- Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer looked back at how executive Danny Ainge built a “super team” in Boston with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, and what the current state of the Celtics‘ current reconstruction is, as well as what the team needs to take things to the next level.
With 16 fully guaranteed salaries on their books and just 15 regular-season roster spots to work with, the Celtics will have to make a tough decision in about a week. A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com and Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com each took a closer look at the roster bubble in Boston this weekend, and both writers agreed that Gerald Green and Jordan Mickey look pretty safe to make the cut. Assuming there are no other surprise trades or cuts, that leaves four players for two openings — Demetrius Jackson, R.J. Hunter, James Young, and Ben Bentil (who has a partial guarantee) are vying for those spots.
In Forsberg’s view, Jackson has done enough to make the team, while Bentil seems likely to be released and potentially to end up with the Celtics’ D-League affiliate. That leaves Hunter battling Young for the 15th roster spot, and Forsberg views Hunter as the favorite between the two.
As the Celtics mull their options, here’s more from around the Atlantic division:
- Jonny Auping of RealGM.com makes a case for why the Celtics should view Avery Bradley as more of a foundational piece than an asset available via trade.
- While they don’t have the cap room for him at this point, the Celtics‘ reported interest in Smith is genuine, according to Stein, who suggests Boston could explore moving some salary to another team in order to create space for Smith.
[SOURCE LINK]
The 2016/17 NBA regular season will get underway in just a week and a half, which means it’s time to start getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign. With the help of the lines from offshore betting site Bovada.lv, we’re going to run through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division, and have you weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic. We’ll kick things off today with the Atlantic division…
Boston Celtics
- 2015/16 record: 48-34
- Over/under for 2016/17: 52.5 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Al Horford, Jaylen Brown. Lost Jared Sullinger, Evan Turner.
(App users, click here for Celtics poll)
Toronto Raptors
- 2015/16 record: 56-26
- Over/under for 2016/17: 50.5 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Jared Sullinger, Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam. Lost Bismack Biyombo, Luis Scola, James Johnson.
(App users, click here for Raptors poll)
New York Knicks
- 2015/16 record: 32-50
- Over/under for 2016/17: 38.5 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Derrick Rose, Courtney Lee, Joakim Noah, Brandon Jennings. Lost Arron Afflalo, Robin Lopez, Langston Galloway, Derrick Williams, Jose Calderon.
(App users, click here for Knicks poll)
Philadelphia 76ers
- 2015/16 record: 10-72
- Over/under for 2016/17: 23.5 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless, Gerald Henderson, Sergio Rodriguez, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. Lost Ish Smith, Carl Landry, Isaiah Canaan, Kendall Marshall.
(App users, click here for Sixers poll)
Brooklyn Nets
- 2015/16 record: 21-61
- Over/under for 2016/17: 20.5 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Jeremy Lin, Trevor Booker, Luis Scola, Greivis Vasquez, Randy Foye, Caris LeVert. Lost Thaddeus Young, Jarrett Jack, Wayne Ellington, Thomas Robinson, Shane Larkin, Donald Sloan, Markel Brown.
(App users, click here for Nets poll)
- It’s highly unlikely the Celtics will be able to add Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com opines. Utah’s unwillingness to part with Hayward, who can opt out of his current contract at the end of the season, is the main reason. His trade kicker, and the cost of retaining him long-term, also foster the notion that Hayward isn’t coming to Boston.
Paul Pierce confirmed last month that 2016/17 will be his final NBA season, writing in a piece for The Players’ Tribune that he intends to retire next year. Pierce’s story for The Players’ Tribune didn’t mention how exactly he plans to go out, but in in a conversation today on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Pierce announced that he’ll retire as a member of the Celtics (Twitter link via Justine Termine of SiriusXM).
That decision comes as no real surprise — Pierce has played for a few different teams in recent years, but spent 15 seasons in Boston, winning a championship with the Celtics and making 10 All-Star appearances as a member of the franchise. He figures to join the team one last time during the 2017 offseason when he signs a one-day ceremonial contract to announce his retirement.
- The Celtics continue to have “real interest” in Gordon Hayward, multiple league sources tell Lowe. However, the ESPN scribe thinks Hayward will ultimately decided to re-sign with the Jazz next summer.
[SOURCE LINK]
Point guard Isaiah Thomas believes that if the Celtics are to make any trades this season, the team should focus on adding more scoring punch, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com relays. When asked what needs Boston still has, Thomas responded, “Someone who can put the ball in the basket. A knockdown shooter would be what we need. I’m not saying anything against the guys that are on this team right now, because we have a talented group, but I think that is the most important thing we need. We need spacing, because we got a lot of guys that can create and attack the basket, but we definitely need spacing.”
When asked if he was thinking ahead to becoming a free agent or signing an extension with the Celtics, Thomas told Forsberg, “To be honest, I haven’t thought about it. I haven’t and that’s the honest answer. I feel like I would be selfish to think about that right now. When the time comes, we can weigh the options and see what they want to do, see what I’m able to do. First and foremost, it is about winning. And bringing the best talent we can to Boston. And trying to hang another banner up here.” Thomas is under contract through the 2017/18 campaign, but will be eligible to ink an extension next season.
- With the Warriors and Cavaliers looking extremely strong heading into the season, the Celtics should hold off on making any drastic moves until next summer, Jeremias Engelmann of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) opines. The exception would be if players such as Anthony Davis or DeMarcus Cousins become disgruntled and demand trades, Engelmann adds. Forsberg disagrees in the same post, noting that a trade to clear up the guaranteed contract logjam would be beneficial.
The Celtics are interested in adding J.R. Smith, who has carried a contract impasse with the Cavaliers from the summer into the preseason, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports.
The Celtics can only offer Smith a salary starting at $9MM unless they make a trade to clear cap space, as Isola notes. Avery Bradley is the Celtics’ starting shooting guard. The Celtics are in the market for Smith in an effort to bolster their second unit’s scoring, Isola adds.
Other teams are interested in Smith, who is still likely to re-sign with the Cavs, Isola adds. Smith has been reportedly wanting a $15MM annual salary, while the Cavs prefer to sign him to a contract in the $10MM to $12MM range. Smith, 31, started a career-high 77 games for the Cavs during the 2015/16 season, and also started all 21 of the team’s playoff games. During the season, he averaged 12.4 PPG and shot 40.0% from long distance, making 2.6 threes per game.
The Celtics and Sixers make sense as trade partners, but a deal between the two seems unlikely, The Celtics need help in the front court, where the Sixers have a surplus, and the Sixers need wing help, where Boston has depth, but the stakes are too high to make a trade, Bulpett details. The teams discussed a significant deal in February and had further talks over the summer, but with each team at pivotal points in their respective processes while playing in the same division, a trade should not be expected right now, Bulpett surmises.
Here’s more out of Boston:
- Al Horford has been a better fit in Boston than expected, Celtics coaches told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The prized newcomer has blended in with his teammates while still asserting himself as a prominent leader on the floor and inside the locker room early on, Blakely writes.
- Second-year player R.J. Hunter needs to string together a few more performances like the one he had against Charlotte on Saturday to avoid possibly being cut, Blakely writes in a separate piece. Hunter’s future on the Celtics is unclear because although he showed potential last season, Boston has 16 players with guaranteed contracts and must get rid of at least one, Blakely adds. Prior to Saturday’s game, Hunter had struggled.