Celt's Outlook 05-06 !!!!!!!!

[DERRENMATTS]

Yeah, that's true. But, Pierce's position (SF) could start being auctioned for if Gomes and Reed up their games. I compare Gomes to Paul Pierce, and if he can determine himself to be an outstanding player, he may force Ainge to make a decision about Pierce's next contract.

[meltinjohn]

Gomes can't be a damn thing like Pierce. Where do you get these ideas?

[DERRENMATTS]

They are similar in body type, similar in size and height, similar in athleticism, similar in quickness/speed, etc. The basic difference is that Pierce is more of a perimeter shooter, while Gomes leans more toward the midrange/inside game. Both he and Pierce are players who rely on their smarts and know-how to score, rather than on sheer athleticism. Both use their bodies to feel their opponents, and use their bodies to get to the line. Pierce likes to shoot it more than go inside, and Gomes likes to go inside more than shoot from the outside. But both players are able to do both.

You'll just have to watch Gomes play, Meltin.

[meltinjohn]

Basically, hes just a taller, inside presence of Paul Pierce then?

[DERRENMATTS]

Yeah, basically. Except, I doubt he gets into the habit of trying to be a PG and dribble the ball a lot, trying to set up his offense.

[meltinjohn]

Or being a troublemaker?

[freshnthehouse]

I def. dont see Gomes being able to fill PP spot in the line-up. PP is a top 15 player in the league. Gomes def. isnt, and i highly doubt he will ever be. I agree with Meltin that this team will have a rough year if Pierce is traded (and for sake of arguement, we dont get an equal player back). My guess would be low 30's in wins, and I wouldnt be surprised if we didnt brake the low 20's. IMO, i wouldnt mind being that bad as long as we got some crazy prospects/picks in return. The youngins would get a lot of PT, and wed get a decent pick, albeit in a bad draft class. But to think that Gomes could fill in for PP is seriously reaching.

[DERRENMATTS]

Nope, I did not say that Gomes will replace Pierce's star status. I did say that they are comparable and later I explained why their games are similar (in my eyes). They can play similarly, but Gomes may not be a 26 ppg scorer.

But he doesn't need to be a star player, or be a star scorer to replace Pierce (that's if Ainge decides to move him). Last year, we actually looked a lot better as a team when Pierce wasn't scoring in the 20's. When the ball was moving around and many players were contributing with the scoring, we were sharper and harder to contain as a team. So if Gomes reaches the level of play where he can legitimately compete with starters, if he can assist the team in playing excellent team ball and contribute solidly in scoring, rebounding, defending, and running, we won't need him to be a star.

I also think we will not win as many games if we move Pierce this year. But if the young guys show a lot of promise as future stars/role players/bench players, etc., down the road, we may not specifically need Pierce. There could be other stars taking his place. Antoine Walker is a star, but we don't necessarily need him.

[freshnthehouse]

"Antoine Walker is a star, but we don't necessarily need him."

I wouldnt call Walker a star. Id put him on a level below Pierce. They both have a lot of good in their game, but Pierce doesnt have nearly all of the bad that Antoine has.

And I do agree that in time the development of other players could make Pierce expendable, but for this upcoming season, not having Pierce would cripple this team. None of the young are ready to step up enough to shoulder that kind of load.

[DERRENMATTS]

Yeah, Walker may not be a "star" per se in many fans' eyes, but you get my jist.

There are star players who aren't good for their teams, and there are solid players who aren't "stars" but yet they affect their team more than the so called "stars". A lot of the players who will make up our future nucleus fit in this description. We may not have "stars" on the team, but collectively, we may be one of the best because from 1 - 12, we may be the deepest team in all the league. But if stars are what is needed, we do have a few who could turn out to be stars. Jefferson and Green may rise up to the challenge to become stars. But the awesome thing is that the players surrounding them 2 (Allen, Delonte, Perkins, Gomes, Reed, Banks, Scalabrine, Orien, Bynum, etc.) could turn out to be fantastic role players who know their roles and execute what needs to be done. A team is only as strong as its weakest link. And from the looks of it, our weakest link may not be so weak.

[meltinjohn]

This team in the Detrit Piston mold can do well. That is the type of team it needs to become. Tony Allen could be better than Rip or at least an equal. Gerald Green can be better than Rip. Our future pg (lottery pick) may amount to what Chauncey Billups has done. Perkins if proves himself in big minutes may eventually be in that Big Ben/Ratliff mold.

[eja117]

Right now Gomes can play both inside positions. I think he could play some sg, but at the expense of being able to play pf. Seeing as how we have AL J and not a lot behind him at that place, but GG, PP, RD, Reed, and TA at the other I don't see the need for him to go there. I would just tell him to work on shooting, passing, defense, and quickness and maybe he could take a few mins at sg. I see him more as a faster version of Eric Williams, or maybe EW before he got hurt. If he had worked on shooting and passing he could have played some sg too

[DERRENMATTS]

I actually perceive Gomes to be just a bit on the slower side, not as quick as a healthy Eric Williams. Comparitively, I think Justin Reed has more foot speed than Gomes.

But then again, this is the Gomes I remember from his junior season at Providence. He lost weight during his senior season so that he could play SF. He may have added some quickness.

[greenblood]

For those of you who think that Pierce and Gomes are similair at all, other than in body type, I have to say that I strongly disagree with you. There are plently of 6'6-6'7 guys with the same body type as Pierce, who aren't nearly the player. Look, Pierce is the kind of guy you build around, even if it hasn't worked out perfectly here. A team with Pierce only needs one or two other good players in order to be a playoff team. I am sorry, but as of now, I don't see Gomes being that kind of player. He may turn out to be a solid role player and/or starter, but there is a reason he didn't go in the first round, even if many people thought he would. When Pierce came out, everyone knew that he was going to be a star, that's why it was so surprising when the Celtics got him at 10. I hope Gomes does turn out to be a good player, but to put him in the same level as a Paul Pierce is not only premature, but proposterous.

[eja117]

Derren wasn't saying (in reply 77) that Gomes could be as good, but that he plays in the same way sometimes by using smarts etc.
I have to disagree. I think he can play some sg, but he had to work very hard to go from PF to SF in college. Asking him to go to sg in the NBA would be another stretch. I think he could do it and I see some similarities, but not enough to compare him with a highly successful sg more than a tough sf with some pf ability. I do like his versatility though