Five reasons that the Celtics should feel good about their future

 Five reasons that the Celtics should feel good about their future


 NBC SORTS BOSTON By A. Sherrod Blakely June 23, 2019 4:04 PM

BOSTON -- Kyrie Irving is all but a goner with Al Horford reportedly not too far behind. Aron Baynes was traded to the Phoenix Suns on draft night, leaving major holes in the roster.

Most teams are overly optimistic this time of year, and the Celtics are indeed no exception.
But their feel-good vibes fly in the face of an uncertain reality in both the short and long-term.
Being hopeful, that's one thing.

But the optimism by the Celtics now?

What's up with that?

Here are five factors that are contributing to Boston’s sunnier-than-expected outlook heading into this season filled with way more questions than answers.

FREE AGENTS WARMING UP TO BOSTON


For years, the Celtics, among free agents, were about as popular as a vacation to Siberia.

But the narrative that Boston was not the place to go as a free agent, began to shift in the summer of 2016 when the Celtics landed a meeting with then-free agent Kevin Durant and were able to nail down a four-year deal with Al Horford.

And they followed that up the following summer by landing Gordon Hayward who was coming off his first all-star selection, with the Utah Jazz.
Boston will be hard-pressed to land a similar high-impact player like they did in 2016 or 2017, but they are at least at a point where it won’t be a total shock for a high-profile, difference-making player to at least grant the Celtics an audience to make their pitch.

By no means does that guarantee they will land one of the top-tier free agents, but the success in recent years has paved the way so that Boston is no longer seen as a basketball Siberia to free agents.

YOUTH MOVEMENT


With the expected departures and the trading away of Aron Baynes, 29-year-old Gordon Hayward is now the old man of the roster. But the Celtics charging ahead with youth leading the way, is a little different than most youth movements.

When teams typically go young, they do so with players still trying to figure out how to win as a collective unit while still maintaining their own growth curve.
Boston seems to be somewhere in the middle with a number of players having three years or less experience, but part of that experience was advancing to the Eastern Conference finals without arguably their two best players - Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.

This team that Boston will trot out this season will likely resemble that 2018 squad with a number of players still growing as individual players with a greater opportunity now to expand upon their past success because there’s no clear-cut, No. 1 player now.

Success now has to be more about the team than any individual, something that seemingly worked well for this team in 2018.

Can they do it again?

SALARY CAP SPACE


There’s the potential for Boston to clear more than $30 million in salary cap space which would allow them to pursue a top-tier player.
Adding a player of that caliber to join a roster full of young veterans, could potentially be the quickest path for Boston to return back to being an elite team in the NBA.
Among the many names you’ll hear in the coming days is Charlotte’s Kemba Walker.

The former UConn star is eligible for a super max contract worth more than $200 million, but it’s doubtful that Hornets owner Michael Jordan will invest that kind of money in Walker. That could open the door for one of the more below-the-radar superstar free agents to be scooped up by another team; a team like the Celtics who have a void at the point with Irving likely to sign elsewhere.

Boston also has a huge hole to fill in the frontcourt, with a number of potential replacements available either through free agency or via trade.
On the free agency front, Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic is a player on the Celtics’ radar. Boston also has some interest in Oklahoma City’s Steven Adams who is reportedly available to be traded for.

While the Celtics loved what Baynes stood for prior to trading him, moving him along increased the amount of cap flexibility the Celtics have and because of that, they now have at least one more option at their disposal as they begin the process of rebuilding the team into a title contender.
If Boston wants to swing a trade, don't be surprised to hear names like Oklahoma City's Steven Adams or Los Angeles Clippers forward Danilo Gallinari.

UNDERDOG ROLE



Because of the anticipated roster defections, the Celtics won’t be favored to come out of the East by anyone.

In fact, they will be hard-pressed to be perceived by anything other than a playoff contender which is a significant drop-off from where we were a year ago when Boston seemed poised to be a title contender for many years to come.

But as we’ve seen with head coach Brad Stevens and his teams in Boston, the Celtics have seemingly been at their best when others were deemed better teams, teams closer to winning a championship.

There’s little doubt this team will play with an edge; the kind of edge we did not see often enough from them.
And it is that edge that will propel them to winning more games than most will anticipate.
This past season was Brad Stevens’ first as head coach in which the team took a clear and undeniable step backward.
But with the bar set a little bit lower for the 2019-2020 season, it makes achieving success relative to expectations, much easier to come by as Boston will relish in the role of underdog.

GORDON HAYWARD


Arguably the biggest X-factor to what happens this season with the Celtics, lies in how well or woeful Gordon Hayward plays.
He was a human escalator last season, having stretches where he just kept raising and raising his game to great heights, only to hit a downward spiral that seemingly had no end in sight and came at the worst time (second round of the playoffs versus Milwaukee, for example).

But that was his first year back after a gruesome left ankle injury, an injury that the Celtics did all they could to ensure would not be an issue last season and by and large, it wasn't.

