Tag Archives: #BostonCeltics

Marcus Smart Keeps Getting Disrespected

Leave a reply

WHY IS HE INVISIBLE?

The NBA released the 2017 GM surveys, and Marcus Smart keeps getting overlooked by the league. The GMs voted for What bench player makes the biggest impact when he enters the game, and Marcus did not even receive a single vote. Take a look:

Yes, correct. Not even a single vote. Despite Marcus having his best season yet. Let’s take a look at his numbers last season:

10.6 Points, 4.6 Assists

3.9 Rebounds

1.6 Steals

2.0 TOs

When we talk about the most complete player of the bench, Marcus Smart tops the list. Smart did have another terrible shooting year, with splits of .359/.283/.812. But Marcus impacts winning like no other bench player. From diving for a ball, to deflections, to grabbing big time rebounds in crunch time or grabbing a loose ball, he does a bit of everything that don’t show up in the traditional stat sheet. And we don’t even need to mention his defense.

Marcus had more points, more assists and the same rebounding averages as Iggy. No disrespect to Iguodala, he’s an important piece for the Warriors. When I look at that list, I see scorers. Players that only play one side of the ball. Gordon is a tremendous scorer but nothing more. He’s not a key defensive player, nor a play maker. Same could be said for Jamal and Lou Williams.

Of all of those players, only Igoudala can impact a game on both ends of the floor.

So why no mention for Marcus?

MARCUS NO-BUCKETS

The only logical reason rests on Marcus’ offensive game. Marcus has a career shooting splits of .358/.291/.762 — not great. He’s not the instant bucket guy that you look for off the bench.  But what do we define as impactful?

BIG TIME BOARDS

When Marcus is not scoring, he’s doing this:

With five seconds left, Crowder takes a corner three and missed. And look who comes flying down to keep the ball alive for Al to score and to give the Celtics the lead. That’s impact.

 

Same situation here. A missed shot and another big time put-back by Smart over the defense.

At the end of the day, Celtics know the impact Marcus have for this team. The GM’s have yet to open their eyes and see Marcus impact, but with a even bigger role of the bench this season, we will see different opinions around the league.

You can find me on Twitter at @KaardoNBA

Kyire 1st TD Garden Game

Celtics Preseason Game Recap vs Hornets

Leave a reply

CELTICS PRESEAON GAME RECAP

Celtics Preseason Game Recap vs Hornets.

C´s won with a Final Score of 94 – 82. This was our first look with the new team, and what a fun night!

BALL MOVEMENT

The game started with some ugly missfires, as expected, but the ball movement was excellent. The C´s had eight buckets in seven dimes to start the game. Everyone was unselfish and the ball did not stick with just one player.

Check this out:

Have look at this pass by Al. That is your Center folks.

https://twitter.com/TheFuzzNBA/status/915004819735064576

And yes, that is Kyrie dunking. I have seen Kyrie dunk twice his entire career. It was surprising to see him dunk, but I bet my money we won´t see much of it comes the regular season. Kyrie finished the game (only played first half) with nine points and five rebounds. G-Hayward added five and five. Al was really impressive with seven points, six rebounds and four assists in just 16 minutes of action. He and Hayward also did not play in the second half.

BAYNES, MR ALL-AUSTRALIA

Aaron Baynes was the the man of the night, for multiple reasons as you will find out later. The big guy punched in 10 points and grabbed five rebounds. But the stats won´t tell the entire story. He was hustling, contesting shots, playing good defense and really looked good taking and making the mid-range jump shots.

Marcus Smart came off the bench, was on pace to take 16 threes and did what Marcus does, hustle and have winning plays. He hit three of seven from beyond the arc. Jayson Tatum looked a bit nervous, as result, some ugly shots and misses. This was expected, as a 19-year old rookie basically trying to do everything right in his first career NBA game. He did settle down later on, finishing with nine points.

The rookie from Germany, Daniel Theis, really put in an impressive performance. In just 14 minutes of action, he piled up 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists. From catching lobs, to setting picks and rolling to the hoop, to rebounding. He did it all. Celtics Nation should not overreact to this, because it was against players who will probably never see the floor with the Hornets.  Don’t forget — just preseason, but the results look encouraging. Theis has more experience and eventually will end up as a rotation player ahead of Yabu.

