Pelton Gave Our Off-Season a B (so far)

[DefenseWinsChamps]

http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/13289657/nba-pelton-eastern-conference-offseason-grades

He noted that Mickey looked like our best rookie, and he is not sure how Lee works in our "suddenly crowded" frontcourt. He also likes the Crowder signing.

Pelton does not like the Nets off-season and tends to think they will be in the lottery next year .

I agree with that grade (so far). We have made the most of our picks and salary for the time being.

[slamtheking]

http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/13289657/nba-pelton-eastern-conference-offseason-grades

He noted that Mickey looked like our best rookie, and he is not sure how Lee works in our "suddenly crowded" frontcourt. He also likes the Crowder signing.

Pelton does not like the Nets off-season and tends to think they will be in the lottery next year .

I agree with that grade (so far). We have made the most of our picks and salary for the time being.

I don't know if Mickey's the best but I think it's fair to say he looked just as solid as Rozier and Hunter.

Nets are a lottery team.  been saying that right along.  anyone thinking otherwise just because they made the playoffs isn't paying attention to the rest of the Eastern conference.  (same could be said for people claiming the C's to be a playoff team).

Crowder signing was a no-brainer.  thin at SF and could ill afford to have our best one (even though he's a bench-quality SF) leave.

Lee's an upgrade over who we have.  question is how much of an upgrade, is he worth the cost and who loses minutes in a rotation that only lost Bass, added Amir and still has Sully, KO, Zeller and Jonas.  Nevermind adding Mickey.

[krich1187]

First post, longtime reader.

I think "B" is a fair grade.

My expectation is for the team to be competitive in winning the Atlantic this year, though that isn't all that impressive. Having a winning culture is important, and developing this team does matter. Obviously, the NBA is a superstar league for the most part, but that's not the only outlet for success. The Hawks are a solid example of this. The goal is to win championships, and the Hawks came up short. Some will say that this is due to lacking a superstar, but I tend to think it was more injuries.

I think a lot of people are quick to panic if we don't get a star each chance we have at one. Guys who come to mind that people think we should get are Kevin Love, DeMarcus Cousins, and most recently, Greg Monroe. While I think each of those players are talented, they do have some flaws - especially as max players. There is a very small list of players in the NBA that are worth mortgaging everything for and I don't view any of those players as one of those worth doing so for.

Yes the East is weak now, but things can change quickly. I think the expectation fans should have is that Danny fields a competitive team in the East now, and continues to put us in a position to acquire a superstar. It's fair to say that he is doing so. We are positioned well with the salary cap (granted with the cap jump this devalues the work he has done), with the draft (4 possible first rounders), and young/cheap players. The Harden situation, Melo situation, and others similar situations from the past are the types of scenarios that we will be well positioned to make a move for.

A big thing with the draft is luck - it's very hard to determine what a draft class will look like years in advance. It has been mentioned before where many of the top players were last year in that regard, and where they ended up. 2016 looks very top heavy, but we do have a chance to land there with the Nets pick, if not right outside of where we need to be. Sometimes things take a few years to develop, there are 30 other GM's and teams with the same goal as the Celtics and Danny. We are just a few years removed from being one of the top teams in the league and already were able to make the playoffs. The alternative is tanking and ending up like we did in the Pitino years, or the current Sixers.

If we had tanked two years ago, who would you have taken ahead of Smart? The only guy I would say is Wiggins, but other than that you have Parker (torn ACL - let's see how he comes back), Gordon (hasn't shown much other than an athletic defender with some explosion), Exum (nothing about him makes me think he'll be a better pro that Smart), and a guy a lot of people here wanted in Embiid (who may never play in this league).

[DefenseWinsChamps]

If we had tanked two years ago, who would you have taken ahead of Smart? The only guy I would say is Wiggins, but other than that you have Parker (torn ACL - let's see how he comes back), Gordon (hasn't shown much other than an athletic defender with some explosion), Exum (nothing about him makes me think he'll be a better pro that Smart), and a guy a lot of people here wanted in Embiid (who may never play in this league).

That's a fascinating point. I would probably still prefer Parker and Wiggins, but Smart is as good of a prospect at this point as the other guys on that list.

Smart is a bit of a spaz on drives, but at least he is not passive. Is it easier to correct passivity or help a player see the game slower and react more in control?

[Evantime34]

First post, longtime reader.

I think "B" is a fair grade.

My expectation is for the team to be competitive in winning the Atlantic this year, though that isn't all that impressive. Having a winning culture is important, and developing this team does matter. Obviously, the NBA is a superstar league for the most part, but that's not the only outlet for success. The Hawks are a solid example of this. The goal is to win championships, and the Hawks came up short. Some will say that this is due to lacking a superstar, but I tend to think it was more injuries.

