Since it's clearly evident now that we are lottery bound, who do you guy think we should look at in the draft, and what moves should we look to make at the deadline?I personally think we need to move Wally and Telfair. I'd be perfectly happy with moving Wally for just cap space. He hasn't been playing well when healthy, and he has a pretty high cap number. Flip him for some cap space, if anyone will take him, maybe a pick or two. I also think Telfair needs to go. He hasn't really fit in well here like we all thought he would. He hasn't been as good of an offensive player as he was advertised to be, and he doesn't push the ball as often and quickly as I was under the impression that he would. Also its evident that Rajon Rondo is a player, and Delonte West is a good point guard, so I think having those two is plenty. I also think Telfair could be a more valuable trading chip at the deadline than those two as well. As for who we should look at in the draft, I think we should look at obviously Oden, and other true centers, like UConn's Hasheem Thabeet, Wake's Kyle Visser, and Pitt's Aaron Gray. Obviously if you're going to have a pick like we will we are going to need to look at Kevin Durant. I think if he's there when we pick, and we aren't picking 1, we need to grab him. Possibly a wing player, like G'Town's Jeff Green, OSU's Daequan Cook, Arizona's Marcus Williams or Kansas' Julian Wright. I don't think another PF would be necessary because Al is clearly going to be our guy, and that could only take minutes away from Al. I think if we could get one of the aforementioned centers it'd be a good move depending on our draft position, and I'd love to see Durant in a Celts uni. But that will all depend on what midseason moves are made, and where we end up in the lottery.
If we get a top three pick we should definitely take either Kevin Durant or Brandan WrightWright has such big long strong arms...he can run and he can shootjust the kind of big man we needwe could also look at Yi Jianlian...hes pretty much a more athletic Yao Ming...7 footer...hes 7 feet though..not 7 foot 6im not sure how high his stock is...but if we dont get a top 3 pick and more of a top 10 pick (around 7-9ish) then we should take this guyI like him
pg - sebastian telfair sg - paul piercesf - gerald greenpf - kevin durant or brandan wrightc - al jeffersonstyle: fastbreak teamcoach: new one, a younger guy who understands fast basketballthat would be the best way to win for the Celts
Well, let's just get realistic here, we aren't going to land Oden or Durant. But if we could some how end up with Brendan Wright in this draft, I would do 19 backflips in a row and go streaking through the entire world. If we can't land Wright (I don't think we'll get 3rd pick), then I wouldn't mind Al Horford at all. Noah would fit right into our team as well, and actually bring some defense. Bottom line, we are getting a top 10 pick, possibly top 5. When you look at the prospects, you have to smile as a Celtics fan, because you know you are getting somebody good.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ Jan 14 2007, 12:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Well, let's just get realistic here, we aren't going to land Oden or Durant. But if we could some how end up with Brendan Wright in this draft, I would do 19 backflips in a row and go streaking through the entire world.If we can't land Wright (I don't think we'll get 3rd pick), then I wouldn't mind Al Horford at all. Noah would fit right into our team as well, and actually bring some defense.Bottom line, we are getting a top 10 pick, possibly top 5. When you look at the prospects, you have to smile as a Celtics fan, because you know you are getting somebody good.</div>I'm a little hesitant about drafting another power forward. We already have Jefferson who has been coming into his own this year, and Gomes, a very solid guy (even though his consistency has dropped a bit recently). Horford, Noah, and Wright are all very good players that would help our team, but realistically, we already have two rotation power forwards, not including Scalabrine. I definitely think we need to get a true center to go along with Perk. One that can bang on the boards, block some shots, and play some tough defense. Not many of those in this years draft, but Sean Williams can be had next year, and thats exactly what he can bring, but I don't think we should be talking about '08 yet.
