Post by Dino on Mar 13, 2012 0:50:33 GMT -5
Why Boston shouldn’t blow it up at all.
If you’re a Celtics fan you’ve heard it all season, “the C’s ought to blow it up all now and build for the future, trade the old men (Peirce, Garnett and Allen), trade Rondo..” Or “NO! Do what we can and rebuild in the off season! We’ve got two draft picks, and well over twenty million in cap space, we can start trying to win it all again in ‘13!
Both philosophies are wrong.
Lets first examine the idea of trading the Fantastic Four. If Boston trades them now, what is Danny looking for? Youth? Draft picks? That’d be ideal for those “Big Three” but the reality is, the teams who’d want them are already playoff bound teams who would be looking to get that extra edge. The truth is, they’d have to shake up their own teams core, with no assurance in the case of Allen or Garnett that would be sticking around past this season. Are other teams willing to risk their own chemistry to borrow Garnett or Allen?
And then what does Boston get in return? Another mid to late draft pick if they receive back a pick for this summer, an unknown commodity if it includes a future first. How many deals are ought there that would be worth it for a playoff team to sacrifice a draft pick for and risk their chemistry as it is now for the team receiving KG or Allen and yet give Boston what they want, financial flexibility going into the off season, and draft picks.
If anyone of the Big Three is movable to get back something in return it might well be Paul Peirce, who has a contract that extends beyond this season. It might be possible to move Paul for an expiring, or maybe an expiring/youth and of course the much desired picks.
Then there is Rondo., If Boston is looking to rebuild they already have one important component of a new Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, one of the best point guards in the league on a very team friendly contract. Lets say Boston trades Rondo, If they get what seems to be the asking price, another superstar in return. Where does that leave them? Instead of having Peirce and Rondo moving forward, and trying to build around, they have Peirce and another star to build around, they still will have to build around the same number of components either way.
The other idea is to part ways with KG and Ray Allen and hope the best for free agency and whatever we can get with our draft picks.
Folks, Dwight Howard isn’t going to be walking through those doors. Well ok, he will, but most likely in a Jersey that doesn’t say anything about Boston or Celtics. And those draft picks, Currently Boston’s own first is going to be right in the middle of the pack, The of course there is the lesser of the Minny/Clippers picks.
So Where does that leave Boston for next season? With Peirce and Rondo, Avery Bradley, Moore and Johnson will return. Brandon Bass has a player option and a lot of those other players deals will be on the books until they either retire, or are signed elsewhere… or come back to Boston. Then there are the draft picks, the two firsts and one or two seconds. Oh, and twenty million+ in cap space.
The issue at hand, If the team starts all over with the players on the books for next season and attempts to rebuild a title contender around that core, its not going to happen.
Bass is good, and seems to fit in well with the team, and has stated he’d like to retire a Celtic, good news there. But money talks, will he opt out or stay? He could easily get more money elsewhere and it could be too tempting if Boston looks like a long term rebuild project. But lets suppose he stays.
The team really likes former Celtic, Jeff Green who’ll be returning to the league after heart surgery, and green feels like a part of the team still, everything indicates he’ll be back next season, but considering his medical condition, it’ll likely be on a short term (one year) deal for small money. If he comes back and proves himself he can find more money the following season in Boston or elsewhere.
The team would have the point guard situation well in hand, Rondo with Bradley backing him up. Peirce would have Green as his backup/understudy. Bass could start at the 4, with Johnson as his backup.
Factor in two rookies drafted from the mid range part of the class (and we know how often Doc likes to play rookies) maybe a second rounder or two, a max contract and another near max contract, a MLE signing and a LLE signing. Then some vet’s signing on at the minimum.
Do you get the sense that such a team could contend?
Lets look at what’s behind door #3. Bass, Garnett and Allen all like Boston, have all expressed a desire to retire Celtic’s. Bass might more easily be inclined to live up to his words if he thinks the team can win a title in 2013 or 2014. And which would you rather have, a MAX player, a very good player in the 5-10 million dollar mark, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen?
Boston could make a very nice run this season, and still fine tune the team, but it requires doing some dealing now. Most that dealing would revolves around O’Neil’s contract.
