I believe we will make a mid season trade. What do you think?

[Celtics18]

Rondo / Terry / Pierce / Smith / KG is a championship caliber team.

Barbosa / Lee / Joseph / Wilcox / Darko is more than enough help off the bench.

Danny, get it done.

I like Rondo / Terry / Pierce / KG / Horford better

I'm pretty sure Al Horford's not for sale for a collection of role players and prospects.

[perks-a-beast]

anyone think ATL would go for Bass, Green, Sully & a pick for Josh Smith or could they get more? I have an awful feeling in my gut that the Lakers will find a way to flip Gasol for Smith, probably in a 3 or 4 way trade.



But my hope for the season is that Danny can make a trade like that and then pick up quality free agents like KMart and Pietrus who will take discounts to compete for a title.

[biggbird]

Rondo / Terry / Pierce / Smith / KG is a championship caliber team.

Barbosa / Lee / Joseph / Wilcox / Darko is more than enough help off the bench.

Danny, get it done.

I like Rondo / Terry / Pierce / KG / Horford better

I'm pretty sure Al Horford's not for sale for a collection of role players and prospects.

Unfortunately, I think you're right! Atlanta want to keep him for the same reasons we want to get him.

Oh, and I would still expect KG to play C in that lineup anyway. Horford is really a PF, not a C.

[More Banners]

Rondo / Terry / Pierce / Smith / KG is a championship caliber team.

Barbosa / Lee / Joseph / Wilcox / Darko is more than enough help off the bench.

Danny, get it done.

I'd rather start Lee and have JET backup Rondo, but I agree, which means we're both high on Joseph and the rest of the roster.  Good things happen when he plays, and Barbosa/JET can carry the bench scoring load.

Does that mean Bass, Green, Sully, Bradley, Melo are all on the table? 

I'd rather keep Green, but pairing him with Bradley, plus Bass for salary, would be a heck of a package for an established star.  Not sure how many options there would be available, but I think they'd actually be cheaper than that. 

That's a pretty good 2-3-4 roster, starting or bench.  Add a pick and cash and a rebuilding team takes the deal. 

Do we want David Lee or someone like that?  Al J.?  Smith, of course.  Who's in HOU?  There must be someone other than Smith, or it will cost the farm.

[perks-a-beast]

anyone think ATL would go for Bass, Green, Sully & a pick for Josh Smith or could they get more? I have an awful feeling in my gut that the Lakers will find a way to flip Gasol for Smith, probably in a 3 or 4 way trade.



But my hope for the season is that Danny can make a trade like that and then pick up quality free agents like KMart and Pietrus who will take discounts to compete for a title.

Teague/ Harris
Williams/ Morrow
Green/ James/ Korver
Sullinger/ Bass
Horford/ Pachulia

Actually not too shabby for Atlanta.

[jdz101]

Rondo / Terry / Pierce / Smith / KG is a championship caliber team.

Barbosa / Lee / Joseph / Wilcox / Darko is more than enough help off the bench.

Danny, get it done.

I like Rondo / Terry / Pierce / KG / Horford better

I'm pretty sure Al Horford's not for sale for a collection of role players and prospects.

What did Orlando get for Howard that wasn't role players, prospects and picks?

Two great players are very rarely straight swapped for each other.

We have the ability to make a package for a very good player this year. If we want that is.

[Celtics18]

Rondo / Terry / Pierce / Smith / KG is a championship caliber team.

Barbosa / Lee / Joseph / Wilcox / Darko is more than enough help off the bench.

Danny, get it done.

I like Rondo / Terry / Pierce / KG / Horford better

I'm pretty sure Al Horford's not for sale for a collection of role players and prospects.

What did Orlando get for Howard that wasn't role players, prospects and picks?

Two great players are very rarely straight swapped for each other.

We have the ability to make a package for a very good player this year. If we want that is.

The reason that people are talking about Smith is that he's scheduled to be a free agent this off-season.  He is unlikely to re-sign with Atlanta, so they will be looking to get any kind of return on him that they can. 

Howard was in a similar position with Orlando.  It was a terrible deal for them, but they were just looking to unload him. 

