People are overthinking the situation. The bottom line is that we are weak at center and this has been Danny's Achilles heel for pretty much his entire GM career.
Tyler Zeller is a scrub, but he's our scrub. Jordan Mickey isn't even a scrub. He is an undefined prospect. Yet, with Jerebko out, Brad was forced to play him.
Had Zeller not gotten sick, we might have easily won the last two games. Yes, he is that mediocre, better than undefined. He is the rich man's scrub.
Avery has also been injured. It is okay to use the injury card. It's better than freaking out over two rough losses to scrub teams.
If Danny doesn't get us a center, then I will finally be ready to concede we are not a champion contender this year. That is because Amir has apparently turned out to be brittle and old. Horford is no spring chicken either.
Positions one to three look all set. It seems everyone agrees that vulnerability lies with the front court.
One must roll with the punches as a Celtics fan. Change and growth is inevitable.
We are in the hunt for the foreseeable future.
We can't predict what will happen, but it is guaranteed to be interesting and I am talking about much more than a few years. My advice is for folks to appreciate what's already in motion and not take losses so personally.
Danny says we need eight or nine great guys to compete? That is true and preferably ten healthy players covering all needs for playoff runs.
That could take a while, as in a couple years, to get close to the NBA mountain top. If I had to guess, I think Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart represent the future core. Horford is here to help them learn how to win over many years. His ceiling is that of a bridge unless we get the fireworks.
We are in for a good ride, but we must be patient and wait to see what develops. Speculation is pointless. So we must remain professional for the next month, as Jae is expected to do so. We must wait for the trade deadline before knowing this years' final roster.
We will get our playoffs and Spring, and then the draft and off-season. If Danny drafts a stud guard, then to me, that means Danny is strapping in for the long haul, and Isaiah might also be like Horford, a bridge to a future in which they will be less likely to remain.
But I would not want Al or Isaiah thinking I'm ungrateful or belittling their accomplishments as core members of a top ten NBA team.
The atmosphere is not perfect. There are guys at the end of bench and even Amir Johnson as a starter who may very well not be here next year.
Jae Crowder kind of opened a Pandora's Box with his rant. That's my amateur sports blogging hot take.
We. Shall. See.