Abdel added 10 points. Larkin really kept the ball moving with the second unit. Nice showing in the limited minutes played. Yabu also seemed a little bit nervous, but he did hit the offensive glass hard multiple times.

Lots of positives in the first game, but remember, it´s just the preseason. Slow down on the hot-take cannons for now.

TOMMY SAID WHAT?

Regular season has yet to begin and Tommy is already at it:

Celtics next preseson game is Friday, when they take on the 76ers.

TR

Final Roster Spot

Leave a reply

Final Roster Spot

The Celtics have a final roster spot, but Andrew Bogut won’t be the player to fill that spot.

According to multiple reports, both the Celtics and the Cavs were in on Bogut, but the 32-year old vet decided to take his talents to LA. Now with just three days until training camp, Dany may still be looking to add some more talent to the team.

Boris Diaw is heading to France, Tyler Zeller to the Nets, Crawford to Minnesota. The options the Celtics now have are limited, but some impactful players remain in the market.

THOMAS ROBINSON

Between the Kyrie trade madness, the Celtics conducted a work out with the big man.

But no news since.

The 6-10, listed at 237 lbs was drafted fifth overall in the 2012 NBA draft by the Kings, and played for six teams in the spam. Not ideal. But he´s only 26. Last season with the Lakers, in 48 games, he averaged 5.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, at just 11 mins per game.

But what could possibly attract Dany, is Robinson’s ability to rebound, and that’s an issue that keeps haunting the Celtics. Robinson has a impressive 25.5% defensive rebound percentage for his career. To put that in prospective, Kelly Olynyk lead the Celtics last year at 20.7%.

The only downside to Robinson is that he has not been sucked into the modern day NBA style. I refer to is his inability to stretch the floor. In the last couple seasons, Brad has relied heavily on bigs that can space the floor.

With the Lakers last season, Robinson shot 61.3% from the restricted area.

Via NBAsavant.com

GERALD GREEN

When Green is number two in this list, you know the market isn’t very big out there. But Gerald is a great locker presence, very important for a new team. And he helped turn the Bulls series around.

UPDATE: Green to sign with the Bucks.

DAVID LEE

This will not be a popular option for the fans after the disappointing stint with the Celtics back in 2015. Celtics fan were excited to add the former dominant double-double PF.  Lee played only 30 games with the Celtics before he was waived and picked up by the Mavericks.

Lee isn’t the same old Lee but he’s coming off a quiet, productive season with the mighty Spurs. In 18 minutes of action, the posted 7.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists, and shot 59 percent from the field.  Lee turn down a $1.6 million option from the Spurs.

WHO ELSE?

Like mentioned before, the options are limited at this point of the off season. The chances are slim to find a player, whom will have any real impact on the team.

Notable free agent bigs still available: Lavoy Allen, Festus Ezeli and Jordan Hill.

 

New NBA STATEMENT Uniforms

Leave a reply

UNIFORMS, WE TALKIN´ UNIFORMS

On Friday, the NIKE announced The New NBA STATEMENT Uniforms.

NIKE also debuted the Connected Jersey, which features a NFC chip. Once you have downloaded the NIKE app, it´ll unlock exclusive content for that player.

Using new NikeConnect technology, each adult-sized Nike NBA Connected Jersey will have an embedded NFC (near field communication) chip that will launch real-time team and player content such as pregame arrival footage, highlight packages and top players’ favorite music playlists – all on the jersey owner’s mobile device. Throughout the season, a wealth of exclusive offers and experiences will bring fans closer to the game they love.

BLACK IS THE NEW GREEN

Now I know you are asking, I can’t see the Celtics! Where is it!?

Funny thing, It actually took me about a minute to find it. That’s because the Celtics were all the way in the back, and I was looking for maybe Kyrie´s face, GH, maybe rookie-sensation Jayson Tatum. Nope. Shane Larkin. Nothing wrong with Larkin, but I didn’t expect it to be him. But anyway, here is a more clear picture of the full unit.

 

I am a big fan. Really like the Black and Green combination. Just like the black trim the Celtics used tons last season.

