Post Game Thread - Preseason, vs Nets

[bobheckler]

This was an embarrassment, on a number of levels.  Someone on the Game On! thread said that "they've tuned Brad out".  I disagree with that, I just think our heads and hearts aren't into the games and a coach shouldn't need to tell you to play hard.

Mark Murphy @Murf56
yesterday
Celtics started slow in the bubble, too, but Brad Stevens doesn't like the comparison to what's happening now. "We’re not even close to that group that was in the bubble. We’ve got a lot of work to do to get to that point."


Chris Grenham @chrisgrenham
yesterday
Jaylen Brown: "I'm not worried. I'm not worried at all. I believe in our system and our coaching staff."


Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
yesterday
Jaylen Brown on the defense: "We got a lot of room for improvement."
(MY NOTE:  and on the offense too)



Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
yesterday
Jaylen Brown: "We gotta make some shots. We got open looks."


Marc D'Amico @celtics
yesterday
"It starts with us," Jaylen Brown says of the starting unit. "We’ve got to come out and play with more energy and more tenacity. And we will."

This was the 2nd game in a row that the Js stunk.  Jaylen pulled his fg% up to where he was a decent 7-15 at the end but was 4-11 at halftime and at that point we were down 18.  Tatum was 4-12 at the half too.  That's 8-23 for the Js.  They were a combined 1-11 from 3 with Jaylen going 0-5.  Without Kemba (and Gordon) we cannot win with that level of performance from them.  Tatum ended up 5-17 and the two of them together ended up 3-16 from 3.

We cannot win shooting 18% from 3.  Period.  The Js shot 18.75% from 3, so we cannot place all the blame on them.

Smart shot us out of the game early, taking 6 3pt fgas and hitting 1.  He was 3-11, which means he was 2-5 from 2 and that's not that great either.  If there has been one downside to Gordon leaving that is visible already it's that Smart now thinks he's a scorer, and not a point guard.  He had 3 assists and 3 turnovers.  

Theis got blocked twice at the rim, one by Durant.  He tries to power it up but he's not tall or long enough.  He did get 9 rebounds and 2 steals, so he didn't stink the joint up as much as the others but his shortcomings (see what I did there?) were on display.

All the players that impressed in our loss to Philly stunk last night vs Brooklyn.  Javonte was a no-show.  Pritchard was 2-9 and 1-6 from 3.  Opposing teams are switching onto him intentionally to take advantage of his height.  Veteran Jeff Teague was 2-6 and had zero assists in 13 minutes.  He was getting beat on defense a lot too, again.  Carsen Edwards was, well, Carsen Edwards.  0-5.  Even with the NBA's expanded roster allowances this season, due to fears of COVID forcing some quarantines, he's still a waste of a valuable roster spot.  He has shown nothing, no good games nor progress in his game, since last year's preseason.

So, did anybody in green look good?

Tremont looked good.  5 assists and zero turnovers, a stat line you want your point guard to have.  7 points on 3-5, only one of three Celtics with .500 shooting last night.  He also had 3 steals.  He was 'meh' against Philly, but he looked more at ease last night.

Chris Grenham @chrisgrenham
yesterday
Brad Stevens says he feels Tremont Waters was good in both preseason games. Noted he did a good job running the offense during his minutes.

Another Celtic with >.500 shooting was RWill.  He was 4-5.  He also had 3 fouls in his 10 first half minutes.  One or two of those fouls were caused because the primary defender didn't stay in front of his man, so RWill came to help like he should, and that let Jordan or Allen loose.  Pnr defense begins at the arc, not in the paint, and we're not doing what I would consider a good job of doing that.  RWill got the fouls but Teague and others are the ones who really earned them.  He had 4 rebounds in 19 minutes.  That's underwhelming.

The last Celtics with >.500 shooting was Aaron Nesmith.  He worked hard in the Philly, albeit with lesser impact, and he worked hard in this game too.  In a game where we were getting beaten to spots and down the floor all night seeing someone in green working hard was an oasis in the Sahara.  He was, I believe, 2-6 in the Philly game but was 3-5 last night.  He had 5 rebounds, which I really like, 2 of them offensive rebounds, which I really like and goes to what I was saying about him working hard, but also 5 turnovers.  He's a rookie, this is why they struggle, but this also might be why "the best shooter in the draft" in a league that values shooters dropped into Danny's lap at #14.  His handle isn't that good.  Catch-and-shoot?  ABSOLUTELY.  Coming off of weakside pindowns and catching and shooting?  Yepper, but dribbling in traffic is not one of his fortes.  Something he needs to, and I don't doubt he will, work on.