I think a lot of people are quick to panic if we don't get a star each chance we have at one. Guys who come to mind that people think we should get are Kevin Love, DeMarcus Cousins, and most recently, Greg Monroe. While I think each of those players are talented, they do have some flaws - especially as max players. There is a very small list of players in the NBA that are worth mortgaging everything for and I don't view any of those players as one of those worth doing so for.

Yes the East is weak now, but things can change quickly. I think the expectation fans should have is that Danny fields a competitive team in the East now, and continues to put us in a position to acquire a superstar. It's fair to say that he is doing so. We are positioned well with the salary cap (granted with the cap jump this devalues the work he has done), with the draft (4 possible first rounders), and young/cheap players. The Harden situation, Melo situation, and others similar situations from the past are the types of scenarios that we will be well positioned to make a move for.

A big thing with the draft is luck - it's very hard to determine what a draft class will look like years in advance. It has been mentioned before where many of the top players were last year in that regard, and where they ended up. 2016 looks very top heavy, but we do have a chance to land there with the Nets pick, if not right outside of where we need to be. Sometimes things take a few years to develop, there are 30 other GM's and teams with the same goal as the Celtics and Danny. We are just a few years removed from being one of the top teams in the league and already were able to make the playoffs. The alternative is tanking and ending up like we did in the Pitino years, or the current Sixers.

If we had tanked two years ago, who would you have taken ahead of Smart? The only guy I would say is Wiggins, but other than that you have Parker (torn ACL - let's see how he comes back), Gordon (hasn't shown much other than an athletic defender with some explosion), Exum (nothing about him makes me think he'll be a better pro that Smart), and a guy a lot of people here wanted in Embiid (who may never play in this league).

Welcome to Celticsblog. TP!

[MJohnnyboy]

http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/13289657/nba-pelton-eastern-conference-offseason-grades

He noted that Mickey looked like our best rookie, and he is not sure how Lee works in our "suddenly crowded" frontcourt. He also likes the Crowder signing.

Pelton does not like the Nets off-season and tends to think they will be in the lottery next year .

I agree with that grade (so far). We have made the most of our picks and salary for the time being.

I don't know if Mickey's the best but I think it's fair to say he looked just as solid as Rozier and Hunter.

Nets are a lottery team.  been saying that right along.  anyone thinking otherwise just because they made the playoffs isn't paying attention to the rest of the Eastern conference.  (same could be said for people claiming the C's to be a playoff team).

Crowder signing was a no-brainer.  thin at SF and could ill afford to have our best one (even though he's a bench-quality SF) leave.

Lee's an upgrade over who we have.  question is how much of an upgrade, is he worth the cost and who loses minutes in a rotation that only lost Bass, added Amir and still has Sully, KO, Zeller and Jonas.  Nevermind adding Mickey.

This. The Nets lost Williams, Teletovic, Blake, Plumlee, and Anderson and added Bargnani, Robinson, Larkin, and RHJ. Not exactly revamping the roster. I'm flabbergasted by the fans here who actually think the Nets will make the playoffs but the Celtics won't. I'm not 100% confident the Celtics will make the playoffs again this season because the east should be better, but I know darn well they'll be better than the Nets. Not to mention the Nets' season hinges on Brook Lopez staying healthy. If he gets hurt, there goes the season, and that pick becomes a top 5 pick in the draft.

However, I think the team in the east that has had the worst off-season is Charlotte. All of their moves in my eyes were puzzling at the very least.
-Trading Stephenson for Spencer Hawes. I know Stephenson was a bad apple on the Hornets, but you can pay him to stay away from the team and then decline his team option for next year and he's gone, but instead the Hornets opted to trade him for someone who was also pretty bad last year whose contract is 3/4 as bad and twice as long.
-Rejecting the Celtics monster offer to draft Frank Kaminsky. If they had taken Winslow that would have been fine, but Kaminsky to me is your ideal 3rd big on a championship team and that's if he pans out. You'd pass up 6 1st-round draft picks for that? Winslow on the other hand could be your starting wing on a championship team. Not to mention the Hornets have Jefferson, Hawes, and Zeller already playing Kaminsky's position. Where's he going to find minutes?
-Trading Vonleh and Henderson for Batum. I understand Vonleh was a disappointment last year but players in the past have shown they aren't ready their first year in the league and then take off a few years down the line. I'm not saying Vonleh will do that but there's no need to give up on a rookie so soon. More importantly why trade him for a guy who was also a disappointment last year with Batum? Even if Batum has a rebound season, he's expiring after this year and will get paid handsomely if he does thanks to the cap rising. Whose to say he won't leave Charlotte if that happens? Also, if you want a wing so badly, WHY NOT JUST GET WINSLOW AT 1/10TH OF THE PRICE?!!!

