Elephant in the room: where is our rim protector going to come from

[Vox_Populi]

Trade Brooklyn pick for Nerlens Noel.

Yes.

I agree with this. The Philly big I actually want.

Is he better than Amir Johnson? Of course Noel has a sexy name, but what does he actually do better than Johnson? Is that worth trading the Nets pick for?

I don't think he's better than Amir, right now. If the Brooklyn pick is top 2, I wouldn't trade it for Noel, but at 3 and below I'd definitely be interested.

[Eddie20]

Are problems is scoring and there are very few good rim protectors anyway in the NBA that also contribute elsewhere to the team

A couple of good points here. Re: scoring; Ainge has said that they need a "closer".  They rely on Turner as a secondary shot-creator - but he's not efficient. Butler, on the other hand...

Re: rim protection; yes, you're right that those guys tend to be specialists. But it looks possible that the Celtics already have a "unicorn" in the stable - to borrow Kevin Pelton's term for a rim-protector with an outside shot:  Jordan Mickey is only 21.

I would agree if only Mickey didn't have the body of a SF. When you consider that he'll always be matched up against 4's, he just isn't big or strong enough to defend 5's, then he will be always relegated to defending along the perimeter instead of inside. Plus, he's a weak rebounder for his position and has a below average offensive game that provides no spacing and will only clog up the interior for Isaiah and others. That spacing is a big issue with the importance it is for 4's to be able to hit the 3. I know people like to think positively about him, but I don't see much upside in him. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if we draft a player in the second round, like Bentl, that would make Mickey a goner.

[Eddie20]

Trade Brooklyn pick for Nerlens Noel.

Yes.

I agree with this. The Philly big I actually want.

Is he better than Amir Johnson? Of course Noel has a sexy name, but what does he actually do better than Johnson? Is that worth trading the Nets pick for?

I don't think he's better than Amir, right now. If the Brooklyn pick is top 2, I wouldn't trade it for Noel, but at 3 and below I'd definitely be interested.

The problem is that 16-17 is the last year of Noel's rookie contract and considering the rise in salaries what he might be able to command on the open market in 17-18, based on "potential", is downright scary. Give me the rookie with the Nets pick and under a minuscule contract for years to come.

[jpotter33]

Trade Brooklyn pick for Nerlens Noel.

Yes.

I agree with this. The Philly big I actually want.

Is he better than Amir Johnson? Of course Noel has a sexy name, but what does he actually do better than Johnson? Is that worth trading the Nets pick for?

I think so. He's certainly much more athletic at this point, and I think that alone gives him much more capability to switch onto forwards and even guards out on the perimeter. Also, we all thought Johnson was going to spread the floor much more than he actually did offensively, and since that ultimately never happened, I definitely think Noel is worth a non-top-two Brooklyn pick with the advantages he provides over Amir.

Being from here, I would think it's a foregone conclusion that we'd keep him long-term now, too. So that's always helpful.

[Eddie20]

Trade Brooklyn pick for Nerlens Noel.

Yes.

I agree with this. The Philly big I actually want.

Is he better than Amir Johnson? Of course Noel has a sexy name, but what does he actually do better than Johnson? Is that worth trading the Nets pick for?

I think so. He's certainly much more athletic at this point, and I think that alone gives him much more capability to switch onto forwards and even guards out on the perimeter. Also, we all thought Johnson was going to spread the floor much more than he actually did offensively, and since that ultimately never happened, I definitely think Noel is worth a non-top-two Brooklyn pick with the advantages he provides over Amir.

Being from here, I would think it's a foregone conclusion that we'd keep him long-term now, too. So that's always helpful.

Noel's help D is good, better than Amir's. So is his PNR D. Amir is better in his post D and slightly better rebounder in traffic. Noel gets more rebounds out of his area because of his athletic ability, but struggles rebounding in traffic due to his frame. As a result, both have similar rebounding rate, but I'm sure many thought it would be a clear edge to Noel.

Offensively Noel is a train-wreck. He has no touch at all, really bad hands, fires off bullet passes (uncatchable ones at that), high turnover rate (2.4 per game to Amir's 1.2) has no range at all (30% from 3-10 feet, 30% from 10-16 feet, 23% from 16-23 feet), can't hit FT's (59%), and has no post game at all. He really is a liability on that end. This isn't to say that Amir is a worldbeater offensively, but next to Noel he looks like it.

