Poll: Anybody feel differently about making/not making playoffs?

[csfansince60s]

With all the talk/desire of us moving up in the draft, I've seen more than a few posters bemoaning the fact we made the playoffs and few others stating the opposite, that they weren't on the playoff train, but jumped on and liked the excitement in retrospect citing increased trade value of some of our players among other reasons as beneficial to the team in the long run.

Many others are far more firmly entrenched in their initial positions on both sides. I'm curious as to where people now stand on this.

For me, I wasn't for tanking. I wanted us to fight our asses off and then end up just short of the playoffs. Hell, I was all for us winning 18 of our last 20, as long as the teams ahead of us won 19 of their last 20. Short term "pain" for long term gain. Too many breaks/circumstances went our way in the last two weeks of the season to help us make the playoffs and hence hurt us in draft position.

I didn't want to be spanked by Queen James and summarily dismissed, all the while losing the chance at #10, #11 or #12. Many of the pro-playoffs folk at the time said "10-12 or 16...meh...no difference." I am wondering if people on either side still feel the same way they did in late March and April?

[BudweiserCeltic]

I wanted to make the playoffs, and my feelings remain the same. The cost of making it were quite clear and has been discussed exhaustively.

[tankcity!]

I'm still cautiously optimistic Danny has something up his sleeve that will lead to a star signing with the Celtics.

[knuckleballer]

If we can bring in serious talent, then I'll be glad we made the playoffs.  If we can't, then I wish we got a better pick.  We will know the answer to that in about two weeks.

[Celtics18]

I'd rather have the twelfth pick than the sixteenth pick, but I don't regret this team making the playoffs.

I am convinced there will be good talent left when we pick at sixteen.  I'm hoping Danny picks a winner.  He's done it before in this range. 

[Denis998]

I'm convinced that with us playing so competitively against a healthy Cavs team put us on the radar of a FA destination. With that being said, this draft is 14 players deep for us, we need 2 players  to rise in the draft in order for use to get our target talent. I have Payne and Lyles to rise, which lands us a shot at Dekker or Portis.

[GetLucky]

I liked that the team made the playoffs, but I still had reservations in the back of my mind. However, now that the lottery is over and no teams with the 10th-14th best odds jumped into the top 3, I can happily say that I think making the playoffs was well worth the minimal drop in draft position.

[Greyman]

I wanted the Celtics in the playoffs and I am still happy they did. Doesn't mean there aren't times when I think it would be nice to be higher up the draft order, but I also think our stocks are better than many gave the C's credit for, CBS is proving to be better than just capable and will attract talent and we are still in a good position. Making the playoffs has not torpedoed the rebuild or held it up IMO.

[Bucketgetter]

I would have only regretted making the playoffs if a team like the Pacers or the Heat jumped up in the lottery and got a top 3 position.

[Future Celtics Owner]

Well this past season I wanted Towns. He started off ranked 18th and not ranked on nbadraft.net. I figured that UK's frontline would be great for his development(like in practices and stuff) but most importantly I was counting on the dozen or so giants on UK's frontline to impact his mpg and hopefully scouts would not get to see enough of him. So I thought if we got the 6th or 7th pick we could grab Towns.

Even as the season went along Towns was still in the 5-8 range pretty consistently. But eventually all the scouts wanted to see UK and Towns was playing great both ways, I loved his skill set. Even when Towns was number 1 or 2 I believed that we would win the lottery if we just could miss the playoffs. I even rooted for them to lose. It took a lot out of me.

Anyway I think things can be saved if we can grab Myles Turner for Avery Bradley.

[GreenWarrior]

that poll being a dead lock between those that did and didn't is exactly how I felt towards the end of the yr.

I did not want this team to make the playoffs. they're 2 yr's into the rebuild, a high draft pick is more valuable to this team than playoff experience...esp. for a bunch of guys that might be playing for another team next yr. this really can't be argued.

however, then when Ainge came out and said we were trying to get worse, I believed him. but these guys played well together and it's difficult not to pull for a team that plays hard. weather it was coaching, or a collection of players with some integrity, or both it was a nice run. but the pick was more valuable.

I will say this I think Stevens needs to prove he can coach the veteran NBA player with a bit of an ego. or I should say a star.   

[csfansince60s]

Thought this was a good time to bump this poll.

Turner and Winslow were there, not if we tanked hard, but by playing hard and just missing the playoffs.

It amazes me that some are still glad we made the playoffs.

[mqtcelticsfan]

I still like that we made the playoffs. I'm a little bummed about Turner and Winslow, but we were never bad enough to get a top 5 pick, and after the top 4 it pretty much dropped off a cliff.

[csfansince60s]

I wanted to bump this poll/thread to see if people's stances have changed since June. Also, many of the posts in response were pre-draft and are interesting in retrospect.

The major reasons people have cited for making the playoffs last year in this thread and in countless other discussions on this topic are 1. It builds a winning culture/gives our players playoff experience, 2. It will attract FAs and 3. Not much difference between 9-10-11 or 16.

Let me address these by asking
1. How many of our current players will be there when we contend again?
2. Amir and JJ, really? (Where's someone like Greg Monroe?)
3. Rozier vs Winslow, Turner or trading up for someone else which would've been much easier.?The Knicks seemed willing, for one?

We snuck up on people last year in our Sherman-like march through the tanking, injured, woeful LEastern conference. I'm trying to see how that was a good thing.

I'm curious as to whether anyone has changed their mind, one way or the other. Sadly, I haven't, although I wish that I could.

[Quetzalcoatl]

I am totally ambivalent about it.  I like our guards and am comfortable with them going forward.  I like KO and Amir, but am fine with Amir being traded.  I really like Crowder, but am still a little nervous about him being our starting 3 when we try to win a championship.  I would really like a huge upgrade at the 4 and 5, but I am not really in love with anybody in the 11-16 range.  I don't think the trade value of the 13th pick is that much more than the 16th pick.  I'd be a lot happier with the 6 seed, because the Raptors or Cavs sweeping us and celebrating on our home floor while also getting a worse pick is kind of terrible.

Diamond Stone would be okay, but he's a project.  Furkan Korkmaz is getting no PT in Turkey and so who knows with him. The main reason I would want a pick in the 10-14 range is for someone like Skal, Murray or Ivan Rabb falling there.  I care about our Nets pick, our free agency period and whatever we can do in trades.  The team is fun to watch for the most part, but I'm not really concerned with wins or losses at this point.