Brad Stevens has navigated crucial Celtics offseason with savvy moves, signaling strong start to his front office tenure

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/08/brad-stevens-has-navigated-crucial-celtics-offseason-with-savvy-moves-signaling-strong-start-to-his-front-office-tenure-brian-robb.html



Brad Stevens has navigated crucial Celtics offseason with savvy moves, signaling strong start to his front office tenure


Updated 9:47 AM; Today 6:30 AM



By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



LAS VEGAS — Brad Stevens laid out a simple but challenging goal for his first offseason as Celtics president of basketball operations last month.

“We need to be mindful of our near and long-term views, and at the same time add hopefully an edge and some experience to our team,” Stevens explained on draft night. “When I say experience, I mean just the savvy of someone who has been through it before that will help everybody around our guys better. That’s an important thing for our team as we move forward. The fit is important, What people bring to the table from those attributes is important. That’s what we’re looking at.”


The early days of NBA free agency provided a slow start for Boston on the talent upgrade front. Top midseason addition Evan Fournier headed to the rival Knicks for a big raise that Boston balked at. Other potential Celtics free agent targets headed to other contenders on bargain deals or simply signed contracts that were outside of Boston’s spending ability ($6 million) last week. Through the first three days of free agency, the Celtics were one of four teams that did not make a single signing, leaving them losing ground quickly in the Eastern Conference arms race as they tried to maintain long-term flexibility.

Stevens has always shown good patience as a head coach though and that mentality has translated well to his move to the front office this summer. With limited cap space available among playoff teams, there was going to be some free agent player or players that were going to be left at the altar when big money got handed out elsewhere. The Celtics initially hoped that would be Fournier according to league sources, but a strong market market quickly developed for him with the Knicks.

Stevens and the rest of Boston’s top executives (Mike Zarren, Austin Ainge, Alison Feaster, Dave Lewin) wisely valued flexibility instead of overpaying Fournier on a long-term deal, but that left him with a sizable offensive talent hole to fill, a gamble for a team that had already lost a top scorer in Kemba Walker.


Boston’s front office did not know in all likelihood that Schroder specifically would be the guard left standing on the dance floor without a partner when the music stopped but their calculation worked out well in believing some appealing player would slip through the cracks. On top of that, a closer look at Boston’s preceding moves to the Schroder signing signals a plan that played out well on paper for Boston.


TRADING KEMBA WALKER EARLY

His quick buyout with Oklahoma City confirmed that there was no developing trade market for him even once the free agency market got settled. The Celtics needed to get off his money for next season to create some spending power and they did just that by nabbing Al Horford at the cost of the No. 16 pick. Stevens also created some additional opportunity on the Celtics roster at the guard spot by moving Walker that helped make the team look appealing to Schroder.


LANDING JOSH RICHARDSON FOR A THROW-IN (MOSES BROWN)

This addition turned into a preemptive replacement for Evan Fournier once he moved outside Boston’s price range. There’s no question that Fournier is that far superior offensive player compared to Richardson, who is coming off two subpar years (for him) with the Mavericks and 76ers. However, landing Richardson on an expiring contract once again provided Boston plenty of long-term maneuverability with their salary cap while also adding a guy on a fair market contract. Richardson is certainly capable of playing far better than an $11 million player next year based on his track record in Miami and Philly, something that excites new head coach Ime Udoka.

“A guy I obviously worked with him in Philadelphia,” Udoka said of Richardson. “A guy I saw a ton of in Miami. Defensive mindset, but versatile. He’s another versatile defender, a guy that can play on or off the ball. He’s done that in Miami. He’s played some point guard, so he’s a guy that can do a lot of things out there. Didn’t shoot it as well the last few years, but we’re getting back to that. He’s a better shooter than he showed in Dallas. Josh is another guy you can plug into a lot of different areas if you want to go small or big, or he can be a point guard. Defensively, he can guard all those positions.”


