Post by DERRENMATTS on Jun 8, 2006 19:45:22 GMT -5
Lets look 5 years down the line, after our young players have developed into fine NBA veterans, and foresee what this team can do.
Perkins will be 26 yrs old, and he will be entering his 8th season in the NBA. By then, I expect him to be a 10+ rpg and a 3+ bpg defensive juggernaught.
Big Al will be 25, and will be in his 7th year. We can already see his scoring potential right now, so in 5 years, we can expect him to be a savvy 20 ppg post player, if not higher. He's a guy who gobbles up rebounds, so I'll pencil him in as a double double guy.
In 5 years, Pierce will be an old man at 34 years old, quite possibly starting to fall from his prime (assuming that Ainge has him in the long term plans). But he could still be a 20 ppg scorer. But by this time, he won't be the only focal point of the defense so he won't have to shoulder the scoring load like he has been for such a long time.
The new poster child of the Celtics will be Gerald Green. He's our next star in the making. Equipped with freakish athleticism, a smooth jumper, and a competitive flare, he has fans on the edge of their seats whenever he has the ball in his hands, or when he is running the break. He'll be another big scorer on the team, along with Jefferson and Pierce.
At this point, the PG spot could be up in the air, depending on who we draft or who we bring in via free agency or trade. But if we pencil in Delonte, I don't think we'll be suffering for this decision. Delonte is not going to hurt the team if he's running the show. He's very careful with the ball. In 5 years, he will understand the position a lot better and will know when to pass and when to look for his own shot. He will be a terrific role player on the starting 5. Whereas every other position has an impact player (Perkins making his impact on defense, Jefferson, Pierce, and Gerald making their impact with their scoring), Delonte will be a solid role player at PG.
But no team will go far without a good bench, and lucky for us, we have the making of a really strong bench.
Right now, our backup of the future may be Dwayne Jones. I really like his potential because he's a fighter and he goes after rebounds. He's a fluid big man with long arms and he doesn't back down from contact. But in my estimation, getting a guy like Shelden Williams in the draft could be a big plus. If he backs up Perkins, we don't lose anything in terms of rebounding and shot blocking when Perk goes to the bench. Or vice versa, if Shelden beats out Perkins for the starting spot.
Backing Jefferson at PF is Ryan Gomes. He's already proven himself to be a valuable role player when he got to prove his worth starting in place of the njured Jefferson last year. He's a solid rebounder despite being undersized, and he always seems to be in the right place at the right time. He also has a nice midrange shot, and he's working on extending his range deeper. When Jefferson goes to the bench, the PF spot will be in good hands.
Backing up the wing spot will be Tony Allen. Allen is only 6'4", but plays a lot bigger than that. He's got length, athleticism, strength, and especially defense. Tony Allen is so versatile that he can be used at the 1, 2, and 3. In 5 years, Tony will be a defensive specialist ala Bruce Bowen and Trenton Hassel.
We'll see if Wally Szczerbiak is still here in 5 years. If Pierce gets a contract extension, this may signal Wally's exit when his contract expires in a few years. But if he's here, we have a scoring wing player to use off the bench. He'll also be 34 yrs old by then.
Backing up Delonte is _______? At this point, no one knows. That's why its important for Ainge to bring in help to provide depth at the 1. He can always draft a PG with the 7th pick. Randy Foye could push Delonte to the bench, which would give us a superb backup PG. Or if he drafts someone like Will Blalock, in 5 years, we will have a good backup PG who can pass and defend.
Ideally, Ainge goes the free agent route and gets Jay Williams. In 5 years, J-Will will be 29 years old, still young enough to be playing for another 5 years. If J-Will comes here, Delonte becomes the backup, and again, he'll be a super role player at the 1.
We will have it all; chemistry, continuity, talent, athleticism, defense, offense, and heart. Getting ourselves a Center who is just as good as Perkins will be in 5 years (hopefully better) and a PG who is just as good as Delonte will be in 5 years will be the best thing Ainge can do to really add the final touches to his plan. Drafting Shelden Williams (or Tiago Splitter, or Patrick O'Bryant) and bringing in Jay Williams is the target this summer.
