Turning Around The Celtics Is Going To Take Awhile

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Post by bobheckler Sun Apr 13, 2014 1:40 pm

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2014/04/12/celtics-won-bounce-back-quickly/KP2HHJVfLxHSPGWMJq1DCN/story.html



Turning around the Celtics is going to take awhile

By Bob Ryan  | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT   APRIL 13, 2014



Some time around 9:45 p.m. this Wednesday — barring, God forbid, an overtime in Game 82 — the excruciating ordeal that was the 2013-14 Boston Celtics season will come to its merciful conclusion.

It really was as predictable a season as the Celtics have ever known. We all knew the team would be taking a big step backward in the standings. What we did not know was the exact path the team would take in order to arrive safely in Lotteryland. The never-ending late-game collapses became a team trademark. I suppose that was better than losing by 20 every night.

The draft is on every fan’s mind, but before we get to that, Danny Ainge, his front-office brain trust, and, of course, Brad Stevens must decide which, if any, of the incumbents are worth keeping. I mean, the 2014-15 Celtics won’t have 12 new players, right?

Nah. I think.

It all begins with Rajon Rondo, and it’s all up to Danny. To re-up him as The Man for a long time to come or to find him a home elsewhere? Aye, lads and ladies, that is the question. Can he really be the best player on a really good team, or is he a fascinating piece of a championship puzzle, as he was, and isn’t this hard to grasp, six years ago? Did Birthdaygate matter? Questions, questions, questions . . .

From afar, it does appear that Rondo likes being in charge, likes being the go-to guy for all team media inquiries, and likes being viewed as a mentor by the young’uns. He is not, and never will be, a Chris Paul or healthy Derrick Rose kind of explosive scorer first, floor leader second. Rondo’s personal offense is quirky and absolutely sui generis. There just hasn’t ever been anything quite like him. When he’s got it going, there is no more entertaining point guard in the league. He clearly represents the face of the team to this generation of Celtics fans. Trading him would rankle a lot of folks.

You’ll note I haven’t actually taken sides here. It’s hard, dammit. Rondo is so much fun to have around. I’m glad it’s Danny’s decision. That’s why Wyc and Steve pay him the big money.

Are there any keepers among the rest? Yes, well, kinda. There are no untouchables, but there are useful players who could have a place on a superior team.

I would start with Jared Sullinger, who has assets you can’t teach; namely, good hands and good feet. He is the best low-post threat the Celtics have had since Kevin McHale, and already he is one of the best inside scorers in the entire league. Throw in his rebounding knack and his surprising range when he does face up and how can you not like him? It is now a given that this is a pivotal summer for him. If he wants to be great, if he wants to get really rich, and if he wants to be a champion, he will get a trainer and work on that body.

Kelly Olynyk should be in this league for a long time. He needs to hit the gym, too, but he already has one valuable asset in place and that’s his passing ability. A good passing big man is like a smooth-fielding first baseman. You don’t know what you’re missing until you stumble upon one, and then you say, “Hey, this is really cool.”

Kris Humphries restored his reputation this season after being dumped on in New Jersey. There are many contenders that could use him in their rotation. He deserves that. I’d hate to make him wait around here, just getting older, while the Celtics rebuild.

You might think I’m burying the lead with Jeff Green, but I think we’re all on the same page with him. He is, and always will be, a colossal tease. He should be admired for his excellent comeback from heart surgery, but you almost wish he’d stop throwing in those occasional 30-point games if he’s intent on following them up with 2-2-6 the next night, because WE CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!! He is not a leading man. Please, Danny. Pick up the phone. Do something. That’s an order.

Tease No. 2 is Avery Bradley. He is the Clay Buchholz of the Celtics, a really nice player who can’t stay healthy. (I didn’t intend two baseball references when I started — honest.) What I must keep reminding myself is that Bradley will be just 23 when the next season starts, which is way too soon to be making definitive judgments on him. But I will say that I envision his best role as being a super-duper No. 3 combo guard on a good team. He has a lot to offer.

Brandon Bass? Solid and useful to a point and totally expendable.

Phil Pressey? Yes, he can play in the league. If he’s a good soldier and never rocks any boats, he should find a job on someone’s roster. But wherever it is, he will always have to rent, not buy.

As for the coach himself, he seems to have impressed everyone in the league by the way he carries himself. I must admit I got a little worried by those nightly fourth-quarter disasters down the stretch. Couldn’t some of that be traced back to him? Then again, it truly didn’t matter. He was never expected to win much. This season.

So, now we get to the much-discussed draft. Danny already has tried to put a lid on expectations, saying it’s not the wonderful, talent-rich crop everyone seemed to think it would be in November and December. And if Jabari Parker doesn’t jump in, the top of the lottery is even more diluted. The Celtics could wind up picking anywhere from 1 to 4 or 5, so that means there could be a Parker, Andrew Wiggins, or Julius Randle in their future.

What we don’t know is how highly valued the two Bigs in the mix are, or even how valuable old-fashioned Bigs are to modern general managers and coaches. But if you are looking for a potential rim protector, as they say, both Joel Embiid of Kansas and Noah Vonleh of Indiana qualify. Both are coming off injuries, both are young, and both might be in need of a long shakedown cruise when they enter the league. We are not talking Wilt Chamberlain or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar here.

