After tonight the starting lineup should be...

[walker834]

The starters are all vets and pretty locked in their roles unless something drastic happens.  They just need to come out in attack mode and the bench needs to do their thing.

IT, Horford, Crowder, Bradley are all locked barring injury or just spot starting.  PF is a question but not really with Amir there. KO had a chance to show something and maybe could have kept it for a bit had he really outshined but he came back to earth.

[walker834]

Smart should be getting close to 30 off the bench whether he starts or not.  Jaylen should supplant Crowder in ways.  Needs to get better to beat him out.  KO same thing.  Rozier is a great backup to IT for us.  He's like Patty Mills to Parker if Parker was still good.  Both attack players though.  Rozier just needs to be himself when he's in there.

Rozier is going to be even better than Patty Mills and could start on some teams. He's a backup for us though.

jerebko another glue guy much like smart and key bench player. Can start.

Out of anyone on our roster I think KO is the guy we'd like to beat out Amir.   Our pf situation is basically KO, Jerebko, Amir etc and just how Brad uses these guys plus Brown and Crowder and even Smart.  All good players. I don't think it's a bad thing.  KO and Zeller need to play tougher.  Jerebko is fine. Amir is going to do what he does. Mickey has flashes but then looks very overmatched.

[Who]

Jerebko should start. Boost the team's defensive activity and quickness.

Jaylen Brown is not ready to start. He has 1 good game for 4 bad ones. Jae Crowder is still getting back into top condition after his injury layoff but even at reduced capacity, Jae is still better than Jaylen Brown.

Avery Bradley should absolutely start. He is the 2nd best player on team behind Horford right now. I don't think Rozier is ready yet to take IT out of the starting lineup. Maybe next year when Rozier has a bit more experience and consistency (on both ends). I believe the team needs more dribble penetration (Rozier, IT) than Smart provides at PG. I see Smart as more in a battle with Avery Bradley at SG.

I do love the Rozier + Smart combination in the backcourt. I think they contrast and complement one another beautifully.

I like Olynyk off the bench. He is a steadying player for that 2nd unit and non-Horford big man combinations. Olynyk and Smart make Boston one of the better benches in the league.

[SHAQATTACK]

Rozier and Brown need to play ALOT . .....their minutes are an investment in a better future .

[Tr1boy]

It's just a matter of time before jpotter chimes in to explain why Jerebko should be starting over Amir.

Great to see our young guys play well tonight against a supposed better young team. Brown, Smart, and Rozier could really lift us to another level if they pan out. Loving the way all of them are playing at each stage of their careers.

Ding Ding Ding!  Is there really any argument against switching the two now with as horrible as Amir has been the entire season?

Honestly, though, I think Brad should send a message and do this for a game. IT, Bradley, Crowder, and Amir (though Amir's is just because he's regressed with age) just aren't providing the same intensity or energy that made us so successful last year. The lineup that won it tonight for us played together and with energy on both ends, which led to turnovers and easy transition points. Brad needs to send a message that our starters can't be entitled and think that they can win games without giving 110% effort every night.

Exactly..  in the past several games the 1st and 3rd quarters have been "weak"..

And CBS is going to press on the "emergency button" more and more , and play Rozier, Smart, Brown, Jerebko, Horford when we are down 10, 15 in hopes to make a comeback..   

[Rosco917]

You all better come to the realization, if IT isn't a starter, we should trade him. Thomas will not be a happy camper if left to come off the bench. His all-star appearance has given him the validation he's been looking for since he was drafted last in the draft. Relegating him to 6th man, will be unacceptable to him.

In his mind, he is the man, a team leader, he's on posters now, an all-star, and all-star's do not, or very seldom come off the bench in the NBA.   

[Tr1boy]

You all better come to the realization, if IT isn't a starter, we should trade him. Thomas will not be a happy camper if left to come off the bench. His all-star appearance has given him the validation he's been looking for since he was drafted last in the draft. Relegating him to 6th man, will be unacceptable to him.

In his mind, he is the man, a team leader, he's on posters now, an all-star, and all-star's do not, or very seldom come off the bench in the NBA.   

while this is true...team comes 1st

or the Celts need to trade for Ibaka or someone equivalent to bail out IT defensive limitations

[Rosco917]

You all better come to the realization, if IT isn't a starter, we should trade him. Thomas will not be a happy camper if left to come off the bench. His all-star appearance has given him the validation he's been looking for since he was drafted last in the draft. Relegating him to 6th man, will be unacceptable to him.

In his mind, he is the man, a team leader, he's on posters now, an all-star, and all-star's do not, or very seldom come off the bench in the NBA.   

I hear ya...
while this is true...team comes 1st

or the Celts need to trade for Ibaka or someone equivalent to bail out IT defensive limitations

[walker834]

Rozier looked like he had eyes in the back of his head on that steal.

[GratefulCs]

You all better come to the realization, if IT isn't a starter, we should trade him. Thomas will not be a happy camper if left to come off the bench. His all-star appearance has given him the validation he's been looking for since he was drafted last in the draft. Relegating him to 6th man, will be unacceptable to him.

In his mind, he is the man, a team leader, he's on posters now, an all-star, and all-star's do not, or very seldom come off the bench in the NBA.   

while this is true...team comes 1st

or the Celts need to trade for Ibaka or someone equivalent to bail out IT defensive limitations

but ibaka is like 50, man

[walker834]

Isaiah looks pretty enthused about it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_MVDbTq2_Y

Terry Rozier can definately play.  He's still young.  We just traded for IT not that long ago.  Why can't we just have all these guys?  AB too and Smart, Rozier and IT?  Brown and Crowder and Horford and Jerebko.

[The One]

We shouldn't tank already...it's too early...

 

[Tr1boy]

We shouldn't tank already...it's too early...

 

=D

[alldaboston]

Thomas
Bradley
Crowder
Amir
Horford

[Vermont Green]

Horford
Jerebko
Brown
Smart
Rozier

Did I miss something?  Did we decide to tank?

Seriously though, can we give Crowder a chance before you replace him with Brown?  I like Crowder, he is a starter period.

And really, you think we would win more with Rozier/Smart over IT/Bradley?  (Jerebko over Johnson is a wash the way Amir has been playing).  Rozier is not nearly ready to be a starter and I think we are using Smart exactly as he should be used to take full advantage of his versatility. 

The only change I would make to the starting line up would be to replace Amir Johnson with a trade piece, say Monroe or someone like that.  If we do that, we will be fine.  Then when we realize that that team is good but not quite good enough, we start trading Vets and build around your  team along with two more BKN picks.