I hope Ainge doesn't screw up our strength

[walker834]

The bench was a little slow going 1st preseason game, but I still believe that championship teams can be built differently. With guys like Marcus and jaylen and how we play together we have the ability to have a second unit that is better than some firsts around the league with  added depth on top of that. Rozier, Smart, Jaylen, jerebko and KO is really good though with Green and guys like Young on top of that.  Our starting unit with Horford is one of the tops in the nba as well.  We could maybe use another piece there but I wouldn't screw with our depth too much. Smart and Brown are really the cogs of that unit. I would not trade either..  They can also play with the 1st unit.  Both are future stars who can be starting ultimately as well.

[walker834]

What is going to separate our team from others is our bench though.  When we play full tilt and have our bench going as much as our starters we are not going to lose very often. Our starters came out and set the tone last night.  The bench was not really as much in sync but when they are we win that going away. They made a nice run at the end and gave a good fight at least.  We will be able to rest guys in blowouts, mix match lineups and all sorts of stuff.

[droopdog7]

How exactly is Ainge going to screw up our strength?  And having a lot of rotation caliber guys is not the same as having good depth.  You can only play so many guys anyway do having your 12th guy be as good as your 9th doesn't really matter. 

Not that I believe that our 12th guy is as good as our 9th guy.

[walker834]

I like the analogy that we are only as good as our weakest link.  Just the way the celtics play and how we share the ball.  Yeah when it comes down to it Isaiah is going to be taking those big shots but I think basketball at its core is still a team game.  Finding the open man, playing mismatches.  The ability to overwhelm teams with just a better team makes your best players look even better.

Ainge can screw that up. I hope he doesn't.  I hope we keep our depth and develop the players we have.

[LarBrd33]

Hopefully we don't end up regretting letting turner and sully walk.  Both made key contributions last season.

Our bench lost us a preseason game against Philly's d-league lineup.  Not a big deal, but not the most encouraging of signs. 

Hopefully Gerald Green and Olynyk help.

[walker834]

I think Zeller was sketchy and Rozier wasn't really in gear.  I don't think Turner and Sully will affect us that much.  It was the 1st preseason game.   This is what I mean though.  I hope people don't jump to conclusions and allow our bench to develop and gel as the season goes. Our team has a chance to be really special I feel.  There are some guys who are a bit behind the curve and may never be that like Zeller but if people buy in.  I think some adjusting may need to be done, maybe finding another piece as far as a starter but I wouldn't screw it up.

Before preseason is done our bench will have a statement game.  If Rozier continues to struggle that's an issue but we have Marcus.  Plus I think Rozier will be fine.  But that's another reason for Ainge to wait.  I wouldn't trade Marcus.

[walker834]

When the celtics won in 08 we also had a fantastic bench with Pj Brown, Eddie House, Posey, Cassell, Tony Allen, Leon Powe and guys like that. We didn't win again because Ainge screwed up our bench and let Posey and Tony Allen go. Brown retired.

This team is different where we have a very good starting unit and a really young talented bench with a ton of depth.  We could use another piece but it's a different situation.

Ainge got cute after 08 thinking he could replace these guys with cute free agent signings like Shaq and Marbury and it was no good.  Perk broke down and we eventually traded him and had no bench to compensate.

The build up was good.  The tear down was fine and the rebuild is absolutely great so far.  I don't buy all the internet hype like we need this guy or that guy.  Ainge is doing the right things and i hope he doesn't fall into certain mindsets that are out there.

Where Ainge faltered last run was with the bench though. He never really added to those teams at all.

This team is built differently and through the draft and with smart trades.  These mindsets of we are aiming for this or that need to take a backseat imo. 

[PhoSita]

Our bench is going to be a work in progress all season. 

When the starters are out, the team will be relying heavily on a third year guard, a second year guard with very little NBA experience, and a teenage rookie wing.  Those guys will need to do most of the creating when Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford are off the floor.

The Celts are a team with Conference Finals aspirations, but they are also a team that's used a ton of draft picks over the last few years. 

To be honest, even if it means the team struggles a bit when the bench is in the game, I prefer this state of things to having Turner and Sullinger eating minutes while Rozier and Brown sit, or play in the D-League.  The team can't keep using all these drafts picks, only to let them "develop" on the bench.

In a year or two, when the Celts may have a much better chance of knocking off Cleveland, the team will be much better for having pushed through the ups and downs of letting the younger guys take the reins on the second unit.

[walker834]

yeah it's going to take some patience.

[clover]

When the celtics won in 08 we also had a fantastic bench with Pj Brown, Eddie House, Posey, Cassell, Tony Allen, Leon Powe and guys like that. We didn't win again because Ainge screwed up our bench and let Posey and Tony Allen go. Brown retired.

This team is different where we have a very good starting unit and a really young talented bench with a ton of depth.  We could use another piece but it's a different situation.

