Uncle Drew Playin With The Nephews By The 7/11: Official 2017-18 Boston Celtics Season Thread

[SchoolboyC]

As it stands for next season, we have
8 guaranteed contracts: Kyrie, Brown, Hayward, Tatum, Horford, Rozier, Morris, Yabusele
1 non-guaranteed: Theis
2 partial: Ojeleye, Nader
1 two-way: Allen
2 restricted FA: Smart, Bird
3 unrestricted: Baynes, Larkin, Monroe
We have 1 pick in the draft (27)

- Of the 8 guaranteed players, I'm pretty confident that either all 8 will be back or Rozier will be traded
- I expect Theis & Ojeleye's deals to be guaranteed.
- Nader is a toss-up, he was legitimately the worst player in the league last season and I hope he isn't brought back but stranger things have happened. It wouldn't shock me if Ainge has Nader & Bird compete for the last roster spot in training camp like James Young & RJ Hunter did a couple seasons ago
- I think Smart will be re-signed unless someone overpays him relative to Ainge's standard. Of course I hope someone does
- I think Baynes will be-resigned, probably for the MLE
- Larkin is a toss-up. I could see him leaving for another team he might get more minutes or if the Celtics draft a guard, but if not I wouldn't mind him being back
- I expect Monroe to leave for a team where he'll play more minutes

Also, there are some rumors out right now about Ainge being interested in trading up for Bamba, and while I would love to have Bamba on the team I would be surprised if that happens. Bamba is most likely going in the 4-7 range and in order to get there it would probably take Brown or Rozier + SAC pick + 27. In which I'm not trading Brown for Bamba and I don't think Memphis, Dallas or Chicago would be interested in Rozier. Which leaves Orlando. Maybe by some miracle they're willing to do it but I still expect them to take Trae Young

Edit: Actually I just remembered that we own a future Grizzlies pick. Maybe if we included their pick and found someone to take Parsons they would do it, but still it's probably a longshot

 

[Copy Ninja]

Brown needs to work on his offense. He's gotta refine a lot of his moves. He's got a lot of potential because athletically he can get any shot he wants. His mid-range game could be elite if he works on it.

Smart does some dumb shyt but he sells out every single night. I would keep him.

I love Morris on defense but that breh is a black hole on offense. When he gets the ball it's not coming back out . We need a big like David West who can come off the bench and still help move the ball since our bigs are intricate in Steven's offense. Or Morris just needs to realize he ain't out there to iso.

I'm excited as hell though. Tatum is gonna be a beast next year. Him, Hayward, and Brown with Kyrie is gonna be . Ainge did want to put a roster together just full of wings

 

[Kang Deezy]

So we from “let’s run the same team back” to jaylen and terry being in trade talks in 3 days.

 

[William F. Russell]

“We like Aron’s contribution this year. He’s just a great teammate,” said Ainge. “He takes a lot of pressure off of Al (Horford), plays all the tough guys, brings consistent energy day in and day out to practice and games and he was a really big part of our team this year.”

Aron Baynes is more than rim protector for Celtics

He just plays the right way :celticsmjpls:





But seriously, if we can get him for the mid level exception or have him take less, this helps our frontcourt big time. And he made some big shots this postseason

 

[UpAndComing]

“We like Aron’s contribution this year. He’s just a great teammate,” said Ainge. “He takes a lot of pressure off of Al (Horford), plays all the tough guys, brings consistent energy day in and day out to practice and games and he was a really big part of our team this year.”

Aron Baynes is more than rim protector for Celtics

He just plays the right way :celticsmjpls:





But seriously, if we can get him for the mid level exception or have him take less, this helps our frontcourt big time. And he made some big shots this postseason

I really hope we keep Aaron Baynes

To be honest, him and Theis look like a good enough Center rotation IMO

 

[William F. Russell]

It's officially the offseason...

Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier are also some names that are being thrown around as trade bait. Now Rozier struggled in the playoffs, but he still proved that he is a possible starting point guard on a different team. If the Celtics used him to move up in the draft I wouldn’t be too upset, but the C’s can’t give up Brown. He may have his struggles, but when Jaylen Brown is on he is impossible to guard. He is an effective mid-range shooter who explodes to the rim.

It would definitely be a delight to have a true big man in Boston who strikes fear in opponents when they enter the paint, but the C’s can’t overpay for a guy who is still so young. If Ainge does make a move I would expect him to pay the right price.

