Celtics/NBA Pre-Season Thread: Celtics, now owners of minor league Red Claws, say team will stay in Portland

[EverettMike]

I don't know what everyone is so worried about, all the Celtics have to do is trade Rondo for a couple assets and they should be fine.

"THEY'RE NEVER TRADING RONDO!"

 

[Johnnyduke]

Danny Ainge has played his hand as good as you can. Got rid of aging stars, drafted good players with the picks, traded the #1 pick and avoided Fultz, actually got two all start caliber players to sign via free agency, traded a broken IT for another all star player...and in the end it has amounted to not even a trip to the finals. It's why I have a hard time investing in the NBA. All because Kyrie Irving is a dink, it's all unraveling.

Compare that to the Lakers who have been nothing short of incompetent the last few years. Just total chaos and disarray in the organization. Yet because LeBron wanted to go to Hollywood and because AD/his agent wanted to go to LA with LeBron the Lakers are now a totally undeserving title contender.

 

[BigGoalBrad]

Danny Ainge has played his hand as good as you can. Got rid of aging stars, drafted good players with the picks, traded the #1 pick and avoided Fultz, actually got two all start caliber players to sign via free agency, traded a broken IT for another all star player...and in the end it has amounted to not even a trip to the finals. It's why I have a hard time investing in the NBA. All because Kyrie Irving is a dink, it's all unraveling.

Compare that to the Lakers who have been nothing short of incompetent the last few years. Just total chaos and disarray in the organization. Yet because LeBron wanted to go to Hollywood and because AD/his agent wanted to go to LA with LeBron the Lakers are now a totally undeserving title contender.

Yeah but we might be catching the same break with regards to teams above us.

GS and Houston appear to be getting weakened significantly in the West.

No different than if Kahwi leaves Toronto and Middleton leaves Milwaukee.

They've also given up their Tatum and Brown (I don't think Ingram and Ball are as good) and a top 4 pick that pick is likely what will bite them.

AD is a hard player to criticize but he hasn't won jack and I don't think his cast was that bad I loathe how people think he was a better NCAA player than Carmelo being a Syracuse fan the two are compared a lot for their 1 and done championships (he had a much better team at UK) and I assure you he had much better pieces in New Orleans than Melo did in Denver but Melo had a trip to the WCF and made it out of the first round nearly every year he won way more at the same point in their careers AD is getting a pass on doing nothing and bailing on a team with plenty of talent and the #1 pick its ridiculous.

I think they need more than role players and I'm not sure Kyrie is enough.

The NBA is in a funny spot re bigs. Boogie pre injury was very close to AD. And the classic big man is out of fashion. Al Horford is being ridiculously overrated because everyone wants their 5 shooting 3's all of a sudden. I really hope we buck the trend and get Capela for cheap I don't need my center shooting 3's. Horford is probably going to get a contract that ends up being the worst in the NBA in 2 years I think hes close to finished.

There aren't that many bigs inbetween Davis and Capela honestly at the moment.

 

[LSCII]

Lots of rumors about a big trade day move by Boston. I assume this is the part of the off season where they make a panic move and make things worse. Should be really funny.

 

[JRull86]

Lots of rumors about a big trade day move by Boston. I assume this is the part of the off season where they make a panic move and make things worse. Should be really funny.

When was the last time Ainge made a panic move, especially via trade?

Perk in 2011?

He's the last GM that's going to do something stupid.

 

[Gator Mike]

Ainge isn't exactly known for making panic moves.

 

[LSCII]

When was the last time Ainge made a panic move, especially via trade?

Perk in 2011?

He's the last GM that's going to do something stupid.

Are you sure about that? Losing Irving and Horford in one fell swoop can make people do all sorts of odd things. They're going from a title contending team that underachieved to a rebuild in 2 weeks. Panic may set in, and it would be a huge mistake to let those moves dictate the entire plan for the off season. Let them walk. Stay the course. Bradley Beal is nothing more than an incremental upgrade over Tatum or Brown right now. Plus moving one of them in any deal to get Beal makes them worse long term.

 

[KrejciMVP]

I don't think they need to do a lot. Use the cap space to get some PG depth to go along with Smart and Rozier and a few big guys. Toronto just won a title with Gasol and Ibaka. The talent with the highest upside is still with the team in Tatum Brown and to a lesser degree Hayward.