Whether he’s part of the long-term plan in Boston or just a potential trade chip remains to be seen, but Richardson’s age (27) and skillset makes him a good bet for Boston with the remainder of their Gordon Hayward trade exception.


GETTING A SECOND-ROUND PICK FOR TRISTAN THOMPSON

Tristan Thompson’s two-year contract for the mid-level exception looked like an overpay just a couple of months into his tenure with Boston last season. The common theory was that the Celtics may have to move an asset (second-round pick) to dump Thompson’s money for the final season of his deal but Stevens managed to find a taker for the veteran big man in Sacramento. Boston did have to take back a couple of unappealing contracts in Kris Dunn and Bruno Fernando but those players should be far easier to move in a trade if needed. The 2023 second-round pick Boston nabbed as part of this deal should help grease the wheels for that, if required, so this entire transaction was an effective way of cutting costs and clearing out a tough fit for the roster in Thompson.


SIGNING ENES KANTER FOR VETERAN’S MINIMUM

The optics of bringing Kanter back weren’t great after the Celtics traded him away with a draft pick last offseason. However, Stevens didn’t let that prevent him from bringing back a player who provides valuable depth at center behind a pair of centers with durability concerns (Al Horford, Robert Williams). Kanter has his limitations but he can soak up minutes and provide an offensive punch, particularly on the offensive glass.


HOLDING THE LINE WITH SCHRODER AT TAXPAYER MID-LEVEL

The Celtics could have moved around some salary to offer the point guard more with their mid-level exception. They could have offered a second-year (player option) to provide some additional injury security for Schroder. Instead, Stevens and Boston’s front office held the line. Schroder could play here where more opportunity would be guaranteed with a chance for him to rebuild some value by playing with a strong supporting cast around him. However, Boston wasn’t going to change any of their future flexibility plans for his contract. It’s a low-risk, high-reward deal for Boston and allows them to use Schroder (or another guard) to potentially gain another asset at the trade deadline thanks to his low salary if the fit in Boston isn’t great this season.

In totality, these moves don’t jump off the page compared to offseasons by other teams. However, Stevens has managed to make the best out of a tough situation this offseason on a very limited free-agent budget. He cut salary in trades, created long-term flexibility and also has brought aboard respectable talent in the process thanks to a good gameplan put in place by Boston’s brass.

There was a lot of uncertainty about how Stevens would fare leading an experienced front office in Boston following Danny Ainge’s retirement and there’s still plenty of mystery that remains without having seen this team on the floor yet. There also continue to be rumblings that Boston likely isn’t done attempting to make upgrades to the roster either despite its current crowded depth chart. In the meantime, Stevens’ first two months on the job have set a strong positive outlook for his potential in the front office and has helped steady a franchise that desperately needed to turn things around after a rough year.


Bob
MY NOTE:  I find it interesting that Brian Robb considers Moses Brown "a throw-in" when so many people on this board fell in love with him, thinking he was the real gold in the Kemba-Horford trade.  I also find it interesting that he considers Bruno Fernando's $1.78M contract to be "unappealing".  Brad has the option of making a $2.22M Qualifying offer next year if he wants to keep him and the year after that he's a RFA which means that Brad can match any offer and then use the higher fair market value for him in a trade package if he wants.  At worst he costs us the exact same $1.78M we're paying for Carsen Edwards this year.  Does anybody think that Bruno's $1.78M contract is "less appealing" than Carsen's $1.78M?  We need a power forward, we don't need a high-volume, low-percentage 5'11" SG.  My interest right now is seeing what happens with Kris Dunn.  Does he stay in green or does Brad move him, and for what?  I don't think we need to be obsessive about draft picks like Danny was and like the way OKC is now, but 1st round picks do have value, as fillers in trades if nothing else.  If Brad can trade Dunn for a first round pick projected anywhere in the top half of the draft I'd be happy with that.  He was a #5 pick, so that means his stock is low, but his stock should be low.  Move Dunn for a likely low lottery pick or for a shooter.  Between Smart and Schroder and Richardson we don't need another "primarily defense" guard.  If Brad is able to trade Dunn for a mid-1st round pick that would mean that Brad traded Tristan Thompson for Bruno and a mid-1st round pick and that's a damn good trade for us in my opinion.  People were talking about how we'd have to trade Tristan for a bag of donuts and throw in a 2nd rounder with him just to convince them to take his contract.  Bruno is a 2nd rounder, so Brad got paid a 2nd rounder for Thompson, and that doesn't even include Dunn.

