What would be better for this Cs team, finding a Rudy Gobert, or another talented guard/wing? Maybe a Porter or Young will pan out, but how much better does it make us?
Bamba would be a coup for the Celtics because of fit and defensive potential. It's what Houston succeeded at this year, but with superior players and even more length. Teams are trying to find a defensive answer to pace-and-space, and look at these wingspans for Bamba, Horford, Brown, Tatum: 7'10" / 7'1" / 7'0" / 6'11". For reference, some important chart toppers are:
Rudy Gobert: 7'9"
Kevin Durant: 7'5"
Draymond Green: 7'1"
Baynes was an excellent defender for us, but the one thing he can't do is protect the wing & the perimeter at once. The crazy thing about Gobert-like length is that a defender can stay home and still be 1 step from contesting outside shots.
Defensively, Smart/ Brown/ Tatum/ Horford/ Bamba is a lineup of death.
Offensively, Irving/ Hayward/ Brown/ Tatum/ Horford is pretty great, too.
Mix and match between the two and that's a crazy good top-7, and yet another cost controlled player.
If we get Bamba w/o giving up Brown or Tatum, I'm all in. Sure, there's a risk, but there's a very unique reward.