Ainge got cute after 08 thinking he could replace these guys with cute signings like Shaq and Marbury and it was no good.  Perk broke down and we eventually traded him and had no bench to compensate.

I think the larger issue was losing KG in 2009. Posey and TA were losses--Posey had his career year in Boston and was on the downswing afterwards, while TA was just getting going.

[walker834]

He's been drafting well and making smart trades to where we've gotten to this point.  He found one starter in Bradley from the last run.  A decent bench player in Olynyk and then made some really great picks the past few years that are all developing and made some really strong trades for Isaiah, Crowder and Horford and smart free agent signings like Amir.

This team is built differently through the draft and smart trades and is going to take a little patience is all and finding the right pieces to go with it.

[walker834]

Brown is going to be a star someday.  Our team is different that way where he can play off the bench and we develop him.  We are set as far as being competitive for the next 15 years just because of him alone.  Havng Marcus plus Brown I would not break that up.

[Moranis]

When the celtics won in 08 we also had a fantastic bench with Pj Brown, Eddie House, Posey, Cassell, Tony Allen, Leon Powe and guys like that. We didn't win again because Ainge screwed up our bench and let Posey and Tony Allen go. Brown retired.

This team is different where we have a very good starting unit and a really young talented bench with a ton of depth.  We could use another piece but it's a different situation.

Ainge got cute after 08 thinking he could replace these guys with cute free agent signings like Shaq and Marbury and it was no good.  Perk broke down and we eventually traded him and had no bench to compensate.

The build up was good.  The tear down was fine and the rebuild is absolutely great so far.  I don't buy all the internet hype like we need this guy or that guy.  Ainge is doing the right things and i hope he doesn't fall into certain mindsets that are out there.

Where Ainge faltered last run was with the bench though. He never really added to those teams at all.

This team is built differently and through the draft and with smart trades.  These mindsets of we are aiming for this or that need to take a backseat imo.

In 07/08 Boston only had 6 players play more than 14 mpg in the playoffs.  Boston won the title because it had 3 HOFers in their prime (even if it was the tail end of said prime).  Benches are nice and all, but come playoffs, benches disappear almost entirely and you win or lose based on your top 6 or 7 players.

[celticsclay]

Our bench is going to be a work in progress all season. 

When the starters are out, the team will be relying heavily on a third year guard, a second year guard with very little NBA experience, and a teenage rookie wing.  Those guys will need to do most of the creating when Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford are off the floor.

The Celts are a team with Conference Finals aspirations, but they are also a team that's used a ton of draft picks over the last few years. 

To be honest, even if it means the team struggles a bit when the bench is in the game, I prefer this state of things to having Turner and Sullinger eating minutes while Rozier and Brown sit, or play in the D-League.  The team can't keep using all these drafts picks, only to let them "develop" on the bench.

In a year or two, when the Celts may have a much better chance of knocking off Cleveland, the team will be much better for having pushed through the ups and downs of letting the younger guys take the reins on the second unit.

Our bench is going to be a work in progress all season. 

When the starters are out, the team will be relying heavily on a third year guard, a second year guard with very little NBA experience, and a teenage rookie wing.  Those guys will need to do most of the creating when Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford are off the floor.

The Celts are a team with Conference Finals aspirations, but they are also a team that's used a ton of draft picks over the last few years. 

To be honest, even if it means the team struggles a bit when the bench is in the game, I prefer this state of things to having Turner and Sullinger eating minutes while Rozier and Brown sit, or play in the D-League.  The team can't keep using all these drafts picks, only to let them "develop" on the bench.

In a year or two, when the Celts may have a much better chance of knocking off Cleveland, the team will be much better for having pushed through the ups and downs of letting the younger guys take the reins on the second unit.

We do have some veteran's fortifying the bench in Green and KO who has to be considered a veteran for bench play at this point in his career. I don't think Zeller is rotation calibar big for a playoff team, so we will miss sully for the games he was able to stay on the floor.

That being said has anyone else thought there is a good chance we fortify our bench in January or February with a  nice vet cut lose? Every year there are about 5-8 guys that change teams at the deadline and latch on to a contender. Last year the guys included Varejo, Joe Johnson, our own David Lee, Ty Lawson, Khris Humphries and JJ Hickson (hickson is the kind of player i would like to see under stevens).

I think most of those guys outside of Lawson could fortified our bench this year. I don't know who the people will be this year, but we are now viewed as a more serious contender and more likely to get players like that.   

[walker834]

Our window was because of the big 3 and they were declining and Ainge knew this.  That's why it was short lived but we may have been able to get another one if he made smarter moves that way.  We really would get worn out as the season went on later in our run with those guys.  We had 3 aging superstars and Ainge was more just trying to get to the next page in ways.

There was always that issue with flipping the switch later on with those 3 guys.  They were aging.