Celtics 2009 Offseason Thread

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

No first round pick, only the MLE available. If it wasn't for the fact that free agents could very well take a pay cut to play here, there would be no chance for improvement.

[YanksHater213]

Rondo

Big Baby

Perkins

Powe

Garnett

Allen

Pierce

 

If you can sit there and tell me that that core of 8 guys with some role players around them does not contend for a championship next year, then you're out of your wits. We don't need to do much work this offseason at all, I originally though that next year our window would be gone, but if it doesn't work out around mid-season, we could ship Ray off somewhere (hurts to say) with his 18.1 million expiring in order to get some younger fresher talent back.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

When did I say they wouldn't contend for a title this year?

 

 

Foolish as it may be in this case with this team, I'm looking down the road. Plus, you never don't need improvement.

[YanksHater213]

I wasn't speaking directly to you, just in general.

[TheKilo]

Any thought on bringing in Rasheed Wallace for a bench role?

 

Powe and Big Baby are both FA. I'd explore another option outside of Powe, I doubt he'll be healthy for the start of next season.

[Keeper]

Ben Gordon's status with the Bulls is up in the air. He might be available.

[TheKilo]

Ben Gordon's gonna want a max deal, no thanks.

[YanksHater213]

Any thought on bringing in Rasheed Wallace for a bench role?

 

Powe and Big Baby are both FA. I'd explore another option outside of Powe, I doubt he'll be healthy for the start of next season.

 

The thing about Powe though, is that he could be brought back at a MUCH cheaper price than what we originally thought. He would have been a 4-5 million guy the way he was playing, now he's borderline between 1-2 million and maybe even the vet's minimum.

 

I don't want to see Sheed here at all, I'll just leave it there.

[TheKilo]

Fair enough point on Powe - we need another big, however.

 

I think Sheed could be a perfect fit.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

Sheed... I don't know. He provides outside shooting and is another big body, but he is just a stupid basketball player. Fouls too much, flagrants/T's way too much, gets burnt (on defense) too much. It depends on how much actual talent he has left in the tank. He wasn't contemplating retirement for nothing.

[YanksHater213]

Only reason I don;t like Sheed is because he's pretty mediocre defensively, and guys his age can't just transform and improve like guys like BBD, Powe, etc.

[Spudboy]

I'd say no on both Gordon and Wallace. Gordon is one dimensional, as gunning is his only demonstrated "skill". Wallace is done (and a dope). Next option please?

[WhiskeyBreath]

I'm thinking someone offers Davis more than he's worth and he's outta here.

[TheKilo]

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2009/05/kg_surgery_next.html

 

Celtics president Danny Ainge told the Globe's Frank Dellapa tonight that forward Kevin Garnett would have surgery sometime next week on his knee.

[YanksHater213]

A few more nearly shocking injury notes:

 

Ray Allen had a hamstring problem throughout the Orlando series that was not getting better. Paul had some bone spurs that may need to be removed as well. (Kendrick Perkins) may have to have a procedure on his shoulder… In Ray’s case, I thought his hamstring was bothering him a lot. That could have had an effect on him (during the Magic series).

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

Rumor around the internetz:

 

Celtics trade Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen to PHX for Amare Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa, and #14.

 

 

What a stupid idea. Our frontcourt doesn't demand major tweaking, and we are left with no point guard in this scenario. We'd be starting Gabe f***ing Pruitt. Stoudemire isn't a franchise player, he would merely fill a low post scoring need (granted, he would fill it quite nicely). Barbosa's a bench guard who can run and shoot threes. #14 might be a good player in the future, once we're through contending for championships, so that's completely pointless unless we turn around and trade that.

[Cocos Disciples]

Is the rumor that it's being discussed or that it's done?

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

Baseless s*** just floating around, probably no validity to it. Word is the Celtics initiated it, for reasons I'm not 100% on, and they 'haven't heard back' from Phoenix. Let's hope they never do.

[TheKilo]

The C's would most likely pick a PG with the #14 selection, and since it's a pretty deep draft for them (Evans, Lawson, Holliday, etc.) it's not as dumb as some would have you believe.

 

RR is going to claim close to a max deal when he is a FA and I don't think the C's can give it to him.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

So then why would we trade for Stoudemire, who is actually expiring next summer and will want to bleed every possible cent he can out of whoever is interested in his services.

[YanksHater213]

Stupidest trade proposal ever and shame on whoever started the rumor.

 

Why would we need Amare when we have Perkins and Garnett?

