Take 'em or Trash 'em (deluxe edition) & Taking it easy: Could same core compete?

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

Our annual after-the-season roster rundown Take 'Em or Trash 'Em debuted Thursday. Since brevity is not our thing, here's a longer look at the future of every player on the Boston Celtics' roster:


• Rajon Rondo: Team captain is set to enter the final year of a contract that will pay him $12.9 million. Rondo has expressed interest in testing unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2015, which means, if he's a Celtics cornerstone, the team has to be ready to pay him big money next summer (otherwise they must at least entertain the idea of trading him this summer). Plan A seems to be building with him and a healthier Rondo plus roster upgrades could thrust Boston back into contender status next season. Take, unless a trade offer is too good to get passed up.

• Jeff Green: Green has two years remaining on a deal that will pay him $9.2 million next season. The inconsistencies leave many ready to pack his bags, but it's so hard to quit him. If we just accept that this is who Green is what he is, a super athletic complementary player with potential for big scoring nights, then there's potential for him to thrive as a third option. Take, unless Boston adds a wing in the draft, then the team has to explore trade interest.

• Brandon Bass: Bass enters the final year of a contract that will pay him $6.9 million. His lunch pail mentality and dedicated work ethic make him an ideal locker room presence. Alas, his position is overstocked with young bodies and his salary clogs up the middle of the payroll a bit. Trash, but only because the team needs upgrades at other positions and Bass could be attractive on the trade market on the final year of his deal.

• Avery Bradley: Bradley will be a restricted free agent after the Celtics extend a $3.6 million qualifying offer. The only issue with Bradley is his health. Fair or not, he wears the tag of injury prone after missing 53 games over the past two seasons. That said, his offensive resurgence this season was encouraging. Take, so long as nobody tries to run up his price tag to a prohibitive level as a restricted free agent.

• Jared Sullinger: Sullinger will enter the third year of his super affordable rookie deal that will pay him a mere $1.4 million next season. Even after back surgery stunted last summer's offseason growth, Sullinger put together an excellent sophomore campaign with a focus on extending his offensive range. Take this All-Star in the making, unless he's an Al Jefferson-like asset in landing the next established superstar.

• Kris Humphries: Humphries is an unrestricted free agent after making a team-high $12 million this past season. Take at a reduced rate, where he's the perfect veteran presence and an ideal backup big man. Even if the open market drives up Humphries' price, he could be a valuable sign-and-trade asset.

• Gerald Wallace: Wallace has two years remaining on a deal that will pay him $10.1 million next season. He won some fans over with his gritty play and the media with his unvarnished opinions on the team's play. Take, if only because no one else is taking that contract at the moment.

• Jerryd Bayless: The NBA vagabond, playing for his fifth team in six seasons, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer after making $3.1 million this past season. While he provides combo guard skills and scores in bursts, our gut says trash unless he's willing to play on a minimum deal and lay some roots.

• Phil Pressey: Pressey is set to earn $816,482 next season on a deal that becomes fully guaranteed if not waived by July 15. He probably doesn't have to worry about that barring an influx of ball-handlers. Pressey showcased his play-making skills throughout the season and is a clear take for end-of-the-bench ball-handling.

• Kelly Olynyk: The 13th overall pick in last year's draft will earn $2.1 million next season in the second year of his rookie pact. Like Sullinger, the future appears bright for Olynyk, who let his natural offensive talents take over late in the year. Take and continue his development.

• Vitor Faverani: The 25-year-old Brazilian will earn $2.1 million next season. El Hombre Indestructible proved destructible as knee surgery ended his rookie campaign early. He's a trade option if the roster gets cluttered, but we'll take for a longer look at the fauxhawked big man.

• Chris Johnson: Johnson signed a four-year minimum salary deal that will pay him a nonguaranteed $915,243 next season. He played his way onto the team after a couple 10-day contracts out of the D-League. Take as an end-of-the-bench guy -- provided there's room -- because his energy was infectious and he can push the players in front of him.

• Chris Babb: Like Johnson, Babb signed a four-year deal that will pay him a nonguaranteed $816,482 next season. Babb was a good teammate who worked hard, but trash because he is likely to be a victim of numbers.

• Joel Anthony: Anthony holds a $3.8 million player option for next season that he's almost certain to trigger (unless he believes he can find a team willing to offer more consistent playing time on a longer deal). It might be a moot point. The Celtics would seemingly trash if able to include his salary in a swap.

• Keith Bogans: Bogans, excused from the team in mid-January, is set to earn $5.3 million next season but is unlikely to see a dime. He got paid handsomely this season ($5.1 million) for his part in facilitating the blockbuster swap with the Nets. He'll end up in the trash but likely only after the Celtics use his deal to facilitate a trade that allows the other team to immediate cut salary.

• Brad Stevens: Maybe Danny Ainge put it best on Thursday when he noted, "Brad is maybe the only thing that our whole organization that I’m not concerned about." Take because Stevens has five more years on his contract and can now focus on building off his first season in the NBA.

