So now our big 3 is Isaiah Thomas, Gordan Hayward, and Al Horford, seems weak

[Neurotic Guy]

So next year we retain Isaiah Thomas for the max, where the hell does that leave us??  We would have 3 max contracts and only one of these players is arguably a superstar.   We would probably have the worst big three out of the top 10 teams in the league, how are we possibility going to contend or get better without getting rid of at least one of these contracts?

IMO we should of stayed patient and waited for someone who could really put us to the next level before throwing money away like that.

*facepalm*

Your post is a joke.

(1) Of the top 10 in the league, Boston was evaluated as the #4 best "Big 3" (http://www.foxsports.com/nba/gallery/nba-big-three-best-teams-ranked-future-power-rankings-032917). Now swap out Hayward for Smart. I dare you to name 9 other teams with better top 3s (hint - you'll get to two and that's it).

(2) Growth is coming from internal sources. That's what all these top 5 picks are for. So you have a Big 3 and then you bank on one or more of these draft picks to make it a Big 4 or even a Big 5.

Watch your mouth, maybe that 1 statement wasnt correct but that doesnt change to fact IT Gordan Hayward and Al Horford is not a championship calibur big three. 

When our draft picks do develop we wont be able to retain them cause we already spent 3 max contracts, use your brain/logic and think

If you're going to post something stupid, I'm going to tell you that it's stupid. Don't like it? Grow a pair. So half your post you already agree was bunk. Now your assertion is that we won't be able to retain our recent draftees going forward.

Wrong again.

Horford's contract comes up the same year Brown is due an extension.
Hayward's contract comes up the same year Tatum is due an extension.
And assuming that we resign IT to a 4 year deal....his deal will come up the same year our BKYN 2018 pick is due for an extension.

See how that all fits nicely and neatly? It's not by mistake. It's actually all been carefully considered and planned. Like any team we're going to lose a couple of players we'd prefer to retain. I'm sure GSW would have liked to retain Harrison Barnes. We'll almost certainly lose Avery. But those losses aren't that hard to suffer through when you've got better players ahead of them or highly talented youngsters pushing for playing time anyway.

Unnecessary tough guy talk aside, Granath's points are sound and I agree.  Definitely not Bird/Parish/McHale and definitely weak on topside of the Big 3, but overall a very solid Big 3 with some very solid supporting cast and a bevy of future possibilities.   Also, Ainge's financial forethought leaves Cs in good position to sustain a contender as the youth graduate to bigger contracts.

[CelticsElite]

It's only weak because each is underrated.

[DooVoo]

I didn't realize basketball was a three man game. Maybe we should go join that new three man league.

Why do some Celtic fans like being miserable?

[JHTruth]

I think there are a few more moves yet to come. In no way do I think Danny thinks we're going all the way with this trio..

It is  lovely to know even with  our half rebuilding half competing team,  we always have enough assets for a "win now" move. Ainge is slowly playing genius IMO. Those picks keep him relevant in any big player move. Were literally still relevant in a Anthony Davis trade dilemma

That's why we could pass on Paul George but we HAD to get Hayward. It's only going to cost us KO and maybe a bench player but we were going to lose some of those folks anyway. We can't play and pay all of AB, Crowder, JB, Smart, Rozier, KO, Zizic, JT anyway. This move simply accelerates the decisions. We did not however move any picks which is our prime asset.

In today's NBA, studs are always coming on the market because no one wants to stick around to build a franchise from the ground up anymore. The game in the NBA today, if you're on a garbage team, get thee to a contender ASAP. That's what the league office wants as well as their commercial partners like sponsors and broadcast partners. ESPN and TNT didn't pay the NBA all that cash to let marketable superstars like Davis rot away on garbage franchises like the Pelicans. You can almost be assured that Davis, Cousins, George, Vucevic, Brook Lopez, Drummond, Monroe, Lilliard, etc are probably all headed to the trading block in the next 18 months..

[clintonwalker]

So next year we retain Isaiah Thomas for the max, where the hell does that leave us??  We would have 3 max contracts and only one of these players is arguably a superstar.   We would probably have the worst big three out of the top 10 teams in the league, how are we possibility going to contend or get better without getting rid of at least one of these contracts?

IMO we should of stayed patient and waited for someone who could really put us to the next level before throwing money away like that.

*facepalm*

Your post is a joke.

(1) Of the top 10 in the league, Boston was evaluated as the #4 best "Big 3" (http://www.foxsports.com/nba/gallery/nba-big-three-best-teams-ranked-future-power-rankings-032917). Now swap out Hayward for Smart. I dare you to name 9 other teams with better top 3s (hint - you'll get to two and that's it).

