You make good points. I will say that the Celtics, at least in the second half, were worth watching. They were playing good basketball. I even enjoyed watching them as they were swept by Cleveland and appreciated their effort.
The Sixers have been ugly to watch for a few years now. It is also difficult to develop players in such a losing culture and terrible play.
The Celts were definitely more enjoyable to watch than an all-out tank job. That's for sure.
I wonder how long that will last, though. Much of what I enjoyed about the team this past year was that they were a pleasant surprise. They fought harder than opponents. They were a scrappy underdog.
How many teams are they going to take by surprise next year? If they really keep up the 50+ win pace heading into next year, awesome. What if they struggle a bit? Will they be less endearing when it's less a case of, "Wow, these guys are surprisingly fun to watch!" and more a case of, "Is this it?"
I'm not sure you want to confuse the product on the court with the front office here.
Sure, the Celtics were fun to watch once the albatross of Rondo was gone. That won't change a bunch next season ... but neither will the record.
As for the front office, the reality is the alleged assets Ainge gets hyperbolically lauded for accumulating aren't worth much. The conclusive proof is in the last two summers: No one wants them.
The real only way out of this treadmill of mediocrity we're on is for someone else to fire-sale a star, as Sam Presti and McHale did years ago, or for Brooklyn to fall flat on its face.
If neither happens, it's going to be a very long time - and another GM - before the Celtics contend for a title.
I laugh at all the "Ainge has a plan" stuff.
not necessarily.
That is the most tangible plan.
However, Boston has a ton of "C" assets as people have taken to calling them (I think of them as B assets but what can you do?)
Sully, KO, Smart, Young, Rozier, Hunter, AB, Crowder, Zeller, BKn pick Mavs pick our own picks. The 1sts project to be mid round picks so you cant expect a blue-chipper there, however with all those C assets the possibility undeniably exists for one or two of these guys to make a big leap forward.
I mean from 2014-2016 we will most likely make 7 1st round picks. 6 of which will likely be top 20. The odds of getting a star in the middle of the 1st is low but when you have 6 tries at it they become much better.