Another point:  After OKC traded for Kemba there was talk they were going to flip him quickly.  The name being floated around a lot was the Lakers and people were asking why Brad pulled the trigger so fast on Kemba, why he didn't try to trade him to the Lakers himself?  Well, because that "Kemba-to-LA" rumor was just a bunch of BS, that's why.  Brad got Horford, who will provide a good high post game and big man mentor for us.  Who would we have gotten for Kemba from LA?  Whose contract(s), in Laker Land, would match up?  Look at what they gave up to get Westbrook.  No way, NO WAY, Brad gets anything even remotely close to that for Kemba and if he can't then what/who would that leave?

So far I'm pro-Brad as a GM.  He's making good deals that is moving the team, and its salary issues, forward.  He's not swinging for the fences with every deal like Danny did, but that's one of the reasons why GMs were wary of doing business with Danny.  They'd seen too many of their peers get shitcanned because Danny outplayed them so badly it killed their careers.  Where's Billy King and Bryan Colangelo now?  King and Colangelo are both in their mid-50s and they're still not working in the NBA and haven't since they got s-canned (admittedly Colangelo had other things going on that got him fired, like his ghost accounts where he bad mouthed his own players, but he was on thin ice already before that because Danny fleeced him in the Tatum + Romeo for Fultz deal).  Danny wanted at least a one-run homer with every deal, and sometimes that meant deals that could/should be done didn't and we got stuck with the players and contracts that Brad is now dealing with.  Brad's hitting singles, spraying them around the park.  A single to left in the Thompson trade, a net single to right on the Kemba trade (or was it a wild pitch by Sam Presti?), maybe even a double on the Josh Richardson trade if Moses isn't the Savior that some people here think he was going to be.  Not bad for a newbie, not bad at all so far.


.

Great reaction Bob! Just one issue with your comments: Dunn is a multi-year $5M player. So that represents his value and what the league thinks of him. I will be happy if the Celts can get any kind of first for him.

A team trading for Dunn could have been a player in the Schroder market. So I am puzzled as to who will be that dance partner.

Aside:

As for Fernando, can he be an OJ improvement and bring his 6 fouls when facing Giannis? I see the addition of Horford and Kanter as a counter for Embiid's physicality, very specifically Kanter being the 76ers specialist providing heavy physical banging to wear him down. Can Fernando be our Bucks specialist?

Don't see a good way to match up with the Nets right now. Grasping at straws, can Schroder put Kyrie a spin in cycle defensively? Can Josh Richardson attack the Beard at the defensive end? Can Nesmith be a fearsome off-the-bench shooter against the Nets defense? How will we outscore them?

Have to admit that my hopes from the season have gone up. A lot to watch for!

Ditto Prakash. Bob made a great report on Brad.

bobheckler wrote:https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/08/brad-stevens-has-navigated-crucial-celtics-offseason-with-savvy-moves-signaling-strong-start-to-his-front-office-tenure-brian-robb.html



Brad Stevens has navigated crucial Celtics offseason with savvy moves, signaling strong start to his front office tenure


Updated 9:47 AM; Today 6:30 AM



By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



LAS VEGAS — Brad Stevens laid out a simple but challenging goal for his first offseason as Celtics president of basketball operations last month.

“We need to be mindful of our near and long-term views, and at the same time add hopefully an edge and some experience to our team,” Stevens explained on draft night. “When I say experience, I mean just the savvy of someone who has been through it before that will help everybody around our guys better. That’s an important thing for our team as we move forward. The fit is important, What people bring to the table from those attributes is important. That’s what we’re looking at.”