Tatum's former teammate from Duke, Amile Jefferson, got 4 minutes in a blow out.  He had a turnover (don't dribble!) and a rebound but he didn't look lost neither.  And he's 6'9", 222# and has a 7'0" wingspan.  We need to get rid of Edwards, who gets his place?  Jefferson, for size?  IT, for scoring?

Btw, Durant looked great and the Nets are DEEP with Jeff Green, Taurean Prince, Jerome Allen, LeVert and Shamet.  These are seasoned bench players.  We, on the other hand, look very vulnerable without Kemba's offense and our bench is young and/or crap.

Chris Grenham @chrisgrenham
yesterday
Brad Stevens on the Celtics readiness: "We're going to have to make sure we get a lot better and get ready for Wednesday. ... At the same time, these games are exhibition games for a reason."

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401265864


Bob


.

[dboss]

The Celtics got drenched by the Nets last night in a game that was out of hand early.

Our guys could not make shots but their guys did. I am not going deep into the stat lines but I will make some general observations.  

There is not enough time for the Celtics to figure things out before the season kicks off on the 23rd.  We cannot replace the 37.5 point void left by GH departure and Kemba Walker's absence.  Javonte Green does not look like an everyday starter for this team.  Brad is leaning towards a three wing lineup.  GW played a few minutes next to Theis  (did you see that)  That pairing needs to be explored further but poor Grant does not help on offense as a starter.  Our hobbits from last year Edwards and Waters still look like Hobbits.   Semi contributed 4 points and 1 rebound during 15 unforgettable minutes.

I did see a little light at the end of the tunnel.  Rookie Peyton Pritchard could not find his shot last night but he just kept plugging away.  But what you will find from NBA players is a pattern to press a little harder when shots are not falling (1-6 from deep)  Robert Williams III had more good moments than bad.  He does not get a lot of looks but still went 4-5 from the field.  Several bad passes to him went awry.  He also had 4 rebounds a steal and 3 block shots.  Our other rookie will move up the depth chart sooner than you might think.  He led our bench in scoring with 9 points and 5 rebounds.  He has a nose for the ball.  He had 2 offensive rebounds and worked hard to get them.  He has not found his range yet but you can tell that he is going to be  scorer for us.  (3-5 FGA).

I want to also mention one other observation.  Last night Jaylen Brown was handling the ball quite a bit including bringing the ball up the court and running some offense.  He had 4 assists and only 1 turnover during the game,

There is a natural reaction when guys are out to try and do more to help your team win.  Sometimes that can back fire on you if you try to play outside of who you are.  Case in point Marcus Smart.  He shoots too many 3 point shots!

I think Brad will have to make a change in his starting lineup.  I think Aaron Nesmith will be elevated into the starting lineup.  He is a rookie and he will make some mistakes out there but he still looks like our best wing option to insert into the lineup.  

We have a Zoom scheduled before the season begins and I am sure it will be a lively season.  I would like for us to have a toast so please have your favorite beverage at hand.

[cowens/oldschool]

I know it’s only preseason, but Nets look a lot better and deeper than us on paper and on the floor. Durant looked to be in mid season form, getting to the rim at will, as good as I’ve ever seen him do it. Durant and Lavert are as good or better than 2 J’s right now IMHO. After that I like their bigs better and Harris and Dinwiddie provide alot of depth and firepower. Our only hope is another Kyrie implosion, but it’s Durant’s team and he should keep Flat earth boy under control.

[bobheckler]

Bob


.

[dboss]

I know it’s only preseason, but Nets look a lot better and deeper than us on paper and on the floor. Durant looked to be in mid season form, getting to the rim at will, as good as I’ve ever seen him do it. Durant and Lavert are as good or better than 2 J’s right now IMHO. After that I like their bigs better and Harris and Dinwiddie provide alot of depth and firepower. Our only hope is another Kyrie implosion, but it’s Durant’s team and he should keep Flat earth boy under control.

Why even play?.

We are missing a big.

Levert is a good player but he is not better than Jaylen.  Durant is top 5 elite player so he is better than most everyone.  What is the point of they are better than the J's.

The Nets definitely have talent but they still need to go out there and prove it just like every other team.  

We should not base anything  on one game.

