Flip Saunders (Celtics Advisor) doesn't expect any big moves

[BudweiserCeltic]

If the plan truly is just to pack it in for the season and wait until the off-season to make significant moves, we can pretty much just hit the snooze button on the rest of the season / playoffs and wake up for the draft.  The team may still be competitive in the regular season, but no Rondo in the playoffs means they are toast. 

How many playoffs series would they have won in the past few seasons without Rondo?  Seriously?

I think the last one is probably the Miami series in the first round in 2010.  Maybe the Knicks in 2011, too.

The difference is that previously we didn't have an assemble of Terry, Lee, Barbosa behind Rondo to fill in.

  I think you'd have a hard time arguing that our current backcourt is better than 2010-2011 Rondo and Ray, or even close to as good.

I don't know what this has to do with anything.

[LooseCannon]

Budweiser, you lose Bird Rights to Pierce if you waive him, because he would not have completed the last year of his contract. See http://cbafaq.com #32. As LC said, we could only sign him with cap space or an exception.

It's a tricky situation. To be fair, that question is about gaining Bird Rights, not losing them. So I wonder if the Pierce situation is a bit of a loop hole. For example, Pierce would have essentially finished the prior season with the Celtics, and waived even before free-agency begins...

Further in that question:

"Once Bird rights are established, they don't go away unless the player is renounced or signs with another NBA team."

Since Pierce wouldn't be renounced, or signed by another team... he doesn't lose his Bird Rights, something he had already gained.

It's the opposite of a tricky situation.  To sign a player with Bird rights, "[t]he player must complete his contract immediately prior to becoming a free agent, which essentially means he can't have cleared waivers. "

[BudweiserCeltic]

Budweiser, you lose Bird Rights to Pierce if you waive him, because he would not have completed the last year of his contract. See http://cbafaq.com #32. As LC said, we could only sign him with cap space or an exception.

It's a tricky situation. To be fair, that question is about gaining Bird Rights, not losing them. So I wonder if the Pierce situation is a bit of a loop hole. For example, Pierce would have essentially finished the prior season with the Celtics, and waived even before free-agency begins...

Further in that question:

"Once Bird rights are established, they don't go away unless the player is renounced or signs with another NBA team."

Since Pierce wouldn't be renounced, or signed by another team... he doesn't lose his Bird Rights, something he had already gained.

It's the opposite of a tricky situation.  To sign a player with Bird rights, "[t]he player must complete his contract immediately prior to becoming a free agent, which essentially means he can't have cleared waivers. "

That's not what it's necessarily implying, and it's directly contradicted by "Once Bird rights are established, they don't go away unless the player is renounced or signs with another NBA team."

More so, the question is more about stipulating how a player/team gain Bird Rights. Pierce has already gained his with the Celtics, so we're working in a different game already.

[LooseCannon]

Bird rights involve the ability to resign free agents who have completed their contract.  It doesn't apply to players who have been waived, but waiving a player doesn't reset his Bird rights clock.  The Celtics would still have Pierce's Bird rights if he would sign and complete a one-year minimum contract.  The statement that Bird rights don't go away is meant to refer to players who retire or play overseas.

[Q_FBE]

Go see my latest fanpost on the home page.

[PhoSita]

If the plan truly is just to pack it in for the season and wait until the off-season to make significant moves, we can pretty much just hit the snooze button on the rest of the season / playoffs and wake up for the draft.  The team may still be competitive in the regular season, but no Rondo in the playoffs means they are toast. 

How many playoffs series would they have won in the past few seasons without Rondo?  Seriously?

I think the last one is probably the Miami series in the first round in 2010.  Maybe the Knicks in 2011, too.

The difference is that previously we didn't have an assemble of Terry, Lee, Barbosa behind Rondo to fill in.

Terry, Lee, and Barbosa are not going to make up for the superstar production that Rondo regularly gives us in the playoffs.

I can somewhat get on board with the idea that we can replace Rondo's production during the regular season with this point-guard-by-committee thing, but Rondo is on another plane in the post-season.  Nobody on the roster except KG comes close to that level of impact for this team when it's the post-season.

[BballTim]

If the plan truly is just to pack it in for the season and wait until the off-season to make significant moves, we can pretty much just hit the snooze button on the rest of the season / playoffs and wake up for the draft.  The team may still be competitive in the regular season, but no Rondo in the playoffs means they are toast. 

How many playoffs series would they have won in the past few seasons without Rondo?  Seriously?

I think the last one is probably the Miami series in the first round in 2010.  Maybe the Knicks in 2011, too.

The difference is that previously we didn't have an assemble of Terry, Lee, Barbosa behind Rondo to fill in.

  I think you'd have a hard time arguing that our current backcourt is better than 2010-2011 Rondo and Ray, or even close to as good.

I don't know what this has to do with anything.

  That our depth at the guard position is nice but won't be enough to get us far in the postseason? I guess the Ray comment was fairly unimportant, but having KG and PP and hopefully trading water with almost everyone else isn't a recipe for playoff success.

[vinnie]

Id just roll with what we've got.

Unless KG or Pierce truly want out.

Otherwise we aren't getting much for them and id rather a no pressure under dog team trying to play spoiler than some low tier prospects.

This is the perfect strategy. No pressure, find a serviceable point guard and big man, see if they can upset somebody. For me, no expectations equals a more enjoyable season the rest of the year. Maybe see some nice surprises the rest of the regular season and hope they fight hard if they make the playoffs.

[erisred]

Budweiser, you lose Bird Rights to Pierce if you waive him, because he would not have completed the last year of his contract. See http://cbafaq.com #32. As LC said, we could only sign him with cap space or an exception.

And if we trade him and his new team waives him, he couldn't re-sign here for a full year. I want Pierce back in Boston next year. I hate that the C's have to pay him $16 million, but I still want him back in Boston. Well, unless they can get knockout value for him...but I doubt Danny can, so I'm for Pierce to stay.