Why NBA Insider Says Celtics Have Taken ‘Major Step Back’ This Offseason

https://nesn.com/2019/08/why-nba-insider-says-celtics-have-taken-major-step-back-this-offseason/




Why NBA Insider Says Celtics Have Taken ‘Major Step Back’ This Offseason



by NESN Staff on Thu, Aug 8, 2019 at 4:41PM



The Boston Celtics will have a new look during the 2019-20 season following the departures of Kyrie Irving, Al Horford and Aron Baynes, and the additions of Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter.

But according to one NBA insider, the Celtics took a “major step back” this summer.

The Athletic’s David Aldridge ranked how all 30 teams have done this offseason, gauging everything from signings to trades to draft picks. Aldridge ranked Boston 25th overall for a number of reasons, with one being that the Celtics failed to find a replacement, mainly on the defensive end, for Horford.

“Unfortunately, Boston didn’t find a replacement for Horford, who’s done all the dirty work defensively for the Cs the last three years, and who was beyond clutch offensively,” Aldridge wrote. “He’s just a huge loss, especially since he joined the Celtics’ Eastern rivals in Philly, and while Kanter is still gifted offensively, no sentient being would put him in the same universe as Horford defensively.”

This isn’t an end-all-be-all, but Aldridge is right. The Celtics have a major hole in the middle not just because of Horford, but also due to the void left by Baynes. They’ll be forced to rely heavily on Robert Williams and Daniel Theis, which isn’t the most promising formula. Yes, both players are quality bigs, but they’re still undergoing some pretty serious development.

Not to worry, though: Aldridge doesn’t think the Celtics will be bad this season. In fact, he notes they’re “still going to be good,” and much of this is due to Kemba Walker’s fit.

“(Walker’s) not as great a shooter from deep as Irving, but he’s a three-time All-Star who’s equally capable of taking over games late as the six-time All-Star he’s replacing, and is almost certain to be a better fit with his teammates,” Aldridge wrote.

Boston’s depth certainly will be tested this season, but a shorthanded Eastern Conference should play to its advantage.



bob
MY NOTE: It's true that Kemba's 3pt fg% is not as good as Kyrie's, but we should keep stats in perspective. Who did Kemba have in Charlotte to pass to for a buzzer beater? Kemba was the offense in Charlotte and when that's the case you end up taking a lot of questionable shots because there is nobody else with the ball in their hands that can be trusted with no seconds left on the clock. We're a better team than the Hornets, he won't have to do as much and Brad will put him in good situations.


.

Bullshit, we are going to be a lot better....

bobheckler wrote:https://nesn.com/2019/08/why-nba-insider-says-celtics-have-taken-major-step-back-this-offseason/


MY NOTE:  It's true that Kemba's 3pt fg% is not as good as Kyrie's, but we should keep stats in perspective.  Who did Kemba have in Charlotte to pass to for a buzzer beater?  Kemba was the offense in Charlotte and when that's the case you end up taking a lot of questionable shots because there is nobody else with the ball in their hands that can be trusted with no seconds left on the clock.  We're a better team than the Hornets, he won't have to do as much and Brad will put him in good situations.


.

Excellent point. It astounds me a professional sports writer as well regarded as Aldridge would fail to consider this. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since they all seem to be lazy and just re-state things that have already been said.

Also, I loved Al, but the way writers talk about him, you'd think he is some magical basketball being whose impact on the game somehow simultaneously is enormous yet can't be quantified??? It's not like we are losing an in-his-prime Bill Russell.

cowens/oldschool wrote:Bullshit, we are going to be a lot better....

well, that was a solid argument!

kdp59 wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:Bullshit, we are going to be a lot better....

well, that was a solid argument!

He's a man of few words . . .

gyso wrote:

kdp59 wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:Bullshit, we are going to be a lot better....

well, that was a solid argument!

He's a man of few words . . .

Few and occasionally unprintable.


bob


.

Shamrock1000 wrote:

bobheckler wrote:https://nesn.com/2019/08/why-nba-insider-says-celtics-have-taken-major-step-back-this-offseason/


MY NOTE:  It's true that Kemba's 3pt fg% is not as good as Kyrie's, but we should keep stats in perspective.  Who did Kemba have in Charlotte to pass to for a buzzer beater?  Kemba was the offense in Charlotte and when that's the case you end up taking a lot of questionable shots because there is nobody else with the ball in their hands that can be trusted with no seconds left on the clock.  We're a better team than the Hornets, he won't have to do as much and Brad will put him in good situations.


