I agree 100% with your overall positive outlook.
I think Turner and Sully leaving will be like the one time Rondo got hurt mid-season, I think that's what happened. We were left with no point guard, but somehow the players felt liberated and played even better just swinging the ball around more quickly.
That wasn't going to last, however, as you kind of need a pg.
Turner and Sully were pure Celtics, but they were sort of a burden on the other players in their own ways. Sully was getting too slow. Turner needed the ball too much to be effective on offense.
Turner could improve even more, but that wasn't going to be worth the money risk. Same with Sully. It comes down to risks.
Danny has stacked the team with some top picks (Smart, Brown and probably at least one more) and there will be continued salary cap room in the future.
I think losing Turner and Sully will be addition by subtraction.
There are only 15 slots and the salary cap can become an issue if we simply resign everybody decent. Humphries and Bass were good. Maybe they were too old to simply bring back even though they were solid. I guess that's where a treadmill comes into play if Danny remains loyal to the wrong guys.
I'm not worried about Zeller. He could have a career breakout or get traded. He takes care of himself and is definitely good enough to stay in the league indefinitely.
Yes, that's how I feel about the two losses. For all the good Sully and Turner bring to a team, they end up hogging space and becoming too noticeable as 50-50 players. You might win with them. You might lose with them. Turner might prove us wrong, but as good as he was the second half of last year, it was too risky to sign him for $17-18 million especially with Thomas, Bradley, Olynyk and other contracts eventually running out. Zeller got $8 million. That's Avery Bradley money from before the salary cap exploded.
$8 million is peanuts in today's NBA. Maybe Zeller improves like Turner did under Stevens. Then we'll have a backup center for NBA chicken feed costs. But Zeller will have to bring it up a notch or two for that to happen. If he isn't traded, he will definitely be first in line for front court minutes if there are injuries or if for some reason we have to try him. We are trying to win games. He is well ahead of Mickey and bigger than Jerebko unless I missed something. Zeller will need to seize the day if and when he gets his chance.
Zeller represents how strong the roster is. He might not play at all. Once James Young is cut or traded, there will be no deadwood on the roster. I loved Phil Pressey, but I admit he is a treadmill while Rozier, Smart, and Jackson could have high pg ceilings or at least Rozier and Jackson do.
I bet if Turner didn't cost so much, he would have returned. But he did, so he's gone. I think Sully was gone no matter what. He needed to get into shape and didn't. Sully was holding us back, Turner not so much.
