is our team too good to tank in 2014-15?

[CM0]

Rondo will be healthier
KO and Sully should be improved and more efficient
A healthy Fav is underrated
Zeller is a good offensive tool and can be used to exploit certain matchups
Smart is a better backup PG than anything they had last year
AB has yet to reach his ceiling

The 14/15 Cs will have FAR better depth at the 5 and in the backcourt and will put out far more balanced roster. Stevens is no longer a rookie and his players are now familiar with his schemes.

The Celtics shouldn't be tanking. They are now in position to create a culture of winning so as to attract FAs and/or convince stars to waive no-trade clauses.

[Kuberski33]

No need to tank.  This team as is will have no problem being one of the 5 to 8 worst teams in the league again.

[snively]

A lot depends on Rondo.  We've got quality support talent 2-4 and less of a sucking void at the 5.  What we lacked last year was a dynamic shot-creator who could keep AB/Green/Sully as support players as opposed to inefficient shot creators. 

If Rondo's back and healthy, then he is that creator, a guy who can make our team work offensively. That's the difference between 25 and 35 wins. 

[LooseCannon]

Does it matter for anything? I mean, next years draft looks bad. real bad.

Everything I've read suggests that a lot of people think the top 4-5 guys in 2015 are about as good as the top 5-7 players from this year's draft.

[LarBrd33]

If we stand pat, I think we're a 24-33 win team.

[LooseCannon]

personally I think ainge's whole plan has been to go hard in 2015 free agency when the c's have 33million$ off the books and a plethora of draft picks/assets. we could concievably sign Marc Gasol and then try and swing a trade for another all-star calibar player.

If Ainge's goal is to make a splash in 2015 free agency, putting a team on the floor that is capable of making the playoffs will maximize the attractiveness of Boston as a destination.

I think his plan is to wait for another team to get stupid in a deal and not force anything because he knows he can try for a home run next summer.  He might try to sign a center to a tradeable two-year deal using part of the MLE to create an asset that can be flipped at the trade deadline.

[NorthernLightning]

Rondo will be healthier
KO and Sully should be improved and more efficient
A healthy Fav is underrated
Zeller is a good offensive tool and can be used to exploit certain matchups
Smart is a better backup PG than anything they had last year
AB has yet to reach his ceiling

The 14/15 Cs will have FAR better depth at the 5 and in the backcourt and will put out far more balanced roster. Stevens is no longer a rookie and his players are now familiar with his schemes.

The Celtics shouldn't be tanking. They are now in position to create a culture of winning so as to attract FAs and/or convince stars to waive no-trade clauses.

Most fans lack the abstract thinking ability to predict improvement by young players. We're right in the mix for the 6-8 seeds in the playoffs, and we have 2-3 first round picks to trade up in the draft next year. Only clowns think we will tank next year or be awful as is.

[D.o.s.]

Rondo will be healthier
KO and Sully should be improved and more efficient
A healthy Fav is underrated
Zeller is a good offensive tool and can be used to exploit certain matchups
Smart is a better backup PG than anything they had last year
AB has yet to reach his ceiling

The 14/15 Cs will have FAR better depth at the 5 and in the backcourt and will put out far more balanced roster. Stevens is no longer a rookie and his players are now familiar with his schemes.

The Celtics shouldn't be tanking. They are now in position to create a culture of winning so as to attract FAs and/or convince stars to waive no-trade clauses.

Most fans lack the abstract thinking ability to predict improvement by young players. We're right in the mix for the 6-8 seeds in the playoffs, and we have 2-3 first round picks to trade up in the draft next year. Only clowns think we will tank next year or be awful as is.

How many wins do you think it will take to make the bottom half of the playoffs next season? Because that is almost exactly the same line of overoptimistic nonsense that people were giving this time last year.

[Kuberski33]

Rondo will be healthier
KO and Sully should be improved and more efficient
A healthy Fav is underrated
Zeller is a good offensive tool and can be used to exploit certain matchups
Smart is a better backup PG than anything they had last year
AB has yet to reach his ceiling

The 14/15 Cs will have FAR better depth at the 5 and in the backcourt and will put out far more balanced roster. Stevens is no longer a rookie and his players are now familiar with his schemes.

The Celtics shouldn't be tanking. They are now in position to create a culture of winning so as to attract FAs and/or convince stars to waive no-trade clauses.

