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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 2, 2007 2:40:09 GMT -5
Well, I'm back from Brazil, and not surprisingly, was surprised to see what we've done in the 10 days I've been away. I didn't get a chance to look over the comments made here at CG, or at other Celtics' boards, and in light of this, I'd like to post my thoughts. Forgive me if I'm rehashing some of what you all have already said.
First of all, I think Ainge had a hard job to tackle--he had to get a proven veteran player to help us into the playoffs this season while keeping our youth movement intact. No easy task because one thing that we have that other teams want is our talented youths. I'm just happy that I'm still able to call Jefferson, Green, and Rajon our own.
Though Ray Allen wasn't at the top of my list of players to go after this offseason, he's still up there. Since Ainge has gotten here, he's been looking for the right compliment for Pierce at the opposite wing slot--and he may have found him in Ray Allen (though RA needs to be fully healthy for this to happen). Ray Allen is more skilled than Ricky Davis, and he's vastly more athletic than Wally Sczcerbiak. RA will also help in our uptempo game. Good teams shoot well from the perimeter, and Ray Allen is still one of the best shooters in the NBA.
Though its debatable whether or not we would have gotten into the playoffs without making this move (I think we could have), our chances of making it now, after trading for Ray Allen, has bumped up a notch. The trio of Pierce, Ray, and Jefferson gives us the interior, midrange, and outside attack, and they are going to be tough to stop. With the 5th pick, we could have gotten a number of players I would have been happy with (Noah, Yi, Hawes), but none of them would have likely been big enough contributors this season as Ray Allen will be. In the long run, our 5th pick will have more value, but again, Danny felt the pressure to make a move to improve our team now, while not sacrificing our youth core--and I think he's done alright with this move.
I don't care much for Gabe Pruitt, or Glen Davis--IF they had been 1st round selections. As second round picks, I'm happy to have them on board. Big Baby is going to make his presence felt off the bench, and I'm going to have fun watching him out there. His attitude and spunk, as well as his natural brute strength and nimble feet will make him an attraction when he's brought in off the bench. He's going to be our version of Jason Maxiel (Detroit's energetic powerhouse off the bench). I really feel good about Davis because he adds toughness and strength. He's just got to learn not to try to do too much out there, and not to settle for jumpers. He's a short PF, but he can still do damage with his abilities.
Like Big Baby, Pruitt would have been a questionable 1st round selection. But nabbing him in the second makes him a nicer pick. I like having a 6'4" backcourt player who can score and dish the ball some. Off the bench, he can play the 1 or some at the 2. He's athletic, got some defense, and can shoot the ball well.
I don't think Ainge's work this offseason is done yet. We haven't addressed our defense yet, and I think we'll see him whirl a trade or two to help in this department. I still say we should go after Darko.
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Post by freshnthehouse on Jul 2, 2007 2:50:35 GMT -5
Good to have you back DM. Yeah, I'm not sure what to think about all the moves. I've always been a wait and see guy, so for now I'll give DA the benifit of the doubt. Now that we're in the win now mode, I would like to see us explore a trade for marchus camby.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 2, 2007 3:15:46 GMT -5
As long as we don't have to give up much to get him. He's got 3 years, 24 million left in his contract, and honestly, I'm not sure if he'll make it healthily through. Camby is a shot blocker, though, and that's what we need.
I still say swing the deal for Darko. He's not only a shot blocker, but also a versatile scorer, and I feel he can be a good rebounder too.