For the most part, Hayward’s ankle held up well to the pounding he put on it this past season, and he has attacked his offseason conditioning with renewed vigor.
“Gordon has been in every day working out and putting a lot of time in,” Ainge said. “And he looks good.”

But will we say the same about the Celtics this season.

Stay tuned ...

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#6 - Because we have rooted for them through thick and thin, and even if they are a few years away from contending - they are in the mix and it sure beats the hell out of Brad Lohaus or Stephon Marbury

I do agree with some of the context as well as content of Blakely's 5 reasons for the Celtics feeling good about their future.  I do not agree with somethings

Free Agency

I am far from convinced that free agents are warming up to playing in Boston.  The evidence presented include signing AH and signing Gordon Hayward.  

AH came for #1 the money #2 the potential paring with Durant and #3 a perception that Boston was a team on the rise.  3 years later Al remains a mercenary, there is no pairing with a super elite player and Boston is a team with more questions than answers.

GH does not come to Boston in absence of his relationship with Brad Stevens.

A desire to become a Boston Celtics is also influenced by branding and unfortunately I think Boston has taken a few hits over the past two years that have hurt their branding

The bottom line is primarily about CAP space.  If you pay them they will come.  

The Youth Movement

The youth movement has grown in terms of both size and scope.  I agree that the focus must be on winning as a collective group rather than any individual.  That is true because we do not have any go-to guys on the team.  However you cannot win without top of the line players in this league.  

Salary Cap space

Blakely is floating a lot of names around.  Why even mention Kemba Walker.  He cannot possibly be on Boston's radar.  He seems completely convinced that MJ will not spend the money to keep him but fails to mention that Walker has already stated a willingness to take less money if it help the Hornets.  

Why even mention the often injured Gallinari?  Why the F would you trade for a guy that is destined to get injured?  

Any player who is making $20 plus million per is going to cost valuable assets at this point.  We will get nothing in return for Irving, Horford and Morris.  Adams does not interest me not just because of the money and assets required to get him but also because of the fit.  Know this, any trade for a $20 million plus guy probably involves trading Marcus Smart.

Some people are very accommodating in considering the value of trading Aron Baynes.  Just remember that we traded him plus a 1st round pick just to free up $5,432,380.  Danny overpaid for a cheap ass salary dump and in the process destroyed any semblance of a center rotation on this team.

Underdog role

This makes the most sense to me.  This team can begin without all the lofty 'we can win the title expectations'.  They can come back with chips piled up on their collective shoulders and use that as motivation to play hard and just maybe in the process they will be more committed to playing the right way and doing all the little things, making all the sacrifices in contributing to winning.

Gordon Hayward

He is not the X-factor.  That would assume that if he plays up to par the team is good to go.  However with major holes to fill like the frontline and securing the PG spot, GH is just another issue.  It may be a fair assumption that Boston finds itself in need of Multiple X-factors.

Sounds like the recent turn of events has you in a foul mood D. Sorry to see all the negativity lately about a team that isnt close to a finished product.

mrkleen09 wrote:Sounds like the recent turn of events has you in a foul mood D.  Sorry to see all the negativity lately about a team that isnt close to a finished product.  

kleen

I am actually not in a foul mood despite my exasperation expressed after the draft.

I hope not to appear that way.  I have the exact same hopes and dreams as every single Celtics fan out there.  My discontent remains rooted only in the pathway.  

I have a high level of confidence that the Celtics will defy the Humpty Dumpty legacy.  Truly I speak to you.

There was a time that you only had to beat out 7 other teams - didn't have to contend with free agency - didn't have to deal with the evaluation of the international player - didn't have to deal with projecting into the future the potential of 18 and 19 year olds - and didn't have to deal with an electronic media of world wide scope to constantly publicize the fan opinion craze. It's one helluva tough job to put it all together.

  swish

Dboss, yes GH was an atypical FA acquisition, but he did not come to Boston primarily for the money, since he lefts tens of million$ on the table in Utah.

worcester wrote:Dboss, yes GH was an atypical FA acquisition, but he did not come to Boston primarily for the money, since he lefts tens of million$ on the table in Utah.

Worcester I agree and that is why I never mentioned money in connection with GH.

You are right. I misread AH as GH.

I’m excited to see 2 J’s game grow with a lot of good young players that can grow with them, we still have more picks and other than Zion, I wouldn’t have traded either of 2 J’s for any other players in draft. Take RJ Barret, is he really that good? He doesn’t have Jaylen’s elite athleticism, doesn’t have Tatum’s diversified offensive game, seems like a one handed player. The other wings taken after him all don’t have anything on 2 J’s IMHO. Hopefully Robert Williams starts getting comfortable at his strengths, GH is closer to 17 GH, maybe Grant Williams surprises us and turns into Draymond lite. We still have Smart and 2 great young 2 way wings....