Cruel realism

[Surferdad]

I side with those here who say some posters are taking a defeatist attitude.  Just wait out LeBron...just wait out the GSW super-team...what next?  Wait out Anthony Davis?  Ben Simmons?

No, I feel that you can't wait.  Instead, I want to the front office COMPETE with those highly ranked teams by cashing in our assets to get Cousins and maybe more.  IT/Horford/Cousins is a pretty darn good big-3.  Then factor in a great coach, a good locker room, hugely supportive fan base, and perhaps a couple injuries around the league and you are talking about a team that can win.

ALL THAT SAID, I am OK with keeping the picks if that is the direction the FO wants to go.  I am just worried that Horford will not be happy.

[TA9]

I disagree.
IMO, the Cavs and Warriors have a common weakness because both teams will be playing small this season without a solid big man defending the rim. A lineup consisting of Horford/Griffin or Horford/Cousins could therefore have their way against either team on a good day.

[konkmv]

i believe that it is better to develop the current talent... depth is our strength... maybe next year we can get anothet horford and another top 4 pick...
Thomas smart bradley rozier crowder brown horford olynyc plus giles and  noel (unrestricted) 
Not bad

[Big333223]

To be honest this team might take a step back without Turner... Smart HAS to breakout for us to be good in the East this year, especially looking at Detroit and the Pacers, those teams are going to be better.. I feel.

I'm not worried about missing Turner. If Smart improves as a ballhandler at all, he'll be able to help. Rozier looks like he's ready for more responsibility in the offense, that helps. And for all of Jaylen Brown's struggles scoring points in summer league, his handle and ability to get to the rim impressed me a lot. He can't finish at the rim but his ability to get there is terrific. I'm not worried.

[Denis998]

Id consider KD a Splash Uncle

[green_bballers13]

Look, if the only thing we care about is competing for titles, we might as well give up for the next 5-7 years.  It's very unlikely the Celts will be seriously competing to win a title.

Right now my hope is that they can find a way, in the next few years, to get to the ECF and give the Cavs a real run for their money.  That would be an accomplishment.  Making it to the Finals would be awesome.  I expect they'd get their backsides handed to them if they did, but that's OK.


We need to have priorities as fans apart from competing for a title.  Most teams in any given season, or any given decade, never really compete to win a title.  But still we watch anyway. 

My favorite KG-era team was probably the 2012 team that had a great run but never really had a chance of winning the title.  Perhaps the Celts will field a similar team sometime over the next 4-5 years.  That'd be something.

TP. I watch basketball to be entertained, not to have a cynical, pessimistic, or overly critical attitude on what should be fun. If they don't win every year, its ok. If its going to take a while, I'll still watch, esp. if they're moving in the right direction. Do I agree with every pick? Nope. I'm also not going to come on here and cry that I know more than Danny. If he worked out Kris Dunn one time, that is one more time than any other knucklehead on this blog.

Jaylen Brown is 19, his shooting stroke is not broken, and he plays tough defense. He can play now.

We now have two all stars and potential to land a 3rd with a trade. Smart, Crowder, IT, Brown, and Bradley are all players other teams would throw in the rotation.

Let's relax with the overly critical arm-chair quarterbacking. It comes off as unappreciative of the way Ainge has rebuilt the team without tanking.

[chiken Green]

I don't believe anyone is saying that we are not going to fight the big boys because we know that the team we have been watching for the last 2 years will fight anyone anywhere..  I think folks are saying continue building our own fighters and not give up on the process of building..  Golden State and Cleveland did not become these super teams overnight.. They stuck with a process, built a star (or 2) through the draft, made smart moves and built a championship caliber teams that will be in the mix for the next 5 years or so..

Not saying don't improve our team or not to grab other teams trash - just saying try and keep building your future because realistically that shot is just as viable as trying to buy a chip.. why not do both if you are in position too.

Hold on to those Brooklyn picks especially the 17... Respect the process.. It will pay off..   

 

[td450]

A theoretical team that adds Cousins by just giving up Brooklyn picks would have a legit chance against GS. I say that because we would have a suffocating defense and really awkward match ups for them.

