Would love to see them add Chris Bosh to the mix if there is any way that it is possible within reason. Hopefully Smart goes out as on of the guys cut to make room. That would be my dream offseason.
Been watching since the 80s. My five least favorite Celtics:
5) Mark Blount
4) Jiri Welsch
3) Dan ****au
2) Pervis Ellison
1) Marcus Smart
In that order.
This makes absolutely NO sense. Marcus smart will be a key player coming off the bench. He's already one of the best defensive players in the LEAGUE, and he's improved his offensive game every year he's been with the C's. Also to use football language, he has a non-stop motor, plays with high intensity, and plays with "an edge". WTF do you want from the guy.
One thought that I have is, if his and Rozier's game improves over the course of the season, the C's will leverage Thomas to take a lower than Max deal if he wants to stay with the team, and be fine with it if he walks. I LOVE Thomas, but when he's on the court, its 5 on 4 when the C's play defense.
Remember even if Thomas walks in 2018 the C's will have an improved Brown and Tatum, plus 3 first round draft picks, AND cap space to add the kind of talent to replace what is essentially a one way player. A great one way player, but a one way player nonetheless.
BTW- IF the Celts are to maximize their offense this season, Thomas' individual scoring stats will NEED to go down, while his assists should soar.
On the topic of Cleveland, I think they are NOT out of reach. Depth IS important in basketball, even if it's not as critical as it is in football. They play a hard 82 game schedule and injuries are a part of their game too. Labron, Irving, and Love, are a better threesome than what the C's can offer, BUT "the some of the whole is better than the individual parts" is a phrase that can be used in basketball as well as football. That is where the Stevens factor comes into play.
I believe the Pats play at least half their games each year when the the opposition has the same or more individual talent and its the BB factor, and the fact he can get his team to be one where the "sum of the whole is better than the individual parts", that allows them to be as successful as they have been. GS has great talent, but people here severely have underrated how important the contributions of Steve Kerr and Mike Brown were to their success.