.

Excellent point. It astounds me a professional sports writer as well regarded as Aldridge would fail to consider this. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since they all seem to be lazy and just re-state things that have already been said.

Also, I loved Al, but the way writers talk about him, you'd think he is some magical basketball being whose impact on the game somehow simultaneously is enormous yet can't be quantified??? It's not like we are losing an in-his-prime Bill Russell.

I think losing the outside shooting and defense from Horford and Morris could really hurt Boston.
Especially when Boston plays Philly with Embiid or Milwaukee with Giannis, Horford took on that defensive responsibility and did a pretty good job.
Not many people can frustrate Embid like Hordford can.
Losing Horford to Philly makes that loss even worse.
Kanter will score and rebound but is considered a well below average defender.
The  Irving to Walker comparison should turn out to be almost a wash.
Kyrie is a better player but Walker will make his teammates better and will be a better teammate.
If Boston is expecting and gets significant contributions from their rookies, they could have a similar record to last year.

tjmakz wrote:

Shamrock1000 wrote:

bobheckler wrote:https://nesn.com/2019/08/why-nba-insider-says-celtics-have-taken-major-step-back-this-offseason/


MY NOTE:  It's true that Kemba's 3pt fg% is not as good as Kyrie's, but we should keep stats in perspective.  Who did Kemba have in Charlotte to pass to for a buzzer beater?  Kemba was the offense in Charlotte and when that's the case you end up taking a lot of questionable shots because there is nobody else with the ball in their hands that can be trusted with no seconds left on the clock.  We're a better team than the Hornets, he won't have to do as much and Brad will put him in good situations.


.

Excellent point. It astounds me a professional sports writer as well regarded as Aldridge would fail to consider this. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since they all seem to be lazy and just re-state things that have already been said.

Also, I loved Al, but the way writers talk about him, you'd think he is some magical basketball being whose impact on the game somehow simultaneously is enormous yet can't be quantified??? It's not like we are losing an in-his-prime Bill Russell.

I think losing the outside shooting and defense from Horford and Morris could really hurt Boston.
Especially when Boston plays Philly with Embiid or Milwaukee with Giannis, Horford took on that defensive responsibility and did a pretty good job.
Not many people can frustrate Embid like Hordford can.
Losing Horford to Philly makes that loss even worse.
Kanter will score and rebound but is considered a well below average defender.
The  Irving to Walker comparison should turn out to be almost a wash.
Kyrie is a better player but Walker will make his teammates better and will be a better teammate.
If Boston is expecting and gets significant contributions from their rookies, they could have a similar record to last year.

TJ,

We should have a better record than last year if for no other reason we won't lose as many to Toronto, who are now without Derozan AND Kawhi, and Charlotte, which replaced Kemba with Rozier.


bob


.

cowens/oldschool wrote:Bullshit, we are going to be a lot better....

I'm with cow on this one.

bobheckler wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

Shamrock1000 wrote:

bobheckler wrote:https://nesn.com/2019/08/why-nba-insider-says-celtics-have-taken-major-step-back-this-offseason/


MY NOTE:  It's true that Kemba's 3pt fg% is not as good as Kyrie's, but we should keep stats in perspective.  Who did Kemba have in Charlotte to pass to for a buzzer beater?  Kemba was the offense in Charlotte and when that's the case you end up taking a lot of questionable shots because there is nobody else with the ball in their hands that can be trusted with no seconds left on the clock.  We're a better team than the Hornets, he won't have to do as much and Brad will put him in good situations.


.

Excellent point. It astounds me a professional sports writer as well regarded as Aldridge would fail to consider this. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since they all seem to be lazy and just re-state things that have already been said.

Also, I loved Al, but the way writers talk about him, you'd think he is some magical basketball being whose impact on the game somehow simultaneously is enormous yet can't be quantified??? It's not like we are losing an in-his-prime Bill Russell.

