**Official Celticsblog 2016 NBA Draft Lottery thread**

[aingeforthree]

Let's not stress the Lottery.  While it would be great to land 1 or 2.

Bender, Murray, Hield, Dunn, Ellison,  will be available with the Celtics pick.

If we are 3, then who are we taking?
One of these guys, according to multiple mock draft boards, depending what you are viewing.

All provide different pieces to the puzzle.


What does make a top 3 pick fun is the idea of what Danny might do with it.

But if we landed 1 or 2, do you really want to see Danny trade that pick?

Yes.  I think he trades it no matter where it lands.  The better the pick, the more he saves in assets.

[i believe in brad]

Let's not stress the Lottery.  While it would be great to land 1 or 2.

Bender, Murray, Hield, Dunn, Ellison,  will be available with the Celtics pick.

If we are 3, then who are we taking?
One of these guys, according to multiple mock draft boards, depending what you are viewing.

All provide different pieces to the puzzle.


What does make a top 3 pick fun is the idea of what Danny might do with it.

But if we landed 1 or 2, do you really want to see Danny trade that pick?

Yes.  I think he trades it no matter where it lands.  The better the pick, the more he saves in assets.

I think for Danny to trade a top 2 pick, you'd NEED one of the following to happen:

-OKC blows this series and Durant takes serious FA meetings, thus allowing Danny to swing for the fences with a trade in hopes of attracting him (overpay for Butler or someone of that level)

or

-Boogie/Paul George becomes available for the pick

Without one of the above happening, I see Danny keeping a top 2 pick and waiting until next summer to make a big trade in hopes of attracting '17 free agents.

[aingeforthree]

Let's not stress the Lottery.  While it would be great to land 1 or 2.

Bender, Murray, Hield, Dunn, Ellison,  will be available with the Celtics pick.

If we are 3, then who are we taking?
One of these guys, according to multiple mock draft boards, depending what you are viewing.

All provide different pieces to the puzzle.


What does make a top 3 pick fun is the idea of what Danny might do with it.

But if we landed 1 or 2, do you really want to see Danny trade that pick?

Yes.  I think he trades it no matter where it lands.  The better the pick, the more he saves in assets.

I think for Danny to trade a top 2 pick, you'd NEED one of the following to happen:

-OKC blows this series and Durant takes serious FA meetings, thus allowing Danny to swing for the fences with a trade in hopes of attracting him (overpay for Butler or someone of that level)

or

-Boogie/Paul George becomes available for the pick

Without one of the above happening, I see Danny keeping a top 2 pick and waiting until next summer to make a big trade in hopes of attracting '17 free agents.

I don't think free agency has anything to do with it, just because that comes a week or so later after the draft.  You have no idea at that point who is doing what.

Everyone is talking about Boogie, Butler, George, etc in trade, but there is always someone who nobody is talking about that is available.  Who that is, remains to be seen.

Personally, I think Ainge's main target with the Brooklyn pick is and always has been Kevin Love.  The location of the pick will determine what he does or doesn't have to give up.

I also think Ainge has a great shot at landing Jahlil Okafor with the Brooklyn pick, if Philly doesn't land the Lakers pick.  Ainge's relationshp with Colangelo is well known, and I think ultimately they will be having conversations between the Lottery and the draft.

Bottom line, I think either Love or Okafor is added to this roster when the draft is all said and done.  The Brooklyn pick will be used in either scenario.

[vjcsmoke]

Is it just me, am I the only one who believes that Kevin Love is overrated?

I don't believe that KL can be the alpha dog and take a team on his back in the playoffs.  He's more like a solid #2 scoring option.  And BTW his defense is awful.  We don't really have a dominant defensive 5 to cover for Love's deficiencies on D so I'm not sure this makes sense unless we try to continue to shoehorn Amir Johnson into the 5 to cover for Love in the starting lineup.

I'd rather go all-in for a star like Paul George or Demarcus Cousins.  Those guys are gamechangers.  Jimmy Butler and Blake Griffin are also guys I would desire to trade for before going for Love.  Okafor has the same problem as Love -- no defense.  But even worse, he has no outside shot.  So....

