Rumor: Celtics, among others, in contact with Sixers about Noel/Okafor

[rondohondo]

Seems to me danny is trying to set up a noel/love front court

#3 for noel

AB,KO, 16 and 23 for Love

It
Smart
Crowder
Love
Noel

Room for a max and another big piece

[JBcat]

I think we could be in the drivers seat regarding the Noel/Okofer situation.  Philly is desperate to improve sooner rather than later with new management.  I prefer Noel realizing he's probably not much better than Amir right now, maybe has a ceiling of a Tyson Chandler, and a year away from RFA.  For those reasons I'd try to extract next year's Lakers pick from them or the Kings 2019 pick or both haha even if we include other pieces to make that happen.

If they think Dunn is a future star, and maybe rightfully so or at least better than Smart let's hold them hostage for a good deal.

In the end I like the idea of Noel anchoring our defense for the future.  Those players are hard to find.  We just need to find our scorers in other places.

[Future Celtics Owner]

Okafor is much better than people give him credit for and if we take Noel over him DA should be fired like Staniss' daughter. His jumper has a great stroke and I bet he becomes deadly from 15' and in. Also, a guy his size/length will benefit from 1 year playing in the NBA, also his physical maturity and conditioning will improve his defense by a lot.


Noel is not worth the #3.....period. Especially when you could get D. Russell or Okafor. Okafor literally is a prime young talent that CBS has been waiting for his whole career. I have spent a lot of time scouting him and believe he will be great for us.

[Sketch5]

Seems to me danny is trying to set up a noel/love front court

#3 for noel

AB,KO, 16 and 23 for Love

It
Smart
Crowder
Love
Noel

Room for a max and another big piece

I was thinking the same thing. Durant would have to look real hard at that line up. It would be a great balance of O and D. IT, Durant,Love scoring. Smart and Noel on D who still can make some things happen on the offensive end.

And if you have to get serious on D with a little out side shooting Sub Crowder for Love.

[BDeCosta26]

Monroe provides no interior defense so finding another big to pair with him is a real problem because he is also a traditional low post player. If you want both interior defense and proper floor spacing, you have to find a rim protector with outside shooting range. These guys don't grow on trees. Remember that Monroe/Drummond was a total fail. The alternative is to start Monroe with Crowder, Middleton, Bradley, and Thomas and count on superior perimeter defense and no interior defense.

Monroe and Okafor have the same basic problems, it's just that Monroe is a much better passer and rebounder, while Jahlil is younger with (in theory) more room to improve.

It's really difficult to find a 4 who can defend the perimeter, protect the rim and shoot 3's. Ibaka is the best example, and planting him next to Kanter has only gone so far.

[Ilikesports17]

Monroe provides no interior defense so finding another big to pair with him is a real problem because he is also a traditional low post player. If you want both interior defense and proper floor spacing, you have to find a rim protector with outside shooting range. These guys don't grow on trees. Remember that Monroe/Drummond was a total fail. The alternative is to start Monroe with Crowder, Middleton, Bradley, and Thomas and count on superior perimeter defense and no interior defense.

Monroe and Okafor have the same basic problems, it's just that Monroe is a much better passer and rebounder, while Jahlil is younger with (in theory) more room to improve.

It's really difficult to find a 4 who can defend the perimeter, protect the rim and shoot 3's. Ibaka is the best example, and planting him next to Kanter has only gone so far.

Those are two very good scorers down low. Al Jefferson is another very good post scorer. The difference with okafor is that he is simply a superior talent. If he reaches his ceiling as a post scorer he could be elite. That difference is really important I think.

[Ilikesports17]

Seems to me danny is trying to set up a noel/love front court

#3 for noel

AB,KO, 16 and 23 for Love

It
Smart
Crowder
Love
Noel

Room for a max and another big piece

I was thinking the same thing. Durant would have to look real hard at that line up. It would be a great balance of O and D. IT, Durant,Love scoring. Smart and Noel on D who still can make some things happen on the offensive end.

And if you have to get serious on D with a little out side shooting Sub Crowder for Love.

I love the lineup but when you talk about 1 way players, that lineup has 4 of em. Love and Thomas are bad-OK defenders, Smart and Noel are bad-OK offensive guys. That would be its key weakness, but lets  not get it confused. thats a great lineup. Much better than what we had  this year.

[Sketch5]

Seems to me danny is trying to set up a noel/love front court

#3 for noel

AB,KO, 16 and 23 for Love

It
Smart
Crowder
Love
Noel

Room for a max and another big piece

I was thinking the same thing. Durant would have to look real hard at that line up. It would be a great balance of O and D. IT, Durant,Love scoring. Smart and Noel on D who still can make some things happen on the offensive end.

And if you have to get serious on D with a little out side shooting Sub Crowder for Love.

I love the lineup but when you talk about 1 way players, that lineup has 4 of em. Love and Thomas are bad-OK defenders, Smart and Noel are bad-OK offensive guys. That would be its key weakness, but lets  not get it confused. thats a great lineup. Much better than what we had  this year.

But that's what makes it work in some ways. Smart and Noel cover for Love and IT on D and they do it on O. IT and Love aren't lazy, just not good, and a good system covers that. Allen wasn't a good degender, but PP,KG and Perk helped.

Love is a good rebounder, but playing in Cleveland he's out hanging on the 3pt line. That first quarter in game 7, he played well, but then they went back to how they normally play. Noel does hurt in spacing for Love to post, but you put Smart in a corner, and IT and Durant on the elbows and that creates room. Noel is not free when his man doubles Love to get misses.

