We have a bit of a problem here.....

[LarBrd33]

The Nets lottery odds currently stands at a 12% shot for the Number One pick and a 38% shot for the  Top 3. And that's the optimistic viewpoint. Look at it from the other direction and its an 88% chance the Nets pick isn't Number One and an 62% chance it isn't in the Top 3.

The more wins the Nets accumulate, the more I feel we should've traded the picks at the Deadline. 

Is there any Silver Lining to all this? Who are we gonna target in the draft now?

You want a silver lining?...  The Nets have played .500 ball over the past 12 games.  If they keep up the .500 pace over the remaining 20 games, they'll only finish with 28 wins... which still projects that pick 6th.  Sure, it's not a top 5 pick and this draft might only be 2 players deep, but it's fair to acknowledge that had the Nets stayed healthy, there's a real chance they would have found a grove earlier, won a bit more games and maybe even positioned themselves to make the playoffs for the 4th year straight.    I've never counted on that pick amounting to anything substantial.  According to Bill Simmons, the 2016 Brooklyn pick was one of the 6 picks we offered the Nets when we tried to move up from #16 to #9.   The fact that we're now looking at a pick that is essentially a lock for the top 6 is pretty awesome regardless of how weak this draft may be.   It's free money as far as I'm concerned.   WE traded KG and PIerce about 2 seasons late... they were both completely fried by the time we landed all these assets for them.  The fact that we somehow got a young all-star named Isiah Thomas from that trade is impressive alone... The fact that we're looking at a likely top 6 pick in addition to Thomas?... Good god, that's incredible.  And the assets aren't even done coming in after that... we got a swap in 2017 and their 2018 pick as well.   Ainge is my hero. 

That's your silver lining.   Anyone who was counting on Ben Simmons will be disappointed, but it was foolish to ever expect that.   We still have a decent shot of landing him in the lotto.  And you never know with the draft... March Madness hasn't happened. Maybe there's a gem in there.  Regardless of who we draft, you can fully expect him to be the most untouchable player on the team according to many people on this forum.   This season has been nothing short of incredible.    Between having a shot at the top of the lotto, being a top 3 team in the East, and having max cap space for two potential free agents in an offseason in which Kevin Durant will be available and Boston has as reasonable a shot as any team at snagging him, this is one of the most exciting times to be a Celtic fan in years.   

Be thankful for what you have.  This is amazing.

Very well said LrdBrd!!!  I think you meant that we offered this pick to move up to the 9th pick to either Charlotte and/or Miami:-))

Smitty77

To be clear, there's been all sorts of conflicting reports about which picks were included in that offer, but in a recent podcast Bill Simmons claimed the 2016 Brooklyn 1st was one of the 4 first rounders we included.  Others have confirmed that a Brooklyn 1st was included.  It's possible bill was speaking flippantly and just claimed 2016, but regardless... It's pretty awesome that the pick seems 6th at worst.   It hasn't even fully sunk in for me yet.  I've spent so much of this season deftly afraid of a Brooklyn run and tempering my enthusiasm that the fact we have top 6 odds in the lotto still doesn't feel real.   Our potential playoff run and our legitimate chance at signing a star this summer seems more tangible to me.  The top 6 pick still feels like a myth... But it's a reality.  We are here.   The next Celtic star might be landed with that pick (or acquired via trade using the pick).  It's time for us to relax, stop worrying about Brooklyn's record and start getting excited.  Teams with the 9th worst record have won the lotto a couple times in the past decade... The ping pong balls have funny bounces.  You never know what might happen.  Even if it ends up 6th, I guarantee the majority of this forum will fall in love with whatever we draft as soon as the kid gets a rebound in summer league.

[KeepRondo]

No one knows how good or bad this year's draft will be. Lots of people think they know, but no one knows. There are always good and bad surprises. I mean, Boston got Pierce at No. 10.

Most people that follow college basketball and the draft class know that this draft is not going to be very good.