OKC showed that two skilled bigs can beat up GS. The league doesn't have anything like a Cousins/Horford combination, and I don't see how they could handle it.

GS makes their defense work by throwing 4 wing sized guys out there who can switch on anyone. The problem with that is that our team, if it included Cousins, would not be a collection of mid sized guys. It would be jet fast, small guys, a couple of very sturdy wings, and some very big, very skilled guys. Their defense is based on interchangeable parts that can cover anyone, but they wouldn't do so well against us.

Of course, the door swings both ways. But we'd have a very tough defense, and those bigs can move their feet better than most. I think it would be fun to watch.

[greece66]

Just like it was impossible to beat the record-setting Warriors this past season??

As always, we need to remember to put in our *unless injuries create an opening* asterisks.

Curry suffered an injury, Kyrie got hot at the right time, and the Cavs had LeBron, one of the top 5 players ever.

All of that was enough to draw the Cavs even with the Warriors with 2 minutes left in a seven game series.

From there, it was mostly up to chance.  The Warriors' shots didn't go in; Kyrie's three did.  And that was the championship.



So yeah, never say never.  These new-look Warriors are especially well-insulated against injuries, though.  They will still be beatable.  I wouldn't bet on anybody other than San Antonio or Cleveland getting hot enough and lucky enough to do it, though.

For the foreseeable future, the league has one overwhelming favorite for the title, and 2-3 other teams that have a chance in a seven game series if a lot of things break in their favor.

I try to stay as much away from confrontations in the forums as possible, but if you think the Cavs won this title because of injuries you are deluding yourself.

[dannyboy35]

In the era of lebron and the 3 splash brothers it is a little too optimistic to think that you can challenge to win a title... even if we get one of butler cousins and griffin...
I would try to develop talent... let them fade... keep the nets picks
A trade of young player like okafor would be nice without the nets pics
Danny tried but missed on durant.. he would make us a contender.. do not give up young  talent and valuable pics

I can't argue this train of thought. I personally agree. I just don't think it's realistic anymore because of the delusional love for Brad Stevens. There seems to be this feeling that he can bring championships even more so than great players. I've never been a witness to a coach so heralded as Stevens. It seems even Danny is under some spell. I don't get it.

[Bobshot]

Danny had three no.1s this year. He drafted a 19yo who needs to improve his shooting, and two Europeans who apparently are going stay in Europe.

Ainge spent quite a bit of effort and years amassing those picks. The cruel realism is there isn't a whole lot there to show.

[greece66]

In the era of lebron and the 3 splash brothers it is a little too optimistic to think that you can challenge to win a title... even if we get one of butler cousins and griffin...
I would try to develop talent... let them fade... keep the nets picks
A trade of young player like okafor would be nice without the nets pics
Danny tried but missed on durant.. he would make us a contender.. do not give up young  talent and valuable pics

The way I see it is this: ambitious players who can't join GSW will have to go somewhere. Cavs is one option. We could become the other together with Pop's SAS. There is enough talent in the League to offer some competition to GSW.

Who knows, they might get """"injured"""" again.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I've had more than my fair share of negative, pessimistic, defeatist moments during my time as a Celtics fan, including many that are forever on record here in the CB forums, much to my chagrin. And I can certainly understand why the Golden State juggernaut has many people feeling hopeless.

Lately, though, I've been trying to shift in a new direction—not mindless bubble-gum "positive thinking," but the mindset that nothing's done until it's done, we won't know unless we try, that's why they play the games, etc.

Sure, the odds say that Golden State is the team to beat for the next several years, but nothing's written in stone.

Remember how the Miami Superfriends were talking about "not four, not five, not six ..."? Well, they were right—they won only two (not four, five, six, or more), and their "dynasty" was over in only four years.

Maybe the Warriors won't be able to afford to keep this group together for long. Even if they do, maybe that will prevent them from having a good enough bench, and the starters will wear down quickly. And maybe some team will figure out how to counter Golden State's "four wing-size defenders" scheme and leave the "cutting edge" Warriors in the dust.