[NYCelt]

I know it’s only preseason, but Nets look a lot better and deeper than us on paper and on the floor. Durant looked to be in mid season form, getting to the rim at will, as good as I’ve ever seen him do it. Durant and Lavert are as good or better than 2 J’s right now IMHO. After that I like their bigs better and Harris and Dinwiddie provide alot of depth and firepower. Our only hope is another Kyrie implosion, but it’s Durant’s team and he should keep Flat earth boy under control.

I know this has come up in other threads here and in various pre-season power rankings. I would agree the Nets do have a deeper lineup than we do, but I'm not so sure about the ability of Durant and Irving to check their egos and keep the chemistry from going south. Incredibly talented pair without argument, but we saw firsthand what happens when one of them checks out mentally and emotionally. Hopefully a couple of players from our less experienced bench step up and we get and stay healthy. Given the Celtic core group, that should be enough to compete in the East this season.

As for last night's game, I think the problem was just the burnt sage.

[cowens/oldschool]

I know it’s only preseason, but Nets look a lot better and deeper than us on paper and on the floor. Durant looked to be in mid season form, getting to the rim at will, as good as I’ve ever seen him do it. Durant and Lavert are as good or better than 2 J’s right now IMHO. After that I like their bigs better and Harris and Dinwiddie provide alot of depth and firepower. Our only hope is another Kyrie implosion, but it’s Durant’s team and he should keep Flat earth boy under control.

Why even play?.

We are missing a big.

Levert is a good player but he is not better than Jaylen.  Durant is top 5 elite player so he is better than most everyone.  What is the point of they are better than the J's.

The Nets definitely have talent but they still need to go out there and prove it just like every other team.  

We should not base anything  on one game.

We didn’t even show up, agreed so why even play if your not gonna show up...??? Not only did we not show up, we had no strategy what so ever that I could see. Before the preseason I had us 3rd in East, after that game I’ve lowered expectations, especially with so many injured players and new young players to start the season and a bunch of useless players, frankly I’ve lost confidence, until seen otherwise, how Brad plans to coach this team. I’m going exactly off what I saw in playoffs and last 2 games as that’s all I can go on. I don’t see Brad fixing this in a few days, he’s not that bright.

[cowens/oldschool]

With most teams, we have a huge advantage at wing, that’s our strength. If Durant stays healthy, we have no advantage there, even though I like our 2 guys better than Lavert. So if it’s even at wing, they have a lot of outstanding talent I wasn’t aware of. As much as I’ve bashed Jeff Green over the years, who would you take, him or Semi or GWill? I realized last night I’d probably take him over both those guys and they have other very good players and role players. Hoping PP and Nesmith can help us this year, but is either as good as Shamet or Harris? Nets have talent, hoping they implode....hope I’m wrong.

[kdp59]

I know it’s only preseason, but Nets look a lot better and deeper than us on paper and on the floor. Durant looked to be in mid season form, getting to the rim at will, as good as I’ve ever seen him do it. Durant and Lavert are as good or better than 2 J’s right now IMHO. After that I like their bigs better and Harris and Dinwiddie provide alot of depth and firepower. Our only hope is another Kyrie implosion, but it’s Durant’s team and he should keep Flat earth boy under control.

I know this has come up in other threads here and in various pre-season power rankings. I would agree the Nets do have a deeper lineup than we do, but I'm not so sure about the ability of Durant and Irving to check their egos and keep the chemistry from going south. Incredibly talented pair without argument, but we saw firsthand what happens when one of them checks out mentally and emotionally. Hopefully a couple of players from our less experienced bench step up and we get and stay healthy. Given the Celtic core group, that should be enough to compete in the East this season.

As for last night's game, I think the problem was just the burnt sage.

I'm not sure the hope for a Nets implosion is going to happen. Irving is best and i would argue much more comfortable as the second fiddle. He certainly IS that with Durant, like he was with LeBron. Here ate Boston he was expected to be the leader and obviously could not handle that.

I don't see the implosion that many want coming from Brooklyn this season, UNLESS they do trade for Harden.

[dbrown4]

Don't worry, kdp59, no one, and I mean no one escapes the injury train.  And no one has ever come back from what KD had and is 100% or even real close.  GH is in that same ballpark and things just keep getting worse.  As Rosanna Rosannadana always used to say....

Adding JH without giving up the big two would be priceless to watch.  I'd be willing to pay League Pass $1,000 just for that.  But these two clowns are enough to implode on themselves.