Al Horford is in an entirely different position with Atlanta.  He's signed to what amounts to a very good contract for a number of years.  They like him, and they aren't giving him away for peanuts. 

[billysan]

I am not convined that other teams will think Jeff Green is a valuable trade piece. Coming off heart surgery and being traded just last year by OKC ? He needs to put up some serious numbers to be the centerpiece of a major trade IMHO.

[Cman]

Danny Ainge is always willing to make a trade. He'll make one at any point in the year, depending on what he perceives to be the relative value of the players involved. I don't think he sets out with a plan in mind to make a mid-season trade. He is basically always shopping around.

[CFAN38]

Someone like Smith for all his shooting woes can guard Lebron, he can guard Gasol, he can guard Bynum and he can patrol the paint and turn us into a defensive juggernaught

Really?? Ill give you that he can do a better then average job on Lebron, Gasol maybe, Bynum no way in hell. Smith isnt that much bigger then Bass or Green. He can not guard real centers.


Answering the first question.I do expect Ainge to make some kind of mid season trade. The problem is finding a player who will really fit what the Cs need.

Josh Smith, is an upgrade at the 4. His pending free agency really makes this a question of the future. Can a post KG + PP team win with Rondo and Josh Smith as there core? Neither player can really shoot and this scares me. Danny would need to find an allstar 2 or 3 to be the teams go to scoring option.

Big AL, would play the 4/5 next to KG. Instantly making the Cs a better rebounding team. However the D would suffer and the O would slow down. I also don't like the idea of Big AL being the defensive anchor post KG. Small point. If Sully isn't part of the trade I don't think him and Al play well together. (Physically similar to AL and Love combo)

Paul Milsap, would be an upgrade over Bass. However not enough where I would want the Cs to give up the farm (AB or Sully) to get him. Last year he averaged around 16pts 9 rb Bass was at 13pt 6rb. Milsap is a better defender then either Bass or Sully but he is shorter then either of them.

I can't think of any other reasonable options..

[CFAN38]

One other thought (thinking outside the box)

Bass + Lee for Danny Granger (if healthy)

This would be a season long comitment to small ball. Start Green at PF and have Granger come off the bench for the 3 or the 4. This would be a great counter to the Heats best lineups.

Wade    Avery
Ray     Rondo
Battier Pierce
Lebron  Granger
Bosh    KG

The obvious issues here are A. Is Granger healthy? B. Can the Cs win with Greens defense at the 4? C. Can Sully or Darko contribute enough against big teams?

[nickagneta]

If we make a mid season trade it will only be a "big" trade if we are doing poorly. Even then it may not happen if, like last year, Doc is telling Danny that this team is a great team and will turn things around.

He did that constantly last year and was proven correct. His assets he had last year for a trade(E'Twaun, JJJ, Sasha Pavlovic, Sean Williams, draft picks) he held until after the season and then did the trade for Lee.

I think the C's live and die with this team this year with very little change. Change via a big trade killed them two years ago. Last year no trade and they were the best team in the second half of the year.

[pearljammer10]

One other thought (thinking outside the box)

Bass + Lee for Danny Granger (if healthy)

This would be a season long comitment to small ball. Start Green at PF and have Granger come off the bench for the 3 or the 4. This would be a great counter to the Heats best lineups.

Wade    Avery
Ray     Rondo
Battier Pierce
Lebron  Granger
Bosh    KG

The obvious issues here are A. Is Granger healthy? B. Can the Cs win with Greens defense at the 4? C. Can Sully or Darko contribute enough against big teams?

2 of our best 5 players play Small Forward and they already cant get enough minutes. Why add another Small forward who is capable of starting who also has injury issues.

If we make a trade we go big man. We have to.

[LooseCannon]

I think that the Celtics will probably make a trade.  I do not believe that Bass, Green, or Terry will be involved in any deal unless the team is under .500.

I wouldn't be shocked if the trade Ainge ends up making is shipping out a player for a protected second-round pick to create roster space to pick up a veteran big who was bought out.

[wdleehi]

Such a thing will never surprise me with the Celtics.