Sure you got guys like Hield and Murray who could be solid players but they are bigger gambles than the picks chosen last year.

Last year it was obvious how good these guys were. This year you are hoping that a guy like Rab or Murray works out. Similar to how we felt about Rozier. The difference is these are middle lottery picks and not after the lottery. There just isn't much game changing talent after the top 5 picks.

The experts repeatedly talked about how weak the 2009 draft was, too. Until these guys are on an NBA floor, we just don't know.

Excellent point as always Roy!!!  Also, the international flavor of this draft could be the largest EVER in the first round!!!!  That is so very difficult to predict and rate, but I KNOW that Kevin is on it:-)))

Smitty77

Youre talking about Kevin O'connor?

I think it's a little ridiculous that he's asking for money for draft reviews. The guy supposedly is an analyst for draft express where the reviews are free. And why leave it open to pay as much as you want? If you want to charge someone, set a price.

Save your money and just read the free reviews. He's not any better than the other stuff out there.

[mctyson]

You know I'm happy the Celtics have a top 5 pick while being 3rd in the east. What rebuilding team can say the same thing?

None.

[Smitty77]

No one knows how good or bad this year's draft will be. Lots of people think they know, but no one knows. There are always good and bad surprises. I mean, Boston got Pierce at No. 10.

Most people that follow college basketball and the draft class know that this draft is not going to be very good.

Sure you got guys like Hield and Murray who could be solid players but they are bigger gambles than the picks chosen last year.

Last year it was obvious how good these guys were. This year you are hoping that a guy like Rab or Murray works out. Similar to how we felt about Rozier. The difference is these are middle lottery picks and not after the lottery. There just isn't much game changing talent after the top 5 picks.

The experts repeatedly talked about how weak the 2009 draft was, too. Until these guys are on an NBA floor, we just don't know.

Excellent point as always Roy!!!  Also, the international flavor of this draft could be the largest EVER in the first round!!!!  That is so very difficult to predict and rate, but I KNOW that Kevin is on it:-)))

Smitty77

Youre talking about Kevin O'connor?

I think it's a little ridiculous that he's asking for money for draft reviews. The guy supposedly is an analyst for draft express where the reviews are free. And why leave it open to pay as much as you want? If you want to charge someone, set a price.

Save your money and just read the free reviews. He's not any better than the other stuff out there.

I really appreciate Kevin's research and plan to buy it!!  Thanks Kevin!!  He deserves some compensation.  I take a LOT of time to research all those potential picks and we have a LOT of them this year, so I want to be on the cutting edge:-))

Smitty77

[Hemingway]

I think Ainge was a lot more willing to trade the pick than fans on here were. We still have a shot of winning the lotto and we

[greece66]

The Nets lottery odds currently stands at a 12% shot for the Number One pick and a 38% shot for the  Top 3. And that's the optimistic viewpoint. Look at it from the other direction and its an 88% chance the Nets pick isn't Number One and an 62% chance it isn't in the Top 3.

The more wins the Nets accumulate, the more I feel we should've traded the picks at the Deadline. 

Is there any Silver Lining to all this? Who are we gonna target in the draft now?

You want a silver lining?...  The Nets have played .500 ball over the past 12 games.  If they keep up the .500 pace over the remaining 20 games, they'll only finish with 28 wins... which still projects that pick 6th.  Sure, it's not a top 5 pick and this draft might only be 2 players deep, but it's fair to acknowledge that had the Nets stayed healthy, there's a real chance they would have found a grove earlier, won a bit more games and maybe even positioned themselves to make the playoffs for the 4th year straight.    I've never counted on that pick amounting to anything substantial.  According to Bill Simmons, the 2016 Brooklyn pick was one of the 6 picks we offered the Nets when we tried to move up from #16 to #9.   The fact that we're now looking at a pick that is essentially a lock for the top 6 is pretty awesome regardless of how weak this draft may be.   It's free money as far as I'm concerned.   WE traded KG and PIerce about 2 seasons late... they were both completely fried by the time we landed all these assets for them.  The fact that we somehow got a young all-star named Isiah Thomas from that trade is impressive alone... The fact that we're looking at a likely top 6 pick in addition to Thomas?... Good god, that's incredible.  And the assets aren't even done coming in after that... we got a swap in 2017 and their 2018 pick as well.   Ainge is my hero. 