[alldaboston]

Trade Brooklyn pick for Nerlens Noel.

No way. Noel is so overrated on this forum. He's a fine defensive player, but I would never trade even the 5th pick in this year's draft for him. Our problem isn't our defense. We can't score for stretches. And Noel wouldn't help with that at all. There are plenty of defensive bigs we can get for cheap in free agency. With this pick, it's time to get ourselves another scorer who can help us out in our droughts. Someone like Murray, or Hield. Or swing for the fences with Bender (though I'd prefer not to). I so hope that Danny doesn't even think about trading for Noel. Won't move the needle nearly as much as we need.

[ThePaintedArea]

Trade Brooklyn pick for Nerlens Noel.

Yes.

I agree with this. The Philly big I actually want.

Is he better than Amir Johnson? Of course Noel has a sexy name, but what does he actually do better than Johnson? Is that worth trading the Nets pick for?

No, he's not better than Amir.  He's 22, though, so the comparison with an established vet is misleading. He has the potential to be a transcendent defensive player. Amir is well-rounded and versatile, but with virtually zero upside. It's pretty early to go pronouncing on Nerlens' future in offensive basketball, but I will say this: I wouldn't bet on his knees and feet.

(For the same reason, incidentally, I'd take Westbrook over Durant.)

[ThePaintedArea]

Are problems is scoring and there are very few good rim protectors anyway in the NBA that also contribute elsewhere to the team

A couple of good points here. Re: scoring; Ainge has said that they need a "closer".  They rely on Turner as a secondary shot-creator - but he's not efficient. Butler, on the other hand...

Re: rim protection; yes, you're right that those guys tend to be specialists. But it looks possible that the Celtics already have a "unicorn" in the stable - to borrow Kevin Pelton's term for a rim-protector with an outside shot:  Jordan Mickey is only 21.

I would agree if only Mickey didn't have the body of a SF. When you consider that he'll always be matched up against 4's, he just isn't big or strong enough to defend 5's, then he will be always relegated to defending along the perimeter instead of inside. Plus, he's a weak rebounder for his position and has a below average offensive game that provides no spacing and will only clog up the interior for Isaiah and others. That spacing is a big issue with the importance it is for 4's to be able to hit the 3. I know people like to think positively about him, but I don't see much upside in him. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if we draft a player in the second round, like Bentl, that would make Mickey a goner.

Thorough, reasoned response.

About the body: he's 21, listed at 238. Surely another 12 pounds would not slow him down. He doesn't have to play center to be a rim protector in any case, and his quickness and length are already there. Wingspan 7'3"+, between Myles Turner and Willie Cauley-Stein.

About the outside shot: he shot .350 from 3 in the D-league. That's on a grand total of 20 shots, but you'll have to admit that that's an intriguing number.

About the shot-blocking: a *ridiculous* 9.5%. Yes, it's just the D-league.

Let's be clear: the lack of floor time in the Big Show and his tender age mean that we have to keep invoking the "p" word (potential) for him. But boy, I would hang on to him right now.

[__ramonezy__]

No need to sell the farm for Noel, with similar free agent options like Biyombo

We need fire power from BK's pick. Later in the first we can target a Deyonta Davis... that has Noel-like potential and still snag a Bender or Hield or Ingram.

I would prefer getting Okafor after seeing how one-dimensional our offense became in the playoffs and pairing him with a rim-protecting PF like Mickey and better shooters/slashers.

[LarBrd33]

I still like biyombo.

[loco_91]

We don't need a rim protector. This team was great defensively without one. Not that it wouldn't be nice, of course, but I think we should prioritize man-on-man defense and versatility/switching more with our bigs than weakside shot blocking.

[BitterJim]

I still like biyombo.

Is he a free agent this year?  I don't think I want to give up assets for him, but I'd overpay for him if we don't sign a max FA

[__ramonezy__]

I still like biyombo.

Is he a free agent this year?  I don't think I want to give up assets for him, but I'd overpay for him if we don't sign a max FA

He has a player option for next season for $3m

[kiwiceltic]

Trade Brooklyn pick for Nerlens Noel.

I'd rather have Adams than Noel (they are both at the same stage of their rookie contracts), though I don't think OKC are willing to give him up.

[alldaboston]

I still like biyombo.

That's definitely an option. I wonder how much he will cost this summer. Many would be willing to overpay for him I feel.