Totally and utterly disappointed

[PhoSita]

Personally, I don't ever want to see this team go back to lottery land.  I'd rather be "the Hawks" for five or six years, and slowly build the next contender through a series of smaller, smart moves over the course of that time span.

I know it goes against all conventional wisdom to think that an NBA franchise can rebuild while staying competitive, but I'd like to see Danny try it.  I think it can be done.

The Rockets did it, although they made the lottery multiple times, just not at the high end of it.

[Donoghus]

Until we're actually one & done in the playoffs, I'll be relatively happy with what's going on.  We certainly haven't delved  into that dreaded limbo land of low odds lottery/first round exits yet.   Sure, it might seem that we're headed that way this year but we're also facing some debilitating injuries.   

See what happens the rest of this season & hopefully you get Rondo/Sullinger/etc. back healthy for next season and see what can be done there barring PP/KG retirements.  If the Celts end up in limboland in '13-14, then I think you talk about major, drastic changes.

[Celtics18]

This team can't win a title as presently constructed.  ...

Why are you even trying? Hasn´t it all been said several times at this point?

Isn´t it obvious that the soccermoms are more interested in keeping their binkies than having an open debate? Do they ever even adress the actual arguments? Aren´t the usual 15 suspects always the first to gang-up in "negative" threads with some fatalistic attitude about how they don´t care what´s best for the future of this franchise? How can you argue with one such guy, let alone a group of people?

They might be great guys to hang out and have a beer with, but they´re utterly unable to be rational when it comes to their favorite sports team.

Please let me know what is the best course of action for the future of this franchise.  I'd love to know before I have to drop the kids off at soccer practice. 

[CelticG1]

Im dissapointed that David West chose the Pacers over us. Also dissapointed that Chris Paul shut down the Rondo trade even tho he seems like a big kg fan

Yeah...  Add David West to this team, and we're still top contenders.

probably true, but we might have won the title last year, and David West on the team hopefully would have meant Bass wouldn't have been signed to that awful contract.  West also would have put Boston much closer to the one player away position, where trading Rondo for something to help this year might have led to a true title contender.

Dont forget the Ray for Mayo deal last year that Mayo apparently shut down.

Clearly Danny is active and trying to make the team better but he is doing it in a measured way. Id rather him continue to explore building the team on the fly than just bottoming out.

Each year brings new oppurtunites. Guys like Harden and Gay were had for relatively cheap in my opinion. You never know what will be available next year or the year after. You dont know if AB or Green all of a sudden blossoms or fab and Sully next year look real good.

Just because we arent a contender now doesnt mean we should blow it up for just anyone
. Getting bledsoe or J smith or any of these guys could restrict you from getting a star next year.

I think people just assume that you can acquire a bunch of assets and autimatically you can get a KG or a Carmelo or something but a lot more goes into it I believe . If we don't hit the jackpot with KG where would we be? Wed probably have like Kirelenko instead and sucked.

[bucknersrevenge]

29 teams fail to win a title every year. I say enjoy the ride, and take advantage of the opportunity to watc a couple of Hall of Famernls play for your favorite team.

Damage control........we came into the season with high hopes on winning a title.........and now we're reduced to having to settle for watching two hall of famers past their primes play and get bounced out of the first or second round.........yay......

Stuff happens.  It's not Danny's fault that Rondo, Sully, and Barbosa all had season-ending injuries.

It must suck being a sports fan, if there's no other joy than winning a title.

Huh?? What are we, the Golden St. Warriors all the sudden?? The Milwaukee Bucks? Hey who cares if we win. Just enjoy the ride. Let the Jordan Crawford wash over you. I thought that the Boston Celtics, winners of 17 championship banners were about more than just "enjoying the ride".

[LooseCannon]

Huh?? What are we, the Golden St. Warriors all the sudden?? The Milwaukee Bucks? Hey who cares if we win. Just enjoy the ride. Let the Jordan Crawford wash over you. I thought that the Boston Celtics, winners of 17 championship banners were about more than just "enjoying the ride".

If I wanted to be like the Warriors or Bucks, I would have been rooting for the proposed Pierce-to-Brooklyn and KG-to-the-Clippers trades to happen.

[Lord of Mikawa]

29 teams fail to win a title every year. I say enjoy the ride, and take advantage of the opportunity to watc a couple of Hall of Famernls play for your favorite team.

Damage control........we came into the season with high hopes on winning a title.........and now we're reduced to having to settle for watching two hall of famers past their primes play and get bounced out of the first or second round.........yay......

