This board has gotten LAZY

[dboss]

What ever happened to all the thought provoking threads that reflected the depths and writing skills of our members?

This board has turned into a Parrot.  I'm tired of reading all the re-posts from other sources which I have already read anyways.  I would rather like to hear what you think and not what you think about what someone else thinks.

dboss

[bobheckler]

dboss,

It has been a long summer, with no real meat to chew on.  Not everybody has the time, nor desire, to comb the internet for stories on the Celtics and appreciate being able to come here as a "one-stop shop".

As the season progresses I would expect people to develop more comprehensive opinions of the Celtics.  I cannot speak for Sam, but he has made no effort to disguise the fact that he doesn't like predicting, preferring instead to analyze actual play, which we still, as of today, have none to talk about.

I agree we shouldn't just use other writers as foils.  We shouldn't let them state the argument and then just argue about their argument.  

I look forward to reading your original threads, I always have.  For myself, I'm going to wait until I have something to say.


bob


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[k_j_88]

Hmm, at this point in the year, I'm not sure how much original content anyone can say until games are played. It's all speculation, whether we post other articles or develop threads on our own volition.


KJ

[Matty]

ive been really busy this summer, working on my mother in laws homes back in Ohio, mostly just had time to read and follow up on whats going on..


own thoughts?

* I don't see why Wallace needs to be traded till he's in his expiring year
* we might not be tanking, but I got a feeling, guys like bass, crawford and lee will soon be gone in favor of less skilled players on expiring deals.

*our trade exception- if that thing is going to be of any use, we've got to cut down on a lot of other players paychecks..

* brad stevens has an eye for details.. (oh wait, I heard that from someone else, not my own original thought)

*ben afleck as batman? are you freaking kidding me??

[112288]

dBoss,

It has been a long summer as Bob, KJ and Matt have commented on so I would give it time. Original comments originate from individual player and team performance so I am sure that will pick-up as we enter some practice games.

However, posting articles and comments from others in mainstream media is also a way of creating great discussions and dialog among members which also lead to original comments in the form of positions taken pro or con on an article and a lively debate.


112288

[hawksnestbeach]

dBoss, We have the doldrums every summer, but this year even speculation is hard for me because I don't know much about several of the new players. But if we need incisive individual thought, I'll try with: 1. We'll be much better off without Doc, who is a mediocre coach who destroys the confidence of role players with his substitution patterns 2. DA's biggest error was not re-signing Tony Allen (cost us at least one title and maybe two). 3. Rondo is not hard to coach; his troubles with Doc (if there were any of note) resulted from his frustration with ineptness. 4. The Nets will be entertaining and roar out of the gate, but injuries will hobble them later. 5. The Heat will not repeat. How's that? Hawk

[Sam]

Dboss,

Thank you for your comments, which I know for sure were intended as constructive. Frankly, I've noticed the same thing. Worse yet, I feel like a major part of the situation. I believe I'm posting as much as ever, but my recent posts have been primarily to respond and seldom to initiate.

I can speak only for myself, but I have found this summer to be beyond debilitating as far as the Celtics are concerned. I've never disguised the fact that I care mainly about the Celtics and am not interested in posting more than a modicum about other teams. So, if Kobe's Germanic excursion seems a bit weird (as I read might be happening), I'm sorry for him but not interested enough to post about it. If Doc's making statements that might or might not be slurs aimed at the Celtics, that's his problem, not mine (and, I'm quite sure, not the Celtics' either, unless his statements might help in the Celtics' motivation department).

Earlier in the off-season, there was a vigorous discussion concerning the age-old "best team ever" debate. At least that somewhat livened things up for a while. But when the posting took a personal turn, that conversation died an unnatural death as far as I was concerned.

The Hall of Fame voting served as a nice, but short, interlude during the past month-or-so. But, to tell the truth, I went right back to being bored after the HOF aftermath died down.

