Your feeling on an improved Celtics team that may still miss the playoffs

[playdream]

When Smart is back to himself try the last push and if it doesn't work i will trade away the vets and try to get a higher pick
It doesn't matter if we have Nets pick, we can still benefit from a higher pick of our own

[tazzmaniac]

I don't really understand why people need to go crazy every time their is a small losing streak. Try to step back from the ledge and look at a few things objectively. 8 teams made the playoffs last year, including us. So how are those 8 teams doing?

Nets - The Nets are obviously not making the playoffs this year. They are already 8 losses behind and behind like 7 teams. Curious when they will be eliminated.

Bucks - You think our season is frustrating? The Bucks get back Jabari Parker, Sign Monroe and are worse then last year somehow.They already have 5 losses more than the Celtics.

Wizards - Currently missing Beal for an extended stretch. Porter has looked worse than the playoffs. They have missed the stablizing influence Pierce provided and are 11-14. All things considered, much worse off than the celtics.

Hawks - Perhaps the biggest disappointment of them all. I realize this is hard to say after we choked away a game against them, but they have gone from a 60 win juggernaut to a team that is 17-12. Certainly not a lock to make it.

Raptors - Again a team that everyone thought would be better after adding Carroll to a team that didn't lose anyone besides Amir Johnson. They are also 17-12

So you have 5 teams that are looking worse than they did a year ago (with 3 of them looking way worse). That potentially opens up half the playoff spots. So who gets them?

With George back I am willing to concede that the Pacers can take the Nets spot.

The Heat look like the best of last year's non playoff teams after them. Maybe the best of the rest and the Bucks spot can go to them.

For giggles lets also say the Bulls have a locked up spot along with Cleveland.

That leaves 4 open playoff spots for Toronto, Atlanta, Charlotte, Orlando, Pistons and Wizards and Magic.

Do you guys honestly think we can't beat out 3 of those teams? That seems really pessimistic.

You listed both Orlando and Magic but I assume one of those was supposed to be the Knicks.  We'd have to beat out four teams (not 3) to make the playoffs under your scenario.  Even then we'd finish 8th and suffer another beat down by the Cavs.  I'd rather miss the playoffs than have that happen again so hopefully Ainge can make a trade that at least puts us solidly in the playoffs.   

[mctyson]

I don't really understand why people need to go crazy every time their is a small losing streak. T

Especially with who they lost to: GSW, CLE, DET, ATL.  2 of those teams are in the top 3 in the entire league.  Another was in the top 3 last year and is a good team that is well coached.  If there was one game to be upset about from a talent standpoint, it was DET, but that was 24 hours on the road after getting physically beat up by CLE.

ATL was the worst loss and honestly if they pulled their heads from their butts in the 4th Q and won that game, we wouldn't be having these discussions.

I picked 'sniffing glue' because this team is going to make the playoffs.

[celticsclay]

I don't really understand why people need to go crazy every time their is a small losing streak. Try to step back from the ledge and look at a few things objectively. 8 teams made the playoffs last year, including us. So how are those 8 teams doing?

Nets - The Nets are obviously not making the playoffs this year. They are already 8 losses behind and behind like 7 teams. Curious when they will be eliminated.

Bucks - You think our season is frustrating? The Bucks get back Jabari Parker, Sign Monroe and are worse then last year somehow.They already have 5 losses more than the Celtics.

Wizards - Currently missing Beal for an extended stretch. Porter has looked worse than the playoffs. They have missed the stablizing influence Pierce provided and are 11-14. All things considered, much worse off than the celtics.

Hawks - Perhaps the biggest disappointment of them all. I realize this is hard to say after we choked away a game against them, but they have gone from a 60 win juggernaut to a team that is 17-12. Certainly not a lock to make it.

Raptors - Again a team that everyone thought would be better after adding Carroll to a team that didn't lose anyone besides Amir Johnson. They are also 17-12

So you have 5 teams that are looking worse than they did a year ago (with 3 of them looking way worse). That potentially opens up half the playoff spots. So who gets them?

With George back I am willing to concede that the Pacers can take the Nets spot.