Stuff happens.  It's not Danny's fault that Rondo, Sully, and Barbosa all had season-ending injuries.

It must suck being a sports fan, if there's no other joy than winning a title.

Huh?? What are we, the Golden St. Warriors all the sudden?? The Milwaukee Bucks? Hey who cares if we win. Just enjoy the ride. Let the Jordan Crawford wash over you. I thought that the Boston Celtics, winners of 17 championship banners were about more than just "enjoying the ride".

This isn't the 1960s so be realistic. We won't win every year.

[bucknersrevenge]

Huh?? What are we, the Golden St. Warriors all the sudden?? The Milwaukee Bucks? Hey who cares if we win. Just enjoy the ride. Let the Jordan Crawford wash over you. I thought that the Boston Celtics, winners of 17 championship banners were about more than just "enjoying the ride".

If I wanted to be like the Warriors or Bucks, I would have been rooting for the proposed Pierce-to-Brooklyn and KG-to-the-Clippers trades to happen.

Hey if that's you so be it. Sounds like a personal problem. Either way, I don't prescribe to the "Hey let's just enjoy the scenery" or "Hey, we just got Jordan Crawford. Boo-ya!" philosophy. This franchise is about winning. We don't hang division banners here.

Now you'll notice nowhere am I advocating making questionable moves for the sake of making questionable moves. But this season we are now reduced to just spinning our wheels. This team is not a title contender. And we are not building for the future. And we are already seeing the cracks in KG and Paul. They are warriors. God Bless the both of them. Bless KG for wanting to stay here and retire a Celtic. That's all well and good. But we're counting ong on a 36 year old Center and a 35 year old SF to somehow lead the way in the playoffs and you simply can't ask for that. They're wearing down now and we haven't even gotten to the end of the regular season. And as for Crawford, I'm always gonna root for laundry so I hope he works out. Terrence Williams too but I see way too many flaws in this team and the fact that we made a trade in which we got the most talented player in the deal and yet actually got worse is just staggering to me.

[D Dub]

That means Boston had two real options at the deadline.  Blow it up and look for assets (trading PP and KG and whatever else you could)

When will it sink in that Cap Space (aka, Trade Exceptions) are MUCH BETTER assets than these mediocore/overpaid players we could have traded for?

What Ainge did was set us up for a 1 season rebuild. 
1- KG and PP come off the books, create massive cap space
2- team is bad that year, gets into lotto
3- Now you have a high pick to go along with TRADE EXCEPTIONS (remember, that's what cap space is) which every GM in the league would rather have than mediocre overpaid players. 

Here's the thing, Trade Exceptions + Lotto picks represent a blue ocean clean slate for other GM's.  Big time asset, will result in a one year turnaround when we parlay into a franchise player to go with Rondo/Green/Sully/Bradley.

So rather than mire around for years starting 'nice' players and losing.  p---ing off Rondo & hoping to raise these scrubs value in order hustle some GM into a trade; we'll be able to offer picks + trade exceptions one season after KG and P retire. 

And, if I understand the shrinking cap correctly, these TE's are only going to get more valueable as teams look to save $$ over the next couple years.

So, take Roy's advice.  Enjoy the ride w/ KG and the Cap'n while they're still around.  Two of our generations greatest.   

[BballTim]

29 teams fail to win a title every year. I say enjoy the ride, and take advantage of the opportunity to watc a couple of Hall of Famernls play for your favorite team.

Damage control........we came into the season with high hopes on winning a title.........and now we're reduced to having to settle for watching two hall of famers past their primes play and get bounced out of the first or second round.........yay......

  Injuries happen. When KG went down we were reduced to something similar. It's a bummer, but it's also spilled milk.

[LooseCannon]

Huh?? What are we, the Golden St. Warriors all the sudden?? The Milwaukee Bucks? Hey who cares if we win. Just enjoy the ride. Let the Jordan Crawford wash over you. I thought that the Boston Celtics, winners of 17 championship banners were about more than just "enjoying the ride".

If I wanted to be like the Warriors or Bucks, I would have been rooting for the proposed Pierce-to-Brooklyn and KG-to-the-Clippers trades to happen.

Hey if that's you so be it. Sounds like a personal problem. Either way, I don't prescribe to the "Hey let's just enjoy the scenery" or "Hey, we just got Jordan Crawford. Boo-ya!" philosophy. This franchise is about winning. We don't hang division banners here.