As always, I'll throw myself under the bus if I am wrong!  But I really like the way this on is shaping up!

db

[NYCelt]

I know it’s only preseason, but Nets look a lot better and deeper than us on paper and on the floor. Durant looked to be in mid season form, getting to the rim at will, as good as I’ve ever seen him do it. Durant and Lavert are as good or better than 2 J’s right now IMHO. After that I like their bigs better and Harris and Dinwiddie provide alot of depth and firepower. Our only hope is another Kyrie implosion, but it’s Durant’s team and he should keep Flat earth boy under control.

I know this has come up in other threads here and in various pre-season power rankings. I would agree the Nets do have a deeper lineup than we do, but I'm not so sure about the ability of Durant and Irving to check their egos and keep the chemistry from going south. Incredibly talented pair without argument, but we saw firsthand what happens when one of them checks out mentally and emotionally. Hopefully a couple of players from our less experienced bench step up and we get and stay healthy. Given the Celtic core group, that should be enough to compete in the East this season.

As for last night's game, I think the problem was just the burnt sage.

I'm not sure the hope for a Nets implosion is going to happen. Irving is best and i would argue much more comfortable as the second fiddle. He certainly IS that with Durant, like he was with LeBron. Here ate Boston he was expected to be the leader and obviously could not handle that.

I don't see the implosion that many want coming from Brooklyn this season, UNLESS they do trade for Harden.

kdp,

You read me correctly there. I HOPE for a Nets implosion. Not usually my style, but I do. I see them as having a stronger lineup and feel like we have enough to do to keep pace with Milwaukee and Miami. I don't want to see the Celtics duking it out for fourth in the East with Philly. So the bottom line is I'm hopeful the burnt sage fogs in the Nets' basket.

Regards

[dbrown4]

I am going to predict with great accuracy that one of these 5 teams is not going to finish in the the Top 5 of the East.

Milwaukee, Miami, Boston, Brooklyn and Philadelphia.

If the first two preseason games were it for the sample space, it would be us hands down.

You can pretty much narrow it down to 4 barring anything funky going on in MIL. They will be present and accounted for in the ECF 2021.

db

[NYCelt]

I am going to predict with great accuracy that one of these 5 teams is not going to finish in the the Top 5 of the East.

Milwaukee, Miami, Boston, Brooklyn and Philadelphia.

If the first two preseason games were it for the sample space, it would be us hands down.

You can pretty much narrow it down to 4 barring anything funky going on in MIL.  They will be present and accounted for in the ECF 2021.    

db

I won't bet against you on that one. One of those teams could fall out of the top 5. The Hawks and maybe even the Wizards may also have some dark-horse surprises to hand out.

Besides, I still owe gyso a beer from a previous bet. Worse yet, owning him that beer, I saw him, had dinner with him and completely forgot about it. Now I still owe him one and don't want to owe others as well!

[gyso]

I am going to predict with great accuracy that one of these 5 teams is not going to finish in the the Top 5 of the East.

Milwaukee, Miami, Boston, Brooklyn and Philadelphia.

If the first two preseason games were it for the sample space, it would be us hands down.

You can pretty much narrow it down to 4 barring anything funky going on in MIL.  They will be present and accounted for in the ECF 2021.    

db

I won't bet against you on that one. One of those teams could fall out of the top 5. The Hawks and maybe even the Wizards may also have some dark-horse surprises to hand out.

Besides, I still owe gyso a beer from a previous bet. Worse yet, owning him that beer, I saw him, had dinner with him and completely forgot about it. Now I still owe him one and don't want to owe others as well!

You mat be sad because you still owe me a beer, but that sadness may have gone away because your Bills have clinched their first AFC East title since 1995.

https://sports.yahoo.com/josh-allen-shines-again-bills-clinch-first-afc-east-title-since-1995-with-win-over-broncos-005044991.html

Congratulations!!!

[Ktron]

With most teams, we have a huge advantage at wing, that’s our strength. If Durant stays healthy, we have no advantage there, even though I like our 2 guys better than Lavert. So if it’s even at wing, they have a lot of outstanding talent I wasn’t aware of. As much as I’ve bashed Jeff Green over the years, who would you take, him or Semi or GWill? I realized last night I’d probably take him over both those guys and they have other very good players and role players. Hoping PP and Nesmith can help us this year, but is either as good as Shamet or Harris? Nets have talent, hoping they implode....hope I’m wrong.