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Post by freshnthehouse on Jul 2, 2007 4:10:07 GMT -5
As long as we don't have to give up much to get him. He's got 3 years, 24 million left in his contract, and honestly, I'm not sure if he'll make it healthily through. Camby is a shot blocker, though, and that's what we need. I still say swing the deal for Darko. He's not only a shot blocker, but also a versatile scorer, and I feel he can be a good rebounder too. I'd rather deal for Camby. Camby was fantastic last year. I cringe at the idea of commiting a lot of money long-term to Darko. IMO, the guy screams bad contract. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2007 8:11:01 GMT -5
Will Darko take the full-MLE to play here? I don't think so. Not when you have the whole "potential" label status on you. He's going to soak every dollar he gets. I don't see him coming here unless we do a s&t and give him more money than Blount got a few years back. In other words, I say No to any notion of paying Darko anywhere close to NENE type money.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 2, 2007 10:59:38 GMT -5
We can either get Camby for a year or two (probably how long he'll last--I worry about another Theo Ratliff issue), or we can get Darko for the next 5 years (or longer, depending on how well he does).
I say Darko over Camby--I feel Darko's best days are ahead of him, especially if he's working with Clifford Ray.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 2, 2007 11:22:04 GMT -5
Like I mentioned at the top, Ainge was able to come out of the draft with our youth core still intact. This is big because they are the future of this team. No matter who we could have brought in--Marion, J-O'neal, KG, etc.,--our future lies in the hands of our youths. Primarily Jefferson, Gerald, and Rajon.
Jefferson is ready to put up 20 and 10 this season, and really become a star player the following season. He'll be the star anchor on the team in a few years (surplanting Pierce). Gerald is set to make a semi jump this coming season, and he may be able to prove himself as our top backup at the 2 and 3. I stil say he's maybe 2 years away from emerging into a starter's role, but he's getting there. He may not have as bright of a future as Big Al, but Gerald does have the potential to be a 20 pt scorer in the NBA. Rajon should play much better this season, now having a whole year of learning under his belt. Doc Rivers still hinders PG's from truly shining, so Rajon's stardom may not come as quickly.
That's three young guys we can build our team around, but that's not all. We also have Tony Allen. If he's healthy and he's back playing near the level he was playing at before his season ended, he's our starting 2. Tony's one of the few players we have on the team who can impact both ends of the court. He's a borderline star player when healthy.
And we also have really good role players who add roster depth--Ryan Gomes will be an effective scorer/rebounder as a 3 off the bench, Perkins will either be starting (if we don't acquire a starting Center) or making his presence felt off the bench, and his big body, rebounding, and shot blocking will be much needed. Leon Powe and Big Baby Davis will be battling each other for playing time, and whoever wins will certainly give us a lot of Tommy Points on the court because of their willingness to get dirty and provide physical toughness. Gabe Pruitt, I'm hoping, will be able to mesh his versatile backcourt game to provide us with depth at the 1 and 2.
So you see, Ainge did an outstanding job of holding his ground and not giving up our youth, while still adding a star player like Ray Allen to the mix. We still have Theo's expiring contract to dangle and we may have to give up one or two of our youths to get us another player who can help our team right now, and as long as it isn't Jefferson, Green, or Rajon, I'm OK with it. I think we will go after a Center.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jul 2, 2007 12:16:56 GMT -5
Great to have you back DM.... we missed you on Draft night. I hope your mission trip was a great success! I hope Danny can find a defensive big that we can bring in for Ratliff's contract and maybe a pick and not much more. I want to keep the rest of this core together. Orlando has already placed a qualifying offer for Darko and so we would have to outbid them for him. When it is all said and done, Darko may end up over paid because of it.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 2, 2007 12:24:34 GMT -5
Yeah, the mission trip was a success, both for the Brazillians, as well as for us missionaries. I can't wait to go back again next year. You haven't seen poverty until you've seen the "favelas" in Brazil. These kids live in such filth, and drug lords and drug users and drug dealers run rampant through the neighborhood. I'll post my experiences in Brazil soon.
I'm pretty sure Darko will get a better deal from some other team, and I hope its us. I don't want break the bank on the guy, but IMO, 6 - 7 million a year is not that bad. I really feel that he will live up to that amount.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 2, 2007 12:28:50 GMT -5
It looks pretty obvious that we will make a push for a big man. I don't think Ainge makes the trade for Ray Allen unless he has the goal of getting help in the frontcourt this summer. As we've seen last year, we don't have much depth at Center. When Perkins went down, we were in trouble. I'm not counting on Ratliff or Olowokandi at all.