another guy to look at is Kansas' Julian Wright. He's extremely athletic, a great rebounder, a pretty good passer, can do basically everything but shoot the 3. I think since we already have the scorers set in place in Gerald and Al it would be nice to have a guy like Wright working the high post. He would be a perfect fit.pg- Rajon Rondosg- Paul Piercesf- Gerald Greenpf- Al JeffersonC- Kendrick PerkinsBench: Tony Allen and Julian Wright.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (yankshater213 @ Jan 14 2007, 01:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I'm a little hesitant about drafting another power forward. We already have Jefferson who has been coming into his own this year, and Gomes, a very solid guy (even though his consistency has dropped a bit recently). Horford, Noah, and Wright are all very good players that would help our team, but realistically, we already have two rotation power forwards, not including Scalabrine. I definitely think we need to get a true center to go along with Perk. One that can bang on the boards, block some shots, and play some tough defense. Not many of those in this years draft, but Sean Williams can be had next year, and thats exactly what he can bring, but I don't think we should be talking about '08 yet.</div> But, this PF (Brendan Wright), has All-Star potential. We need good bigs. Big Al can have a successful career as a center, IMO. A future lineup of Big Al and Wright, with Perk and Gomes off the bench = a good big man rotation. And dogma, I am a huge fan of Julian Wright. The kid can do it all. He's a freak athlete, he can handle the ball, he's unselfish, he's a very good defensive player, he rebounds, he runs. I mean he has the total package. The only reason I'd be hesitant to bring him to Boston is because we already have too many wings. No way we can fit Pierce, Wally, Gerald, TA, and Julian Wright in the rotation.
I agree celticballa, I think al will be successful as a center. I don't know much about brendan wright, but I know he has a huge wingspan and is a good shotblocker.EDIT: oh, and I was thinking Wright would play a smaller 4.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ Jan 14 2007, 02:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>But, this PF (Brendan Wright), has All-Star potential. We need good bigs. Big Al can have a successful career as a center, IMO. A future lineup of Big Al and Wright, with Perk and Gomes off the bench = a good big man rotation.</div>Don't get me wrong, I'd love a guy like Wright on this team, like you said, he has great potential. But I just think sometimes if we got a "true center". A 7 foot presence that can block shots, play defense, and throw down some hooks. I don't know though. I wouldn't complain if we got Wright at all, I just think that maybe a "true center" would be another worthwhile option to look at as well.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>pg - sebastian telfair sg - paul piercesf - gerald greenpf - kevin durant or brandan wrightc - al jeffersonstyle: fastbreak teamcoach: new one, a younger guy who understands fast basketballthat would be the best way to win for the Celts</div>that sounds all good and all but that won't happen man. Telfair isn't a starting point guard, I don't care how you slice it, there is no way Telfair will ever be a bonfied starter in this league. He just isn't that good of a player, he has his moments and I know he's young but his upside isn't what everyone thought it was going to be. We were also advertised to be a great fastbreak team this year, but that didn't really happen. I don't really buy into the whole fastbreak style team either, for that to be really successful you need an unbelievable point guard. Maybe with Rondo's development we could try that.
I'm just an outsider and have not watched many Celtics games. I think you guys need to add some toughness through the draft. For some reason your young prospects are not doing what you want them to do. In my opinion you guys are stacked at every position so you just have to draft the best player available or maybe trade the pick. Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Al Thornton and Julian Wright are all solid options for you guys. They all play defense, they are very athletic (Noah and Thornton are going to give you everything they have all the time).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>I'm just an outsider and have not watched many Celtics games. I think you guys need to add some toughness through the draft. For some reason your young prospects are not doing what you want them to do. In my opinion you guys are stacked at every position so you just have to draft the best player available or maybe trade the pick. Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Al Thornton and Julian Wright are all solid options for you guys. They all play defense, they are very athletic (Noah and Thornton are going to give you everything they have all the time).</div>Those are four guys I would love to see wearing Celtics green. But honestly, I'm sick of talking about young guys. Three years ago when Danny took over we were saying that this season we would be incredible. Look at us now, we're 12-24 and honestly what improvements has this team made? We need to get a solid veteran on this team. Not Ricky Davis, Not Raef LaFrentz, Not Wally Szczerbiak, We need another solid veteran on this team that can make a ton of contributions and play every single night. I've loved the young guys Danny has brought in here but he has done an absolute horrific job of surronding them with talent and increasing their ability to become great players. When you look at all of our young talent individually, any basketball fan will say this team must be incredible. But without the vets, they go nowhere. Young players do not make young players better. I have faith in Danny's ability to pick a great player coming out of college but what I do not have faith in is his ability to get the right people to Boston and make it work.