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Post by rjp313jr on Oct 24, 2017 20:04:08 GMT -5
I agree with this; having not Morris has been huge. People will understand once he’s playing - he’s a big time defender for those wing positions. Smart posting up a lot is a good thing. I don’t necessarily agree that Horford needs to do it more. There is an advantage we have and we should exploit it. Horford to the perimeter opens he lane for Smart to do this and if he kicks it out then Al can pass like a guard. Horford has good moves and can score in the post, he's also a very good passer. Smart isn't a good finisher, but he was getting some fouls. So it's not some huge advantage if Smart can't score. You certainly don't need to be doing it 5 times a game. I could be wrong but doesn’t Smart have a very good points per possession on post ups? Horford has more moves but he goes against better post defenders as well. |
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Post by Don Caballero on Oct 24, 2017 20:25:52 GMT -5
Anyone else checking the Nets score and rooting for them?
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 24, 2017 20:44:59 GMT -5
I know it's the Knicks and all, but Brown and Tatum are having the kind of game you can dream on. Tatum and Brown are not playing like 1st and 2nd year players, making plays on both ends of the court. It is easy to be bullish on these guys futures. Heard some analysts today saying it looks like Brown jumped over the 2nd year of progress right to the 3rd year. And Tatum doesn't look like a rookie. |
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Post by pedrofanforever45 on Oct 25, 2017 5:15:59 GMT -5
Everything is still going according to plan with the rookies so far this year, they look awesome.
The one player who hasn't been playing up to his potential so far is Irving. That's a great sign for this team because you know he's going to just go off and carry the Celtics at times this year.
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Post by pedrofanforever45 on Oct 25, 2017 5:49:28 GMT -5
Tatum and Brown become the first teammates in Celtic history to have 20 points or more in the same game ages 21 or younger last night.
Considering all the talent the Celtics have had in their rich history, that's incredible.
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Post by rjp313jr on Oct 25, 2017 6:01:35 GMT -5
Tatum and Brown become the first teammates in Celtic history to have 20 points or more in the same game ages 21 or younger last night. Considering all the talent the Celtics have had in their rich history, that's incredible. Is it though? On the surface is seems to be but then when you remember that not spending 3-4 years in college is only something from the last 20 years. The reality is there hasn’t been much of an opportunity for this. Almost all those players you are referring to were in college at this age. Not trying to take away from how great these two have been but the stat sounds more impressive than it is. |
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 25, 2017 6:04:11 GMT -5
Tatum and Brown become the first teammates in Celtic history to have 20 points or more in the same game ages 21 or younger last night. Considering all the talent the Celtics have had in their rich history, that's incredible. Although I agree that it is exciting for the young duo to be playing so well the fact is all those other great players in the C's history didn't start there careers until later. Based on the rules in the past players didn't make it to the NBA til they were older. |
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Post by rjp313jr on Oct 25, 2017 6:28:06 GMT -5
It’s too early to know what will happen this year; they have a tough tough stretch coming up and they could be left at 2-5....
But man I love watching this team play so far and Kyrie isn’t in his flow.
We keep mentioning Tatum and Brown and Rozier for good reason. It’s extremely exciting to have these guys. I’m in awe of the leap Brown has made and of how Tatum has played during his first week in the league. I want to give a shout out to a couple other guys though who’ve been impressive:
Theis - I like this guy a lot. It’s nice that he’s on a cheap 2 year deal then he’s only a restricted free agent. He should be here a while. Different guys but swapping him and KO could be an upgrade by years end -even if salary were the same.
Larkin - he is a nice backup point guard. Good find. He’s likely only going to be here for this season as he’s going to play himself into a bigger contract and role than this team can provide. That’s ok though.
Aaron Baynes - was a disappointing signing at the time because he wasn’t a sexy name and I had other guys I wanted more. Now I’m only disappointed it was a one year deal. His game is unselfish and seems efficient. He’s got a good midrange game and while you’ll never run plays for him, he should produce the left overs. He also is a nice presence in the middle both defensively and rebounding. He’s not a rim protector but plays good D. One subtle thing I noticed a couple times, and I could be misreading this... he seems to be a pretty good mentor for the younger players even Tatum. I’ve seen him talking to guys after the whistle in an explanatory teacher sort of way not regular this is what’s going on next. I saw him do it last night with Tatum, after he committed a foul. Baynes took the time to show him what he did wrong and Tatum was engaged. Again maybe I am seeing things that aren’t there but that’s what it seemed like.
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Post by pedrofanforever45 on Oct 25, 2017 6:29:04 GMT -5
I thought the days of Bill Russell might of been a little different but maybe I'm wrong about that.
The fact that these 2 are playing like role players right now tells you how good they're going to be down the line. Tatum could be a elite scorer in 3-4 years in this league.
