3rd and 4th years he was better at running the show than his first 2.

We are winning games now. Imagine if we had a Cousins or Love or Monroe even. Get a 5 this summer and a 3 next.

As has been said by others, we have guys who would be valuable rotation players at the 3 but not championship caliber players, especially considering we have no stars.

Now that I've been able to see the NCAA tourney, my dream scenario is for Ainge to trade whatever number of draft choices/expendable resources he has to to get the 4th and 8th picks (or better) this year, and grab Justise Winslow and Willie Cauley-Stein.

We would have one of the best young defensive cores the league has ever seen. If we approached free agency with that group, we could probably convince an elite power forward to jump on the bandwagon.