The Heat look like the best of last year's non playoff teams after them. Maybe the best of the rest and the Bucks spot can go to them.

For giggles lets also say the Bulls have a locked up spot along with Cleveland.

That leaves 4 open playoff spots for Toronto, Atlanta, Charlotte, Orlando, Pistons and Wizards and Magic.

Do you guys honestly think we can't beat out 3 of those teams? That seems really pessimistic.

You listed both Orlando and Magic but I assume one of those was supposed to be the Knicks.  We'd have to beat out four teams (not 3) to make the playoffs under your scenario.  Even then we'd finish 8th and suffer another beat down by the Cavs.  I'd rather miss the playoffs than have that happen again so hopefully Ainge can make a trade that at least puts us solidly in the playoffs.

You are correct that I listed the magic twice, that was a mistake. However, I did not intend to include New York.  I don't think the Knicks are really in contention with the other teams. They have had Porzingas playing out of his mind (and I like him) but he is already showing signs of getting worn down a little. I don't think they are quite there with the other teams just because they have terrible depth, pretty old starters and will most likely see one of Anthony, Lopez or Affalo miss some time (which they can't afford). I can understand including them though because they are .500 at the moment.

[celticsclay]

I don't really understand why people need to go crazy every time their is a small losing streak. T

Especially with who they lost to: GSW, CLE, DET, ATL.  2 of those teams are in the top 3 in the entire league.  Another was in the top 3 last year and is a good team that is well coached.  If there was one game to be upset about from a talent standpoint, it was DET, but that was 24 hours on the road after getting physically beat up by CLE.

ATL was the worst loss and honestly if they pulled their heads from their butts in the 4th Q and won that game, we wouldn't be having these discussions.

I picked 'sniffing glue' because this team is going to make the playoffs.

It actually crossed my mind as they were losing the game to Atlanta that the game was going to prompt a bunch of tank and sell-off threads.

[Csfan1984]

I like the character and personalities of a lot of the C's players but they have no shot without some real upgrades and two stars. I knew they were not going to win but their play at times is very tough to watch. They go from scrappy to crappy in an instant. Team needs to go back to the drawing board. Keep the guys on rookie deals and make everyone else available.

[ManUp]

I wish we could find more development time for the rookies and young.

I also don't like the feeling of wasting minutes on guys who have no future with us (David Lee, I'm looking at you buddy).

[Quetzalcoatl]

There is a zero percent chance of us winning a title.  Even if we make the playoffs, we're probably just going to get rolled by the Cavs in 4 games.  Does anybody want to watch LeBron celebrate in the Garden again?  There's nobody on this team that would really benefit from the experience, other than maybe Smart.

But conversely, winning is helping to develop Stevens and keeping him happy should be a priority. 

So it's basically make the playoffs and get bounced by the Cavs, or draft one of these guys:

Henry Ellison
Jakob Poeltl
Ivan Rabb
Skal Labissiere (he could honestly slip)
Jamal Murray

---those guys are likely to be drafted in the 5 to 10 range, but one could slip ---

Furkan Korkmaz
Chieck Diallo
Damian Jones
Stephen Zimmerman
Diamond Stone

---these are the likely 10-15 guys----

So depending on if you like that cohort or not, it's good or bad to make the playoffs.

[celticsclay]

There is a zero percent chance of us winning a title.  Even if we make the playoffs, we're probably just going to get rolled by the Cavs in 4 games.  Does anybody want to watch LeBron celebrate in the Garden again?  There's nobody on this team that would really benefit from the experience, other than maybe Smart.

But conversely, winning is helping to develop Stevens and keeping him happy should be a priority. 

So it's basically make the playoffs and get bounced by the Cavs, or draft one of these guys:

Henry Ellison
Jakob Poeltl
Ivan Rabb
Skal Labissiere (he could honestly slip)
Jamal Murray

---those guys are likely to be drafted in the 5 to 10 range, but one could slip ---

Furkan Korkmaz
Chieck Diallo
Damian Jones
Stephen Zimmerman
Diamond Stone

---these are the likely 10-15 guys----

So depending on if you like that cohort or not, it's good or bad to make the playoffs.

you realize us playing the cavs is fairly unlikely if we make the playoffs. We could finish anywhere between 4-8 and could very easily draw charlotte, atlanta, toronto etc in the first round. Would winning a playoff series change your opinion?

