Playoff vs. Tanking Debate & 1st Round Opponent

[manl_lui]

personally I think making the playoffs and getting some experience helps our team more than missing out on a pick that is between 4-10 (I honestly think even if we tank, we end up outside the top 3 again, like last year, you aren't competing with the professional tankers of the league in the 76ers, NYK and LAL...hell even Denver is tanking better than the last year of us).

With that said, I think we can continue to build on top of what we have at the moment. And I want to face the Cavs. I think facing the Cavs will give our boys some positive experience going forward. Ask the Bulls and Pacers  who faced the Heat. Had Rose and George been healthy, the East would've been interesting to watch. I think we can replicate that with a few more moves/signings.

[kozlodoev]

I'm so pumped that this team made the playoffs. I think it's important for some of our younger players to get some validation. Not necessarily just rookies and sophomores like Smart and Olynyk, but also some of the younger veterans (Turner, Thomas, Zeller, etc).

[BDeCosta26]

At picks, 15,16 or 17 there are still some good big men that Stevens can develop into his system.

And we could always trade up, Sullinger is on the hotseat right now. So you never know.

If we end up having to draft in our original position then, I hope we can grab Robert Upshaw at least with the Clippers pick, or in the second round. Idk where he's projected to fall.

Sully has NO value right now.. coming off an injury, fat, etc. So we would have to give up Olynyck, who I don't love, but has MUCH MORE PROMISE than Sully. I would give him up if we keep Jerebko if it means getting WCS or Stanley Johnson, but we would have to give up more than just that...

A lot of times, our personal feelings about a young player distort our idea of his value. I always liked Rondo and when we traded him I thought we gave him away for nothing. But his real value around the time was right about what we got for him.

Sullinger is a young big who has proven he can produce at a high level in the NBA consistently. He has problems, sure. But young, productive bigs with upside under team control for a few more years with RFA, are always of value. Him coming back from his injury early and 20 pounds lighter while accepting a smaller role on a much different team than the one he left is good for his trade value. I think if we tried to trade him straight up we wouldn't get a huge haul or anything. But add him to a deal like #15, LAC pick and him and that could be enough, or close to it, to get the Kings to trade back from #7 or wherever they end up.

[Fafnir]

Right now the biggest asset on this team is the coach. Tanking for the chance at a higher pick might cost you that asset.

Ainge did everything he could to remove everyone from the team that won't be here long term (who could be traded for value).

Had Ainge straight up traded all his assets for very little like the Knicks did this season wouldn't have been enjoyable. As a Celtics fans I want to enjoy the games, if I was a Sixers fan in the time it took them to turn things around, I probably would have lost interest in the team.

Ainge has the luxury of having a lot of picks that aren't tied to the C's record coming in from BKN and still controls the C's own picks. Means you don't have to go all in on the tank.

The Knicks have the opposite problem as they don't have their 2016 pick, they had a one year window to get a draft asset.

BTW looking at the site for draft picks owed, Philly has 15 conditional second round picks owed in future drafts. That's just bonkers. (they owe 2 back plus the conditional first rounder that will be two second round picks to the C's)

[Evantime34]

Right now the biggest asset on this team is the coach. Tanking for the chance at a higher pick might cost you that asset.

Ainge did everything he could to remove everyone from the team that won't be here long term (who could be traded for value).

Had Ainge straight up traded all his assets for very little like the Knicks did this season wouldn't have been enjoyable. As a Celtics fans I want to enjoy the games, if I was a Sixers fan in the time it took them to turn things around, I probably would have lost interest in the team.

Ainge has the luxury of having a lot of picks that aren't tied to the C's record coming in from BKN and still controls the C's own picks. Means you don't have to go all in on the tank.

The Knicks have the opposite problem as they don't have their 2016 pick, they had a one year window to get a draft asset.

BTW looking at the site for draft picks owed, Philly has 15 conditional second round picks owed in future drafts. That's just bonkers. (they owe 2 back plus the conditional first rounder that will be two second round picks to the C's)

I wonder if the Sixers draft guys who can play right away with the second rounders so that the back half of their roster isn't strictly d league guys or if they draft and stash. My bet is on the latter.

[LilRip]

I guess i've been an ardent supporter of the "tank" camp, particularly last year when I thought there was a good chance we could land Wiggins. But this year, I'm glad we made the playoffs, particularly not on the backs of Rondo and Green.

I think we lose in the first round but it'll be a nice learning experience. Hopefully we can push the Cavs to 6 or 7 games