Is it me, or does this Celtics team remind me of the 2001 Patriots?

[RobertWeathers]

Yeah we have waaaaay too many picks. 7 total I believe, 4 in the 2nd round. Need to make some trades. I'm praying for a Clippers disaster in the playoffs and then maybe Doc will be dumb enough to trade Blake. Blake in Stevens offense with those handles and that passing .

Probably wont happen but its nice to think about.

I'd like to see him develop his outside game more, play better defense and somehow be a bit more durable before doling out multiple picks for him. Plus I want to see what comes of the unprotected Nets pick. As it stands it has a ~34% chance of being in the top 4.

 

[Froob]

Probably wont happen but its nice to think about.

I'd like to see him develop his outside game more, play better defense and somehow be a bit more durable before doling out multiple picks for him. Plus I want to see what comes of the unprotected Nets pick. As it stands it has a ~34% chance of being in the top 4.

Doc is one of the worst, if not THE worst GM so it's definitively possible. Shame we don't have Gerald Wallace anymore, Doc loves to waste his assets on over the hill veterans. Who knows though, maybe Danny could somehow manage to get him without giving up this year's pick. Blake has shot well from 3 this year too, not sure if it was a fluke but Blake shooting reasonable from 3....I'd make him our 5. NBA is transitioning to the small ball and if you're going to the traditional 5 you're trending the wrong direction. The best lineups in the league according to analytics feature small ball.

 

[YOUGOTMOSSED]

Probably wont happen but its nice to think about.

I'd like to see him develop his outside game more, play better defense and somehow be a bit more durable before doling out multiple picks for him. Plus I want to see what comes of the unprotected Nets pick. As it stands it has a ~34% chance of being in the top 4.

The NBA lottery is about as kosher as Christmas. I wouldn't trust that percentage.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Danny is a very, very smart man. I think he has a decent eye for talent and he is shrewd - which is a required trait to have in this business.

Celtics are lucky to have him running the team.

Also like being a coach who wins a championship or two, you gain "street cred" and a lot of slack in terms of making decisions good or bad that won't get you fired....(EDIT- applied to the NCAA I can't think of a coach who won it all who ever got fired)
Applied to the NFL, many coaches are in "win now" mode so they trade future assets into a current draft while coaches like Belichick and Reid who have job security can bilk/milk/rob/fleece/screw/take advantage of these teams by giving up a third this year for a second next year......

 

[Kontradiction]

The list of talented players who'll be talked about is going to be relatively long. Six that we've already heard about are:

Okafor
Butler
Russell
Cousins
Durant (free agency)
Horford (free agency)

It may not amount to anything in the end, but this is a good year to have enough so-called 'assets' to deal for players with issues.

I think it's going to be between Boston and Miami for Durant.

As for the Celtics? As a Heat fan, they are the one team I don't want to play in the playoffs. They are very scrappy and very well coached. Stevens has been a revelation. They are one superstar (Durant?) away from legitimately contending for the Eastern Conference. Isaiah Thomas and Kevin Durant would be a very formidable 1-2 punch.

 

[YOUGOTMOSSED]

If your version of the 2001 Patriots got blownout by the Steelers in the AFCCG then sure. Because that's essentially what's going to happen to the Celtics soon.

Gritty and well coached underdog teams simply cannot win a title in the NBA. It's just not how the sport works.

Precisely, the "Tim Donaghy factor." David Stern basically transmogrified the NBA from a sport into "sports entertainment"/reality TV. I tune in to watch the Celtics from time to time (I agree this is a fun Celtics team) but I can't take the NBA seriously.

The NFL is pretty much just as bad now.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Precisely, the "Tim Donaghy factor." David Stern basically transmogrified the NBA from a sport into "sports entertainment"/reality TV. I tune in to watch the Celtics from time to time (I agree this is a fun Celtics team) but I can't take the NBA seriously.

The NFL is pretty much just as bad now.

The 2002 game 6 between the Kings and Lakers 4th quarter solidified for me that the game was rigged. With no dog in the fight watching the refs give the Lakers the game was a joke. Kobe breaks Bibby's ? nose with an elbow and the foul was called on Bibby....
Donaghy docs allege refs altered playoff games

 

[RobertWeathers]

Doc is one of the worst, if not THE worst GM so it's definitively possible. Shame we don't have Gerald Wallace anymore, Doc loves to waste his assets on over the hill veterans. Who knows though, maybe Danny could somehow manage to get him without giving up this year's pick.

Doc is in over his head as a GM. Ballmer will replace him with a FO guy soon enough.

Blake has shot well from 3 this year too, not sure if it was a fluke but Blake shooting reasonable from 3....I'd make him our 5. NBA is transitioning to the small ball and if you're going to the traditional 5 you're trending the wrong direction. The best lineups in the league according to analytics feature small ball.