[Big333223]

All I want is for this team to finish with a better record than last year's team anmd continue to show improvement. If that happens, regardless of playoffs, it'll be a win.

Making the playoffs again would be nice because its always great to watch some Celtic playoff games and the way the East is, the C's would have a shot at advancing against just about anyone (excepting the Cavs). I think playoff experience had a big impact on our guys last season and I'd like to see that growth continue.

But if we miss the playoffs, none of our new draft picks are big rotation players so they're unlikely to benefit from a shot in the playoffs the way Smart, Crowder, and Sully (and Young, to a degree) did last season. Yes, it'll help them but not as much as if they were ready to make bigger contributions. And if we miss, because the middle of the Eastern pack is so dense, we could win 42 games and still get something like the 12th pick. With a Mavs pick somewhere in that area as well, we'd be much better positioned to make a draft day deal than we were last season.

As long as I'm seeing improvement, I'm thinking this is a win-win season. Especially if we can package some of these vets for another, higher talent, piece along the way.

[wdleehi]

I don't really understand why people need to go crazy every time their is a small losing streak. T

Especially with who they lost to: GSW, CLE, DET, ATL.  2 of those teams are in the top 3 in the entire league.  Another was in the top 3 last year and is a good team that is well coached.  If there was one game to be upset about from a talent standpoint, it was DET, but that was 24 hours on the road after getting physically beat up by CLE.

ATL was the worst loss and honestly if they pulled their heads from their butts in the 4th Q and won that game, we wouldn't be having these discussions.

I picked 'sniffing glue' because this team is going to make the playoffs.

It actually crossed my mind as they were losing the game to Atlanta that the game was going to prompt a bunch of tank and sell-off threads.

Though the point of this poll was to prove most of the posters on here are not looking to tank.  Just look at the results right now.

[loco_91]

Still don't think it's at all likely the C's miss the playoffs. Much more likely to get a top 4 seed. Carm-elo still has them as the 2nd best team in the East with an 87% chance at the playoffs - plenty of parity, but there's no reason to panic.

C's have a chance to put up a win streak. @Hornets and @Pistons, but then they have Knicks, Lakers, Nets, @Nets. They could have the 2nd best record in the East by the end of that span and everybody's tune will change.

[SHAQATTACK]

I still believe the Celtics will be

Much

Better with Marcus ........although it may take a few games to get his game feet back.and all.

[Evantime34]

I don't really understand why people need to go crazy every time their is a small losing streak. T

Especially with who they lost to: GSW, CLE, DET, ATL.  2 of those teams are in the top 3 in the entire league.  Another was in the top 3 last year and is a good team that is well coached.  If there was one game to be upset about from a talent standpoint, it was DET, but that was 24 hours on the road after getting physically beat up by CLE.

ATL was the worst loss and honestly if they pulled their heads from their butts in the 4th Q and won that game, we wouldn't be having these discussions.

I picked 'sniffing glue' because this team is going to make the playoffs.

It actually crossed my mind as they were losing the game to Atlanta that the game was going to prompt a bunch of tank and sell-off threads.

Though the point of this poll was to prove most of the posters on here are not looking to tank.  Just look at the results right now.

The poll indicates that most people trust the direction the team is headed in. Despite there being very vocal people on this blog who believe differently.

[Kuberski33]

This is nothing more than a hunch but I have a feeling Danny will be offered a deal which will wreck this year's team but set it up nicely moving forward - i.e. a chance to get someone who would be a key piece to a future championship level team.  In return he gives up a combo of 3 current rotation players plus a pick.  The other team acquires roster depth for a playoff run. 

Brad ends up not being happy because it ruins the current season, but Danny pulls the trigger anyway figuring a 7th or 8th place finish won't do much good.

I'd be fine with this.  The current edition isn't going anywhere except maybe having a decent first round series, but losing anyway.