This off season has been frustrating, but don't panic. BREATHE!

[Ilikesports17]

Don't panic. Just accept that this team is irrelevant for the long haul.  Your favorite team is an also-ran.  You're rooting for a perpetually mediocre treadmill squad with no hope of contending.  Half the league is like that.  Accept that we aren't special. Our crappy assets are the same as everyone else's crappy assets.  Ainge spoiled us.  We lost sight of how impossible it is to trade into a contender.  Aside from our little 3.5 year window of contending, we have been like that more or less for 25 years.   We will make the playoffs sometimes. We will miss the playoffs sometimes.  We will add some garbage players. We will stumble into a fringe star like Al Jefferson every 10 years... But we will not matter.  This team will not matter.  We will be on the outside looking in.  This is not our league. It belongs to teams like Cleveland, golden state, Oklahoma... And eventually it will belong to teams like Minnesota and Philly.  We are the Washington Generals. If you see our face, it will probably be on the other end of someone's boot in dunk posters and sportscenter highlights.

The sooner you accept that the sooner you can start celebrating the moral victories... Like stumbling into a Delote West from time to time in the draft, or landing a serviceable big man like Rodney Rodgers or amir Johnson... Or making the playoffs with a losing record.

We spent the majority of the last 3 decades in this spot.  Welcome back.  Rub KG's pixie dust out of your eyes... You have been here for a few years now and didn't even notice it. Time to accept it.  There's no easy way out of it.   Here's hoping one of these years we bottom out and finally luck into a cornerstone.  Accept our futility and this will all be easier to stomach.

Or you can sit here for the next 20 years and keep waiting for that "other shoe" to drop that never comes. That will just lead to disappointment.

That or sit there whining and complaining about something you have no control over...

No point in whining and complaining about it.  Rooting for Tony Delk had it's rewards.  It was just the acceptance that Boston was never going to be relevant anytime soon.   We're right back in the thick of NBA irrelevance.  Might as well accept it.  We're going to be here indefinitely.

In '86 Len Bias died. In '93 Reggie Lewis died. From '95-'01 we had Rick Pitino and ML Carr driving us into the ground. These 15 years made up nearly 75% of the longest title drought in Celtics history.

So we were "irrelevant" for nearly the time frame you suggest from 86-08 but that was also perhaps the unluckiest stretch of celtics basketball in their history.

Lastly, I know you are exagerating but I dont think there is an NBA player signed past like 2022 so its ridiculous for anyone to have any idea how good or bad we will be in a few years.

[colincb]

Don't panic. Just accept that this team is irrelevant for the long haul.  Your favorite team is an also-ran.  You're rooting for a perpetually mediocre treadmill squad with no hope of contending.  Half the league is like that.  Accept that we aren't special. Our crappy assets are the same as everyone else's crappy assets.  Ainge spoiled us.  We lost sight of how impossible it is to trade into a contender.  Aside from our little 3.5 year window of contending, we have been like that more or less for 25 years.   We will make the playoffs sometimes. We will miss the playoffs sometimes.  We will add some garbage players. We will stumble into a fringe star like Al Jefferson every 10 years... But we will not matter.  This team will not matter.  We will be on the outside looking in.  This is not our league. It belongs to teams like Cleveland, golden state, Oklahoma... And eventually it will belong to teams like Minnesota and Philly.  We are the Washington Generals. If you see our face, it will probably be on the other end of someone's boot in dunk posters and sportscenter highlights.

The sooner you accept that the sooner you can start celebrating the moral victories... Like stumbling into a Delote West from time to time in the draft, or landing a serviceable big man like Rodney Rodgers or amir Johnson... Or making the playoffs with a losing record.

We spent the majority of the last 3 decades in this spot.  Welcome back.  Rub KG's pixie dust out of your eyes... You have been here for a few years now and didn't even notice it. Time to accept it.  There's no easy way out of it.   Here's hoping one of these years we bottom out and finally luck into a cornerstone.  Accept our futility and this will all be easier to stomach.

Or you can sit here for the next 20 years and keep waiting for that "other shoe" to drop that never comes. That will just lead to disappointment.