The bench you add well rounded players, like Crowder, and maybe Rozier if he jumps. Hunter too has potential. MAybe a Dudley. then you can sub guys in who may not quite be working in a match up that night with out missing too much of a beat.

[Future Celtics Owner]

Seems to me danny is trying to set up a noel/love front court

#3 for noel

AB,KO, 16 and 23 for Love

It
Smart
Crowder
Love
Noel

Room for a max and another big piece

I was thinking the same thing. Durant would have to look real hard at that line up. It would be a great balance of O and D. IT, Durant,Love scoring. Smart and Noel on D who still can make some things happen on the offensive end.

And if you have to get serious on D with a little out side shooting Sub Crowder for Love.

I love the lineup but when you talk about 1 way players, that lineup has 4 of em. Love and Thomas are bad-OK defenders, Smart and Noel are bad-OK offensive guys. That would be its key weakness, but lets  not get it confused. thats a great lineup. Much better than what we had  this year.

But that's what makes it work in some ways. Smart and Noel cover for Love and IT on D and they do it on O. IT and Love aren't lazy, just not good, and a good system covers that. Allen wasn't a good degender, but PP,KG and Perk helped.

Love is a good rebounder, but playing in Cleveland he's out hanging on the 3pt line. That first quarter in game 7, he played well, but then they went back to how they normally play. Noel does hurt in spacing for Love to post, but you put Smart in a corner, and IT and Durant on the elbows and that creates room. Noel is not free when his man doubles Love to get misses.

The bench you add well rounded players, like Crowder, and maybe Rozier if he jumps. Hunter too has potential. MAybe a Dudley. then you can sub guys in who may not quite be working in a match up that night with out missing too much of a beat.

Okafor has the bbiq and size to get much better on defense. For the same reasons Myles Turner was undervalued at Texas are basically the same for Okafor on the Sixers.

Okafor>Noel and if you want Noel why not just trade for John Henson. I know for a fact that he has the ability to shoot very well inside of 19', he will get better with his left, after 1 year of experience he will be better and more conditioned for the defensive end.

I wish we could keep the #3, incase Ingram falls or LAL want to trade for Hield, and use Smart plus assets in a trade for Okafor. Or we could use the #3 on Russell and get Okafor with a trade of Smart and etc.

[Bobshot]

I think their best scenario right now is Noel or Okafor for the #3, and Bradley and the #16 or 23 for Love. Cavs like Bradley and would like a 1st round pick. Ainge may prefer Noel because he complements Love better up front.

[willyd24]

I'm not sure if anyone knows the answer to this but if the Celtics trade for Noel/Okafor would they be able to participate in Summer League and if so would the Celtics have them participate in Summer League? Just trying to get an idea of when we might see one of these guys on the court if we do trade for one of them

[tankcity!]

It would be a mistake to trade for Noel over Okafor. I really don't understand it. But Ainge seems to be interested in Noel. He could really lose that trade if Dunn turns into an all star.

[aingeforthree]

It would be a mistake to trade for Noel over Okafor. I really don't understand it. But Ainge seems to be interested in Noel. He could really lose that trade if Dunn turns into an all star.

And if Noel turns into the all star ? Same age as Dunn, more NBA experience.

[sawick48]

Honestly,  I think it is time for a little perspective on Okafor. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20VGdpFAhCM

I'm sorry, but this dude is clearly worth the #3 pick by himself.

It's really a simple thought process:

If Okafor was put back in the draft this year, after a year in the NBA, would he be a candidate for the #3 pick?

I say without question - yes, he would be in the running.  But the better question is - given who else is available, would the Celtics draft him?

Probably not because I guarantee if Danny called Philly right now and said "#3 for Okafor" he would be in a press conference in green tomorrow...Danny clearly doesn't want JUST him.

Here's the problem with the thinking that's as simple as "well if Okafor was in the draft he'd clearly be the #3 guy so we should get him" - it absolutely doesn't mean that we should take him #3 anyway.  The guy will not move the needle for this team. Not now, not in the future, not at all.  He will clog the middle, and make it near impossible for him to play along side a rim protector (similar to the way he can't play alongside Noel already) because of the suffocation of the lane it would create on offense. 

He's a fine player.  Just not someone that can be a starter for a team that's serious about ever contending for a championship.  Sorry but a worse rebounding, worse defending version of Al Jefferson adds extremely little of value in terms of becoming a championship contender in today's NBA

[droopdog7]

Honestly,  I think it is time for a little perspective on Okafor. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20VGdpFAhCM

I'm sorry, but this dude is clearly worth the #3 pick by himself.

It's really a simple thought process:

If Okafor was put back in the draft this year, after a year in the NBA, would he be a candidate for the #3 pick?

I say without question - yes, he would be in the running.  But the better question is - given who else is available, would the Celtics draft him?

Probably not because I guarantee if Danny called Philly right now and said "#3 for Okafor" he would be in a press conference in green tomorrow...Danny clearly doesn't want JUST him.

Here's the problem with the thinking that's as simple as "well if Okafor was in the draft he'd clearly be the #3 guy so we should get him" - it absolutely doesn't mean that we should take him #3 anyway.  The guy will not move the needle for this team. Not now, not in the future, not at all.  He will clog the middle, and make it near impossible for him to play along side a rim protector (similar to the way he can't play alongside Noel already) because of the suffocation of the lane it would create on offense. 

He's a fine player.  Just not someone that can be a starter for a team that's serious about ever contending for a championship.  Sorry but a worse rebounding, worse defending version of Al Jefferson adds extremely little of value in terms of becoming a championship contender in today's NBA

Wow, such definite statements.  And mostly unsubstantiated.  I still believe that the fastest way to contender status is a dominant big man.