The early days of NBA free agency provided a slow start for Boston on the talent upgrade front. Top midseason addition Evan Fournier headed to the rival Knicks for a big raise that Boston balked at. Other potential Celtics free agent targets headed to other contenders on bargain deals or simply signed contracts that were outside of Boston’s spending ability ($6 million) last week. Through the first three days of free agency, the Celtics were one of four teams that did not make a single signing, leaving them losing ground quickly in the Eastern Conference arms race as they tried to maintain long-term flexibility.

Stevens has always shown good patience as a head coach though and that mentality has translated well to his move to the front office this summer. With limited cap space available among playoff teams, there was going to be some free agent player or players that were going to be left at the altar when big money got handed out elsewhere. The Celtics initially hoped that would be Fournier according to league sources, but a strong market market quickly developed for him with the Knicks.

Stevens and the rest of Boston’s top executives (Mike Zarren, Austin Ainge, Alison Feaster, Dave Lewin) wisely valued flexibility instead of overpaying Fournier on a long-term deal, but that left him with a sizable offensive talent hole to fill, a gamble for a team that had already lost a top scorer in Kemba Walker.


Boston’s front office did not know in all likelihood that Schroder specifically would be the guard left standing on the dance floor without a partner when the music stopped but their calculation worked out well in believing some appealing player would slip through the cracks. On top of that, a closer look at Boston’s preceding moves to the Schroder signing signals a plan that played out well on paper for Boston.


TRADING KEMBA WALKER EARLY

His quick buyout with Oklahoma City confirmed that there was no developing trade market for him even once the free agency market got settled. The Celtics needed to get off his money for next season to create some spending power and they did just that by nabbing Al Horford at the cost of the No. 16 pick. Stevens also created some additional opportunity on the Celtics roster at the guard spot by moving Walker that helped make the team look appealing to Schroder.


LANDING JOSH RICHARDSON FOR A THROW-IN (MOSES BROWN)

This addition turned into a preemptive replacement for Evan Fournier once he moved outside Boston’s price range. There’s no question that Fournier is that far superior offensive player compared to Richardson, who is coming off two subpar years (for him) with the Mavericks and 76ers. However, landing Richardson on an expiring contract once again provided Boston plenty of long-term maneuverability with their salary cap while also adding a guy on a fair market contract. Richardson is certainly capable of playing far better than an $11 million player next year based on his track record in Miami and Philly, something that excites new head coach Ime Udoka.

“A guy I obviously worked with him in Philadelphia,” Udoka said of Richardson. “A guy I saw a ton of in Miami. Defensive mindset, but versatile. He’s another versatile defender, a guy that can play on or off the ball. He’s done that in Miami. He’s played some point guard, so he’s a guy that can do a lot of things out there. Didn’t shoot it as well the last few years, but we’re getting back to that. He’s a better shooter than he showed in Dallas. Josh is another guy you can plug into a lot of different areas if you want to go small or big, or he can be a point guard. Defensively, he can guard all those positions.”


Whether he’s part of the long-term plan in Boston or just a potential trade chip remains to be seen, but Richardson’s age (27) and skillset makes him a good bet for Boston with the remainder of their Gordon Hayward trade exception.


GETTING A SECOND-ROUND PICK FOR TRISTAN THOMPSON

Tristan Thompson’s two-year contract for the mid-level exception looked like an overpay just a couple of months into his tenure with Boston last season. The common theory was that the Celtics may have to move an asset (second-round pick) to dump Thompson’s money for the final season of his deal but Stevens managed to find a taker for the veteran big man in Sacramento. Boston did have to take back a couple of unappealing contracts in Kris Dunn and Bruno Fernando but those players should be far easier to move in a trade if needed. The 2023 second-round pick Boston nabbed as part of this deal should help grease the wheels for that, if required, so this entire transaction was an effective way of cutting costs and clearing out a tough fit for the roster in Thompson.