You predicted 15 wins for us last year.

[aingeforthree]

I think once the dust settles we'll all be pretty happy with Ainge this offseason and the discipline he's shown in not overpaying for bums to subdue an obviously desperate/crazy/demanding fan base.

Crowder's here on a bargain, we got a nice pick with RJ Hunter. I personally like Rozier as the 16th pick and Mickey's certainly not gonna be Fab Melo 2.0.

The best part about this offseason for me was getting Amir Johnson to let Sully and Olynyk (mostly Sully) play their traditional PF positions with a solid rim protector helping them on the weak side.
The beautiful part about Amir's deal is it's cheap for what he brings to the court and the locker room.... and most importantly, it's only one year guaranteed.

I think Ainge's plan is to go absolutely All in with Cousins and contracts like Amir's make that much easier to do so that we have basically have a 12 million dollar expiring contract for one or two years if we like. That contract also lets Stevens showcase Olynyk and Sully in different ways and hides some of their defensive deficiencies.
Put Amir's $12 million, Jonas $5 million with Turner's $3 million or whatever it is and we're laughing with $20 million in expirings just with those three. Wallace Adds another $10 million for $30 million total expirings ( I think that's everyone?)

Should Cousins or Melo become available we are in a good spot with our picks and young guys to throw a nice looking deal at the Kings + Knicks.

Pretty happy overall. It's a development year, and I dunno if the Brooklyn/Dallas picks will be all that great, but I think we are underdogs to make the playoffs and combining our own top 10 pick with the Brooklyn pick+Dallas pick should get us a nice top 5 selection if there's someone we like.

Anyone else pretty happy if things stay as they are and we don't blow 4 years and 60 million of cap room on a relative gamble like Harris?
Thoughts on offseason?

They'll be patting Ainge on the back once they realize he drafted one of the best guards to come out of the draft these last couple of years.

Rozier will have an immediate impact.

[TheFlex]

I think once the dust settles we'll all be pretty happy with Ainge this offseason and the discipline he's shown in not overpaying for bums to subdue an obviously desperate/crazy/demanding fan base.

Crowder's here on a bargain, we got a nice pick with RJ Hunter. I personally like Rozier as the 16th pick and Mickey's certainly not gonna be Fab Melo 2.0.

The best part about this offseason for me was getting Amir Johnson to let Sully and Olynyk (mostly Sully) play their traditional PF positions with a solid rim protector helping them on the weak side.
The beautiful part about Amir's deal is it's cheap for what he brings to the court and the locker room.... and most importantly, it's only one year guaranteed.

I think Ainge's plan is to go absolutely All in with Cousins and contracts like Amir's make that much easier to do so that we have basically have a 12 million dollar expiring contract for one or two years if we like. That contract also lets Stevens showcase Olynyk and Sully in different ways and hides some of their defensive deficiencies.
Put Amir's $12 million, Jonas $5 million with Turner's $3 million or whatever it is and we're laughing with $20 million in expirings just with those three. Wallace Adds another $10 million for $30 million total expirings ( I think that's everyone?)

Should Cousins or Melo become available we are in a good spot with our picks and young guys to throw a nice looking deal at the Kings + Knicks.

Pretty happy overall. It's a development year, and I dunno if the Brooklyn/Dallas picks will be all that great, but I think we are underdogs to make the playoffs and combining our own top 10 pick with the Brooklyn pick+Dallas pick should get us a nice top 5 selection if there's someone we like.

Anyone else pretty happy if things stay as they are and we don't blow 4 years and 60 million of cap room on a relative gamble like Harris?
Thoughts on offseason?

Spot on post. TP. I won't lie and say I wasn't hoping to sign Harris, but Danny's plan B is pretty agreeable.