 

But let’s be honest, that GE logo ruins it. It’s so big, so out of place and, overall, ads on NBA uniforms are not a pretty look. But overall the unit is clean, not much going around. Just the plain black and the green trims and sides. Beautifully done NIKE.

BYE BYE SLEEVES

With NIKE taking over the NBA uniforms, this hopefully means bye bye to those ugly sleeved uniforms pajamas. Remember the grey ones?

Yeah, not a fan.

Give us your thoughts on the new Celtics uniforms, Celtics Nation. Do you like it? Hate it?

 

 

Training Camp and Media Day

Leave a reply

BASKETBALL IS BACK

The entire Isaiah and Kyrie trade happened about a month ago.  And now we are just nine days away from media day on Sept. 25

Via Celtics Blog:

Even more exciting news, Celtics will start training camp just a day later, Sept. 26th.

MEDIA DAY AND PHOTO DAY

Media day will give us a chance to see the two newest Celtics, Kyrie and Hayward, with their new Celtics jersey. This also will give us the first look at the big three together. They’ll be joined by the rookies, highlighted by the number-three pick, Jayson Tatum. and new Celtics, Morris and Baynes.

In addition to player interviews, The day will be dedicated to players taking selfies with each other, players getting to know each other and discussing the upcoming season. Same will apply to Brad and his coaching staff and the front office executives.

TRAINING CAMP IN RHODE ISLAND?

According to Brian Robb, the following day the Celtics will head to Rhode Island to start training camp.  This will be the first time since Brad´s rookie season that the Celtics will hold traning camp in Rhode Island.

This will give the players and coaches some time to bond, and build some chemistry, as just four players from last season´s ECF team are back. The Celtics will be in RI for three days.

Season is on the horizon, Celtics Nation.

Marcus Smart Drops 20 Pounds Over the Summer

Leave a reply

Celtics G Marcus Smart, has been in the gym all off season trying to improve his game, and dropped 20 pounds in the process.  So this means Marcus was around 240 pounds last season. That’s a outrageous weight for a guard.

Via Boston Globe

“I’ve been in the gym nonstop, been eating right, making sure my body’s right,” Smart said on Wednesday during a visit to Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center.

“It’s a different me. I’m more explosive and I’m healthy,” Smart said. “That’s a big part for me. I had to get on my plan. I’m really focused and I locked in this summer.”

“I’ve really been working on my game and getting ready for a larger role,” Smart said. “The Celtics expect me to take that on and be ready, so I’m ready for whatever. I’ve talked numerous times to Danny and Brad, before anything happened, even just during the season . . . be ready to take on that role. And now it’s put into reality. We don’t have Avery, we don’t have Jae, a lot of responsibility is on my shoulders.”

Smart also said he hired a new personal chef.

Marcus comes off a 10.6 points, 4.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 3.9 rebounds campaign where he struggled to find his shooting stoke. He shot just .358% FG and .283% 3PT, but a successful season nonetheless.

Marcus is also now the longest-tenured Celtics player on the roster. And yes, he´s only 23.

Less can create more

With Avery departure, Smart looks to fill the gap that AB left in the defensive side of the floor. Marcus is just as good, or better defender than AB but a bit slower. A slimmer and quicker Marcus could cause some problems for opposing Guards.

This also helps him defend the quicker guards that AB handled in the last couple seasons.

But we probably wont see much of this:

 

Or this:

 

 

This can also help his offensive game a little bit. He lacked explosiveness last season and he never really created much separation off the bounce from defenders, struggling to finishing around the rim. A slimmer Marcus could also mean a quicker shot release.

Marcus will enter his final year of his rookie contract and due a qualifying offer of just over $6 million. This could be an important year for the 23-year-old.

No wonder Bill Belichick went to so many Celtics games. He’s was obviously intrigued by the linebacker in the house.

BREAKING DOWN THE CELTICS ROSTER.

Leave a reply

Just a couple weeks ago I was breaking down this Celtics roster that very much included Isaiah Thomas on it. Two weeks later and I’m here thinking, what’s next season starting lineup? That’s 4 starters gone, in 1 offseason. Avery traded to the Pistons for Morris, Amir (yes, I know, but he still was a starter for most of the regular season), Jae the Bae Crowder and the mighty one, IT.

