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Post by FLCeltsFan on Dec 31, 2016 12:15:00 GMT -5
I'm looking at this season as a bridge year and so I've been thinking a lot about the future of this team.
Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley are both signed for one more year at their bargain prices. Both seem to be foundational players with Thomas as PG and a scorer and AB as an all around player. Both are in for big raises. Arguably both could be max players. If the Celtics don't give them a big contract, someone will. Do we try to keep both on top of the max contract they gave Horford?
I keep thinking about needing a center. If we trade for Cousins or another established center, there goes another close to max contract. Bigs last off season were getting ridiculous contracts. In a radio interview the other day, Ainge said that they expect both Yabusele and Zizic to be playing for the Celtics next season. Zizic was dominating in the league he was in and they moved him to a tougher league to play under David Blatt, which was a good move for his development. He can score and defend. I think he's our center of the future.
That leaves us with a need for another consistent scorer. Hayward has a player option for next off season and may want to come play for his former coach as the two are still close. We also have the Nets pick if there are any scorers at the top of the draft with star power. And maybe there are other scorers who will be free agents. or maybe trade the Net's pick for an established scorer.
Replace Zeller with Zizic, Replace Amir or Olynyk with Yabusele (who is also playing very well overseas) and everyone a year better (AB is already making a list of things he is going to work on this summer) and we have a contender.
What do you all think about max for Isaiah and/or Avery
Zizic as center going forward
a scorer to complete the team
Staying the course for this season
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Post by afceltic on Dec 31, 2016 16:59:12 GMT -5
I don't see either Thomas or Bradley as max contract players. Thomas is a great scorer but is a detriment defensively because of his size. Bradley is a better all around player, but doesn't do any one thing really well like Thomas does scoring. Another way to look at it is that these two Nets picks could replace the guy you don't give the contract too. I am torn trying to choose between the two. I like Bradley more as a player, but Thomas gives us the one thing that nobody else on the team has right now and that is the ability to get to the FT line and score.
If those guys are as good as you think they are then your plan is probably the smartest one going forward. I am hesitant to trust guys from overseas translating to the NBA game anywhere near as their game showed in their home country.
In other words, Danny has a lot of decisions to make. I don't see many people wanting to trade with Danny because of how he fleeced the Nets and usually comes out on top with his trades.
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Post by jmost on Dec 31, 2016 19:07:47 GMT -5
I don't watch much college ball, but from what I see in 2017 mock drafts, most of the top 5 players are PGs, with the others in (or around) the top 5 being SFs. Thomas is making it hard to want to replace him with a rookie - unless Danny sees the next Westbrook in one of them, so the easiest path would be to draft the best scoring SF available, hope Zizic can fill the center position with better size and toughness and still have the 2018 Nets pick in hand, should we be unable to sign Thomas and Bradley - or just to further build the team.
It's hard to know what Zizic will bring until we see him go up against NBA competition. Maybe he's a solid center to pair with Horford. He looks good, showing rebounding, shot blocking and inside scoring with either hand - certainly more talented than some of the stiffs (Eric Montross anyone?) we're had here before, but let's see him play vs Towns or Embiid or any of the top young centers.
We still don't know what we have in Jaylen either. We can see the physical talent and the desire to get better, but the progress has been slow so far - at least in games. Drafting a scoring SF would give us insurance at that spot, as well as another scorer.
But what if we get the [HASH]1 overall pick and the consensus best player is a big PG? Could we pair him with IT, with the new guy guarding the SG? I just don't see IT being happy as 6th man. He's been "The Man" for the past season+, and I think he'd be hurt by the perceived demotion. Could Danny actually trade a guy who has become a folk hero in Boston, right in the prime of his career? We definitely don't want to let him walk away and get nothing.
So many possibilities ...
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Post by joshrblabber on Dec 31, 2016 20:07:25 GMT -5
I think this team, and Brad, are just starting to find their chemistry and will be much better in 2017. We have an amazing 3-guard combo with IT, AB and Smart but we are still figuring out how to best utilize it. IT is on a great roll right now, he continues to amaze, but we all know that the scoring needs to be spread out to win in the playoffs.
Great signs for the future:
- Both AB and Smart are looking like lifetime Celtics. AB is awesome and still getting better. Smart has to solidify his postup game and improve his shooting but that is happening. The defense and the competitive fire that those two bring is off the charts, and they both want the ball when the game is on the line.
- IT continues to amaze, I have never seen anything like it. His asset value is through the roof - the kid sells tickets, ka-ching! If we keep him Brad will find a way to manage the defensive issues, and if we trade him the return would be huge.
