marcus and the next step-it might include defense

[feckless]

Yes I agree that LilRip and Painted Area and I are primarily apart on interpretation --I want Marcus to succeed and become a point - and possibly Brad played Rozier at the one because he was next in line and it was the best place for him to fit in.  But I read it as Marcus freelanced too often, made the wrong choice too often and Terry as a rookie tried to please the coach and got the minutes when Brad wanted structure.  We are probably all correct if you go from play to play, even within the same game.  For me Marcus's difficulties with shot making comes from his shot selection.  A situation where if he made a good shot, i would cringe because I believed he would think he was hot and then take a bad shot or two.

[ThePaintedArea]

Yes I agree that LilRip and Painted Area and I are primarily apart on interpretation

As far as I'm concerned, I think that that's right.

--I want Marcus to succeed and become a point

That he's played that role is invaluable for his development; but going forward he'll be playing 2 or 3.  In fact, it's a done deal.  Already last year they never had him on the floor unless he was paired with Thomas or Turner (or both) as the primary ball-handlers (the Bradley/Smart/Turner/Jerebko/Olynyk lineup was dynamite, btw, and no wonder Brad liked it so much) As a secondary ball-handler he'll have a lot of opportunities to drive and kick - especially if Rozier's 3-pt shot is for real.

[CelticPride2016]

No one knows how this will play out. We only know that Evan Turner is gone, Rozier has improved, Isaiah plays most of the point guard minutes and Smart may or may not be able to handle point guard but will play a lot. There's also wild card Jaylen Brown, a top draft pick who seems to be Crowder's backup and also able to play at shooting guard.

Players such as Young, Hunter, Zeller and perhaps even Mickey become complete afterthoughts, as in, we can forget about those guys unless there are a lot of injuries.

For bigs, we have Horford, Amir, Olynyk and Jerebko.

SF: Crowder, Brown
SG: Bradley, Smart
PG: Isaiah, Rozier

That's the ten man rotation, no?

The 11th and 12th guys tend to get their chances due to the grind of an 82 game season with little practice and too many back to back games. Zeller and Mickey are the fifth and sixth bigs. Hunter, Young, and maybe Holland (?) make up the rest of the roster.

I guess Young simply gets cut if Danny wants to add a player.

Smart will play some point guard and we'll get to observe.

He'll need to get to at least a Paul Pierce level of ball handling. It might be a good idea to pair Olynyk with him and he could somewhat fill the Evan Turner I'll help you out on offense and passing role.

I guess Demetrius Jackson was a false alarm.

I doubt there will be a big trade. It seems risky. Okafor is not a proven two-way player like KG was. Blake Griffin seems to be damaged goods. Cousins would be a nice pickup, but he'd cost a lot, then that'd be it for assets. It'd be a form of all-in and you'd be dependent on one player for overall team karma and success.

I think if the chips fall right, there could be fireworks at the mid-season trade deadline. It depends on the Nets' record. It depends on how teams such as Sacramento are doing if you want to risk going for Cousins to become the team's king piece.

People should be psyched we are even this close to true championship contending.

[ThePaintedArea]

Players such as Young, Hunter, Zeller and perhaps even Mickey become complete afterthoughts, as in, we can forget about those guys unless there are a lot of injuries.

A pity for Zeller - who can play - if he's still on the Celtics this season, since playing time looks even less likely than last year. Also - Ainge said Mickey  could have gotten minutes last season, except that there wasn't a spot for him – another reason to trade Zeller.

That's the ten man rotation, no?

Yes, more or less. Brad actually used a 10-man rotation in the first part of the season last year; and  it seems to me that there are even more compelling reasons to do so this year.

I guess Demetrius Jackson was a false alarm.

I think he'll have a career; but it's hard to see him making the roster with Boston.

I doubt there will be a big trade. It seems risky. Okafor is not a proven two-way player like KG was.

Baby steps. He could start by proving that he is a one-way player.

People should be psyched we are even this close to true championship contending.

 It's very impressive. Management has done stellar work.

[feckless]

No one knows how this will play out. We only know that Evan Turner is gone, Rozier has improved, Isaiah plays most of the point guard minutes and Smart may or may not be able to handle point guard but will play a lot. There's also wild card Jaylen Brown, a top draft pick who seems to be Crowder's backup and also able to play at shooting guard.

Players such as Young, Hunter, Zeller and perhaps even Mickey become complete afterthoughts, as in, we can forget about those guys unless there are a lot of injuries.

For bigs, we have Horford, Amir, Olynyk and Jerebko.

SF: Crowder, Brown
SG: Bradley, Smart
PG: Isaiah, Rozier

That's the ten man rotation, no?