Playoff Kyrie didnt impress me, He has his best season years ago playing next to LeBron but clearly can't lead a team on his own

 

[LSCII]

I don't think they need to do a lot. Use the cap space to get some PG depth to go along with Smart and Rozier and a few big guys. Toronto just won a title with Gasol and Ibaka. The talent with the highest upside is still with the team in Tatum Brown and to a lesser degree Hayward.

Playoff Kyrie didnt impress me, He has his best season years ago playing next to LeBron but clearly can't lead a team on his own

While you say they may not need to do much, if you believe the rumors, Ainge disagrees. And that's why I said the worst thing he can do is make a panic move. Time will tell though...

 

[KesselBuiltMyHotrod]

Thinking Danny didn't already have plans for if Kyrie and Horford bounced is giving very little credit to a man who has been very good at his job.

 

[Johnnyduke]

Having plans for Kyrie and Horford leaving is fine. But the whole point of all this was to build a team around Kyrie and attract another free agent down the road. I'm not blaming Ainge for that though. You take that chance especially when you got Kyrie for a broken down IT. No way to predict Hayward's injury. I just underestimated how much of a slug Kyrie Irving is.

 

[LSCII]

Thinking Danny didn't already have plans for if Kyrie and Horford bounced is giving very little credit to a man who has been very good at his job.

I didn't say he hasn't planned for any contingencies. I said making moves out of panic is always a bad idea. He may have expected it, but that doesn't mean he's making any follow up deals from a position of strength now, does it?

 

[JRull86]

Going to be real funny to watch this place meltdown if Kyrie somehow ends up back here

 

[Johnnyduke]

Going to be real funny to watch this place meltdown if Kyrie somehow ends up back here

Is there something out there I'm not aware of? From everything I have seen he is gone. And all along I thought the only way he stays now is if you get AD. That didn't happen.

 

[Johnnyduke]

Not to mention at this point I don't think Kyrie is leading you to the promised land. He was great when he was 2nd behind LeBron but so far looks like a total failure trying to lead his own team.

 

[Absurdity]

Going to be real funny to watch this place meltdown if Kyrie somehow ends up back here

 

[pgm16]

Just read a couple of clips that Nets are hesitant to sign Kyrie without KD.

 

[JRull86]

I doubt he's back, but I've seen more and more of these stories over the past few days.

 

[Johnnyduke]

OK let's say the Celtics and Kyrie somehow make it work...what then is the cap situation like? You'd still have the same mess of a team as last year and probably no cap space.

 

[EvilDead]

Not to mention at this point I don't think Kyrie is leading you to the promised land. He was great when he was 2nd behind LeBron but so far looks like a total failure trying to lead his own team.

He's Stephon Marbury 2.0. Absolutely a great piece when he isn't the main guy and can be part of a championship team, but when Irving is on his own he gets in way over his head and brings down the team more than he helps them due to him being a selfish d-bag.

 

[KesselBuiltMyHotrod]

I doubt he's back, but I've seen more and more of these stories over the past few days.

Who knew acting like a baby and sucking on the court could affect his future?

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

All I want to know is if Kyrie is gone who will take over all the Flat Earth talk?

 

[EverettMike]

Danny Ainge has played his hand as good as you can. Got rid of aging stars, drafted good players with the picks, traded the #1 pick and avoided Fultz, actually got two all start caliber players to sign via free agency, traded a broken IT for another all star player...and in the end it has amounted to not even a trip to the finals. It's why I have a hard time investing in the NBA. All because Kyrie Irving is a dink, it's all unraveling.

Compare that to the Lakers who have been nothing short of incompetent the last few years. Just total chaos and disarray in the organization. Yet because LeBron wanted to go to Hollywood and because AD/his agent wanted to go to LA with LeBron the Lakers are now a totally undeserving title contender.

Spot on.

 

[KesselBuiltMyHotrod]

S&t Hayward for Durant. Get it done, Danny.

 

[Mr Cartmenez]

I doubt he's back, but I've seen more and more of these stories over the past few days.

There is zero percent chance that teams backing out of the Kyrie-sweepstakes. This is the NBA, teams don't care about headcases. This is the league where GMs will be handing out max contracts to severe injured players (Durant, Klay). Most important thing is talent, then there is nothing else. If character was a thing in this league, teams wouldn't even be able to field a starting 5.

Again, I am already over Irving and it's not even July 1st.