Celtics 2015-2016

IcyPatriot · Oct 25, 2015

My prediction:

49 - 33 finish around 4th in the east.
I like this team ... they will be fun to watch - high energy and it will be interesting.
I think Sullinger and/or Avery Bradley will be traded for future assets at some point.

Boston Boxer · Oct 25, 2015

do you think this team needs a veteran presence or do we just let all the young guys develop. Sullinger is so talented down low on the glass when he is focused, but can he keep that focus all year? Bradley provides great D but we need a little more offense from him

IcyPatriot · Oct 25, 2015

Boston Boxer said:
do you think this team needs a veteran presence or do we just let all the young guys develop. Sullinger is so talented down low on the glass when he is focused, but can he keep that focus all year? Bradley provides great D but we need a little more offense from him

Stevens likes guards who play great defense and can create their own offense ... that's not Bradley.
As for Sullinger ... he's talented but I do not get the feeling he's a Stevens kind of player.
Zeller and Olynyk are trending up in play ... and stevens likes them.

gitgronked82 · Oct 25, 2015

Boston Boxer said:
do you think this team needs a veteran presence or do we just let all the young guys develop. Sullinger is so talented down low on the glass when he is focused, but can he keep that focus all year? Bradley provides great D but we need a little more offense from him

-david lee can provide a bit of a veteran presence. also, this team doesn't have attitude issues. guys like avery, crowder, jonas, marcus, etc will be fine with their own mindsets imo
-don't know about sully... we have so many capable power forwards... i just don't know how much we'll focus on him. i'm still expecting more from lee than him. time will tell. if there's one thing we learned from last spring, it's that it's incredibly hard to judge and rank our front court correctly. some nights you want kelly, some nights jonas, some nights sully
-avery is very capable of being a valuable offensive player. able to consistently put up between 10-20. just has a limited offensive game. love the pullup jumper off screens. hopefully his spot up 3 improves this year

captain stone · Oct 28, 2015

I'll guess 43-39, a slight improvement.

Still wish they had another legit Center in addition to Zeller, but Danny is obviously hoping that Olynyk, Sully, David Lee & Amir Johnson can at least provide some rebounding, if not rim protection. Jordan Mickey could help here too.

I'm not a fan, at all, of all these (non-)Shooting Guards in Point Guards' bodies: Bradley (at a stupid contract to boot), Smart & Rozier. I absolutely detested the Rozier pick at 16th overall; almost Tavon Wilson-esque. Almost.

Some intriguing and tradeable pieces here, but still a flawed roster. I'll be rooting hard for NJ to tank, and for Dallas to just miss the POs.

rochrist · Oct 29, 2015

Boston Boxer said:
do you think this team needs a veteran presence or do we just let all the young guys develop. Sullinger is so talented down low on the glass when he is focused, but can he keep that focus all year? Bradley provides great D but we need a little more offense from him

Um, that's what the added over the summer. Two solid vet players.

I've got 48 wins with an outside chance at 50. And the Nets looking at a bottom 5 finish, getting ready to fork over that #1.

JoeSixPat · Nov 1, 2015

rochrist said:
Um, that's what the added over the summer. Two solid vet players.

I've got 48 wins with an outside chance at 50. And the Nets looking at a bottom 5 finish, getting ready to fork over that #1.

Yep - not an earth shattering big name off season but Sevens now has more to work with - and that's really what it comes down to

The NBA has a certain amount of parity, save for the REALLY big talents - but there's also a new dynamic of team play in this modern NBA which is basically all about Stevens type of Team Basketball

Unlike the 76ers approach he's teaching his guys to be winners - and I think it will pay dividends not just this season, but in the next seasons when there is competition for free agents with so much extra space in the salary cap and they might be able to interest a top tier player with the foundation and excitement that Stevens is in the process of creating. 50 wins will definitely turn heads.

Now of course a LOT of teams will have a LOT of salary cap space - so that buzz that Stevens is creating WILL be an important factor in attracting players. But the Celts still are projected to have the 6th highest amount of cap space - there's just still plenty of competition there.