My advice to any Celtics fan seeking instant gratification is to seek out some tapes of the 1985-86 or 2007-08 Celtics. You can’t go wrong there. Any steps the 2014-15 Celtics take toward championship No. 18 will be itsy-bitsy baby ones.




bob


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Post by steve3344 Sun Apr 13, 2014 3:38 pm

Ryan says "the Celtics could wind up picking anywhere from 1 to 4 or 5" but they could also pick as low as 8 or 9, which he failed to consider.

They could finish with a #5 or even the #6 lottery position (if the Lakers drop below us, which is certainly possible) and then three teams jump ahead of us when the ping pong balls fall - as happened in '07 when we dropped from 2 to 5 on lottery day.

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Post by k_j_88 Sun Apr 13, 2014 4:13 pm

The draft is not the end-all, be-all aspect of the plan. It's of some importance, but the Celtics' draft position for this year is ultimately secondary to whatever trades/free agency pick-ups are made.



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Post by Outside Sun Apr 13, 2014 4:32 pm

k_j_88 wrote:The draft is not the end-all, be-all aspect of the plan. It's of some importance, but the Celtics' draft position for this year is ultimately secondary to whatever trades/free agency pick-ups are made.
I agree, though I'll add one thought -- the draft position for this year is secondary, but using at least some of the accumulated picks to acquire quality players through the draft is certainly part of the plan, along with acquiring players through trades and free agency.
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Post by Sam Sun Apr 13, 2014 6:32 pm

At least they have a better chance than usual to get a player (maybe two) with a decent pedigree who is highly unlikely to be "developing" on the bench for a year or three.

Love the idea of using picks to acquire players in trade.  Not necessarily this year, because there are some pretty good players at the top of the draft.  But picks can represent great trade sweeteners.

I guess Bob Ryan figures there was no sense in talking about Jerryd Bayless.  Frankly, I believe he'd represent a better #3 combo guard than Bradley (and a fine sixth man) becaus.  Despite what Tom Heinsohn continues to say frequently, Avery can NOT play the point guard half of a combo.

With his assessment of Bradley as a #3 guard, I assume Bob thinks there is reason to believe it would be a long shot for Avery to be a reliable impact starting guard, against all comers, for a contender.  I happen to agree, which is why the potential addition of Exum intrigues me if the Celts can't draft a true center this time around.  I believe Exum has the potential to be an impact combo guard at both the PG and SG positions; and I hope he would be able to become an impact starter at either position.  And, although I don't know much about his defensive skills, I love his height on the defensive end.

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Post by bobheckler Sun Apr 13, 2014 6:48 pm

sam wrote:At least they have a better chance than usual to get a player (maybe two) with a decent pedigree who is highly unlikely to be "developing" on the bench for a year or three.

Love the idea of using picks to acquire players in trade.  Not necessarily this year, because there are some pretty good players at the top of the draft.  But picks can represent great trade sweeteners.

I guess Bob Ryan figures there was no sense in talking about Jerryd Bayless.  Frankly, I believe he'd represent a better #3 combo guard than Bradley (and a fine sixth man) becaus.  Despite what Tom Heinsohn continues to say frequently, Avery can NOT play the point guard half of a combo.

With his assessment of Bradley as a #3 guard, I assume Bob thinks there is reason to believe it would be a long shot for Avery to be a reliable impact starting guard, against all comers, for a contender.  I happen to agree, which is why the potential addition of Exum intrigues me if the Celts can't draft a true center this time around.  I believe Exum has the potential to be an impact combo guard at both the PG and SG positions; and I hope he would be able to become an impact starter at either position.  And, although I don't know much about his defensive skills, I love his height on the defensive end.

Sam



Sam,

The $64 question with Exum, for me, is the quality of the competition he's looking good playing against.  If they are basically a more organized version of summer league players, that's not impressive.

However, at the 2013 Nike Hoop Summit he played in front of 100 NBA scouts and they drooled.  That's worth something.

This, from draftexpress.com:

A 6'6 guard with 6'9 wingspan who appears to have added some 10 pounds of muscle to his frame since last summer, Exum stood out immediately with his speed, fluidity and ball-handling ability. Accustomed to playing the point guard position at the junior level, the strong play of floor general Dennis Schroder required Exum to adapt playing off the ball this week –a challenge he accepted without a second thought in an effort to put his team in the best position to win.

An adapt passer with speed to burn in the open floor, a great motor and an exceptionally high basketball IQ, the rest of the game comes easy to Exum. He plays with his head up, fills lanes on the break, and rebounds well for a guard. He's a versatile defender with great quickness, improving physical strength, and a team-first mentality.










bob



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Post by Sam Mon Apr 14, 2014 6:26 pm

Thanks Bob.  There's nothing there that makes me less enthusiastic about Exum.  I understand about the level of competition.  But I believe level of competition is overemphasized in comparison with possession of certain skills.  If a PG can thread a pass, he can thread a pass.  Learning how to do so in a high-paced competitive situation needn't take a long time.  (I use that just as an example, not as an indication that I believe the only skill he needs is passing skill.)

The fact that he adapted so readily to the SG position suggests to me that he's flat out a player.  I've had that feeling before when the Celtics have acquired certain players about whom the pundits have had questions.  Some of them just have "it," whatever "it" is.  One of them was named Havlicek.

Sam


Last edited by sam on Tue Apr 15, 2014 10:52 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Post by cowens/oldschool Tue Apr 15, 2014 8:31 pm

Agreed guys, from all I've seen of Exum, I'd take him over Parker or Wiggins in a heartbeat. The kid is so skilled and moves so graceful, seems always under control with sick handle....hope we get lucky. He could play anywhere from point to SF.

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