[chambers]

Don't panic. Just accept that this team is irrelevant for the long haul.  Your favorite team is an also-ran.  You're rooting for a perpetually mediocre treadmill squad with no hope of contending.  Half the league is like that.  Accept that we aren't special. Our crappy assets are the same as everyone else's crappy assets.  Ainge spoiled us.  We lost sight of how impossible it is to trade into a contender.  Aside from our little 3.5 year window of contending, we have been like that more or less for 25 years.   We will make the playoffs sometimes. We will miss the playoffs sometimes.  We will add some garbage players. We will stumble into a fringe star like Al Jefferson every 10 years... But we will not matter.  This team will not matter.  We will be on the outside looking in.  This is not our league. It belongs to teams like Cleveland, golden state, Oklahoma... And eventually it will belong to teams like Minnesota and Philly.  We are the Washington Generals. If you see our face, it will probably be on the other end of someone's boot in dunk posters and sportscenter highlights.

The sooner you accept that the sooner you can start celebrating the moral victories... Like stumbling into a Delote West from time to time in the draft, or landing a serviceable big man like Rodney Rodgers or amir Johnson... Or making the playoffs with a losing record.

We spent the majority of the last 3 decades in this spot.  Welcome back.  Rub KG's pixie dust out of your eyes... You have been here for a few years now and didn't even notice it. Time to accept it.  There's no easy way out of it.   Here's hoping one of these years we bottom out and finally luck into a cornerstone.  Accept our futility and this will all be easier to stomach.

Or you can sit here for the next 20 years and keep waiting for that "other shoe" to drop that never comes. That will just lead to disappointment.

Lol this is an utterly miserable perspective, overly reactive and knee jerkish to a crappy few weeks of draft and free agency let downs.
And while in the NBA it's better to be realistic than optimistic, you're throwing both Ainge (a proven legend in the front office) and Stevens (an obviously awesome coach) completely under the bus after 2 years of rebuilding. This is the NBA, not the NCAA where you can round up all the best players at will whilst yielding no cap or future repercussions for 'overpaying'.
You should know better than most how important that cap space is and that spending $28 million a year on Robin Lopez and Tobias Harris over the next 4 years- without a Carmelo Anthony already in place- would be far more likely to land us in another era of mediocrity than signing a few two way role players like Crowder and Johnson on bargain and expiring contracts with the rest of our scrubs would do.
 Now that the Eastern Conference is getting its act together-bar another crazily injury laden season in the East- the true talent level on our team being exposed is likely going to mean we get a top 10 pick for years to come until we bink that game changing player.
 You're 100% right that we are a team of role players and young scrubs, but we have picks, a crapload of expiring cap space and one of the best general managers in the NBA running the show.
 Danny knows the talent needed to compete with Cleveland, OKC and Atlanta for the next 5 years is ridiculous - so he's waiting till some ridiculous talent becomes available.
Pierce and KG were traded less than 2 years ago, and Brad Stevens surprised us and Ainge at how good he is, but it doesn't change the fact that as always, we have to stay patient and hope we get lucky with some of our picks and prospects, and strike when the timing is right.
I generally agree with your line of thinking, but in this case I think you're mistaking realism for post draft/free agency depression and pessimism.

[Future Celtics Owner]

Don't panic. Just accept that this team is irrelevant for the long haul.  Your favorite team is an also-ran.  You're rooting for a perpetually mediocre treadmill squad with no hope of contending.  Half the league is like that.  Accept that we aren't special. Our crappy assets are the same as everyone else's crappy assets.  Ainge spoiled us.  We lost sight of how impossible it is to trade into a contender.  Aside from our little 3.5 year window of contending, we have been like that more or less for 25 years.   We will make the playoffs sometimes. We will miss the playoffs sometimes.  We will add some garbage players. We will stumble into a fringe star like Al Jefferson every 10 years... But we will not matter.  This team will not matter.  We will be on the outside looking in.  This is not our league. It belongs to teams like Cleveland, golden state, Oklahoma... And eventually it will belong to teams like Minnesota and Philly.  We are the Washington Generals. If you see our face, it will probably be on the other end of someone's boot in dunk posters and sportscenter highlights.

The sooner you accept that the sooner you can start celebrating the moral victories... Like stumbling into a Delote West from time to time in the draft, or landing a serviceable big man like Rodney Rodgers or amir Johnson... Or making the playoffs with a losing record.

