Sell At The Deadline

[Rondo9]

IT, Bradley, and Crowder are our core now. They are the players that have separated themselves from our mountain of role guys. Dumping them for picks would represent starting over from scratch and that's not something I can support.

Just dump the guys who are aggravating the roster logjam without contributing and give their minutes to the three rookies and see what happens. Don't tank, develop.

First, Thomas Bradley and crowder as your core is a problem. That's not a playoff contender core.

Second, I'm not saying you just dump these guys for picks. I'm saying you look for teams that are in the playoff hunt who might give up a promising young player or two in order to give their team a better shot of making some hay in the playoffs. Indiana, Orlando, Utah, OKC, Houston, Chicago, Toronto... Those are some examples.

What promising players do those teams have?

[walker834]

The Celtics aren't just going to suddenly scrap what they have been doing for several years.  A lot of these guys are going to start paying dividends. 

[PhoSita]

IT, Bradley, and Crowder are our core now. They are the players that have separated themselves from our mountain of role guys. Dumping them for picks would represent starting over from scratch and that's not something I can support.

Just dump the guys who are aggravating the roster logjam without contributing and give their minutes to the three rookies and see what happens. Don't tank, develop.

First, Thomas Bradley and crowder as your core is a problem. That's not a playoff contender core.

Second, I'm not saying you just dump these guys for picks. I'm saying you look for teams that are in the playoff hunt who might give up a promising young player or two in order to give their team a better shot of making some hay in the playoffs. Indiana, Orlando, Utah, OKC, Houston, Chicago, Toronto... Those are some examples.

What promising players do those teams have?

Hezonja, Turner, Oladipo, Portis, Payne, McDermott, Joseph, Harrell, Dekker, Lyles, Burke... Think rookie contract guys or young guys on bargain deals currently coming off the bench.

[oldtype]

IT, Bradley, and Crowder are our core now. They are the players that have separated themselves from our mountain of role guys. Dumping them for picks would represent starting over from scratch and that's not something I can support.

Just dump the guys who are aggravating the roster logjam without contributing and give their minutes to the three rookies and see what happens. Don't tank, develop.

First, Thomas Bradley and crowder as your core is a problem. That's not a playoff contender core.

Second, I'm not saying you just dump these guys for picks. I'm saying you look for teams that are in the playoff hunt who might give up a promising young player or two in order to give their team a better shot of making some hay in the playoffs. Indiana, Orlando, Utah, OKC, Houston, Chicago, Toronto... Those are some examples.

It's not a finished core, but when I say "core" I mean a group of players you don't trade for lesser players/prospects because they're good enough that what you get in return is unlikely to turn into anything significantly better. Obviously if you're getting an upgrade for them that's great but I really don't see the point of giving away one of these guys for the Myles Turners or Victor Oladipos of the world - especially given the contracts they're on.

[Rondo9]

IT, Bradley, and Crowder are our core now. They are the players that have separated themselves from our mountain of role guys. Dumping them for picks would represent starting over from scratch and that's not something I can support.

Just dump the guys who are aggravating the roster logjam without contributing and give their minutes to the three rookies and see what happens. Don't tank, develop.

First, Thomas Bradley and crowder as your core is a problem. That's not a playoff contender core.

Second, I'm not saying you just dump these guys for picks. I'm saying you look for teams that are in the playoff hunt who might give up a promising young player or two in order to give their team a better shot of making some hay in the playoffs. Indiana, Orlando, Utah, OKC, Houston, Chicago, Toronto... Those are some examples.

What promising players do those teams have?

Hezonja, Turner, Oladipo, Portis, Payne, McDermott, Joseph, Harrell, Dekker, Lyles, Burke... Think rookie contract guys or young guys on bargain deals currently coming off the bench.

The Bulls aren't trading Portis, the Magic aren't trading Oladipo and I don't think they're willing to abandon Mario just yet. The rest I'm not sure they're promising than what the Celtics have right now.

[PhoSita]

The Celtics aren't just going to suddenly scrap what they have been doing for several years.  A lot of these guys are going to start paying dividends.

Several years? They made the playoffs with 40 wins last year after ending the season in a hot streak. The year before they had a bottom 5 record. Hardly any of these guys has been in the starting lineup for more than a couple years. This team is still in flux. Still trying to figure things out.

The playoff run last year was more or less a mirage. Keep this group together and they'll finish around. 500 again and lose in 4 or 5 games in the first round.

[jpotter33]

I'm about there, especially given the context of the picks we have this year and the fact that we could still legitimately get down to a bottom-5 record.

The Nets, Lakers, Sixers, T-Wolves and Suns have something to say about that.

5ish isn't unreasonable. Plus, that's just another chance we have at getting in that top three.