I think losing the outside shooting and defense from Horford and Morris could really hurt Boston.
Especially when Boston plays Philly with Embiid or Milwaukee with Giannis, Horford took on that defensive responsibility and did a pretty good job.
Not many people can frustrate Embid like Hordford can.
Losing Horford to Philly makes that loss even worse.
Kanter will score and rebound but is considered a well below average defender.
The  Irving to Walker comparison should turn out to be almost a wash.
Kyrie is a better player but Walker will make his teammates better and will be a better teammate.
If Boston is expecting and gets significant contributions from their rookies, they could have a similar record to last year.

TJ,

We should have a better record than last year if for no other reason we won't lose as many to Toronto, who are now without Derozan AND Kawhi, and Charlotte, which replaced Kemba with Rozier.


bob


.

Bob,

You could be right. The East is definitely weaker.
i think Boston will win more games against the East, but could lose more games against the West.
The experience of Kyrie, Horford and Morris was huge, especially when playing on the road.
Teams that rely on younger players (rookies) for production, usually struggle on the road.
Other teams might now feel they have a better chance to win some more games against Boston because their roster is not as good as last years team.
People seem to forget how Kyrie took over some games last year down the stretch.
Boston was 4-0 in OT games last year.
Kyrie absolutely took over in those games.
He scored 39, 43, 38 and 40 points in those 4 OT games.
That clutch scoring that Kyrie has done on the highest level will be hard for Kemba to duplicate.


I am not one that puts a lot of importance on regular season wins.
Houston could win the most teams in the West this year because Harden and Westbrook can put up historic numbers for 82 games.
But come playoff time, would you rather bet on the Lakers or Clippers winning that series or Houston?
I would go with either LA team easily.

tjmakz wrote:

Shamrock1000 wrote:

bobheckler wrote:https://nesn.com/2019/08/why-nba-insider-says-celtics-have-taken-major-step-back-this-offseason/


MY NOTE:  It's true that Kemba's 3pt fg% is not as good as Kyrie's, but we should keep stats in perspective.  Who did Kemba have in Charlotte to pass to for a buzzer beater?  Kemba was the offense in Charlotte and when that's the case you end up taking a lot of questionable shots because there is nobody else with the ball in their hands that can be trusted with no seconds left on the clock.  We're a better team than the Hornets, he won't have to do as much and Brad will put him in good situations.


.

Excellent point. It astounds me a professional sports writer as well regarded as Aldridge would fail to consider this. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since they all seem to be lazy and just re-state things that have already been said.

Also, I loved Al, but the way writers talk about him, you'd think he is some magical basketball being whose impact on the game somehow simultaneously is enormous yet can't be quantified??? It's not like we are losing an in-his-prime Bill Russell.

I think losing the outside shooting and defense from Horford and Morris could really hurt Boston.
Especially when Boston plays Philly with Embiid or Milwaukee with Giannis, Horford took on that defensive responsibility and did a pretty good job.
Not many people can frustrate Embid like Hordford can.
Losing Horford to Philly makes that loss even worse.
Kanter will score and rebound but is considered a well below average defender.
The  Irving to Walker comparison should turn out to be almost a wash.
Kyrie is a better player but Walker will make his teammates better and will be a better teammate.
If Boston is expecting and gets significant contributions from their rookies, they could have a similar record to last year.

TJ,

I mostly agree. Al is a great player, and did a lot for the Celtics. I really hope no one one thinks I am dissing Al. I am dissing writers who present material that is really nothing more than a casual opinion as if it were a data-driven fact. One of the ideas that often pops up about Al is how "so much of what he does can't be captured with stats". Now, I will admit I am a mathematically driven individual, but of course I understand somethings can't be quantified and that the eye test has real meaning. That being said, I get a little suspicious when too much of a player's supposed value doesn't show up in stats. So much is followed and quantified now. Al is a good player, but he is not a max player. He just does not affect a game that much. I concede he is probably better than Enes, but Enes does some things Al couldn't do (rebound and score at an elite level). By swapping Enes for Al, we lost somethings and gained somethings, and thus the net difference might not be as great as Aldridge predicts. Also, Aldridge didn't seem to consider that Tatum and Brown both have another year's experience under their belts. Finally, despite the roster, the Celtics just weren't that good last year - I wouldn't be surprised if they match or exceed last year's win total.

Aldridge has never been a fan of the Boston Celtics so his slant on things tends to lean to the negative side.

AH is a better defender than Kanter but it is not like we lost an all-defensive player at center.

