Ball Don't Lie Celtics season preview - projected record: 16-66

They project our record to be 16-66:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/ball-don-t-lie-2013-14-season-previews-142533902--nba.html

I think I'll take the over.

It isn't going to be pretty for the next couple of seasons, but I think we'll do a little better than that.

If that's the case, I predict the Celtics will win the championship this year.


KJ

This team has way too much talent to lose 66 games.

If we lost 66 games it would make us the worst team in the NBA and increase our lottery odds.

This team is going to play hard every game. 16 wins is for tankerS.

Once all of the pieces come together, this will be a stunningly brilliant team!

dboss

Dboss,

I don't think this team as assembled will ever be brilliant..

Int fragile mind we got a core that looks like this:

Pg- rondo- x-x
Sg- Bradley-x-x
Sf-green-Wallace
Pf- sully- K.O.- green
C- x - k.0.- victor

Everyone else is fodder for trades, unless some of those 2 guards makes a case for backing up Bradley...

Depending on the quality of who Boston gets to fill in those other X's determines on wether were of contender quality or lotto bound...

Of course, as I say, my mind is a bit fragile...

Boy 16 wins???

I know I felt a while back 25-30 looked like a lock, but after watching the preseason so far although some games have been clos they are still losses even if against some of the other teams bench against ours.

Just so much for Stevens to figure out and so many new players learning not only what they can do but how they can do it with the ones they are on the floor with and then throw in dealer Danny and it gets downright blurry.

Yeah we have some talent but so does every other team and many lots more than us.

16 wins??

God I hope not.

beat

Beat,

As I've said in a couple of posts, this season will require patience on the part of Celtic fans. I think the team will struggle early, but I expect them to put things together by the end of the season. They have a new offense, new defense, wholesale roster turnover, a coach new to the NBA, they have to integrate their best player who is coming off surgery in the midst of the season, plus they'll have to deal with trade rumors and/or actual trades. It won't surprise me if they're on a 16-win pace for the first couple of months.

But February, March, and April -- that will tell what this group is actually capable of. Continuity won't come easily, but with repetition, time, and a merciful injury god, I think they can be a decent team in the spring. From a Celtic fan's perspective, it will require patience and faith in Stevens' system and his ability to mold them into a cohesive unit.

Outside

Oh I realize it will take time, I don't expect playoffs at all I'd take 25-30 wins right now and be content. My concern is that if we go 2-17 or some bad start like that a player like Rondo begins to "say" things or others begin to get to the point of "sending it in" then the Feb March April you mention will never come to pass.

Again pure speculation.

Stevens has his work cut out anything approaching 40 wins and he should be Coach of the year.

We have been in valleys before and you can't climb a mountain from the top of it.

beat

Our biggest problem is we're going to get killed by opposing team's bigger and more athletic front lines. We have no bigs that can play defense or are a deterrent to anyone driving to the hoop. None at all. And that's a problem. A BIG problem. Not sure it's a 16-66 problem but worst case scenario, it could be. Rebounding will also be a problem. Humphries can board but can do little else so his playing time will be at best 25 min a game. And you wouldn't want him to play more anyway. Two big problem areas: front line defense and rebounding. Those two things will keep us out of the playoffs.

I like Outside's patience mantra.  This will take time.

The next two seasons are going to be lower in the win total than any of us would like, but we have started on what looks like a productive path.  Over the next two years we'll be able to shed some big contract money.  We'll need those two years to continue accumulating draft picks, or perhaps packaging them to trade up.  In about three seasons, lighter in salaries and with the possibility of a couple of promising young players aboard, we can look for free agents or players by trade.  A realistic goal might be to look something like the current Chicago Bulls in about five seasons.  A strong young team on the rise.

Between now and then there will probably be a couple of different looking "intermediate" versions of the Celtics.  There may only be two or three players who remain with the team between now and whatever we grow up to be.

If the wins column doesn't total more than a couple dozen this season and again next, keep that future view in mind.  It will be a more satisfying feeling to turn it around in a handful of seasons than it would have been to labor in mediocrity for longer, which is the way we were going to be heading without these changes.

Who is it that said "Expectations are premeditated resentments."?

I have no expectations for this season, just going to zen it out and smile with any unexpected wins.