Lack of size and a strong rebounding presence has hurt the Celtics the last few years. This upcoming draft class has little in the way of Bigs who are going to earn their paychecks as bruisers, which is what the Celtics need. Next summers free agency has few players worth of a Max Contract once all the Dwight Howard’s are off the block- and it looks like there is just one of those.
Just as an example, there are some deals out there that are possible, that could help the Celtics this season, and help put them into fine position
Wilcox + O’Neil + Johnson + Dooling + 1 of Boston’s firsts and two seconds for Chris Kaman
Earlier in the season New Orleans was looking for a deal for Kaman, allegedly looking for draft picks and expiring for the veteran Center.
This is a guy who Boston needs desperately right now. Averaging less than 28 minutes and putting up almost 13 points and 8 rebounds a game Boston is looking for just this kind of guy. And Boston would really be giving up little in the way of future assets, just 1 mid range draft pick and Johnson, a rookie with some promise, but very unlikely to be a future difference maker in the league.
New Orleans would lose little in giving up Kaman, but would get back cap space, a project to develop and a draft pick. The issue for them would be finding a way to make room for the new players on the roster.
Lets say Boston pulled this trade off, and were then able to keep Kaman around. What would that take financially? Six to eight million most likely.
Looking at bringing players back for next season, If Boston could get team friendly contracts out of KG and Ray Allen, bring back Jeff Green there is STILL room for a near max type of player.
Consider this lineup
C- Kaman/ KG
PF- Bass/KG
SF- Peirce/Green
SG- Allen/?
PG- Rondo/Bradley
With a near max contract available, then the MLE and LLC then available to the team Boston could turn into a very deep, very scary team. Especially with a near max contract still available and nine very good players already in the mix, Boston could afford to even sign a large contract and then perhaps make a trade or two that would give them more future assets (this doesn’t even include the first they’d still have to use).
If Boston landed the right player(s) in free agency the so called “Big Three” could play on for several more seasons together and the team could be in much better shape than they have been in several years to play for a title. Blow things up? Maybe there is no need to.
If you’re a Celtics fan you’ve heard it all season, “the C’s ought to blow it up all now and build for the future, trade the old men (Peirce, Garnett and Allen), trade Rondo..” Or “NO! Do what we can and rebuild in the off season! We’ve got two draft picks, and well over twenty million in cap space, we can start trying to win it all again in ‘13!
Both philosophies are wrong.
Lets first examine the idea of trading the Fantastic Four. If Boston trades them now, what is Danny looking for? Youth? Draft picks? That’d be ideal for those “Big Three” but the reality is, the teams who’d want them are already playoff bound teams who would be looking to get that extra edge. The truth is, they’d have to shake up their own teams core, with no assurance in the case of Allen or Garnett that would be sticking around past this season. Are other teams willing to risk their own chemistry to borrow Garnett or Allen?
And then what does Boston get in return? Another mid to late draft pick if they receive back a pick for this summer, an unknown commodity if it includes a future first. How many deals are ought there that would be worth it for a playoff team to sacrifice a draft pick for and risk their chemistry as it is now for the team receiving KG or Allen and yet give Boston what they want, financial flexibility going into the off season, and draft picks.
If anyone of the Big Three is movable to get back something in return it might well be Paul Peirce, who has a contract that extends beyond this season. It might be possible to move Paul for an expiring, or maybe an expiring/youth and of course the much desired picks.
Then there is Rondo., If Boston is looking to rebuild they already have one important component of a new Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, one of the best point guards in the league on a very team friendly contract. Lets say Boston trades Rondo, If they get what seems to be the asking price, another superstar in return. Where does that leave them? Instead of having Peirce and Rondo moving forward, and trying to build around, they have Peirce and another star to build around, they still will have to build around the same number of components either way.
The other idea is to part ways with KG and Ray Allen and hope the best for free agency and whatever we can get with our draft picks.
