Yeah guys... IT is the "odd man out" right??

[Phantom255x]

You guys can argue that.. but if you ask me, the first guy Ainge should extend is IT.

Dude has 29 points already this game and is averaging like 26 PPG this season already... Bradley is a great two-way player but imagine this team and the offense without IT...

But yeah, Rozier and Smart can easily replace IT's production right?

IT's size might be a deficiency... but you already add Horford, and the goal should be to add someone else and build a team with IT-Horford-Bradley-Crowder along with the bench pieces already in place.

My point isn't that we are winning a championship with IT alone, but adding a star player WITH both Isaiah and Horford on this team makes this team a championship team.

[rochrist]

Agreed. He's the heart and soul of this team.

[celticsclay]

But we could trade him and assets for a backup center and his backup also!

[Moranis]

Olynyk, Johnson, Smart, and Rozier all had a better +- than Thomas.  There are two sides to the court.

[walker834]

Hey now.  Just because you can't expand your range doesn't mean you are right.   IT is an important part of this team no doubt.  Never said anything like what you think i said.  JUst forward thinking is all.  It's stuff like this that tapers real discussion anyways.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Olynyk, Johnson, Smart, and Rozier all had a better +- than Thomas.  There are two sides to the court.

+/- is a stat with some serious flaws, though, such as not taking into consideration whom you're sharing the court with.

I agree that IT isn't a great defender, but take him away from this team and they'll score about 80 a game, and they'll look ugly doing it. Which is fine if they can hold opponents to 79 or less, but I highly doubt it.

[walker834]

Horford, Crowder, KO, Isaiah are all important cogs.  IT is the key guy on this team.  He is counted on to score every night.  The other guys are just youngins and are still developing.  Easy to say now.  We probably will even build with IT and those guys and our young guys but things change too.

Tiny Archibald wasn't here forever either. He was a piece traded for. We even won a title with him I think, but he was kind of an in between the larry bird and DJ days. You never know is all I'm saying.

I saiah is even a better player than Tiny imo and the league is different where we want to build with speed. But even still. 

If we want to go big and unleash Jaylen and Smart ultimately there are different ways to do that is all.

KO is back. Horford is coming back.  There are other ways to get big men too. Zeller can still improve.  We have Zizic stashed and draft picks coming up.  There are different ways to build.  I realize all this.

We have been missing experienced key players the last few.  I've said this too and am aware.

[Tr1boy]

i disagree

See how effective Smart was as a starter tonight??  He set the tone on the defensive end and with KO the ball was moving around much better

this said IT is a key part of this squad...but he can be coming off the bench imo.  he is a offensive weapon vs team player (it's just how he is built, how he plays)

I would extend IT but for 15 million a year max (for 3 year with 4th year team option), even with the cap raised.   

[walker834]

We really started to pull away when marcus, bradley and jaylen were in the game in the first half.  Isaiah came back in and really just took over and put them away.  Isaiah is our primary scorer right now and was utilized well this game.  These guys are so young and developing.  Nice to have KO back as well also really helped.

C;s are starting to get healthy and will definately get on a roll.  I don't think it just stops there though.

[GRADYCOLNON]

When Isaiah came via trade a couple seasons ago, he was the future sixth man to a championship team.  Danny explained that Stevens would play Isaiah fewer minutes to maximize his production because of his glaring defensive liabilities.  That Isaiah is no longer around; he worked tremendously to improve his defense to respectability to earn more playing time.  This transition ultimately closed the door on his return to the sixth-man and opened pandora's box.  Isaiah is our most explosive threat zooming around fearless like a pinball; he is our caffeine.  As addicted as we are to his brand of play, we are dependent and strung out.  Forgotten are the days when the offense depended on five guys together.  Granted there are moments of passing ecstasy only the basketball gods find mundane, I just don't see Isaiah getting through the lane, pass the teeth of looming giants, throwing the ball in the hoop with the same frequency as the regular season when the team is amidst a deep playoff run.  History is meant to be broken but I will wait for it to happen before I admit a championship team can win with the best player under 6 feet.  The greatest tiny players in league history are barely mentioned; Tiny Archibald, long in his years, won a championship with the Celtics, the first with Bird, in his career when he wasn't leading the team as Isaiah does today.  Tiny did it with team-first ball and took at back seat to Bird, Maxwell and others.  Until we can close pandora's box, our beloved Celtics will fall out of true contention with Isaiah the leading man.

[TheSundanceKid]

Don't listen to people on here, Ainge is keeping IT long term and with good reason. He'll be a big part of our team in the years to come

[Celtics4ever]

IT is our best player, but he can be a liability at times too on D.  Right now, we have no one else who can score at will like he does folks.  Some guys have improved in that regard but IT is a big time scorer not a complimentary one.

[jbpats]

I love IT and would be ecstatic if he remains in Celtics green for the long haul.. That being said he is not the player we want to be devoting a major chunk of our salary cap to.
First and foremost point guard is the must abundant position in the NBA, and also on our team right now. Paying a max or near max for a PG in the modern NBA is a mistake, unless of course you are talking about a guy like Kyrie Irving or Russell Westbrook.
Secondly, and more important, IT is very small as we know. Small guys tend to break down quicker in the NBA. He'll be 29 when its time to extend him, do we really want a 5'8" pg on our team making 20 mil a year when he turns 34?
He's the man, he's the heart of our team, but "backing up the brinks truck" for him would be a huge mistake IMO.

[iadera]

Absolutely! IT is our corner stone. It's so obvious that he's better than everybody else. His numbers tell you all.

[BlackCeltic]

I think Bradley is the "odd man out". Smart has shown that he is able to give life to the first unit. If he continues to improve on his outside shot then he is worthy of that SG role beside IT. Bradleys value is at an all time high, cash it in. Danny has many options and its really early to be talking about breaking up the unit. But it is what it is.