Plus Olynyk, Jerebko, James Young, Jordan Mickey, Jackson. That’s a complete roster turnaround. Only Brown, Smart, Rozier and Al left from the ECF team. That’s madness! We are talking about the team that made the ECF last year too.

And what’s, even more, crazier, we might have gotten better. Let’s break down this team and how everyone will fit into Brad’s new system. I will break down the team in 3 categories.

BALL HANDLERS: Kyrie, Smart, Rozier, Larkin, Bird and Allen.

WINGS: Hayward, Brown, Tatum, Ojeleye, Nader.

BIGS: Horford, Baynes, Morris, Yabusele.

PROJECTED STARTING 5: 

PG: Irving

SG: Brown

SF: Hayward

PF: Morris

C: Al

Let´s get rid of the obvious first. Kyrie, Horford and Hayward are locks to start.

Celtics replaced Thomas with Kyrie, one of the most gifted offensive players in the league. Kyrie averaged 25.2 points, 5.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds while shooting just over 40% the 3PT last season. And that while sharing the stage with the man himself, LeBron James.

At SF, Hayward. The now All Star, who was under the head coaching of our very own Brad Stevens in Butler, has improved his scoring averaged in the last 6 seasons. He’s also a great playmaker.

 

Hayward is great with the up fake. Here he drives to the middle of the lane, as his path was blocked, he adjusted quickly and found an open Lyles who knocked down the open corner three. Kyrie and Hayward will compliment each other very well. Both can make plays for each other and the rest of the team.

Because of Al’s ability to stretch the floor, this lineup could have some serious offensive upside.

After that? It’s all based up on match ups.

Jaylen is coming off a successful rookie camping. He looked great in the second half of the season and shot the ball very well (37.9% from 3PT after All Star break).

Fans might argue Smart at the 2 and I can see why but he just fits that 6th man role so well and at this point, Rozier isn’t ready to lead the bench. Great rebounder but still lacks shooting (only .367% FG and .318% 3PT last season) and playmaking.

Now, this lineup could have some issues, actually lots of issue with rebounding. Morris isn’t a great rebounder, in fact, he is not a very good rebounder. He only averaged 4.6 rebounds last season and we all know Al is not a very good rebounder for his size. How can Brad maybe fix that? Insert the bigger Baynes at C, and move Morris to the bench.

Baynes would serve the same purpose Amir had. A tough, nasty dog who plays 15 mins a game and does the dirty work. But not finish games. We know Brad loves going small in close games in the 4th. We will see lots of Smart in those situations.

BENCH

Smart and Rozier will share ball handling duties off the bench.

Baynes and Theis can provide much-needed size to the front court off the bench.

Tatum’s role will unfold as the season goes on. He’s so gifted offensively. Can create his own shot while being effective. He’s got the size. He is a little bit more NBA ready entering the league than Brown was and that will earn him some minutes.

And he is already clutch.

DEEP BENCH

Yabu

Ojeleye

Nader

Larkin

Allen

Bird.

Bird? Allen? Is this a throwback season or what? Jokes aside,  this completes the team for now. The player to watch here is the big dancing bear, Yabu, who was overseas last season. We did not see him this past summer league, which sucks, due to a foot injury. The rest will either spend time going back to Maine.

If Danny does not decide to randomly trade Kyrie for Curry, this is the team the Celtics will be rolling with to start the season.

What’re your predictions for the Celtics next year Celtics Nation? Let us know!

Isaiah Thomas: The 5’9 Giant

Leave a reply

 

Championship Mike Drop

The clock ticks down under 10 seconds. The game is tied in overtime. The Staples Center in LA is packed. Jersey number two in black is still dribbling calmly in place just past half court. The people closest to him know what happens next, as he prepares to show the rest of the world what he is all about. Isaiah Thomas starts to drive hard left. He gets inside the perimeter enough to sell the drive. He gets a sliver of space and then takes a step back with a distance comparable to that between Man and the Moon itself to get behind the line.   A two-point victory wasn’t good enough for him. (It ended up being called a two but I dispute it to this day). You can probably guess what happens next: swish. “COOOLLDD BLOODED!!” the announcer can be heard yelling over all the chaos.