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Post by rjp313jr on Oct 25, 2017 6:33:48 GMT -5
A couple things to keep in mind while watching this team. The NBA is truly a sport where the longer a group plays together the better they become (assuming a good coach and motivated players). This team has a great coach and is basically an entirely new team this year. On top of it, they are incredibly young. Furthermore, they are capped out and only have 2 true free agents after this season (Larkin and Baynes); plus Smart as a RFA.
Expect to see this team mostly in tact for this year and next. I don’t expect any big trades or free agent signings. Things may change but basically, you’re looking at this team, plus their own first rd pick and a midlevel Guy - minus Larkin and maybe Baynes.
Point being - get to know these guys... we are now in the it’s ok to get attached phase of building a contender.
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Post by rjp313jr on Oct 25, 2017 6:40:14 GMT -5
Jabari Bird is on a new two way contract. Under the terms of that contract he can only spend 45 Days with the Celtics. It will be interesting to see how they work this. I’m assuming, once Marcus is back they will send him back to Maine to preserve some of that time. I doubt they want to use the last roster spot on him this early.
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Post by rjp313jr on Oct 25, 2017 6:45:47 GMT -5
Last post - wanted to separate this from the Bird post. This link explains the 2-way contracts. www.google.com/amp/s/www.sbnation.com/platform/amp/nba/2017/7/18/15985262/nba-two-way-contract-2017-summer-league-agents-worried-about-themThis kind of stuff drives me nuts. I get why agents “don’t like them”, but I just disagree with them. First of all, a player doesn’t need to sign them so I think the fact they are available is great. FOR THE PLAYER not just for the team. Everyone is different - if you just want to make money playing ball then there are plenty of overseas options for you to go and play. However, if you want to stay in the States and play in the NBA, being with an NBA franchise on a deal like this is the best case scenario. I’d be willing to bet, guys on these two way contracts get more chances to work their way into the NBA. |
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Post by pedrofanforever45 on Oct 25, 2017 6:51:18 GMT -5
Last post - wanted to separate this from the Bird post. This link explains the 2-way contracts. www.google.com/amp/s/www.sbnation.com/platform/amp/nba/2017/7/18/15985262/nba-two-way-contract-2017-summer-league-agents-worried-about-themThis kind of stuff drives me nuts. I get why agents “don’t like them”, but I just disagree with them. First of all, a player doesn’t need to sign them so I think the fact they are available is great. FOR THE PLAYER not just for the team. Everyone is different - if you just want to make money playing ball then there are plenty of overseas options for you to go and play. However, if you want to stay in the States and play in the NBA, being with an NBA franchise on a deal like this is the best case scenario. I’d be willing to bet, guys on these two way contracts get more chances to work their way into the NBA. When the commissioner of the NBA Adam Silver was talking, that's what he emphasized with this new rule. They are hoping for less players to go overseas with this new rule change (you don't need to draft and stash players anymore), and more players are getting a chance to earn minutes. The players association loves that part of it. It works out great for the teams and players to be honest. |
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 25, 2017 7:15:15 GMT -5
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 25, 2017 9:04:40 GMT -5
It’s too early to know what will happen this year; they have a tough tough stretch coming up and they could be left at 2-5.... But man I love watching this team play so far and Kyrie isn’t in his flow. We keep mentioning Tatum and Brown and Rozier for good reason. It’s extremely exciting to have these guys. I’m in awe of the leap Brown has made and of how Tatum has played during his first week in the league. I want to give a shout out to a couple other guys though who’ve been impressive: Theis - I like this guy a lot. It’s nice that he’s on a cheap 2 year deal then he’s only a restricted free agent. He should be here a while. Different guys but swapping him and KO could be an upgrade by years end -even if salary were the same. Larkin - he is a nice backup point guard. Good find. He’s likely only going to be here for this season as he’s going to play himself into a bigger contract and role than this team can provide. That’s ok though. Aaron Baynes - was a disappointing signing at the time because he wasn’t a sexy name and I had other guys I wanted more. Now I’m only disappointed it was a one year deal. His game is unselfish and seems efficient. He’s got a good midrange game and while you’ll never run plays for him, he should produce the left overs. He also is a nice presence in the middle both defensively and rebounding. He’s not a rim protector but plays good D. One subtle thing I noticed a couple times, and I could be misreading this... he seems to be a pretty good mentor for the younger players even Tatum. I’ve seen him talking to guys after the whistle in an explanatory teacher sort of way not regular this is what’s going on next. I saw him do it last night with Tatum, after he committed a foul. Baynes took the time to show him what he did wrong and Tatum was engaged. Again maybe I am seeing things that aren’t there but that’s what it seemed like. I agree with all of this. Baynes has been a nice surprise with his mid range game and hopefully they can keep him around beyond this year. |