We spent the majority of the last 3 decades in this spot.  Welcome back.  Rub KG's pixie dust out of your eyes... You have been here for a few years now and didn't even notice it. Time to accept it.  There's no easy way out of it.   Here's hoping one of these years we bottom out and finally luck into a cornerstone.  Accept our futility and this will all be easier to stomach.

Or you can sit here for the next 20 years and keep waiting for that "other shoe" to drop that never comes. That will just lead to disappointment.

That or sit there whining and complaining about something you have no control over...

No point in whining and complaining about it.  Rooting for Tony Delk had it's rewards.  It was just the acceptance that Boston was never going to be relevant anytime soon.   We're right back in the thick of NBA irrelevance.  Might as well accept it.  We're going to be here indefinitely.

In '86 Len Bias died. In '93 Reggie Lewis died. From '95-'01 we had Rick Pitino and ML Carr driving us into the ground. These 15 years made up nearly 75% of the longest title drought in Celtics history.

So we were "irrelevant" for nearly the time frame you suggest from 86-08 but that was also perhaps the unluckiest stretch of celtics basketball in their history.

Lastly, I know you are exagerating but I dont think there is an NBA player signed past like 2022 so its ridiculous for anyone to have any idea how good or bad we will be in a few years.

Great post LB33. TP. I feel the same way, but I think there is evidence that Ainge will ultimately do what needs to be done.
Our "assets" are not valued as high as most would like. We don't have a star, IT the same guy that the Kings let go is our best player. And the "young core" that won all those games and made the playoffs, is mostly full of career role players. We would actually be smart to trade them:IT, AB, ET, Zeller, Sully/KO; especially for prospects and picks in 2017 and 2018. Then use our cap to help teams free money and get more picks/prospects....which we can trade. Oh and don't forget we will be picking in the top 5 or better for 3 years.

[Rondo9]

Don't panic. Just accept that this team is irrelevant for the long haul.  Your favorite team is an also-ran.  You're rooting for a perpetually mediocre treadmill squad with no hope of contending.  Half the league is like that.  Accept that we aren't special. Our crappy assets are the same as everyone else's crappy assets.  Ainge spoiled us.  We lost sight of how impossible it is to trade into a contender.  Aside from our little 3.5 year window of contending, we have been like that more or less for 25 years.   We will make the playoffs sometimes. We will miss the playoffs sometimes.  We will add some garbage players. We will stumble into a fringe star like Al Jefferson every 10 years... But we will not matter.  This team will not matter.  We will be on the outside looking in.  This is not our league. It belongs to teams like Cleveland, golden state, Oklahoma... And eventually it will belong to teams like Minnesota and Philly.  We are the Washington Generals. If you see our face, it will probably be on the other end of someone's boot in dunk posters and sportscenter highlights.

The sooner you accept that the sooner you can start celebrating the moral victories... Like stumbling into a Delote West from time to time in the draft, or landing a serviceable big man like Rodney Rodgers or amir Johnson... Or making the playoffs with a losing record.

We spent the majority of the last 3 decades in this spot.  Welcome back.  Rub KG's pixie dust out of your eyes... You have been here for a few years now and didn't even notice it. Time to accept it.  There's no easy way out of it.   Here's hoping one of these years we bottom out and finally luck into a cornerstone.  Accept our futility and this will all be easier to stomach.

Or you can sit here for the next 20 years and keep waiting for that "other shoe" to drop that never comes. That will just lead to disappointment.

That or sit there whining and complaining about something you have no control over...

No point in whining and complaining about it.  Rooting for Tony Delk had it's rewards.  It was just the acceptance that Boston was never going to be relevant anytime soon.   We're right back in the thick of NBA irrelevance.  Might as well accept it.  We're going to be here indefinitely.

In '86 Len Bias died. In '93 Reggie Lewis died. From '95-'01 we had Rick Pitino and ML Carr driving us into the ground. These 15 years made up nearly 75% of the longest title drought in Celtics history.

So we were "irrelevant" for nearly the time frame you suggest from 86-08 but that was also perhaps the unluckiest stretch of celtics basketball in their history.