Not long ago, the death of Missie Cousy had a profound effect on me, and it made me very reflective on the mortality of all the icons who have meant so much to my life over the years (and not just in basketball either). I even tried playing the Celtics' old musical theme frequently, but that just made feel more melancholy. I'm not quite over that phase, but at least it's manageable now to the point where I can post—even if still in semi-automaton mode.

Short of the summer following the Championship season, the last offseason in which there was something to be truly excited about was the year when KG and Ray joined the Celtics. That was truly big news and promised to make the Celtics much better (although I never knew HOW much better). It was worth talking about. Heck, the excitement was worth my forking over a fair amount of cash to see the opening game and to purchase a second (empty) seat for my dad, who had died in 1990. Now THAT was true excitement, especially coming after a long long period of mediocrity.

It could be argued that the Celtics made an equally big trade this summer, in terms of the value of the assets being exchanged. But, unlike the summer of 2008, the incoming assets were not of the type that promised a transformative near future for the Celtics. I knew very little about the incoming players, and I knew even less about how they might be able to impact the Celtics. And all I read about the matter was a lot of conjecture that I considered mostly unfounded. At times, I found it a real chore to hold up what I consider should be my part of the bargain in contributing to the board.

Unless I feel I have something of real value to say about the Celtics, I'm not inherently drawn to post about them. And I don't imagine I'll have a lot of value to say about them until I've seen them play. Otherwise, it's all guesswork, and "guesswork" is just a synonym for "prediction" as far as I'm concerned. God knows I am not a fan of predictions, although I realize that predicting is anyone's right, and it can be a lot of fun for many people.

In short, it was a reasonably interesting early off-season. Then it turned into a vast wasteland in terms of providing fodder for original thoughts. I'm most grateful to guys such as BobH, 112288 and KJ for keeping the posting level high with submissions that were as interesting as the media had to offer at the time. And I'm also most grateful to those who found the energy and inspiration to participate in the debates that followed those entries.

I'm a person who, for the most part, focuses mainly on what lies ahead. If the Celtics go on a losing streak, my first thought is how to shake the losing streak rather than to rehash the nature of the streak. But there has to be some kind of stimulus for hatching original thoughts; and, for me, that stimulus is watching them play. The rhythms, flow, pace, chemistry, psychology, twists, turns, and inherent beauty of the game are what make my green juices race. It's now not down to a matter of hours when my personal "rehabilitation" can begin in earnest.

To all board members, we all have different situations, and the summer doldrums affect all of us differently. But one comforting thought—one that frankly carried me through much of the summer—is that we are all united in our love of basketball. That unity energizes me as I hope it energizes you.

Sam

[dboss]

Matty

It will be hard for Wallace to be moved but I do not see him hanging around for all 3 years.  I'm thinking 1-2 years at the longest

The Celts actually need him now because he is the only legit BU SF on the team.

I think I read somewhere that Boston has to exercise the trade exception before the July 1st of next year or they lose it.  The trade exception would be great if we were not already up against the luxury tax threshold  

I also heard that Brad has an eye for detail.  

HAWK

I was always a big Tony Allen fan.  When I look back on the 08 to 12 teams they were stung every year by a player getting injured.  Take a healthy Perk, KG, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo (pick the year ) the injury to a key player really hurt the Celtics chances of winning 2 or 3 titles.

There are some really good teams out there that have improved since last year so it is quite conceivable that the Heat fall short this year.  

112288

Your point is well taken.  But I still feel that simply posting articles to an excess reduces the quality of the content on this board.  I think we are blessed with a wealth of knowledgeable Celtics fans and basketball fans in general.  

We have reached a point where it appears that every freaking article becomes the Topic for our discussions.  Look I do not have a problem with some of that.  I just think that we are much better and should not marginalize what we do here.

I can recall a lot of mainstream media topics that originated on this board.  

After all, we are not cows and have no need to regurgitate someone else's food for thought.

dboss

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