I know this is hard to imagine now, but do you see another player on this team who could possibly take on the mantle of "face of the franchise" in the coming seasons? I can't see Paul playing any more than another five to seven seasons, and beyond that, there's still basketball to be played. Paul has taken the franchise from the cellar, to the precipice, back to the cellar, and then the mountaintop, no one else in this franchise's history can say that. He's a pioneer, a fan favorite, a team player all the way (contrary to popular belief), and someone who comes to play absolutely every single night (something we can't say of previous centerpieces of this team). Those are qualities that quite simply can't be matched by just about anyone in this day and age, and more importantly, this salary cap. So what do we think of the future of this franchise? I love the run we're on, but being the fan I am (a depressive one), I think we may have dark days looming without the grit, smile, and teamwork of a star like Paul. As far as I can tell, the closest article now is Rondo, but how much upside does he really have? He's a stellar piece right now, but how much more will he amount to? TA was showing flashes two seasons ago, but that seems like a lifetime away. Silence is foo...
Well whenever this Pierce-Allen-Garnett things dies out, which might be soon because of their ages, I don't see much from this Boston squad. Danny Ainge really has to start preparing for the future whether it be drafts or cap space, who knows. I mean in terms of youth you guys got O'Bryant (right?), Rondo, Perkins, and Powe. Not a bad start, but more has to be done so that in the future this squad is still among the elite. I mean I'm a Laker fan, so I don't mind a Boston demise, but I love to maintain an even level of competition among the league
I'm sure things will be cleaned up considerably by the time the Big 3 get shown the big free agency door, and I'm certainly impressed with the layered approach Ainge has taken to ridding this team of cap complications. That said, I'm worried that there won't be a significant homegrown veteran presence by the time the new crop has to adjust. The youngsters that are there now are wonderful players, but they aren't the type to lead players to greatness. Maybe time will remedy that for them.
Those youngs guys are great, but none of them are gonna be the future star for the team like Pierce was for them for so many years. I see Rondo as a defender and a pure point guard, being a great passer. Perkins is gonna be a beastly rebounder. Powe is your consummate bench player with all the energy and hustle he has. I wanna see how Ainge manages this team after the Big Three era.
Hey it's Squishface! Welcome back dude, good to have some old JBBers here (you probably don't remember me though lol).
I remember everybody dude. No sweat. It sure is nice to be here again, I just totally forgot about this place after the draft lottery before last season. I had no reason to root for anyone or anything at that point. I don't know if anybody can blame me.
I seriously could care less about 3-4 years down the road. The media is always hyping youth, potential and what may be. What wins is experience and veterans. The Celtics won a title. I've waited 22 years for that. 22 years!!! I don't care what they're going to do when the current championship built team is done. I care about winning titles and the current team is able to do that. You can't turn it around in a year or two when your star players are all of the same advancing age. (Unless your the Spurs and get #1 picks the years franchise center's come out). So I accept that there will be another rebuilding stage after the current run of success. However, if the Celtics establish and environment of winning and are able to lure a big name free agent to the team, then yes they may be able to continue to be an elite team. Otherwise it'll take some good drafting and trades on Ainge's part to keep the team competitive. And that may take time. I can wait, we're the World Champs!!
Well over the past few years, we've seen how Danny Ainge works. He drafts extremely well, stockpiles solid young talent and is never hesitant to swing a major deal. Ainge will continue to add talent despite the high picks you'll have, and when your "Big 3" starts to show signs of decline, he won't be afraid to deal one of them in order to make space for younger players/provide cap flexibility. I'd look at what the Pistons have done the past couple seasons as a model that Ainge will try to follow.
I agree. I think, especially if we repeat, one of the big 3 will be traded as soon as next year at the trade deadline or even in the offseason. Ainge has also been really solid at drafting players, even very deep in the draft. His only busts have been Marcus Banks, who I give Ainge a pass on because he was only a few months into the job, and Gerald Green, which was a impulse picked based on hype and not on his own scouting. Ainge will continue building a young nucleus over the next few years to complement guys like Rondo, Perkins, Baby, Powe, and Tony Allen. Actually, add a decent wing player and that group itself is probably already better than some of the weaker teams in the league.