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Oct 25, 2017 10:10:27 GMT -5
I thought the days of Bill Russell might of been a little different but maybe I'm wrong about that. The fact that these 2 are playing like role players right now tells you how good they're going to be down the line. Tatum could be a elite scorer in 3-4 years in this league. Debut age: Russell: 22 Bird: 23 Pierce: 21 Havlicek: 22 McHale: 23 Sam Jones: 24 Cousy: 22 Cowens: He was 21 for 7 games Jojo White: 23 Heinsohn: 22 Walker: 20 And consider that other greats like Parish, Sharman, Macauley, Nelson debuted with other teams. etc etc. It's really more of a comment that it's incredible that they have two guys so young who are playing this much. |
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Post by umassgrad2005 on Oct 25, 2017 12:01:58 GMT -5
Horford has good moves and can score in the post, he's also a very good passer. Smart isn't a good finisher, but he was getting some fouls. So it's not some huge advantage if Smart can't score. You certainly don't need to be doing it 5 times a game. I could be wrong but doesn’t Smart have a very good points per possession on post ups? Horford has more moves but he goes against better post defenders as well. Are you talking about last year ? I have no clue, but I don't ever remember two games in a row where Smart was getting like 5 post-ups a game. In two games this year his points per post up are not good. He made like 2 or 3 out of 10. For the most part he just tried drawing a foul. He did get a decent amount of free throws, but then missed a ton of them. Smart isn't a good finisher. If he wants to post up Thomas when we play him 5 times a game ok, but he needs that type of advantage to be better than Horford. Most of the time Horford is too unselfish. If you tried to post him up more and moved him around you could get him good opportunities. It's like we forget he can post up for long stretches. |
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Post by philarhody on Oct 25, 2017 12:36:51 GMT -5
It seems crazy how good this team could be three years from now.
Three years from now, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant will be 32, and Lebron James will be 35. Meanwhile the Celtics will presumably have a starting 5 of Kyrie Irving (age 28), Jaylen Brown (age 24), Jayson Tatum (age 22), Gordon Hayward (30), and Al Horford's replacement (hopefully the Lakers pick turns into Mo Bamba or Marvin Bagley or is packaged with other picks/rozier/horford for the Brow).
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 25, 2017 13:06:53 GMT -5
It seems crazy how good this team could be three years from now. Three years from now, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant will be 32, and Lebron James will be 35. Meanwhile the Celtics will presumably have a starting 5 of Kyrie Irving (age 28), Jaylen Brown (age 24), Jayson Tatum (age 22), Gordon Hayward (30), and Al Horford's replacement (hopefully the Lakers pick turns into Mo Bamba or Marvin Bagley or is packaged with other picks/rozier/horford for the Brow). I think in 2 years with Horford still on the team it is a reasonable target for a championship. Tatum in his 3rd, Brown in his 4th and Kyrie and GH in there prime. Along with one more star, be it a draft pick or a trade and this team should be ready. They will have years of experience and plenty of playoff exp. by then. The way the young guys look already gives me reason for optimism. |
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 25, 2017 15:33:21 GMT -5
If the Celtics don't get lucky with the Lakers pick this year it means they have 4 1st rd picks in 2019. Of course this means a trade is going to happen but doesn't that also just point to the 2019 season as being the one to shoot for it. Could also come into play with next years team.
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Post by texs31 on Oct 25, 2017 15:42:23 GMT -5
Maybe.
Memphis is conditional and while they are having a good start, they could age quickly. Plus, if Lakers pick up some FAs, Denver moves forward (I think Bledsoe would be a great fit), New Orleans finds a way to put some talent around Davis, etc, you could see Memphis in the lottery next year.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 25, 2017 20:37:03 GMT -5
2019 Clippers pick top 14 protected then the same for 2020
2019 Memphis pick top 8 protected then top 6 protected for 2020
Anything can happen but the way things look right now these picks should convey in 2019.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 26, 2017 7:03:26 GMT -5
Anyone else checking the Nets score and rooting for them? Yup and 3-2 is a bit surprising, go Nets! |
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Post by Don Caballero on Oct 26, 2017 12:02:19 GMT -5
LMAO the Nets beating the Cavs. That is a masterpiece of sports irony.
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Post by umassgrad2005 on Oct 26, 2017 13:48:08 GMT -5
The top 4 in the East are the Magic, Bucks, Wiz and Nets.
It's early but the Nets currently have 4 players with per over 20 in Russell, Carroll, Hollis-Jefferson and Booker. Carroll looks like he did 3 years ago and Hollis-Jefferson has taken to playing PF.
They didn't just beat the Cavs, the lead after every quarter, did it without Russell and while LeBron had a triple double. Impressive. Outside the Lin injury everything is going right for them. Older players playing well, younger guys are developing and they are playing team ball.
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