Celtics Draft Pick Watch Thread

[PhoSita]

Well, obviously that would be well past the trade deadline, so the only options for "tanking" at that point would have to be carried out by the coaching staff and/or the players. 

Correct, and as I said, I think the options for selling off assets and "tanking" that way are pretty limited as it is.  The team is what it is this year.

Personally, I'm hoping that the standings look similar to how they look right now going into the final month of the season.  It's not really likely, but it sure would be fun.

It could be interesting.  On the other hand, if we get to the end of the season and only 2.5 games are separating the 6th spot in the East from the 12th spot in the East, I won't be particularly pleased to see the Celts make the playoffs as a lower seed. 

I think this team is still a few significant pieces away from being where they need to be, talentwise.  Yes, they'll probably get one top 10 pick from the Nets in this upcoming draft, and there might be more lottery picks coming from the Nets over the next couple of seasons. That doesn't mean it wouldn't help things if the Celts' own pick this year was also in the lottery.

[LarBrd33]

The top ten teams in the East are currently within 2 games of each other in the standings.  To me, that's made for a very exciting start to the season.  There's parity in the East and almost everyone seems to be competing for the playoffs (Washington, New York, and Washington are outside that top ten, but teams that could join the mix--I see only Brooklyn and Philly clearly on the outside looking in).

Based on the competitiveness and depth of the East this year, there's every possibility that our Celtics could end up missing the playoffs.  The competition is stiff. 

For me, this all makes for one of the most fun seasons we've had in a while.  Everyone's competing, and the Celtics are in the mix. 

I understand that some fans may take the angle that as we are certainly not guaranteed a playoff spot and other good teams are vying for those spots, we may as well give up early and go for lottery picks. 

To me that goes against the spirit of the whole sports thing, but, to each his own, I guess.

I'm not suggesting we tank.  I don't even know how we'd go about tanking without dumping a ton of guys for draft picks... You could give up our top 5 guys and still probably hover around .500 with the type of depth this team has. 

But it'll be an interesting season to see how things shake out.  If we don't make a big move, there's a decent chance we end up in the lotto.

[celticsclay]

Well, obviously that would be well past the trade deadline, so the only options for "tanking" at that point would have to be carried out by the coaching staff and/or the players. 

Correct, and as I said, I think the options for selling off assets and "tanking" that way are pretty limited as it is.  The team is what it is this year.

T

Personally, I'm hoping that the standings look similar to how they look right now going into the final month of the season.  It's not really likely, but it sure would be fun.

It could be interesting.  On the other hand, if we get to the end of the season and only 2.5 games are separating the 6th spot in the East from the 12th spot in the East, I won't be particularly pleased to see the Celts make the playoffs as a lower seed. 

I think this team is still a few significant pieces away from being where they need to be, talentwise.  Yes, they'll probably get one top 10 pick from the Nets in this upcoming draft, and there might be more lottery picks coming from the Nets over the next couple of seasons. That doesn't mean it wouldn't help things if the Celts' own pick this year was also in the lottery.

he difference is this year though, I think we would all agree it would be pretty unlikely to be a sweep if we made it in as a 6 seed. If you look at the standings today that would likely be a matchup with either Toronto, Atlanta, Pacers or Bulls. I think we would be at a decided disadvantage against the bulls and they would represent a particularly difficult matchup. However, I do think we could have a very reasonable chance of winning a playoff series against one of those other teams. I would love to see Stevens making adjustments against a team that has a relatively similar talent level. Then we could theoretically be playing one of those other teams in the second round. I think that is pretty exciting. Considering we have probably at worst a top 10 pick already coming in and another pick that could easily be 15 it is pretty hard to get excited about adding another 12th overall pick to our millions of picks and young guys and not get a chance to see how well we compete against the east playoff teams.

While it is definitely debatable if last seasons playoff birth had any impact on culture, attractiveness etc, I think it would be a lot less debatable there would be impact if we won a series and had a competitive run.

[BleedGreen1989]

Well, obviously that would be well past the trade deadline, so the only options for "tanking" at that point would have to be carried out by the coaching staff and/or the players. 

Correct, and as I said, I think the options for selling off assets and "tanking" that way are pretty limited as it is.  The team is what it is this year.

Personally, I'm hoping that the standings look similar to how they look right now going into the final month of the season.  It's not really likely, but it sure would be fun.

It could be interesting.  On the other hand, if we get to the end of the season and only 2.5 games are separating the 6th spot in the East from the 12th spot in the East, I won't be particularly pleased to see the Celts make the playoffs as a lower seed. 

I think this team is still a few significant pieces away from being where they need to be, talentwise.  Yes, they'll probably get one top 10 pick from the Nets in this upcoming draft, and there might be more lottery picks coming from the Nets over the next couple of seasons. That doesn't mean it wouldn't help things if the Celts' own pick this year was also in the lottery.

