Forget the rim protector; we are going for a swing

[greece66]

Here's what Stevens said recently:

"Obviously everyone starts with 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s when they look at a basketball team," Stevens said. "I look at ball-handlers, wings, swings and bigs. I only have four categories. The more guys that can play the more positions, the better. Right now I think if you look at the roster, I think we have three of the four categories with a lot of depth. And I think that swing area where you can go 3-4 and play that way, that's the area we're going to have to address as we move into the next few weeks and look at our team."

So our rotation now is

BH: Turner, Thomas, Rozier
Wing: Smart, Bradley, Young, Hunter
Swing: Crowder, Mickey
B: Zeller, Sully, Kelly

I assume that Bass is unlikely to re-sign and Wallace will get very little if any playing time.
It's obvious we lack depth at the 'swing', hence the interest in a player like Tobias Harris.

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2015/06/brad_stevens_boston_celtics_lu.html

PS: Turner, Smart and Crowder have the advantage of being able to move between positions which is clearly a big plus for Stevens.

[cltc5]

J Holmes is a swing too( no jokes intended )

[Denis998]

One question I have with this is where is the line between Swings and Bigs
And thanks for bringing in some positivity in here.

[KG Living Legend]

 The line I think Is Crowder is the only swing we have, Mickey is not a swing he's a big. That's why Stevens said we need to address swing. I think a swing is a three that can play some four, Like Milsap, and T, harris, If we lost Crowder we have 0 swings.

[greece66]

One question I have with this is where is the line between Swings and Bigs
And thanks for bringing in some positivity in here.

The standard definition for a swingman is a player who can play both as a guard and as a 3. That's at least what Wikipedia gives you.

 But CBS makes it clear he has instead in mind players who can defend both the 3 and 4 - a Kenneth Faried or an Iguodala.

Tbh, I know very little about how this is supposed to work in the offense, if someone knows more about this (maybe the Who?) it would be great if he explained us a bit more.

Also for people who are into reddit, this is the conversation that helped me put together this post. Lots of good ideas by knowledgeable people.

http://www.reddit.com/r/bostonceltics/comments/3bbx5m/ball_handlers_wings_swings_bigs_lets_look_at_the/

[Evantime34]

This makes sense given the C's reported interest in Tobias Harris, who is a really good young quality swing forward.

[chambers]

TP Greece, great insight from Brad.
I've actually wondered what Brad could do with a line up of

Smart
Bradley
Crowder
Harris
Olynyk/ Sullinger

With Crowder and Harris both running the floor hard.
Super tough defensively on the perimeter, constant 3 point shooting threats and with a bit of ball movement the lack of dribble penetration is counter balanced.

Throw in IT (and hopefully Rozier) for

Thomas
Smart
Crowder
Harris
Olynyk

A pretty devastating 3 point shooting team with tough defense, transition offense and perimeter D that complements IT's dribble kick out ability in pick and rolls.
Should be a fun season even if we don't get Harris or a major additional piece.

Much less roster movement and older expiring veterans to throw on the floor which I'm happier with overall.

[greece66]

Given the above I'm thinking Jerebko is a swing and he also was very high on real +/- for the C's this reason.

Anyone knows if we will make an offer?

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Tier 1
Draymond Green - not happening
Tobias Harris - Developing scorer with great size, but analytics don't love him (RPM)
Demarre Carroll - Analytics love him ... great in a pace and space system ... already 28
Thaddeus Young - offensively gifted ... his teams are always losers ... will want big contract

Tier 2
Jae Crowder - he's ours ... good energy ... inefficient ... possible cheap contract
Jonas Jerebko - he's ours ... great advanced defense stats ... provides needed rebounding
Al-Farouq Aminu - great athlete and size ... not a floor stretcher
Luc Richard Mbouh a Moute - solid veteran ... very versatile defender ... better 3% last year
Derrick Williams - worth an Evan Turner contract? ... athletic ... good shooter

Tier 3
Chris Copeland - underrated matchup nightmare good rim protector ... Indy's probably keeping
Shawn Williams - stretch shooter ... poor defensive IQ
Jeremy Evans - top 5 athlete in the NBA ... skinny ... not an outside threat ... great advanced stats

In the end, I'd love to get Harris, Crowder (or Jerebko), and Aminu. I know that we still need to make some trades, but by getting these guys, we would immediately become the most versatile team in the NBA.

