The East is starting to get more competitive. I still have confidence that the Celtics will participate in this years playoffs, the question is with the same roster we have now (except without payton n walker) what seed do you the think the Boston Celtics will be??
It's impossible to tell because so much of our roster consists of question marks. I'd say we can't do any worse than last year, but there's no telling if that'll win us the Atlantic again. New Jersey has improved and might be better than us. It's just too early to tell.
the celtics could certainly do worse than last year. If they trade Pierce than you can gaurentee that theyll do considerably worse than last year
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting olskoolFunktitude:</div><div class="quote_post">the celtics could certainly do worse than last year. If they trade Pierce than you can gaurentee that theyll do considerably worse than last year</div>Yeah, that's another thing...We have no idea what the roster will look like come the start of the season. Although I disagree with the "guarantee" that we'll do worse if we trade Pierce. I know some of you are in love with him and all, but it's called a trade because you get something in return. And if Pierce is as good as you guys say he is, then we will undoubtedly get equal to greater value for him.
Personally i was surprised by Bostons play last year...i didnt expect them to make the playoffs at all but i was wrong. I just didnt think they had enough talent on the team to do it. I mean they have alot of young talent, and Pierce obviously has skills. Payton was a solid PG and i expected him to be, but i still didnt see it happening. And to be honest i dont see it happening this year either. Prove me wrong and i'll admit it openly just like i admit i was wrong about lastyear. I just see the Atlantic like this New Jersey . . . Phili . . Boston . .New York .Raptors
what philly will be number one and boston will not make the playoff make the playoffs i guranteed to that so all yall boston fans move over
^ step 1. use english step 2. dont make silly predictions that, if you're wrong, make you look like a tool ask some of the guys in the Knicks forum how their Raptors vs Knicks predictions went. Phili isnt better than New Jersey in my opinion, though i do believe they are better than Boston, New York and finally the Raptors. I wouldt brag unless you're a Heat, Pacer, or a Spur fan. As far as I'm concerned all other teams in the league could possibly pull a T-wolves from last year.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting 02civic:</div><div class="quote_post">Personally i was surprised by Bostons play last year...i didnt expect them to make the playoffs at all but i was wrong. I just didnt think they had enough talent on the team to do it. I mean they have alot of young talent, and Pierce obviously has skills. Payton was a solid PG and i expected him to be, but i still didnt see it happening. And to be honest i dont see it happening this year either. Prove me wrong and i'll admit it openly just like i admit i was wrong about lastyear. I just see the Atlantic like this New Jersey . . . Phili . . Boston . .New York .Raptors</div>Sounds realistic, but I think we're about even with Philly. And I know NJ looks strong on paper, but I don't think they'll be running away with the division anytime soon. It's just so tough to tell and impossible to predict what's going to happen. In fact, if there's anything I hate about the basketball year, it's this time, because everybody's so high on their team that it leads to the most pointless of discussions. We've already seen one glaring example in this thread of what I'm talking about and there's much more to come. I just wish they didn't start with it before the FA signing period has even begun.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting 44Thrilla:</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah, that's another thing...We have no idea what the roster will look like come the start of the season. Although I disagree with the "guarantee" that we'll do worse if we trade Pierce. I know some of you are in love with him and all, but it's called a trade because you get something in return. And if Pierce is as good as you guys say he is, then we will undoubtedly get equal to greater value for him.</div> Its a gaurentee. its a fact. they are a WORSE team if they get rid of Pierce. Get over it. I know some of you have this weird hatred of Pierce and think it will be best for the team if they trade him but the fact is they WONT get equal value for him if they trade him right now. His value is not as high as it could be because his last NBA action was not some that reflected well on him. there was his uncharacteristically embrasssing behavior at the end of game 6 and his dissapearing act in game 7. Obviously thats not the real paul pierce but other GMs would use that as "bargaining chips" to get out of giving equal value in a trade for Piierce by calling his character and clutchness into question even though u cant point to countless examples that speak to the opposite. If they trde Pierce right now they will not get equal value so they really cant afford to trade him at all or they will make their team worse for the short run and prolly the long runt too
I really wish we could move past this Pierce nonsense now. I think we can all agree that he has signed a contract (def. An agreement between two or more parties, especially one that is written and enforceable by law.) and he now plays for the Boston Celtics. That's all I need to know. For the time being, the man wears a Celtics jersey, that's all. Yes, he has played, yes, at other times he has played poorly. There is no debate that every single basketball player has at one time not played to his potential. There is no arguement here. The thing this Celtics team has proved in its time last year is that they are remarkably resilient, and whatever challenge they face this year, I feel they can meet and overcome. Even if it means finding another primary scoring option. Even if it means finding a secondary scoring option too. They will play well and they will perform when it counts, being lead by players who will learn how to do just that, under the tutelage of a coach who has done that, with far less in the way of players. Now, on the topic of speaking English (as well as accuracy of fact) let's define clutchness (def. none, it's not a word). As well as it having no place in the English language, the closest thing to 'clutchness' might be clutch play, which Pierce does not perform well. I LOVE watching Paul Pierce play basketball. He is a superstar, he is an elite player at his position, and guess what? HE HAS FLAWS. We all do, let's get used to this. His FG% is all over the charts (although remarkably good last year), sometimes he hustles like a madman, sometimes he doesn't (read: he's semi-inconsistent), he doesn't perform well in crunch time, he turns the ball over too much. He is a mere mortal. Let's face it, he's great. As a matter of fact, I want to leave no doubt about this: Paul Pierce is an incredible player and I love having him in Boston. That doesn't mean I don't think this team won't succeed without him, it doesn't mean I don't think he should eventually leave this team for the right deal, he needs a change of scenery, it would do him good. I want the man to succeed under any circumstances, and he stands a better chance of doing it elsewhere, as well as offering the Celtics the flexibility (cap and philosophically) to improve and make necessary deals for necessary offensive evils. I think there are some in this forum that need a wake-up call. We are all in agreement, he is great. Whether his departure will make his team better or worse is merely a talking point, there is no real answer to the question, because, once again, he has 'An agreement between two or more parties, especially one that is written and enforceable by law,' that states he will be playing for the Celtics for the time being.
I don't think we can get a top 3 seed due to New Jersey having a great off-season. They will probably win the Atlantic division. I see Boston getting the 6 or 7 seed. With all the rumors right now we don't even know if we'll have Pierce next season. I'm not going to speculate any further until we know what Pierce and Walkers future holds.