They made all these moves in the hopes of returning to the playoffs. Whoopty frikkin doo. So, just to summarize, the Hornets passed up on developing potential studs like Noah Vonleh and Justice Winslow to overpay Spencer Hawes and rent Nicolas Batum.

The Charlotte Hornets everybody!

Could be worse though. They could be the Sacramento Kings. Then again, the Kings atleast have a top-10 player in Cousins to make up for their front office woes.

[krich1187]

If we had tanked two years ago, who would you have taken ahead of Smart? The only guy I would say is Wiggins, but other than that you have Parker (torn ACL - let's see how he comes back), Gordon (hasn't shown much other than an athletic defender with some explosion), Exum (nothing about him makes me think he'll be a better pro that Smart), and a guy a lot of people here wanted in Embiid (who may never play in this league).

That's a fascinating point. I would probably still prefer Parker and Wiggins, but Smart is as good of a prospect at this point as the other guys on that list.

Smart is a bit of a spaz on drives, but at least he is not passive. Is it easier to correct passivity or help a player see the game slower and react more in control?

I think it is a lot closer between Parker and Smart than many would have thought it would be at this point. Sure it's easy to say now given the injury to Parker, but this is why you don't tank. To me, Embiid is a player I want nothing to do with. The foot injuries he's had are not much different than guys like Yao Ming and Bill Walton to name a few. Those guys were NEVER the same after their initial break. Now are are talking two without every playing in the NBA. Again, that's why you don't tank.

In regards to being passive or spastic, let me ask you this. Russell Westbrook is a very spastic. Deron Williams is a very passive player. Talent level aside, whose personality is better suited to the NBA? Give me Westbrook all day. Now don't get me wrong, Smart isn't Westbrook, but he's a lot closer to Westbrook than he is Williams in terms of personality. Many rookies play "too fast" early on. That's part of the game. From my experience, slowing down is a lot easier than speeding up.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

If we had tanked two years ago, who would you have taken ahead of Smart? The only guy I would say is Wiggins, but other than that you have Parker (torn ACL - let's see how he comes back), Gordon (hasn't shown much other than an athletic defender with some explosion), Exum (nothing about him makes me think he'll be a better pro that Smart), and a guy a lot of people here wanted in Embiid (who may never play in this league).

That's a fascinating point. I would probably still prefer Parker and Wiggins, but Smart is as good of a prospect at this point as the other guys on that list.

Smart is a bit of a spaz on drives, but at least he is not passive. Is it easier to correct passivity or help a player see the game slower and react more in control?

I think it is a lot closer between Parker and Smart than many would have thought it would be at this point. Sure it's easy to say now given the injury to Parker, but this is why you don't tank. To me, Embiid is a player I want nothing to do with. The foot injuries he's had are not much different than guys like Yao Ming and Bill Walton to name a few. Those guys were NEVER the same after their initial break. Now are are talking two without every playing in the NBA. Again, that's why you don't tank.

In regards to being passive or spastic, let me ask you this. Russell Westbrook is a very spastic. Deron Williams is a very passive player. Talent level aside, whose personality is better suited to the NBA? Give me Westbrook all day. Now don't get me wrong, Smart isn't Westbrook, but he's a lot closer to Westbrook than he is Williams in terms of personality. Many rookies play "too fast" early on. That's part of the game. From my experience, slowing down is a lot easier than speeding up.

Agree completely. That was the point I was trying to make. The game might not slow down for him until his next contract, but I'm willing to wait in the mean time.

To Coach Brad Stevens: Please, please, please postup Smart with four three point shooters around him.

[knuckleballer]

The Nets are a Brook Lopez injury away from being one of the worst teams in the league.

I hate rooting for an injury, but...

[littleteapot]

How are guys getting injured a referendum on tanking? It's not like anyone could predict that Jabari would get severely injured and Smart wouldn't.

[SHAQATTACK]

The Nets are a Brook Lopez injury away from being one of the worst teams in the league.

I hate rooting for an injury, but...

Exactly....HE IS 75'%'of everything .......without his size in there , rebounding , controls the paint just with size alone .

Until he got back into the rotation and made up with Hollins .......they were about as bad as any team in the NBA.

It was like Dallas without Dirk years ago......when he was hurt they couldn't win a game .

[Celtics4ever]

I think this grade is about right but it may change if some people play better or worsen.   I think Ainge did another great job of adding the the team without giving up much.   I think he picked well for where he drafted.

[slamtheking]

http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/13289657/nba-pelton-eastern-conference-offseason-grades

He noted that Mickey looked like our best rookie, and he is not sure how Lee works in our "suddenly crowded" frontcourt. He also likes the Crowder signing.