Even I will take Semi over Jeff “one game a year” Green. There’s a reason why he has a jersey from damn near every team in the league. And yes, I’d take Gwill over him too. Right now, the Nets are better. Danny’s done a poor job and the jury is out on what Brad can do with this bunch. Buckle up!

[cowens/oldschool]

Jeff Green sucks, I’ve been down on him since the Perk trade in 11, but in 20 minutes last year he avg 12 points a game. You think Semi will ever come close to that? Green is not a good player or one I would want, but even at his advanced age his game is at a way higher level in every phase than Semi or GWill. He can drive and finish way better than either, his defense is just as good or better. He is more versatile at 6’9” as a 3 or 4 than Semi/GWill.

[worcester]

Pretty sad when we compare Jeff Green to Semi or GWill. We should have a better bench. I hope both of our guys shoot better from three. That will be their salvation and ours. Not holding my breath.

[dboss]

I think everyone can agree that the Celtics have stunk the place up in both preseason games.

This team may get off to a slower start than usual.  You have a combination of losing a highend top 4 scorer and having another one recovering from a knee problem.  Add in the process of trying to integrate 4 new players into the team including yet another 2 more rookies and it seems reasonable that everything is not clicking right now.  

I refuse to let 2 preseason games define for me who this team will be.  We may not always agree with things.  We may not always agree with Brad's coaching decision but he has a track record that reveals an innate ability to put a competitive product on the floor.  

I expect that we are going to take a few lumps  but in the end I still believe that the Celtics will be right in the mix.  Whatever you are seeing or think you are seeing is not what you will see in March or April.

[Shamrock1000]

Nets will not be as good as they seem on paper. This is true of every team Kyrie is on. The reason is that although Kyrie is a wizard with the ball, he makes other teammates worse. Maybe not worse, but he dominates the ball so much that other player's talents simply cannot be maximized. Even with Lebron, the Cavs barely got by GSW - if Kyrie were as good as everyone says, then he and Lebron should have dominated GSW. And, Lebron then was better then than Durant is now. I haven't even mentioned how Kyrie not only dominates the ball, but also the entire psyche of the team. Lebron kept that stuff to a minimum in Cleveland, but Lebron is a much stronger personality than Durant. Every team Kyrie has been on has underachieved (except the Celtics the year Kyrie got hurt). The Nets will underachieve.

[Ktron]

I’ll still take Semi or Gwill instead of old ass J Green over an entire season. There is no comparison other than they all 3 wear shorts and get paid. Sure Green can score but those two impact the game much more than Green ever will.

[Vankisa]

Both of the preseason game were too late for me to watch live and I just cannot make myself watch them now knowing how bad it seems to be...

I must say I am not surprised, although I was hoping for better. Remember last year we were saying how good a starting 5 we could have, but that our bench was thin. Well this year we do not have nowhere near the starting 5 we had last year to start and our bench is even thinner. Do not expect the hot start we had last year to be repeated - we were what 9-1, 10-1 ? I remember specifically after the first bad game vs Philly we had at least the next couple where Kemba was scoring 30+ and literally creating the separation we needed to win. And we also had the 4 "all stars" one of each going off each game to provide the difference.

In retrospect I believe our roster has been downgraded each year since the departure of the Drama Queen (without considering internal growth I mean). Starting from the bench, but after the latest all-star leaving for nothing (ok a record setting TP that has a high risk of not producing anything significant and small chance of hitting jackpot) now we have issues fielding a contended level starting 5 as well.

On another note does anyone else feel like this team NEVER plays with a full starting roster, always having to sub guys in and out... When was the last time everyone was healthy in the starting 5-7? Last year pre-season? Longer?

Not to knock on Danny Ainge again, but it seems to me where we are now rests mostly on his shoulders. Of course I agree the Horford and Hayward contracts are ludicrous and we could not have signed them for such money (and should not have), but the fact is they chose to leave because they did not believe that what they signed up for was fulfilled. What I am most disappointed in is that in the process of replacing all the all stars Danny traded for or signed, he lost some key role players - Rozier, Baynes, Bradley even to name a few. He had to do some sacrifices to make some of those deals he did and maybe he had his hand forced a bit too much in my opinion. And a 3-4 years later we are here with no bench to speak of and with our max contract with questionable future not even making 1 full season of injury free play for the Celtics.