SIGNING ENES KANTER FOR VETERAN’S MINIMUM

The optics of bringing Kanter back weren’t great after the Celtics traded him away with a draft pick last offseason. However, Stevens didn’t let that prevent him from bringing back a player who provides valuable depth at center behind a pair of centers with durability concerns (Al Horford, Robert Williams). Kanter has his limitations but he can soak up minutes and provide an offensive punch, particularly on the offensive glass.


HOLDING THE LINE WITH SCHRODER AT TAXPAYER MID-LEVEL

The Celtics could have moved around some salary to offer the point guard more with their mid-level exception. They could have offered a second-year (player option) to provide some additional injury security for Schroder. Instead, Stevens and Boston’s front office held the line. Schroder could play here where more opportunity would be guaranteed with a chance for him to rebuild some value by playing with a strong supporting cast around him. However, Boston wasn’t going to change any of their future flexibility plans for his contract. It’s a low-risk, high-reward deal for Boston and allows them to use Schroder (or another guard) to potentially gain another asset at the trade deadline thanks to his low salary if the fit in Boston isn’t great this season.

In totality, these moves don’t jump off the page compared to offseasons by other teams. However, Stevens has managed to make the best out of a tough situation this offseason on a very limited free-agent budget. He cut salary in trades, created long-term flexibility and also has brought aboard respectable talent in the process thanks to a good gameplan put in place by Boston’s brass.

There was a lot of uncertainty about how Stevens would fare leading an experienced front office in Boston following Danny Ainge’s retirement and there’s still plenty of mystery that remains without having seen this team on the floor yet. There also continue to be rumblings that Boston likely isn’t done attempting to make upgrades to the roster either despite its current crowded depth chart. In the meantime, Stevens’ first two months on the job have set a strong positive outlook for his potential in the front office and has helped steady a franchise that desperately needed to turn things around after a rough year.


Bob
MY NOTE:  I find it interesting that Brian Robb considers Moses Brown "a throw-in" when so many people on this board fell in love with him, thinking he was the real gold in the Kemba-Horford trade.  I also find it interesting that he considers Bruno Fernando's $1.78M contract to be "unappealing".  Brad has the option of making a $2.22M Qualifying offer next year if he wants to keep him and the year after that he's a RFA which means that Brad can match any offer and then use the higher fair market value for him in a trade package if he wants.  At worst he costs us the exact same $1.78M we're paying for Carsen Edwards this year.  Does anybody think that Bruno's $1.78M contract is "less appealing" than Carsen's $1.78M?  We need a power forward, we don't need a high-volume, low-percentage 5'11" SG.  My interest right now is seeing what happens with Kris Dunn.  Does he stay in green or does Brad move him, and for what?  I don't think we need to be obsessive about draft picks like Danny was and like the way OKC is now, but 1st round picks do have value, as fillers in trades if nothing else.  If Brad can trade Dunn for a first round pick projected anywhere in the top half of the draft I'd be happy with that.  He was a #5 pick, so that means his stock is low, but his stock should be low.  Move Dunn for a likely low lottery pick or for a shooter.  Between Smart and Schroder and Richardson we don't need another "primarily defense" guard.  If Brad is able to trade Dunn for a mid-1st round pick that would mean that Brad traded Tristan Thompson for Bruno and a mid-1st round pick and that's a damn good trade for us in my opinion.  People were talking about how we'd have to trade Tristan for a bag of donuts and throw in a 2nd rounder with him just to convince them to take his contract.  Bruno is a 2nd rounder, so Brad got paid a 2nd rounder for Thompson, and that doesn't even include Dunn.