The 11th and 12th guys tend to get their chances due to the grind of an 82 game season with little practice and too many back to back games. Zeller and Mickey are the fifth and sixth bigs. Hunter, Young, and maybe Holland (?) make up the rest of the roster.

I guess Young simply gets cut if Danny wants to add a player.

Smart will play some point guard and we'll get to observe.

He'll need to get to at least a Paul Pierce level of ball handling. It might be a good idea to pair Olynyk with him and he could somewhat fill the Evan Turner I'll help you out on offense and passing role.

I guess Demetrius Jackson was a false alarm.

I doubt there will be a big trade. It seems risky. Okafor is not a proven two-way player like KG was. Blake Griffin seems to be damaged goods. Cousins would be a nice pickup, but he'd cost a lot, then that'd be it for assets. It'd be a form of all-in and you'd be dependent on one player for overall team karma and success.

I think if the chips fall right, there could be fireworks at the mid-season trade deadline. It depends on the Nets' record. It depends on how teams such as Sacramento are doing if you want to risk going for Cousins to become the team's king piece.

People should be psyched we are even this close to true championship contending.

Well said.

[CelticPride2016]

A pity for Zeller - who can play - if he's still on the Celtics this season, since playing time looks even less likely than last year. Also - Ainge said Mickey  could have gotten minutes last season, except that there wasn't a spot for him – another reason to trade Zeller.

Thanks for the reply. Zeller is okay. He reminds me of Nenad Krstic, but he's never had even that kind of success.

I remember all the hard work Olynyk put into training to toughen. Zeller doesn't seem to have done any of that and relies on having been a center for a lot longer. Tyler is very good on offense as long as there is a point guard like Rondo or even Turner I think would look for him.

When it was just him, Sully, Olynyk and I suppose Bass and Humphries, that was the time for him to advance his skills. It happened somewhat. I'm disappointed in Zeller, but I think it's smart of Danny to try to hold onto him, as he is sort of an asset compared to Hunter or Mickey.

It looks like an utter long shot to get Cousins, but it's nice to have Zeller. He could help make that sort of deal work. We got Nenad back in the Perk-Green deal. Maybe Danny wouldn't have done that trade if Oklahoma didn't have a serviceable center to return to us.

Zeller got ripped off starting the year with David Lee. Maybe a lot of it is Zeller's fault. I don't know. But I do know he isn't Fab Melo. He might be able to etch out a long NBA career if he can only find his niche on a team.

I think Zeller is also hurt because Brad has been close to his family. I think Brad might take Zeller for granted, but I'm not sure.

Yes, more or less. Brad actually used a 10-man rotation in the first part of the season last year; and  it seems to me that there are even more compelling reasons to do so this year.

I agree. If we want to have a good playoff run, Brad should pace the older players such as Horford and Johnson like Doc did with KG.

It never hurts to have a lot of guys ready to fill in if some of the trusted ten guys can't play or are too banged up. That hurt us against Atlanta. It's a good sign we were able to win a couple games despite running on near empty. Brad tried a little bit with Hunter, Young, and Rozier during the year, but maybe not enough.

I think Danny might be messing up a bit by holding onto players like Young for too long and not simply admitting the mistake and cutting our losses.

We have the chance to have 15 good players and no scrubs.

I wouldn't call Zeller a scrub. Young is apparently a scrub. The jury is still out on Hunter and Mickey. The team seems to like Holland, but I don't know much about him.

Zizac sounds perfect for this team right now. I think this is a Danny mistake. I am not too upset if Yabusele is stashed as he is another tweener, but it seems ridiculous to keep hold of James Young when Zizac could be the missing big center.

I think [Demetrius Jackson will] have a career; but it's hard to see him making the roster with Boston.

I have learned I am not too reliable for basketball opinions due to the green goggles. I heard some of the numbers Fab Melo was putting up in the D League and assumed he was going to be the man. I will yet again say that I wish we had kept Phil Pressey as the permanent 15th guy. He was the perfect point guard to keep on the shelf. Somehow he never collected dust. So, I look forward to see what Rozier can produce as a pg and I am keeping my fingers crossed that Smart can become at least average at it for a few minutes a game. We don't have Turner or Pressey if anything happens to Isaiah. I am holding my breath that Olynyk can wake up. I like his attitude. I like that he is selfless. I think he should be able to get more assists and shoot more. If so, then all Rozier and Smart have to do is not be incompetent.

I want Thomas to tighten his game, too. For an all-star, he has a tendency to cough up the ball trying to be superman. I think he realizes that.

I was so ready to give up on Evan Turner. If that guy can get over his flaws and become more efficient, then so can anyone except for apparently the Fab Melo's and James Young's. I saw Hunter admitting that the NBA is a whole other ballgame than anything he has experienced and that it is a very humbling experience. That's good. Competition is good.

