Marc Spears- Durant will give C's meeting this summer

[Fred Roberts]

He wouldnt ask for Reggie's number. We're not talking about a diva here.

Maybe he'd grab Ray's #20? Pretty nice number.

[Jon]

Okay----so Durant decides to Sign with Boston--under ONE condition...
He gets to wear his No. 35 Jersey.

Do we Un-Retire Reggie Lewis' number ---or let KD walk away--?

We immediately change the policy such that #s are no longer retired, but jerseys. So instead of looking up and seeing a ton of numbers we look up and see names and numbers.  Also as a sort of consolation to those players we put up Cooperstown style shrine type things around the area at eye level of everyone whose jersey has been retired. You invite all the players (or their families) back to present them with their jerseys in a case and a shrine for their home. The shrines immediately become a selling point. You could be the next enshrined player

We're overdue for that sort of change anyway.

Excellent idea---then all numbers can be worn again---you retire the players name.

Truthfully, as sad as his tragedy was, Reggie's number probably never should have been retired. He only played 7 seasons, made only 1 All Star Team, and won no titles. We can speculate on what would have been had he lived, but what he actually did falls far short of the usual criteria for retiring numbers.

[hwangjini_1]

i believe the celtics have retired 20 or 21 numbers. in either case, that still leaves approximately 80 numbers for players. i suspect it will be a while before the celtics actually run out of number. until then, we can all just do higher math. 

[Granath]

Okay----so Durant decides to Sign with Boston--under ONE condition...
He gets to wear his No. 35 Jersey.

Do we Un-Retire Reggie Lewis' number ---or let KD walk away--?

We immediately change the policy such that #s are no longer retired, but jerseys. So instead of looking up and seeing a ton of numbers we look up and see names and numbers.  Also as a sort of consolation to those players we put up Cooperstown style shrine type things around the area at eye level of everyone whose jersey has been retired. You invite all the players (or their families) back to present them with their jerseys in a case and a shrine for their home. The shrines immediately become a selling point. You could be the next enshrined player

We're overdue for that sort of change anyway.

Excellent idea---then all numbers can be worn again---you retire the players name.

Truthfully, as sad as his tragedy was, Reggie's number probably never should have been retired. He only played 7 seasons, made only 1 All Star Team, and won no titles. We can speculate on what would have been had he lived, but what he actually did falls far short of the usual criteria for retiring numbers.

They didn't retire his number solely due to this stats or his play on the court. They retired his number because of who he was and what he was becoming on the court. Remember, he was only one of 6 players who, from 1988-93, posted at least 7,500 points, 1,500 rebounds, 1,000 assists and 500 steals. The other five -- Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Chris Mullin -- are all Hall of Famers.

And Lewis played in the shadow of Bird and McHale. Yet when Bird retired (and McHale was in severe decline), Reggie stepped up on the court and off of it to lead the franchise.

Time to bring this article up again: http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/9510589/remembering-reggie-lewis-20-years-tragic-death

[LooseCannon]

The one thing I'll say is that the Thunder have a more talented roster than the Warriors.

The Thunder have two very good players in Westbrook and Durant, three decent players in Ibaka, Adams, and Roberson, and a bunch of trash like Kanter and Waiters.

[tankcity!]

The one thing I'll say is that the Thunder have a more talented roster than the Warriors.

The Thunder have two very good players in Westbrook and Durant, three decent players in Ibaka, Adams, and Roberson, and a bunch of trash like Kanter and Waiters.

They have two top five players in the league. You're underselling Ibaka's ability. He should be able to play amazing pick and roll defense like Green. Kanter comes off the bench. Adams is a really good center too...Anyways, it's my opinion. I think Green and Thompson are overrated as individual players and would look much different on another team.

[LooseCannon]

The one thing I'll say is that the Thunder have a more talented roster than the Warriors.

The Thunder have two very good players in Westbrook and Durant, three decent players in Ibaka, Adams, and Roberson, and a bunch of trash like Kanter and Waiters.

They have two top five players in the league. You're underselling Ibaka's ability. He should be able to play amazing pick and roll defense like Green. Kanter comes off the bench. Adams is a really good center too...Anyways, it's my opinion. I think Green and Thompson are overrated as individual players and would look much different on another team.

There are more than five players on a roster.

[LilRip]

Give him the number! Lol

No I dunno. Probably would have to ask the family's permission first. I'm generally not a fan of unretiring numbers, although part of me does think that the C's might have too many numbers retired.

[Jon]

Okay----so Durant decides to Sign with Boston--under ONE condition...
He gets to wear his No. 35 Jersey.

Do we Un-Retire Reggie Lewis' number ---or let KD walk away--?

We immediately change the policy such that #s are no longer retired, but jerseys. So instead of looking up and seeing a ton of numbers we look up and see names and numbers.  Also as a sort of consolation to those players we put up Cooperstown style shrine type things around the area at eye level of everyone whose jersey has been retired. You invite all the players (or their families) back to present them with their jerseys in a case and a shrine for their home. The shrines immediately become a selling point. You could be the next enshrined player

We're overdue for that sort of change anyway.

Excellent idea---then all numbers can be worn again---you retire the players name.

Truthfully, as sad as his tragedy was, Reggie's number probably never should have been retired. He only played 7 seasons, made only 1 All Star Team, and won no titles. We can speculate on what would have been had he lived, but what he actually did falls far short of the usual criteria for retiring numbers.