[timpiker]

My take is just the opposite.  In order I like Okafor, Love, Butler, ...

[Celtics4ever]

Quote
Is it just me, am I the only one who believes that Kevin Love is overrated?

He is, I agree.  TP

[chambers]

Quote
Is it just me, am I the only one who believes that Kevin Love is overrated?

He is, I agree.  TP

I actually think he's under rated at the moment. Slow come back from injury and adjusting to becoming the 3rd wheel.

He's been pretty good this playoffs actually.

[ThePaintedArea]

Is it just me, am I the only one who believes that Kevin Love is overrated?

And BTW his defense is awful. 

His defense is nicely above average, I'd say.

We don't really have a dominant defensive 5 to cover for Love's deficiencies on D so I'm not sure this makes sense unless we try to continue to shoehorn Amir Johnson into the 5 to cover for Love in the starting lineup

Interesting subject. Mostly Amir got his minutes at 4 last year, with most of his minutes at 5 as the lone big in small-ball lineups. I think you would probably not see them paired a lot, absent a wholesale revamp of the system. Surely this is an academic exercise only, however; it's hard to imagine a scenario where Love is traded anytime soon.

[Roy H.]

Is it just me, am I the only one who believes that Kevin Love is overrated?

And BTW his defense is awful. 

His defense is nicely above average, I'd say.

Compared to the average human, yes.  Love's defense is probably decidedly above-average.

Compared to rotation-level NBA power forwards?  He's in the bottom quintile, and I don't care what notoriously volatile defensive "stats" say.

[PhoSita]

Loves defense is very matchup dependent, which is a problem given where that position has headed in recent years.

Defensive rebounding has to be taken into account, though, and he's excellent in that regard.

[ThePaintedArea]

Is it just me, am I the only one who believes that Kevin Love is overrated?

And BTW his defense is awful. 

His defense is nicely above average, I'd say.

Compared to the average human, yes.  Love's defense is probably decidedly above-average.

Lol. But obviously I disagree.

Compared to rotation-level NBA power forwards?  He's in the bottom quintile, and I don't care what notoriously volatile defensive "stats" say.

In his case the stats, or "stats", if you prefer, are not particularly volatile - in fact they're remarkably consistent across a range of different measures and for the last three seasons; steal and block percentages, defensive win shares, defensive real plus/minus: all say "nicely above average".  Defensive rebounding, on the other hand, is something he's been - consistently - among the league leaders in.

You can fault his PnR defense (I would) and he's in big trouble switching onto guards; but most of defense is getting to the right spot, all five guys tied together, and he's not bad at all at that - and he's aces at closing out the possession with the board.

[ThePaintedArea]

Loves defense is very matchup dependent, which is a problem given where that position has headed in recent years.

Defensive rebounding has to be taken into account, though, and he's excellent in that regard.

On the whole I'd agree with this, and the experiments with him as the lone big in a small-ball lineup have not been particularly encouraging.

The overpay for Tristan Thompson had several dimensions. With him, LeBron, and now Frye in the fold you minimize Love's exposure out on the floor. Their best defensive units - by far - all had James, Love, and Thompson. And, of course, opponents have to have a player out there who can guard *him*.

[Quetzalcoatl]

Draymond is a bad match up for Love if only because he's super intense and is going to be trash talking the living [expletive] out of Love the whole game.  I'm hoping that Ty Lue has toughened him up a bit though because I want to see them go at it for real. 

I do think though that Love is going to be draining 3s over Kanter and Adams if it comes to it.  Kanter REALLY can't guard Love.  Love can kind of guard Kanter.  If Adams guards Love, then TT will have a field day. 

[chambers]

3 days until the lottery baby!

[jambr380]

3 days until the lottery baby!

It has been neat having legitimate hopes of Simmons/Ingram,

Soon we will be more decidedly talking about Murray, Bender, Hield, Dunn, or Brown...or the trade Danny has lined up with that pick.