Another point:  After OKC traded for Kemba there was talk they were going to flip him quickly.  The name being floated around a lot was the Lakers and people were asking why Brad pulled the trigger so fast on Kemba, why he didn't try to trade him to the Lakers himself?  Well, because that "Kemba-to-LA" rumor was just a bunch of BS, that's why.  Brad got Horford, who will provide a good high post game and big man mentor for us.  Who would we have gotten for Kemba from LA?  Whose contract(s), in Laker Land, would match up?  Look at what they gave up to get Westbrook.  No way, NO WAY, Brad gets anything even remotely close to that for Kemba and if he can't then what/who would that leave?

So far I'm pro-Brad as a GM.  He's making good deals that is moving the team, and its salary issues, forward.  He's not swinging for the fences with every deal like Danny did, but that's one of the reasons why GMs were wary of doing business with Danny.  They'd seen too many of their peers get shitcanned because Danny outplayed them so badly it killed their careers.  Where's Billy King and Bryan Colangelo now?  King and Colangelo are both in their mid-50s and they're still not working in the NBA and haven't since they got s-canned (admittedly Colangelo had other things going on that got him fired, like his ghost accounts where he bad mouthed his own players, but he was on thin ice already before that because Danny fleeced him in the Tatum + Romeo for Fultz deal).  Danny wanted at least a one-run homer with every deal, and sometimes that meant deals that could/should be done didn't and we got stuck with the players and contracts that Brad is now dealing with.  Brad's hitting singles, spraying them around the park.  A single to left in the Thompson trade, a net single to right on the Kemba trade (or was it a wild pitch by Sam Presti?), maybe even a double on the Josh Richardson trade if Moses isn't the Savior that some people here think he was going to be.  Not bad for a newbie, not bad at all so far.


.

Billy King is co-hosting a morning SportsTalk show on WIP in Philly.
Brian Colangelo has an ownership stake in the Illawarra Hawks of Australia’s National Basketball League.
Danny “Killer” Ainge is on the beach and laughing his ass off.

Steve Bulpett @SteveBHoop
about 10 minutes ago
In consecutive, rapid fashion via email, Celtics announce signings of Dennis Schroder, Enes Kanter and Sam Hauser (two-way). It's getting very Oprah-like out here. "You get a contract. You get a contract. You get a contract..."



Bob


.

Contrary to the reports about Brad and Danny, both seemed to have landed on their feet. Brad is running, Danny is just taking life as it comes. The fact that he feels comfortable enough with his decision to attend summer camp and watch “his kids” get the chance to play that they did not get last summer is great. He will always be a Celtic, and will root this team on, with Brad at the helm, hoping only for the best.

Once the Dunn situation is taken care of, the picture gets even clearer.
The kids have had a good summer league so far, let’s hope it continues. And that all stay healthy this coming year.

From your mouth to Red's ears Rosalie.

Opportunities present themselves in unexpected ways.

Stevens has hit the ground running.

He had to move Kemba.  He did that.  The Celtics saved around $20 million and have 2 years left to digest the AH contract.  I like the addition but I am reminded that the money we are paying him was the money we refused to pay him.  Since we saved money and added his center skills to the mix it is a very reasonable deal.

The curious move was the Kris Dunn acquisition.  That move probably does not take place if Brad knew that Schroder would fall into his lap for pennies on the dollar.  Even in absence of the Luck of the Irish, why sign an injury plagued player coming off a year where he only played in 5 games?  What has history taught us about signing players with physical issues?  

Were there a lot of teams lining up to give Dunn $5 million?  Did Brad move too fast in making the Dunn trade?

My thinking is that Dunn's contract will not be easy to move.  I think he could be part of a multi-player deal.  I like the one year deal.

So Brad decided to bring back Enes Kanter.  I do not like that move a bit because it creates a potential log jam at the 5.  Another reason is because Kanter is a poor fit for the offense.  Another reason is because Kanter is a poor fit for the defense.  What do I like about him?  I like his physicality on the glass.  I also like the cheap one year deal.

Ime heaped some praise on Josh Richardson.  I not completely buying the notion that Josh is a better shooter than what we have seen.  His past two seasons he shot 34.1 and last year 33% from deep.  While the league average is up to 36.8% his numbers are trending in the opposite direction.  Josh is a worthy multi positional defender and that should be a big plus for a team that found it most difficult to stop a nose bleed. I like the one year deal but would have preferred a one year deal for Delon Wright.