(2) Growth is coming from internal sources. That's what all these top 5 picks are for. So you have a Big 3 and then you bank on one or more of these draft picks to make it a Big 4 or even a Big 5.

Watch your mouth, maybe that 1 statement wasnt correct but that doesnt change to fact IT Gordan Hayward and Al Horford is not a championship calibur big three. 

When our draft picks do develop we wont be able to retain them cause we already spent 3 max contracts, use your brain/logic and think

Your post is bad and you think you're a tough guy on the internet? Cool

[obnoxiousmime]

His BS posturing aside, the OP's remark that this big 3 isn't good enough is valid. However, I would like to hear an alternate plan that realistically would have us become a contender.

We tried to get one of the top stars in the league in Durant. It didn't happen, but the competition was one of the best teams in the league in GS so it's understandable. Besides Durant, I'm not really sure what amazing superstar was actually available the last few years that we could have acquired. LeBron, Kawhi, Davis, Harden, Westbrook, any of the Warriors stars, these guys were all unavailable.

Ainge did try to get Paul George, but Indiana stupidly turned down our really lucrative offer at the trade deadline. We tried to get Butler but Chicago also stupidly turned us down and ended up with a much worse deal. Also, it's not clear those teams wanted to deal their stars within the conference in the first place. Besides, Hayward is as good or better than Butler, and we got him for free. Doesn't that seem like a much smarter move? Who else was there the last few years? The head case Cousins?

The only thing you could say is, we'd be much better off if the Celtics had drafted Giannis or Jokic. Those are the two superstar potential players who they actually technically could have drafted. Towns, Simmons, Embiid, they were taken before the Celtics picked. Oh, I guess you could say we should have drafted Fultz, if you believe he will become a superstar.

[KingofDaPlayazBall]

So next year we retain Isaiah Thomas for the max, where the hell does that leave us??  We would have 3 max contracts and only one of these players is arguably a superstar.   We would probably have the worst big three out of the top 10 teams in the league, how are we possibility going to contend or get better without getting rid of at least one of these contracts?

IMO we should of stayed patient and waited for someone who could really put us to the next level before throwing money away like that.

*facepalm*

Your post is a joke.

(1) Of the top 10 in the league, Boston was evaluated as the #4 best "Big 3" (http://www.foxsports.com/nba/gallery/nba-big-three-best-teams-ranked-future-power-rankings-032917). Now swap out Hayward for Smart. I dare you to name 9 other teams with better top 3s (hint - you'll get to two and that's it).

(2) Growth is coming from internal sources. That's what all these top 5 picks are for. So you have a Big 3 and then you bank on one or more of these draft picks to make it a Big 4 or even a Big 5.

Watch your mouth, maybe that 1 statement wasnt correct but that doesnt change to fact IT Gordan Hayward and Al Horford is not a championship calibur big three. 

When our draft picks do develop we wont be able to retain them cause we already spent 3 max contracts, use your brain/logic and think

If you're going to post something stupid, I'm going to tell you that it's stupid. Don't like it? Grow a pair. So half your post you already agree was bunk. Now your assertion is that we won't be able to retain our recent draftees going forward.

Wrong again.

Horford's contract comes up the same year Brown is due an extension.
Hayward's contract comes up the same year Tatum is due an extension.
And assuming that we resign IT to a 4 year deal....his deal will come up the same year our BKYN 2018 pick is due for an extension.

See how that all fits nicely and neatly? It's not by mistake. It's actually all been carefully considered and planned. Like any team we're going to lose a couple of players we'd prefer to retain. I'm sure GSW would have liked to retain Harrison Barnes. We'll almost certainly lose Avery. But those losses aren't that hard to suffer through when you've got better players ahead of them or highly talented youngsters pushing for playing time anyway.

How bout i crack your cranium open to get through that thick skull of yours to reach your bird brian with this fact.  We are already possibly loosing our 6th pick marcus smart due to salary cap issues from signing Gordan Hayward. And we didnt get KD we got Gordan hayward 20 pts a game, makes us magrinally better this year.

You got Gordon Hayward down your throat or something tryna start Edited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline. over basketball discussions.  Oh you smart call people out over basketball opinions **** its not that serious gordan hayward is not your boyfriend

[Ilikesports17]

Watch out granath. This guy seems like a legit tough guy. Wouldn't mess with him.

[loco_91]

How bout i crack your cranium open to get through that thick skull of yours to reach your bird brian with this fact.  We are already possibly loosing our 6th pick marcus smart due to salary cap issues from signing Gordan Hayward. And we didnt get KD we got Gordan hayward 20 pts a game, makes us magrinally better this year.