Boston Celtics rumors: Mo Bamba may end up in Boston

 

[William F. Russell]

I really hope we keep Aaron Baynes

To be honest, him and Theis look like a good enough Center rotation IMO

I really feel if we even had Theis available against the Cavs, we would've beat them in less than 7

 

[UpAndComing]

I really feel if we even had Theis available against the Cavs, we would've beat them in less than 7

I deff agree breh. He is mobile enough to guard the perimeter on switches. And can shoot the 3 a little more consistently on than Baynes. Plus he has great hands in the paint and can receive any pass. Great rebounder too

Man, those injuries to our team sucks. fukk this

 

[SchoolboyC]

I don’t see Danny moving Brown unless it’s an Anthony Davis deal and that’s not happening, so yeah he’ll be here next season.

 

[William F. Russell]

According to the Celtics, Hayward is expected to return to basketball activities in 6-to-8 weeks, which would likely bring him back sans leg hardware sometime in late July. Presumably, the team will return to training camp in late September.

Danny Ainge: Boston Celtics star Gordon Hayward's surgery due to 'pain in one little spot'

 

[William Heavy]

Yeah I'm against trading Brown. He's about to be in his third year with more experience and maturity. On paper I like Bamba. But it's a big risk taking on a kid who is still very green when we are trying to compete for a title next year. We've lucked out with our young guys playing at a high level early in their career, but at some point the luck runs out. With Jaylen we know what we got. With Bamba he could turn out to be better than Jaylen, just as good, or he could be the next Hasheem Thabeet. Terry is the one I'd rather trade than Jaylen. He's up for a new contract next year, he wants to be a starter, and I just think Jaylen is the better player who does more things for our team. Maybe we could package Terry and a pick? Maybe Bamba isn't the player Danny really wants but instead he likes Carter from Duke or Porter?

 

[William F. Russell]

"LeBron James is going to have a conversation with the Cleveland Cavaliers," Smith began on ESPN's "First Take" Wednesday. "They can offer him the most, and they are willing to do anything they can to keep him here, etc. etc., and obviously the wife is going to have a major, major say in things. So you got that going on. He's going to have a conversation with Boston. He's going to have a conversation with Philly. Obviously the Lakers. Houston's in the mix as well. They are going to go after him.

***

Start with the point that James been the chief rival of the Celtics for his entire NBA career. Like, LeBron James has been the C's biggest rival, not the teams he's played on -- but LeBron the athlete. He's been jeered, taunted, and mocked at every turn during his visits to Boston. Why he would want to suddenly flip that and come to the Celtics is a little confusing.

The Celtics also have Kyrie Irving on their roster, a player that reportedly had a massive falling out with James during their time in Cleveland, which landed No. 11 in Boston in the first place. Is their relationship salvageable after just one seasons? Irving at one point said 'anything is possible in pro sports' when asked about a potential reunion with James, but there's no doubt that he's embraced his role as a leader on the Celtics, which would obviously go out the window with a ball-dominant personality like James coming into the Boston locker room.

But most of all, Celtics president Danny Ainge, who is just a year removed from one of the most impressive financial gymnastics routines of any executive in sports to add Gordon Hayward in on a max contract and then trade for Irving, would need to pull off something borderline absurd to fit James in at his requested salary on a multi-year contract. It would likely require the Celtics to move one of their high-priced talents -- be it Irving, Hayward, or Al Horford -- to accomplish it.

Celtics Among Teams LeBron James Will Meet With In Free Agency

Realistically, I can't see it happening but if it does...

 

[William Heavy]

The only we could land Lebron is if A) Kyrie has a talk with him and they work things out, and B) if he's willing to take a MASSIVE pay cut and sign for the vet minimum. I would not get rid of any of our guys to create cap space for him. It would be a bad look business wise if we did.

 

[William F. Russell]

The only we could land Lebron is if A) Kyrie has a talk with him and they work things out, and B) if he's willing to take a MASSIVE pay cut and sign for the vet minimum. I would not get rid of any of our guys to create cap space for him. It would be a bad look business wise if we did.

Even besides that, we'd have to get him to play off the ball and buy into Stevens' system on both sides of the ball.

But that's strictly hypothetical and it's 99.9% unlikely we'll even entertain that move.

 

[UpAndComing]

Even besides that, we'd have to get him to play off the ball and buy into Stevens' system on both sides of the ball.

But that's strictly hypothetical and it's 99.9% unlikely we'll even entertain that move.

If Lebron ever joins the Celtics, I might throw up