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (WELCOMEtotheJUNGLE @ Jan 14 2007, 03:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>that sounds all good and all but that won't happen man. Telfair isn't a starting point guard, I don't care how you slice it, there is no way Telfair will ever be a bonfied starter in this league. He just isn't that good of a player, he has his moments and I know he's young but his upside isn't what everyone thought it was going to be. We were also advertised to be a great fastbreak team this year, but that didn't really happen. I don't really buy into the whole fastbreak style team either, for that to be really successful you need an unbelievable point guard. Maybe with Rondo's development we could try that.</div>No, you got it wrong. What has hindered Sebastian Telfair's game is the half court sets he's run in his career. With Portland it was always throw the ball to Zack Randolph and hope he scores, now with the Celtics it's put the ball in Pierce's hands and let him make plays 1 on 1. But at heart Sebastian Telfair is a playmaker, a fancy,streetball playmaker. You can tell he wants basketball to be fun, it's what it was in high school. Sebastian Telfair would love to run a fast break team. Put in a coach who can help nurture him into the role and it could be a very successful plan for the Celtics. The supporting cast for a fast break team is excellent, Boston has young, quick, athletic guys who would flourish in the fast-break system.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pacers fan forever @ Jan 14 2007, 08:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>No, you got it wrong. What has hindered Sebastian Telfair's game is the half court sets he's run in his career. With Portland it was always throw the ball to Zack Randolph and hope he scores, now with the Celtics it's put the ball in Pierce's hands and let him make plays 1 on 1. But at heart Sebastian Telfair is a playmaker, a fancy,streetball playmaker. You can tell he wants basketball to be fun, it's what it was in high school. Sebastian Telfair would love to run a fast break team. Put in a coach who can help nurture him into the role and it could be a very successful plan for the Celtics. The supporting cast for a fast break team is excellent, Boston has young, quick, athletic guys who would flourish in the fast-break system.</div> The Celtics aren't going to change their whole style of play to fit a back-up PG's style of play. Good players are good players, they adapt, Sebastian Telfair is just not that good. They don't have the players for a fast break offense. I don't think Ryan Gomes, Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins are going to fit that style.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Sebastian Telfair would love to run a fast break team. Put in a coach who can help nurture him into the role and it could be a very successful plan for the Celtics. The supporting cast for a fast break team is excellent, Boston has young, quick, athletic guys who would flourish in the fast-break system.</div>In fantasy land this philosophy wins you a championship, in reality this just doesn't work. The fact that we brought in Telfair and started him over Delonte West is an absolute slap in the face to West. West was a decent starting point guard and Ainge brought him and for really no apperant reason started him over West. West has advantages over Telfair in scoring, rebounding, defending, experience, and pretty much everything aside from ball-handling and quickness. Telfair started for the Celtics for the first few months of the season and was benched because of his inability to run an offense and play defense. You need to watch this kid on a nightly basis to realize he isn't that good. He is as quick as they come but overall he's not that good of a point guard. He's so overhyped and his improvements have been minimal throughout his career. You can blame him not improving because he was in Portland but I don't buy that. Jarret Jack is improving a ton and he's playing for the same sh*tty ball club. From what I have seen, I don't think Telfair is that good and I pray to god he is not the starting point guard for the Celtics in the future.
I don't know if Julian Wright should be brought in to play the 4. He's a SF, IMO. But the thing is, the only center that is real sure thing to actually develop into something is Oden. Worse case scenario, Oden is a hell of a defender and rebounder. The other centers: Hibbert, Thabeet, Hawes, etc. are all guys that I don't think I'd take in the top 5 (if we get in the top 5). They aren't "sure things." They could be awesome, yes, but they could be big flops as well. Brendan Wright is going to be a hell of a player, and I believe he's the 3rd best prospect in this draft. A front line of Al Jefferson and Brendan Wright with Perk/Gomes off the bench = beauty. Yeah, we should all be used to that scam by now. They always say we are going to be a run and gun team, every year, but it never happens. It's like that commercial: "We were fooled." The main reason we don't run a ton is because we don't get stops. You can't run much if you don't get stops. Thank you for mentioning Al Thornton. I think that kid is an underrated prospect at this point. But, I don't think he should be a top 5-7 pick. All the other guys, I'd love... but again, I think Julian Wright would be more successful as an NBA SF. He is, however, capable of playing some 4, and he is one of my favorite college basketball players, but I still think he'd be better off playing the 3. If we get Wright, Noah, or Horford I will be the happiest man alive.