That's your silver lining.   Anyone who was counting on Ben Simmons will be disappointed, but it was foolish to ever expect that.   We still have a decent shot of landing him in the lotto.  And you never know with the draft... March Madness hasn't happened. Maybe there's a gem in there.  Regardless of who we draft, you can fully expect him to be the most untouchable player on the team according to many people on this forum.   This season has been nothing short of incredible.    Between having a shot at the top of the lotto, being a top 3 team in the East, and having max cap space for two potential free agents in an offseason in which Kevin Durant will be available and Boston has as reasonable a shot as any team at snagging him, this is one of the most exciting times to be a Celtic fan in years.   

Be thankful for what you have.  This is amazing.

I had missed this post earlier. Great writing. TP.

[arctic 3.0]

Minnesota is the real problem to me. What a joke that team is. Two consecutive #1 picks, one "apparently" a transcendent talent a la Tim Duncan, another good youngster in Lavine and sprinkled with some half decent, if half baked veterans, and they can't win a game if their life depended on it.

They suck.

I would "really" like our pick not to float down past the number 4 spot. Brook Lopez > #ironman > naturally this year...

When it'all said and done I'm just hoping we have some good luck in this draft, for once.

Tanking is a slow road.
Ainge did us right.

[footey]

The Nets lottery odds currently stands at a 12% shot for the Number One pick and a 38% shot for the  Top 3. And that's the optimistic viewpoint. Look at it from the other direction and its an 88% chance the Nets pick isn't Number One and an 62% chance it isn't in the Top 3.

The more wins the Nets accumulate, the more I feel we should've traded the picks at the Deadline. 

Is there any Silver Lining to all this? Who are we gonna target in the draft now?

You want a silver lining?...  The Nets have played .500 ball over the past 12 games.  If they keep up the .500 pace over the remaining 20 games, they'll only finish with 28 wins... which still projects that pick 6th.  Sure, it's not a top 5 pick and this draft might only be 2 players deep, but it's fair to acknowledge that had the Nets stayed healthy, there's a real chance they would have found a grove earlier, won a bit more games and maybe even positioned themselves to make the playoffs for the 4th year straight.    I've never counted on that pick amounting to anything substantial.  According to Bill Simmons, the 2016 Brooklyn pick was one of the 6 picks we offered the Nets when we tried to move up from #16 to #9.   The fact that we're now looking at a pick that is essentially a lock for the top 6 is pretty awesome regardless of how weak this draft may be.   It's free money as far as I'm concerned.   WE traded KG and PIerce about 2 seasons late... they were both completely fried by the time we landed all these assets for them.  The fact that we somehow got a young all-star named Isiah Thomas from that trade is impressive alone... The fact that we're looking at a likely top 6 pick in addition to Thomas?... Good god, that's incredible.  And the assets aren't even done coming in after that... we got a swap in 2017 and their 2018 pick as well.   Ainge is my hero. 

That's your silver lining.   Anyone who was counting on Ben Simmons will be disappointed, but it was foolish to ever expect that.   We still have a decent shot of landing him in the lotto.  And you never know with the draft... March Madness hasn't happened. Maybe there's a gem in there.  Regardless of who we draft, you can fully expect him to be the most untouchable player on the team according to many people on this forum.   This season has been nothing short of incredible.    Between having a shot at the top of the lotto, being a top 3 team in the East, and having max cap space for two potential free agents in an offseason in which Kevin Durant will be available and Boston has as reasonable a shot as any team at snagging him, this is one of the most exciting times to be a Celtic fan in years.   