Special Person, Special Player

That was the scene of the PAC-12 (then PAC-10) championship game on March 12, 2011, and the exact moment I became an Isaiah Thomas fan. You see, certain players bring more to basketball than just talent. IT plays with a fierce passion unmatched by most. You have to bring up the names of greats just to find somebody on his level in that regard. Then there’s that smile. You can always tell he’s having a blast on the court, and for his teammates, it’s contagious. Complement these things with an unrealistic confidence and you have the makings of a special player. He is willing to say he wants to be the best player in the NBA, and he doesn’t care if you doubt him. As a fan, you have to love a guy like that. Especially when he’s able to back it up with top-five level play, which is right where he found himself in the MVP race at the end of last season. Say that again?

Down Draft

Speaking of doubt, let’s fast forward from that day at the Staples Center to a few months later at the 2011 NBA draft. You’ve probably heard the story. Thomas was taken with the last pick, far beyond the point where a team can typically find someone worth a roster spot. Well, the Kings struck gold. Not only did he make the team, he averaged 11.5 ppg as a rookie. He jumped up to 20.3 ppg by his third year. Despite showing promise as a young player, the  Kings weren’t satisfied and dumped him for nothing in a sign-and-trade move with the Suns. He played in Phoenix for only half of the 13-14 season. Even though he continued to play well, they doubted Thomas and his role in their long-term plans. They viewed him as the third-best point guard on the roster.

Little Big Man

When I heard the Celtics landed Thomas before the trade deadline of the 2014-2015 season, I was ecstatic. Right away I felt we had the scoring punch we needed to maybe make a run at the playoffs, and he took us there as a mid-season acquisition. But he wasn’t satisfied; he won the starting role, and in the 2016-2017 season threw it in the face of his doubters and had himself an MVP caliber season.

Some of the things he did this past season literally brought me to tears. There’s the Miami game where he notched a career- high 52 points, and we needed every last one of them to win. The King of the Fourth came to play that day, breaking Larry Bird’s franchise record with 24 in the final period.

Need a day off? The very next game, he recorded a career high 15 assists behind 29 pts, and it started to seem like he could do anything. Just two games in the line of a franchise-record 43-straight, 20-point games. And in the playoffs, when he bested his 52 with a gritty 53-point performance on a bad hip, on what would have been his sisters 23rd birthday. She passed away in a car accident weeks before. If you weren’t a fan of his after that game, you didn’t have a pulse.

He fought through that personal tragedy for the rest of the playoffs and beyond. The missing tooth game, the game winner in Atlanta, I could go on and on. We were witnessing greatness out of “the little guy” every single time he stepped on the floor. He fought so hard for everything, and he finally felt at home. He was in a good situation where his coach allowed him to be himself and it was paying dividends. Even the doubters where starting to diminish. Imagine that, it took an MVP level season for most to realize this guy is pretty darn good.

…Another, New, Era?

What happens next, well, is simply heartbreaking. As I’m writing this, I’m torn between excitement for the future and borderline depression that the hard nosed Celtics led by Thomas will never step on the floor together again. While the culture remains, the fact is this is a much different team led by a different floor general. Isaiah wears a Cavaliers jersey now. And get this; reports reveal the Cavs didn’t care much about Thomas being part of the deal, but were more enamored with Crowder and the Nets pick. Two great assets, sure, but the message was clear; we don’t think he can do it again. Definitely not after the hip injury. They even demanded more out of the deal after it was agreed upon when concern was expressed about their results from Thomas’ physical. IT’s newest team has become his latest doubter.

Is the hip a concern? Yes. Is he shorter than your roommate, who thinks he would’ve made it to the NBA if he was taller? There’s a pretty good chance. The concerns have always been logical, but does it really matter? I answered that question for myself the second the ball left his hands in the final seconds of that OT game on March 12th 2012 in the sold out Staples Center. It didn’t matter whether it went in or not; I had seen enough to know this kid had guts. The fact that it dropped was the proverbial icing on the cake.