Lastly, I know you are exagerating but I dont think there is an NBA player signed past like 2022 so its ridiculous for anyone to have any idea how good or bad we will be in a few years.

Great post LB33. TP. I feel the same way, but I think there is evidence that Ainge will ultimately do what needs to be done.
Our "assets" are not valued as high as most would like. We don't have a star, IT the same guy that the Kings let go is our best player. And the "young core" that won all those games and made the playoffs, is mostly full of career role players. We would actually be smart to trade them:IT, AB, ET, Zeller, Sully/KO; especially for prospects and picks in 2017 and 2018. Then use our cap to help teams free money and get more picks/prospects....which we can trade. Oh and don't forget we will be picking in the top 5 or better for 3 years.

Seriously that extreme pessimistic post is ridiculous. The assests are still very useful and just because one team didn't want them doesn't mean they're useless. The young core maybe role players but nonetheless made the playoffs.

[flybono]

Don't panic. Just accept that this team is irrelevant for the long haul.  Your favorite team is an also-ran.  You're rooting for a perpetually mediocre treadmill squad with no hope of contending.  Half the league is like that.  Accept that we aren't special. Our crappy assets are the same as everyone else's crappy assets.  Ainge spoiled us.  We lost sight of how impossible it is to trade into a contender.  Aside from our little 3.5 year window of contending, we have been like that more or less for 25 years.   We will make the playoffs sometimes. We will miss the playoffs sometimes.  We will add some garbage players. We will stumble into a fringe star like Al Jefferson every 10 years... But we will not matter.  This team will not matter.  We will be on the outside looking in.  This is not our league. It belongs to teams like Cleveland, golden state, Oklahoma... And eventually it will belong to teams like Minnesota and Philly.  We are the Washington Generals. If you see our face, it will probably be on the other end of someone's boot in dunk posters and sportscenter highlights.

The sooner you accept that the sooner you can start celebrating the moral victories... Like stumbling into a Delote West from time to time in the draft, or landing a serviceable big man like Rodney Rodgers or amir Johnson... Or making the playoffs with a losing record.

We spent the majority of the last 3 decades in this spot.  Welcome back.  Rub KG's pixie dust out of your eyes... You have been here for a few years now and didn't even notice it. Time to accept it.  There's no easy way out of it.   Here's hoping one of these years we bottom out and finally luck into a cornerstone.  Accept our futility and this will all be easier to stomach.

Or you can sit here for the next 20 years and keep waiting for that "other shoe" to drop that never comes. That will just lead to disappointment.

That or sit there whining and complaining about something you have no control over...

No point in whining and complaining about it.  Rooting for Tony Delk had it's rewards.  It was just the acceptance that Boston was never going to be relevant anytime soon.   We're right back in the thick of NBA irrelevance.  Might as well accept it.  We're going to be here indefinitely.

Dude, seriously. Give it up already. Since when are we an "also-ran stuck in perpetual mediocrity". Like 10 people have challenged you on that with the fact that we went from on for the worst teams in the league to the playoffs in ONE season. We finished the season at a 56 win pace with a core group of guys under the age of 26. We haven't even finalized the roster for this year.

How in the world is that "stuck in perpetual mediocrity"? Do tell? And how are we a "35 win" team as you and some of your compatriots like to point out when we were a .500 team last year with 2/3 of a season with the dumpster fire that was a Rajon Rondo led team? Is the 56 win pace we finished the season on unrealistic? Yes, of course. About as unrealistic as 33 wins barring something catastrophic.

Go cheer on the sixers. You like them better anyway.

15 30 vs playoff teams including the sweep by Cleveland. Minus 2 wins vs Cleveland in April when they mailed it in  13 30
I like your optimism, but your drinking the Kool aid..

[GreenWarrior]

I just don't understand the logic of the C's fans that are willing to wait on mid to late 1st rnd. picks to develop but are unwilling to wait on lottery picks to develop. you do realize we are in a worse position right? being in the middle in the NBA is worse than being in the lottery.

and before anyone points to Golden State and Atlanta you're simply going to have to use better examples. one of those teams hasn't done anything, and the other has been in the lottery for the last 20 yrs. they were bound to get it right eventually.

