We make the playoffs...get knocked out. then what?

[saltlover]

More likely we'd get to play the Bulls without Rose or the Wizards without Beal.  We probably don't get swept.  Either of those could be a fun series.

Besides, we're totally getting the Mavs pick this year because Rondo is going to crater that team into the lottery, or so I've heard.

The East is so bad that you just talked me into:

Smart
Bradley
Jae Crowder
Kelly Olynyk
Tyler Zeller

6th man: Isaiah Thomas

into making the ECF because our 2nd year NBA coach is sort of getting the hang of things.  Wow

See.  Isn't winning fun??   

[hwangjini_1]

But what if we DON'T get knocked out....what if we're the ones knocking out the Hawks? 

Well then, we will get swept by the Cavs, then have to watch Lebron celebrate on our court in the second round, then we draft Frank Kaminsky, watch him get abused until his rookie contract runs out and then he leaves for China.

Vs last year where we were terrible, but then got Marcus Smart.

More likely we'd get to play the Bulls without Rose or the Wizards without Beal.  We probably don't get swept.  Either of those could be a fun series.

Besides, we're totally getting the Mavs pick this year because Rondo is going to crater that team into the lottery, or so I've heard.

The Mavs are making the playoffs this year.  They're too good and too well coached.  I guess if they fell to the 14th pick and we had the 15th pick, we might be able to move up to 10th or so.

My comment about the Mavs was somewhat tongue-in-cheek.  I'm just not really that concerned about whom the Celtics draft.  Not because I don't think it important, but because I only have eyes for Willie Cauley-Stein, and I think the C's will need to trade to get him.

we are in agreement. though if by some chance porzingas was available along with WCS, i would have to think twice.

[makaveli]

we get the 12-15th pick, then what?
i'd rather play in the playoffs, ever for 4-5 games than tremble while the ping pong balls disappoint us again
right now i love this team, thomas is a total game changer for us, getting to the FT line and everything. It would be a great learning experience for our young players, and when you put that against a slim posibility of getting a top 10 pick AND THEN making a good choice, i'll take the 4-5 games thank you. we got enough picks anyway.

[Smokeeye123]

For all practical purposes, we're the Brooklyn Nets in the next several drafts. I wouldn't be particularly  concerned about trying to tank for a pick.

Which is great but why wouldnt you also tank and increase your odds at getting a Drummond/Durant/Harden/Nerlens Noel/Lilliard/Davis/Cousins/Wiggins/Parker

This team has no hope until that happens.

[Smokeeye123]

we get the 12-15th pick, then what?
i'd rather play in the playoffs, ever for 4-5 games than tremble while the ping pong balls disappoint us again
right now i love this team, thomas is a total game changer for us, getting to the FT line and everything. It would be a great learning experience for our young players, and when you put that against a slim posibility of getting a top 10 pick AND THEN making a good choice, i'll take the 4-5 games thank you. we got enough picks anyway.

Picks dont matter unless  they are top 6-7. If you want us to win a playoff game, get bounced and draft a team full of Kelly Olynyks than godspeed.

[saltlover]

For all practical purposes, we're the Brooklyn Nets in the next several drafts. I wouldn't be particularly  concerned about trying to tank for a pick.

Which is great but why wouldnt you also tank and increase your odds at getting a Drummond/Durant/Harden/Nerlens Noel/Lilliard/Davis/Cousins/Wiggins/Parker

This team has no hope until that happens.

It must be no fun to be without hope.  I'm personally hoping the C's make a sustained playoff run.

[inverselock]

we get the 12-15th pick, then what?
i'd rather play in the playoffs, ever for 4-5 games than tremble while the ping pong balls disappoint us again
right now i love this team, thomas is a total game changer for us, getting to the FT line and everything. It would be a great learning experience for our young players, and when you put that against a slim posibility of getting a top 10 pick AND THEN making a good choice, i'll take the 4-5 games thank you. we got enough picks anyway.

Picks dont matter unless  they are top 6-7. If you want us to win a playoff game, get bounced and draft a team full of Kelly Olynyks than godspeed.