Ainge has aknowledged our need to get better defensively, and I'm certain he's going to do something about it. Maybe it'll be Camby. I'm hoping for Darko. But whoever it is, I'm certain we are getting a Center this summer.
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cfoo
Welcome To Celtics Green!
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Post by cfoo on Jul 2, 2007 13:56:59 GMT -5
Welcome back Derren. Your thoughts are good as always.... It should be interesting to see how things shape up. I think we are all hoping we can add a defensive big man without giving up our young guys pretty much. I know Ratliff is being played up, but I tend to think that is just so we can trade him. I wouldn't count on ratliff either, but he can help.
My main concern with Ainge's dealings of late is he cutting the ceiling too short on this team. How do you feel about that? We kind of did that with pierce and walker where we stopped drafting and started to deal for veterans to pair with them. I understand Ainge's thinking, and Ray is a much better player than we've had, but is it possible to do both? We have tried to keep Pierce happy and keep him around and build with youth at the same time, instead of going one way or the other. Me personally I like the idea of keeping Pierce around to some extent and keeping what we have in Jefferson, Rajon and Gerald, but who knows what is going to happen this summer. It's just going to be very tricky to make this all work.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2007 15:06:59 GMT -5
What about rasheed wallace? He would definitely ful-fill the defensive presence/tough guy/ outside shooter that we need in the frontcourt. Now, it only depends on the expense of his character. I think if we're winning it won't be much of an issue. Not to mention, when comparing between us and detroit (whose willing to give him away) we can definitely be just as good if nto better with him on the roster.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 2, 2007 15:20:39 GMT -5
If we go after Rasheed, we are definitely short-sighted. I'd say no to this.
As far as Ainge cutting our ceiling short, I don't think he's handcuffing us to the extent he did when we had Walker and Payton on the team. That team was totally dominated by those 2 aforementioned players, along with Pierce. But this team we currently have is a lot more diverse and deep. We have more players who can come in and contribute--we aren't strictly just a 3 player team.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2007 15:33:22 GMT -5
Lets put it this way, Sheed has two years left on his contract. Allen is under contract with us for another 3 yrs? Yes, I want to keep the future intact but you gotta add some veteran presence like a sheed who will definitely help us on the defensive end. And I seriously doubt it would take much to get him here anyways. I think a roster of Sheed, Jefferson, Pierce, Allen, and Rondo could compete in the east possibly make the finals.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 2, 2007 15:36:05 GMT -5
One big thing that needs to change is our offensive game plan. Far too often, we'd dig ourselves in a hole at the onset of the game, and its not only because our defense was horrible. We'd start off in an offensive rut. For the life of me, I can't figure out why Doc would allow so many consecutive futile possessions go by without getting the ball into the hands of Pierce or Jefferson. Instead, guys like Delonte, Gomes, Wally, and Perk would be the ones taking shots. We'd waste away so many possessions and fall behind more and more before we turn to Pierce or Jefferson, out of desperation, to bail us out.
At the very beginning, we need to establish our star offensive players. Pierce, Jefferson, and Ray Allen must get the offense going first to set the table for the role players. We must run plays for them to free them up for good looks at the basket. The role players will get their opportunities to score later, as the defenses key up on PP, AJ, and RA, but at the start of the game, in the opening minutes, our Big 3 must come out strongly and make teams realize that they are going to be in for a long night defensively. Jefferson must be established early in the game. He must be allowed to find his groove and touch early, rather than try to find it later in the game. The quicker we can establish his interior game, the more opportunities Pierce and Ray Allen will have on the perimeter.
For the life of me, I can't understand why we don't run pick and rolls. Last season, we started to do a better job of sending guys off of screens to curl up for catch and shoot jumpers. Wally and Gerald were able to find some success doing this. But as for pick and rolls, we are still keeping our distance from incorporating this move in our playbook. WHY?
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