Kanter had a def Rg of 112.6 on a poor defensive Portland team (109.5)  I suspect that Enes and Walker will post better defensive ratings this season.

The Celtics take great pride in their defense and I see no reason why that will not continue.  Boston has maintained a core of excellent wing defenders led by 1st teamer Marcus Smart.  RW despite some rookie mistakes had a very solid defensive rating.  He will be a key in replacing some of the things that AH did.  Theis and Semi are both excellent defenders and the veteran rookie, VP, has been described as a guy who plays physical.   Rookie Grant Williams is more than adequate to replace MM defense and rebounding.

Give Brad sometime to integrate the new players into the mix and I think we will be pleasantly surprised at how well The Celtics play.

I posted a longer response earlier which was lost into the ether. Probably just as well. Rebounding and low post play should be markedly better.Mixing it up down low wasn't exactly Horford's forte. As a graduate of UF law school , I love Al, but he had weaknesses of his own. I'll take the Kemba for Kyrie trade every day of the week and twice on Sunday, not because he is a better player , but because he is a better teammate. Kemba was the best player on an NCAA championship team. What has Irving won without Lebron?

I forgot to mention another very important factor.

I expect to see both Tatum and Jaylen play even better.  These two studs are still very young and both have a lot of upside.  

I expect that GH will be more ready and if he can also show improvement, it will exponentially make Boston a better team because of all the things that he can do.

Somebody wants a flip* explanation, I’ll give you a flip* explanation, that a lot of you already know....

Al was good, you can’t hide 13 and 6.7, really and he’s gonna be playing at 34 this year, nuff said....

I saw a game last year Kemba went off on us and was unstoppable in the 4th, as Kyrie went cold at winning time and couldn’t do squat. Both are streaky, when Kemba gets in his zone, he can score every bit as good as Kyrie. Kyrie was toxic last year and Kemba has never played with the kind of talent we have....he will be itching to go and a better fit and teammate.

2 J’s are poised to have best years of their careers and it should keep on going upward in years to come, but make no mistake they will be looking forward to show their stuff and show they can carry a franchise and are all star level players. GH is gonna be our new glue guy and is also itching to show the franchise what he can do....

We will have a bunch of physical mobile bigs that can all bang and board and I am hoping there will be enough defense from Poirer and RW to help out Kantor who can go off and score much better than Al inside and at the midrange. Al didn’t even get his 3 point shot until he was in his 30’s and Kantor may get that shot this year, but I like his scoring ability down low and rebounding and for the price, he’s a steal...

I see a rotation of Kantor, Poirer and RW as better than what we would have gotten from 34 year old Al and Baynes this coming season and beyond. We will have a committee at PF with Theis, G Will and RW all getting some rotation and Tatum and GH playing there in some matchups. I like the wildcard or X factor in RW and G Will, RW could be a rebounding defensive menace, G Will a 6’7” version of Marcus Smart. I like the additional spark that Romeo and C Edwards certainly can provide. This is a young deep physical team. Look how deep we are at point, Kemba, Smart, Edwards, we are deep at the wing, 2-3 and can play both ends, our bigs should be physical and fine, gonna be a very exciting team. The moves Danny made were great, can’t wait to see Poirer too, I trust international that this kid can play....

The Celtics will be better with a new team attitude, and they will be so much more fun to follow as a fan.

Can't wait till pre season!

cowens/oldschool wrote:Somebody wants a flip* explanation, I’ll give you a flip* explanation, that a lot of you already know....

Al was good, you can’t hide 13 and 6.7, really and he’s gonna be playing at 34 this year, nuff said....

I saw a game last year Kemba went off on us and was unstoppable in the 4th, as Kyrie went cold at winning time and couldn’t do squat. Both are streaky, when Kemba gets in his zone, he can score every bit as good as Kyrie. Kyrie was toxic last year and Kemba has never played with the kind of talent we have....he will be itching to go and a better fit and teammate.

2 J’s are poised to have best years of their careers and it should keep on going upward in years to come, but make no mistake they will be looking forward to show their stuff and show they can carry a franchise and are all star level players. GH is gonna be our new glue guy and is also itching to show the franchise what he can do....

We will have a bunch of physical mobile bigs that can all bang and board and I am hoping there will be enough defense from Poirer and RW to help out Kantor who can go off and score much better than Al inside and at the midrange. Al didn’t even get his 3 point shot until he was in his 30’s and Kantor may get that shot this year, but I like his scoring ability down low and rebounding and for the price, he’s a steal...