But I feel confident they'll continue to improve - and hopefully be in a position to make that jump to the Top Tier in the next year or two. There's a lot of luck involved but skill is helpful as well.

borg · Dec 13, 2015

The NBA lost me years ago....but I'm back thanks to this young/hustling Celtics team and the Warriors...the Lebron alternative.
Lets start with my Warrior man-love. Any team that abuses Lebron is worth my time. I hate Lebron. I hate his moniker "King". I hate ESPN.......and since ESPN hypes the King like no other...I root for failure and humiliation. On the other hand....Steph Curry is the anti Lebron. Unlike half the clods that get jobs in the NBA because of height alone, Curry earns every point with hustle, smarts, and skill. And because this Warriors team is pushing Lebron off the front page.........I want more.
And these Celtics......I appreciate hustle and I appreciate they have to work twice as hard as the top half of the league because they have half the talent. As they stand now, they really only have two certified NBA quality starters on their roster. Bradley is legit on both ends of the floor and only getting better. Smart is incomplete but I expect continued upside in the years to come. For the Thomas fans, yes the kid is electric...but.... he is obvious deficiencies are a problem for this particular roster. Stevens has anointed him the 4th quarter closer who he gives responsibility to win games at crunch time......but physically, he doesn't have the tools to be "the guy". This team is a star short to make the leap to contention near the top. The rest of the roster is like an island of misfit toys with certain skills and certain flaws and Stevens is doing a great job fitting the pieces....a similar job most NBA coaches deal with. I like Crowder a lot but would classify him as a role player +.
I'm fascinated to see how Ainge continues to add layers.....they have my attention.

JoeSixPat · Dec 13, 2015

borg said:
The NBA lost me years ago....but I'm back thanks to this young/hustling Celtics team and the Warriors...the Lebron alternative.
Lets start with my Warrior man-love. Any team that abuses Lebron is worth my time. I hate Lebron. I hate his moniker "King". I hate ESPN.......and since ESPN hypes the King like no other...I root for failure and humiliation. On the other hand....Steph Curry is the anti Lebron. Unlike half the clods that get jobs in the NBA because of height alone, Curry earns every point with hustle, smarts, and skill. And because this Warriors team is pushing Lebron off the front page.........I want more.
And these Celtics......I appreciate hustle and I appreciate they have to work twice as hard as the top half of the league because they have half the talent. As they stand now, they really only have two certified NBA quality starters on their roster. Bradley is legit on both ends of the floor and only getting better. Smart is incomplete but I expect continued upside in the years to come. For the Thomas fans, yes the kid is electric...but.... he is obvious deficiencies are a problem for this particular roster. Stevens has anointed him the 4th quarter closer who he gives responsibility to win games at crunch time......but physically, he doesn't have the tools to be "the guy". This team is a star short to make the leap to contention near the top. The rest of the roster is like an island of misfit toys with certain skills and certain flaws and Stevens is doing a great job fitting the pieces....a similar job most NBA coaches deal with. I like Crowder a lot but would classify him as a role player +.
I'm fascinated to see how Ainge continues to add layers.....they have my attention.

I think you're seeing that there's an evolution back to more of a team game in the NBA - despite the dominance of Curry. I personally like the Warriors and it seems to me that Stevens shares their philosophy, so it was no surprise to see a Stevens coached team effectively soften them up to end their winning streak after taking them to 2 OTs

So while I buy in to Ainge's vision, I also know that there's no guarantee he's able to pull together all the pieces he truly needs - and this team might never return to the true contender ranks

In the meantime, they're very fun to watch

captain stone · Jan 7, 2016

Another loss by the Smeltics, who have now lost 4 out of their last 5 games.

Teams have figured out that this is just a jump-shooting team who can't jump-shoot on the road, cannot rebound, cannot protect the rim, do not have a legit ball distributor, and have no size at Shooting Guard besides Evan Turner.
Danny's drafts have been crap for 7 straight years (didn't have a 1st-rounder in 2009), and there is not one - not one - player that is starter-caliber on even a legit Eastern Conference contender.

JoeSixPat · Jan 15, 2016

captain stone said:
Another loss by the Smeltics, who have now lost 4 out of their last 5 games.

Teams have figured out that this is just a jump-shooting team who can't jump-shoot on the road, cannot rebound, cannot protect the rim, do not have a legit ball distributor, and have no size at Shooting Guard besides Evan Turner.
Danny's drafts have been crap for 7 straight years (didn't have a 1st-rounder in 2009), and there is not one - not one - player that is starter-caliber on even a legit Eastern Conference contender.