- Horford is a great, great basketball player but this is a new role for him. His defense is KG-like, but he has never been asked to be a primary scorer before and he is still figuring it out. His inside game is critical to the balance of the offense. He is settling in, and is an absolute joy to watch at both ends.
- The bench is showing good signs. Green takes the pressure off Brown, and either one can have a big impact. Smart is a beast, I don't even think of him as a bench player, and Jonas is solid. KO may be playing soft, but he can still drop 20 on you. As Brad figures out the chemistry they will get better.
We still have some obvious problems to solve:
- Defense. This is the IT quandry. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and even with 4 great defenders on the floor we are getting ripped. The only solution I see is to play IT fewer minutes in the first half, giving Smart some minutes with the first unit.
- Too many 3's. IMO the magic number for this team is ~30 per game. We are seeing a little more inside game from both Al and Amir. If that trend continues it may solve the problem. I am disappointed with KO, he has all the moves to score inside but just isn't clicking. That may change (fingers still crossed).
Here's to a great 2017!
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Post by Roadrunner on Dec 31, 2016 23:53:54 GMT -5
I have not read all the fine details of the new CBA, however 3 max contracts will not work. Horford is 1. IT is most likely 2.
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Post by afceltic on Jan 1, 2017 19:40:15 GMT -5
Anyone interested in any of the Hawks main players as they are open to trading them. Of course it depends on what they are asking. www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/18390624/atlanta-hawks-fielding-trade-offers-paul-millsap-sources-sayThe Atlanta Hawks have begun listening to trade pitches for All-Star forward Paul Millsap in recent days, according to league sources. Sources told ESPN.com that the Hawks, fearful of losing Millsap in free agency in the summer without compensation, are not openly shopping him but taking calls on the 31-year-old and their other pending free agents, notably sharpshooter Kyle Korver and swingman Thabo Sefolosha. |
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Post by freshnthehouse on Jan 2, 2017 0:56:12 GMT -5
I have not read all the fine details of the new CBA, however 3 max contracts will not work. Horford is 1. IT is most likely 2. Why not? I haven't read a whole lot but it still seems feasible, unless i missed something. especially if you have ownership willing to go into the luxury tax. Man, I would be scared to give IT4 a max deal. i love the guy, but i dont want to tie up a huge portion of my salary on a dude with huge defensive deficiencies. |
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Post by runrondo on Jan 2, 2017 12:04:43 GMT -5
How long should we sit on what we have and hope it turns out? How long will it take Zizic to become our center in the NBA? I don't put any trust or faith in other leagues and highlights I see of him currently. They almost seem irrelevant when you got other guys already playing in the NBA. I don't think we can evaluate him until he plays some minutes for the Celtics and go from there.
I don't think it matters if we see Thomas as a max player (cause I don't see it). I agree about the huge defensive deficiencies, but offense is usually more sexy than defense at face value. I think, based on his scoring this year, he'll get that contract from some team.
I think we definitely have some big decisions coming up so I'm excited to see what happens.
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Post by jmost on Jan 2, 2017 13:13:06 GMT -5
Gary Washburn writes in the Globe today that we should stop looking for our superstar because we already have him, it's IT, and we should extend him now. www.bostonglobe.com/sports/celtics/2017/01/01/celtics-need-sign-isaiah-thomas-contract-extension/1bvciZmzBVXBxJ3kQOhpsN/story.html?p1=Team_LeadArticleThe problem with that, as I see it, (other than whether he's worth a max deal) is that it would likely prevent Ainge from signing any other major free agents, whereas if he waited until after landing a big fish, we could then extend IT. Unless the rules have changed. I wouldn't extend him now. Play out the season, see how the team does in the playoffs, see what the draft looks like, determine whether he's your PG of the next 5 years, and then think about extending him. |
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 2, 2017 22:50:54 GMT -5
Good points jmost. Danny has always been cautious about his cap space. I think he will wait to see who he can land in free agency and then extend IT and/or Bradley. I'm sure that IT will understand Danny wanting to make the team the best it can be and then taking care of extensions.
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Post by Roadrunner on Jan 3, 2017 19:05:43 GMT -5
I have not read all the fine details of the new CBA, however 3 max contracts will not work. Horford is 1. IT is most likely 2. Why not? I haven't read a whole lot but it still seems feasible, unless i missed something. especially if you have ownership willing to go into the luxury tax. Man, I would be scared to give IT4 a max deal. i love the guy, but i dont want to tie up a huge portion of my salary on a dude with huge defensive deficiencies. The issue with 3 max contracts is the repeater tax. Ownership will not go into the luxury tax unless that team can compete for a championship. Right now, the team is a good (3-tier), but not great (1-tier). |
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