[dboss]

Vankisa

Each year it seems we are hit with injuries to key players. Danny has turned the roster over quite a bit. We are one of the youngest teams in the NBA. We have 5 players plus Green that are only in year 2 plus we added 2 more rookies. If healthy we have quality depth at PG and at center. Things get a little dicey at our wing positions and at PF. The Celtics pretty much need for one of our young wings to become a reliable rotation guy or even a starter. That leaves us with the prospect that Romeo Langford can (1) stay healthy and (2) develop into a more reliable scorer. or, our rookie Aaron Nesmith is a quick study and can play defense well enough to stay on the court.

This does not address the PF spot where both Semi and Gwill are marginal players. There is really no way around it but Danny will have to make a deal for another piece. If things go poorly during the first month of the season Danny may not sit on his hands. This is an evolving situation.

We will not have a full picture until KW is back and TT and JT have been integrated into the team. At that juncture we should have a better feel for what the team must add.

[worcester]

If lucky we may go 4-6 to start the year. If really lucky, 6-4. No way do we beat the Bucks, the Nets, Miami, and then Indy twice. Once maybe, not twice.
We will adjust and then get better.

[cowens/oldschool]

Vankisa

Each year it seems we are hit with injuries to key players.  Danny has turned the roster over quite a bit.  We are one of the youngest teams in the NBA.  We have 5 players plus Green that are only in year 2 plus we added 2 more rookies.  If healthy we have quality depth at PG and at center.  Things get a little dicey at our wing positions and at PF.   The Celtics pretty much need for one of our young wings to become a reliable rotation guy or even a starter.  That leaves us with the prospect that Romeo Langford can (1) stay healthy and (2) develop into a more reliable scorer.  or, our rookie Aaron Nesmith is a quick study and can play defense well enough to stay on the court.  

This does not address the PF spot where both Semi and Gwill are marginal players.  There is really no way around it but Danny will have to make a deal for another piece.   If things go poorly during the first month of the season Danny may not sit on his hands.  This is an evolving situation.

We will not have a full picture until KW is back and TT and JT have been integrated into the team.   At that juncture we should have a better feel for what the team must add.  

Yeah our backups at PF are pretty bleak, at this point when Tatum is not at 4, we should just go with Thompson at the 4 and go with RWill or Theis at the 5. I was thinking someone like Bobby Portis would have been a great signing, he’s a borderline starter, definite rotation player who’s a real 6’11” and can actually get you double figures in something every night. He would have been a great back up 4-5. He’s gonna help Bucks, can back up Giannis with another long active body or play him with Giannis. We have 2 midget bu 4’s that probably can’t get in too many other rotations in this league.

[tjmakz]

Vankisa

Each year it seems we are hit with injuries to key players.  Danny has turned the roster over quite a bit.  We are one of the youngest teams in the NBA.  We have 5 players plus Green that are only in year 2 plus we added 2 more rookies.  If healthy we have quality depth at PG and at center.  Things get a little dicey at our wing positions and at PF.   The Celtics pretty much need for one of our young wings to become a reliable rotation guy or even a starter.  That leaves us with the prospect that Romeo Langford can (1) stay healthy and (2) develop into a more reliable scorer.  or, our rookie Aaron Nesmith is a quick study and can play defense well enough to stay on the court.  

This does not address the PF spot where both Semi and Gwill are marginal players.  There is really no way around it but Danny will have to make a deal for another piece.   If things go poorly during the first month of the season Danny may not sit on his hands.  This is an evolving situation.

We will not have a full picture until KW is back and TT and JT have been integrated into the team.   At that juncture we should have a better feel for what the team must add.  

Yeah our backups at PF are pretty bleak, at this point when Tatum is not at 4, we should just go with Thompson at the 4 and go with RWill or Theis at the 5. I was thinking someone like Bobby Portis would have been a great signing, he’s a borderline starter, definite rotation player who’s a real 6’11” and can actually get you double figures in something every night. He would have been a great back up 4-5. He’s gonna help Bucks, can back up Giannis with another long active body or play him with Giannis. We have 2 midget bu 4’s that probably can’t get in too many other rotations in this league.

Cow,

I think a 4-5 who Boston can really use is Julius Randle.
Randle is a tough 4 who can play small ball 5.
He is a scoring machine inside. Boston really needs to acquire a player who can score easy baskets in the paint.
NY doesn’t need Randle.
Their best plan would be to have a high lottery pick again next summer.
If I was Boston, I would look into sending some young assets or draft picks in a trade with NY.
He can easily be acquired with the TPE.

[Sponsored content]