Most fans lack the abstract thinking ability to predict improvement by young players. We're right in the mix for the 6-8 seeds in the playoffs, and we have 2-3 first round picks to trade up in the draft next year. Only clowns think we will tank next year or be awful as is.

No rim protector and no one who can create his own shot with the game on the line adds up to lots and lots of losses.

[slamtheking]

Just looking at how the roster shakes out right now.

Rondo/pressey/smart
Bradley/Thorton/smart
Green/james young
sullinger/olynyk
zeller/faverani

honestly, that team is not that bad, certainly not worse than teams like the 76ers, magic, bucks. Which is why I believe that ainges plan ideally is to use his horde of picks/assets to swing trades to improve the team.

other than the Sixers and maybe Utah, I'm having a hard time seeing a team that would automatically finish worse than us.  even if Bron, Bosh and Wade all leave Miami, they would have so much cap room that they could sign some decent talent and finish better than the C's.

Barring a shocking trade for real talent, C's will be back in the lottery with probably no worse than the 4th best odds to win it. 

[moiso]

"Tank" has become the most annoying word in the world for me.  Just because you are collecting future assets and not signing a bunch of non foundational veterans does not mean you are tanking.  The Celtics did not tank last year and they won't tank this year.

Ainge trading non essential players for future draft picks is not tanking.  Ainge not going after slightly above average players to improve by 5 or 6 wins is not tanking.  It's called Ainge being smart, seeing which young guys develop, and keeping his options open.

[slamtheking]

Does it matter for anything? I mean, next years draft looks bad. real bad.

Everything I've read suggests that a lot of people think the top 4-5 guys in 2015 are about as good as the top 5-7 players from this year's draft.

agreed.  the hype for next year's draft would have people believe there's 5-8 top level talents that could be available if they all declare.  Big Man propects too. 

add in any players that decided not to come out this year and make improvements (ala Smart).  Harrison twins could be an example of that type of player that improves in their sophomore year to where they're considered very good prospects.  (not banking on that happening for them but they provide a suitable example).

[LooseCannon]

It's called Ainge being smart, seeing which young guys develop, and keeping his options open.

Ainge will keep open the option of making the playoffs this season, but will probably not spend a pick in a trade for a short-term move in that direction.  He will be willing to trade for a player on an expiring contract who he hopes to re-sign but who might leave.

He's probably an injury or two away from shifting the team into what people would consider "tank" mode.

[Evantime34]

Can we try and wait until at least the end of July to decide how good or bad this team will be?

I really hope we can add someone good because I don't want to see every other thread arguing that we should tank harder, last year had more than enough of that for me.

[slamtheking]

Rondo will be healthier
KO and Sully should be improved and more efficient
A healthy Fav is underrated
Zeller is a good offensive tool and can be used to exploit certain matchups
Smart is a better backup PG than anything they had last year
AB has yet to reach his ceiling

The 14/15 Cs will have FAR better depth at the 5 and in the backcourt and will put out far more balanced roster. Stevens is no longer a rookie and his players are now familiar with his schemes.

The Celtics shouldn't be tanking. They are now in position to create a culture of winning so as to attract FAs and/or convince stars to waive no-trade clauses.

Most fans lack the abstract thinking ability to predict improvement by young players. We're right in the mix for the 6-8 seeds in the playoffs, and we have 2-3 first round picks to trade up in the draft next year. Only clowns think we will tank next year or be awful as is.

No rim protector and no one who can create his own shot with the game on the line adds up to lots and lots of losses.

very valid points that have yet to be addressed.  regardless of how much rondo's health improves next year, it will only improve the team just so much if he's passing to people who can't make shots. 

what I'm looking forward to next year is seeing Rondo hit Sully and KO with passes around the basket where they've both shown they can finish really well. 

I figure the C's will release almost everyone without a guaranteed deal and try to sign Jordan Hill to share the center spot with Zeller and Fav.  (I honestly don't think Fav is going to make much of a difference this year).

Rondo/Smart/Pressey
AB/Thornton/Young
Green/Wallace
Sully/Bass/KO
Zeller/Fav/ (Hill maybe, can't imagine it would be Iverson at this point)

gives us 14 players figuring CJ, Babb and Bogans are all gone.  No reason for Danny to clutter the roster with a 15th scrub.  would take away some trading flexibility at the trade deadline.  I think this is pretty much the team we take into the season and as a result, deep into lottery territory.