Agreed. It would likely be too difficult for the C's to tank, but I wouldn't mind an additional lottery pick to go with the Nets pick. I think people are relying too heavily on that Nets pick to deliver this teams savior.

[PhoSita]

I think the Celts could win a game or two against the teams you mention, Celticsclay, and that would be cool to see. Winning a playoff series is still out of reach for this group at this stage of the rebuild, in my opinion.

[celticsclay]

I see a 'lock' in thus thread's future..

One can hope

Look... am I early with this thread?  Perhaps.  Are ya'll overreacting by claiming you're "outraged" by it?  Most def. 

Since we have a draft pick watch for the Brooklyn pick, why not our own?  We've teetered back and forth between lotto and playoff so far and our own pick could be a key part of our season... probably deserves keeping an eye on as it could impact our future in a significant way. 

Case in point, with 2 weeks and 9 games left in the 2014-15 season, 32-41 Boston defeated the 31-41 Hornets.  They were essentially tied. 

Boston goes one way: Rolls through the final two weeks, makes the playoffs with a losing record, gets swept and ends up with pick #16

Hornets go the other way: Fall apart down the stretch, end up with the 9th best lotto odds.

Flash forward a couple months:  Boston reportedly offers 6 draft picks, including four 1st rounders (at least one from Brooklyn) to trade up from #16 to #9 with hopes of taking Justice Winslow.   Hornets turn down Boston, because it isn't enough.    Had roles been reversed, perhaps we'd be the ones getting offers of 6 draft picks for 1.    We also know that had Boston moved up to #9, the Knicks were willing to trade down from #4...  Imagine if we had just finished 9th in the first place?...

Holy Kristaps, that's a lot of potential assets the alt-universe Celts could have had.



So while this thread might seem cheeky or a work of parody, it's relevant.   The East is deep this year.   Ben Simmons is averaging 20 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.6 blocks and 2.4 steals and being called the greatest prospect since Durant.   I'm not jumping on the tank bandwagon just yet, but it's something to keep an eye on. 

On the flip side, we're 2 games out of 1st place.  Let's get weird, people. 

The standings landscape is shaping up to be a reverse of the last couple years.  Eastern Conference has 10 teams over .500 not including Knicks, Wizards and Bucks who all seem like above .500 teams to me.   Western conference has 6 teams above .500.   This means we're potentially in store for the reverse of last year... where a team like the Rockets (below .500) makes the playoffs and gets stuck picking 15th... while a team like the Bucks/Celtics/Knicks/Pistons/Magic/Wizards could finish .500, miss the playoffs and have the top 10 lotto odds.  As someone pointed out earlier, had we won last night we'd be the 6th seed right now with a 12-8... so we're talking 1 game making the difference between 13th best lotto odds and being tied for picking #23.  I find it interesting.

Death, taxes and Larbrd telling the same stupid Charlotte story. Thing you can count on in life. It reminds me of the Jon Oliver john mccain favorite jokes bit. 

[Celtics18]

The top ten teams in the East are currently within 2 games of each other in the standings.  To me, that's made for a very exciting start to the season.  There's parity in the East and almost everyone seems to be competing for the playoffs (Washington, New York, and Washington are outside that top ten, but teams that could join the mix--I see only Brooklyn and Philly clearly on the outside looking in).

Based on the competitiveness and depth of the East this year, there's every possibility that our Celtics could end up missing the playoffs.  The competition is stiff. 

For me, this all makes for one of the most fun seasons we've had in a while.  Everyone's competing, and the Celtics are in the mix. 

I understand that some fans may take the angle that as we are certainly not guaranteed a playoff spot and other good teams are vying for those spots, we may as well give up early and go for lottery picks. 

To me that goes against the spirit of the whole sports thing, but, to each his own, I guess.

I'm not suggesting we tank.  I don't even know how we'd go about tanking without dumping a ton of guys for draft picks... You could give up our top 5 guys and still probably hover around .500 with the type of depth this team has. 

But it'll be an interesting season to see how things shake out.  If we don't make a big move, there's a decent chance we end up in the lotto.

Sure.  There's a chance we end up in the lottery.  It wold suck, but it could happen. 

[max215]

 It would be the shiznit if we somehow won the Ben Simmons sweepsteaks with a 1% chance with our own pick. And got either Skal, Brown, or Ingram with the Nets pick.

 That would be great for Celtics fans.

Haha, that would be ridiculous. Imagine the trade offers we'd get?

[celticsclay]

I think the Celts could win a game or two against the teams you mention, Celticsclay, and that would be cool to see. Winning a playoff series is still out of reach for this group at this stage of the rebuild, in my opinion.

I mean really?