It is almost here. Banner #17 is just 5 years away folks!!
Perkins will be 26 yrs old, and he will be entering his 8th season in the NBA. By then, I expect him to be a 10+ rpg and a 3+ bpg defensive juggernaught.
Big Al will be 25, and will be in his 7th year. We can already see his scoring potential right now, so in 5 years, we can expect him to be a savvy 20 ppg post player, if not higher. He's a guy who gobbles up rebounds, so I'll pencil him in as a double double guy.
In 5 years, Pierce will be an old man at 34 years old, quite possibly starting to fall from his prime (assuming that Ainge has him in the long term plans). But he could still be a 20 ppg scorer. But by this time, he won't be the only focal point of the defense so he won't have to shoulder the scoring load like he has been for such a long time.
The new poster child of the Celtics will be Gerald Green. He's our next star in the making. Equipped with freakish athleticism, a smooth jumper, and a competitive flare, he has fans on the edge of their seats whenever he has the ball in his hands, or when he is running the break. He'll be another big scorer on the team, along with Jefferson and Pierce.
At this point, the PG spot could be up in the air, depending on who we draft or who we bring in via free agency or trade. But if we pencil in Delonte, I don't think we'll be suffering for this decision. Delonte is not going to hurt the team if he's running the show. He's very careful with the ball. In 5 years, he will understand the position a lot better and will know when to pass and when to look for his own shot. He will be a terrific role player on the starting 5. Whereas every other position has an impact player (Perkins making his impact on defense, Jefferson, Pierce, and Gerald making their impact with their scoring), Delonte will be a solid role player at PG.
But no team will go far without a good bench, and lucky for us, we have the making of a really strong bench.
Right now, our backup of the future may be Dwayne Jones. I really like his potential because he's a fighter and he goes after rebounds. He's a fluid big man with long arms and he doesn't back down from contact. But in my estimation, getting a guy like Shelden Williams in the draft could be a big plus. If he backs up Perkins, we don't lose anything in terms of rebounding and shot blocking when Perk goes to the bench. Or vice versa, if Shelden beats out Perkins for the starting spot.
Backing Jefferson at PF is Ryan Gomes. He's already proven himself to be a valuable role player when he got to prove his worth starting in place of the njured Jefferson last year. He's a solid rebounder despite being undersized, and he always seems to be in the right place at the right time. He also has a nice midrange shot, and he's working on extending his range deeper. When Jefferson goes to the bench, the PF spot will be in good hands.
Backing up the wing spot will be Tony Allen. Allen is only 6'4", but plays a lot bigger than that. He's got length, athleticism, strength, and especially defense. Tony Allen is so versatile that he can be used at the 1, 2, and 3. In 5 years, Tony will be a defensive specialist ala Bruce Bowen and Trenton Hassel.
We'll see if Wally Szczerbiak is still here in 5 years. If Pierce gets a contract extension, this may signal Wally's exit when his contract expires in a few years. But if he's here, we have a scoring wing player to use off the bench. He'll also be 34 yrs old by then.
Backing up Delonte is _______? At this point, no one knows. That's why its important for Ainge to bring in help to provide depth at the 1. He can always draft a PG with the 7th pick. Randy Foye could push Delonte to the bench, which would give us a superb backup PG. Or if he drafts someone like Will Blalock, in 5 years, we will have a good backup PG who can pass and defend.
Ideally, Ainge goes the free agent route and gets Jay Williams. In 5 years, J-Will will be 29 years old, still young enough to be playing for another 5 years. If J-Will comes here, Delonte becomes the backup, and again, he'll be a super role player at the 1.
We will have it all; chemistry, continuity, talent, athleticism, defense, offense, and heart. Getting ourselves a Center who is just as good as Perkins will be in 5 years (hopefully better) and a PG who is just as good as Delonte will be in 5 years will be the best thing Ainge can do to really add the final touches to his plan. Drafting Shelden Williams (or Tiago Splitter, or Patrick O'Bryant) and bringing in Jay Williams is the target this summer.
It is almost here. Banner #17 is just 5 years away folks!!