Now you'll notice nowhere am I advocating making questionable moves for the sake of making questionable moves. But this season we are now reduced to just spinning our wheels. This team is not a title contender. And we are not building for the future.

This team is legitimately within reach of being a contender for next season.  If this franchise is about winning titles, it should avoid dumping players who can be useful for that goal next season.  If this franchise should be building for the future, it should avoid trading draft picks, even second round picks, for rentals this season of players who are unlikely to be Celtics next season or usable as trade assets to acquire players who will be Celtics next season.  Ainge accomplished both, so I am satisfied.

Right now, I think the best course, both long- and short-term is "spin our wheels" and wait until Rondo and Sullinger can be evaluated, unless the opportunity arises to acquire either an All-Star caliber player or a likely top five draft pick.  Even if I were committed to the idea of blowing this team and believed the Celtics could not be contenders again until KG, Pierce, and Rondo were gone, I would still advise waiting because I think the team can get better value in trades for most of the roster by waiting. 

For example, if I thought this team needed to completely rebuild, I would hold onto Bass until he has value as an expiring contract.  If Bass is horrible player, then I would want to keep him and play him so that the team tanks and has better draft position.  If Bass is actually a useful player who will come back to producing at a level more like every season of his career except this one, then I would wait until he plays better and teams value him more.  Anyone who just wants to trade him because they can't stand seeing him in a Celtics uniform is a short-sighted fool.

[Onslaught]

29 teams fail to win a title every year. I say enjoy the ride, and take advantage of the opportunity to watch a couple of Hall of Famers play for your favorite team.

Disappointed we aren't in better shape but I agree with this.

Selfishly, I hope KG and PP are still around in 2014 - I believe my 40th birthday present contains a trip to the USA to see a certain team play basketball ... 

Me too! Well, I'm in the US but if the Celtics are playing on or around Dec 6th I'm flying up for my 40th birthday gift to myself.

[Moranis]

That means Boston had two real options at the deadline.  Blow it up and look for assets (trading PP and KG and whatever else you could)

When will it sink in that Cap Space (aka, Trade Exceptions) are MUCH BETTER assets than these mediocore/overpaid players we could have traded for?

What Ainge did was set us up for a 1 season rebuild. 
1- KG and PP come off the books, create massive cap space
2- team is bad that year, gets into lotto
3- Now you have a high pick to go along with TRADE EXCEPTIONS (remember, that's what cap space is) which every GM in the league would rather have than mediocre overpaid players. 

Here's the thing, Trade Exceptions + Lotto picks represent a blue ocean clean slate for other GM's.  Big time asset, will result in a one year turnaround when we parlay into a franchise player to go with Rondo/Green/Sully/Bradley.

So rather than mire around for years starting 'nice' players and losing.  p---ing off Rondo & hoping to raise these scrubs value in order hustle some GM into a trade; we'll be able to offer picks + trade exceptions one season after KG and P retire. 

And, if I understand the shrinking cap correctly, these TE's are only going to get more valueable as teams look to save $$ over the next couple years.

So, take Roy's advice.  Enjoy the ride w/ KG and the Cap'n while they're still around.  Two of our generations greatest.   

Boston won't have cap space for anything more than a MLE type player until the summer of 2015 without trades.  And you only get trade exceptions when you trade a player and don't get salary back.  Who exactly is Boston going to trade to get a trade exception for.

[35Lewis]

I've never seen such whining. Some people want trades just to see something happen and get all excited. Trades aren't easy to do with regular players, jus look at how a seemingly easy Wilcox/Barbosa for Crawford turned into Collins/Barbosa. Now take that and figure how difficult it is to move 10 times that salary and ego.

Boo hoo, the Celtics didn't get rid of the whole team and more ourselves in mediocrity for the next 5 years.

Man I'm gettin sick of the crying in these posts, the generic trades that make no sense for either team and the "fans" that want to jump in and say "you heard it here first" when the C's win and then "(Doc, Danny, Rondo) sucks trade/fire all of them when we lose.

Get on the band wagon or get out.

[MBunge]

the fact that we made a trade in which we got the most talented player in the deal and yet actually got worse is just staggering to me.

Anyone who thinks losing Collins makes Boston any worse staggers me.

I really don't understand the despair and wailing.  The time for Ainge to blow it up was 2 or 3 years ago.  This time around, there was only one possible deal that made any sense (Bledsoe/Jordan for KG) and we probably wouldn't have been able to resign KG without the no-trade clause, so the deal was a non-starter from get go.  Other than that, I don't see what Ainge was actually supposed to do.

Mike