We had a competitive team even when we were awful in Brad's first year. Now he has a lot more to work with, and with his Butler legacy, I think it is okay for us to dream of Cinderella seasons in the near future.

Baby steps. [Okafor] could start by proving that he is a one-way player.

I don't like his attitude. If it happens, I will accept it and root for him. He is good on offense. He is nothing special on defense. He may be better than Amir, but he might not be. He is probably better than Olynyk, but we already have Amir and Horford.

The problem with trades is having to give up too much. I think it would be risky to give Philly the Nets' pick for him. Maybe if they would take other picks and one of our good players, I would consider it. Bradley or Smart for Okafor? I don't see the trade happening. Horford was a breakthrough. We finally signed a top free agent. Why pay for someone through trades, when you can acquire players for free? I don't want us to go all-in when like in another thread someone argues we should do nothing.

I think "stars" can be overrated considering how much they eat into the salary cap. I never wanted Carmelo Anthony or Kevin Love. Now I don't want Russell Westbrook or Blake Griffin. I don't see the point considering what it would cost and with so many uncertainties. But if it happens, it happens, and I will quickly turn around my attitude and hope for the best.

It's very impressive. Management has done stellar work.

I think Danny got extremely lucky, but then again, at some point I start thinking that's too much luck to just call it luck.

1) hired Brad Stevens
2) the Nets won-loss record hit the skids at the right time
3) Isaiah and Jae Crowder
4) Bradley emerged

Most people think endings are pretty much decided before they happen, in that Golden State and Cleveland now own every title in the foreseeable future. I'm not so sure. I think right now we have enough to win the title. I'm not saying we have great odds, but I don't think they are necessarily bad odds.

I think we are guaranteed to win at least 50 games and will probably win quite a bit more than that. We finally have the firepower to outplay Toronto and Atlanta or at least have reached their level of second place conference skills. If we are indeed in the hunt for the third best record in the NBA, that means we are very close to winning it all. We might not. There are no guarantees in life. But we might and you're correct, it's about baby steps. I think we are done with a lot of those. Three years ago we were at the bottom with Humphries and Wallace and thinking those Nets picks would turn into middle to late first round scrubs. That was then. This is now.

[CelticsJG]

Smart need to work on his off the ball defense.

[rollie mass]

gotta like this -jerebko bought a house with a indoor basketball court  and is taking 500 threes a day and sometimes 1,000
as to okafor at kentucky he didn't really have to play with willie cauly stein,then gets drafted by a team he didn't want to play for-he is still a kid
brad and peer pressure might get him playing the right way-
agree on off ball defense for marcus-

[vjcsmoke]

CARMELO stat projections LOVE Marcus Smart!

It is projecting his WAR to be 5+ for the next 5-6 years.

This translate into Smart having a winning value of over 150 million dollars over that time period!
http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/carmelo/marcus-smart/

If Smart lives up to the projections he would be the second most valuable player on the Celtics behind only Al Horford this next season!

Just to give you an idea,  CARMELO likes Marcus Smart better than Blake Griffin or Okafor over the next 5 years.  Only Westbrook represents an upgrade in terms of winning value according to that metric!

Griffin projected WAR:
http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/carmelo/blake-griffin/

Okafor projected WAR:
http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/carmelo/jahlil-okafor/

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

I would love a refresher of the negativity AB received at this age when he was a better shooter. Smart gets way more love and rope than AB did even though he was a 19th pick.


I'm biased and I happily admit it. Smart is my 2nd fave Celt and I still think he has time to be an excellent player and his offense will shake out soon. I just wish other people would admit theirs because some of the same people praising Smart and/or saying he's only 22 were the same ones saying AB was all he was ever going to be and complained ad nauseam when he was the same age. 


Smart was my 2nd fave B4 Horford but I dunno if it will last b/c I have loved AH since FL and he is no longer an enemy for whooping us every [dang] time!

[Beat LA]

gotta like this -jerebko bought a house with a indoor basketball court  and is taking 500 threes a day and sometimes 1,000
as to okafor at kentucky he didn't really have to play with willie cauly stein,then gets drafted by a team he didn't want to play for-he is still a kid
brad and peer pressure might get him playing the right way-
agree on off ball defense for marcus-

Watch as he gets traded next week, lol . It always seems to work that way, for some odd reason.

[Beat LA]

I would love a refresher of the negativity AB received at this age when he was a better shooter. Smart gets way more love and rope than AB did even though he was a 19th pick.