[Who]

A swing? What is that? Can't they just call a guy a forward anymore?

Crowder is the only rotation caliber player on the roster right now that fits that description. I think Mickey will be in the bigs slot. Gerald Wallace gives some additional depth at forward but nobody really wants to see him play regular minutes.

I think keeping Jerebko would help here. He gives the team good lineup flexibility in his ability to play as a forward or as a big. I think the team is missing something (flexibility wise, versatility of lineups / style of play) without Jerebko or a FA signing who is more offensively capable (say Tobias Harris) at that slot.

[krumeto]

It looks like we will offer Harris the max and see if Orlando matches. If some kind of sign and trade is possible, it might be a win-win situation for both teams.

Other than Harris, I have trouble finding realistic SF free agents or trade targets much better than Crowder.  Not a big market for unrestricted SFs.

On the other hand, pretty deep one for centers. I say, lets go John Nash's way, leave Gasol and DJ to the rest and make a strong pitch at the second tier - Robin Lopez and Koufus. Try Biyombo as a back-up option.

[Chief]

List gets ugly quick.
http://hoopshype.com/2015/06/11/nba-free-agency-2015-the-top-small-forwards-available-this-offseason/

[krumeto]

Given the above I'm thinking Jerebko is a swing and he also was very high on real +/- for the C's this reason.

Anyone knows if we will make an offer?

To me Jerebko fits the modern NBA perfectly. Two-way player, only 3s and layups on offense, switches 3-5 on D. If we are unable to land Harris and we have a roster spot, I hope we sign him over Bass.

He is unrestricted, however, and I think he can do better and find more playing time somewhere else. Too much players of his caliber on our roster right now.

[Who]

List gets ugly quick.
http://hoopshype.com/2015/06/11/nba-free-agency-2015-the-top-small-forwards-available-this-offseason/

I like Kyle Singler as a low cost option if better players are unavailable. He is a pro's pro. The type of guys that coaches love. Plays smart. Plays hard. Plays for the team. Can play three positions (SF, SG, PF). Not great at any one thing but a solid all-around player.

[LGC88]

Here's what Stevens said recently:

"Obviously everyone starts with 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s when they look at a basketball team," Stevens said. "I look at ball-handlers, wings, swings and bigs. I only have four categories. The more guys that can play the more positions, the better. Right now I think if you look at the roster, I think we have three of the four categories with a lot of depth. And I think that swing area where you can go 3-4 and play that way, that's the area we're going to have to address as we move into the next few weeks and look at our team."

So our rotation now is

BH: Turner, Thomas, Rozier
Wing: Smart, Bradley, Young, Hunter
Swing: Crowder, Mickey
B: Zeller, Sully, Kelly

I assume that Bass is unlikely to re-sign and Wallace will get very little if any playing time.
It's obvious we lack depth at the 'swing', hence the interest in a player like Tobias Harris.

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2015/06/brad_stevens_boston_celtics_lu.html

PS: Turner, Smart and Crowder have the advantage of being able to move between positions which is clearly a big plus for Stevens.

Welcome to modern nba. This has been in place since Miami acquire Lebron James (and probably before by less successful teams). No real PG, no real Center.
Swing position look like the new gem of nba.
One thing we start to realize is that slow dominant bigs will start to have lesser and lesser value. Let's see what will happen with Hibbert.
Looking forward to watch this very exciting Celtics team with their new players. Hopefully we grab 2 good FA, but if you don't, I honestly feel very good about this roster. They will be fun to watch.