Cleveland Doubts Thomas

Certain players, certain people, defy logic with their craft. Coincidentally enough, some people call it the “IT” factor, and the man whose initials and most popular nickname is I.T. has “IT.”  Magical might be a more appropriate word than logical when talking about Thomas. He has defied logic time and time again, and you won’t find me giving any reason why he can’t do it once more. So when it was reported that Isaiah was really just the icing on the cake for the Cavs, the only reasoning I can come up with is that their front office is full of odd individuals who only eat the icing.

P.S. I wanted to help direct Cleveland here, as they will almost certainly be needing this service in the near future. You earned it IT!!

Isaiah Thomas said when asked about his looming payday next offseason that they better bring in the Brinks truck, and took it a step further with these.  Here’s a clip of the shot in the 2011 Pac-10 title game. Stat line: 28-5-7. COLD. BLOODED.

Way-too-early NBA predictions on the 2017 Celtics

Leave a reply

Enthusiasm for a season hasn’t been this high since the Big 3 came to town, but with some young studs, proven veterans and our second free agent in as many seasons, we have plenty to be excited about.   A lot of people feel that tipping the scales at 53 wins and the #1 season was an over achievement – so if the Celtics simply’ achieve’ how much more can we expect?  I hit the streets, Twitter, and my fantasy football league (they like the Celtics too) to find out fan predictions for the 2017 season.

New York Knicks v Boston Celtics - Game Six

BOSTON, MA – MAY 3: Paul Pierce #34 of the Boston Celtics and Kevin Garnett #5 exchange words in the final moment in the 4th quarter in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs on May 3, 2013 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics lost 88-80. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Survey says…

“I don’t see them eclipsing last years total in wins and am going to keep them at 53 wins.  The battle will be similar to last year between Toronto and Boston for the Atlantic Division with the April 4th contest between the two being deciding factor for who will see first Cleveland in the post season” – @JoshBeRube

“Celtics last season’s record was 53-29. The question everyone asks, though, did they improve that much this off season? The loss of Avery Bradley certainly hurts as he was one of our defensive bulldogs . With the addition of Gordon Hayward and another year of being with the Celtics for big Al , I can only see our record improving to what could possibly be a nice 58-24 record improving us by 5 wins. 60 is a big chance especially with how weak the East has become.  For the number one seed it’s a two-horse race between the Celtics and Cavaliers. As long as Lebron James is at Cleveland, he will continue to push and fight. In terms of playoffs, we look ready to reach the Conference finals in a replay against the Cavaliers. The Celtics look stronger, and our bench depth will become a big factor when we bring in the second unit and need scoring from the likes of Tatum, Rozier, Brown and Smart. We may be able to take Cleveland to a seven-game series but sadly going down 4-3 if the Cavs’ roster stays intact. Hold tight though, Bean town! The future is ever so bright and we can only look forward to what we have to come with the likes of rookies and even Boston being a popular destination for free agents to sign here.”  -@mitchphillipsbc
2017 Las Vegas Summer League - Portland Trail Blazers v Boston Celtics

LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 09: P.J. Carlesimo (L) gets ready to interview Jayson Tatum #11 of the Boston Celtics after the team’s 70-64 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in a 2017 Summer League game at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