1998: Pick 10 -  Paul Pierce

[LooseCannon]

Look guys I hate tanking and root for the Cs regardless, but I have to be concerned about the future of this team. The goal is championships, to get championships you need at LEAST one Superstar and that person isn't coming here via free agency. I just don't understand Ainge's plan right now...feels like we're in no mans land.

I simply don't agree with your pessimism about being able to land a free agent.  I think Danny Ainge feels the same way I do.  But he also has built the flexibility so that it's not free agency or bust and he'll feel obligated to use the cap room to sign someone.

[SHAQATTACK]

Build on what the team has .   They are very young and need seasons of playing as a unit .

LeBron was vet , as was Wade and Bosh ...it took several years for experienced payers to jell.

There is no prediction or certainty .but it's start ...and rookies NEED a goal.....playing for a stupid tanking franchise is nothing to be proud or part of as a player or a fan

I say DA will add or upgrade the players he has , take his draft pick or trade it ....whatever and move ahead same as this year ,slow but sure.....doing the Knick radical signing this or that player for stupid amounts , same with Nets , is not the Boston style .

All while keeping an eye out for that special player , and a lot do ....eventually move on ...maybe a couple elite types.

I think Wallace and his huge contract will have to disappear .  Before a Max type FA player is signed ...plus the cap ceiling is rising .

The platform for a new team is laid .......no telling what or who will led the final version that takes the celtics back to the top of the pile.

[MBunge]

According to the Wiki, 13 NBA teams have had playoff droughts of at least 8 years.  10 of them have occurred since the lottery system began.

Mike

[LooseCannon]

I think Wallace and his huge contract will have to disappear .  Before a Max type FA player is signed ...plus the cap ceiling is rising .

The Celtics should have the cap room to sign a 0-6 year player to a max contract without dumping Wallace's contract if they renounce all free agents.  I haven't done the number crunching to see farther than that.

[Celts Fan 508]

we get the 12-15th pick, then what?
i'd rather play in the playoffs, ever for 4-5 games than tremble while the ping pong balls disappoint us again
right now i love this team, thomas is a total game changer for us, getting to the FT line and everything. It would be a great learning experience for our young players, and when you put that against a slim posibility of getting a top 10 pick AND THEN making a good choice, i'll take the 4-5 games thank you. we got enough picks anyway.

Picks dont matter unless  they are top 6-7. If you want us to win a playoff game, get bounced and draft a team full of Kelly Olynyks than godspeed.

1998: Pick 10 -  Paul Pierce

1998:  Pick 9 - Dirk Nowitzki

[Quetzalcoatl]

we get the 12-15th pick, then what?
i'd rather play in the playoffs, ever for 4-5 games than tremble while the ping pong balls disappoint us again
right now i love this team, thomas is a total game changer for us, getting to the FT line and everything. It would be a great learning experience for our young players, and when you put that against a slim posibility of getting a top 10 pick AND THEN making a good choice, i'll take the 4-5 games thank you. we got enough picks anyway.

Picks dont matter unless  they are top 6-7. If you want us to win a playoff game, get bounced and draft a team full of Kelly Olynyks than godspeed.

1998: Pick 10 -  Paul Pierce

1998:  Pick 9 - Dirk Nowitzki

I would be pretty happy with pick 9.  But the thing about PP is that he inexplicably fell - it would be like us drafting tenth and somehow getting Stanley Johnson.  Nowitzki came from a time when people undervalued foreigners, now Young Dirk would probably go like 4th.  People weren't sleeping on him either, Don Nelson was saying he'd be rookie of the year leading up to the draft according to the Google search I just did.

[Rosco917]

If at the summers end of 2015 we have:

Smart-Thomas PG

Bradley-Young SG

Sully (conditioned & healthy)-KO and Zeller  PF

Turner-Young-Crowder SF (yes, and still looking for an up grade here)

D. Jordan, WCS and Zeller C

Maybe a good bench of hopefuls, and sound vets.

I would be satisfied we were heading in the right direction. We only have so much money to spend, a young defensive minded center is what this team needs first.

It's just not going to change over night. 

[Chris22]

We have the Nets first round pick for the next three years after this.

We don't need to tank.