Be thankful for what you have.  This is amazing.

TP for LB

[libermaniac]

I don't get how anyone could possibly think the C's be slotted anywhere worse than 5th.  I'm seeing posts about "outside top 10".  The Nets have 18 wins.  New Orleans, in 6th, has 24.  The Kings, in 7th, have 25.  The Nets have 17 games left.  The next 3 are winnable, but then they don't have many games after that where they are favored.  Let's say, they get very hot and go 8-9 down the stretch (very unlikely).  New Orleans would have to win just 2 more games this year for the Nets just to tie.  That's not happening folks.  So, realistically, we are looking at the 5th slot going in to the lottery, worst case ... with 3rd and 4th very real possibilities.

[Emmette Bryant]

No one knows how good or bad this year's draft will be. Lots of people think they know, but no one knows. There are always good and bad surprises. I mean, Boston got Pierce at No. 10.

Most people that follow college basketball and the draft class know that this draft is not going to be very good.

Sure you got guys like Hield and Murray who could be solid players but they are bigger gambles than the picks chosen last year.

Last year it was obvious how good these guys were. This year you are hoping that a guy like Rab or Murray works out. Similar to how we felt about Rozier. The difference is these are middle lottery picks and not after the lottery. There just isn't much game changing talent after the top 5 picks.

The experts repeatedly talked about how weak the 2009 draft was, too. Until these guys are on an NBA floor, we just don't know.

Excellent point as always Roy!!!  Also, the international flavor of this draft could be the largest EVER in the first round!!!!  That is so very difficult to predict and rate, but I KNOW that Kevin is on it:-)))

Smitty77

Youre talking about Kevin O'connor?

I think it's a little ridiculous that he's asking for money for draft reviews. The guy supposedly is an analyst for draft express where the reviews are free. And why leave it open to pay as much as you want? If you want to charge someone, set a price.

Save your money and just read the free reviews. He's not any better than the other stuff out there.

I really appreciate Kevin's research and plan to buy it!!  Thanks Kevin!!  He deserves some compensation.  I take a LOT of time to research all those potential picks and we have a LOT of them this year, so I want to be on the cutting edge:-))

Smitty77

10 bucks for Kevin's hard work is not a big deal.

[mmmmm]

No one knows how good or bad this year's draft will be. Lots of people think they know, but no one knows. There are always good and bad surprises. I mean, Boston got Pierce at No. 10.

Most people that follow college basketball and the draft class know that this draft is not going to be very good.

Sure you got guys like Hield and Murray who could be solid players but they are bigger gambles than the picks chosen last year.

Last year it was obvious how good these guys were. This year you are hoping that a guy like Rab or Murray works out. Similar to how we felt about Rozier. The difference is these are middle lottery picks and not after the lottery. There just isn't much game changing talent after the top 5 picks.

The experts repeatedly talked about how weak the 2009 draft was, too. Until these guys are on an NBA floor, we just don't know.

Excellent point as always Roy!!!  Also, the international flavor of this draft could be the largest EVER in the first round!!!!  That is so very difficult to predict and rate, but I KNOW that Kevin is on it:-)))

Smitty77

Youre talking about Kevin O'connor?

I think it's a little ridiculous that he's asking for money for draft reviews. The guy supposedly is an analyst for draft express where the reviews are free. And why leave it open to pay as much as you want? If you want to charge someone, set a price.

Save your money and just read the free reviews. He's not any better than the other stuff out there.

I really appreciate Kevin's research and plan to buy it!!  Thanks Kevin!!  He deserves some compensation.  I take a LOT of time to research all those potential picks and we have a LOT of them this year, so I want to be on the cutting edge:-))

Smitty77

10 bucks for Kevin's hard work is not a big deal.

Yeah, it's no different than paying for shareware.  If you don't want to use the result of someone else's work, don't pay for it.  But there is no need to disuade others for being willing to pay a little for it.