• Danny Ainge: Ainge didn't give Stevens much to work with given a flawed roster that was rearranged with midseason dealings. Take Ainge and hope he finds the matches for those summer fireworks we keep hearing about that could prevent another year of rebuilding drudgery.
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Taking it easy: Could same core compete?

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

After reading our after-the-season Take 'Em of Trash 'Em polls, some commenters balked at the notion that we lobbied for the return of 10 players from this year's Boston Celtics roster. And you can understand their logic: Why bring back a similar looking team after a 25-57 campaign in which the Celtics posted the third worst winning percentage in team history?

With the usual caveats that nobody knows how this roster will look next season -- fireworks could give this group another makeover, or the team might be content to simply shuffle the deck a bit and add talent to its core -- we don't necessarily believe it's outlandish to think that Boston could compete moving forward with many of the same faces back.

Looking ahead to next season, even if the Celtics make minimal changes, the team is likely to have (1) A healthier Rajon Rondo; (2) A more experienced Brad Stevens; and (3) Two first-round picks, including a lottery selection (assuming they keep the picks). That's a pretty solid base to build off.

After Wednesday's season finale, Rondo, who said he'll offer advice on roster construction, was asked if he'd like to see additions to the roster.

"I think we finished the season with 10 guys, so hopefully we can get five more guys, a strong group of 15 guys," said Rondo.

Pressed on if he'd want big changes, Rondo offered, "Who knows? If it’s one guy that competes, buys into the system, and plays with the team."

The Celtics have two particularly glaring needs: A rim protector (or at least a talented pure center) and a go-to scoring presence that can aid late-game situations. Neither role is particularly easy to fill in the NBA. But let's say the Celtics use their trade exception and some future picks to go pry Omer Asik from Houston, or try to sign-and-trade for someone like free-agent-to-be Marcin Gortat. And let's say the ping-pong balls bounce their way and Boston ends up landing a high pick like Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker. Even with the return of the 10 players we advocated for in the Take 'Em of Trash 'Em poll, here's a potential depth chart:

Guards: Rondo, Avery Bradley, Phil Pressey
Swingmen: Jeff Green, Jabari Parker, Gerald Wallace, Chris Johnson
Bigs: Omer Asik, Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, Kris Humphries, Vitor Faverani

The Celtics could fill out their roster with the team's other first-round pick (assuming it keeps the selection) and Ainge could bring back additional talent if able to move the likes of Brandon Bass, Joel Anthony, or Keith Bogans' nonguaranteed contract in deals.

Does that 12-man roster compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference? Absolutely. We can't say it's a conference title contender, but it's in the playoff mix. We can't overstate what having some backline help with do for this defense, and adding another young player with a high ceiling would make the future very bright for Boston.

So much depends on how the ping-pong balls bounce on May 20 and what Ainge is able to do with his stash of assets this offseason.

But even Stevens believes his team will improve based solely on the experiences of this past season.

"First of all, I think that the guys that will be back -- and we don’t know exactly who that will be, right? -- the guys that will be back will be better," said Stevens. "I’ll be better. Does that guarantee that you’re going to be really good, or significantly better? No, because you still have to, night in night out, beat the opponent, who is also improving and also getting better. At the end of the day, a lot of it will be determined on how much we all improve in the course of the offseason and what pieces we add that complement the people that are already here, whether they go-to guys or whether they are complementary guys that just fit well. There’s a chance that we could really be looking at both of those. I think at the end of the day, we’ll see how that shakes itself out.

"But the guys that are here will be better if they are back. And I really feel strongly about that."


112288

My take:

Rondo- Stays

Green- Stays unless included in major deal

Bass- Traded for other options

Bradley- stays for $5M or less other wise....goes

Sully- stays unless part of blockbuster deal

Humphries- gone in a numbers game at PF

Wallace- stays, no options here

Bayless- stays if AB leaves. $3M range

Pressey- stays and cheap

KO- stays

Fav- stays

JOhnson- stays and cheap

Babb- stays for camp then gone

Anthony- stays until we can unload his contract

Boagans- "I am al----ready gone" as the eagles sang

Boagans is a very valuable trading piece as he can be traded with a team looking to unload salary and then be cut by that team.

112288

112288 wrote:Boagans is a very valuable trading piece as he can be traded with a team looking to unload salary and then be cut by that team.

112288

yep....$5 M non guaranteed should be able to be moved with other assets fro a quality addition.

either way we won't see Bogans in a Celtic uniform agaiin...or did we ever?

TTG = Thanks To God!

112288

This team was competitive all year. I had the sense that if a few more pieces were in place, they could really take shape.

Rondo, Bradley, Green, and Sullinger is a nice start. I'd add a go-to guy and a center to that mix, plus some snipers off the bench and defensive specialists.



KJ



KJ