What good would Barbosa be when Ray Allen is a better player at the same position?

Why trade one of the best up and coming point guards in the league and then draft one who most likely won't turn into the player Rondo has become?

 

Stupidity.

[Spudboy]

This rumor can not possibly have any merit. Some internet dweeb who's Mother confiscated his Hustler and High Society stash has nothing left to do but start a totally idiotic rumor.

 

Celt's defiantly have needs to be addressed, though.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/jun/09/griz-expect-rubio-visit-for-workout/

 

As the rumor mill churns, the Griz have been approached by several teams about acquiring the second overall pick. Boston, Houston and New York are said to be among the most recent suitors.

 

Boston and Houston would likely have to offer an established NBA player or two, given that neither team owns a first-round pick. New York owns the eighth pick and likely would want to move up for the opportunity to take Rubio.

 

Strange, there are no obvious replacements for Allen at #2 (without reaching). Possibly they'd flip the pick to Phoenix for Stoudemire (and Barbosa plz plz plz plz) without having to give up Rondo. Who knows.

[castigs850]

i like the idea of somehow getting both done, but one without the other doesnt make a lot of sense to me. I guess we need to wait for draft night to see what danny has planned.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-celticspistons062209&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

 

Celtics offered Rondo and Ray to Detroit for Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, and Rodney Stuckey. It was rejected by Detroit.

 

One of the few trade ideas involving Rondo that I might have pulled the trigger on. Stuckey is alright.

[Keeper]

Yeah, that actually would have been a decent trade for the Celtics.

[YanksHater213]

That trade would be completely, 100% stupid. It's a lateral move at best and doesn't make our team any better now or in the future.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

That trade would be completely' date=' 100% stupid. It's a lateral move at best and doesn't make our team any better now or in the future.[/quote']

Disagree, Hamilton's only offensive weakness is the three point shot, if you consider that a weakness of his, he's a much better defender than Allen, and he's still a horse (in great shape, can still log plenty of minutes). Prince off the bench would be huge, and the players surrounding him would turn him from a very good defensive player to a great one, and he's not a black hole on offense either. Stuckey could be used as further trade bait, but if we keep him its still a great young player to have.

 

There's a reason Detroit was so quick to shoot this down.

[TheKilo]

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2009/06/ainge_critical.html

 

With Rajon Rondo's name continually popping up in trade rumors, Celtics president Danny Ainge spoke once again this morning about his point guard, stressing his value to the team while also saying "he's got to grow up in some places" and making other critical comments.

 

Speaking this morning on WEEI's "Dennis and Callahan" program, Ainge said Rondo needed to take more of a leadership role and revealed the 23-year-old was fined for showing up late to a game.

 

Ainge was also critical of Rondo's play during the Celtics' second-round loss to the Magic.

 

"As we saw in the Orlando series, they left him wide open," Ainge said. "His presence hurt us in winning right now because his man went and doubled onto Ray [Allen] and Paul [Pierce] and made it difficult for us."

 

Ainge said Rondo wasn't "that disruptive of a player," but that he still hasn't fully matured.

 

"He's got to grow up in some cases, and I think he is, too," Ainge said. "Slowly but surely Rondo is maturing. He's getting a little bit more control over his emotions and he's responding in a more positive way as he gets older and more mature in the league."

 

Writing on the wall for Rondo?

 

Lots of smoke with his name in trade talks...and when there's smoke....

 

I will also say this - if you turn Rondo/pieces into Gay/Conley (as has been the rumor) you do it and don't look back

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

I'd say maybe balloon the idea to include Ray. If Minnesota swaps #5 and #6 (or #18, don't know if Memphis wants back to back top ten picks with their financial state) to the Grizzlies for #2, as I somewhat expect, maybe this could be a way for us to snake a good draft pick out of Memphis. Take Scal out of the equation, since that would mess up the salaries. Put Ray on the table with Rondo and Giddens, and take back two of their contracts, Jaric and Milicic, with Conley and Gay. Along with their 18th pick, or maybe 5th/6th (whichever they would keep) depending on how eager they are to move two bad contracts and take back a big expiring. Again, this is all dependent on the painfully-sensical scenario of Minny flipping two of their first three picks to Memphis for #2 and the chance to draft Rubio, happening first.

 

It would look like this, http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=lytm7m

 

Celtics

PG - Conley/... (FA?)

SG - Gay/Jaric

SF - Pierce/Walker

PF - Garnett/Davis

C - Perkins/Milicic (also doubles as maybe somewhat useful size behind Perk)