Moses was a prospect as is Bruno.  Moses has had more opportunity to play than Bruno.  It will be interesting to see how their respective careers turn out.  Either player are bargain basement guys with no guarantees.  

This brings me to Dennis Schroder.  

There is a string of Xmas lights.  Some are on and some are off and some are just flickering.  Dennis while appearing to be the candidate for the dim bulb award  is usurped by the sheer arrogance of Victor Oladipo.  They both lost money they likely will never make up but at least Dennis is healthy.  VO has not been right for at least 3 years following his leg injury.  He has played a total of 49 regular season game over 3 years.  To think people on this board had the hots for him.  Dennis can start or come off the bench.  He can play.  I like his one year cheap deal.

My only issue with the Dunn move is, why make it unless you had another move lined up to flip him right away. The longer he sits on the roster, the less confident I feel that he can be flipped, unless someone wants someone on our roster that is totally available.

RosalieTCeltics wrote:My only issue with the Dunn move is, why make it unless you had another move lined up to flip him right away.  The longer he sits on the roster, the less confident I feel that he can be flipped, unless someone wants someone on our roster that is totally available.  

Patience.

Like I mentioned in another post, they may be collecting these guys up for a multi-player trade and they have to wait 2 months to include Dunn for that.

On the other hand, if Brad can scratch some other team's itch with Dunn and can get something back (TPE, 1st rounder, etc.) he makes that deal, in a single player trade.

I don't think Dunn was ever considered a keeper by Brad, so it's just a matter of time. It could take days, weeks or months.

Well, just Call BobH, he will give them Carsen, Dunn, and an ice cream sunday!!!

For a box of Krispy Kreams.

RosalieTCeltics wrote:My only issue with the Dunn move is, why make it unless you had another move lined up to flip him right away.  The longer he sits on the roster, the less confident I feel that he can be flipped, unless someone wants someone on our roster that is totally available.  

Rosalie

The alternative is to keep him and maybe move him before the trade deadline.  Expiring contracts have value.

They would have to part ways with Parker to free up a roster spot.  I am assuming of course that Yam will not be on the roster.

There is still plenty of time to do a deal so Brad just needs to execute a deal at the appropriate time.

I wonder how Madar will react to being sent back overseas. He wanted out of his contract last year, I do not know if he thought the Celtics would buy him out then, but, he is not in a spot where he has much bargaining power. He is still so young, has shown some flashes, but is not ready for the big time. Is he worth buying out and making him a two way? I think not. I think this kid is heading for disappointment

Next year PP will be pushing for 30 mpg.

Yam will be fine.  He is already a Celtic in waiting.

dboss wrote:Next year PP will be pushing for 30 mpg.

Yam will be fine.  He is already a Celtic in waiting.

dboss,

No on 1 and yes on 2.

With Smart, Schroder and Richardson I just don't see how Pritchard can get 30mpg.  Even if we only go with a 3 guard unit that's 36mpg when you divide them equally between those 4 players and that would mean that Jaylen plays SF exclusively and is not included in those back court numbers.  Jaylen Brown is not playing SF exclusively, he will be playing in the back court too, which eats into those numbers even further.  

Yam wants to be a Celtic.  He's gotten a taste of it and he likes it.  He will be disappointed but he'll go back to Tel Aviv with the knowledge that one year from now he will not be under contract.  He will also go back to Tel Aviv with a list of things he needs to work on, given to him by Ime.  He is a very focused and determined young man and I have no doubt he will apply himself diligently to those improvements, knowing that those improvements are his path to being on the roster in 2022.

