The problem(s) with Boston Celtics trade scenarios
Jay mentioned this in his recap last night, but Doc Rivers made a very significant statement after Boston’s disappointing loss to Detroit.
From CSNNE:
“I gotta either find the right combination or the right guys, or we’re going to get some guys out of here,” said a visibly upset Rivers after the Celtics lost their third straight game. “That’s the bottom line. This group right now, they’re not playing right. It’s in them to play right. But right now they haven’t been either because I’m not getting to them, or they’re not getting to each other.”
Blame is bouncing around like a pinball among Celtics fans, and along with that blame — as so often happens — trade ideas are running rampant. A few things to keep in mind as you are playing with the trade machine:
- No team wants Jeff Green. He has been too inconsistent and his contract is too hefty. For better or worse, the Celtics will have to stick with him.
- Courtney Lee was a hotly contested free agent in the offseason, but his extremely slow start has probably diminished his trade value somewhat. Not entirely, but enough that making him the focal point of a deal that really impacts Boston’s season going forward probably isn’t realistic.
- Everything that I just said about Courtney Lee is also true of Jason Terry, except that A) He hasn’t REALLY been trending upward and B) he is much older.
- Leandro Barbosa too.
- Fab Melo could be used as a way to make salaries work for a different deal, but on his own, he isn’t going to interest anyone.
- Jared Sullinger has been fantastic, but I get the impression that the rest of the NBA is skeptical that he could help a team other than the Celtics. His trade value is probably considerably lower than his value to Boston.
- Jump-shooting power forwards are a dime a dozen which, given his success at shooting jumpshots this year, sets Brandon Bass’s value at about a nickel.
- Avery Bradley is the kind of relatively inexpensive and incredibly impactful player who would be good to keep around even in rebuilding, and the Celtics were abysmal without him.
- Kevin Garnett has a no-trade clause and I’m a little appalled if this idea even occurred to you.
- Trading Paul Pierce would set a very bad precedent for potential franchise players, and it’s unlikely that whatever the Celtics got back for him would be worth that damage.
- Celtics fans as a whole value (myself included) value Rajon Rondo much higher than opposing teams. So while trading Rondo might be the best way to get a quality piece (or a quality pick) back, it would also be tantamount to tanking.
All of this negativity is to say there are really two ways to go about this thing: Either the Celtics figure out their problems internally and turn their season around, or they hit the reset button and (probably) put an end to Pierce and Garnett’s careers, since neither veteran is likely to want to hang around a rebuilding squad.
Happy Trade Machine-ing everybody. I’ll be in the corner watching my DVDs of 2008 and sobbing quietly.
Follow Tom on Twitter: @Tom_NBA.
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- Chris Paul’s agent says he wants trade to New York Knicks, not Boston Celtics, according to repot
- NBA Trade Rumors 2013: Leandro Barbosa has reportedly asked the Boston Celtics to trade or release him
Celtics Blog | Tom Westerholm | January 21, 2013
Oh yeah man, this has turned out to the the haunted house of the 2010 finals, just be happy they put 1 up there with the 16 we already had. A rich history. Most teams ain’t even raised 1. What might have been… The only option for this group other then trades is dust themselves off, go back to the drawing board and figure out a plan to be effective as a unit. If this means limiting the Big 3´s minutes, so be it. Most of all PLAY WITH HEART Celtics and if you lose, at least you can sleep easy at night knowing you gave it your all.
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I agree 90% with the article, since I’ve been saying basically the same things for some time. Still, I believe that a combination of Lee and Bass could bring back a competent (no all-star, of course) big man.
in Danny we trust. that’s as desperate a Celtics fan can be.
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I don’t think the problem is even lack of heart. I think it’s lack of ideas.
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Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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just for fun, been playing with the trade machine. I think it’d be cool to have blog entry in which we could throw in our alternatives, maybe adding a little explanation to make them sound reasonable besides sheer numbers. anyway, here are my proposals:
trade #1: Gortat for Lee, Collins, and Wilcox
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=bd5ea8m
the Suns need a backup SG, and Lee would fit perfectly. They could move Scola to center for short stints, and Wilcox and Collins could give more minutes off the bench. After all, a team with the priceless services of JO doesn’t need much more in the paint…
trade #2 Ian Mahinmi for Courtney Lee
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=dy7kzkk
again, a solid effort off the bench could seriously help the Pacers, who don’t have much at SG. Lee could even be a starter for them. Maybe the Cs should add Collins to the deal, since the Pacers could be lacking any backup center.
trade #3: Kaman for Bass, Collins and Barbosa.
Dallas is unhappy with Kaman, and Bass could be a more reliable backup than Elton Brand to Nowitzki. Collins and Barbosa are just there to match salaries. Ok, this one doesn’t make much sense either way. I’m not skilled enough to work on any reasonable three teams deal.
what are your suggestions, guys?
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since “my comment is awaiting moderation”, I kindly as the moderator to add the link to trade#3, that I forgot to include
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=af8ffb9
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I think the site wants to check when comments have multiple links so that we don’t get spam comments. Sorry for the hold up.
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I’d be ok with trade one, would rather see Barbosa an Bass in that trade since I really like Lee, but I don’t think the Suns would bite on this.
I don’t think Mahinmi really helps us, I’ve seen him a lot in Dallas and he’s not a good C would never give up C. Lee for Him.
Trade 3 would be ok because I think Bass and Barbosa play such a little role that it’s not that worse if they hit the door (especially Bass). Kaman is a weak rebounder and defender. But can play in the low-post and hit the mid-range shot…small upgrade to Bass and added size
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with Mahinmi I mean he doesn’t help us
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[...] Town The problem(s) with Boston Celtics trade scenarios – There aren’t many good options on the roster for making a [...]
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