They didn't retire his number solely due to this stats or his play on the court. They retired his number because of who he was and what he was becoming on the court. Remember, he was only one of 6 players who, from 1988-93, posted at least 7,500 points, 1,500 rebounds, 1,000 assists and 500 steals. The other five -- Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Chris Mullin -- are all Hall of Famers.

And Lewis played in the shadow of Bird and McHale. Yet when Bird retired (and McHale was in severe decline), Reggie stepped up on the court and off of it to lead the franchise.

Time to bring this article up again: http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/9510589/remembering-reggie-lewis-20-years-tragic-death

I'm aware of that and that's all very true. But even within your argument you're speculating about alternate realities that never manifested (either the Big Three were healthy and then he won a title or the Big Three weren't there and he had more of a spotlight).

There's little doubt in my mind that if Reggie had played out his whole career, he would have had a body of work to justify retiring his number. I'm just saying that the actual body of work he literally did produce does not justify a retired number, particularly on a team that usually requires a title to get there AND has a retired numbers problem to boot.

[mef730]

Take Durant, lock him in a room with Tommy Heinsohn. Tell him he's not getting out until his signature is on a contract. I figure he'd last 15, maybe 20 minutes.

Mike

[tankcity!]

The one thing I'll say is that the Thunder have a more talented roster than the Warriors.

The Thunder have two very good players in Westbrook and Durant, three decent players in Ibaka, Adams, and Roberson, and a bunch of trash like Kanter and Waiters.

They have two top five players in the league. You're underselling Ibaka's ability. He should be able to play amazing pick and roll defense like Green. Kanter comes off the bench. Adams is a really good center too...Anyways, it's my opinion. I think Green and Thompson are overrated as individual players and would look much different on another team.

There are more than five players on a roster.

I'm confused on what you're saying? In the playoffs, teams play an eight man rotation. So I don't agree with your logic. Besides, they have an eight man rotation. They have Waiters, Roberson, Singler, Kanter, Ibaka, Adams, Durant, Westbrook, and lastly Morrow. You're also forgetting that Cameron Payne is a pretty good backup PG and will have a nice future. Pick your 8 players. They look like an amazing roster to me.

[loco_91]

The one thing I'll say is that the Thunder have a more talented roster than the Warriors.

The Thunder have two very good players in Westbrook and Durant, three decent players in Ibaka, Adams, and Roberson, and a bunch of trash like Kanter and Waiters.

They have two top five players in the league. You're underselling Ibaka's ability. He should be able to play amazing pick and roll defense like Green. Kanter comes off the bench. Adams is a really good center too...Anyways, it's my opinion. I think Green and Thompson are overrated as individual players and would look much different on another team.

There are more than five players on a roster.

I'm confused on what you're saying? In the playoffs, teams play an eight man rotation. So I don't agree with your logic. Besides, they have an eight man rotation. They have Waiters, Roberson, Singler, Kanter, Ibaka, Adams, Durant, Westbrook, and lastly Morrow. You're also forgetting that Cameron Payne is a pretty good backup PG and will have a nice future. Pick your 8 players. They look like an amazing roster to me.

Yeah, on paper the Thunder look awesome. But you have to factor in that Ibaka has fallen off a cliff this year, and besides him they have a ton of one-way role players (except Adams is pretty good). Not the kind of guys you want to try to fit next to two of the league's best scorers. For example Kanter could be pretty good on a lot of teams, but he's an awful defender so all he does on that team is take possessions away from KD and Westbrook. And Waiters is just bad. The Thunder would be better off trading Russ for a bunch of really good roleplayers on team-friendly contracts. Like if I were them I'd offer him and Kanter for Smart, Crowder, Olynyk, Amir, and Bradley. Try to dump Waiters on someone, hope that Ibaka makes a comeback, and you have a really nice rotation.

[Denis998]

Take Durant, lock him in a room with Tommy Heinsohn. Tell him he's not getting out until his signature is on a contract. I figure he'd last 15, maybe 20 minutes.

Mike

The guy that complained about every foul KD drew on Boston over the span of KD's entire career?

[trickybilly]

Take Durant, lock him in a room with Tommy Heinsohn. Tell him he's not getting out until his signature is on a contract. I figure he'd last 15, maybe 20 minutes.

Mike

The guy that complained about every foul KD drew on Boston over the span of KD's entire career?

Bogus

[crimson_stallion]

Honestly the fact that we can get a meeting with a FA of this caliber tells you all you need to know about the direction of this franchise and gives real evidence that the idea that the Cs can't get big name FAs is false idea and was more a product of no cap space in previous seasons.

Great job DA, and whether or not he comes here I'm excited

No doubt.

Honestly, I think if you have the cap space and a half decent culture / winning potential then you are always going to get consideration from Free Agents.

Hell, the New Jersey Nets (who had a history of being bad) got Deron Williams back when he was still considered a hot commodity, Brook Lopez and Thad Young signed extensions in Brooklyn (disaster zone there), Rondo signed in Sacramento and the Clippers (who were a joke of a team pretty much forever) got Chris Paul.  I don't believe ANY place is truly incapable of getting guys if they really try.

Boston has an elite coach, an elite GM, a winning culture, tons of history, a proud fan base and on top of all that they have a competitive young team overflowing with potential.   It's as good a free agent destination as any team.