How do the Raptors impress you that much? They are absolutely horrible on defense and really lacking in depth. I thought Demarre Carrol would be a nice addition for them, but he honestly has looked like a worst player than crowder at this point. I think Bradley and Smart would certainly annoy Lowry (and he has shown he can be thrown off his game in the playoffs in the past). They are really a similar team to us, a little higher top end talent, but way worse bench and depth (and probably coaching)

The pacers have a superstar, but they also have serious issues in the frontcourt where there best players at the moment are Jordan Hill, Ian Mahimi and Lavoy Allen. They make Johnson and Sullinger look like all-stars. Maybe George with some offensive sprinkles from ellis, stuckey and Miles could beat us, but I definitely would not call that a sure thing.

The hawks? I was penciling them in for being really good again this year but some things are just off. Maybe Carroll was really a difference maker for their cohesiveness but their players all seem to have slightly regressed with the exception of Teague (and schroeder off the bench). I would love to see that series, or really any of these.

I know you are not a linesmakers kind of guy, but for what its worth on a neutral floor those teams are all close to pick ems against the celtics right now (giving them a slight series edge because of home court advantage)

[Celtics18]

I think the Celts could win a game or two against the teams you mention, Celticsclay, and that would be cool to see. Winning a playoff series is still out of reach for this group at this stage of the rebuild, in my opinion.

I think we could fairly realistically beat anyone in the East not named the Cavaliers in a playoff series.

I'd love to finish above eighth and avoid Cleveland in the first round. 

[jpotter33]

I think the Celts could win a game or two against the teams you mention, Celticsclay, and that would be cool to see. Winning a playoff series is still out of reach for this group at this stage of the rebuild, in my opinion.

I think we could fairly realistically beat anyone in the East not named the Cavaliers in a playoff series.

I'd love to finish above eighth and avoid Cleveland in the first round.

I feel the same, and I've felt the same since summer. There's not much separation 2-8 in the East.

[celticsclay]

I think the Celts could win a game or two against the teams you mention, Celticsclay, and that would be cool to see. Winning a playoff series is still out of reach for this group at this stage of the rebuild, in my opinion.

I think we could fairly realistically beat anyone in the East not named the Cavaliers in a playoff series.

I'd love to finish above eighth and avoid Cleveland in the first round.

I feel the same, and I've felt the same since summer. There's not much separation 2-8 in the East.

I lump Chicago in with Cleveland to a degree because I see Buter, Gasol, Gibson, Mirotic and to a lesser extend Noah all being a bit overwelming for the celtics to match up. I also think Butler could easily slide over and shut down Bradley and IT. That being said, saying we could only win a game or two against a very inconsistent team like Toronto seems really pessimistic.

[max215]

I think the Celts could win a game or two against the teams you mention, Celticsclay, and that would be cool to see. Winning a playoff series is still out of reach for this group at this stage of the rebuild, in my opinion.

I think we could fairly realistically beat anyone in the East not named the Cavaliers in a playoff series.

I'd love to finish above eighth and avoid Cleveland in the first round.

I feel the same, and I've felt the same since summer. There's not much separation 2-8 in the East.

I lump Chicago in with Cleveland to a degree because I see Buter, Gasol, Gibson, Mirotic and to a lesser extend Noah all being a bit overwelming for the celtics to match up. I also think Butler could easily slide over and shut down Bradley and IT. That being said, saying we could only win a game or two against a very inconsistent team like Toronto seems really pessimistic.

I'm not impressed by Chicago in the slightest. IMO the only East team we stand no chance against in a playoff series is Cleveland.

[YoungOne87]

rondae hollis jefferson fractured his ankle, should help our brooklyn pick a bit.

[spikelovetheCelts]

I think the Celts could win a game or two against the teams you mention, Celticsclay, and that would be cool to see. Winning a playoff series is still out of reach for this group at this stage of the rebuild, in my opinion.

I think we could fairly realistically beat anyone in the East not named the Cavaliers in a playoff series.

I'd love to finish above eighth and avoid Cleveland in the first round.

I feel the same, and I've felt the same since summer. There's not much separation 2-8 in the East.

I lump Chicago in with Cleveland to a degree because I see Buter, Gasol, Gibson, Mirotic and to a lesser extend Noah all being a bit overwelming for the celtics to match up. I also think Butler could easily slide over and shut down Bradley and IT. That being said, saying we could only win a game or two against a very inconsistent team like Toronto seems really pessimistic.

I'm not impressed by Chicago in the slightest. IMO the only East team we stand no chance against in a playoff series is Cleveland.

A Healthy Heat team will surely beat us. Chicago may come around as well. We should at least go 6 games in a series if we make 4-6 seed.

Looks we have picks 4, 14, and 18. Not that I want Ingram at 4 but he looked awesome the other night for Duke. He should be a stud in the NBA.
This draft is getting stronger for sure.