I see a rotation of Kantor, Poirer and RW as better than what we would have gotten from 34 year old Al and Baynes this coming season and beyond. We will have a committee at PF with Theis, G Will and RW all getting some rotation and Tatum and GH playing there in some matchups. I like the wildcard or X factor in RW and G Will, RW could be a rebounding defensive menace, G Will a 6’7” version of Marcus Smart. I like the additional spark that Romeo and C Edwards certainly can provide. This is a young deep physical team. Look how deep we are at point, Kemba, Smart, Edwards, we are deep at the wing, 2-3 and can play both ends, our bigs should be physical and fine, gonna be a very exciting team. The moves Danny made were great, can’t wait to see Poirer too, I trust international that this kid can play....

         very astute analysis. go grab some effing rebounds!

Who cares what NBA Insider says?

This team will be FUN to watch and easy to root for. Those two things along will make it a more enjoyable season. Last season, unless it was a blow out - you were watching, just waiting for the other team to make a comeback and for the Celtics to capitulate.

The year before, with a less talented team on paper - they fought hard for each other and would will themselves to victory.

Give me a scrapy, hard working, blue collar team anyday. This season will be a blast.

mrkleen09 wrote:Who cares what NBA Insider says?

This team will be FUN to watch and easy to root for.  Those two things along will make it a more enjoyable season. Last season, unless it was a blow out - you were watching, just waiting for the other team to make a comeback and for the Celtics to capitulate.

The year before, with a less talented team on paper - they fought hard for each other and would will themselves to victory.

Give me a scrapy, hard working, blue collar team anyday.  This season will be a blast.

It’s more David Aldridge, but agree who gives a shit what he says in Insider whatever the flip that is....

Al is like Antoine Walker, he could be good enough to get you there in the regular season, then in the playoffs like Walker would get his ass kicked by Jermaine O’Neal or Kenyon Martin. Horford just got his ass kicked by Giannis and at this stage if we would have overpaid for him, don’t see him being able to handle Embid physically anymore either. At least now we’ll have 3 possibly 4 bigs to go at Giannis and Kantor will be able to go back at him on offense in a physical manner in the post, at least making him work, something Al couldn’t do.

If you want to call me a traditionalist that’s fine, but my vision for the perfect winning team has bigs that can do the dirty work and do their job. Ideally I don’t want to hear the wings and guards have to hang back and help the bigs rebound....really hello, I’d much rather have a 4-5 combo or rebounding beast that can do their job in the paint on the boards and let the wings and guards run/fly down the floor for easy baskets. That’s my vision of the flip* game

No one defended Al Horford more than me on this board for the time he played here. There were times when I have no idea how we won without him on the floor. No one was caught by surprise more than the Celtics when all jumped ship and went to Philly. Hey, if someone offered me that kind of $$$ I would have jumped too. He has a young family to support, and wants to win a ring. I guess he felt that Philly was a better shot than the Celtics. HOWEVER, I do not blame Danny for trying to match that offer. No one worked harder at keeping Al on the floor than the Celtic doctors and trainers. Days off, injuries, "load management" (a term I absolutely hate). They were careful with him. So, what is going to happen in the next few years? Is Philly going to treat him with kid gloves? I doubt it, they are too busy babying Embid. Don't want to play the "5"??? Who is going to play it when Joel is out? And he misses his fair share of games.

So....Danny and company moved on, did the best they could and replaced Al. Will they be the same as Al? NO. But together, they may give us somethings we missed on this team. The biggest problem is going to be defense. What happens there remains to be seen.

So Aldrich can take his theories and put them where the sun does not shine. We will survive. No one is irreplaceable, even Al Horford. We will be a different team, and, who knows, Al may
regret that decision somewhere down the road

Well said Rosalie

I'm so glad these games are played on the court and not on paper.

I think the Celtics will be a better all-around team this year. We'll be more athletic and we'll have better chemistry.



KJ

KJ it is amusing. These writers let their feelings about certain teams be known by the way they write. You are right, thank God the games are decided on the floor, not in the paper

I can see a "major step back" with the Celtics this season.

That will be when Jason Tatum "steps back" over the 3 point line before shooting and by doing so, he stops taking so many long mid-range jumpers.