“57-25(53-29) +4 wins . The addition of Gordon Hayward gives the Celtics the scorer they need. Then a bigger starting lineup will give them a better chance to win the rebound battle. I imagine they will start off slow but their talent and having a more equipped bench than most teams – will allow them win while learning to play together.   Once they get on the same page, you will see short runs and flashes of what the team will be come playoff time. It may take a while, but once they are up and running they will be fine.” – @BlaiseG1991
“I’d like to be 52-30.  We’re a better team this year but getting some of the younger guys more minutes and time to develop is in the best interest of the team in the long run.  I think Stevens will play to that and we’ll be a better team come playoffs because of it.”  – Adam K
“I think the entire “net” will be three more games than last year.  Good for 56 wins, second seed.  They get to the ECFs and lose in six.  Not buying all the dysfunction in Cleveland.   Cavs are shooting for the best record and home court throughout the playoffs.” – Chris R
“They may struggle a little to start the season, as half the team has turned over, but will get hot late.  They will finish 51-31, to earn 2nd seed.  Brad Steven’s will experiment will different line-ups early, knowing that the team will have time to make up ground in an extremely weak Eastern Conference.  They will reach the Eastern Conference Finals, but lost to the Cavs in five games.  LeBrown is just too much to handle, ITs defense will again be an issue and three of the four Cavs wins will be by four points or less.”  – @williesteegz
“Celtics will be 56-26 and another 1 seed.  Got better adding Hayward and Jaylen Brown will take a leap forward with more minutes.  Tatum will provide instant scoring.  Teams also can’t focus on IT the whole time which will open up the paint and allow for him to get to the rack and either put it up or dish it to the shooter.  Cavs are in disarray and Kyrie is most likely gone.”  – @MatthewKusch1
I tend to agree with the folks expecting about 55 wins.  The team is more talented than last year, but as @Williesteegz said, half the team has turned over.  You can’t argue that the acquisition of Gordon Hayward and having one of the deepest benches in the league with overcome much of the “first-day-in-a-new- school syndrome” but it’s there.  All in all, the team has the talent, but we’ve seen talented teams underachieve in the past if they lose their identity.  Don’t forget, the C’s have one of their more difficult schedules in recent memory with 25 nationally televised games (If Rondo was still here, he’d probably have his best season) – for more schedule analysis keep an eye out for @JoshBeRube’s article later this week.
 Brad Stevens has his most exciting roster, but it’s on him to ensure the pieces don’t just fit, but overachieve (again).

A WHIRLWIND OFF-SEASON FOR THE BOSTON CELTICS

Leave a reply

 

Boston Celtics Introduce Brad Stevens

(Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

 

Who’s Next To Wear Green?

Gordon Hayward, Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, Jimmy butler, the list goes on and on of potential, “could be” next Boston Celtics super star.  As the 2017 NBA off-season winds down we are starting to see the new Celtics roster take shape and we are left with some feelings that we get every year of, “what could have been” if different moves had been made. From the addition of Gordon Hayward to the subtraction of beloved Avery Bradley, let’s take a look and recap what has been one of the busiest/craziest Celtics off-seasons since maybe the Garnett/Pierce/Allen era began.

 

The One Loss:

Cleveland Cavaliers v Boston Celtics - Game Five

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

First, let’s start with maybe the most substantial loss to any NBA team this off-season on both ends of the floor and when it comes to leadership in the locker room, and that man’s name is Avery Bradley. Whether you loved him for his all-out hustle and dirt dog style of play or hated him due to his inconsistency to stay on the floor due to injuries, there is one thing Celtics fans can’t deny and that is that Avery Bradley the person will be missed on the court and off the court for this Celtics team going forward. Not only did Avery show passion on the court with his hard-nose style of play but he also showed passion off the court for the time and effort he put in with children and fans alike in Celtics Nation. There is NO DOUBT that Avery the person and Avery the basketball player (whom by the way was snubbed from the ALL NBA DEFENSIVE TEAM) WILL be missed.

 

The MAJOR Gain(s):

Detroit Pistons v New York Knicks

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

  Now that we have discussed the one loss that could haunt the Celtics this season let’s talk positive and discuss a few of the additions that were made that Celtics fans may like, not like, or learn to love. First let’s go with the man who was traded for Avery Bradley and that is Marcus Morris. For those not familiar with Marcus or only know his brother Markieff (instigator for the Wizards) let me begin by saying that Marcus should not be slept on because this guy can BALL and will flat out go to war for anyone wearing green next to him. This guy is a tall/long forward who can play and guard the 3 and 4 positions and can pretty much score from anywhere on the floor, although his defense won’t be on the same level as Avery but that’s what we have a guy named Marcus Smart for.

The next big addition on this team for me anyways is going to be this year’s draft selection, Jayson Tatum. Tatum was just voted as the NBA’s rookie that is most likely to succeed which is high praise for a kid who was drafted #3 overall it what could turn out to be a very good draft class.  At first I was not keen on the idea of Ainge making ANOTHER draft selection on a team that is already young and looking for another superstar to take some of the load off guys like IT4 and Al Horford. Not only did they get a draft pick in Tatum that can help right away and eventually become a star in this league but also went out and signed one of if not THE biggest names on the Free Agent circuit and that is Gordon Hayward who we will get into further down the line.