Four years from now, LeBron could be a shell of himself and Golden State's "four cornerstones" could be scattered to the four winds of the NBA (sorta like how now LeBron is in Cleveland, Wade is in Chicago, and Bosh possibly will be forced to retire). I don't think Boston, or any other team, should just sit around and wait for the next Bird-level player to drop into their lap, or be content with "playoff-level" basketball while we wait for the league's superstars to be put out to pasture.

The rest of the league will be gunning for Golden State, which means lots of pressure on the Warriors night in and night out. Interestingly enough, the Warriors and Durant just showed that they can't stand up to the pressure.

Players around the league, including in Boston, should be energized to prove themselves, should be stoked for the opportunity to take down Goliath. They should want to dunk on Green so hard that they forever shut his mouth, and wear down Durant's shaky knees and break Curry's tender ankles. Just imagine if Cousins ended up in the right situation—with the right coach, the right teammates, the right organization—and it inspired him to go absolutely beast mode on the rest of the league. Maybe Boston circa 2016 is that "right situation." Maybe not. But we won't know unless we try.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Just like it was impossible to beat the record-setting Warriors this past season??

As always, we need to remember to put in our *unless injuries create an opening* asterisks.

Curry suffered an injury, Kyrie got hot at the right time, and the Cavs had LeBron, one of the top 5 players ever.

All of that was enough to draw the Cavs even with the Warriors with 2 minutes left in a seven game series.

From there, it was mostly up to chance.  The Warriors' shots didn't go in; Kyrie's three did.  And that was the championship.



So yeah, never say never.  These new-look Warriors are especially well-insulated against injuries, though.  They will still be beatable.  I wouldn't bet on anybody other than San Antonio or Cleveland getting hot enough and lucky enough to do it, though.

For the foreseeable future, the league has one overwhelming favorite for the title, and 2-3 other teams that have a chance in a seven game series if a lot of things break in their favor.

I try to stay as much away from confrontations in the forums as possible, but if you think the Cavs won this title because of injuries you are deluding yourself.

One could just as easily say that the main reason the Warriors won in '15 was Irving and Love being injured, so the whole injury thing is kind of a wash, I think.

[GC003332]

I've had more than my fair share of negative, pessimistic, defeatist moments during my time as a Celtics fan, including many that are forever on record here in the CB forums, much to my chagrin. And I can certainly understand why the Golden State juggernaut has many people feeling hopeless.

Lately, though, I've been trying to shift in a new direction—not mindless bubble-gum "positive thinking," but the mindset that nothing's done until it's done, we won't know unless we try, that's why they play the games, etc.

Sure, the odds say that Golden State is the team to beat for the next several years, but nothing's written in stone.

Remember how the Miami Superfriends were talking about "not four, not five, not six ..."? Well, they were right—they won only two (not four, five, six, or more), and their "dynasty" was over in only four years.

Maybe the Warriors won't be able to afford to keep this group together for long. Even if they do, maybe that will prevent them from having a good enough bench, and the starters will wear down quickly. And maybe some team will figure out how to counter Golden State's "four wing-size defenders" scheme and leave the "cutting edge" Warriors in the dust.

Four years from now, LeBron could be a shell of himself and Golden State's "four cornerstones" could be scattered to the four winds of the NBA (sorta like how now LeBron is in Cleveland, Wade is in Chicago, and Bosh possibly will be forced to retire). I don't think Boston, or any other team, should just sit around and wait for the next Bird-level player to drop into their lap, or be content with "playoff-level" basketball while we wait for the league's superstars to be put out to pasture.

The rest of the league will be gunning for Golden State, which means lots of pressure on the Warriors night in and night out. Interestingly enough, the Warriors and Durant just showed that they can't stand up to the pressure.

Players around the league, including in Boston, should be energized to prove themselves, should be stoked for the opportunity to take down Goliath. They should want to dunk on Green so hard that they forever shut his mouth, and wear down Durant's shaky knees and break Curry's tender ankles. Just imagine if Cousins ended up in the right situation—with the right coach, the right teammates, the right organization—and it inspired him to go absolutely beast mode on the rest of the league. Maybe Boston circa 2016 is that "right situation." Maybe not. But we won't know unless we try.

TP