You got Gordon Hayward down your throat or something tryna start **** over basketball discussions.  Oh you smart call people out over basketball opinions **** its not that serious gordan hayward is not your boyfriend

Gordon is spelled with an 'o'

[dreamgreen]

So next year we retain Isaiah Thomas for the max, where the hell does that leave us??  We would have 3 max contracts and only one of these players is arguably a superstar.   We would probably have the worst big three out of the top 10 teams in the league, how are we possibility going to contend or get better without getting rid of at least one of these contracts?

IMO we should of stayed patient and waited for someone who could really put us to the next level before throwing money away like that.

*facepalm*

Your post is a joke.

(1) Of the top 10 in the league, Boston was evaluated as the #4 best "Big 3" (http://www.foxsports.com/nba/gallery/nba-big-three-best-teams-ranked-future-power-rankings-032917). Now swap out Hayward for Smart. I dare you to name 9 other teams with better top 3s (hint - you'll get to two and that's it).

(2) Growth is coming from internal sources. That's what all these top 5 picks are for. So you have a Big 3 and then you bank on one or more of these draft picks to make it a Big 4 or even a Big 5.

Watch your mouth, maybe that 1 statement wasnt correct but that doesnt change to fact IT Gordan Hayward and Al Horford is not a championship calibur big three. 

When our draft picks do develop we wont be able to retain them cause we already spent 3 max contracts, use your brain/logic and think

If you're going to post something stupid, I'm going to tell you that it's stupid. Don't like it? Grow a pair. So half your post you already agree was bunk. Now your assertion is that we won't be able to retain our recent draftees going forward.

Wrong again.

Horford's contract comes up the same year Brown is due an extension.
Hayward's contract comes up the same year Tatum is due an extension.
And assuming that we resign IT to a 4 year deal....his deal will come up the same year our BKYN 2018 pick is due for an extension.

See how that all fits nicely and neatly? It's not by mistake. It's actually all been carefully considered and planned. Like any team we're going to lose a couple of players we'd prefer to retain. I'm sure GSW would have liked to retain Harrison Barnes. We'll almost certainly lose Avery. But those losses aren't that hard to suffer through when you've got better players ahead of them or highly talented youngsters pushing for playing time anyway.

How bout i crack your cranium open to get through that thick skull of yours to reach your bird brian with this fact.  We are already possibly loosing our 6th pick marcus smart due to salary cap issues from signing Gordan Hayward. And we didnt get KD we got Gordan hayward 20 pts a game, makes us magrinally better this year.

You got Gordon Hayward down your throat or something tryna start **** over basketball discussions.  Oh you smart call people out over basketball opinions **** its not that serious gordan hayward is not your boyfriend

ROF**** I love this kind of stuff!

Anyway I'm not sure how "weak" it is compared to GSW and the Cavs but it's a much better team already than last years. I think we have to wait and see how they gel and see the weaknesses of the team. As last year right now rebounding looks very weak but our shooting, scoring and passing has increased by miles!

[Casperian]

You're not winning this fight, OP, even though it's obvious to any NBA fan outside Boston. The koolaid is stong around here these days.

And the tough guy talk is just ridiculous, especially on the internet.

[Darío SpanishFan]

Sorry for you Granath, it seems you'll have a hard time coming. Take care, buddy 

Regarding the OP, this is not 3 vs 3 basketball, so I'm quite happy with a team who won the most games in his conference and reached the conference finals. We've gotten a stud in the draft and signed GordOn Hayward, the most coveted FA who might be changing teams.

[Granath]

Watch out granath. This guy seems like a legit tough guy. Wouldn't mess with him.

Yep. A real keyboard cowboy. I'm terrified.

Unfortunately for him my Drill Instructor had better threats before morning. I think they call it asmdss in the Army, otherwise known as "Awesome S*** My Drill Sargent Said".

[blink]

Our big 3 consists of three very good if not great players and a top 3 coach in the NBA. Our big 3 under Fred Hoiberg wouldn't be special but under Stevens it has makings to be fantastic.

what does Hoiberg have to do with all this?

[Surferdad]

Watch out granath. This guy seems like a legit tough guy. Wouldn't mess with him.

Yep. A real keyboard cowboy. I'm terrified.

Unfortunately for him my Drill Instructor had better threats before morning. I think they call it asmdss in the Army, otherwise known as "Awesome S*** My Drill Sargent Said".

I didnt threaten you, its metaphorical you dumb fuk

Coming from a guy who said "watch your mouth", lol.  You have no credibility.