I'm biased and I happily admit it. Smart is my 2nd fave Celt and I still think he has time to be an excellent player and his offense will shake out soon. I just wish other people would admit theirs because some of the same people praising Smart and/or saying he's only 22 were the same ones saying AB was all he was ever going to be and complained ad nauseam when he was the same age. 


Smart was my 2nd fave B4 Horford but I dunno if it will last b/c I have loved AH since FL and he is no longer an enemy for whooping us every [dang] time!

Weren't, and aren't, the complaints about Bradley more to do with his lack of being able to dribble, pass, or get to the basket, lol ?

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

I would love a refresher of the negativity AB received at this age when he was a better shooter. Smart gets way more love and rope than AB did even though he was a 19th pick.


I'm biased and I happily admit it. Smart is my 2nd fave Celt and I still think he has time to be an excellent player and his offense will shake out soon. I just wish other people would admit theirs because some of the same people praising Smart and/or saying he's only 22 were the same ones saying AB was all he was ever going to be and complained ad nauseam when he was the same age. 


Smart was my 2nd fave B4 Horford but I dunno if it will last b/c I have loved AH since FL and he is no longer an enemy for whooping us every [dang] time!

Weren't, and aren't, the complaints about Bradley more to do with his lack of being able to dribble, pass, or get to the basket, lol ?

what does it matter what the complaints were they were still complaints? Are you suggesting complaints about Smart are only about shooting? The fact/point is, AB has gotten better at all of the above when a lot of you said he was done at Smart's age. When you like a player you overlook the negatives or brush over them, all I'm asking is that those people recognize/admit it.

[Beat LA]

I would love a refresher of the negativity AB received at this age when he was a better shooter. Smart gets way more love and rope than AB did even though he was a 19th pick.


I'm biased and I happily admit it. Smart is my 2nd fave Celt and I still think he has time to be an excellent player and his offense will shake out soon. I just wish other people would admit theirs because some of the same people praising Smart and/or saying he's only 22 were the same ones saying AB was all he was ever going to be and complained ad nauseam when he was the same age. 


Smart was my 2nd fave B4 Horford but I dunno if it will last b/c I have loved AH since FL and he is no longer an enemy for whooping us every [dang] time!

Weren't, and aren't, the complaints about Bradley more to do with his lack of being able to dribble, pass, or get to the basket, lol ?

what does it matter what the complaints were they were still complaints? Are you suggesting complaints about Smart are only about shooting? The fact/point is, AB has gotten better at all of the above when a lot of you said he was done at Smart's age. When you like a player you overlook the negatives or brush over them, all I'm asking is that those people recognize/admit it.

Fair enough, although complaints very from person to person and player to player, as everyone's different, obviously.  I never understood the shooting complaint with Bradley, though.  At least he had showed that he could do so in college, move well without the ball, and obviously defend.  I do still think that he's rather limited, however, offensively.  He's gotten better at things like ball handling, sure, but he's still below average for his position in this regard, imo . I'm not expecting him to be Curry or Kyrie, lol, but he still looks like the ball almost slows him down, haha . But dat defense, doe, lol .

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

I would love a refresher of the negativity AB received at this age when he was a better shooter. Smart gets way more love and rope than AB did even though he was a 19th pick.


I'm biased and I happily admit it. Smart is my 2nd fave Celt and I still think he has time to be an excellent player and his offense will shake out soon. I just wish other people would admit theirs because some of the same people praising Smart and/or saying he's only 22 were the same ones saying AB was all he was ever going to be and complained ad nauseam when he was the same age. 


Smart was my 2nd fave B4 Horford but I dunno if it will last b/c I have loved AH since FL and he is no longer an enemy for whooping us every [dang] time!

Weren't, and aren't, the complaints about Bradley more to do with his lack of being able to dribble, pass, or get to the basket, lol ?

what does it matter what the complaints were they were still complaints? Are you suggesting complaints about Smart are only about shooting? The fact/point is, AB has gotten better at all of the above when a lot of you said he was done at Smart's age. When you like a player you overlook the negatives or brush over them, all I'm asking is that those people recognize/admit it.

Fair enough, although complaints very from person to person and player to player, as everyone's different, obviously.  I never understood the shooting complaint with Bradley, though.  At least he had showed that he could do so in college, move well without the ball, and obviously defend.  I do still think that he's rather limited, however, offensively.  He's gotten better at things like ball handling, sure, but he's still below average for his position in this regard, imo . I'm not expecting him to be Curry or Kyrie, lol, but he still looks like the ball almost slows him down, haha . But dat defense, doe, lol .

you are arguing things that I am not, again, I am arguing that people are giving Smart more rope b/c of his age than they did when AB was that age. Smart can grow but AB was done were the overwhelming comments. I am not arguing about their play only the biased opinions.