Folks, Dwight Howard isn’t going to be walking through those doors. Well ok, he will, but most likely in a Jersey that doesn’t say anything about Boston or Celtics. And those draft picks, Currently Boston’s own first is going to be right in the middle of the pack, The of course there is the lesser of the Minny/Clippers picks.
So Where does that leave Boston for next season? With Peirce and Rondo, Avery Bradley, Moore and Johnson will return. Brandon Bass has a player option and a lot of those other players deals will be on the books until they either retire, or are signed elsewhere… or come back to Boston. Then there are the draft picks, the two firsts and one or two seconds. Oh, and twenty million+ in cap space.
The issue at hand, If the team starts all over with the players on the books for next season and attempts to rebuild a title contender around that core, its not going to happen.
Bass is good, and seems to fit in well with the team, and has stated he’d like to retire a Celtic, good news there. But money talks, will he opt out or stay? He could easily get more money elsewhere and it could be too tempting if Boston looks like a long term rebuild project. But lets suppose he stays.
The team really likes former Celtic, Jeff Green who’ll be returning to the league after heart surgery, and green feels like a part of the team still, everything indicates he’ll be back next season, but considering his medical condition, it’ll likely be on a short term (one year) deal for small money. If he comes back and proves himself he can find more money the following season in Boston or elsewhere.
The team would have the point guard situation well in hand, Rondo with Bradley backing him up. Peirce would have Green as his backup/understudy. Bass could start at the 4, with Johnson as his backup.
Factor in two rookies drafted from the mid range part of the class (and we know how often Doc likes to play rookies) maybe a second rounder or two, a max contract and another near max contract, a MLE signing and a LLE signing. Then some vet’s signing on at the minimum.
Do you get the sense that such a team could contend?
Lets look at what’s behind door #3. Bass, Garnett and Allen all like Boston, have all expressed a desire to retire Celtic’s. Bass might more easily be inclined to live up to his words if he thinks the team can win a title in 2013 or 2014. And which would you rather have, a MAX player, a very good player in the 5-10 million dollar mark, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen?
Boston could make a very nice run this season, and still fine tune the team, but it requires doing some dealing now. Most that dealing would revolves around O’Neil’s contract.
Lack of size and a strong rebounding presence has hurt the Celtics the last few years. This upcoming draft class has little in the way of Bigs who are going to earn their paychecks as bruisers, which is what the Celtics need. Next summers free agency has few players worth of a Max Contract once all the Dwight Howard’s are off the block- and it looks like there is just one of those.
Just as an example, there are some deals out there that are possible, that could help the Celtics this season, and help put them into fine position
Wilcox + O’Neil + Johnson + Dooling + 1 of Boston’s firsts and two seconds for Chris Kaman
Earlier in the season New Orleans was looking for a deal for Kaman, allegedly looking for draft picks and expiring for the veteran Center.
This is a guy who Boston needs desperately right now. Averaging less than 28 minutes and putting up almost 13 points and 8 rebounds a game Boston is looking for just this kind of guy. And Boston would really be giving up little in the way of future assets, just 1 mid range draft pick and Johnson, a rookie with some promise, but very unlikely to be a future difference maker in the league.
New Orleans would lose little in giving up Kaman, but would get back cap space, a project to develop and a draft pick. The issue for them would be finding a way to make room for the new players on the roster.
Lets say Boston pulled this trade off, and were then able to keep Kaman around. What would that take financially? Six to eight million most likely.
Looking at bringing players back for next season, If Boston could get team friendly contracts out of KG and Ray Allen, bring back Jeff Green there is STILL room for a near max type of player.
Consider this lineup
C- Kaman/ KG
PF- Bass/KG
SF- Peirce/Green
SG- Allen/?
PG- Rondo/Bradley
With a near max contract available, then the MLE and LLC then available to the team Boston could turn into a very deep, very scary team. Especially with a near max contract still available and nine very good players already in the mix, Boston could afford to even sign a large contract and then perhaps make a trade or two that would give them more future assets (this doesn’t even include the first they’d still have to use).
If Boston landed the right player(s) in free agency the so called “Big Three” could play on for several more seasons together and the team could be in much better shape than they have been in several years to play for a title. Blow things up? Maybe there is no need to.