2017 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Jayson Tatum may not be the best “athlete” from this year’s draft but there is no question after watching him in Summer League play and reading all the reports on this guy that he will be the BEST all-around scorer from this year’s draft. Tatum has the ability to play positions 2-4 and can even handle the ball at the 1 and create a shot and score off the dribble. He is also long enough to guard any position on the floor and although he and Jaylen Brown can be scary together it does make way for a possible trade involving Brown for another super-star that plays in New Orleans and has the last name Davis (just an idea), so Celtics fans be ready because Jayson Tatum is indeed the next BIG THING.

Next up, the major move…Gordon Hayward!!! This guy is an all-out consistent Scorer and a flat out BIG TIME BALLER whom Celtics Nation will have no choice but to love. Gordon Hayward is an underrated player in this league but with this Celtics team the league will have to finally recognize him as one of the better all-around players in the league. Pairing Hayward with the likes of Thomas, Horford and Brad Stevens means nothing but bad news for the rest of the NBA and the Eastern Conference as a whole.

NCAA Championship Game: Butler v Duke

(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The reason why I love this move so much is the clear indication that this guy has the passion to win and has commitment and loyalty to winning. This is a guy who left a fan base who LOVED him in Utah and decided to come to the best fan base in ALL of basketball  just so he could team up with his old college coach and buddy, Brad Stevens. This guys will to win with his former coach that he came within seconds and inches of winning a college title with is incredible and I cant wait to see him perform in Celtics green…..EXPECT BIG THINGS TO COME FROM HAYWARD AND EXPECT HIS CAREER AND HIS GAME TO BE TAKEN TO A WHOLE DIFFERENT LEVEL!

 

THE MINOR MOVES WITH POTENITAL MAJOR IMPACTS:

I wanted to briefly touch on the MINOR moves this Celtics team mad that could have a sneaky impact on the outcome of how this season plays out and how well this team performs. The moves that stood out for me that could have an impact off of our bench are Aron Baynes, Semi Ojeleye, Daniel Theis and possibly the biggest sleeper of them all, Guerschon Yabusele. Lets start with the Australian Bruiser, Aron Baynes. Baynes is a guy who immediately gives you rim protection on a team that has lacked since the days of Garnett and Perkins. Although Baynes doesn’t provide much offense he makes up for it with his size and presence in the paint and Celtics nation should be excited to see what he can bring to this team as sort of a unknown player coming into this upcoming season.

The other guy who could have a bright future and can offer a lot to this team is Guerschon. Yabusele is a guy that when drafted was relatively an unknown and somewhat of a mystery  but let me tell you, after watching this kid play some overseas ball and some games with the Maine Red Claws you can tell this kid can be a major contributor right away on both ends of the floor and has the build and style of play as a guy like Draymond Green who we all know is quite possibly one of the best 2-way players in the NBA not named Lebron or Kawai. Celtics fans need to get ready and be excited to watch this freak athlete hit the hardwood and do some damage for this team and to me could possibly be used as a Lebron type of stopper.

2016 NBA Draft

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 23: . (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

 

 FINAL OUTCOME AND PREDICITONS:

  So Celtics fans should be aware by now that this team is being built around the new NBA era and is creating a blue print for teams to follow on what kind of guys are taking over this league and that are big, athletic wing players who can play multiple positions and stretch the floor and help other guys get open.

It will be interesting to see how the new big 3 plays together and who will take over Avery’s spot on the floor whether it’s Jaylen, Marcus, or Tatum, someone will have to step up in a big way to fill that void. This year should be an exciting one and the year we dethrone Lebron and the Cavs.

PG: IT4

SG: JAYLEN BROWN

SF: GH20

PF- CROWDER

C- HORFORD

Bench rotation: Smart, Tatum, Morris, Baynes, Guerschon,

 

-OVERALL RECORD: 51-31

-1ST PLACE IN THE EAST

-LOSE THE FINALS IN 6 GAMES TO THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

 

NOT FAMILIAR WITH NEW FACES ON THE CELTICS ROSTER? CHECK OUT THE TEAMS OFFICIAL PAGE TO LEARN SOME OF THE NEW FACES AND NAMES YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE THIS UPCOMING SEASON @

WWW.CELTICS.COM

 

#GoGreen

     Boston Celtics v Cleveland Cavaliers - Game Four