Celticballa, I wouldnt the write off the Celtics possibly getting the #1 or #2 pick in the draft. They have alot of injuries right now, and their best scorer that is healthy right now is Gerald Green. They dont have any leadership out on the floor, and with Paul out for a while, Wally always injured, and TA out for the season, it is possible that the Celtics could land the #1 pick. If they do get the #1 pick, Oden is the obvious choice. The C's need to get better on the defensive side of the ball. While personally, I think that Durant is the best player in college basketball, he is a pro SF and the Celtics are already very deep at that spot. If the Celtics get a #3 pick or so, a player like Noah is the obvious choice for me. He is a good defender, passer, and he is a very smart player. Also, he has shown that he is a winner and that he rises to the occassion when he needs to. Spencer Hawes is another player they should look at it. He is a downlow physical specimen. He is a good rebounder, defender, and he has good post moves as well. He is doing great things for Washington. Basically, the C's need to draft a big no matter where their pick is. Perk isnt a starting center in the league and Ratliff is never going to be healthy.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pacers fan forever @ Jan 14 2007, 06:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>No, you got it wrong. What has hindered Sebastian Telfair's game is the half court sets he's run in his career. With Portland it was always throw the ball to Zack Randolph and hope he scores, now with the Celtics it's put the ball in Pierce's hands and let him make plays 1 on 1. But at heart Sebastian Telfair is a playmaker, a fancy,streetball playmaker. You can tell he wants basketball to be fun, it's what it was in high school. Sebastian Telfair would love to run a fast break team. Put in a coach who can help nurture him into the role and it could be a very successful plan for the Celtics. The supporting cast for a fast break team is excellent, Boston has young, quick, athletic guys who would flourish in the fast-break system.</div>why is it that everyone else is always wrong?and we're not going to adapt our system for the role players. that's just not how works.Rondo is the pg of the future for this team. he can play on both ends of the floor without being "nurtured".EDIT: and while we're on this subject, IF we're in contention for the first pick, and we get Durant, who would be playing the 3, do you really think Pierce wants to stick around? think about it.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ballerman2112 @ Jan 15 2007, 12:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Celticballa, I wouldnt the write off the Celtics possibly getting the #1 or #2 pick in the draft. They have alot of injuries right now, and their best scorer that is healthy right now is Gerald Green. They dont have any leadership out on the floor, and with Paul out for a while, Wally always injured, and TA out for the season, it is possible that the Celtics could land the #1 pick. If they do get the #1 pick, Oden is the obvious choice. The C's need to get better on the defensive side of the ball. While personally, I think that Durant is the best player in college basketball, he is a pro SF and the Celtics are already very deep at that spot. If the Celtics get a #3 pick or so, a player like Noah is the obvious choice for me. He is a good defender, passer, and he is a very smart player. Also, he has shown that he is a winner and that he rises to the occassion when he needs to. Spencer Hawes is another player they should look at it. He is a downlow physical specimen. He is a good rebounder, defender, and he has good post moves as well. He is doing great things for Washington. Basically, the C's need to draft a big no matter where their pick is. Perk isnt a starting center in the league and Ratliff is never going to be healthy.</div> Try using paragraphs. It's easier on the eyes lol. I don't think we are going to get the #1-2 pick. Top 5, possibly, but I don't see a top 2 pick. I know we have injuries, and we are starting our 2nd unit right now, but it doesn't matter. With our 12-24 record right now, we have the 4th worst record in the league... however, teams like Seattle, Portland, and Charlotte are right behind us. Not to mention Pierce will be back in about 3 weeks. Wally in 1, maybe 2. All of this is a prediction, really, but I just don't see us getting a top 2 pick this year. Top 5, probably/maybe.