Btw, the home court capacity for Madar's Hapoel-Tel Aviv team is 3500 people.  The attendance at Cox Pavilion in Vegas on opening day Sunday was 11,218.  That's 3X the total capacity of Yam's home court and is only about 2/3 of Cox' capacity.  That must have blown his mind playing before a crowd even that big, imagine when he plays before the 19,450 capacity TD Banknorth Gahden!  Even if he doesn't make the team this year he still might be invited to pro camp, to get some reps with real NBA players, and then he'll get a taste of the real thing.  He's probably never played in an arena that big and with crowds that crazy.


Bob


.

Bob, I think dboss's next year is 2022-23 when PP will get lots more minutes and Yam will be backing him up. Hope so.

My opening bid is that I would like to trade Carsen Edwards for a box of Krispy Kremes but the truth is that, if push comes to shove, I'd pay them a box of Krispy Kremes to take him (minus one, agent commission).


Bob


.

bobheckler wrote:My opening bid is that I would like to trade Carsen Edwards for a box of Krispy Kremes but the truth is that, if push comes to shove, I'd pay them a box of Krispy Kremes to take him (minus one, agent commission).

Bob

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America runs on Dunkin.

Just saying.

gyso wrote:

bobheckler wrote:My opening bid is that I would like to trade Carsen Edwards for a box of Krispy Kremes but the truth is that, if push comes to shove, I'd pay them a box of Krispy Kremes to take him (minus one, agent commission).

Bob

.

America runs on Dunkin.

Just saying.

Gyso,

The NBA runs on Dunkin, and 3s. The mid-range game is gone.


Bob

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gyso wrote:

bobheckler wrote:My opening bid is that I would like to trade Carsen Edwards for a box of Krispy Kremes but the truth is that, if push comes to shove, I'd pay them a box of Krispy Kremes to take him (minus one, agent commission).

Bob

.

America runs on Dunkin.

Just saying.

I personally run on their iced coffee.

Can’t forget Honey Dew is the official doughnut of the Boston Celtics.

bobheckler wrote:My opening bid is that I would like to trade Carsen Edwards for a box of Krispy Kremes but the truth is that, if push comes to shove, I'd pay them a box of Krispy Kremes to take him (minus one, agent commission).


Bob


.

. You’re terrible.

bobheckler wrote:

dboss wrote:Next year PP will be pushing for 30 mpg.

Yam will be fine.  He is already a Celtic in waiting.

dboss,

No on 1 and yes on 2.

With Smart, Schroder and Richardson I just don't see how Pritchard can get 30mpg.  Even if we only go with a 3 guard unit that's 36mpg when you divide them equally between those 4 players and that would mean that Jaylen plays SF exclusively and is not included in those back court numbers.  Jaylen Brown is not playing SF exclusively, he will be playing in the back court too, which eats into those numbers even further.  

Yam wants to be a Celtic.  He's gotten a taste of it and he likes it.  He will be disappointed but he'll go back to Tel Aviv with the knowledge that one year from now he will not be under contract.  He will also go back to Tel Aviv with a list of things he needs to work on, given to him by Ime.  He is a very focused and determined young man and I have no doubt he will apply himself diligently to those improvements, knowing that those improvements are his path to being on the roster in 2022.

Btw, the home court capacity for Madar's Hapoel-Tel Aviv team is 3500 people.  The attendance at Cox Pavilion in Vegas on opening day Sunday was 11,218.  That's 3X the total capacity of Yam's home court and is only about 2/3 of Cox' capacity.  That must have blown his mind playing before a crowd even that big, imagine when he plays before the 19,450 capacity TD Banknorth Gahden!  Even if he doesn't make the team this year he still might be invited to pro camp, to get some reps with real NBA players, and then he'll get a taste of the real thing.  He's probably never played in an arena that big and with crowds that crazy.


Bob


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With Smart, Schroder and Richardson I just don't see how Pritchard can get 30mpg.

Next year not this upcoming season.  Next year DS and JR will be gone and PP will have another season under his belt.

Moves are starting with Summer League coming to an end. Bledsoe just got traded for Patrick Beverly. Clippers looking for solid help I guess

Carsen would be great on the Clips...