Absolutely agree that Griffin's mid range game is improved drastically over the last couple of years but I'd like to see the 3 be a more featured part of his game for the reasons you say. Need to spread the floor a little more and that'll really open up his game. There is no reason Griffin can't be a 27/9/5 guy every night.

 

[RobertWeathers]

The NBA lottery is about as kosher as Christmas. I wouldn't trust that percentage.

Plus the C's always get F'ed in the lottery.

I swear the league pulls out a couple of ping-pong balls out of spite.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Also like being a coach who wins a championship or two, you gain "street cred" and a lot of slack in terms of making decisions good or bad that won't get you fired....(EDIT- applied to the NCAA I can't think of a coach who won it all who ever got fired)
Applied to the NFL, many coaches are in "win now" mode so they trade future assets into a current draft while coaches like Belichick and Reid who have job security can bilk/milk/rob/fleece/screw/take advantage of these teams by giving up a third this year for a second next year......

Yep. If KG doesn't get hurt in 09 the go to the finals and if Perk doesn't blow out his knee in Game 6 they win in 2010. Hell, they win it in 2010 if 'Sheed does cardio three times week and lays off the Pringles and Pepsi.

Danny should have 5 rings.

 

[aluminum seats]

Plus I want to see what comes of the unprotected Nets pick. As it stands it has a ~34% chance of being in the top 4.

Doesn't it have like a 100% chance of that? I hate getting my hopes up about the lottery because they haven't gone too well for the Celtics, but my understanding was the first 3 picks were determined by the lottery, and the rest were slotted in. Since the Nets will finish with the 4th worst record (at worst; possibly the 3rd), even if they don't get lucky and make the top 3 (top 2 being the goal this year, I think) they'll automatically be slotted into #4?

I could be wrong here, as my hoops fandom has declined in recent years...

 

[Froob]

Plus the C's always get F'ed in the lottery.

I swear the league pulls out a couple of ping-pong balls out of spite.

Always seems to be that way....Red in his book (which is a GREAT read Amazon product ASIN B001D4W960 I might add) talked about how the league from what I remember basically gave the Knicks a high pick because they needed the help and never gave the Celtics a break. I don't think the lottery is rigged but....I wouldn't put it past them to have done something..

 

[YOUGOTMOSSED]

Plus the C's always get F'ed in the lottery.

I swear the league pulls out a couple of ping-pong balls out of spite.

I know, right. What were the odds of us landing Tim Duncan back in 1997?

 

[RobertWeathers]

Doesn't it have like a 100% chance of that? I hate getting my hopes up about the lottery because they haven't gone too well for the Celtics, but my understanding was the first 3 picks were determined by the lottery, and the rest were slotted in. Since the Nets will finish with the 4th worst record (at worst; possibly the 3rd), even if they don't get lucky and make the top 3 (top 2 being the goal this year, I think) they'll automatically be slotted into #4?

I could be wrong here, as my hoops fandom has declined in recent years...

I could be wrong too.Just going off what I thought I had read a couple of days ago. Its estimated between #3 was like 26% #4 33.7% and #5 41% or something like that.

 

[IcyPatriot]

No ... not at all and not even close.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I know, right. What were the odds of us landing Tim Duncan back in 1997?

That still pisses me off. I remember exactly where I was when it happened. My cousin had a party after getting his MBA and he and I were watching the lottery show.

With that said I'm not sure I would have entrusted the Tim Duncan era to ML Carr or Rick Pitino.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Doesn't it have like a 100% chance of that? I hate getting my hopes up about the lottery because they haven't gone too well for the Celtics, but my understanding was the first 3 picks were determined by the lottery, and the rest were slotted in. Since the Nets will finish with the 4th worst record (at worst; possibly the 3rd), even if they don't get lucky and make the top 3 (top 2 being the goal this year, I think) they'll automatically be slotted into #4?

I could be wrong here, as my hoops fandom has declined in recent years...

37.8% of top 3 and 11.9% of top pick...I think since Nets are 4th now, one game out of 3rd, 5th is the worst they could pick.... Tankathon | NBA Draft Order & Lottery Simulator

 

[Kontradiction]

Plus the C's always get F'ed in the lottery.

I swear the league pulls out a couple of ping-pong balls out of spite.

The amount of number one overall picks that Cleveland got as they were rebuilding was downright shady.

 

[aluminum seats]

That still pisses me off. I remember exactly where I was when it happened. My cousin had a party after getting his MBA and he and I were watching the lottery show.

With that said I'm not sure I would have entrusted the Tim Duncan era to ML Carr or Rick Pitino.

It wouldn't have been Carr...I remember thinking how the guy deserved credit for taking the bullet w/the tanking season--don't think the plan was ever for him to coach a real team. Pitino sucked though.

 

[RobertWeathers]

The amount of number one overall picks that Cleveland got as they were rebuilding was downright shady.

No question.

Same thing for Shaq going to LA. I swear LA got cap relief for that to happen.