[wdleehi]

No need to sell players for more picks.  We have seen that show in Philly.


The Celtics are still in position to be patient.  Let the Nets tank. 

[oldtype]

That said, I might be willing to trade Bradley or Thomas because it doesn't look like we'll be contending within the lifespan of their good contracts. I don't have a whole lot of interest in killing our flexibility by paying either big money in two years time.

Crowder, on the other hand, is a perfectly capable 3rd banana starter tied to a contract thats barely higher than the rookie scale for the next five years. There is almost nothing I trade him for - he may be the most valuable non-elite asset in the league. (Elite assets being stars, Wiggins/Towns level prospects, and top three picks.)

[Rondo9]

I'm about there, especially given the context of the picks we have this year and the fact that we could still legitimately get down to a bottom-5 record.

The Nets, Lakers, Sixers, T-Wolves and Suns have something to say about that.

5ish isn't unreasonable. Plus, that's just another chance we have at getting in that top three.

What makes you think they'll even get all the way there with all those teams I mentioned are losing?

[Rondo9]

The Celtics aren't just going to suddenly scrap what they have been doing for several years.  A lot of these guys are going to start paying dividends.

Several years? They made the playoffs with 40 wins last year after ending the season in a hot streak. The year before they had a bottom 5 record. Hardly any of these guys has been in the starting lineup for more than a couple years. This team is still in flux. Still trying to figure things out.

The playoff run last year was more or less a mirage. Keep this group together and they'll finish around. 500 again and lose in 4 or 5 games in the first round.

Really? A mirage? The Celtics are still in the playoff hunt in a very tough east this year. I'd hardly call last year a mirage. The Celtics are young and they'll have growing pains, they need to continue to develop while they look for that star.

[walker834]

Yes lets sell our players we've been developing for years for more picks so we can watch them not live up to the hype for years too.  Makes so much sense.  Lets just scrap this and just start over completely with all these picks ainge has and do this all over again  /sarcasm

We drafted these guys because obviously we didn't like them in the first place so now lets draft the players we really like because obviously we are going to draft completely differently this time.  /sarcasm

Ainge has been just been messing with us all along. All these players he drafted he really liked the players other teams were drafting and just was drafting our players to trade them for what other teams were drafting./sarcasm

Better yet lets draft some more players listen to fans wanting to trade them for years and do this all over again just to trade them.  Because doing this is obviously a winning formula in the nba and not insane at all.  /sarcasm

Ainge is a genius and has had us all fooled. You are all insane.  If i sound like I'm going in circles and my head is spinning i'm not.

[flybono]

IT, Bradley, and Crowder are our core now. They are the players that have separated themselves from our mountain of role guys. Dumping them for picks would represent starting over from scratch and that's not something I can support.

Just dump the guys who are aggravating the roster logjam without contributing and give their minutes to the three rookies and see what happens. Don't tank, develop.

First, Thomas Bradley and crowder as your core is a problem. That's not a playoff contender core.

Second, I'm not saying you just dump these guys for picks. I'm saying you look for teams that are in the playoff hunt who might give up a promising young player or two in order to give their team a better shot of making some hay in the playoffs. Indiana, Orlando, Utah, OKC, Houston, Chicago, Toronto... Those are some examples.

Thomas is a legit player. The only player who brings it every night. The only keeper.
The rest of these players are a dime a dozen.

Time to make a move

[esel1000]

IT, Bradley, and Crowder are our core now. They are the players that have separated themselves from our mountain of role guys. Dumping them for picks would represent starting over from scratch and that's not something I can support.

Just dump the guys who are aggravating the roster logjam without contributing and give their minutes to the three rookies and see what happens. Don't tank, develop.

First, Thomas Bradley and crowder as your core is a problem. That's not a playoff contender core.

Second, I'm not saying you just dump these guys for picks. I'm saying you look for teams that are in the playoff hunt who might give up a promising young player or two in order to give their team a better shot of making some hay in the playoffs. Indiana, Orlando, Utah, OKC, Houston, Chicago, Toronto... Those are some examples.

Thomas is a legit player. The only player who brings it every night. The only keeper.
The rest of these players are a dime a dozen.

Time to make a move

I'd be good keeping IT, Crowder, and Smart and putting some real pieces around them (i.e players that ensure Crowder doesn't take Durant like shots because we have no other option). Those three could contribute on a contender. That could mean trading some of our other players for picks and try to get another young player, or it could mean missing the playoffs and snatching another lotto pick to stick with the Nets one for a talent infusion/additional trade chip.

If this team's ceiling is the 8th seed in an improved East then not making the playoffs this year would be the way  to go.

[mctyson]

I'm slowly starting to convince myself that this is a good idea...

They're in a funk right now, but they are still in the playoff hunt.

This team has regressed significantly.