I think these guys all hit a bit of a wall - Stevens has typically gotten more out of these guys and they've just been playing very sloppy

They're sure not close to being contenders - they do have some pieces already - but they need some big ones, and thus need a little luck in terms of free agents, as well as the draft

In general though I think the good news and the bad news is that the NBA is such a watered down entity in terms of quality, that the caliber of Celtics play and talent isn't all that far behind most other teams (aside from the truly elite)

Kontradiction · Jan 28, 2016

borg said:
The NBA lost me years ago....but I'm back thanks to this young/hustling Celtics team and the Warriors...the Lebron alternative.
Lets start with my Warrior man-love. Any team that abuses Lebron is worth my time. I hate Lebron. I hate his moniker "King". I hate ESPN.......and since ESPN hypes the King like no other...I root for failure and humiliation. On the other hand....Steph Curry is the anti Lebron. Unlike half the clods that get jobs in the NBA because of height alone, Curry earns every point with hustle, smarts, and skill. And because this Warriors team is pushing Lebron off the front page.........I want more.
And these Celtics......I appreciate hustle and I appreciate they have to work twice as hard as the top half of the league because they have half the talent. As they stand now, they really only have two certified NBA quality starters on their roster. Bradley is legit on both ends of the floor and only getting better. Smart is incomplete but I expect continued upside in the years to come. For the Thomas fans, yes the kid is electric...but.... he is obvious deficiencies are a problem for this particular roster. Stevens has anointed him the 4th quarter closer who he gives responsibility to win games at crunch time......but physically, he doesn't have the tools to be "the guy". This team is a star short to make the leap to contention near the top. The rest of the roster is like an island of misfit toys with certain skills and certain flaws and Stevens is doing a great job fitting the pieces....a similar job most NBA coaches deal with. I like Crowder a lot but would classify him as a role player +.
I'm fascinated to see how Ainge continues to add layers.....they have my attention.

Heat Minority Owner Says LeBron Wanted Spoelstra Fired

On why James left Miami for Cleveland:

"With the Miami Heat, LeBron James—before and after his four seasons when his contract was up with the team—made it clear that he wanted to dump head coach Erik Spoelstra. At one point, [Heat president] Pat Riley called LeBron into his office said that no one will tell him how to run the organization. Riley told James that Spoelstra is his guy and that firing Spoelstra is out of the question. That was the main reason LeBron returned to Cleveland."

captain stone · Jan 29, 2016

The above is another example of why the Ass-ociation sucks. One player can dictate coaching decisions and personnel decisions. And I'm not even a fan of Spoelstra.

rochrist · Feb 7, 2016

captain stone said:
Another loss by the Smeltics, who have now lost 4 out of their last 5 games.

Teams have figured out that this is just a jump-shooting team who can't jump-shoot on the road, cannot rebound, cannot protect the rim, do not have a legit ball distributor, and have no size at Shooting Guard besides Evan Turner.
Danny's drafts have been crap for 7 straight years (didn't have a 1st-rounder in 2009), and there is not one - not one - player that is starter-caliber on even a legit Eastern Conference contender.

A month later, and after a 9-1 10 game stretch and beating the Cavs on the road, the Celts are alone as the third seed. Well called, Capt, well called.

captain insano · Feb 10, 2016

wow what a game that was. i love seeing doc rivers lose. love this celtics team.

rochrist · Feb 11, 2016

Ah c'mon. Nothing wrong with Doc.

But this /was/ a tremendous game, particularly coming back from last night. Especially since this is just a jump-shooting team who can't jump-shoot on the road, cannot rebound, cannot protect the rim, do not have a legit ball distributor, and have no size at Shooting Guard besides Evan Turner and Danny's drafts have been crap for 7 straight years (didn't have a 1st-rounder in 2009), and there is not one - not one - player that is starter-caliber on even a legit Eastern Conference contender!

captain insano · Feb 11, 2016

I don't like rivers and the way he left. he bailed when things got tough. I have no use for him or ray allen. I think ainge is one of the best GMs in the league. he's not perfect . no GM is.

rochrist · Feb 11, 2016

Yeah, but he got us a first round pick. I think his time was done here, he knew it and Ainge knew it. Doc isn't the coach for a team full of kids. It worked out great for all involved.

captain insano · Feb 12, 2016

captain insano said:
I don't like rivers and the way he left. he bailed when things got tough. I have no use for him or ray allen. I think ainge is one of the best GMs in the league. he's not perfect . no GM is.

he thought the team was going to suk so he left. he had just signed a contract. i think it was the year before. i lost all respect for him. i hope he never wins another ring.

rochrist · Feb 12, 2016

captain insano said:
he thought the team was going to suk so he left. he had just signed a contract. i think it was the year before. i lost all respect for him. i hope he never wins another ring.

You understand he's a coach for a vet team right? Did you WANT him coaching these kids? I can assure you that Danny didn't. That's why he let him go while extracting another asset for him.
Plus, when he signed that contract he didn't know they we're going to put a crate of dynamite under the team and blow it up.

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