[Celtics4ever]

The assests are still very useful and just because one team didn't want them doesn't mean they're useless.

More than one team did not want them, Ainge called several teams to get Winslow.  Lesson learned, lottery picks have value, mid rounders not so much.

We know he called the Knicks and Charlotte for sure.   I bet their were other teams as well that we offered our assets to and they turned them down, to think otherwise is pretty darn naive.

[chambers]

I'll be happier when we ditch the guys who cannot play defense.  We only have a few of those left on the team but they need to go.

I know you love your defenders, but I think adding Amir will do wonders for Sully and Olynyk.
I think we'll finally get to see how effective they can be playing next to a rim protector- or at least a player with a 'defense first' mentality around the paint. I think we've crushed Sully's 'care' on defense somewhat because he's  been in there alone basically since KG was traded and playing out of position, with out much starting quality NBA defensive help for 2 years.
Also remember that on some level we need scoring threats in the paint and rebounding. Defense is important but it's not *everything* to every player, and we need big guys with offense to draw defenders away from our 3 point shooters and rebounding to get us easy 2nd chance looks and kick outs to shooters.
But I know what you mean.

[PhoSita]

Talk about being irrelevant for 20 years ... the Celts were at least semi-decent & fun in the mid-2000s.  They even made the conference finals once.  Yeah it was a flawed team with no hope at a title, but still better than where we are now.

I'd jump for joy to add a couple of talents like Pierce and Walker to watch for the next 8-10 years.  With better management and a competent coach much earlier on in the process, who knows what they might have built with those two guys?

The biggest problem for me is that the team doesn't have anybody who I can even imagine being one of the main pieces of a fun and exciting 50+ win team.  Until Ainge finds a way to get one of those guys, our team is more like a deck of cards -- constantly getting reshuffled -- than a true rebuilding project.

[GreenWarrior]

Talk about being irrelevant for 20 years ... the Celts were at least semi-decent & fun in the mid-2000s.  They even made the conference finals once.  Yeah it was a flawed team with no hope at a title, but still better than where we are now.

I'd jump for joy to add a couple of talents like Pierce and Walker to watch for the next 8-10 years.  With better management and a competent coach much earlier on in the process, who knows what they might have built with those two guys?

The biggest problem for me is that the team doesn't have anybody who I can even imagine being one of the main pieces of a fun and exciting 50+ win team.  Until Ainge finds a way to get one of those guys, our team is more like a deck of cards -- constantly getting reshuffled -- than a true rebuilding project.

whatyatalkin 'bout we've got Avery Bradley....

[GreenWarrior]

Talk about being irrelevant for 20 years ... the Celts were at least semi-decent & fun in the mid-2000s.  They even made the conference finals once.  Yeah it was a flawed team with no hope at a title, but still better than where we are now.

I'd jump for joy to add a couple of talents like Pierce and Walker to watch for the next 8-10 years.  With better management and a competent coach much earlier on in the process, who knows what they might have built with those two guys?

The biggest problem for me is that the team doesn't have anybody who I can even imagine being one of the main pieces of a fun and exciting 50+ win team.  Until Ainge finds a way to get one of those guys, our team is more like a deck of cards -- constantly getting reshuffled -- than a true rebuilding project.

yes i'm quoting you twice.

this is why I question Danny's rebuild plans a little bit. he should have gutted the team after trading Pierce and KG. essentially tanking, yes. but at least we'd be drafting greater potential than who knows what we're getting in the later rounds.

sure, nothing is a guarantee. while the lottery is still a crapshoot, the backend of the 1st rnd. and the 2nd rnd. are even more of a crapshoot. but this is less of a gamble than trading for someone because someone has to value your assets. plus the draft happens every yr.

free agency will never be an option for this team...apparently.

[Jesus Shuttlesworth #20]

Isn't this exactly the time to panic? It seems most teams are signing significant upgrades to their rosters right now except the Celtics and it looks like no one wants the Celtic's picks in trade so why not panic? : )