Pelton does not like the Nets off-season and tends to think they will be in the lottery next year .

I agree with that grade (so far). We have made the most of our picks and salary for the time being.

I don't know if Mickey's the best but I think it's fair to say he looked just as solid as Rozier and Hunter.

Nets are a lottery team.  been saying that right along.  anyone thinking otherwise just because they made the playoffs isn't paying attention to the rest of the Eastern conference.  (same could be said for people claiming the C's to be a playoff team).

Crowder signing was a no-brainer.  thin at SF and could ill afford to have our best one (even though he's a bench-quality SF) leave.

Lee's an upgrade over who we have.  question is how much of an upgrade, is he worth the cost and who loses minutes in a rotation that only lost Bass, added Amir and still has Sully, KO, Zeller and Jonas.  Nevermind adding Mickey.

This. The Nets lost Williams, Teletovic, Blake, Plumlee, and Anderson and added Bargnani, Robinson, Larkin, and RHJ. Not exactly revamping the roster. I'm flabbergasted by the fans here who actually think the Nets will make the playoffs but the Celtics won't. I'm not 100% confident the Celtics will make the playoffs again this season because the east should be better, but I know darn well they'll be better than the Nets. Not to mention the Nets' season hinges on Brook Lopez staying healthy. If he gets hurt, there goes the season, and that pick becomes a top 5 pick in the draft.

However, I think the team in the east that has had the worst off-season is Charlotte. All of their moves in my eyes were puzzling at the very least.
-Trading Stephenson for Spencer Hawes. I know Stephenson was a bad apple on the Hornets, but you can pay him to stay away from the team and then decline his team option for next year and he's gone, but instead the Hornets opted to trade him for someone who was also pretty bad last year whose contract is 3/4 as bad and twice as long.
-Rejecting the Celtics monster offer to draft Frank Kaminsky. If they had taken Winslow that would have been fine, but Kaminsky to me is your ideal 3rd big on a championship team and that's if he pans out. You'd pass up 6 1st-round draft picks for that? Winslow on the other hand could be your starting wing on a championship team. Not to mention the Hornets have Jefferson, Hawes, and Zeller already playing Kaminsky's position. Where's he going to find minutes?
-Trading Vonleh and Henderson for Batum. I understand Vonleh was a disappointment last year but players in the past have shown they aren't ready their first year in the league and then take off a few years down the line. I'm not saying Vonleh will do that but there's no need to give up on a rookie so soon. More importantly why trade him for a guy who was also a disappointment last year with Batum? Even if Batum has a rebound season, he's expiring after this year and will get paid handsomely if he does thanks to the cap rising. Whose to say he won't leave Charlotte if that happens? Also, if you want a wing so badly, WHY NOT JUST GET WINSLOW AT 1/10TH OF THE PRICE?!!!

They made all these moves in the hopes of returning to the playoffs. Whoopty frikkin doo. So, just to summarize, the Hornets passed up on developing potential studs like Noah Vonleh and Justice Winslow to overpay Spencer Hawes and rent Nicolas Batum.

The Charlotte Hornets everybody!

Could be worse though. They could be the Sacramento Kings. Then again, the Kings atleast have a top-10 player in Cousins to make up for their front office woes.

agree with a lot of this.

Nets won't be close to the playoffs regardless of Lopez' health.  C's will be better than them - question is will they be good enough to fight for an 8th seed.  C's aren't better than anyone that finished better than them last year (that's 6 teams right there).  Miami is a better team with everyone healthy.  that's 7.  Question is did Indy (or possibly Detroit or even Charlotte) do enough to improve to pass the C's.  I think at least one of them will. 

Charlotte's run by a bunch of idiots.  thought they'd do better than the C's until the Batum trade.  Hawes for Stephenson I get just to clear the lockerroom.  If they're all healthy there, they could possibly be better than the C's. 
The Kaminsky pick is reeks of Jordan's incompetence in the draft. 
- the guy will be lucky to be as good as KO
- winslow and turner were still available and both figure to be much better players than kaminsky
- 6 (!!) picks turned down.  that's just stupid.  Kaminsky may be considered readier to make an impact this season but they could have had Portix/Rozier and Hunter and they all look like they're ready to play some rotation minutes.  They could have had Mickey too not to mention the future picks.  unbelievably dumb.  who knows, maybe kaminsky slides all the way to 16 if Charlotte doesn't pick him.

[PhoSita]

Seems generous.

I don't think Danny deserves that much credit for simply treading water while maintaining future flexibility. 

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Seems generous.

I don't think Danny deserves that much credit for simply treading water while maintaining future flexibility.

There he is! I was wondering when you were going to show up PhoSita! 

If the Celtics win more games than last year and their young players show improvement, would that be more than treading water?